North Brookfield approves transfers to cover library bills, rescue tools, radios and multiple departmental expenses

Voters at the Town of North Brookfield’s special town meeting approved a series of budget transfers to cover outstanding bills and to purchase equipment for town departments. Major items included a $9,863 transfer for the library, $15,600 for battery-operated ‘jaws of life’ rescue tools, and $18,165.20 for high-band radios for the highway department; numerous other reallocations for sewer, water and police accounts also passed.

Library trustee David Marr told voters the library had a one-time salary surplus because the library lacked a director for about six months (July 2024–February 2025) and lacked a custodian for about four months (June 2024–February 2025). Marr said the trustees asked that $9,863 be transferred from the library salary line to purchase-of-services to pay outstanding bills. The motion carried by a raised-hand majority.

The meeting also approved a $15,600 transfer from capital stabilization to the fire department to purchase AMKUS battery-operated “jaws of life.” A question from resident Karen McGrail sought the current capital stabilization balance; Town Accountant Sheila LeBlanc replied that the capital stabilization account held “20 some odd thousand” dollars (approximate, as stated on the floor).

Highway department communications equipment received $18,165.20 from capital stabilization for high-band radios; the article required and received a two-thirds vote. Water accounts were reallocated as well: voters approved a $30,000 transfer from water retained earnings to water system improvement, $20,000 for water building and equipment maintenance, $20,000 for water electricity (a water superintendent said this would cover roughly the last three months of the fiscal year), and $3,000 for heating fuel.

Sewer-line transfers totaled multiple small reallocations from an unfilled sewer-assistant salary line to operations: $900 to sewer clerk salary, $6,500 to sewer superintendent salary, $12,000 to sewer electricity, $9,000 to repairs and maintenance, $1,500 to vehicle repairs, $9,000 to testing and research, and $294.50 to prior-year expenses for outstanding 2022–23 bills. Sewer superintendent Eric Cardenas confirmed the town has not filled the assistant-superintendent position, and the transfers were funded in part by that unspent salary.

Police accounts were adjusted with multiple transfers to cover overtime: smaller transfers (for example, $620 from shift differential and $2,155.92 from career-incentive accounts) passed. One higher-value police transfer listed in the warrant as $88,445.88 had an apparent discrepancy on the floor: the mover read a different figure, $8,444.05 (the transcript records both numbers). The motion passed by raised hands; the transcript shows no roll-call tally and no on-the-record amendment to the posted warrant amount.

Most motions were moved and seconded from the floor and approved by raised-hand majority votes; articles requiring supermajorities were voted by raised hands and recorded as passing. Several residents asked clarifying questions during the meeting (for example, questions about stabilization-account balance and the water-electricity time frame); officials answered on the record.

The meeting concluded with the moderator dissolving the session at about 6:39 p.m.