Sabattus workshop debates $464,793 in capital spending; officials weigh cuts to meet auditor guidance

At a Sabattus town budget workshop, members reviewed proposed capital outlays totaling about $464,793 and discussed options to reduce one‑time spending to align with the auditor’s guidance.

Capital items called out included Axon camera licensing ($25,000), the sixth payment on a 10‑year fire engine lease ($55,793), a $27,000 final truck lease payment, resurfacing/parking lot work ($15,000), an excavator line ($25,000), and a $20,000 allocation listed to support a primary elementary school. Members noted a road bond annual figure shown as approximately $231,500 in the draft workbook.

Committee members expressed concern that the draft capital total exceeded the auditor’s recommended target. One member said the draft left the town “almost 80,000 over what the auditor is recommending,” and the group discussed removing the $20,000 school allocation and a $35,000 parking lot item to reduce the gap by roughly $79,000. Staff also raised a procedural issue about how capital and operating electric charges have been allocated across departments, and the committee asked staff to recheck entries and identify one‑time funding sources (existing funds or department underspends) that could cover capital needs without raising taxes.

Members also questioned apparent accounting anomalies, including a possible duplicate Axon charge; staff were asked to provide a detailed expense report to confirm whether a camera licensing fee was billed twice and to clarify which software/dispatch charges recur as operating costs versus capital.

No formal capital votes were recorded at the meeting; the committee tasked staff with circulating corrected workbook calculations and reconvening to finalize remaining budget decisions.