Duxbury’s Fiscal Advisory Committee tackled a trio of significant funding requests this week, ranging from a critical technology overhaul to long-term climate resiliency planning. Chief Technology Officer Mike Woodford presented a dire assessment of the town’s current hardware, revealing that 96 percent of town computers have exceeded their supported life cycles. Woodford described technology as the fifth utility and argued that modernize hardware is essential to safeguard town systems and maintain operational efficiency. Committee Chair Alexander Chin acknowledged the compressed timeline for these reviews, noting that we're playing a little bit of catch-up this year following changes to the budget submission deadlines. Andrew Marshall pressed for details on the town's historical lack of replacements, asking how are the decisions to buy computers made? to ensure future cycles remain on track.

The committee also weighed a $200,000 matching grant request from Planning Director Matthew Heins for the Snug Harbor project, a massive climate resiliency effort designed to deal with climate change and sea level rise and the flooding getting higher and higher over the years. While the immediate request is for engineering and design, the total project costs are estimated at $45 million. Karen E. Barry urged for clarity in public presentations, stating, I think we need to be transparent with everyone of this is $3.5 million of a $50 million project. Vincent Walsh scrutinized the funding mechanics, asking Woodford, Is this sequestered at the time that the grant is applied? while Candace Martin emphasized that nailing down the timeline... getting some of those details I think will be critical to the conversation.

A separate proposal for a $40,000 annual payment kiosk at Town Hall sparked discussion on resident habits and labor resources. Corey Wisneski explained that while the kiosk would improve customer service, the request would likely fall under operational budgeting versus capital budgeting. Bethann R. Halligan provided local context to the transaction habits, noting that two-thirds are not necessarily come to the counter but they drop off too. Frank M. Holden sought to ensure the town’s digital presence was being addressed alongside physical hardware, asking the CTO, Do you have any engagement in the issue? It's also a hardware system for the website's website perhaps. Ling Wong highlighted the need for sustainable planning, questioning if the town is looking at this in terms of being able to support this build up as a recurring cost.

The meeting also included an interview with Tyler Kelly, who is seeking to join the committee. Kelly expressed a desire to assist with the town's fiscal challenges, stating, I definitely wanted to help make a difference in town especially after seeing what happened with the override. Another prospective candidate, Jonathan, ultimately withdrew his application, explaining, I probably overcommitted... I don't know that I can commit at this time. The committee will turn its attention to the school department's capital requests in the coming weeks, including a high-priority $2 million feasibility study for the Alden School. Motion Made by Alexander Chin to adjourn. Motion Passed 9-0