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Boxborough finance committee weighs writing off $60,000 in old police-detail receivables
Summary
Finance committee members reviewed an auditor/consultant update and debated whether to retire roughly $60,000 of long‑running police-detail receivables in FY27, weighing tax-recap treatment (which would embed the amount into the levy) against using free cash; staff said much of a larger $180,000 figure has since been collected.
The Boxborough Finance Committee reviewed audit follow-ups and a consultant's reconciliation of cash and receivables, and discussed how to handle long‑running police‑detail balances.
Staff said the consultant is reconciling the current fiscal year through February and aims to complete outstanding work by June 30. Committee members noted that a separate $200,000 audit item is closed and that the consultant continues to work on cash reconciliations for FY26.
On the police‑detail receivables, staff reported a calculated amount of roughly $60,000 that the town plans to handle in FY27 as a retireable balance after examining records back more than a decade. Committee members pressed for options other than embedding the amount into the permanent levy. "I don't think we should be taxing people for this; this is old money that's been paid out that has nothing to do with the taxpayers," said an unidentified participant, arguing for using free cash or another one-time source instead of a tax‑recap adjustment that would raise the base levy.
Staff replied that the tax recap approach would show no negative impact on free cash and noted practical limits to collection for very old vendor accounts when the business is no longer active. Members also noted that the larger $180,000 figure cited earlier in the audit has declined because recent collections have reduced the outstanding balance.
The committee did not adopt a final funding decision at the meeting; members agreed there is time to consider options before the fall town‑meeting process, and staff will continue reconciling invoices and receivables for FY26 and FY27 planning.
Next steps: staff will continue collections and reconciliations, and the committee expects to revisit the $60,000 treatment as part of fall budget planning or the tax‑recap process.
