Hubbardston Finance Committee Finds $31,971 Budget Gap Ahead of Town Meeting

HUBBARDSTON — May 26, 2026 — Hubbardston Finance Committee identifies $31,971 budget shortfall and flags DPW salary disparity ahead of Town Meeting. Meeting less than six days before Town Meeting, the committee reviewed a rebuilt fiscal year 2027 budget document that corrected formula errors in the town administrator's draft, added a previously omitted $25,329 debt exclusion on the revenue side, and set the Finance Committee's revenue estimate at $12,266,000 against expenses that leave a $31,971 gap. A committee member raised concern that the DPW director's proposed total compensation — combining salary lines across three budget accounts plus an $8,000 winter operations stipend — reaches approximately $128,000, exceeding the police chief's $110,000 and the fire chief's $105,500. The same member recommended fully funding the regional dispatch assessment at $157,000, warning that the acting town administrator's proposed $125,000 figure would violate the district's two-year withdrawal notice requirement. The Quabbin Regional School District superintendent is scheduled to appear before the committee Thursday.