North Adams council approves $730,741 transfer to close out FY2026 budget

The North Adams City Council voted to adopt a fiscal year 2026 budget closeout transfer order on July 14, carrying the motion as amended by a unanimous roll-call vote. Mayor Jennifer A. Maxey presented a department-by-department explanation of shortages and the transfers needed to close FY2026, and councilors then moved and approved an amendment to change two Parks and Recreation line items labeled "salaries" to "expenses."

Mayor Maxey itemized the request and the causes of the shortfalls, saying, “So under general government, we're asking to transfer a total of $70,442 and change.” She summarized the full closeout as “$730,741.06, which I believe was less than last year.” The mayor described principal drivers as increased legal and bond counsel fees, emergency repairs (including a fire-department generator replacement), higher trash-removal costs at the transfer station, engineering work on the Ashland Street Corridor and Walnut Street, and other midyear expenses such as additional seasonal hires and training.

Before the main motion, Councilor Blackmer moved—and the council approved—an amendment to relabel a Parks and Recreation/Windsor Lake line from "salaries" to "expenses." The council then conducted a roll-call vote with the clerk announcing nine yeas; the motion carried as amended. The transfer order is intended to realign FY2026 accounts within existing budget mechanisms rather than increase overall spending authority.