Bellingham Finance Committee Unanimously Recommends 31 FY27 Department Budgets

BELLINGHAM -- April 6, 2026, Bellingham Finance Committee clears 31 department budgets in unanimous votes, advancing over $2.5 million toward May 27 Annual Town Meeting. The committee voted 6-0 on each item Monday, including a block motion covering 20 accounts of $60,000 or less, led by member K. Keppler and Town Administrator J. Laydon. Larger budgets approved include the Library at $739,485, reflecting $58,000 in staffing increases tied to anticipated library director retirement, and Public Buildings Maintenance at $446,337, where a question about whether the incoming building maintenance department head, paid at 28 hours per week, would trigger health insurance eligibility drew pointed discussion. The Board of Health budget of $138,150 prompted an unresolved compliance question: with the department's inspection-fee revolving fund carrying a $189,000 balance against a $50,000 annual expenditure cap, a committee member asked whether excess revenue should be sweeping into the general treasury each year, a question Laydon said he would research and flagged for the town auditor.