Rutland Select Board weighs free cash plan, Massachusetts July 4 return
Rutland, massachusetts, is weighing whether to use free cash to cover the start of fiscal year 2027 and bring back some Fourth of July festivities after canceling the town celebration. Sheila Dibb called the effort a “Hail Mary” at a Wednesday Select Board meeting, as town leaders try to keep some holiday events alive before a June 16 vote.
Rutland free cash proposal
Dibb said the plan would use surplus money from previous fiscal years to fund the start of fiscal year 2027 on July 1. She said, “This is a Hail Mary.” She added, “Doug Flutie was before my time, but this is a Hail Mary for sure.”
She also said, “It would allow us to, at least temporarily, not lay off anybody, while we try again,” and “It might allow us to bring back some of Fourth of July.” The Rutland Select Board is set to meet on Monday to consider closing a warrant article that would fully fund the town’s budget for July and August.
Rutland July 4 cancellation
The town canceled its Fourth of July celebration before turning to the free cash proposal. In a Wednesday letter, town leaders said the cancellation was “not related to funding availability or intended as a response to any community viewpoints” and was “based solely on public safety considerations.”
The letter did not mention an override rejected earlier this month. Officials said that package would have raised property taxes over multiple years to address a $3 million structural deficit. Rutland fire and police departments and the town’s 4th of July Committee joined town leaders in publishing the letter.
Monaco and Evangelidis
Police Chief Nicholas Monaco said his department has been “crucified all week.” He said he is set to lose four full-time officers, three part-time officers, three special officers and five firefighters. In response to Dibb’s proposal, he said it looks like a “Fourth of July rescue mission,” but added, “Don’t get me wrong, I love the Fourth of July, and I want to save it,” and “but I want to save my employees more.”
Monaco said several long-standing traditions will continue this year, including the Junior Olympics, road race, pancake breakfast, volleyball tournament and other community activities. In a Thursday letter, Worcester Sheriff Lew Evangelidis said his office was “prepared to offer sworn deputies, civilian volunteers, and any resources necessary to allow the originally planned festivities, or in the alternative, a scaled-dow” alternative.
If the Select Board closes the drafted warrant article next week, residents would vote on it on June 16. For a town of around 9,000 people, the immediate decision is whether free cash goes first to payroll and staffing or to the holiday events that were cut from the calendar.
