Deerfield Finance Committee Approves Seven Budget Lines Totaling More Than $347,000

DEERFIELD -- February 23, 2026, Deerfield Finance Committee approves seven municipal budget lines and hears $238 million Franklin Tech construction pitch. Meeting jointly with the Selectboard via Zoom on February 23, the Finance Committee voted unanimously on most accounts, approving $6,000 for IT hardware, $271,597 for contracted services, $14,000 for town office expenses, $4,000 for PEG Access capital, $1,000 for the Planning Board, reduced by amendment from $2,000 after Town Administrator Christopher Dunne confirmed the board's willingness to take less, and $1,175 for the Historical Commission. The committee approved $51,176 for OPEB by a narrower 4-1 vote, with John Paresky dissenting. A motion to recommend $42,000 for the FRCOG core assessment was withdrawn after updated figures placed Deerfield's actual assessment at $44,463. Franklin County Technical School Superintendent Rick Martin told the boards the town faces a choice between a $103 million code-compliance repair of the aging existing facility or a $238 million new campus with $120 million in MSBA grant support, with Deerfield's current share pegged at 7.99 percent and a district-wide voter referendum expected in October 2026. A proposal to establish a road work stabilization fund was postponed unanimously to a future meeting, pending cost data from the highway department.