Douglas Finance Committee Recommends $35.9 Million FY27 Budget to Town Meeting

DOUGLAS — April 14, 2026 — Douglas Finance Committee recommends $35.9 million FY27 budget and clears 18 of 20 annual town meeting warrant articles. Meeting on April 14, the committee — chaired by Sandy Kuypers and with eight of nine members present — voted unanimously on nearly every item, including a $2,324,164 Blackstone Valley Tech assessment carried in a separate article that brings total recommended spending above $38 million. The panel declined to issue recommendations on two state-mandated bylaw revisions: an updated stormwater map and an Accessory Dwelling Unit bylaw, both revised at the direction of the Attorney General's Office. Community Development Director John Sharpno told the committee the ADU changes, including deletion of a two-story height limit, are required to comply with state residential zoning standards, adding that "some of this is honestly semantics" given the 900-square-foot floor area cap that remains. The committee also advanced a $625,000 wastewater treatment plant repair appropriation, $350,000 for roof and window repairs, and a $420,000 snow and ice account transfer from the special town meeting warrant. Annual town meeting is set for May 4.