Deerfield Finance Committee Approves $570,000 Special Town Meeting Warrant Package

DEERFIELD — October 14, 2025 — Deerfield Finance Committee unanimously recommends $570,000 in special town meeting spending from a $2.2 million free cash balance. Meeting October 14, the committee backed a mid-year health insurance transfer of $75,550 for the town and $105,384 for the schools after the Hampshire County group insurance trust raised premiums 20 percent on October 1, with staff warning that a second increase was possible before fiscal year-end. Capital approvals included $400,000 for a new South County EMS ambulance and power loaders, $50,000 for police garage architect fees, $55,000 for loader repairs at the transfer station, $38,000 for a used sewer vacuum truck purchased from a Maine municipality, $45,000 for a highway pickup truck, and $50,000 to launch an annual sidewalk replacement program. Committee member John Paresky warned that the county trust's reserves had fallen from roughly $4.5 million to between $600,000 and $700,000, driven by GLP-1 drug claims. Three easement articles tied to the Stillwater Bridge and Elm Street projects, plus three citizen energy-code petitions, were held for a continued session October 15.