Lunenburg Capital Panel Unanimously Backs $1.83 Million FY27 Capital Plan

LUNENBURG -- April 30, 2026, Lunenburg Capital Planning Committee endorses $1.83 million FY27 capital plan ahead of Saturday Annual Town Meeting. The committee voted 5-0 Thursday night to recommend approval of a 12-project capital program funded from three sources: $991,627 in certified free cash, $244,576 raised and appropriated from the tax levy, and $594,000 from the town's Special Purpose Stabilization Fund for vehicles and equipment. Because the plan draws on the stabilization fund, a first for a Lunenburg capital plan, with a current balance of $2.64 million, the warrant article will require a two-thirds supermajority rather than a simple majority at Town Meeting. Chair Peter Beardmore and member Chris Brenner warned against any Town Meeting amendment that would replace the $244,576 levy component with free cash, arguing that zeroing out the raise-and-appropriate line would set a problematic baseline for future budget years. The town manager noted that this year's free cash is the highest the town has recorded, partly due to a human accounting error, and cautioned that relying on free cash alone for capital "is not expected to continue." A separate question over engineering plans for the town's deteriorating track and field surface, estimated at roughly $200,000, remains unresolved and may come before a future Special Town Meeting.