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.