Weston Finance Committee reviews IT, public safety budgets and revisits school cost concerns

WESTON — February 8, 2018 — Weston Finance Committee weighs department budgets and presses school spending case. The committee reviewed IT, police, conservation and fire budgets Feb. 8 without taking votes, then dug into school spending. IT Director Tracy Sullivan said hosting the town's Munis financial system through the vendor would jump from $67,000 to $136,787 annually. Fire Chief Jim asked for two firefighters this year and two next year, at roughly $97,342 per pair, citing 2,320 annual incidents, 970 back-to-back calls last year, and just seven per shift since 1967. "We're not broken, but we are bent," the chief said. Member John Henry presented analysis showing Weston's $26,000 per-pupil cost runs roughly $8,000 above peer towns even as MCAS "advanced" and AP 4/5 rates lag. Conservation Administrator Michele Grzenda asked the town to fund a full-time animal control officer at about $48,000 more per year.