SELECT BOARD NOTEBOOK: Wilmington Has Already Lost Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars In State Grants Due To MBTA Act Non-Compliance

WILMINGTON, MA — Below is a summary of the Wilmington Select Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. (The meeting was rescheduled from Monday, January 26, 2026 due to the snowstorm.)  The meeting took place in Room 9 of the old Town Hall. All board members were present except Selectman Kevin Caira.

— The meeting was called to order a few minutes after 7pm. After the Pledge of Allegiance, Selectwoman Lil Maselli expressed her frustration and disappointment that the meeting had been rescheduled on a date Selectman Caira was unable to attend. Maselli stated she would have preferred to hold the meeting virtually on Monday night so all board members could be present. “You guys messed up. This is a big mistake. Frankly, I don’t even want to participate in this meeting tonight because I’m that upset about it, but for the betterment of the town — and for what I signed up for — I’m going to be an adult and do that, but this is extremely wrong.”

— Select Board Chair Frank West held a moment of silence for Margaret (Peggy) A. Tarantino, who recently passed away at the age of 89. Tarantino worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Town Manager’s Office for many years.

— After approving and signing warrants, the Select Board heard the FY27 budget presentation from Town Manager Eric Slagle. Wilmington Apple will cover this presentation in a separate story later this week. Slagle proposed an overall budget increase of 2.1% from FY26 to FY27. The operational budget is increasing by more than 6%, driven mostly by a combination of collectively bargained COLA increases and the rising costs of employee health insurance and general liability insurance. The capital budget, meanwhile, is drastically decreasing after a very large investment in capital projects last year, offsetting much of the operational increases. The presentation, and subsequent discussion from the Select Board, lasted for nearly an hour, and consumed the bulk of the meeting.

— The Select Board then unanimously approved the request of the Wilmington Rotary Club and Wilmington Rotary Interact Club to use Town Beach and the Beach House for a Polar Plunge fundraiser on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 11am.

— Under Public Comments, Finance Committee member Scott Neville asked questions surrounding the MBTA Communities Zoning Act, with which Wilmington is out of compliance. “We’re one of 12 communities not in compliance with that act. My concern has to do with lost funding.” Neville cited recent examples in the press of Tewksbury and Middleton — two other non-compliant towns — losing state grant monies. He noted that, at last week’s Wilmington School Committee meeting, the High School Principal announced the school had lost a significant Innovative Career Pathways grant due to the town’s non-compliance status. Neville reminded the Board that the Planning Chair has asked the Town to track the amount of grant money lost, and Neville made the same request. Neville also asked about legal costs incurred by the town due to its non-compliance and if the state had appointed a special master yet to redraw Wilmington’s zoning map to force it into compliance with the MBTA Communities Zoning Act.

— Town Manager Slagle responded, and thanked Neville for his questions. “Wilmington Public Schools has lost not only the Innovative Career Pathways grant, which I believe was $75,000, but there’s also been a couple of other grants in the $100,000-$200,000 range that the School Department has not received, that they were in line to receive because they were participating in prior years. And this doesn’t count grants they didn’t apply for because there’s a line that says you need to be MBTA Communities Act compliant to apply for them…. There’s some significant funding there.” Slagle then turned to the town side, and cited some additional examples. “The Town lost out on a PFAS grant that we were pretty much guaranteed to get. We had gotten it for multiple years prior in the order of $150,000-$200,000. There’s a significant grant we’re coming up on for Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) for culvert replacement. We technically haven’t lost that grant yet, but there’s a requirement you be MBTA Zoning compliant to receive it. When the grant comes up this year, we will not be eligible for it.” Slagle estimated the 2026 MVP implementation grant would have been “ten times larger” than the 2024 MVP planning grant, which was $321,000.

—  Slagle continued and gave an update on where the Town stands with the State. “There are 12 communities that are currently non-compliant. We became non-compliant at the beginning of the calendar year. The Attorney General’s Office has been in contact with Town Counsel regarding what their plans are going forward. They’re holding their cards very close to their vest… We’ve already got a plan approved by the state in the earlier phase of this process. Is the AG’s office going to simply ask the court to implement that plan, or are they going to appoint a special master who will be drawing up a whole new plan for the town? They have not yet been willing to let us know what their plan is. As far as timelines, we’ve been led to believe that they’re waiting on a ruling from a court case that’s in front of the Supreme Judicial Court right now. There’s expecting to be a ruling on that in March, and then they’ll be filing their cases against the non-compliant communities after that case is decided. I’ve been in contact with the state — they’re aware that we do not have any plans to put it back in front of the town as this time. This board put it in front of the town multiple times and got the same answer multiple times.” Slagle did note, however, the appointment of a Special Master may cause the board to put the matter back in front of the town once again. Regarding legal costs, Slagle stated some funds were expended in the fall when the town joined in litigation, but ultimately withdrew their complaint without prejudice. Since then, any expenses were categorized as “not significant.” He added the town is keeping track of lost grant money, but it is difficult to calculate because some grants aren’t even being pursued due to requirements that the town be in compliant with the MBTA Communities Zoning Act. “The lost opportunity cost is much harder to quantify then the ones we know we were in line for and going to get, but those are all still significant…. The Board will be kept apprised.”

— Also under “Public Comments,” School Committee member David Ragsdale expressed his appreciation for the close working relationship between the Town and the School Department. “We are grateful for the support the schools have always received from the Town… It’s a really important thing. It’s something not a lot of people may appreciate. If you’ve ever spoken to someone who lives somewhere where you have a contentious relationship between the school system and the Town, then you will appreciate how lucky we are to not have that in Wilmington, but to have the professional supportive relationship that we do have.” Town Manager Slagle concurred with Ragsdale’s sentiments, and added he was thankful for the school administration inviting him to sit in on recent collective bargaining with various school unions. He noted that practice doesn’t occur in many communities. Slagle noted the relationship between the school and town leadership should strengthen even further now that they share a building.

— Under “Announcements,” Selectman Frank West thanked Wilmington DPW and first responders for their response to the recent storm and subsequent snow removal. Selectwoman Lil Maselli praised the communication from the school system regarding the recent cancelations and winter safety tips. Town Manager Slagle praised the DPW workers, many of whom were on the road for 36 consecutive hours. He also shouted out the work of the Public Buildings Department.

— Town Manager Slagle announced the Town retained its AAA bonding rating from Standard and Poor’s. Slagle credited the work of Finance Director/ Town Accountant Stephanie Frontiera for helping Wilmington “stay on the mountain top.” Slagle added the the bonding rating will pay “huge dividends” when the Town starts borrowing funds to construct the new elementary school. “It’s a huge coup.”

— At the recent Massachusetts Municipal Association this past weekend, the Town received a MIIA Risk Management Award. Wilmington earned the “Dedicated To Safety” Award, recognizing the town’s “outstanding commitment to safety.” Slagle thanked the Town’s Safety Committee, led by Assistant Town Manager Judy O’Connell, as well as the rank-and-file workers at the DPW and Public Buildings Department for earning the award.

— Town Manager Slagle announced the Town of Wilmington has officially been accepted into the LRTA (Lowell Regional Transit Authority). The LRTA will begin running a bus from the MBTA Commuter Rail on Route 38 to Lahey Hospital and onward to the Burlington Mall. The route is likely to begin running on July 1, 2026.

— Town Manager Slagle reminded residents that the new Town Hall is still waiting on the installation of a drop box. If residents wish to utilize the drop box for payments, the box at the old Town Hall (121 Glen Road) is still operational and being checked daily. Slagle also noted the Town Clerk has sent out dog license notifications to dog owners. The deadline to register without incurring additional fees is March 31, 2026. Send in a photo of your dog with your application to enter the town’s first-ever “Cutest Dog” contest.

— Select Board Chair Frank West thanked Administrative Assistant Beverly Dalton for her work in assisting the Board. West also congratulated the Town on a successful Open House/Grand Opening of the new Town Hall/School Administration Building.

— There was no “New Business” from the Board. During Important Dates, Slagle noted the Finance Committee’s review of the Wilmington Public Schools budget and Shawsheen Tech budget has been MOVED from Thursday, February 26, 2026  at 7pm to Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 9am. The meeting will take place in the hearing room of the new Town Hall.

— After “Salute To Service,” the meeting adjourned at 8:35pm. The Select Board will hold its next meeting on Monday, February 9, 2026 at 7pm at the NEW Town Hall, in the Hearing Room. This will mark the first Select Board meeting held in the new building.

Watch the meeting, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television, below. Look for an article on the budget presentation this weekend.