Selectmen Approve Town Manager's Capital Improvement Plan

The Board of Selectmen voted Monday night to adopt Town Manager Reginald Stapczynski's capital improvement plan for 2015 to 2019.

But the vote comes with stipulation that the projects go forward as funding is provided, so as to prioritize projects as funding comes in. It's a vote in support of the principle of Stapczynski's plan, not a vote on each individual project.

"We're basically adopting the CIP, and then the proposals that come forth will come from that," Selectman Brian Major said.

Bylaw requires the town manager put forth a CIP as the first step in the annual budget process.

"Then I will take this forward and frame the budget for fiscal 2015 and beyond based on this basic CIP," Stapczynski said.

The ambitious plan calls for several new big-ticket projects including a new town yard, a new fire station and multiple land purchases. It's not know how much the projects would cost, but the CIP for 2015 alone is at more than $9 million.

Last week, the Finance Committee raised concerns over the town's spending and debt. But Stapczynski Monday said each project in the coming years will include a debt analysis and that the CIP is simply a vision for the next few years, not a set-in-stone spending initiative.