Board of Finance approves $20,000 transfer to cover police fuel and equipment costs

The Waterford Board of Finance voted unanimously to approve a $20,000 out-of-series transfer at its March 11, 2026, meeting to cover higher fuel costs and replacement of expired police equipment.

Chief of Police Marc Balestracci requested the transfer to be split evenly between Fuel & Lubricants (line 10129-53090) and Police Equipment & Supplies (line 10129-53180). The funding was moved from a Clerical/Technical salary line (10129-51210) where a retirement and prolonged vacancy produced available savings, according to the transfer form presented to the board.

Bill Sheehan, a member of the Board of Finance, made the motion to transfer the funds; Joseph Filippetti seconded it. The vote was recorded as 7-0-0 in favor, with the following members voting yes: Glenn Patterson; Robert Tuneski; Michael Rocchetti; Bill Sheehan; Jerry Fischer; Ann Peabody; and Joseph Filippetti. The board’s action was recorded as passing and may be forwarded to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) for approval as required by town procedure.

The transfer request form included an explanation that budgeted fuel assumptions had been exceeded and that several pieces of police equipment had reached end of life, including unspecified increases in ammunition and ballistic-protection costs. The minutes and transfer form include per-gallon fuel figures that appear garbled in the record; the board’s motion and the $20,000 total allocation are clearly recorded, but the per-gallon numbers were not used in the board’s vote and are not stated here because the transcript values are unclear.

The board did not record any amendments to the motion. No public comment on the transfer was recorded in the minutes.

The board’s approval sends the transfer request forward for any further procedural approvals required by town rules.