Freetown selectmen ratify emergency, approve 14 items, face school budget surge
Freetown ratifies blizzard emergency, approves 14 items, warns of unsustainable school budget growth. The Board of Selectmen unanimously ratified an emergency declaration and approved contracts totaling approximately $92,620, including $49,120 for North Main Street sidewalk design and construction
Board of Selectmen · Meeting of March 2, 2026
Freetown ratifies blizzard emergency, approves 14 items, warns of unsustainable school budget growth. The Board of Selectmen unanimously ratified an emergency declaration and approved contracts totaling approximately $92,620, including $49,120 for North Main Street sidewalk design and construction services and a three-year audit agreement at $26,500/$27,000/$27,500. Town Administrator Deborah L.
Pettey reported the fiscal year 2027 regional school assessment will increase 13 percent ($1.7 million) for Freetown's 43-percent share of the $53.6 million regional budget. Pettey warned that the school budget has grown 51 percent over 11 years while the town's allowable tax levy growth is limited to 2.5 percent annually, creating an unsustainable trajectory threatening serious budget trouble within five years.
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Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of March 2, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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