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Lee Select Board reviews FY27 budget, seeks roughly $84,000 in savings and tables overtime change
Summary
Select Board members reviewed a revised FY27 budget and identified an $84,427 shortfall; they discussed cutting a $50,000 cleaning contract, pre-buying supplies to smooth next year’s lines, and tabled a proposed overtime policy after chiefs warned it would hurt emergency response.
The Lee Select Board spent the bulk of its meeting reviewing a revised fiscal year 2027 budget and probing options to close a remaining shortfall.
A public commenter, John Tappan, chair of the Trustees of Trust Funds, opened remarks by saying the trustees had reviewed reimbursement requests and “Trustees have received reimbursement requests totaling $1,172,018.08,” and flagged that a $7,312.50 charge to the Lee Library Building Capital Reserve Fund “cannot be made as this expense was charged...without your authorization.”
After public comment the board began a line‑by‑line review. A staff member presenting the budget said department heads had searched for cuts and identified one of the largest single discretionary savings as eliminating an outsourced cleaning contract (about $50,000) and using transfer‑station labor for some tasks to avoid layoffs. The staff member noted the draft still left the town “about $84,427 short,” and said other possible savings included delaying a $6,000 fire charge into the next fiscal year and trimming sand, cleaning and supply lines.
Board members examined public‑safety budgets and equipment lines. Members questioned how police vehicle purchases would be funded given a revolving (special‑duty) account that was estimated “a little under” $100,000; department representatives cautioned that tapping that account for other uses could leave insufficient funds for a cruiser. The fire chief and other emergency staff described recent spikes in overtime and call‑outs that pushed some winter lines far over budget, and warned that certain policy changes could reduce staff willingness to respond to unpredictable calls.
The board turned to a proposed uniform overtime policy read aloud by staff that would calculate overtime on pay‑period totals (for example, 84 hours per pay period for firefighters) and prohibit counting paid leave such as sick or vacation toward overtime eligibility. Fire and police representatives said the change "would hurt our department" because crews respond to calls at unpredictable times and could forgo overtime pay under the draft wording. After extended discussion the board voted to table the proposed overtime policy for further review.
To reduce next year’s needs, members also discussed pre‑purchasing supplies now with remaining current‑year balances (staff said there was “a little under $400,000” left in the present year) to lower budget lines in FY27; highway staff cautioned that materials such as concrete and bulk cement cannot be stored indefinitely. Staff agreed to review departmental supply lines for pre‑buy opportunities and other one‑time measures that could close part of the gap.
The board concluded its budget review with instructions to refine the worksheet and produce a default‑budget format for signatures; staff emphasized the final gap will depend heavily on winter weather and on how much can safely be pulled from contingency and one‑time savings.
Votes at a glance: the board approved a series of routine operational motions later in the meeting — closure of Little River Park for a model‑rocket event; a change to transfer‑station hours (Tuesday morning 7–1 and Thursday 12–6, with normal Saturday hours); a seasonal 10‑hour workweek schedule (Monday–Thursday) for highway staff through Nov. 24, 2026; authorization to withdraw up to $8,731.25 from the Revaluation Capital Reserve Fund to pay Municipal Resources, Inc.; and acceptance of the consent agenda.
