Hanson Select Board hires IT director, sets town meeting budget recommendations

HANSON -- April 29, 2025, Hanson Select Board unanimously hired IT director Matthew Toio and finalized town meeting budget recommendations ahead of the May 5 annual town meeting and override vote. Town Administrator Lisa Green, presenting Toio after nearly a year without a permanent IT chief, read a recommendation from consultant Mr. Campbell calling Toio's pedigree and municipal experience as surpassing expectations; Toio said cybersecurity training and infrastructure assessment would be immediate priorities. Parks and Fields Committee member Adam Balkovic warned the board that a proposed 40 percent cut to his department's $40,000 budget would jeopardize upkeep on fields that received roughly $500,000 in recent rehabilitation funding, prompting the board to ask Green to consult with Town Accountant Eric Kinch on alternatives before town meeting. The board voted to recommend the highway department's approximately $23,000 sand and salt spreader regardless of the override outcome, Highway Director Richard Jasmine said each unit would pay for itself within one year against contracted sanding costs of roughly $20,000, while tying the rubber-wheeled excavator and skid steer loader recommendations to the override passing.