The Town of Hubbardston Cultural Council reviewed year-end ledgers and agreed to use the council’s $330 administrative allotment this grant year for outreach and promotional materials, reducing next year’s grant pool by that amount.

The council’s treasurer, Connie, presented ledger details showing carryovers and invoice timing that affected FY balances. "At the end of FY '24, the budget ending balance was $6,833," Connie said, describing a payment posted June 30 that rolled into FY '25. She told members the ledger shows a current available grant balance of roughly $6,128.72, with $2,691.50 spent since July 1 and $1,760 encumbered for four pending events; after encumbrances the council had about $1,347.22 not yet committed.

Why it matters: the council receives a small administrative portion of its annual allocation (about 5 percent, historically around $330). Members debated whether to leave the $330 unspent (so it would roll back into the grant pot) or spend it now on promotional materials that could increase application and survey response rates.

Discussion and details: council members reviewed reimbursement anomalies (a double $250 check to the Historical Society that was later cancelled) and small differences in vendor reimbursements. Members discussed likely promotional purchases — a banquet table cover (estimated $40–$130), small giveaways (pens or engraved bottle openers; examples cited: $55 for 50 bottle openers or about $71 for 100 pens) and a modest Facebook boost. The treasurer said those purchases could be done before the Jan. 16 deadline for administrative spending.

Decision and next steps: a member moved to proceed with using the $330 administrative allotment to support promotion and outreach; another member seconded the motion. The council proceeded with the plan and staff were asked to collect quotes and retain receipts for reimbursement. The treasurer will reflect the $330 administrative allocation on the report due Thursday and the council’s published grant-availability figure was adjusted accordingly (reported later in the meeting as $7,717.22 after accounting for the administrative draw).

Other notes: Connie said she will submit the financial reports to the state cultural council site and will circulate the electronic files for the minutes. The council also discussed encumbered items awaiting invoicing or events (Dennis Cormier’s September performance, the Historical Society program, the Halloween Children’s Parade and an upcoming life-celebration program by John Porcino) and confirmed those amounts remain on the ledger as encumbrances.