Weston Select Board approves $102M budget, warrant for May town meeting

WESTON -- March 25, 2025, Weston Select Board approves $102 million FY26 budget and town meeting warrant while disclosing MBTA 3A lawsuit. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the fiscal year 2026 operating budget of just over $102 million, a 4.6 percent increase, after the Finance Committee unanimously endorsed it following months of weekly review. Town Manager Leon Gaucher announced a 50 percent state increase in Chapter 90 road funds, bringing Weston's allocation to $700,000 and allowing a reduction in the operating-budget roadway line. Chair Lise N. Revers confirmed the board voted in executive session on March 18 to file a legal challenge to the MBTA Communities Act, citing the state auditor's February 21 finding that the law is an unfunded mandate, while the board simultaneously approved a warrant article bringing the same 3A zoning plan, minus the Zero Hobbs Brook parcel, before residents for a third time under a July 14 state compliance deadline. Member Rebecca J. Mercuri recused herself from a separate 2-0 vote authorizing lease negotiations with the Weston Observer for the town-owned Fisk Law Office, disclosing her husband's involvement with the startup news outlet.