ROWE — Residents will be asked to approve a $4.88 million total budget for fiscal year 2026, $175,000 for planning library renovations, and provisions that seek to create a Rowe-Charlemont Fire District and preserve historic buildings in town during Annual Town Meeting.

Voters will convene on Monday, May 12, at 7 p.m. at Rowe Elementary School, 86 Pond Road, to discuss the 36 articles on the warrant.

Articles 5 to 17 involve a $4.88 million total budget, amounting to a 3.13% increase from FY25. The FY26 budget includes $40,807 for elected officials’ salaries, $623,735 for general government, $673,577 for public works and facilities, $16,000 for the Municipal Light Plant, $219,151 for public safety, $172,928 for public health, $1.81 million for education, $80,809 for the Rowe Town Library, $156,851 for Pelham Lake Park, $1,500 for culture and recreation, and $1.08 million for insurance and retirement benefits.

“Health insurance is a huge one, not just for us but statewide,” Town Administrator Brooke Shulda said. “Everyone’s looking at big increases to health insurance.”

In addition to the operating budget, voters will be asked to approve capital projects, such as $300,000 to replace an oil tank at Rowe Elementary School; $110,000 to purchase a new truck, plow and sander for the Highway Department; and $175,000 for planning renovations to the library to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The allocation will expand on the feasibility study that voters approved spending $50,000 on last year to determine what improvements would need to be made to the library.

In addition to the financial articles on the warrant, voters will be asked to consider amending and adopting new bylaws to officially create a Historical Commission and establish a demolition delay bylaw. The bylaw would establish a procedure for buildings that are more than 50 years old to be demolished, after being reviewed by the Historical Commission to determine if they are historically significant.

Shulda said the town does have a Historical Commission, and voters had previously approved a bylaw to create the commission long ago, but somehow it never made it into the town’s list of bylaws. Article 31 will make the commission official per town bylaws.

Other articles on the warrant involve:

■Amending the town’s zoning bylaws to be consistent with changes to state law allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to be constructed without needing a special permit, as long as they meet building codes and health safety requirements.

■Petitioning the state to approve special legislation to create a Charlemont-Rowe Fire District. Both towns currently maintain their own fire department and share the same fire chief, Dennis Annear. If approved by town voters and state legislators, a new fire district will be created with an elected moderator, assessor, treasurer and tax collector, plus a three-member fire district committee.

■Acquiring a 179-acre property on Tunnel Road. The Open Space and Recreation Committee is working to reach a purchase-and-sale agreement with the owner of the property, and a vote of approval from residents would allow the committee to pursue land conservation grants to fund the purchase.

The full 36-article warrant can be viewed at rowe-ma.gov/files/ATM_2026_Final.pdf.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.