Twenty Percent Water Enterprise Debt Split and $43 Million PFAS Costs Headline Duxbury Finance Review
Key Points
- Water Department requested $54,000 for a new administrative position to handle billing and customer service demands
- General Fund debt service is projected to rise to $8.4 million in FY27 due to the seawall and DPW facility projects
- PFAS treatment at the Depot Street well is estimated to cost $43 million with a construction target of 2028
- Duxbury and Kingston have formalized an intermunicipal agreement to share Veteran Services costs on a 50/50 basis
- The committee reaffirmed an 80/20 debt split for the DPW facility between the General Fund and the Water Enterprise Fund
- Finance Committee reorganized for the year, re-electing Betsy Sullivan as Chair and Friend S. Weiler, Sr. as Vice Chair
The Duxbury Finance Committee met to dissect the Water Enterprise budget and the town’s escalating debt profile for the 2027 fiscal year. Mark Hokanson, presenting for the Water Department, detailed the necessity of hiring a second administrative staff member to manage a mounting workload, explaining that the number of phone calls and the workload that we have is very demanding and too much for one staff member.
Finance Director Mary MacKinnon noted that while initial projections utilized retained earnings, the shift to quarterly billing has improved cash flow, reporting that the town's overall debt profile for FY27 is 9.69 million, representing the annual debt service payment for all of the projects that have been approved in the community.
The committee examined long-term capital needs, specifically the $43 million projected for PFAS treatment facilities by 2028. Charles J. Weilbrenner inquired about potential financial offsets, asking, Do you foresee getting anything from the state or federal government, particularly around the PFAS problems?
Addressing the town's broader debt capacity, Al Hoban asked, Have we had sort of global strategic discussions on exempt debt visa v our capacity to handle that?
Kathleen Glynn suggested that internal efficiencies could mitigate some expenses, stating, I envision that town engineer would certainly be utilized by the water department... that could help in navigating the request.
Ashley Maher sought clarification on specific line items, asking, How much revenue does the water product bring in?
The meeting also highlighted a successful regionalization effort for Veteran Services. Town Manager René Read explained that Duxbury and Kingston formed a district to share a Veteran Service Officer, noting, We joined forces to develop a district and have Sarah service both the town of Kingston and the town of Duxbury so that we are meeting the needs of this program.
Concerns about shared utility costs were raised by Jackson S. Kent., Jr., who noted, I just know that we're going to hear this again, whether people using the four shared septic systems are paying their share.
Theodore J. Flynn further clarified the scope of these services, asking, Is the school septic system in this at all?
Before concluding, the committee addressed internal leadership and succession planning. Friend S. Weiler, Sr. emphasized the importance of grooming future chairs, stating, I'd like someone else to think in terms of working their way up... we have to have someone in line to do that.
Following the reorganization vote, Chair Betsy Sullivan expressed her commitment to supporting operational staff, saying, I want to certainly voice my heart support to get you the help you need so you can get out there and do what you're trained to do, which is to run an excellent office.
Motion Made by Al Hoban to approve the minutes of November 4, 2025 as submitted. Motion Passed 5-0-2
Motion Made by Friend S. Weiler, Sr. to elect Betsy Sullivan as Chair of the Finance Committee. Motion Passed 7-0
Motion Made by Betsy Sullivan to elect Friend S. Weiler, Sr. as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. Motion Passed 7-0