Finance Committee Meeting: October 5, 2026

The Milford Finance Committee met on October 5, 2026, to review warrant articles and spending requests; it approved the prior meeting minutes, with one abstention. Members discussed, but did not vote on, the spending articles. They deferred article decisions until a planned October 13 meeting to assess the requests together, citing projected ending free cash of about $269,000—below the committee’s customary comfort level. The requests and project updates included $2.5 million for the next phase of Stacy School HVAC work (with $2.2 million appropriated previously but not yet spent); a $250,000 school phone-system replacement, expected to save about $40,000 annually; a $110,000 rescue vehicle; $525,000 for department-wide SCBA replacement; and $200,000 in fire-department overtime funding to maintain staffing. The fire department also discussed up to $90,000 for LED lighting and an estimated $65,000–$70,000 project cost, with the final amount still being confirmed. No vendor was selected for the phone system or HVAC work; the phone proposal required further documentation, and the fire department said SCBA purchasing would be competitively pursued among state-bid vendors.

Other capital and operating items included environmental remediation at Milford Pond and PFAS investigation near Birch Street Fire Station (Clean Harbors had been contracted that day to clean the station’s drainage system); parks fence and field-equipment proposals; a highway salt-brine system and radio replacement; and town-building sprinkler and snow-removal equipment. The committee also reviewed a proposed tax increment financing agreement for Waters Corporation’s planned expansion of more than $50 million. The proposal would preserve the company’s existing tax payment of about $1.5 million annually and phase in taxes on the added value over 15 years; members discussed the terms but took no vote. Several other articles, including an unpaid sewer bill and zoning amendments, were reviewed or identified for later consideration. No procurement or spending articles were approved at this meeting.