Lunenburg Finance Committee Hears $49.9 Million Balanced Budget With Stark Service Cuts

LUNENBURG — March 26, 2026 — Lunenburg Finance Committee opens public hearing on $49.9 million balanced budget and two override scenarios. Superintendent Anthony Scalabrini warned Thursday that the balanced budget would push elementary class sizes to 30 or 31 students, eliminate girls lacrosse, golf, and the ski team, cut all athletic transportation, and reduce the occupational therapy assistant position, calling the plan "a drastic injustice" to the community. Finance Director Christine Luccio presented a Tier 1 override of roughly $2.4 million and a Tier 2 override of roughly $3.3 million above the balanced budget; for the average home assessed at $517,296, the Tier 1 impact alone is $506.95 on top of the standard Proposition 2½ increase. Town Manager Jennifer Burney defended the full-year funding of an assistant town manager position in the balanced budget, saying the workload is "not sustainable" without additional help, while Finance Committee member Mike Navarro cautioned that the Tier 1 figure is "sitting right on that fence" and risks being too close to Tier 2 to attract swing voters. Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan told the committee that simultaneous calls requiring mutual aid occur an average of 5.6 times per month, making the case for maintaining fourth-shift per diem staffing. The committee took no votes on warrant articles Thursday and scheduled an April 2 follow-up meeting plus a backup Zoom session April 6 to finalize recommendations before the warrant closes around April 8.