Acushnet Select Board Postpones Town Meeting Two Weeks Over Budget Errors

ACUSHNET — May 27, 2026 — Acushnet Select Board postpones annual town meeting to June 29 after budget errors halt finalization. Board Chair Kevin Gasper announced at the May 27 meeting that calculation errors discovered in the revenue sheet the morning of the meeting made it impossible to post a finalized budget in time for the original June 15 date, forcing a two-week delay to June 29 at 7 p.m. at Ford Middle School. The core fiscal conflict: Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School is seeking a $410,000 assessment increase, and Acushnet Public Schools has requested approximately $1 million — together exceeding the town's estimated $850,000 to $900,000 in annual new revenue under Proposition 2 1/2. "They had no willingness to continue or to even try to cut their budget. It was a simple, this is what it is, have a nice day," Gasper said of Old Colony. The board also unanimously awarded a $45,380 HVAC contract for the Council on Aging building to Cooper Lane Heating and Cooling, LLC, approved a revised Complete Streets Policy, and adopted a new fire permit fee schedule adding dumpster, multi-family inspection, and fire suppression system permit categories under 527 CMR.