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Brookfield selectboard discusses using reserve fund to finance Moose Mountain bridge repairs
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Summary
Selectboard members outlined a plan to fund Moose Mountain bridge repairs from a mix of trust funds and the towns undesignated fund balance, with engineering work paid from existing trust funds and a potential $500,000 repair estimate to be presented in a 2027 warrant article; members asked for a detailed financial analysis before committing.
The Brookfield selectboard spent the bulk of its meeting discussing funding options for repairs to the Moose Mountain bridge, including a proposal to use a portion of the towns undesignated fund balance.
The chair told the board the towns unexpended fund balance was about $800,000 as of 2025 and described past practice of using part of that balance to reduce the tax rate in October. He said the engineering, design and bid-package work for the bridge would be paid from existing Moose Mountain trust funds so that no new tax levy would be needed in 2026 for design work. "This is simply an alternative plan to be considered," the chair said, and added that "I think we all agree that it needs to be repaired. It's been festering for too long and something's gotta be done."
Board members asked for clarity about the Department of Revenue Administrations (DRA) 17 percent recommendation for an undesignated reserve and whether that percentage applies to the operating budget or assessed value. The chair said the 17 percent guideline referenced DRA guidance and later explained it was being interpreted as a percentage of the operating budget.
The chair outlined a preliminary schedule: engineering work would start after the town meeting, the project would be ready for a bid package by September, bids would be due about six weeks later and the board would prepare a warrant article in March 2027 to authorize any use of the reserve. He said the engineering group Beta provided the $500,000 estimate for repairs. The chair said voters would be asked to authorize selectmen to withdraw from the unexpended fund balance in 2027 if the committee and analysis recommend doing so.
Members urged a detailed financial analysis before changing warrant language or tapping reserves. Several speakers suggested forming a committee after the March town meeting to evaluate bonding, tax-anticipation borrowing and the effect on the towns ability to use the reserve for routine tax-rate buy-downs. One participant said financing the bridge over a longer term makes sense for a long-lived capital asset, while others said drawing a portion of the reserve would still leave substantial funds available and posed a low near-term risk.
The selectboard did not take any binding action on funding at the meeting. The next steps are to form a working committee, complete a financial analysis of the options (bonding, reserve withdrawal, tax anticipation, or a short-term tax roll-in), and, if needed, present warrant language to voters in March 2027 for approval.
