— Proposal Explorer

Built from the working group's source files. Pick a service level and cost-share formula, then drag the assumption sliders to see how the numbers and the payback year move.
1

Choose a scenario

Set the service level and cost-share formula
Service level
Cost-share formula

2

Key assumptions

Drag the sliders to test the numbers
The biggest lever. Drives the status-quo baseline and the plow contract the Phased option keeps. History ≈ 6–9%/yr; source model uses 8%.
Non-winter costs if the towns keep contracting. Source uses 5%.
Wages + benefits for in-house staff. Source uses 5%; health costs can run higher.
Supplies, services & capital replacement. Source uses ~2.5–3.75%.
Share of the facility funded by a grant instead of borrowing. Cuts debt service and shortens payback.
The model recomputes the whole forecast from these inputs. At the defaults it closely reproduces the Town Managers' published forecast (Standard pays back ≈ Year 11, Premium ≈ Year 20). Phased is a transition path — modeled as its Phase-1 setup escalating, with the retained plow contract converting to in-house crew after 5 years — so treat its later years as indicative.

The proposal at a glance

Year-1 operating budget

Who pays — town cost shares

Cost forecast — vs. staying as-is

Next 15 years — the run-up to break-even
Full 40-year horizon

Staffing

Equipment

Facility program

Same facility across service levels; a rough mock-up scaled to ~2 acres.

Where the two towns stand today

Historical 20-year cost growth

Public-works operating cost, FY2006-FY2026.

Governance & commitment (from the Interlocal Agreement)

Joint Oversight Board

6 voting members, 3 per town. Any action needs 4 votes (neither town acts alone). Town Managers sit non-voting. Sets policy, recommends the budget, hires the Director — but cannot appropriate money.

Managing Municipality

One town (undesignated) becomes the legal employer, fiscal agent, and HR home for all staff. Its pay/benefit scales would govern the personnel budget — the largest line.

Voter control

Takes effect only if both towns' voters approve. Each town appropriates its share yearly; material amendments need voter approval in both towns.

25-year term

Long term to support facility financing. Exit before the facility: 12 months' notice + planning costs. After capital investment: 24 months + a share of debt and unamortized capital.

Two-step decision

Approving the agreement (November 2026) only creates the framework. Land, facility, and borrowing each need separate votes later — where the real money and lock-in arrive.

Cost-share (Exhibit A)

Still blank, and the largest undecided number in the proposal. The three options above bracket the realistic range: road miles is pure cost-causation, an equal split treats the department as a jointly owned institution, and Capacity & Use separates the two — sharing what must exist and metering what is consumed.

Sources: Budget Forecast (draft).xlsx (Summary, Capital Outlay, Long-term Forecast); Joint Public Works presentation, Mar. 25 2026 (slides 7–8, 10, 28–32); Interlocal Agreement (draft). "Increase over current" compares against both towns' current operating spend ($1.79M) and excludes ~$1.7M/yr already budgeted for capital/reserves/debt. Capital excludes land. This tool recomputes the forecast from the assumptions above and is directional, not a formal cost study.