Voters at the Town of North Brookfield annual meeting approved bylaw changes and spending limits to manage several local revolving funds, including a new tobacco-control fund and a records-request fund for the police department.

The meeting adopted a bylaw authorizing a tobacco control revolving fund under the town's general bylaws and Massachusetts General Laws chapter 44 subsection 53E\u00BD. A Board of Health representative explained the fund is intended to receive revenue from tobacco-sales violations and to pay for inspectional and tobacco-prevention programs when grant funding is not available.

Separately, voters added a records-request revolving fund for use by the police department under chapter 44 subsection 53E\u00BD. The bylaw specifies that fees charged and received by the police department for public-records requests will be credited to a separate account and may be used to pay for staff time, media devices, postage and related costs. Officials said the proposed spending authority for the police records-request fund for fiscal 2026 is $250.

The meeting also set FY26 spending limits for a list of revolving accounts (as printed in the warrant). Notable fiscal limits approved included: Board of Health trash bags $35,000; Board of Health vacant properties $25,000; Board of Health tobacco control $25,000; Council on Aging $15,000; Cemetery $15,000; electrical permits $15,000; and a $250 spending cap for the police records-request fund. Town staff and committee representatives explained that the limits are maximum annual expenditures from each revolving fund and that funds can only be spent when revenues exist in the accounts.

Voters approved the bylaw changes and spending limits; the tobacco-control and records-request bylaw changes required a two-thirds vote and were carried at the meeting.