Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Jan. 18
- School Improvement Committee, 2:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 22
- Search Committee, 10 a.m.
- Eastham Visitors Tourism and Promotion Services Board, 3:30 p.m.
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 23
- Zoning Task Force, 4 p.m.
- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 24
- Human Services Advisory Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 25
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9 a.m.
- Board of Health, 3 p.m.
Conversation Starter
A First Look at the Budget
At its first meeting every year, the select board hears a presentation on the preliminary budget for the fiscal year ahead. On Jan. 8, Assistant Town Administrator and Finance Director Rich Bienvenue presented the preliminary budget recommendations for fiscal 2025.
There were “limited additions to the budget,” said Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe, mainly because of rising costs due to inflation. The budget aims to maintain the level and quality of services of previous years, she said.
Still, the total preliminary budget for 2025 is projected at $48,626,066, up 13.7 percent from $42,750,065 for fiscal 2024.
That’s because of the cost of debt service, at $8,873,323, up from $6,507,248 in 2024 and related to funding for the town’s water and wastewater systems and the new high school building.
A source of uncertainty is the amount allocated to the Nauset Regional School District operating budget. The four towns in the district — Eastham, Orleans, Brewster, and Wellfleet — agreed to a maximum 3 percent increase, according to Bienvenue.
But Beebe said that “the school is also giving us some indications that a 3-percent increase is not reasonable and that they may come in higher.” The draft budget for the district is expected to be in on Jan. 16, and the finance committee and select board hope to review it before it is finalized.
The 8.28-percent increase in the school budget can also be attributed largely to debt service, Bienvenue said.
The property tax rate is expected to increase from $7.01 to $7.33 per thousand. Eastham is in the bottom third of property tax rates across the state, according to Bienvenue. —Olivia Oldham
