Wayland Finance Committee zeroes in on $5.5 million capital budget gap

WAYLAND — March 4, 2026 — Wayland Finance Committee zeroes in on $5.5 million gap in competing capital budget proposals. Capital Improvement Planning Committee Chair Kelly Lappin walked members through differences between her panel's recommended $8.3 million fiscal 2027 capital budget and Town Manager Michael McCall's $13.8 million proposal, with a $2.5 million high school baseball diamond and fields project the single largest line in dispute. Asked where she would stand at town meeting, Lappin said "I'd be standing at the con mic," citing pressure from MWRA water costs and looming overrides. McCall and Finance Director Brian Keveny said they restored items after meeting with department heads who flagged 15 new projects not in the prior five-year plan. The committee deferred a vote on Article E, a $9 million enterprise fund budget, to March 9, and approved March 2 minutes 6-0.