Oakham Select Board Opens FY26 Budget Season With Level-Funded Warnings

OAKHAM — February 3, 2025 — Oakham opens FY26 budget season with warnings of staff losses and deferred maintenance across three departments. The Select Board heard presentations Monday from the highway, fire, and police departments, each describing level-funded budgets that department heads said amount to service reductions in real terms. Highway Superintendent Patrick flagged a $7,500 increase in the road-painting line — bringing it to $15,000 — driven by new state requirements for double edge lines, with a contractor quote for the town's roads alone coming in at roughly $14,000. Police Chief Mike said part-time officer attrition is accelerating because neighboring towns pay $30 per hour against Oakham's rate of just under $20, and the board accepted with regrets the resignation of 14-year veteran Detective William Murdoch, effective February 7. Fire Chief Tim warned that current budget levels are not sustainable over the next five to ten years and urged the board to begin informal conversations with neighboring towns about sharing specialized equipment, saying, "I'm just being a realist of what we need to do going forward." The board voted unanimously to defer setting a date for a postponed special town meeting until its February 10 meeting, pending a possible resolution of the Skyline Drive legal matter.