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Dalton hearing: Select board previews 2026 budget, outlines FEMA reimbursements and tax impact
Summary
Select board presented a proposed 2026 town budget that staff said raises town spending roughly 9% and would change the town portion of the tax rate by about $8.678 per $1,000 of assessed value; the board also reviewed $1.56 million in flood-related costs billed to FEMA and options for using reimbursements to replenish capital reserves.
The Dalton Select Board on Monday opened a public hearing on the proposed 2026 town budget and outlined a plan that staff said would raise the town’s bottom-line spending by about 9 percent compared with 2025.
Chair of the Select Board opened the hearing and walked residents through the budget spreadsheet showing 2025 expenditures, the 2025 budget and the proposed 2026 amounts highlighted in green. Staff said the proposed town portion of the tax rate would be $8.678 per $1,000 of assessed value under the current proposal.
Why it matters: Board members and residents focused much of their attention on the town’s recent flood-repair costs and the federal reimbursements tied to them. Staff presented detailed FEMA billing and proposed using some of the incoming reimbursement to replenish capital funds rather than immediately spend the money.
What staff reported: The town billed FEMA $1,561,456.52 for eligible repair and mitigation costs related to the July 2024 floods, the board was told. FEMA reimburses at 75 percent; staff said that equals $1,171,092.39. The town has received $1,042,382.69 to date, leaving a remaining $128,709.70 expected when the state consultant finishes its report, staff said.
The board proposed returning $377,500 to the paving capital reserve fund that had been used for emergency road work, and discussed allocating $100,000 each into the highway and fire vehicle capital reserve funds. Under the scenario staff presented, about $453,482.69 would remain in the general fund after those allocations.
Line-item highlights and public questions: Staff ran through department-level changes — election-worker pay increases tied to an expected three elections next year, modest increases for printing and subscriptions, and recoding of several items (for example, moving some tax-collector hours into the town-clerk line). Residents repeatedly asked for supporting invoices and clearer, itemized justifications for sizable increases, particularly in legal and highway maintenance lines.
On legal costs, a resident asked why 2025 legal spending had spiked; staff responded that a portion of the increase was driven by right-to-know requests and related legal counsel work. On highway spending, residents pressed for documentation explaining a jump in repairs and maintenance and a large projected amount for road material, with staff saying much of the increase reflects catch-up work after flood damage.
What’s next: The Select Board adjourned the public hearing to continue with its regular meeting and will take the budget forward through subsequent meetings and warrant-article steps. The board emphasized that any use of FEMA money for capital reserves and equipment will be brought to town meeting and subject to state reporting and DRA (Department of Revenue Administration) rules.
Sources: Select Board presentation and on-the-record remarks during the Dalton public hearing; specific figures presented by Jeanette and board staff included the FEMA billed total ($1,561,456.52), the 75% reimbursement ($1,171,092.39), and amounts received to date ($1,042,382.69).
