Lunenburg Select Board Sets Override Tiers at $2.4 Million and $3.3 Million

LUNENBURG -- March 23, 2026, Lunenburg Select Board narrows two-tiered FY27 override to $2.4 million and $3.3 million after lengthy budget workshop. Meeting Monday, the board restructured a Proposition 2½ override proposal, moving an assistant town clerk position into the lower Tier 1 package, cutting animal control funding in Tier 2 from $100,000 to $80,000, and reducing the Tier 1 stormwater line from $450,000 to $110,000 while shifting an $86,000 junior engineer position into Tier 1. Combined with school department figures of approximately $1.6 million at Tier 1 and $1.97 million at Tier 2, the board landed at roughly $2.424 million for Tier 1 and $3.328 million for Tier 2, figures members said they would round to $2.5 million and $3.4 million for public messaging. Town Manager Chris Menard warned that the balanced budget fallback would be "devastating" for schools and would leave the town visibly diminished. The board unanimously ratified the annual appointment of Kathy Comel as inspector of animals and the hire of Krista DeVoe as part-time recreation director at step six.