Yarmouth is bracing for a significant spike in regional education costs as enrollment at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School surged by 31 local students this year. Superintendent Robert Sanborn informed the Finance Committee on Wednesday that the school’s total population has reached 703 students, far exceeding the building’s original design capacity of 650. The influx of Yarmouth students brings the town's total representation at the school to 171, a shift Sanborn acknowledged as a major budgetary hurdle. As a resident of Yarmouth, I'm thrilled that there's more students coming from Yarmouth in one year, the Superintendent said. I do understand that that's a huge number to absorb on the town level.

The school’s proposed FY27 operating budget reflects a 4.51 percent increase, or approximately $833,000, driven largely by rising healthcare and benefit costs. Despite the enrollment pressure, school officials highlighted a 1.22 percent decrease in transportation costs following the negotiation of a four-year fixed contract. Clerk Rafael Gutierrez questioned the specifics of the school's fleet management, noting he was fascinated by the savings. Sanborn explained that the school is leveraging a solar canopy over its bus depot to power a new fleet of electric buses, which is expected to provide 40 percent of the school's total power. Addressing academic concerns, Vice Chair George Perkins asked, What percentage of your graduates take pre-calculus or calculus? Sanborn noted that while numbers are increasing, roughly 20 to 40 students take those advanced courses annually, supplemented by four Advanced Placement offerings.

The committee also moved to address immediate maintenance needs across town facilities by repurposing leftover funds from aging capital projects. Finance Director Jennifer explained that several accounts, some dating back three or four years, were cleaned up to cover emergency repairs. Member Nathan Ladley voiced concerns about the timeline of these dormant funds, asking, Is it safe to say that some of these could be years and years old? Motion Made by N. Ladley to approve the transfer of $20,094 for Recreation HVAC repairs. Motion Passed (5-0-0). Similar transfers were approved for an exhaust fan at Smuggler’s Beach and a patio project at Bayberry Hills. Motion Made by N. Ladley to approve the transfer for the Smuggler’s Beach exhaust fan. Motion Passed (5-0-0). Motion Made by N. Ladley to approve the transfer for the Bayberry Hills patio. Motion Passed (5-0-0).

Turning to the draft Town Meeting warrant, the committee reviewed a proposed $35 million bond issue. Jennifer recommended a strategic shift in the town’s borrowing approach, suggesting the town pay off water-related debt over 20 years instead of 30. We'll get a lower interest rate the way the market is right now, she told the committee. The warrant also includes a request for over $3 million in supplemental funding for the Septage Tank Rehabilitation project, a necessity driven by construction bids that arrived significantly higher than previous estimates. Motion Made by J. Anderson to provisionally recommend Article 17 regarding the septage tank rehabilitation. Motion Passed (5-0-0).

A debate over vehicle reliability emerged during the review of Article 12, which covers police cruiser replacements. Member Ladley questioned whether the town was seeing a return on investment for electric or hybrid cruisers. Jennifer confirmed the department is requesting a return to traditional gas engines. They're having too many problems right now with the hybrids, she noted. Clerk Gutierrez expressed strong support for the shift away from electric options, stating, Hybrid vehicles are problematic. 100% electric vehicles are a dog's breakfast. I'd like confirmation that these are true internal combustion engines. Motion Made by N. Ladley to provisionally recommend Article 12 for the purchase of gas-powered police cruisers. Motion Passed (5-0-0).

The committee also focused on the ongoing transition of the Mattacheese Middle School site. Article 21 seeks funding for demolition and engineering to ensure the site is managed appropriately as the town moves toward a potential regional sports complex and housing development. Motion Made by N. Ladley to provisionally recommend Article 21 for the Mattacheese site demolition and engineering. Motion Passed (5-0-0). Chair Richard Simon pushed for the committee to make provisional recommendations on several public safety and enterprise budgets to maintain the town's tight schedule leading up to the March 10 public hearing. The one thing that we would do today is basically do a provisional recommendation to approve those two budgets (Fire and Police) as printed, Simon said. Motion Made by N. Ladley to provisionally recommend the Fire and Police budgets. Motion Passed (5-0-0).

Additional wastewater infrastructure remains a priority, with the committee signaling support for $1.5 million in design and engineering funds for the Bayberry Hills discharge system. Motion Made by J. Anderson to provisionally recommend Article 19 for the discharge system design. Motion Passed (5-0-0). The committee also moved forward with standard capital requests for the golf and water divisions. Motion Made by G. Perkins to provisionally recommend Article 10 for Golf Capital and Article 11 for Water Capital. Motion Passed (5-0-0).