Charlie Morris, chair of the Northfield Town Budget & Financial Review Subcommittee, led a Dec. 29 review of the town’s capital improvement plan and recommended multiple targeted increases to cover deficits and imminent safety needs.

The committee agreed to increase the town clerk’s records‑restoration request for the 2026–27 budget cycle after Morris reported a current fund balance of $42,153.11 and an estimated project cost of about $150,000. Morris said the work will likely take two years and proposed “to increase that 25,000” for the 26/27 request to start addressing storage and vault expansion. A staff member who reviewed options said the Evolve system expansion could cost “50 to a $100,000.” The subcommittee put the $25,000 request into the draft budget for further review.

The ambulance department’s building account showed a negative balance (about $5,392). Committee members discussed relocating critical medical supplies out of a flood‑prone building and whether a future lease would be an operations expense or a capital charge. After discussion the group agreed to revise the 26/27 CIP request to clear the deficit; the figure was recorded in the meeting notes as “change it to 75” (units and accounting treatment to be confirmed by staff).

Fire department equipment also emerged as an immediate safety item. Department leadership reported that hose pressure tests failed and replacement would cost approximately $38,000. Members agreed replacement is not optional: “You can’t use them once they’ve failed inspection,” a member said, and the subcommittee directed staff to include the requested sum in the capital budget, with funding sources to be identified during final budget reconciliation.

On smaller capital lines the committee kept modest recurring funding to avoid future spikes: cemetery monument restoration, police building improvements ($2,500), library building maintenance (a continuing $2,500), and pool maintenance accounts all remain funded at conservative levels.

The subcommittee also discussed longer‑range items that will require additional planning: the Main Street bridge estimate keeps rising and the committee recommended phasing the town’s share across years (a staff proposal moved from $200,000 to $150,000 for the coming cycle), and several local bridges and retaining‑wall projects were flagged as likely to need bonded financing or multi‑year allocations.

Next steps: staff will reconcile the draft changes with available surplus and outstanding obligations (including ARPA‑funded line items), supply clarifications (units and accounting treatment) on the ambulance and ambulance‑related non‑borrowing proposals, and present a revised budget to the full board. The subcommittee set follow‑up department‑head budget sessions in January.