Collins Center urges Lincoln to restructure Hanscom contract finances before 2025 renewal

LINCOLN — May 30, 2024 — Lincoln eyes special legislation and 5 percent rate hike to stabilize Hanscom contract before 2025 renewal. Heather Michaud of the UMass Boston Collins Center told the School Committee Thursday that Lincoln operates as a federal vendor under a contract first signed in 1956, with the current five-year deal expiring in 2025. Her report estimates $14.01 million in potential liabilities — $2.02 million unemployment, $7.73 million OPEB and $4.26 million in Middlesex County pension exposure — and recommends pursuing special state legislation to convert the Hanscom revolving fund into an enterprise account. Only one of four modeled scenarios stabilized the fund balance: a 5 percent revenue adjustment in each year of FY26-FY30. Chair Matina Madrick proposed forming a town-district working group and taking up the report June 13. Hanscom Principal Eric Lieber separately reported a more than 50 percent drop in crisis-response calls, and the long-dormant SEPAC asked for formal recognition.