Arlington Finance Committee Hears Dark Skies Bylaw Could Cost $45,000 Per Year

ARLINGTON — March 18, 2026 — Arlington Finance Committee hears Dark Skies lighting bylaw could cost $45,000 a year in overtime alone. Town Manager Jim Feeney told the committee Wednesday that a proposed Dark Skies-compliant outdoor lighting bylaw submitted by the Department of Planning and Community Development would require night-time final inspections triggering four-hour overtime call-ins at roughly $300 per inspection, plus equipment and training costs — with a worst-case annual overtime bill of $45,000 — and that this cost analysis was not available when the Select Board held its warrant article hearing. The committee also reviewed a three-article fee overhaul package, including Articles 16, 17, and 19, projected to generate at least $100,000 per year in additional local receipts and enable unpaid bylaw citations — estimated at roughly $500,000 outstanding — to be liened against property tax bills. A lengthy discussion of Hardy Elementary School's feasibility study highlighted a significant gap between the $4.5 million capital plan figure for HVAC work and a 2023 consultant estimate placing full electrification at $10 million to $13 million, with members pressing for a comparable cost estimate for like-for-like gas replacement before Town Meeting.