Boxborough Finance Committee Approves 17 FY26 Budget Lines, Defers Six Accounts

BOXBOROUGH -- February 4, 2025, Boxborough Finance Committee approves 17 FY26 departmental budget lines and flags fire fleet expansion. Chair Tony Newton led the committee through line-item votes at the February 4 meeting, approving accounts ranging from the $4,335 Finance Committee budget to a $1,491,982 Fire Department appropriation and $860,531 in debt service, while deferring six accounts, including Police, Assessor, and Town Clerk, pending unsettled union contracts. The committee held extended debate on the fire chief's request for an $80,000 third command vehicle and a separate $80,000 UTV, neither of which appears on the town's capital plan; member Gary said of both requests, "That's not been our policy to support things that, if it's not an emergency, should be discussed but put on the future capital plan." Newton called for outside review of the town's Proposition 2.5 levy limit calculations, warning that the cushion, historically above $2 million, has narrowed sharply: "We're getting so close now to the levy limit that I'm sort of nervous." The committee set March 25 as its final budget vote deadline, with the fire chief and Police Department invited to present at the February 11 meeting.