Madison Board of Finance approves year-end transfers, backs Meals on Wheels and police overtime

The Board of Finance of the Town of Madison approved several year-end fiscal adjustments and special appropriations at its May 20 meeting, including a $75,000 reserve allocation for Meals on Wheels and a $135,000 special appropriation for police overtime.

Board members first approved two line-item transfers for fiscal 2026 — one noted as $522,000 (previously approved by the Board of Selectmen) and a second transfer totaling $514,960.13 — to reconcile department budgets and cover shortfalls, particularly police overtime lines. The board then approved successive appropriations in the capital improvement plan and other special allocations, including a $25,000 coastal resiliency reserve release and a $220,000 successive appropriation for Spring Meadow Cemetery related to storm damage.

The Meals on Wheels request prompted extended discussion. Members said the Marcus endowment that historically subsidized the program has nearly run out; board members recalled a prior objective to reach $100,000 in reserve support spread over two years. A member of the Senior Commission briefed the board on a local fundraising model used in neighboring Guilford and encouraged the development of an organized fundraising unit, pointing trustees to an existing nonprofit model (giv.org). The board approved $75,000 from reserve funds for Meals on Wheels this year, with conversation about whether to provide an additional $25,000 later to reach the previously discussed $100,000 target.

On police funding, the board discussed the mechanics of moving budget lines — transferring wage balances into overtime accounts to cover special duty and replacement expenses — and asked staff to provide detailed line-item information. The board approved a $135,000 special appropriation request for Madison Police Department overtime reconciliation, noting Board of Selectmen approval was pending on May 26.

Members also heard the pension committee liaison report that the committee’s consultant described prompt funding for the town’s pension plan as “crucial,” and discussed longer-term uses for surplus and interest revenue. Several members suggested prioritizing a short list of top uses — such as additional pension funding or CIP items — before committing one-time surpluses.

Votes: motions on the minutes, the two fiscal 2026 line-item transfers, the CIP reallocation (including $25,000 for coastal resiliency), the $220,000 cemetery/storm appropriation, $75,000 for Meals on Wheels, and the $135,000 police overtime appropriation were all moved, seconded and carried during the meeting.

Next steps: several board members requested more detailed line-item backup on the transfers and asked staff to return with specifics on police overtime and the proposed timing for any additional reserve release for Meals on Wheels. Public comment was closed with no speakers; the meeting adjourned at the close of the session.