Townsend Board of Health approves three FY2027 budgets including 30 percent Nashoba increase

Board of Health · Meeting of January 12, 2026

Townsend Board of Health approves three FY2027 budgets, including a 30 percent Nashoba assessment hike totaling $70,214.86. Chair Dr. Christian Roman-Ramirez and Clerk Todd Arsenault — meeting without Vice Chair Charles "Paul" Serene — voted unanimously on all items Monday.

Nashoba Sanitarian Rick Metcalf explained the steep increase by citing structural underfunding: Townsend's current per-capita public health spending of $13.41 trails the statewide average of $17.56, COVID-era grants expire in FY2026, and a state auditor has warned the agency is no longer sustainable on a fee-based model. Health Administrator Carla Walter walked through an operating budget of $57,795 in wages — a union-negotiated 4 percent raise — alongside restored expense lines that had been slashed under a prior 20 percent cut directive. The board also approved a three-year environmental monitoring contract with Weston and Sampson Engineering at $25,700 for FY2027 and signed the agreement at the meeting.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,141 words

Source: the Board of Health meeting of January 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.