Finance director Julie Stevens and Ambrose (finance staff) reviewed the town’s debt-service schedule and principal/interest payments for existing bonds. Stevens said Ambrose’s spreadsheet showed outstanding principal and the projected principal and interest payments for the coming year and that a conservation bond recently approved will not require payments until 2027.

“If it got voted in in March, by the time it went through the process…the payments wouldn't be actual payments until 2027,” a finance staff member said, summarizing Ambrose’s review of bond-bank timing.

The Select Board discussed timing options and noted that issuing a new conservation bond in the latter part of next year would likely push payments into the 2027 budget year, which affects the town’s tax-cap calculations. After review, the Select Board voted to set the debt-service budget at $269,260.23, reflecting maturing bonds and the schedule of principal and interest payments.

Rob, representing the Conservation Commission, updated the board on a generous donation of more than three acres from Bruce Stevens on South Road. Conservation provided quotes for due diligence: a Phase I environmental assessment for $3,000 and a retracement survey for $6,400, totaling $9,400. The conservation representative asked the board to authorize payment from the town’s expenditure-offset line, where $20,000 was available.

A Select Board member moved to authorize the $9,400 from that line to pay for the environmental and survey work. The transcript shows discussion and at least one member recorded a “no” vote on that motion; the extract does not contain a clear unanimity or final roll-call that confirms the motion’s final outcome. The board agreed the conservation consultant contract could be executed and signed at a later date if needed.

Ending — The Select Board set the debt-service budget for FY2026 and asked staff and conservation to coordinate timing for bond issuance to minimize budget-year impacts; the request to fund the Stevens parcel due diligence was discussed and recorded but the transcript extract does not show a definitive final roll call on that narrower funding motion.