Weston Finance Committee votes to adopt six-town peer group for budget comparisons

WESTON — January 18, 2018 — Weston Finance Committee adopts six-town peer group and debates how to communicate financial concerns to residents. The committee voted unanimously at its January 18 meeting to use Wellesley, Wayland, Dover-Sherborn, and Concord-Carlisle as its standard set of comparable communities for budget analysis going forward, covering four effective high school programs across six towns. Town Moderator Gerard Doherty attended in person to urge a more collaborative approach with the School Committee after a public letter-writing exchange the prior year, while acknowledging he had no supervisory authority over the committee. Members described per-pupil school spending running 20 to 30 percent above peer towns and noted that every new member independently surfaces the same long-term cost concerns, saying the School Committee "basically told us to mind our own business." The committee also flagged that Weston's average tax bill of roughly $15,000 to $20,000 would now likely exceed new federal SALT deduction caps, calling it an important data point to communicate to residents before the spring Town Meeting.