The Select Board on Tuesday discussed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, noting that the current projected budget shortfall of $1.8 million should not cause residents to panic this early in the process.
Kyla LaPierre, the town’s chief financial officer, explained that all capital requests have been submitted. The Capital Improvement Committee will begin its review of those requests Wednesday and will meet weekly over the next four weeks.
She pointed out that the $12 million currently in free cash would cover the $10.6 million for those requests. The rest would be equal to the amount needed to fund the stabilization and Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) accounts.
Town departments also have submitted their operating budget requests. LaPierre said that while some departments adhered to the guideline that their requests should not exceed 2.5% over the previous year, the majority are “well over” that amount.
Overall, LaPierre said the budget is about 6% over last year’s amount; the school budget is 7.6% over. This created a $1.8 million projected shortfall at this point.
Member Brian Herr noted that having a shortfall early in the budget process is somewhat typical. The FY 25 budget started out having a $1,881,664 gap between anticipated revenues and proposed expenses.
Stressed Herr: “We’re either going to be a drama-managed process, or we’re going to stick to some numbers and try to avoid some of the drama.”
Vice chair Shahidul Mannan pointed out that Eversource tends to owe millions of dollars in taxes but appeals the charges. This pattern keeps the money in limbo until an arbitration process is completed. He asked LaPierre to check on the amount Eversource may currently owe the town.
“We’ve got to stress patience through the process,” added chair Joe Clark, saying that some future capital projects may need to be delayed.
CV license process review continues
The board continued to discuss ways to improve the application and renewal process for common victualer (CV) licenses. This review began two weeks ago in response to residents and others requesting an overhaul of the licensing process.
During the past several meetings, speakers during the public comment period questioned why former Hillers Pizza owner Petros “Peter” Sismanis was allowed to run the business despite being a convicted sex offender.
In June, Sismanis also was found guilty of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age and two counts of witness intimidation after a two-day trial. This prompted the Select Board to look for gaps in the CV licensing process.
“When we started the conversation, there’s obviously been a lot of feedback from the town,” said Clark.
At this meeting, Town Manager Elaine Lazarus said that her office created a flow chart that showed how the application process moves forward. Also shared was a chart comparing the license requirements of neighboring communities with Hopkinton, as well as the city of Boston.
The board will vote on all new CV applications and renewals during its two meetings in December, she added.
To address residents’ concerns, Mannan asked that a “summary statement” be drafted that would explain the process and how it is being improved. He sought to allay fears that business owners may receive CV licenses despite having criminal records.
He added that the town will conduct Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) checks, which includes the search of a national database, in addition to its current Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks.
Mannan also wanted to do a “stress test” on the new policy to see if it would have prevented the Sismanis situation or something like it from having occurred.
Added Mannan: “Are we going to be able to catch what we could not catch before potentially?”
Assistant Town Manager Lance DelPriore noted that, of the 12 communities he surveyed, Hopkinton was one of four that required CORI checks. Hopkinton will be the only one of the 12 to conduct SORI checks.
Member Amy Ritterbusch noted that the SORI only pulls records for Level 2 and 3 sex offenders. She also pointed out that older criminal convictions may not be captured in a CORI review.
For example, Sismanis’ June conviction included a Level 1 sex offense charge.
“I don’t think this is something we could possibly solve in one or two meetings,” said Clark. “So this is going to be a continued conversation.”
Herr requested that town counsel be involved in this process as well. He also said there should be a balance between safety concerns and not making the process so onerous that businesses will not want to come to Hopkinton.
Lazarus added that the board would need to adopt a policy about who could be denied a CV license based on their CORI or SORI reports, according to information she received from town counsel. She noted that a person has to consent to a CORI check.
Marathon invitational entries received
Lazarus announced that the town received 50 invitational entries from the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) for the 2026 Boston Marathon.
In keeping with an agreement with the BAA and previous town policy, she said these entries will go to “qualified nonprofit organizations.” Runners affiliated with a nonprofit run to raise money on its behalf.
The only change in the policy this year is an additional sentence, Lazarus explained. It states that employees from town departments with budget appropriations can apply for these invitational entries, but runners must donate the money they raise to a qualified nonprofit organization.
The application process for these entries will begin Wednesday. Information will be available on the town website.
If more than 50 applications are submitted, the Select Board in the past has allocated bibs to town entities such as the Hopkinton Marathon Committee. After theses entries have been chosen, the board has held a random drawing for nonprofits for the remaining bibs.
Ritterbusch suggested that the minimum amount for these charity runners to raise remain at $6,000. It could be increased in future years to reflect inflation.
Mannan requested that Lazarus inquire about getting more of these invitations from the BAA.
WHY is everyone afraid of Chief Bennett? HE should have known that Sismanis was on the Sex Offender list. Is there ANY oversight in this town or is everyone working here just skating by? With the budget and taxes at new heights, someone HAS to do something – SELECTBOARD THIS IS YOUR JOB