Freetown adopts fiscal 2027 omnibus budget; selectmen add full-time firefighter

Freetown's annual town meeting approved its omnibus fiscal 2027 budget, adopting finance committee recommendations across general government, public safety, education, public works, culture and debt service lines. Most departmental requests matched finance recommendations and passed by voice vote.

During the public safety section a resident, Samantha Gomes, flagged an apparent discrepancy in the printed budget versus the recommended figures for the fire department. The board explained that an additional $71,000 had been added that evening to fund one full-time firefighter, which accounted for the difference in the personnel line. The moderator confirmed the board had voted to add the position and residents accepted the explanation. The public safety budgets and the broader omnibus sections were then adopted unanimously.

The meeting also handled a variety of departmental figures in concise fashion: education assessments (the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District assessment of $14,140,490 and a transportation assessment of $304,140), public works lines including highway and transfer station totals, culture and library staffing budgets, and capital and debt-service items including a $533,750 debt-service line related to a new police station principal and interest. Several items were placed on hold for later discussion by request.

Moderator guidance: the finance committee recommended most requests and the meeting generally voted to adopt the committee's recommended figures in grouped sections, with voters asked to raise holdings for specific line items they wanted discussed individually.

What's next: department-level holds will be revisited after the section votes; the budget as adopted will guide fiscal 2027 spending pending any administrative actions required to implement line-item changes.