Director John Cronin presented the Norfolk County Advisory Board with a first supplemental FY26 request and a proposed capital plan, saying, “we have an FY 25 surplus that totals $2,260,629.”

The board approved nine related motions in a single roll-call vote that will (as written) deauthorize a prior $2 million appropriation for a Dedham Superior Court ventilation project, fund a $750,000 capital plan from FY25 surplus, authorize a separate set of court-related projects funded from a county capital account (the so‑called Quincy money), and make transfers tied to recently ratified county collective bargaining agreements.

Why it matters: The package moves one-time surplus dollars into a mix of immediate capital projects, a new recurring deposit plan for the Norfolk County Agricultural High School, and budget adjustments driven by actual FY25 spending and collective bargaining settlements. Several measures earmark state‑reimbursable work at trial-court properties and set a process for future oversight of annual contributions to the agricultural high school.

Director John Cronin framed the plan as two distinct funding streams: surplus-based, one-time capital funding and a separate “Quincy money” capital fund for trial‑court facility repairs and upgrades tied to state reimbursement. He told the board the surplus would be divided into tranches: roughly $761,941 for supplemental FY26 needs, a $750,000 capital plan, and $748,688 designated under a chapter 35 / section 30 revenue mechanism to align prior-year receipts with FY26 budgeting. Cronin summarized the capital plan’s surplus-funded projects: a $450,000 deposit to the Norfolk County Agricultural High School capital fund (subject to a memorandum of understanding), $150,000 for final office improvements at 614 High Street, $124,000 for Walson Recreational Facility projects (including a $50,000 irrigation study), and $23,850 to the Registry of Deeds for alarm replacement and front step repointing.

On court facilities, Cronin asked the board to deauthorize the previously authorized $2,000,000 for the Dedham Superior Court ventilation project after a study showed likely cost increases. He proposed redirecting capital from the county’s Quincy District Court capital fund to a set of projects that begin with installing building management systems (BMS) at Rrentham, Stoughton and Brookline district courts and repaving and lighting work at the Dedham municipal lot. The Dedham BMS project, funded with an earlier $800,000 ARPA appropriation, is near completion; Cronin said the BMS diagnostics allow remote control and earlier detection of HVAC problems and that further BMS studies would precede future capital requests for installation.

On Registry of Deeds funding, Cronin said Massachusetts statute language (referenced in the presentation as “64 d section 12 subsection b”) requires the FY26 appropriation to be adjusted to 102.5% of prior-year actual spending. Because the Registry’s actual FY25 spending totaled $2,824,997.11, he proposed lowering the FY26 appropriation by $32,736.96 to $2,895,622.04. Cronin said his office had attempted to contact the register about preferences and received no response; he noted the register can request transfers after the appropriation is set.

Cronin reported three county collective bargaining agreements (maintenance unit, Registry of Deeds, engineering) had been ratified and include a 3% annual cost-of-living adjustment for the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2028 period. The presentation requested transfers from salary reserves—$250,000 previously appropriated and an additional $55,500—to make departmental FY26 appropriations whole and to augment the salary reserve in anticipation of nonunion COLA action by the commissioners.

Board members asked for clarifications on several items: whether the $450,000 for the Norfolk County Agricultural High School should be included in the school’s annual budget (Cronin said the MOU would define an annual contribution and that the county is seeking a fund for large-scale projects because the school’s borrowing capacity with the Massachusetts School Building Authority is constrained); how the $18,999.17 in surplus Registry of Deeds funds would be handled (treasurer’s office explanation: the figure reflects encumbrances and deed-excise accounting in the context of ongoing litigation about deed-excise fund use); and whether the Dedham municipal lot lighting work would reduce spillover into neighboring homes (Cronin said the plan is to add downlighting to reduce light trespass while improving safety).

Votes at a glance:
- Motion 1: Deauthorize $2,000,000 previously authorized for Dedham Superior Court ventilation and return those funds to the Quincy District Court Fund — approved (motion block vote).
- Motion 2: Approve $685,550 of capital projects through the Quincy District Court Fund — approved.
- Motion 3: Fund $750,000 of capital projects from FY25 surplus (with $450,000 earmarked for Norfolk County Agricultural High School capital fund pending an executed MOU) — approved.
- Motion 4: Fund $76,075 of supplemental projects from FY25 surplus (as listed in packet) — approved.
- Motion 5: Transfer $185,293.26 from the salary reserve to cover collective bargaining costs for listed departments — approved.
- Motion 6: Amend FY26 Registry of Deeds appropriation to $2,895,622.04 by reducing a Group 2 printing/binding line by $32,736.96 — approved as part of the block vote (board discussion noted the register may request an intra-budget transfer later if desired).
- Motion 7: Approve $60,000 of transfers within the Norfolk County Agricultural High School budget as listed — approved.
- Motion 8: Transfer $18,999.17 of Registry of Deeds uncommitted funds to the general fund reserve account — approved.
- Motion 9: Transfer $55,500 from FY25 surplus to FY26 salary reserve to augment funding for anticipated nonunion COLA costs — approved.

The advisory board accepted the package by roll-call vote. Chair and staff stated the deauthorization motion (motion 1) required a two‑thirds vote and the chair confirmed the threshold was met when the block passed. Several board members and staff emphasized that if the Registry later wants to reposition the $32,736.96 reduction to a different line, it may request a regular intra-budget transfer or return to the board through the proper channels.

Director John Cronin also noted two amounts being held in reserve within the surplus plan pending future decisions: roughly $300,000 for a possible future deposit into the county stabilization fund and $100,000 earmarked for an additional OPEB payment (total $400,000), currently not committed but available depending on FY26 developments.

Quotes used in this story come from the meeting record and are attributed to speakers who appear in the meeting transcript.