Southbridge subcommittee approves $9,900 indirect cost study, opts out of mail voting

Select Board · Meeting of February 18, 2026

Southbridge's General Government Subcommittee approved four budget transfers and a $9,900 consulting contract at its February 18 joint meeting with the Town Council. The panel unanimously authorized a $75,698.15 transfer to close a gap in the fiscal year 2026 cable operating budget after Spectrum submitted franchise fee payments late, and separately approved a contract with the Abrahams Group, LLC to review the town's enterprise fund indirect cost methodology and produce the first written policy the town has had on the subject; consultant Mark Abrams, a certified public accountant who teaches for the state Division of Local Services, will conduct the work. The town manager warned that shrinking Spectrum subscriber numbers may require a broader review of cable fund sustainability.

The subcommittee also voted to opt out of early voting by mail for the June 2026 town election for the second consecutive year, avoiding roughly $22,000 in postcard costs, with town clerk Madeline confirming that absentee voting by request remains fully available and that only one complaint was received after last year's opt-out.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of February 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.