Oakham Boards Open Special Town Meeting Warrant, Target $279,535 in Stabilization Funds

OAKHAM — September 10, 2025 — Oakham's Finance Committee and Select Board met jointly September 10, agreeing to open and close a special town meeting warrant for October 6 that would authorize roughly $279,535 in withdrawals from the town's stabilization accounts. The largest single article, $120,400 from general stabilization, would fund the interim treasurer collector's office through June 30, 2026 after the FY26 budget line was effectively zeroed out mid-year; Town Accountant Lori Barkus warned that if the books are not closed, the state could withhold all local aid — including Chapter 90 highway funds and school aid — beginning March 1. Other proposed articles include $75,000 from general stabilization for legal fees, $25,000 for a municipal building feasibility study, $9,100 for a 5 percent fiber-grant match, and $50,035 from capital stabilization to outfit a new highway department truck with a plow and wing package. Both boards also aligned on a fiscal year 2027 budget process premised on a Proposition 2½ override, with Barkus stating the structural gap starts at the $170,000 in annual free-cash spending the town has used to balance its budget for more than a decade — and that FY25 free cash will not be certified until the treasurer's books are closed.