Selectboard hears warning on budget overages and staffing fatigue ahead of budget season

Deb (speaker 7) presented a year‑to‑date budget update, warning that road rebuilding is overspent by $69,006.75 and projecting that vehicle fuel costs across departments could be overspent by about $24,000. She said some offsetting surpluses exist in health insurance and retirement lines (from open positions) totaling roughly $140,000 together, but overall the town will face a tight year end.

Board members questioned department heads about staffing and safety: the police chief (speaker 11) said the department has four open positions and is covering shifts with overtime and creative scheduling but acknowledged the risk of burnout. On staffing risk, the chief said the department is "doing our best to take care of our people." The board asked staff to monitor overtime, evaluate coverage plans, and consider the potential safety implications of sustained understaffing.