Finance Panel Reviews $132,000 Capital Warrant

Finance Committee · Meeting of October 13, 2026

Douglas Finance Committee reviewed $132,000 in capital requests and two new warrant articles ahead of the Oct. 27 Special Town Meeting, taking no votes on the substantive items. Capital Committee Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick outlined a $62,000 school pickup truck, a $25,000 sidewalk tractor attachment with a new salt spreader, and $45,000 in municipal center carpeting, plus a separate $25,758.74 free-cash draw from completed projects. Treasurer/Collector Cheryl and Bartholomew and Company's Brian Jamrose pitched Article 11, the Prudent Investor Rule, letting the town invest roughly $250,000 in trust funds beyond the state's 22-stock "legal list," charging a 40-basis-point fee.

"There's no Bitcoin or penny stock," Jamrose said. Chief Kelly Manning presented Article 12, reclassifying full-time EMTs into the accelerated Group 4 retirement tier. The committee learned finalists Jeff Bridges and David Kersey are competing for town administrator, with interviews Oct. 20.

Members approved the Sept. 22 minutes 7-0 after Chairman Ryan Hogan left the Zoom call.

In the full story:

• Capital Committee Warrant Requests (Article 2)
• Highway Garage Design Update
• Town Administrator Search Update
• Article 11: Prudent Investor Rule
• Article 12: Retirement Benefit Classification for EMTs
• Approval of September 22 Minutes
• Scheduling Next Meetings
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,556 words

Source: the Finance Committee meeting of October 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.