Acushnet finance committee approves most level-funded budgets, creates EMS reserve and beautification donation account

The Acushnet finance committee voted May 18 to approve most level-funded and minimally increased municipal budgets after a town staff briefing and discussion about remaining offsets and enterprise accounts.

Town Administrator Adam Lamontagne, introduced at the meeting as the town’s new administrator, told the committee he and staff were working to hold spending to conservative levels and highlighted savings from recent changes to the town’s trash-bin contract. “We did have some savings when we went through, the trash bins…so that was good,” Lamontagne said, noting the savings helped reduce the overall deficit.

Mister Kelly, who led the budget-status briefing, told the committee seven departments had been cut below level funding and 18 were level funded. Kelly described several accounts still under review — notably sewer, water and golf enterprises that rely on offsets — and said staff were pursuing further reductions in benefits and insurance costs where feasible. “We’re not there yet, but we’re getting a lot closer,” Kelly said.

After the update, Lamontagne moved to approve the level-funded budgets and the presented budgets with nominal increases; a committee member seconded the motion and the measure passed unanimously. The committee recorded line-item figures during the review, including a $150,000 reserve fund with no change from last year and a debt figure shown as $423,380 (a decrease reported as $61,250). Staff cautioned that Medicare and other formula-driven accounts would be finalized as salary totals are confirmed.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded several unanimous actions during the meeting. It approved the funding posture advanced by staff; passed Article 3, the PEG access/cable-related fund article, unanimously; passed Article 17 unanimously to transfer $25,000 from EMS reserve receipts to establish an EMS repair-and-maintenance reserve fund that requires selectmen approval to expend; and passed Article 32 unanimously to establish a beautification donation account to accept and spend donated funds subject to approval by the beautification committee and the Board of Selectmen. The committee also held several larger or enterprise budgets (treasurer/collector, sewer, golf and certain benefits lines) for further review.

Committee members emphasized operational pressures that limit options. Several members voiced frustration with state aid levels and rising fixed costs, saying local aid increases have not kept pace with contractual and inflationary pressures. “It’s like pennies — we’re rolling dimes and nickels,” one member said, arguing municipalities face difficult choices about overrides and taxation.

The committee also discussed the town’s waste contract, noting the current contract with Waste Management runs through June 30, 2026; selectmen may consider vendor changes at an upcoming meeting, and staff said they were following up with bidders to ensure a smooth transition if a new vendor is awarded.

What’s next: Staff said they expect to finalize remaining accounts by Wednesday or early next week and will circulate a revised revenue sheet informed by pending state actions. The committee approved minutes from March 25, 2026 and scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 7 p.m.

The meeting included routine procedural business and no executive-session votes.