Acushnet Finance Committee Approves End-of-Year Transfers, Taps Reserve Fund

ACUSHNET -- July 15, 2026, Acushnet Finance Committee closes fiscal year 2026 with unanimous approval of end-of-year deficit transfers. Meeting on the final day allowed by state statute, the committee approved a package of interdepartmental transfers that included $102,000 drawn from the reserve fund to cover a snow removal deficit, $57,000 from the vacant town accountant salary line to offset fire overtime, and $52,000 for a town health insurance shortfall sourced from highway paving, salaries, and gasoline accounts. The three reserve fund draws totaled $105,500, leaving the fund at an estimated $30,000 balance. One member noted the transfers had been delivered to the committee only days before the meeting and reviewed by the Select Board just hours earlier, saying the timeline "doesn't give us any time to research, which I don't think it's great practice, frankly." Chairperson Michael R. Boucher acknowledged the difficulty of the year, citing the town's mid-year administrator search and a June 28 annual town meeting, the latest in his roughly 20 years of involvement. The committee also announced that veteran member Robert St. Jean, who served more than 20 years including as a former Select Board chair, and member Eric R. McGlynn, who is relocating out of town, are both stepping down, leaving two vacancies to be filled by Board of Selectmen appointment.