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Shapleigh select board opens public hearing on 2026 warrant articles and budget
Summary
The Shapleigh select board held a public hearing in February 2026 to review dozens of warrant articles and budget requests ahead of the annual town meeting; the board and budget committee recommended approval of most items, with a split on a public safety building reserve and several committee abstentions noted.
The Chair called a public hearing to order and laid out rules for public comment, saying: "All comments should be directed to the chair" and that speakers should raise their hand, state their name and limit remarks to three minutes. The Clerk read committee recommendations on each warrant article as the Chair read the articles aloud.
The hearing covered a long slate of articles that voters will consider at the annual town meeting, including tax-policy provisions, appropriations for public safety and rescue services, road and bridge reserves, library and community-day funding, and conservation and dam maintenance accounts. Key items included Article 6 (setting commitment and payment timing and a 7% interest rate on unpaid taxes), Article 19 (a $114,331 appropriation for the fire department), Article 22 (a $100,000 reserve for a future fire truck), Article 30 (a $394,129 request for rescue medical staffing and transfers totaling $559,529), and Article 56 (a $450,000 bridge reserve for a culvert replacement on Knox Road).
Most warrant articles drew a recommendation of approval "as written" from both the select board and the budget committee, the Clerk reported repeatedly. The Clerk noted a few exceptions: the select board recommended 3–0 in favor of Article 28 (a $30,000 reserve for a new public safety building), while the budget committee recorded a 4–0 recommendation against that article. The Clerk also recorded a budget-committee abstention on agency funding in Article 45 because one committee member works at an agency being funded.
Several recurring themes in the hearing were fiscal maintenance and public-safety readiness. The Chair read articles that would create or replenish reserve accounts for winter road maintenance ($550,400 to a reserve), revaluation ($95,000), a bridge reserve ($450,000), and fire-department capital needs. The Clerk read staffing and operational appropriations for rescue and ambulance services and a request to contract with the York County Sheriff’s Department for law-enforcement services (contingent on Acton voter approval of a separate item in Acton).
The Clerk reminded attendees that the board had held an earlier, more detailed public hearing on February 3 and that that recording is available online for viewers who want full discussion of individual articles. The Chair signed the warrant language and identified the select board members in the record as "Gloria Pillsbury, chairman; Thomas J. Small; and Michael J. Cody." The Chair closed the public hearing at 07:25.
The annual town meeting will be the next opportunity for voters to debate and act on these warrant articles; the public hearing record and the written warrant provide the official details and recommended motions that voters will consider.
