Millis Finance Committee Unanimously Recommends All 24 May Town Meeting Articles

DANVERS — April 15, 2026 — Millis Finance Committee unanimously endorses all 24 articles on the May 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant. Chair John Lohr led the nine-member body through a session that covered a $48.6 million general fund operating budget, a $1,286,633 water meter replacement borrowing, a $120,000 FEMA flood-map challenge study targeting land along Route 109, and a $684,935 capital projects package funded through free cash. Finance Director Jody and Town Administrator's representative Mike Kaczynski guided members through enterprise fund budgets for sewer, water, and stormwater, explaining a department-wide DPW staffing realignment that redistributed salary lines across the funds. The committee also heard from Nicole Riley, chair of the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee, who described Article 17 — new zoning definitions for battery energy storage systems and data storage centers — as a protective "first step" to restrict large-scale facilities to industrial zones before the state's streamlined permitting process allows siting anywhere in town. Lohr and member Jen Zaretsky announced they are stepping down at the end of their terms; Lohr noted that new leadership will be elected at the post-Town Meeting June meeting.