NAHANT — Town Administrator Tony Barletta took time on Monday afternoon to discuss what he thinks are the biggest challenges and most pressing issues in the town, and how he plans to address them throughout the rest of 2025.
“The town’s finances are always number one,” Barletta said. “Making sure that we have a sound, balanced budget, planning for the future, and investing in whatever capital needs that are on our plate right now.”
Barletta reiterated that in the short and long term, the goals of the town on an annual basis start with the finances of the town. “The town is always challenged with developing a balanced budget with the limited additional resources that it generates on an annual basis.”\
He emphasized that the work to complete these projects is a collaborative effort between the different boards and committees within the town, where he doubled down on stating it’s a team effort to keep the town on the best possible track.
“We’ve always tried ways to balance the budget without having to increase costs to residents of the town, whether that be through fees or taxes,” Barletta said when reflecting on the town’s finances. “We also look aggressively at how we can offset expenses, whether that be prioritizing needs and wants, negotiating contracts that benefit the town, but mostly aggressively pursuing grant funding.”
According to Barletta, over 90% of the town is funded through real-estate property tax, which is capped at Proposition 2 ½ (a Massachusetts law that limits property tax increases by municipalities). Barletta went on to say that at the same time, people’s personal expenses are going up beyond 2½. “No matter what, it’s a priority to figure out how you accomplish things for the town with the limited resources that you have.”
Barletta noted some of the big projects the town has on its plate. He cited the Ward Road pump station project (which he says should be completed by this summer). Also, the next phase of selling Coast Guard Housing properties, which he noted is a big item for the town. He included coastal infrastructure, storm-water improvement projects, and the goal of replacing people’s water meters as some of the top priorities going forward.
“It’s always important to work on coastal infrastructure to prevent future storm-related damage,” Barletta said. He emphasized that Nahant is essentially an island town, and the work to prevent future storm-related damage, as well as maintaining the coastal infrastructure, remains a key element of discussion.
