Weston Unified Plan Committee advances municipal finance section toward Select Board review

WESTON — April 13, 2026 — Weston's Unified Plan Committee voted unanimously to reshuffle subcommittee assignments and declined to write a support letter for the town's Open Space and Recreation Plan at its April 13 meeting. Chair Danielle Ferenz led the committee in approving the move of member Marga Sproul from the land use subcommittee to resources, and adding Alan Reiss and Diana Chaplin to land use. The committee then spent the bulk of the session reviewing its municipal finance section, in which member John Harris presented a metric showing that every $1 million in capital construction adds $16 to the median Weston tax bill — meaning a $300 million secondary school campus would add roughly $4,800 at peak borrowing. Town Administrator Leon Gaucher urged softening of language around the town's triple-A bond rating, noting Weston does not currently tax to its levy limit, and the committee agreed to add language encouraging the Select Board and Finance Committee to "explore all options" for flattening future debt impact rather than endorsing any specific reserve mechanism. The committee set its next meeting for April 27, with a possible presentation to the Select Board on April 29, contingent on the arrival of a newly reconstituted five-member board.