Barre Finance Committee Backs Meals Tax, Defers DPW Reorganization Vote

BARRE -- June 5, 2024, Barre Finance Committee endorses local meals tax and defers vote on contested DPW reorganization plan. The committee, chaired by Zachary Macutkiewicz, reviewed a fiscal year 2025 general fund budget of $14,427,961.13, roughly $900,000 above the prior year, and voted to hold its formal recommendation until a June 12 public hearing, citing the need for more review time. Members gave favorable recommendations to a 0.75 percent local meals tax, a $79,000 capital stabilization transfer for a new police cruiser, and a $110,000 PEG access cable fund transfer to expand public meeting recording capabilities. The panel also backed a $212,600.59 draw from the board of assessors' overlay surplus to zero out deficits in dormant grant accounts, a move officials said is essential to getting the town's free cash out of a roughly $62,000 deficit. A proposed special act to abolish the 1988 DPW commission structure and replace it with a superintendent appointed by the town administrator drew pointed pushback from DPW commission members present, with Finance Committee member Cory Bombredi calling it "rushed" three weeks before town meeting, and the committee ultimately passed it over without recommendation.