Acton Finance Committee Debates Long-Range Deficit Plan and DPW Building Frustration

ACTON -- September 9, 2025, Acton Finance Committee opens FY27 budget guidance process with warnings of structural deficits and unresolved DPW tensions. Member Steve Curtis presented independent analysis showing town spending has grown at roughly 4.4 percent annually when debt reduction is stripped out, and projected a 5.4 percent annual escalation through FY30, well above the 3.6 percent embedded in the Advisory Leadership Group's prior plan, with potential deficits approaching 10 percent of total revenue by that year. Member Jason Huffman renewed his challenge to the Select Board's handling of last year's ALG process, saying the Finance Committee never reached consensus on the DPW building or forecast and was owed an apology, and confirmed he had submitted a formal request to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance over the town's demand that the committee remove a video from its website. Liaison Greg Morrissey reported that new DPW consultant Arrow Street presented five scenario options to the DPW Building Committee this summer, including continuing to use the existing building, which Arrow Street estimated has ten to fifteen years of usable life remaining. The committee voted 7-0 to approve minutes from five prior meetings and is scheduled to hold a point-of-view working session September 23.