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Hinsdale finance panel clears draft ATM warrant, rejects two school budget articles as written
Summary
At a joint Finance Committee and Select Board meeting April 30, members reviewed the draft Annual Town Meeting warrant for May 20, 2026, approving most appropriations (many from Free Cash, reserves and department budgets) while voting not to accept two CBRSD school budget articles as written; all recorded motions passed unanimously.
The Hinsdale Finance Committee, meeting jointly with the Select Board on April 30, reviewed and voted on the draft warrant for the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for May 20, 2026. Town Administrator Bob Graves presented the warrant and the Committee proceeded article by article.
The Committee approved a range of appropriations and budget figures for fiscal year 2027. Notable approvals included Chapter 90 transportation funds estimated at $269,352.42; General Government operating expenses of $3,070,533.00; Debt and Interest of $419,676.00; and operating figures for sewer and water accounts (Sewer I $95,503.00; Sewer II $17,000.00; Sewer III $205,496.00; Hinsdale Water Department $186,374.00). The Committee approved transfers from reserve accounts, including $151,201.00 from the Sewer Betterment Reserve to cover Sewer Phase III loan payments ($45,709.00 for Plunkett; $105,492.00 for Ashmere). A motion to appropriate $63,000.00 from Water Reserves was approved to replenish funds used at the March 2026 special town meeting for emergency replacements of meters and gauges at the Water Treatment Plant; those items have already been purchased and installed. The Committee also approved $13,154.00 from Water Reserves to cover additional Elm Electric charges to complete the SCADA upgrade.
Several capital and one-time items were approved from Free Cash, grouped in a single motion that passed unanimously. Those appropriations included $66,306.00 for FY26 winter roads maintenance; a Mack truck lease payment of $60,030.00; a fire department PPV smoke injector for $5,868.00; Maple Street Cemetery headstone repair ($20,000.00) and tree removal ($18,960.00); municipal code development ($11,000.00); and interior painting of Town Hall ($20,928.00). The Committee also authorized equipment purchases including a three-point hitch mounted blower for the DPW ($7,200.00) and an appropriation of up to $220,000.00 (split $55,000.00 each from Free Cash, Sewer I, Sewer III and Water Reserve Accounts) for a General Service Truck to be used by four departments.
On education funding, the Committee divided the CBRSD-related articles into subvotes. Two items were explicitly not accepted "as written": the CBRSD assessment budget of $3,277,495.00 and the CBRSD capital budget of $305,815.00; motions "NOT to accept this article as written" passed unanimously in each case. By contrast, the Committee voted to accept vocational transportation ($96,758.00) and vocational tuition ($223,983.00) as presented.
Other approved items included $15,000.00 from Free Cash for the Police Department's record management system linking vehicle communications; $20,000.00 for biennial state-mandated dam inspections for Plunkett and Belmont Dams; and $35,000.00 to replenish Infrastructure and Engineering funds for FY27. The Committee also voted to appropriate $4,428.91 (opioid settlement receipts covering FY2023–FY2025) to establish an Opioid Settlement Special Revenue Fund to be used under the terms of the national settlement agreements and guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR Bulletin 2023-7).
On governance, the Committee voted to authorize the Select Board to petition the General Court for a special act to reduce the Planning Board from five to three members; the motion permits the General Court to make clerical or editorial changes and authorizes the Select Board to approve amendments that fall within the scope of the petition. The Committee also reviewed and set FY26 spending limits for town revolving funds established by the General Bylaws.
Most motions recorded in the minutes were passed by unanimous vote; the minutes record motions as "made and seconded" but do not list mover or seconder names. Where the minutes recorded a vote outcome it was "passed unanimously." The minutes do not list individual roll-call votes.
The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for May 20, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Kittredge School gym. Town elections will be held May 23, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Town Hall. The Finance Committee's next regular monthly meeting is June 4, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Town Hall.
