Wakefield Town Council Notes -- January 27, 2025

Here's a summary of what was discussed at our Town Council meeting on Monday, January 27th:

• The Council discussed a process to review all Town Council policies and regulations on an annual basis. A list of these policies is available on Wakefield's website at https://www.wakefield.ma.us/town-administration/pages/policies-trust.

• We reviewed and approved several budgets for the Fiscal Year that begins on July 1, 2025, including the Treasury, Emergency Management, Inspectional Services, and Recreation departments, among others. The budgets approved total $1.7 million, or about 1.5% of Wakefield's total annual budget. Taken together, these budgets are expected to increase by 1.9% in Fiscal Year 2026.

• The Town Council approved a restaurant license for INspire Café, located at 411 Main Street in downtown Wakefield. INspire Café provides employment and growth opportunities for individuals with diverse abilities, and the Council previously allocated $150,000 to help bring the café to its new location in Wakefield. Their grand opening will be this Saturday, February 1st at 10:00 AM.

Our next Town Council meeting will be on Monday, February 10th at 7:00 PM. Of note, the agenda for this meeting will include an initial discussion about transition planning in light of Town
Administrator Steve Maio's planned retirement this summer. I hope you will be able to join us on Zoom or Wakefield Community Access TV.