This post was contributed by a community member.
Here's what we covered at a busy Town Council meeting on Monday, October 19:
- We presented citations to legendary Wakefield company Paul K. Guillow, Inc. on the occasion of their 100th anniversary, and Wakefield Community Access TV for Community Media Day.
- The Council held its annual tax classification hearing. The average residential taxpayer will see a 10.8% increase in their property taxes this year, with nearly 7% of the increase due to the debt exclusion for the Wakefield Memorial High School Building project. We maintained the maximum allowable commercial shift in our property tax rate, which saves the average residential taxpayer approximately $1,000 per year.
- The Town Council received an update from Chief Skory about the Wakefield Police Department's use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). The department maintains five Flock ALPRs in Wakefield, with access to the system limited to the department's command staff and detective unit, and full audits conducted each month by Chief Skory. The images collected are automatically deleted after 15 days, and data sharing is limited only to police departments in four neighboring towns. The Council narrowly voted down a motion to remove the ALPRs, though the issue will be considered again by Town Meeting next month.
- We had a lengthy discussion about Wakefield's trash and recycling program. Trash and recycling service costs are expected to increase by nearly 25% in Fiscal Year 2028, due to substantial increases in carting and disposal costs, and new requirements from recycling contractors that Wakefield move to automated collection. Automated collection will require Wakefield to purchase curbside recycling containers similar to the containers used for trash collection, the cost of which will require approval by Town Meeting in November. Given the expected cost increase, the Department of Public Works is starting to look at new potential funding sources, including increased fees, and they have reviewed alternative operational options including bringing collection in-house. We will have further discussions as we develop the budget for Fiscal Year 2028.
- The Council approved the warrant for Town Meeting on Monday, November 16 at 7:00 PM at the Galvin Middle School. We also made appointments to the Board of Registrars, Youth Council, and Affordable Housing Trust.
Our next Town Council meeting will be on Monday, November 9th. We also will be kicking off budget planning for Fiscal Year 2028 with our Tri-Board meeting next Monday, October 26 at 7:00 PM with the School Committee and Finance Committee.
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