Finance Committee begins FY27 budget hearings for town departments
Finance Committee · Meeting of February 20, 2026
NEW SALEM — Finance Committee convenes for FY27 budget-hearing season. With Chair Gabriele Voelker absent, members Dara LaPlante and Claire McGinnis unanimously voted to request Option 3 from Swift River Regional School District's Superintendent and School Committee in response to Wendell Finance Committee inquiry. Members reviewed proposals including a Tree Warden request for $12,000 (an increase of $2,000), increased legal funding due to ongoing litigation and required policy review, higher PFAS testing costs, and Fire Department requests for a station shower facility and automated external defibrillator units, with the AEDs identified as the higher priority.
The committee's next hearing is scheduled for March 6, 2026.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 234 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of February 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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