ASHFIELD — Facing as much as $712,000 in a potential deficit for fiscal year 2027, the Selectboard and Finance Committee are looking for places to make reductions.
Potential cuts include trimming funding for bridge replacements and the police salary line, and pausing the paving of the Belding Memorial Library parking lot and the hiring of a part-time energy manager.
“Last week, we as the Selectboard went through what we had for the budget, line by line, knowing that we had that large deficit and an extremely high tax rate,” Selectboard Chair Tom Carter said during a joint meeting of the Selectboard and Finance Committee on Monday. “We went through the lines to try to reduce the spending.”
According to meeting materials from earlier this month, budget requests from department heads, boards and committees totaled $8.41 million. With tax revenues, state funding and other funding expected to come in at $7.7 million, the town will need to reduce spending.
Town officials reviewed the budget lines and questioned if every expense was necessary, or if any projects and purchases could be put on hold. They identified requests for an $85,000 fire chief vehicle, $20,000 for paving at the library and $45,000 for an energy manager as possible reductions.
The Energy Committee had asked for $20,000 last year to hire a part-time energy manager to assist the committee in applying for grants and managing various projects. The committee did not end up hiring a manager last year, and has asked to encumber that $20,000 and appropriate an additional $25,000, making for a total of $45,000.
Finance Committee Chair Ben Markens said he would support hiring an energy manager who can secure grants for the town, but other board and committee members said, given the limited budget this year, they should focus on finishing existing projects.
“If we have to make a choice, do we want to appropriate extra money for the manager, or do we want to appropriate money so we can get solar panels on the highway garage?” Carter said. “If there’s a choice, the immediate choice is to make sure we have the money that we can to complete the projects they have in progress.”
Carter proposed decreasing the amount budgeted for bridge repair/replacement projects throughout town by $100,000, and increasing the estimated revenues from local receipts, which include permit fees and excise taxes.
Carter also suggested reducing the policy salary line and only hiring a full-time officer rather than increasing the part-time sergeant to full-time in addition to hiring a part-time officer. For FY27, the Police Department had requested a $266,823 budget, representing a 46.23% increase from FY26.
Finance Committee members agreed with the reduction and said Police Chief Beth Bezio is making the most out of the resources she has.
“I think there’s a good job being done now,” said Finance Committee Secretary Laura Stravino.
“Police coverage is more comprehensive now than ever before,” added Selectboard Vice Chair Todd Olanyk.
According to meeting materials, if the budget was not trimmed, the tax rate would be about $17.49 per $1,000 valuation, resulting in an average tax bill of $6,777. With reductions, the Selectboard is hoping to bring the tax rate closer to $14.18 per $1,000 valuation.
The Selectboard and Finance Committee will continue revising the budget in preparation to present it to voters at Annual Town Meeting, set for Saturday, May 2.