Wentworth council approves school refrigerator/freezer, new office computers, IT service and a budget amendment

The Wentworth Town Council voted on Jan. 6 to approve a set of purchases and a budget amendment to fund them.

On equipment for the Wentworth Consolidated School, staff presented a preferred reach-in refrigerator and freezer option. After discussion about installation, floor readiness and health-department limits on kitchen equipment, the council approved purchase of a refrigerator and freezer from Avaco; minutes record the combined price discussed as $7,200 and the motion carried.

Council also reviewed quotes for replacing town-office computers. Clerk Yvonne Russell reported a quote for new office computers and a refurbished laptop intended for the mayor’s office "for computer for my office hunters and a refurbished laptop for the mayor is $3,698.30. That includes sales tax." The formal motion on the floor referenced a different figure in the packet ($3,006.98). The council approved the computer purchase by voice vote; council also approved a monthly IT/software support contract (quoted in discussion as roughly $313–$313.60 per month) to provide remote support, email protection and a government cloud license.

To fund the purchases, the council adopted Budget Amendment #3 for fiscal year 2025–26. Clerk Russell described the amendment as a transfer of $12,500 from miscellaneous general-fund expenditures to capital outlay (furniture and equipment) for the new computers and school refrigerator/freezer, plus a $2,000 transfer to computer software support for the monthly IT service; total budget dollars remain unchanged. The amendment passed by voice vote.

What happens next: Staff will order the approved equipment after floors and installation readiness are confirmed and will implement the IT-service contract; the clerk will post budget-amendment documentation in the town records.