Weston Finance Committee unanimously backs FY2027 budget and capital stabilization fund

WESTON — March 12, 2026 — Weston Finance Committee backs FY2027 budget, conservation parking, and a first-of-its-kind liquor license in a single session. The six-member quorum, chaired by Bharath Venkataraman, voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the proposed FY2027 operating budget — carrying a 4.4 percent operating increase and a 3.3 percent overall increase — to the May 4 Annual Town Meeting, with the total tax levy pegged at $104,137,558 and the median single-family bill projected to rise 4.23 percent to $871. The committee also unanimously endorsed a new $65,300 gravel parking area on conservation land near Cat Rock, backed a citizens' petition for an all-alcohol liquor license for the restaurant Heirloom — projected to add up to $4,500 per month in new meals tax revenue for the town — and voted to seed a newly created capital stabilization fund with $1 million to cushion against projected tax spikes of seven percent or more in fiscal years 2029 through 2031 tied to fire station and school construction debt. The Fire Station design article, estimated at roughly $4 million in new appropriation, was deferred pending final cost figures.