Sabattus selectmen and budget committee reconcile FY27 budgets; public works contract raises cited

The Sabattus Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee met to reconcile competing FY27 budget spreadsheets and to consider a negotiated labor contract for public works covering Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2028. Committee members agreed to several department totals and discussed capital requests, including a proposal to begin a rotating replacement program for fire SCBA bottles.

Raquel, who opened and guided the budget session, told the group they would “stick to budget discussion only” to keep the meeting focused on numbers. The boards reviewed the town’s mill‑rate scenarios and revenue projections, noting the town’s current mill rate near 19.9 and a potential range roughly between 20.7 and 22.3 depending on whether $185,000 in undesignated funds and final school figures are used.

A motion was made to approve the negotiated public works contract for the 2026–2028 period. According to meeting remarks, the contract includes a $2.50 per hour raise for 2026 and 3% annual increases in 2027 and 2028; the contract also contains clarified language on personnel‑file commendations and paid time off for bereavement. The motion was seconded and put to a vote; the transcript records the motion and a call for the vote but does not include a detailed roll‑call tally. (Transcript excerpt: “the contract ... has been negotiated to include a raise for 2026 of $2.50 per hour and then in 27 and 28 it will be 3% per year.”)

The committees then moved line by line through departmental budgets. They approved the Code Enforcement total at $112,523 after reconciling differences over mapping fees and membership dues. The police budget also was reconciled after a detailed line‑by‑line review of wages, overtime and benefits; speakers discussed headcount (noted as five officers and one chief) and agreed to a final departmental total in the meeting record. Public works figures required larger adjustments because the negotiated contract added wage and benefit increases; after reconciling insurance, fleet and other lines, the boards voted to set the public works bottom line at $1,218,656 to account for wages and associated payroll costs.

Capital requests generated extended discussion. Members debated whether to include parking‑lot sealing/resurfacing in the capital warrant and whether to fund new or used SCBA bottles for the fire department. Budget committee members described a proposal to add a modest rotating allocation (one line in the transcript shows a $5,000 suggestion) to gradually replace air bottles so the town does not face a single large capital outlay in a future year. The group agreed to regroup to confirm which items are funded from excise‑tax allocations and to revisit the capital tab at a subsequent meeting.

Participants also discussed revenue recognition and projection approaches. One recurring approach suggested by the committee was to use actual revenues received through June 30 rather than locking in projections earlier, subject to the auditor’s guidance on how anticipated figures are represented in warrant articles.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: the boards will reconvene on outstanding capital lines and will invite the school superintendent and the selectboard chair to discuss the school budget at an upcoming meeting. The meeting adjourned after the group completed most departmental line items for the night.