Barre Finance Committee Reviews Library Budget, Tax Title Balance, and Police Contract Reserve

BARRE — March 14, 2017 — Barre Finance Committee reviews library fiber upgrade, $772,000 tax title backlog, and unresolved police contract. The committee held a working session March 14 on draft FY2018 budget submissions, hearing from the Hildreth Memorial Library and the town treasurer. The library's budget includes a shift to fiber-optic internet through a 10-year Charter Communications contract at roughly $7,000 per year — up from $4.99 per month for a limited prior service — meeting a Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners bandwidth standard. Treasurer reported a $772,000 tax title balance, the highest in seven years, with 40 accounts in foreclosure and a tax lien sale of 38 accounts scheduled for the following week; excise tax collections are up 38 percent year over year. The police labor contract remains unsettled, with a contractual reserve line item added to the FY2018 police budget to cover potential retroactive liability.