Norton Select Board endorses $81.3 million budget and new water department positions

NORTON — April 30, 2026 — Norton Select Board approves $81.3 million budget and backs new water superintendent positions at joint April 30 meeting. Acting alongside the School Committee in a 6-3 joint vote, the board appointed Heather Forbes — a Norton parent of three, two of whom hold IEPs, and an active member of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council — to the School Committee for a term running through April 2027. The board unanimously endorsed a $81,281,282 operating budget, the Finance Committee's amended figure that draws $170,000 from stabilization to boost school spending and uses free cash to fund half a year of a police officer position. DPW Director Justin Chica persuaded the board to recommend a water enterprise fund budget of $5.6 million that adds two new full-time positions — dedicated water and sewer superintendents — by splitting an existing combined role, arguing the move would reduce an estimated $75,000 in annual outside engineering fees with no rate increases required. Police Chief Clark presented a proposal to award up to $10,000 annually in opioid recovery grants to nonprofits serving Norton residents, drawing from the town's estimated $200,000 to $300,000 opioid settlement account, with housing identified as the primary barrier for residents in recovery.