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Town board reviews 2026 budget, debates $20,000 transfer for Mill Street pump work
Summary
During a lengthy budget session the town board asked staff to resolve line-item discrepancies, discussed wage and benefit calculations, and heard a motion to transfer $20,000 from water to sewer funds to help pay for Mill Street pump repairs; no roll-call vote on the transfer is recorded in the transcript.
The town board met Dec. 16 to continue its review of the proposed 2026 budget, pressing staff for clearer wage, tax and retirement calculations and considering a transfer of town funds to cover urgent water‑system work.
Board members opened discussion by asking staff to provide a linked spreadsheet showing gross wages and the related employer taxes and retirement charges so totals carried correctly into budget lines. The Chair said the town should “calculate the benefits for them, like taxes, retirement” and asked for a clean copy after tonight’s session.
Finance staff told the board that two water pumps for Mill Street are invoiced at $30,296 and recommended moving $20,000 from available water funds into the sewer account to offset the expense. A Committee member moved to transfer money from the water account into the sewer account to help pay the Mill Street cost; the Chair noted the motion would be recorded in the minutes. The transcript does not show a recorded roll‑call vote on that motion.
Department heads and board members also flagged a number of accounting discrepancies on the cover and backup sheets and asked staff to recheck where several line items had been placed. The Clerk and accounting staff reported they were working with QuickBooks and outside accountants to generate clearer reports so the board could make decisions from consistent data.
Members debated wage-line assumptions and holiday/call‑out pay. One board member urged budgeting enough for overtime, holiday pay and vacation buy‑backs so departments are not left short during busy periods; the board agreed to revisit those figures in follow-up work sessions.
Next steps: staff will produce revised spreadsheets with linked wage and benefits totals, prepare a formal motion and minutes language for the water‑to‑sewer transfer, and return with quotes and funding options for pump repairs and generator needs at future meetings.
