Sherborn Advisory Committee Backs New Protocol for Year-End Budget Transfers

SHERBORN — April 15, 2026 — Sherborn Advisory Committee debates new guardrails on deficit spending ahead of tight fiscal year. Finance Director Deb presented the nine-month expenditure report at the April 15 meeting, showing seven of roughly 45 departmental line items projected to finish fiscal year 2026 over budget, with town buildings at approximately $50,000 over appropriation, the fire department at roughly $30,000 over, and legal trending high despite a pending supplemental appropriation. Chair Stephen argued the town's longstanding practice of retroactively ratifying overages through July transfers may not satisfy the legal prohibition on deficit spending, and proposed a formal pre-approval process requiring departments projected to exceed a threshold — suggested at $25,000, though the figure drew debate — to appear before both the Advisory Committee and the Select Board before incurring additional liability. Member Divya Malloy called for building predictable overages into base budgets rather than relying on year-end transfers, while member Laura argued the process is unfair to departments that manage to level funding. The committee also heard that the tennis and pickleball court reconstruction project has grown by $38,000 to roughly $508,000 due to a redesign after fencing revealed the original layout placed courts dangerously close to Jameson Field, and member Laura flagged transfer station management costs of approximately $111,000 annually plus roughly $10,000 per month in tipping fees as a target for future savings analysis.