Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selectboard reviews preliminary 2026 budget; flags county tax and bag-fee increases
Summary
Staff presented a preliminary 2026 budget that assumes a county tax increase (~15%), a jump in solid-waste bag fees from $6 to $7 effective Jan. 3, and incomplete insurance numbers; board discussed equipment fund and potential transfers.
Staff presented the preliminary 2026 budget and warned that some figures are provisional. The packet includes an estimate that the county tax may rise about 15% (final figure expected in early January), insurance renewals are pending and the town's solid-waste-bag price will increase from $6 to $7 on Jan. 3. Staff said the 'actual' column is not final and several line items will change once insurance, auditor and county figures are available.
Board members also reviewed the equipment fund (reported balance around $184,000) and discussed whether to hold reserves for possible heavy-equipment purchases or to spend down to replace an aging loader or truck. Members noted that new heavy equipment quotes ranged from roughly $120,000 to $250,000 in discussion and that any large purchases should account for municipal-discount sales and projected lifecycle turnover.
