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Brentwood budget committee approves several 2026 department budgets after extended debate over elections funding
Summary
The Brentwood budget committee voted to approve emergency management, executive, legal, elections, town meeting, town clerk and tax collector budgets and smaller departmental budgets; a contentious debate over funding three vs. four elections and a $70/hour police detail rate drew the most discussion.
The Brentwood Budget Committee on Nov. 10 approved a slate of proposed 2026 department budgets while members sparred over how many elections to fund and how to account for certain salary and coverage lines.
The committee approved minutes from its previous regular session and then moved through department budgets. The emergency management budget was approved at $4,627, a figure described as essentially level with last year. The executive office budget, proposed by the select board at $19,412 (a 7% decrease), also passed after members asked about pre-employment physicals, annual medical exams and a contingency line that had been zeroed out.
A longer discussion surrounded the legal budget. The select board proposed $33,503 for outside legal services; members noted legal costs spiked to about $46,000 in the previous year amid personnel and contract work. Committee members discussed that a board member had volunteered limited legal review…
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