Hubbardston Finance Committee approves $32,621 in transfers to close FY26 deficit

HUBBARDSTON — July 14, 2026 — Hubbardston Finance Committee approves $32,621 in transfers to close a deficit-marked fiscal year 2026. The committee voted unanimously at its July 14 meeting to transfer $13,000 from its reserve fund to the town's unemployment trust fund to cover an unanticipated claim, and approved a separate $19,621 interdepartmental transfer — backed by a 4-0 Select Board vote the prior evening — to bring shortfall accounts to zero. A $39,186 debt service deficit and a roughly $52,000 snow and ice deficit will roll into the state Department of Revenue's free cash certification process, expected in late September, effectively reducing the free cash pool available for a planned fall Town Meeting focused on the school building project. Emergency Management Director Julia Donald presented an unfunded proposal to rehabilitate the town's 20-year-old command trailer using Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School student labor, estimating $7,000 in materials costs; the committee will take the item up in September. Rosemary was appointed the committee's representative to the Central Mass Regional 911 Center's finance advisory committee, and the committee reorganized with no leadership changes.