Westwood Select Board Approves $40M FS1 Budget
Select Board · Meeting of September 28, 2026
Westwood Select Board approves nearly $40 million budget for its FS1 public safety building and pauses use of Flock license-plate cameras. The board signed off on a $39,981,157 scope and budget for the project, $1.6 million less than the 2025 proposal, even as cost per square foot rose from about $800 to about $1,067. Town Administrator Connor Reed and Finance Director Stephanie McManus outlined a funding plan combining $2.5 million in free cash, $1.1 million from a real estate sale, $1 million in Meals and Hotels tax revenue, and $500,000 from the Recreation Revolving Fund, leaving $34.8 million in excluded debt and an estimated $295 annual tax impact on the median home.
The project needs a two-thirds vote at the October 26 special town meeting and a majority on the November 3 ballot, where it is Question 10. Separately, Police Chief Russell O'Neill was asked to "research whether other vendors are available" after the board voted to suspend its Flock camera program over privacy concerns. The board also marked Town Accountant Marie O'Leary's retirement after 31 years and the town's 29th straight GFOA financial-reporting award.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 1,357 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Westwood News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news