Whitman Finance Committee Opens Hearing Process for $225,000 Overlay Surplus

WHITMAN — September 9, 2025 — Whitman Finance Committee votes unanimously to open the $225,000 overlay surplus to all budget-cut departments. The Board of Assessors last week transferred $225,000 from overlay reserve to overlay surplus, and the Select Board has been eyeing $75,000 each for the police and fire departments to replace ambulance receipts that failed to materialize — but Finance Committee Chair Kathleen Ottaviani said she "expressed dismay" with the Select Board for announcing that plan at the start of town meeting without consulting the committee. The unanimous 7-0 vote directs Ottaviani to notify all department heads who absorbed fiscal year 2026 personnel cuts — totaling $617,000 across departments including police ($204,000), fire ($148,000), Board of Health, Council on Aging, and library — that they may present their cases before any Finance Committee recommendation is made. Members repeatedly cautioned against using one-time funds for recurring salaries, with one member warning the approach "just pushes off a decision until next time." Any spending requires a special town meeting warrant article, with no such meeting yet scheduled. The committee also tabled a proposal to cut the town clerk's salary in response to the clerk closing her office on Thursdays, opting instead to investigate whether the town administrator has authority to set mandatory office hours.