West Natick MA Selectmen Ask Taxpayers to Fund $15.6 Million Firehouse

July 26 -- NATICK, MA -- After more than ten years of studies and discussions, selectmen will ask taxpayers to help pay for a new $15.6 million West Natick Fire Station.

Selectmen voted 5-0 Monday to put a debt exclusion on the November ballot. A debt exclusion is a temporary increase in taxes to pay down the debt on a specific project.

The board was under pressure to vote. There is an Aug. 1 deadline to submit final language for the exclusion to the office of Attorney General Maura Healey to appear on the November ballot. Selectmen are scheduled to meet Thursday to finalize the language.

There's not enough money in Natick's current budget to pay for a new West Natick Fire Station, according to Town Administrator Melissa Malone, so the town must go with a debt exclusion. Besides the November ballot, the exclusion needs Town Meeting approval.

"Natick doesn't have $15.6 million to take out and devote exclusively to one project, without other vital town services suffering," Malone told the Daily News.

The $15.6 million price tag is a current estimate developed by the West Natick Fire Station Building Committee, formed 11 years ago by selectmen to study the station.

The development boom in West Natick means the station is getting more calls, and its design is having a hard time handling the load, Mistrot said. Approximately 40 percent of all fire and EMS calls to the Natick Fire Department go to the West Natick station.

Malone called the station "antiquated," without enough room to store all the equipment firefighters need.

"There is great concern for taxpayers and their ability to support another project," Mistrot said. In March, voters approved a $109.5 million debt exclusion for a new Kennedy Middle School. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will contribute up to $37.3 million of the total cost.

The exact amount of the debt exclusion hasn't been determined. Selectmen are scheduled to meet Aug. 6 to get a more extensive picture of funding options and the cost to taxpayers. Malone is expected to present the options.

In a presentation Monday to the board, Malone laid out several possible scenarios. They included funding the entire project with a debt exclusion, combining the fire station and Kennedy Middle School into one debt exclusion, and combining a debt exclusion with other monies, including cash and tax levy borrowing. The tax increase ran from $18 to more than $800 annually, based on a home's assessed value and various borrowing terms.

Whatever option the board chooses for the debt exclusion amount, Mistrot said its aware of the burden on taxpayers.

"It's definitely a concern to the board, and we understand the concern by residents," Mistrot said. "We're asking a lot of taxpayers."