Lincoln Select Board authorizes Climate Leader Community application by Nov. 29

LINCOLN — November 4, 2024 — Lincoln moves to join state Climate Leader Community pipeline, defers sustainability manager hire. The Select Board voted 3-0 Monday to authorize Town Administrator Tim Higgins to apply by Nov. 29 for state consultant assistance to draft a municipal decarbonization roadmap, the centerpiece of becoming a Climate Leader Community. Green Energy Committee Chair Paul Shorb said state liaison Dylan Patel called Lincoln "virtually certain" to receive the technical-assistance award. Committee member Sue Klem made a parallel pitch for a town sustainability manager, citing the state's mandate to cut greenhouse gases 50 percent by 2030 and the roughly 100 Massachusetts municipalities that already employ such staff. Higgins said the position will appear on a multi-year staffing inventory but is unlikely to fit in FY26, where the Finance Committee has capped base budgets at 2.5 percent and preferred-budget priorities include an additional police officer and a part-time planning hire. Member Jennifer Glass also flagged a $6 million water main capital request coming for FY26.