West Bridgewater Finance Committee Reviews Six Budgets as Snow Costs Top $500,000

WEST BRIDGEWATER — March 12, 2026 — West Bridgewater Finance Committee hears six department budgets and learns blizzard costs have pushed snow and ice spending past $500,000. DPW Director Fairmount Nolte told the committee Thursday that the season had reached $235,000 before a recent blizzard, which alone cost approximately $300,000 in DPW operations for a single week; the town has submitted FEMA paperwork and, if approved, could recover roughly $225,000 at 75 percent reimbursement — though the typical window is 18 to 24 months. Council on Aging Director Marilyn Mathers, presenting what she called a straightforward budget with a 3 percent salary increase and an equipment replacement line doubled to $1,000, announced her retirement effective April 17. Town Clerk Han Yanatelli said three of the town's five electronic poll pads must be replaced before December 2026 when software support ends, and she moved a $10,000 records-preservation request from her operating budget to a Community Preservation Committee warrant article, citing state guidance that physical paper preservation qualifies for CPC funding. The committee meets again Thursday, March 19, to review school department budgets.