Grafton Finance Panel Opens Hearings on $700K Gap
Finance Committee · Meeting of March 14, 2026
Grafton Finance Committee learns the town's override falls $700,000 short of its five-year budget forecast. Town Administrator Evan Broussard told the panel Saturday the Select Board approved a $5 million, five-year override the night before, against a projected $5.7 million need. Level-funded department budgets would eliminate a town engineer position, cut $75,000 from the library (losing six weekly hours of children's staff time), and drop $104,000 in Silver Lake lifeguard funding.
The Sewer Enterprise Fund will raise rates for the first time since 2018, costing the average family $60 to $80 more a year. Police could lose three officers over three years without the override, and Blackstone Valley Tech is reallocating admission seats, expected to add roughly 13 for Grafton. "Anything less is a loss of some sort," Broussard said, "whether it's $75,000 worth of programming at the library, whether it's $104,000 worth of enjoyment time at the lake."
In the full story:
- The complete report — 740 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of March 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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