Acushnet Finance Committee approves $43,500 in reserve transfers, tables server request

ACUSHNET -- March 6, 2026, Acushnet Finance Committee approves $43,500 in reserve fund transfers and flags an $830,000 FY27 budget gap. At the March 6 meeting chaired by Michael R. Boucher, the committee unanimously approved three transfers: $11,500 for Council on Aging sprinkler replacements, $31,000 for police department HVAC and clothing allowance corrections, and $1,000 for animal control carcass removal. A fourth request, $16,000 from the Water Reserve Fund for a server upgrade, was tabled after member Eric R. McGlynn questioned whether the hardware specifications were over-engineered and the price could be cut. Town Administrator Jamie Kelly warned that preliminary FY27 spending pressures, including a $482,000 health insurance increase, a $122,000 pension jump, a $410,000 Old Colony assessment increase, and a $500,000 school placeholder, push anticipated new costs to nearly $1.8 million against only $967,270 in projected new revenue. Building Commissioner Andy Volk disclosed mid-meeting that the town had just lost one of its two part-time inspectors to Hingham, which had been recruiting since July with competitive sign-on packages, a loss Volk called a "heartbreaking situation."