Oakham Board of Selectmen Defers Budget and Fee Votes, Finds $207,000 FY26 Gap

OAKHAM -- April 7, 2025, Oakham Board of Selectmen finds $207,000 FY26 budget gap, unanimously opposes battery storage project. The board met Monday in a special session for a fiscal year 2026 budget review, finding projected expenses of roughly $5,480,000 outpace new Proposition 2½ and growth revenue of approximately $115,635 by $207,012, a gap driven almost entirely by regional school assessments, with Quabbin Regional's Oakham share up $115,410 to $2,790,789 and Pathfinder Regional up $52,047 to $256,500. Available free cash of roughly $158,000 and a possible $37,500 driveway permit fund transfer could reduce the gap to approximately $11,400, though a $29,000 snow and ice deficit adds further pressure. The board also deferred a vote on a revised building permit fee schedule, asking Building Inspector Duffy to research how neighboring towns structured fees for battery energy storage systems before the April 14 meeting. In new business, Board of Selectmen member Phil Warbass reported that Rhineland Energy has filed a formal petition with the state Energy Facilities Siting Board to override Oakham's prohibition bylaw for a 42.9-acre battery storage project on Coldbrook Road, and the board voted unanimously on the record in opposition, with Warbass recommending immediate engagement of town counsel KP Law to prepare a legally required intervener petition.