This post was contributed by a community member.
Here's a summary of what we discussed at our Town Council meeting on Monday, April 27:
- We received an update about planning for Wakefield's amazing 4th of July parade. This year's parade will include 20 bands, 18 circus and character acts, 10 floats, and 10 reenactor groups, along with entertainment at the reviewing stand by the Pomtastics and singer Holly Zagaria. To volunteer or donate to the parade committee, please visit www.julyparade.org.
- We received an update on Wakefield 101, the new resident welcome and educational event organized in the past by the Beebe Library staff. While we have not held Wakefield 101 since 2022, the Council expressed a strong interest in seeing this event return on an annual basis. We also received an update on planning for Wakefield's annual Town Day, which will be held on Saturday, September 26.
- The Town Council discussed renewed efforts to complete Wakefield's new Master Plan, a project that was initiated a few years ago with the appointment of a citizen-led advisory committee and the organization of several public forums. We have retained a pro bono consultant, Steve Magoon, to facilitate the completion of the Master Plan document by fall 2026.Steve is a Wakefield resident who previously served as the planning director for Watertown.
- Town Engineer Bill Renault provided an update on the Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail project. For the section between Galvin Middle School and Salem Street, we are in the process of installing safety fencing and traffic control bollards, and we expect that this section will be formally opened this summer. We also expect to receive state funding to complete the section from Salem Street to Fosters Lane as part of the state's Transportation Improvement Program in Fiscal Year 2030.
- The Council completed its review of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget by discussing expectations for investment income for the coming year, approving a $728,000 salary contingency budget to fund new expected collective bargaining agreements with various unions, and authorizing $1.3 million in cuts to previously-approved budgets. We also approved the use of $1.5 million from Wakefield's OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) Fund, which we anticipate will be covered by the fund's projected investment returns. Even with these actions -- as well as a $300,000 reduction that the Finance Committee is recommending to the School Department's proposed $58 million budget -- we still will need to use $2 million in Free Cash to balance our budget in the coming fiscal year. This deficit will create even greater fiscal challenges when we start preparing our budget for Fiscal Year 2028 in the fall.
Our next meeting will be on May 18, beginning at 7:00 PM, where we will be joined by the winners of today's municipal election, Brian Fox and Ami Wall -- congratulations to Brian and Ami, and thank you to all the candidates who stepped forward to run in today's election! Please also be sure to join us next Monday for Town Meeting, which will start at 7:00 PM at the Galvin Middle School auditorium. All registered voters are eligible to participate, and I hope we'll see you there.
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