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Board reviews inspector fees, budget projections and a part-time town nurse proposal
Summary
Hubbardston board members reviewed 2026 budget items, noted increases in consultant/perk-test fees and the need to reconcile past-year payments to set realistic estimates, and discussed a proposed part-time town/public-health nurse (16 hours/month) with further funding work to follow.
Board members reviewed proposed budget lines for the Board of Health for fiscal 2026, including consultant and perk-test fees and the town’s share of permit-related payments. Members reported the consultant’s new per-test/design review fee at $200 and said the town retains a portion of those fees; accountants will be asked to provide fiscal-year 2024–25 totals so the board can model the coming year’s expenses.
The Chair noted the town is using a zero-based budgeting approach and recommended pulling last year’s payments from accounting before setting proposed 2026 amounts. Members flagged office supplies and shared overhead as areas to clarify, and agreed to estimate seasonally higher workloads in spring.
Separately, the board reviewed a job description for a part-time town/public-health nurse proposed at a 16-hour-per-month per-diem. Members discussed program options (school outreach, screenings, public education), insurance and liability concerns, and the need to identify funding before posting the position. One member said a local regional partner or grant might be a funding source but that the board should not post the position before confirming finances.
No final budget adoption occurred at the meeting; members agreed to assemble past fiscal data, refine the budget lines and revisit the nurse position after clarifying funding.
