FALLS VILLAGE —During its regular meeting Monday, May 11, the Falls Village Board of Selectmen asked the Board of Finance to allow the town to replenish $50,000 in capital reserve funding through the future sale of the former firehouse at 35 Railroad St.
The request came after a Board of Finance vote on April 27 that directed the selectmen to cut $100,000 from the proposed 2026-27 budget plan.
As part of the reductions, the selectmen proposed removing $50,000 from the town’s non-recurring capital reserve accounts, which help pay for major expenses such as fire trucks, ambulances, heavy equipment and bridge repairs.
Overall, the selectmen proposed approximately $75,000 in cuts, including reducing the garden maintenance line from $3,000 to a $1 placeholder, eliminating the special events line for a savings of $1,500, trimming the town bus line by $500 and reducing contributions to the reserve accounts.
First Selectman Dave Barger said board members were reluctant to reduce reserve funding because the town has long relied on the accounts to prepare for costly future purchases and repairs.
“None of us were happy about it,” Barger said.
Selectmen said they hope the eventual sale of the former firehouse property can replace the reserve funding.
The former firehouse at 35 Railroad St. was no longer needed after the opening of the Emergency Services Center on Route 7 in September 2017.
At a referendum vote Nov. 7, 2023, the town approved the sale of the property to James Gillispie for $300,000. Gillispie planned to open a gym and wellness center.
Progress was slow, however, because of a legal dispute with the Falls Village Inn over an encroachment issue.
Gillispie withdrew his offer in Feb. 2025, citing rising costs of construction and higher interest rates.
The property has remained on the market.
Under the selectmen’s request, the $50,000 removed from the reserve accounts for 2026-27 would be replenished from the proceeds if and when the property is sold.
Following a public hearing held three days before its May 11 meeting, the Board of Finance voted to move the proposed spending plans to the town budget meeting scheduled for Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. at the Emergency Services Center.
The proposed spending plan for municipal spending calls for $2,503,382, an increase of $80,556 or 3.32%.
The proposed spending plan for the Lee H. Kellogg School is $2,449,328, an increase of $59,063 or 2.47%.
The Region One budget, which primarily covers the operating costs of the Housatonic Valley Regional High School, passed a referendum vote last week. The town’s assessment is $1,752,589, an increase of $208,904 or 13.53%.
Falls Village was the only town in Region One to vote no on the Region One referendum.
Total education spending for 2026-27 will be $4,201,917, an increase of $267,967, or 6.81%, if the spending plan is approved.
In an extension of budget talks, Barger said that the late Richard H. Stone left $100,000 to the town for work on Main Street and the town Green.
Stone, who died in 2025, was an architect and long-time Falls Village resident with a special interest in the downtown area.
Barger said some of the bequest will be used to replace the $3,000 the selectmen removed from the garden maintenance line in their proposed spending plan.
