Ashland Budget Committee Votes 4-2 Against $150,000 Road Reserve Article

Budget Committee · Meeting of February 12, 2026

Ashland Budget Committee votes 4-2 against recommending a $150,000 road improvement reserve deposit, citing no formal roads plan. The advisory vote on Warrant Article 18, held at the February 12 committee meeting chaired by Michelle Roloff, came after the article was amended up from $30,000 by members of the public at the deliberative session two days earlier. Committee member Kendall Hughes, who joined by phone, moved to not recommend the article, arguing the town manager and the public works director had agreed in November that $30,000 was sufficient and that "the effort was to save money for the town." The town manager told the committee he did not want to ask taxpayers for funds "without a plan on how it's going to be spent." The Select Board is expected to leave its recommendation in favor of the $150,000 figure, meaning voters will face split guidance from town bodies when the question goes to a vote.

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Source: the Budget Committee meeting of February 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.