Boxborough Finance Committee Approves Year-End Transfers, Flags Deficit Spending Procedures

BOXBOROUGH — July 7, 2026 — Boxborough Finance Committee approves year-end budget transfers while raising concerns about deficit spending at the account level. The committee voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a package of fiscal year 2026 budget transfers, including a $72,000 transfer to cover the cost of an interim assessor consultant charged to a line whose approved budget was only $44,249 — leaving that consulting line overdrawn for much of the year. Member Maria Nealon called the practice "a very sloppy way of doing it" and raised the possibility that Massachusetts law prohibits deficit spending at any account level, not merely at the departmental total. The committee added a formal budget transfer and reserve fund policy review to its work list, calling it a matter of urgency before the next budget cycle. In other business, Anthony Newton was elected chair and John Connor vice chair and clerk, both by 4-0 votes with each abstaining from their own. The committee also received an informational presentation on the specialized stretch energy code from Becky Caruso, a UMass Lowell CELT Municipal Fellow, who outlined potential grant access of more than $1.4 million tied to adoption — but members raised unresolved questions about upfront costs, grant reliability, and the state's authority to revise code requirements after adoption without grandfathering compliant towns.