Burlington Ways & Means Approves $19.5M in DPW Budget Articles as Town Meeting Draws Near
Burlington's Ways & Means Committee voted 12-0 on all DPW budget articles and recommended a major step toward transparent water and sewer financing.
Budget season in Burlington rolls on in the leadup to the town's annual Town Meeting, which begins on May 11. The Ways and Means Committee convened on April 15, 2026, to review a chunk of public-works-related capital and financial warrant articles, from water filter replacement to acceptance of state repaving funds.
Notably left out of the discussion were the Shawsheen Tech budget, which Chair Doug Davison says needs more review before the committee can confidently recommend it to Town Meeting, and the Local Transportation budget – both were on the calendar for this week but postponed to April 29, when the committee next meets.
Department of Public Works Chair Brian White, appearing alongside Town Engineer Tom Hayes and Assistant Town Engineer Meghan Cavalier, presented the following articles to the Ways and Means Committee, all of which were supported unanimously by the Committee. These advisory votes will be considered by Town Meeting when members consider the financial articles during the course of Town Meeting.
- Ways & Means voted 12-0 on all 18 DPW capital and financial articles — totaling roughly $19.5 million
- Biggest items: $3.75M road paving, $2M Mill Pond improvements, $6.7M sewer assessment
- Committee voted to recommend the creation of a combined water & sewer enterprise fund — a major shift in how Burlington manages water finances
- Shawsheen Tech and Local Transportation budgets postponed to April 29
- School budgets will be heard on May 6
Capital Articles
DPW Sidearm Brush Mower Attachment — $68,000
This would fund a replacement for the department's 10-year-old brush mower attachment, used for cutting back brush growing into roadways and sidewalks.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Drainage Repair and Stream Cleaning — $200,000
This stream cleaning project uses an excavator to clean sand and sediment from streams.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW PFAS Filtration Replacement — $650,000
This would fund the replacement of PFAS filter resin (good for approximately 18 months), includes leftover funds from previous appropriation. White also updated the committee on a pilot study, which will begin soon, to test whether a different filtration medium (clay) would offer cost and efficacy improvements.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Mill Pond Filter Sand Replacement — $35,000
This would fund replacement of sand in the Mill Pond filtration system, which dates to the facility's original 2006 rehabilitation. The sand — which filters water before it reaches the PFAS treatment system — accumulates manganese and iron over time that backwashing can't remove. The project also provides an opportunity to inspect internal filter components that are otherwise inaccessible.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Water Meter Replacement Program — $250,000
This is a continuation of the town's multi-year meter replacement program, focusing on commercial properties and larger meters. The town's revenue from water bills is impacted when meters don't read water usage properly; the town is likely under-billing for water and can't accurately track usage. The town has been working for several years to replace old meters and standardize the meters that are in use.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Vehicle Replacement Program — $556,000
Three vehicles – including a 2007 loader, a highway vehicle that was totaled in accident, and operations manager vehicle – need to be replaced.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Facility Asset Inventory and Software — $65,000
This represents a one-time cost for a company to inventory all municipal buildings and populate asset management software.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Greenleaf Water Tank Rehabilitation Design — $75,000
These funds would permit the design phase for a tank rehabilitation due to corrosion issues identified during routine maintenance. The actual construction would be funded by a future warrant article.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
DPW Sewer Pump Station and Generator Replacement — $120,000
This would pay for a portable generator replacement and electrical connections for pump stations.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Financial Articles
Acceptance of Chapter 90 Money — $1,400,257.87
This is the annual state road funding grant, and represents the acceptance of funds.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
MWRA I&I Debt Service — $107,975
This pays for the debt service payment for inflow and infiltration projects (funded from Sewer I&I fund). Inflow & infiltration represents water that shouldn't be in the town's treated water but ends up there via cracked pipes, deteriorating seals, and illegal connections like sump pumps tied into the sewer system. When groundwater or stormwater seeps into the sewer system, it increases the volume of wastewater Burlington sends to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) for treatment, driving up costs, and puts additional strain on pump stations. The town is under a state DEP legal order to actively investigate and address I&I and has been spending roughly $500,000-$600,000 or more per year on that work, funded primarily through MWRA grant loans.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Sewer Enterprise Fund — $6,705,000
This will fund the required MWRA sewer assessment ($6.5M) plus a $200,000 operating budget offset (funded from Sewer Enterprise Fund).
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Transfer from Water Stabilization Fund — $3,100,000
This is an annual transfer to help stabilize the operating budget since 2019 (funded by transfer from Water Stabilization Fund).
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Roads, Parking Lots and Sidewalk Paving — $3,750,000
This is for the biennial road paving program, increased from previous amounts due to pricing increases (funded from borrowing)
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Mill Pond Capacity and Resiliency Improvements — $2,000,000
These funds would support a gate replacement ($1.25M) and raw water line investigation ($750K) at Mill Pond (funded from borrowing). There are 4 miles of pipes between Mill Pond and its primary water source, the Shawsheen River. The article will fund a non-destructive inspection using a sensor device that travels through the pipe with the water flow, using sonar and radar to assess the condition of the pipe. The gate replacement addresses three emergency gates — one at each of the pond's two dykes and the main dam — installed around 1970 and well beyond their serviceable life. If those gates failed during a pipe emergency, the pond could drain uncontrolled, flooding areas downstream while cutting off the town's local water supply.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Lead Line Water Main Replacement Program — $1,327,400
This will fulfill an EPA requirement to investigate 20% of water services by 2032 to prove the town has no lead service lines (funded by low-interest MWRA loan). Burlington almost certainly has no lead pipes, said Cavalier, but the EPA requires the town to prove it.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund — (authorization only)
This would authorize the town to establish a combined water and sewer enterprise fund under Massachusetts state law. Enterprise funds collect fees from residents on bills rather than via taxation; member John Iler recommended incorporating the I&I fund, as well.
Ways & Means Vote: 12-0
The Ways and Means Committee next meets on April 25, when the Committee expects to vote on the Shawsheen Tech and Local Transportation budgets, along with other financial items. Still to come are the Burlington Public Schools operating and accommodated budgets and capital articles, which are scheduled to be heard on May 6.
