Select Board approves three Wellesley union contracts

Advisory Committee · Meeting of October 28, 2026

Wellesley's Advisory Committee clashed over a dissenting report on a special town meeting article and heard a wide-ranging FY28 budget preview from the schools. Member Doug Smith said publishing a minority report on Article 15 "disparaged" a longtime employee and undermined the committee's integrity; member Penny Rossano said she took "offense" at being asked to step down from her "volunteer role." Wellesley Public Schools previewed a 3.4 percent Select Board budget guideline for fiscal 2028, with personnel costs eating up about 86 percent of the roughly $96 million budget. The Select Board separately approved three union contracts headed for the Nov. 9-10 special town meeting warrant, covering an estimated 34 police patrol officers, 10 police sergeants and lieutenants, and the fire department.

The board deferred action on the proposed White Pond conservation purchase, asking for a clearer Natural Resources Commission position.

In the full story:

• Wellesley Public Schools FY28 Budget Preview: Architecture, Guidelines and Enrollment
• Personnel, Collective Bargaining and Transportation
• Special Education, Circuit Breaker and Facilities
• Member Debate on Level of Service, Cost Containment and Housing
• Special Town Meeting Preparation: Article 3 Union Contracts
• Special Town Meeting Preparation: Articles 14-15 School Air Conditioning and Article 16 White Pond
• Committee Conduct Dispute: Doug Smith's Statement and Penny Rossano's Response
• Liaison Reports: Municipal Light Plant
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,075 words

Source: the Advisory Committee meeting of October 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.