Select Board Narrows Budget Gap to $26,796

Select Board · Meeting of April 22, 2026

Hardwick's Select Board and Finance Committee trimmed the projected fiscal 2027 deficit from $46,756 to $26,796 during a joint budget workshop. The boards voted 2-1 to level-fund legal services at $25,000 rather than cut it to $20,000, after members clashed over whether the town follows a 2010 policy requiring full board approval before hiring outside counsel. One member said the board should "control the process," while another countered that "anybody right now can pick up the phone and call legal." A proposal to add $30,000 in early principal payments on the town's $860,000 fire truck note was set aside after a resident, identified as Mr.

Cole Ross, warned it would not meaningfully cut near-term costs. The boards flagged a $200,000 one-time windfall from gravel sales and a solar lease payment as too risky to treat as recurring revenue, and scheduled another workshop for April 30.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.