Grafton board reviews 2026–27 budget requests from rescue and fire, debates cemetery repairs

The Grafton Select Board on Oct. 9 reviewed requests for the 2026–27 budget from the town’s volunteer rescue and fire services and discussed several maintenance and capital pressures, including cemetery stone repairs and a pending capital-payoff decision.

Kevin Fazlien, speaking for Ground and Rescue, asked the board for what he called a “modest” increase to the department’s operating allowance and outlined several cost drivers in the coming year. “We're looking for a modest money freeze of $425,” Fazlien said, adding that the group had purchased a Starlink mobile satellite communications system “so we're able to make phone calls and access the Internet on scene.” He also said the rescue unit moved its insurance to VFIS, a company specializing in volunteer emergency services, and that the unit expects costs related to a new rescue truck budgeted at roughly $250,000.

The board pressed for clarity on totals; when asked for a single-line total for 2027, Fazlien said the total request was $5,050. Board members and the rescue presenter discussed reliance on donations and a quasi–truck fund that the presenter said has brought the group close to covering the vehicle purchase.

The fire department representative told the board the department has mostly been level-funded in recent years and asked for an increase to its town contribution. “The one thing that we are asking different this year is to go up on our Sharp Fund donation,” the representative said, asking for an additional $1,500 this year.

Board members debated how to apportion costs among neighboring towns, with the fire department explaining it used call volume, not per-capita population, to calculate shares. “We based it on calls instead of per capita,” the department representative said, describing a method that divides the number of calls in each jurisdiction by total calls to derive a percentage for shared funding.

Budget staff also brought forward several maintenance and reserve items. The administrative account includes reallocated funds for development-review work, and staff reported quotes of approximately $4,000 to repair several large cemetery stones; the presenter said there is roughly $30,000 in a trustee-of-public-funds account from past lot sales that could be used for repairs. Board members discussed whether trustee funds should be used for stone restoration or reserved for routine cemetery upkeep such as mowing, fences and general maintenance.

The board did not finalize these requests at the meeting; members left several administrative line items marked with question flags pending follow-up documentation and signaled they would fold the rescue and fire requests into ongoing budget deliberations. The board also noted upcoming budget and capital-schedule deadlines: a capital-budget discussion is planned in November and the next selectboard meeting is Oct. 20, 2025, when library and other line items will be discussed.

The Select Board took no final vote on the broad budget at the Oct. 9 meeting; staff will update figures for subsequent meetings and for the capital-budget process.