Hopkinton Town Meeting Passes $104 Million Town Budget Unanimously

HOPKINTON, MA - Hopkinton Town Meeting members unanimously approved the FY 23 town budget of $104 million Monday night during the first night of the Annual Town Meeting, held at the Hopkinton High School Athletic Center.

This was the first time it will be held in person in its usual format since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago. But the meeting was suspended after three hours of debate because a quorum could not be reached to vote on Articles 22 and 23 regarding

The budget, Article 5, dominated the first hour of debate before passing unanimously.

Ways to resolve the PFAS problem

The other key article that generated the most discussion was Article 22. This measure sought $25 million for a design study as well as engineering and construction costs for a pipeline to connect to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water supply through Southborough.

However, it could not be voted upon because there were only 125 Town Meeting members present by the end of discussion - three people shy of a quorum - so the meeting had to adjourn. Article 22 will be revisited Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

While some residents questioned whether it would be more feasible for the town to filter its own water given the MWRA's water rates, Department of Public Works Director John Westerling explained that the MWRA option would be cheaper for Hopkinton initially given its current financial constraints, but it will become more expensive down the line. The benefit of being part of the MWRA system is that the 3.1 million users would share the cost.

This article was one of two the town put forth to address the growing PFAS situation in the town's water supply over the past several months. Also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS levels have risen above the level set by the Department of Environmental Protection last year of 20 parts per trillion. Well #6, which supplies one-third of the town's water supply, is where the contamination was discovered. The town can choose either to connect to the MWRA water supply or pay for a water filtration system for the town's eight wells at an estimated cost of $43 million, which is what Article 23 proposes.

The budget

The proposed budget, which would go into effect on July 1, sought a balance between providing essential services to a growing population that relies on its residential tax base without calling for a tax override. The town presented a balanced budget that will increase taxes over last year's rates for residents and businesses by 2.09%. The average residential impact would be $241 next year for a homeowner with a property value of $681,100.

There are six measures that will require debt exclusions if approved. They will be taken up Tuesday night.

"The budget does a good job of addressing current needs withing constraints including tax impact," said Michael Manning, chair of the Appropriations Committee, noting that developing the budget "was a collaborative process between dozens of community volunteers and town staff."

He added that there were many opportunities for the public to make concerns known during a series of community meetings.

Manning noted that property values in Hopkinton rose from $2.8 billion to $4.9 billion over the past decade, a 76% spike. Residential property accounts for 83 percent of that amount, which he said shows "that Hopkinton is truly a community of homes and families."

School Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh explained that the school budget was $56,616,428, a 2.88% increase from the previous year. She told her principals to keep their requests lean despite the increasing enrollment numbers.

"Our approach to budgeting, especially this year, is one where we stressed personal responsibility," she said. "This was a year that we asked for what we needed and not the nice-to-haves but the need-to-haves."

She stressed Hopkinton's reputation as providing an exceptional education, noting that the programming is designed to "meet the needs of every one of our learners" intellectually, behaviorally and emotionally in a district that is growing increasingly diverse.

Hopkinton High School was recently recognized as being ranked #11 in the state, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey.

One request was for funds for a full-time teacher and 2.7 paraprofessionals to staff a new preschool classroom. Money for a districtwide nurse and five districtwide paraprofessionals were also priorities in the budget allocation.

School Committee candidate Holly Morand asked if there was a process for increasing expenditures for mental health services if students show that they need additional support. She cited the rise in bullying in the schools as well as student mental health issues that have arisen since the pandemic.

Cavanaugh replied that the school system hired a social emotional learning director this school year, a position that is being funded in the FY 23 budget. By developing programs on restorative justice, executive functioning and other counseling support systems, she said the students should be well supported.

Select Board candidate and Planning Board member Shahidul Mannan asked about STEM and college preparation curriculum, noting the emphasis in the budget on special education.

Cavanaugh said that the system offers several advanced placement courses in the sciences and math, as well as programming in robotics in both the middle and high schools. But the district's recent focus has been "on the kid in the middle," providing college courses through MassBay Community College as well as growing programs focused toward vocations.

Other articles approved

The financial articles easily passed with little or no debate.

One important vote was for the approval of $346,947 in funding to go into a revolving account to provide money for HCAM, the town's public access cable. The money will be moved from certified free cash. This replaces the enterprise fund that currently funds the station.

Members also approved an article to petition the state legislature to implement a means-based tier system to help elders and low-income residents pay their water and sewer bills

Town Meeting also voted to create a special education reserve fund.