Hubbardston Select Board Votes to Adopt Zero-Based Budget for Fiscal Year 2027

HUBBARDSTON — February 9, 2026 — Hubbardston Select Board approves zero-based budget format for fiscal year 2027, appoints Memorial Day committee members. The board voted 4-1 Monday to back a proposal from Town Administrator Sean — whose full name was unclear from the recording — to abandon the town's incremental budget approach in favor of a zero-based model that requires departments to justify spending from scratch, with five years of actuals as a baseline. The move comes as the town continues reconciling its books with an outside CPA, identified as Marsha, working at $100 per hour on an initial $10,000 contract that has nearly been exhausted; a procurement decision on continuing her engagement is expected at the February 17 meeting. The board also previewed a Quabin Regional School District budget proposal seeking a 7.5 percent increase — roughly double last year's final 3.56 percent figure — with a superintendent meeting scheduled for the following Tuesday. In a separate 4-1 vote, the board appointed Taylor Wilkinson, Stevie Label, and Select Board member Katie Young to the Memorial Day Committee through June 30, 2026, and removed Lauren Wright, after the committee lost its quorum when prior leaders resigned last year.