Council approves a contract to be paid from the town’s fund balance

A council member moved to approve a contract and said the money would come from the town’s fund balance. “That’s all there’s left — it’ll be fund balance is where it’ll come from,” the member said before initiating a vote.

The motion drew a roll-call-style set of responses. The transcript records Alderman Ainger saying “yes” and Alderman Peton saying “yes”; Alderman Ward is recorded saying “no.” Other responses are mentioned in the audio but are not clearly captured in the transcript text provided.

The vote as read in the meeting concluded with those recorded responses and the chair moved on to the next agenda item. The motion to approve the contract was presented as a formal action funded from fund balance; the transcript does not include further detail on the contract’s vendor, scope, or dollar amount.

Why it matters: using fund balance to cover contracts reduces the town’s reserves and can limit flexibility for future unplanned expenses. Council members said the town is already running a deficit and emphasized the need to find new revenue or tighten next year’s spending.

The council then proceeded to discuss FY25 budget amendments and other agenda items.