Select Board Reviews DPW's Shrinking Repair Budget
Barre's Select Board heard that the DPW's entire $57,000 annual repair budget had shrunk to about $19,000 within three months.
Select Board · Meeting of October 13, 2026
Barre's Select Board heard that the DPW's entire $57,000 annual repair budget had shrunk to about $19,000 within three months. DPW Superintendent Tim said the department was down to one operable dump truck this fall after two more trucks failed, including a 2002 six-wheeler whose rear end turned out rated for only 23,000 pounds. Town Administrator Melanie Jackson said actual DPW spending has risen nearly $66,000 since fiscal 2020 and called the budget structure unsustainable, saying "it's clear just from the actuals that the structure of your budget needs to change." A member identified as Markowski said a July debt exclusion for a new truck, estimated to cost $147,000 over the loan term, failed partly due to voter confusion, and officials plan to retry it in April.
The town has also drawn in $540,000 in grants and is awaiting roughly $251,000 in stalled state supplemental funding.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 1,897 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of October 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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