Freetown Select Board Adopts $34.85 Million FY2027 Budget With New Firefighter

FREETOWN — June 1, 2026 — Freetown Select Board unanimously adopts $34,854,562.50 FY2027 budget and clears 17 other agenda items in under 35 minutes. The board added a 21st full-time firefighter position — funded with $71,000 freed by a lower-than-expected school assessment and a $65,000 increase in state cherry sheet aid — and added $10,000 to the injured-on-duty insurance line, with Town Administrator Deborah Petty describing the staffing addition as supporting four firefighters on every shift. The board also authorized Petty to execute the annual refuse contract with the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District at $90 per ton, pending town counsel review of a new indemnification clause Petty said she "didn't have time today to really digest." Members noted the Crapo Hill Landfill is running out of capacity and that year-to-year contracts reflect the facility's uncertain lifespan. The board also reviewed annual and special town meeting warrant articles, flagging that Freetown must adopt a battery energy storage system zoning bylaw before October or cede permitting authority to the state.