$975K budget approved in Monroe

Moderator Joe Cashman leads Monroe’s Annual Town Meeting at Town Hall on Monday. STAFF PHOTO/MADISON SCHOFIELD

Monroe Town Hall on School Street. STAFF PHOTO/MADISON SCHOFIELD

Published: 07-02-2025 9:48 AM

MONROE — With just hours left before the start of fiscal year 2026, 16 of Monroe’s 122 residents gathered at Town Hall on Monday to approve a $975,941 budget.

Voters at Annual Town Meeting unanimously approved 28 of the 29 warrant articles, with no discussion or debate, in just under a half-hour. Article 1, which asked voters to accept the annual town report, was skipped as the report is not yet finished.

The $975,941 budget includes $314,506 for education, $31,127 for the Franklin County Retirement System, $6,156 for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, $472 for veterans services, $100,370 for the sewer treatment plant, $41,382 for elected and appointed officials’ salaries, $26,388 for accounting, $5,000 for office equipment upgrades, $20,000 for assessing, and $388,538 for the operation of the Fire Department, Highway Department and town administration.

In addition to the operating budget for FY26, voters approved transferring $93,658 in free cash to the town’s Sewer, Highway, Fire and General Stabilization funds; making a payment on Monroe’s U.S. Department of Agriculture wastewater loan; and transferring $10,000 from the town’s reserve funds to a machinery account.

Voters also approved appointing officials that were not included on the ballot during the town’s annual election. They appointed residents Clifford Oakes and Douglas Oakes Jr. to serve as the town’s fence viewers, measurers of wood and bark, measurers of lumber, field drivers and pound keepers.

At the annual election, held in May, voters elected the following residents to serve on Monroe’s various boards and committees:

Selectboard/Planning Board/Board of Health — incumbent Carla Davis, 11 votes.

School Committee — incumbent Carla Davis, 11 votes.

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