Dunstable Advisory Board Approves Year-End Transfers, Braces for Tight FY28 Budget

DUNSTABLE -- June 17, 2026, Dunstable Advisory Board approves $51,650 in year-end transfers and warns of a difficult FY28 budget ahead. At its June 17 meeting, the board unanimously approved two fiscal year-end transfers, $50,500.06 in interdepartmental moves to close out FY26 and a $1,150 salary reserve transfer to cover two missed pay days, with both actions required by state law and already cleared by the Select Board. The largest single cost driver was roughly $21,000 in legal fees billed by town counsel Merrick for a dangerous dog designation and appeal, prompting the town administrator to note that enforcement actions "cost money, especially for small communities like Dunstable that don't have in-house counsel." The board also reorganized, electing Matt as chair and Clint as vice chair, and heard that a tritown budget working group with Groton and the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District will convene July 9, earlier than ever, because revenue assumptions for FY27 were already stretched and expense-cutting room on the town side is nearly exhausted. The board's free cash balance stands at approximately $385,000 after a prior $50,000 snow-and-ice appropriation, and one board seat remains vacant.