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Select Board January Meetings Recap - Spring 2024 Town Meeting Set for Saturday May 11

Posted on: January 31, 2024 - 12:40pm
Select Board Meetings

Spring 2024 Town Meeting Date: The Select Board voted to hold Brewster’s 2024 Annual Town Meeting on the afternoon of Saturday May 11 to help ensure the greatest number of residents are available to participate. The Annual Town Election will be held on Tuesday May 28.

Council on Aging Needs Assessment:  The Select Board and Council on Aging Board held a joint meeting to hear the results of the 2023 Council on Aging Needs Assessment. This project was commissioned by the Town to identify and plan for the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Brewster residents aged 60 and older and to inform strategic planning by our Council on Aging, and organizations that work with and on behalf our older residents, about the strengths and challenges of aging in Brewster.  This report provided important feedback from residents about the need for a community center and it will help inform an updated FY24-28 Age Friendly Action Plan. 

Amendments to Nauset Regional School Agreement: Select Board members reviewed the latest revised draft Nauset Regional School agreement.  They identified changes they would like to see to the document and asked for feedback from our Finance Committee. Select Board members expressed their interest in the Nauset Regional School Committee (NSRC) facilitating a more open process to allow Brewster residents the opportunity to provide feedback on any proposed revisions to this agreement. The Select Board and Finance Committee identified a number of suggested amendments to the regional agreement in a letter to the NRSC.  Any such changes require Town Meeting approval.

Childcare Subsidy Pilot Program: Following up on an initial discussion last fall, the Select Board reviewed the Town’s proposed childcare stipend pilot program in more detail.  This initiative would provide financial assistance to Brewster parents to help cover a portion of their childcare costs. The Select Board endorsed the pilot program, and they set the subsidy amount at $3,000 for children aged 3-4. As proposed, this program is anticipated to support up to 73 families next year. The Board also agreed that there should be no income eligibility requirements. The pilot program will be brought to May 2024 Town Meeting and, if approved, it is expected to be implemented by August 2024. Since this program will be funded from available funds, it will not result in increased taxes for residents.

Fire Department Staffing: The Select Board reviewed the findings from the recently completed staffing study which recommends hiring up to nine new firefighters over the next 3-5 years to meet community needs. The Select Board ultimately voted to support an application for $1.5M in federal grants this spring to cover the 3-year cost of hiring four new firefighters as a key next step in looking to implement the recommendations from the report.