Belmont Select Board Signs Watertown Therapeutic Recreation Agreement, Reviews Policy Reforms

BELMONT — March 9, 2026 — Belmont Select Board signs therapeutic recreation pact with Watertown and reviews sweeping policy reforms. The board voted unanimously Monday to approve an inter-municipal agreement with the City of Watertown creating a jointly funded, full-time Therapeutic Recreation Specialist position to run the Belmont-Watertown Sport Program, which serves more than 250 individuals with intellectual disabilities. Belmont employs and carries liability for the position while Watertown reimburses half of salary and benefits; the agreement went to the Watertown City Council the following evening. Town Administrator Patrice Garvin briefed the board on the Group Insurance Commission's newly set FY27 rates — a 9 percent increase, "considerably lower" than Belmont's current self-insured trajectory — and warned that health care is among the largest drivers of a projected FY28 budget gap, with MIBAC Chair Tom Caputo noting regional school assessments and shared services add roughly $100,000 to the pressure. Member Elizabeth Eon put the stakes plainly: "Lexington recently announced it had to find nearly $5 million in cuts — and Lexington is much larger and wealthier than we are." Vice Chair Taylor Yates walked the board through three draft administrative policies — delegating small donations and routine contracts to the town administrator, and streamlining land use permits — with revised drafts targeted for the March 23 meeting.