Orleans COA assistant director position placed in FY27 budget as Prop 2½ override

ORLEANS -- March 25, 2026, Orleans Council on Aging board learns assistant director position will go to voters as a $139,789 Prop 2½ override. At the March 25 meeting at the Senior Center, Assistant Town Manager Mark Reil told the board that the Select Board and Town Manager unanimously agreed to place funding for the long-sought assistant COA director in the proposed FY27 budget, with the total override package, covering a $107,140 salary, $30,014 in insurance, and associated costs, contingent on passage at the June 19 annual town election. The board also heard that a Citizens Petition Article on the same subject was ruled of doubtful legal standing by town counsel because, under Charter Section 4-3-1, only the Town Manager holds authority to create staff positions, though the article will still appear in the Town Meeting warrant. In other business, Director Judi Wilson reported that the Senior Center generator project has been reset after a scope review revealed the original plan would not provide heat to meeting rooms or adequate kitchen power, the center lost more than $1,000 in food during a recent outage, with engineer Ron Collins now tasked with re-examining what the existing budget can cover. The board also found consensus that while the regional primary care physician shortage is a significant issue, the COA lacks the bandwidth to lead on it, agreeing instead to support any regional initiatives that emerge.