Mike Lally, chair of the Old Home Day Committee Fund, asked the Town of Charlton Finance Committee on an evening meeting to increase the event's baseline town funding for 2025, saying the committee's current allotted budget is no longer sufficient.

Lally said the committee begins each year with “a budget of about 5 and a half” and requested “up to 25” for 2025; the transcript did not specify units for those figures. He said the event’s total costs this past year “came to about 25” and that fireworks alone “almost [cost] 10” (units not specified in the meeting record). “Our funding and our costs have gone escalated like everything else,” Lally said.

The request goes next to town staff for incorporation into the 2025 budget review. Andrew (identified in the meeting as the town manager) and Ashley (town staff) were named as the staff who will take the request into account during the budget process. Committee members said Old Home Day funding sits under the recreation budget and advised Lally to coordinate with Kathleen Walker, whom Lally identified as the event leader, and Diane Doherty, chair of the recreation commission, to make sure the recreation line is adjusted if the committee pursues the increase.

The Finance Committee described the request as appropriate to raise when the recreation budget is reviewed; members circulated guidance that the Old Home Day representatives likely will be asked to present at a recreation-budget hearing. The meeting record shows follow-up steps rather than any immediate appropriation: staff will route the request to recreation and to the town manager as part of the regular budget calendar.

Organizers said much of the event’s money currently comes from donations and in-kind support from local businesses. At the meeting Lally said having a larger, predictable base allocation would make it easier to secure additional funding and reduce the amount of time volunteers spend fundraising.

Finance Committee members noted recreation has a limited budget and that the finance committee maintains a $150,000 discretionary fund for unforeseen needs; that discretionary fund is limited to unforeseen or unexpected expenses and requires a department request. The committee did not act on Lally’s request at the meeting; it was recorded as an item to be considered during the normal budget hearings.

The committee asked Lally to forward his request to Kathleen Walker and to Diane Doherty so recreation can decide whether to reallocate within its line or include the request in next year’s budget hearings.