Stoughton Finance Committee Recommends $10.3 Million in Water and Sewer Borrowing

STOUGHTON — April 6, 2026 — Stoughton Finance Committee recommends more than $10.3 million in water and sewer borrowing and clears a $465,000 police capital package at its April 6 meeting. The panel voted 12-1 to recommend borrowing $2.4 million for the Washington Street sewer main, 12-1 on a $4.56 million water tank upgrade, and 12-1 on $2.9 million for Goddard Well PFAS remediation, with all debt service to come from enterprise funds rather than the general tax levy. A $465,000 police capital article — covering three cruisers, a drone, Flock Safety license-plate readers, and taser replacements — passed 10-2-1 after extended questioning of Chief McNamara on the Flock system's data-sharing controls and audit procedures. The committee also voted 10-2 to advance a $200,000 police station feasibility study focused on the Washington Street armory site, with Town Manager Tom Calter warning that roughly $100 million in anticipated borrowing for the fire department, South School, and possible police station means "one point on that $100 million is an additional $1 million a year of interest expense." A $150,000 CPC request to restore an 1853 Honeyman hand-pumper truck owned by the Stoughton Historical Society failed 4-6-3, with member Arnie Sharenow — who made the motion — citing the town's highly leveraged position.