WESTMINSTER — Voters at the Special and Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, May 3, 2025, backed a $28.4 million fiscal-year 2026 budget and wrapped up all warrant business in under three hours, but not before debating the merits of spending public funds to pave a private road.
One of the first articles up for discussion was the transfer of $450,000 from free cash to supplement the snow and ice removal account. Town Clerk Ellen Sheehan explained that the town plans for this transfer annually “as winter weather is nearly impossible to predict and we can’t know what the budget’s going to be months in advance.” The article was approved.
At issue was Article 3 of the Special Town Meeting Warrant, a petition brought forward by Derek Nurr on behalf of 61 households in the Leino Park neighborhood, requesting $75,000 to pave a portion of Leino Park Road between East Road and the Leino Park Bridge. Nurr described the road as “just a path of bumps and potholes,” noting that residents had already funded a $1.1 million replacement of the bridge “that they’re going to be paying over the next 37 years without any help from the town.”
While Nurr acknowledged that the article would be non-binding due to legal constraints, he urged voters to see it as a gesture of support. “What we would like to do is have this vote symbolic of the commitment of the Leino Park community to beautify the town,” he said.
Photo credit: Screenshot via Ashburnham Westminster Community Media
The Advisory Board, Select Board, and Department of Public Works unanimously opposed the request, citing Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40, Section 6N, which prohibits the use of public funds to improve private roads unless permitted by local bylaw. Following the vote, a town official addressed Derek Nurr, explaining: “The Select Board and Advisory Board are unanimously opposed, as Mass General Law Chapter 40, Section 6N prohibits municipalities from expending public funds to pave private roads except as authorized by local bylaw. Additionally, this article would violate our local bylaw. Temporary repairs to private roads are permitted under Chapter 173, Sections 28–32 of the General Code of Westminster.”
During public discussion on Article 3 at the Special Town Meeting, residents were divided over the proposal to pave Leino Park Road. A resident from the back of the room emphasized the road’s role as a vital access route, stating: “Leino Park Road is used as an access road for all public and emergency vehicles. The bridge was redone with the primary intention for safety because the households on the other side of the bridge were only able to be accessed via the other private road, which is Honeybee Lane, which is all dirt. So now that the bridge is complete, Leino Park Road takes you to the bridge, and that is the access for all public works vehicles, postal workers, emergency vehicles—anyone.” Another resident interjected, stating, “There’s no restrictions to the road as far as access.”
Another speaker, who identified as a member of the Open Space Committee, voiced caution about the broader implications of the request. “This is a citizens petition which definitely needs more thought because it changes and sets precedents for other private roads within town and funding to those private roads,” she said. Later adding, “That area—I love that area—I love to kayak and go over the bridge. But the large area near Honeybee Road hasn’t been sold yet, and we want to keep that as open space if at all possible and there’s no access. Would paving this road then provide access to a large subdivision being built in that open space? As a Westminster resident, I wouldn’t like that.”
Despite legal constraints and unanimous opposition from town officials, voters approved Article 3 as a non-binding resolution, offering symbolic support to the Leino Park community. The vote marked the close of the Special Town Meeting, which was formally adjourned before the Annual Town Meeting commenced. From there, residents shifted their focus to the Annual Town Meeting warrant, beginning with a comprehensive overview of the fiscal year 2026 budget.
FY26 Budget and Capital Spending
Lisa Rocheleau, Chair of the Advisory Board, presented an overview of the town’s FY26 financial plan during the Annual Town Meeting, which began immediately after the Special Town Meeting adjourned. She described the proposed $28.4 million operating budget as a “level-service recommendation,” reflecting a 5.9% increase over FY25 to maintain existing services and account for rising costs in school assessments, public safety, insurance, and pensions.
“This budget is a level-service recommendation,” Rocheleau said during her presentation. “Big drivers include school assessments, public safety, insurance, and pensions. Increases are driven by inflation, contract obligations, and the growing demands of our busy town.”
The final FY26 education budget totaled $13,152,733, comprising $12,298,571 for K–12 education for the Ashburnham–Westminster Regional School District and $854,162 for Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (Monty Tech). During the line-item reading, officials explained that these amounts reflected contractual obligations and assessment increases agreed upon with the respective districts. Education makes up the largest share of the town’s budget, totaling approximately 46 percent of all operating expenses.
In addition to the operating budget, voters approved several capital and departmental spending measures, including:
- $500,000 for replacing the Meetinghouse School roof
- $360,000 for a new 2010 Mack-brand six-wheel truck for the Department of Public Works
- $300,000 for general road maintenance, covering routine materials and repairs such as gravel, drainage work, catch basin upkeep, guardrail fixes, and limited paving not included in the town’s separate $500,000 road improvement plan.
- $231,252 for a Department of Public Works water meter replacement project, funded with $50,000 from the water and sewer enterprise account, $82,135 transferred from a prior article related to water main replacement, and $99,117 transferred from a previous sewer extension article.
- $70,000 for a portable generator manual transfer switch upgrade for the Emergency Management Department.
Tax relief was also a notable priority. Under Article 11, voters approved transferring $230,000 from free cash to help reduce the FY26 tax rate. In response to resident questions about how the budget would affect individual tax bills, Select Board Chair Melissa Banks explained that the final rate could not yet be determined, as it depends on updated property valuations that will not be available until the fall. “It’s kind of almost impossible to predict the tax rate because that’s also based on the home values, which we won’t have until late fall,” Banks said. When asked to estimate the potential impact on homeowners, she added, “I would say roughly 3 to 4% in that ballpark. But again, it’s tough to say because the tax rate really fluctuates based on values and revenue.”
Telecom Tower Lease Approved
Under Article 14, voters authorized the Select Board to lease space on the town-owned telecommunications tower at 211 South Ashburnham Road to one or more telecommunications companies. David Monty, a lieutenant with the Westminster Fire Department and former chair of the town’s now-disbanded Cable Advisory Committee, presented the article, explaining that the 191-foot tower—originally built in 2000 for public safety use—can now accommodate commercial cellular equipment. Leases would permit providers to install antennas on the existing structure and within the surrounding fenced-in compound.
A town official estimated during the presentation that the town could earn approximately $30,000 annually per carrier. During discussion, a resident reiterated the estimate, noting that with up to four carriers, the town could generate as much as $120,000 a year.
When another resident raised concerns about health and safety risks from 4G and 5G equipment near homes and schools—including long-term exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation, a type of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that has been classified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as possibly carcinogenic to humans , Monty responded:
“This equipment that’s being installed is at every cell site across the country, and it is industry standard and it’s installed with best practices. This tower is 191 feet in the air, so you are more likely to be exposed by RF within your own house than you are off this tower.”
Officials estimated it would take about one year from the signing of a lease for installation and activation to be completed.
Energy Efficiency Recognized
Doug Hurley, Chair of the Energy Advisory Committee, reported that Westminster is saving roughly $70,000 per year through a combination of solar contracts and energy efficiency improvements to municipal buildings.
“We’re a group of five volunteers that try to do two things,” Hurley said: “reduce the cost of the electricity we use at town buildings and reduce the amount of electricity we use.”
He explained that the town locked in long-term savings through a power purchase agreement with a Western Massachusetts solar farm, which supplies electricity at rates 20% below National Grid’s standard rate. “That’s an automatic 20% savings locked in for many years,” Hurley said. In addition to solar, the town also purchases electricity from a competitive supplier, currently priced at two cents less per kilowatt-hour than National Grid, saving an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 annually.
According to Hurley, an additional $50,000 in annual savings comes from ongoing energy efficiency upgrades at municipal buildings, including the library, DPW building, schools, and Town Hall. These improvements—such as better insulation, reduced air leakage, and upgraded lighting—are funded entirely through state grants and utility rebates, not local tax dollars.
Additional Articles Passed
- $1,317,942 for the Sewer Enterprise Fund
Covers operational expenses, debt service, and shared costs such as insurance and retirement contributions allocated to the general fund. - $885,723 for the Water Enterprise Fund
Funds salaries, expenses, reserves, and shared administrative costs associated with townwide services. - $274,200 for the Solid Waste Transfer Facility
Supports the continued operation of the town’s waste transfer station, including reserve funds and overhead. - $50,000 from free cash for a property revaluation consultant
Required under Massachusetts law, this funding enables the town to hire Vision Government Solutions to conduct mandated reassessments of real and personal property. Officials noted outsourcing is more cost-effective than hiring additional permanent staff. - Increased funding for the Westminster Cultural Council
The Council’s annual appropriation was increased by $1,000 to expand support for local arts and cultural programming. A brochure of upcoming events was distributed during the meeting. - Continued appropriations for the Conservation Commission and Agricultural Commission
These funds support the ongoing work of each commission in protecting natural resources and promoting agricultural interests within Westminster. - $3,000 for historic preservation on Bacon Street
Allocated to the Historical Commission to hire a professional architectural historian to conduct a building survey along Bacon Street—an effort modeled after last year’s project on Main Street.
Town Moderator Dana Altobelli closed the meeting after all articles passed, thanking residents for their participation. The sentiment of civic pride was echoed earlier by Lisa Rocheleau, Chair of the Advisory Board, during the budget presentation, when she said, “Thank you for being part of making Westminster such a wonderful place to live. Every vote today helps shape our future together.”
