Auburn Finance Committee Votes 4-2 to Restore DPW Fleet Mechanic, Redirect $129,000 to Roads

AUBURN — March 18, 2026 — Auburn Finance Committee votes to restore DPW fleet mechanic and sends $129,000 to road operations. The committee split 4-2 Wednesday on a motion by member Patrick to appropriate the full $194,492 that surfaced when a salary duplication error was corrected in the Department of Public Works budget, directing $64,770 to restore a fleet maintenance mechanic position that had been quietly shifted to the parks budget and the remaining $129,722 to the DPW roadway and operations line. Members Steve voted no both times, arguing that correcting "an honest, simple bookkeeping error" should not become a discretionary budget decision. The committee then unanimously approved a $1,079,245 budget for the Department of Development and Inspectional Services after Director Darlene Coyle presented a detailed operations overview covering more than 2,200 building permits issued in 2025, a newly received $112,000 green communities insulation grant, and rising veterinary costs in animal control that drained that budget line to zero within six months. The committee also unanimously recommended a $1,565,456 solid waste budget carrying a proposed 6 percent increase, with Coyle noting the town's Casella Waste hauling contract expires at the end of June 2026 and a 20-year disposal contract with the Millbury waste-to-energy facility is up for joint renegotiation with approximately 30 other towns.