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Council approves cleanup of old checks and $50,000 appropriation to EPIC fund
Summary
The Charlestown City Council approved Ordinance 2026 O2 to clear checks over two years old and passed Ordinance 2026‑3 to add $50,000 to the EPIC fund after the city met a 7% savings threshold; both were considered on second and final reading after suspending rules.
Charlestown City Council on Feb. 2 approved two routine fiscal measures: Ordinance 2026 O2 to clear checks older than two years from city accounts and Ordinance 2026‑3, an additional appropriation of $50,000 into the EPIC fund.
On O2, the council voted to suspend the rules to allow second and final reading the same night and passed the ordinance. The measure authorizes the city to clear stale checks that have remained outstanding longer than two years.
On Ordinance 2026‑3, staff reported the city met the threshold to allocate $50,000 to the EPIC fund after achieving approximately a 7% savings compared with the prior year’s budget. The EPIC fund is intended for unanticipated repairs and capital needs; staff said some of the appropriation may be used to buy replacement computers for the city’s light show and to support work on the Commons.
Both measures were moved, seconded and approved on votes called by the meeting chair. The transcript shows the chair called the votes and the council recorded the measures as passed; individual roll‑call tallies were not read into the record beyond the voice vote.
Why it matters: clearing stale checks is routine housekeeping for municipal finance. The EPIC appropriation directs savings into a contingency fund that city staff may use for equipment replacement and unexpected capital needs, reducing pressure on the general fund for short‑term repairs.
The council asked finance staff about rounding the savings percentage (reported as 6.97%, which staff said rounds to 7%) and confirmed the appropriation followed the city’s policy for transferring savings into the EPIC fund.
