Charlton Selectboard reviews FY26 capital plan, schools’ long‑range requests and landfill bid risk

The Town of Charlton Selectboard on a routine meeting reviewed a draft FY26 capital plan and discussed how several projects—police equipment, the town’s new fire station, cemetery repaving and an old landfill closure—could be funded in coming months.

Town staff presented a consolidated capital spreadsheet that staff said will be placed in the shared Dropbox with formal numbers after revisions made at the meeting. The most immediate changes presented were to the police department’s request: cruisers were removed from the FY26 ask because the department used leftover FY25 funds, and the police line was broadened from a line-item “plate readers / cruisers” to a more flexible “traffic enforcement technology” and “emergency response equipment” to allow staff to shift purchases depending on grant awards and statewide earmark availability.

Why it matters: the changes reframe near-term spending and preserve flexibility while the town finalizes free-cash numbers. Selectboard members pressed for clearer schedules and cost estimates before committing levy or free-cash dollars.

Key project details - Police: Cruisers were removed from the FY26 request; vehicle‑mounted license‑plate readers remain under discussion because of mounting‑and‑compatibility concerns, so staff broadened the entry to “traffic enforcement technology” to permit…