Votes at a glance: Hubbardston annual town meeting approves operating budget, school assessments, capital items and zoning changes

This is a roundup of the formal votes taken at the Town of Hubbardston annual town meeting (items not covered in separate articles above):

Key financial votes

- Article 8 (FY2026 operating budget): Voters approved the operating budget motion that transferred $65,000 previously appropriated for the Center School boiler project and raised a balance described in the warrant (balance cited as $4,524,034.65) to fund salaries and general town operations. (Motion: Ms. Young and Ms. Monroe; passed unanimously.)

- Article 9 (Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District assessment): Voters approved a corrected appropriation of $418,566. (Motion: Mr. Perrigo; result: 1 opposed.)

- Article 10 (Quabbin Regional School District assessment): Voters approved the appropriation of $6,629,173.36 for the town’s share of the Quabbin district budget. (Motion: Mr. Williams; result: 18 opposed.)

- Article 11 (Quabbin regional school debt): Voters approved $55,247 to pay the town’s share of district debt. (Motion: Ms. Monroe; result: 3 opposed.)

Appropriations, reserves and maintenance

- Article 12 (landfill compliance): Approved transfer of $6,130 from free cash for state‑mandated landfill testing and mowing services (includes $5,865 for testing). (Motion: Mr. Walker; passed unanimously.)

- Article 13: Voted to accept Massachusetts General Laws chapter 44 section 54b to allow trust funds to be invested under the Massachusetts Prudent Investor Act (M.G.L. ch.203C). (Motion: Ms. Young; passed unanimously.)

- Article 14: Approved appropriation of $10,000 from free cash to secure grant services to support the application and administration of grants. (Motion: Mr. Perrigo; passed unanimously.)

Community preservation and PEG

- Article 18 and 19: Voted to appropriate CPA funds for previously approved projects including debt service for playground improvements and library basement preservation projects (amounts as printed in the warrant). (Motions and seconds as printed; passed.)

- Article 15 & 16: Voted to use PEG access fund for cable advisory committee operations ($30,000) and to relocate PEG broadcast equipment and build a meeting/broadcast room ($45,000). Both passed (Article 15: 1 opposed; Article 16: 4 opposed).

Capital and equipment articles (debt exclusions — note: town clerk clarified later that these also require a YES vote at the town election on June 17 for the debt exclusions to take effect)

- Article 23 (fire truck): Voted to appropriate $499,898 to purchase and equip a new fire truck; the motion was expressly contingent on voter approval of a Proposition 2½ debt‑exclusion ballot question. (Motion: Ms. Young; passed.)

- Article 24 (used plow truck): Voted to appropriate $200,000 to purchase and equip a used plow truck; contingent on a Proposition 2½ debt‑exclusion ballot question. The DPW director explained the department sought an older low‑mileage airport truck as a cost‑saving measure. (Motion: Mr. Perrigo; passed.)

- Article 25 (brush mower): Voted to appropriate $220,000 to purchase and equip a new brush mower; motion contingent on a Proposition 2½ debt‑exclusion ballot question. (Motion: Mr. Williams; passed.)

Transportation and land

- Article 22 (Williamsville Road alteration): Approved acceptance of the alteration of a portion of Williamsville Road as a public way and authorized acquisition of easements necessary to complete a roadway/bridge project. A floor amendment to remove the phrase “eminent domain” from the article was proposed and failed. The chair explained the Commonwealth grant required certain rights be in place for the project to proceed; the administrator said the overall project was funded by a $5 million state grant, with the town responsible for certain right‑of‑way matters. (Motion: Mr. Walker; passed.)

Other procedural votes

- Consent agenda: Voters approved articles 1–5 as a block (choosing officers; hearing reports; authorization to enter MassDOT agreements; acceptance of educational grants; continuation of the Holden Hospital account). (Motion: Mr. Williams / Ms. Young; passed unanimously.)

How to read this: Many warrant motions were brief and passed without extended debate; some items carried small counts of opposition as noted above. Several items that authorize borrowing for capital purchases will also require a separate ballot vote on June 17 (debt‑exclusion questions) to allow the town to raise funds for annual debt service outside Proposition 2½ limits.

If citizens need details on a specific article (full motion text, exact tally, or supporting documents), the town clerk has the official warrant and the planning/finance handouts used at the meeting.