The Duxbury Finance Committee met to review critical budget requests from the Council on Aging and the Duxbury Free Library, revealing a significant spike in community service demands. Council on Aging Director Joanne Moore detailed a staggering 248 percent increase in home-delivered meals since 2003, with over 26,000 meals served last year alone. During the presentation, Kathleen Glynn inquired about the department's rebranding efforts, asking, Are you changing the name? Moore explained the department will now be known as "The Center powered by the Council on Aging" to emphasize active aging, adding that Our budget should be much bigger, but because of that volunteer gifted time, it really saves the town a lot of money. Friend S. Weiler, Sr. highlighted the unsustainable growth of the program, noting, I think it's worth mentioning the numbers... it's the same number of staff managing a quadrupled workload.

A central component of the Council on Aging’s 5B budget request is $10,000 for "Care Solace," a mental health navigation service for residents. Ashley Maher sought clarification on the program's operations, asking, Is the initial contact through staff here or is it through the care solace group? Moore clarified that the service connects residents with providers to bridge gaps in local mental health care. Theodore J. Flynn expressed concern about shifting part-time roles into benefit-eligible positions, warning that Anything that sounds like a new body is I think what we lost last year. Despite the staffing debate, Chair Betsy Sullivan praised the engagement levels at the Senior Center, observing that If the department head is personable and pleasant and interacting well with the community, then more people will come.

The Duxbury Free Library also presented its FY26 outlook, demonstrating a return of over $6 in value for every $1 of tax investment. Library Trustee Lucy Rennard introduced the board by stating, I am Lucy Rennard, and um library trustee. Trustee Chair Lester Lloyd reported that The success of our planning process shows in our performance indicators, highlighting a 137 percent jump in program attendance. Vice Chair Martha Dennis credited the library’s new three-year strategic plan for the growth, noting that rolling this over much faster makes sure that we're addressing real needs. Library Director Denise Garvin emphasized the continued demand for physical media, telling the committee, People still want books. Both lines have increased both digital checkouts and physical checkouts.

The library’s primary 5B request involves $13,600 to restore Sunday hours, which were cut due to previous budget constraints. Charles J. Weilbrenner questioned the budget placement of the request, suggesting, I wonder you know if you that should not be in the 5B but be in the 5A under the salaries since we're one of the stipulations was about the 5B was not to do any extra hiring. Finance Director Mary MacKinnon responded that the 5A budget and the restorations that have been included in the 5A follow along with the select board's priorities, which did not include Sundays. Mark Hokanson spoke in favor of the restoration, stating, I'd like to see those Sunday hours come back personally... as a working parent, you know, we're not available during the weekdays very often.

Motion Made by Betsy Sullivan to adjourn. Motion Passed 7-0