Select Board rescinds $116,000 in ARPA funds

Select Board · Meeting of February 17, 2026

BARRE — The Barre Select Board voted to rescind more than $116,000 in previously approved pandemic relief spending after a review found accounting problems. Town Administrator Melanie Jackson told the board that past votes had authorized about $22,000 more ARPA spending than the town actually received, and that a $171,000 legal bill from the law offices of Julie A. Moore went unreported in fiscal 2025. The board pulled back $76,246.95 earmarked for a Rice Park playground upgrade, $9,900 for a police department solar study, and tens of thousands more for Henry Woods building cameras and phones.

Separately, the board extended its payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal with the Seven Hills Foundation five years in exchange for an $82,000 police cruiser, calling it a project taxpayers "would not have to buy this year."

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Barre's community access TV: Select Board meeting, February 17, 2026
• The complete report: 968 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of February 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.