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Town finance update: free cash certified at just over $4.3M; administrator asks for SRO duty clarity amid budget gap
Summary
Town Administrator/Accountant Deborah Potter reported free cash certified at slightly over $4.3 million, said the FY2024 audit is complete, and requested clarification on the elementary School Resource Officer’s duties given a roughly $3.9 million town deficit and proposed new positions.
At the Jan. 22 meeting of the Oak Bluffs Finance & Advisory Committee, Town Administrator/Accountant Deborah Potter reported that free cash was certified at slightly more than $4.3 million and that the town’s FY2024 audit has been completed and will be reviewed internally before distribution.
Potter said the town is roughly $800 off from its budget projections and that, despite recent progress in bargaining with the Patrolmen’s Union, negotiations with Sergeants’ and Lieutenants’ unions cannot proceed until the Patrolmen’s contract is formally ratified. She said the town can budget for remaining employees with reasonable accuracy but that, ultimately, an override will likely be required to balance the FY27 budget.
Potter also raised a question following the Police Department’s presentation, asking for additional clarification on the specific duties of the School Resource Officer at the elementary school and noting that adding three town positions (including the SRO and a half-time Short-Term Rental Assistant) will increase benefits costs in the midst of an estimated $3.9 million deficit. The minutes record that follow-ups on the Highway Department and the FY27 preliminary budget were tabled to the next meeting.
No public comments were recorded at the meeting; the committee approved prior minutes and adjourned at 7:46 p.m.
