Finance and Warrant Commission - 10/07/26

The Westwood Finance and Warrant Commission held a public hearing on October 7, 2026, on special town meeting warrant articles, chiefly the proposed replacement of Fire Station 1 (FS1) at the former Deerfield School site. Town officials and the project team presented a not-to-exceed project budget of approximately $39.98 million, including about $30.4 million in construction costs. The financing plan calls for $34.8 million in debt-excluded borrowing, supplemented by roughly $5.18 million from available funds, including $2.5 million in free cash. The team said the design is about 20% smaller than the prior proposal, includes stormwater and field improvements, and will undergo further estimates and public permitting before bidding; construction is anticipated to begin in 2027 if voters approve the project. No construction contract or vendor award was made. The commission voted 11–0 to move the question on Article 1; the transcript does not clearly establish a substantive recommendation on the project.

Article 2 would rename the existing Capital Stabilization Fund as the Capital and Tax Impact Stabilization Fund and transfer about $1 million in school-facility-related reimbursements into it for future capital and debt-service needs. The commission voted to move the question on Article 2 as well. The transcript records no procurement award for either article. The project’s proposed town meeting and ballot votes were identified as October 26 and November 3, respectively.