Budget package approved unanimously, sent as positive recommendation to town council

Members at the meeting voted 6-0 to send the fiscal 2026 budget package to the town council with a positive recommendation, approving an amendment that raises the estimated borrowing for the Hillman well project to $16,752,000.

The committee chair said the group had reviewed each department, plans, revenues and anticipated expenses in multiple prior briefings: “we have had six or seven meetings to go over each of the individual departments, the budget as a whole.” The chair added that the vote was scheduled after the town council’s public hearing so the council could collect public input; the chair noted that “nobody showed up for that public hearing.”

A member moved to recommend the package back to the town council, listing measures included in the motion and noting an amendment to measure 85. A second was recorded and the motion was discussed briefly before a clarification was offered about one item: the speaker explained that measure 081 had been withdrawn after an alternate funding source was found and that the Hillman well estimate had increased.

The clarification stated the estimate for the Hillman well project came in at $16,752,000, about $752,000 higher than the committee’s prior $16 million estimate; the additional amount would be borrowed for that measure. The speaker said those funds are ratepayer funds, handled by an elected public works board, and not residential taxpayer dollars. The speaker also said they had spoken with “Mr. Hollowwell” regarding the estimate.

The chair called the vote. The motion passed 6 to 0, and the committee issued a positive recommendation to the town council to adopt the budget package with the stated amendment. No public testimony was recorded during the committee’s hearing.