Wakefield Town Council Notes - February 9, 2026

Here's what was discussed at our Town Council meeting on Monday, February 9:

• The Town Council reviewed and approved several budgets for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, 2026, including the budgets for the Tax Department, Inspectional Services Department, and Recreation Department. These budgets total $1.7 million (about 1.5% of the overall Town budget), and they are slated to increase by 0.5% in Fiscal Year 2027. As part of our discussion, we heard about the amazing programs offered through the Recreation Department -- check out what they have to offer at wakefieldma.myrec.com!

• We appointed Tess Kohanski to the Economic Development Council for a term ending in 2027. We also reviewed a conflict of interest disclosure from the Council's chair, Ally Houghton, due to her board positions with the Greater Wakefield Chamber of Commerce and Wakefield Community Access TV. We approved an exemption to allow her to sign financial reports on the Council's behalf.

• The Council set the date for the Annual Town Meeting, which will be held on Monday, May 4 at 7:00 PM at the Galvin Middle School. If a second night is needed, Town Meeting will be continued to Tuesday, May 5. The warrant for Town Meeting will be open through Friday, March 13 at noon.

• Town Administrator Denise Casey reported that she is recruiting for an Assistant Town Administrator, who will have primary responsibility for financial operations. Our incumbent Assistant Town Administrator, Kevin Gill, is retiring in April.

Our next meeting will be held on Monday, February 23 at 7:00 PM. Please join us online or in-studio at Wakefield Community Access TV.