Select Board reviews capital plan and looming budget constraints; debt, sidewalk equipment and ladder truck lease discussed

The Select Board and finance committee spent a large portion of their April 15 session reviewing the FY26 capital improvement plan, several high‑cost equipment requests and the town’s overall fiscal position heading into the next budget year.

Town staff presented a five‑year capital plan that lists planned projects and funding sources, including Chapter 90 road funds, retained earnings, free cash and $2.5 million in ARPA allocations the town used for prior capital work. Staff said FY26 town debt totals roughly $1,000,002.48 and that about $805,000 of the town’s debt is excluded debt (raised on the property tax recap). The meeting recap noted the town still has short‑term temporary borrowing for Route 79 land takings and easements and an outstanding permanent borrowing for the police station once state approvals are complete.

Committee members pressed several individual capital requests. Public Works sought a sidewalk plow and attachments at about $200,000 to address repeated resident complaints about unplowed sidewalks, especially on Main Street and in recently accepted subdivisions. The director of public works said crews currently clear sidewalks by hand in some areas and that the new equipment would create a townwide capability; board members questioned ongoing manpower and operating‑cost implications if the town bought and operated new equipment.

The board also discussed a long‑running “contaminated pile” of material at the DPW yard that the state has required the town to remove. Staff said current annual appropriations are small and that removing the pile would require much larger funds or a targeted grant; members suggested exploring brownfields or similar state remediation grants.

Fire department capital drew particular scrutiny. The town previously approved a lease‑purchase for a ladder truck (approved at town meeting as a lease‑purchase in 2022, amount referenced in discussion about $1.4 million). Some board members questioned the appearance of a multi‑year lease on the capital plan and sought clarity about the accounting treatment; staff said the vehicle is treated as a capital lease and appears on depreciation schedules but that the financing structure had been chosen to reduce upfront borrowing at the time.

Members repeatedly returned to the town’s constrained one‑time funding sources. Officials said the capital stabilization balance stood at roughly $2.0 million (March 31 balance shown), and cautioned that planned uses would draw that balance down; several speakers warned that fiscal 2027 and beyond could be difficult without new revenue sources or significant reductions in services. “We are getting to a point where we're gonna have to have some hard discussions,” one official said, urging early public outreach before town meeting.

Why this matters: the capital plan and debt schedule shape what the town can afford at town meeting and affect operating budgets for years. The board asked staff to refine cost estimates and prioritize near‑term projects ahead of a recap meeting scheduled in late April.