Newbury Finance Committee Backs Town Budget, Rejects $250,000 Senior Center Study

NEWBURY -- April 7, 2026, Newbury Finance Committee rejects $250,000 senior center study, backs $914,000 fire station overhaul ahead of Annual Town Meeting. The six-member committee voted 0-6 against recommending Article 11, which would have funded a feasibility and conceptual design study for a standalone Council on Aging facility on a Kent Way parcel, with members arguing the expenditure should be part of a comprehensive facilities plan addressing the town's school, town hall, and other capital needs. The committee unanimously recommended the FY27 operating budget under Article 4, a 4.6 percent increase drawing $250,000 from a free cash balance of $3,285,964, with Chair Erica Jacobson acknowledging the draw violated the committee's own principle against using free cash for operating expenses but calling it "the right thing to do" given last year's town meeting vote on education funding. Members voted 6-0 to recommend the public safety capital package, which includes $611,000 in Morgan Avenue fire station upgrades members said could extend the building's useful life "10 to 20 years." The committee also unanimously endorsed a citizen's petition establishing a voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-taxes bylaw, with Town Administrator Tracy confirming active negotiations are underway with Governor's Academy, which has made no contribution to the town since 2024.