Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Wellfleet are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you are interested in on the calendar at wellfleet-ma.gov for details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, Jan. 23
- Nauset Regional School District Budget Subcommittee, 8 a.m., Nauset Admin. Office
- Board of Assessors, 11 a.m.
- Natural Resources Advisory Board, 4:30 p.m.
- Nauset Regional School Committee, 6:30 p.m., Nauset Middle School or online
Monday, Jan. 27
- Joint Finance Committee and Select Board budget review, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 28
- Select Board, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 29
- Joint Finance Committee and Select Board budget review, 6 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Birds Roost on Town Budget
The preliminary town budget for fiscal 2026 has been posted on the town website. “Right now, revenues do not equal expenses,” Town Administrator Tom Guerino told the select board on Jan. 14.
The reason, Guerino said, was “a lot of the birds are coming home to roost,” referring to projects that the town has undertaken in the last few years. He also said the town’s funding of the water and marina enterprise funds was “not good practice” and helps explain the shortfall.
Guerino said the town will have to either cut costs or vote for a general override and increase property taxes. “It’s not so, so bad,” he said, “but we do have some work to do.”
The preliminary budget posted online was incomplete: it did not include a capital budget or debt service, nor did it include anticipated revenues. Guerino did not respond to repeated requests to provide a more complete summary.
According to the preliminary budget, 2026 spending is estimated at $28,688,409 — slightly more than the $28,506,948 budgeted last year, exempting capital expenditures and debt service.
As of press time, the select board was set to discuss the budget first at its Jan. 21 meeting and again at a joint meeting with the finance committee on Jan. 22. Joint budget meetings are also set for Jan. 27 and 29. —William von Herff
