Finance Committee opposes expanding Weston Select Board to five members

WESTON -- March 6, 2025, Weston Finance Committee votes 7-1 to oppose expanding Select Board from three to five members. Member Zachary Sadek led the opposition, warning that "we'll have a hard time getting five qualified Select Board members to serve" and arguing a divided board would be "expensive" for the town. Chair Bharath Venkataraman cast the lone dissent. The committee unanimously backed a Zero Hobbs Brook conveyance tied to MBTA 3A compliance and supported, 7-0-1, a rezoning of a 1.35-acre Riverside Road parcel for up to 20 affordable units. Members also pressed staff to consider a capital stabilization fund as roughly $750,000 in debt service rolls off, what Sadek called "fool's gold" if simply absorbed into the operating budget. Group Insurance Commission health premiums are projected at $13.3 million, up 13 percent, driving most of a $2 million increase within fixed-cost lines.