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Town considers cutting paving maintenance to fund equipment repairs
Summary
Faced with rising equipment costs and delivery delays, Newbury officials debated reducing or eliminating the paving maintenance line — including crack sealing — and increasing equipment repair funds to keep aging graders and loaders operational.
Town officials and budget committee members discussed shifting funds away from paving maintenance toward equipment repairs during the Jan. 6 budget hearing after Highway Foreman Mike Hastings and Treasurer Mary Collins described rising equipment costs and procurement delays.
The minutes note a replacement truck ordered in the first half of 2024 "has yet to be delivered," which is forcing continued use of an older truck that officials said should have been decommissioned. Committee members questioned the value of crack sealing and suggested reducing or eliminating the paving maintenance budget in favor of enlarging the equipment repair line to keep graders and loaders serviceable.
No formal adjustment was recorded at the hearing; the discussion framed a potential reallocation for future budget votes.
