Bridgewater Finance Committee Opposes Council Stipend, Flags Water and Debt Concerns

Finance Committee · Meeting of March 9, 2026

Bridgewater Finance Committee unanimously opposes proposed Town Council stipend as water debt and a $935,000 snow deficit mount. Meeting for more than three hours Monday, the eight-member panel heard Finance Director Laurie Greeney report a clean fiscal year 2025 audit from Roselli and Clark, no material findings, while Town Manager Justin Casanova-Davis disclosed a $2 million infrastructure grant reimbursement approval and confirmed that enterprise fund debt has doubled from roughly $25 million to $57 million as water projects accelerate. Member John Higgins flagged $2.5 million in uncollectible ambulance receivables and a pension liability swing of $18 million against only a $5.7 million payment, demanding a follow-up session with auditors.

New-growth revenue, already at a multi-year low of $521,000 in fiscal year 2026, is projected to fall to $200,000 in fiscal year 2027 as the town's water emergency bars new tie-ins. PFAS treatment at Carver's Pond alone is estimated at $7.4 million. The committee directed its chair to appear before the Town Council on March 10 and deliver a unified message opposing any move to place a councillor stipend, reported at $5,000 per member and $7,500 for the council president, on the April ballot, with member Mark Thomas calling it "completely unthinkable" given the town's current financial condition.

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Source: the Finance Committee meeting of March 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.