Newton Finance Committee Approves More Than $9.2 Million in One-Night Spending Blitz

NEWTON -- May 27, 2025, Newton's Finance Committee approved more than $9.2 million in expenditures in a single session on May 27, clearing 24 docket items ranging from road paving to school facilities to a legal settlement. The largest single approval was $4.5 million for the city's transportation network improvement program, which Chief Financial Officer Moren Lemieux acknowledged falls well short of the estimated $14 million per year needed to maintain current road conditions. The committee split a $2.525 million school facilities request into two parts, $1.425 million for six capital improvement projects and $1.1 million to backfill charter maintenance items removed from the FY26 operating budget as part of a compromise reached during the budget process, both passing 7 to 0. A $75,000 request for a community health assessment squeaked through 3 to 2 with two abstentions after sharp pushback from multiple members, conditioned on a return to the Programs and Services Committee before any money is spent. The committee also voted 6 to 1 to approve $75,000 for tree lighting at the Newton Center Triangle, with Councilor Julia Malakie casting the lone no vote, calling the expenditure incongruous with unresolved school funding needs.