Town Manager Weekly Update - January 16, 2025
Elaine Lazarus
JDP Co-Response Clinician:
Through a joint effort of the Towns of Holliston, Sherborn, and Hopkinton, Lyan Albino will be working with the three communities, including the Hopkinton Police Department, as the Jail Diversion Program (JDP) Co-Response Clinician.
The program is intended to help community members experiencing a mental health crisis get the assistance they need rather than directing them into the criminal justice system. The Co-Response clinician rides with police officers in cruisers and responds directly to calls for service. Clinicians can then assist in conducting evaluations, assessments and make recommendations for care with the ultimate goal of keeping persons in the community. The Co-Response Clinician will provide crisis response to individuals in need to offer on-scene de-escalation, support, assessment of mental status, social functioning and determine the level of risk to self and others.
Sgt. O'Neil is the point of contact for this program, and HPD will soon be introducing Lyan to the community. Please join HPD in welcoming Lyan Albino into the Hopkinton community.
Lake Maspenock Dam Repairs
The Lake Maspenock Dam repairs are approximately 50% complete. The majority of construction will be complete this month. Restoration efforts of disturbed areas around the dam will continue through the spring. This project was approved at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting and is partially funded by a grant from the State's Office of Dam Safety.
NPDES MS4 Permit
The Town is required to operate our drainage system under a federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. The EPA issued a new draft permit in November 2024 which is available for review and public comment through February 20, 2025. The new permit will require the Town to increase its efforts and spending for stormwater management including increasing street sweeping, retrofitting drainage catch basins, and reducing water pollution runoff to the Charles River, Lake Whitehall, and other receiving waterbodies. While these activities are important, there is no funding provided to municipalities to pay for them. Our regional municipal coalition, the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition, is preparing a comment letter to express concerns about impacts on municipal operations. Additional information is available on the EPA's website at: https://www.epa.gov/npdes-permits/massachusetts-small-ms4-general-permit
Town Government Meetings Next Week:
Tuesday, January 21
Design Review Board - 5:30 pm
Select Board - 6:00 pm
Elementary School Building Committee - 6:00 pm
Appropriation Committee - 6:00 pm
School Committee (joint meeting with Select Board) - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, January 22
Elementary School Building Committee Subcommittee - 1 pm
Board of Appeals - 7:00 pm
Transportation Workgroup of the Sustainable Green Committee - 7:00 pm
Thursday, January 23
School Committee - 7:00 pm
Community Preservation Committee - 7:00 pm
Some meetings are virtual, some are in person, and some are hybrid. Please check the meeting calendar on the Town website for agendas and meeting locations. The calendar will also indicate if any new meetings are added and if meetings are cancelled. www.hopkintonma.gov
FY 2026 Town Budget Process
The Town’s budget process for Fiscal Year 2026 (runs from 7/1/2025 - 6/30/2026) began this past fall, and continues to move forward. At the Select Board meeting on January 21, the Town Manager’s comprehensive budget will be presented, and the process then moves to Select Board review. The Select Board meetings in February and early March will feature Town departments describing their budget requests, and at a meeting on March 11, the Select Board is scheduled to adopt a budget and forward it to the Appropriation Committee for its review and public hearing. All of these meetings are open to the public.
At this time the budget is not yet balanced. This will be a challenging time, as we seek to close funding gaps. Feedback and comment on Town budgets is welcome, via the online form here: https://forms.gle/uwv62WPtMc2PZ5xr6
All registered voters may attend the annual town meeting on May 5 and vote to adopt the FY 2026 budget for the Town. Budget documents are posted on the Town website here: 2025 Annual Town Meeting & FY2026 Budget Documents
Additional documents and information pertaining to the annual town meeting and the budget will be uploaded throughout the process, so check regularly for new information.
Home Energy Assistance Program
SMOC’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), (previously known as fuel assistance), provides assistance with heating bills to eligible households in several communities including Hopkinton. The program operates annually from November 1st – April 30th and is designed to help income qualified households afford the cost of heat in the winter months. Households receiving HEAP assistance are also eligible for additional resources such as Weatherization Services and the Appliance Management Program. For more information and to apply, please call Senior Center Outreach or visit the SMOC website: Home Energy Assistance Program | SMOCaccount are public records unless qualified as an exemption under the
*Massachusetts Public Records Law
<http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/preidx.htm>*.