Weston's year-end budget transfers stalled at the Board of Selectmen on October 1 when the motion to approve them got no second. Selectwoman Lauren Traum said she would vote against them, arguing that some spending lacked Board of Finance approval she believes the town charter requires for amounts over $5,000.
The budget behind those transfers shows the town's litigation account running well past its budget: $150,000 at the start of the year, raised to $295,000 during it, and $337,315 spent.
Only two of the three selectmen were present. Selectman Anthony Pesco was absent, so First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor and Traum cast every vote.
The transfers
Finance Director Richard Darling presented the annual transfers that close out the 2025-26 budget by moving money from accounts with leftover balances to accounts that ran over. "This Board of Selectmen's budget comes in at a positive $186,000 and change," he said. The meeting packet puts the surplus at $186,403. That figure covers the town departments in the selectmen's budget; the packet's summary does not include the schools.
Darling said the surplus was led by public works, "particularly salaries due to vacancies and new positions coming in at lower steps." The general government accounts ran over, which he attributed to health insurance, electricity and legal expenses. He called the health insurance overrun "kind of a one-time thing," tied to the town's switch from health reimbursement accounts to health savings accounts.
The packet's line items show those overruns:
- Litigation: budgeted at $150,000, raised to $295,000, and $337,315 spent.
- Health insurance: $3,036,498 spent against a budget of $2,978,475, about $58,000 over.
- Electricity and heat: $85,611 spent against $48,500.
The litigation figures themselves were not discussed at the meeting, and the packet does not say which cases the money went to.
Traum said she had read the town attorney's memo on the subject, and that "although it addresses when the board of finance can approve year-end transfers, it doesn't address spending of what was appropriated without prior board of finance approval, which I believe Section 9.9 of the charter requires for amounts that are over 5,000." She added: "I don't agree with the town's interpretation, and I'm not going to vote in favor of the transfers because of that."
"That's why we changed it in the charter," Nestor said. Proposed charter revisions go to voters on November 3 as three ballot questions. According to the board's minutes, the first two cover minority representation and the annual town budget meeting, and the third covers the remaining proposed amendments; the meeting did not say which change Nestor meant.
Nestor moved to approve the transfers, and the motion died without a second. Traum said she had not known Pesco would be absent, and the board discussed tabling the item until November.
A new public works director
The board appointed Frank Katz as Director of Public Works and Facilities Management after interviewing him in executive session. Nestor said the choice followed "a couple of months of interviews and going out on the street."
Town meeting on Pilot Hill Road
The board set a special town meeting for Thursday, October 15, at 6:15 p.m. at Town Hall, on the proposed transfer of town-owned land on Pilot Hill Road.
Town Administrator Karl Kilduff said a subdivision approved there was never built, and the town took its six parcels through a tax foreclosure. An early attempt to sell them drew no bidders. Now a buyer wants "one or two parcels" to build a single-family home, he said, and the board has approved an anticipated purchase price after an appraisal. The price and the buyer were not disclosed at the meeting. In 2025, the Planning and Zoning Commission sent the selectmen a favorable report on selling the lots at 9 and 11 Pilot Hill Road.
The buyer will need approvals from Planning and Zoning and the Conservation Commission. "If the land use approvals are not given, then we move on. He moves on, the property remains ours," Kilduff said. He said the road and a bridge on the site were never accepted by the town, so the town has no responsibility to maintain them.
The board named Susan Moch moderator of the town meeting and Francine Goldstein alternate.
Public comment, once a month
The board voted to add public comment at its first meeting each month. Nestor said that in five terms on the board, "I have not gotten from members of the public a request for public comment, but I got maybe seven or 10 emails." Traum, who made the motion, said neighboring towns hold public comment at every selectmen's meeting, "But I'm not going to push it." No rules or time limits were set. "We see how it goes," Nestor said.
Also on October 1
- Holiday music festival: A $2,500 supplemental appropriation to the Commission for the Arts for musical acts at the Holiday Music Festival and Tree Lighting.
- Building Committee: Greg Russo and Thomas Shea appointed, with terms ending June 30, 2028.
- Tax refunds: $28,670.75 approved.
- Old Hyde Road: The board acknowledged a resident's letter asking the selectmen to establish the boundaries of Old Hyde Road under state law. The letter cites a pending lawsuit over the road's boundaries. Traum recused herself, and the board was told she is a litigant in that lawsuit. Town counsel said the request requires a formal process, including notice to neighbors and a public hearing, and will send a timeline.
- Board of Ethics: An executive session on appointments was tabled to October 15.
- The Old Post Office: Nestor presented a proposal to rebuild the town-owned building at the Weston History & Culture Center. That is covered separately.
The board's next meeting is October 15.