Sharon’s BOF signs off on town spending with boosts for local nonprofits

SHARON – The Sharon Board of Finance voted at a special meeting on March 31 to send the municipal budget, which includes increased funding for several local nonprofits, to a public hearing.

The selectmen’s operating budget totals $5,798,251, an increase of $499,688, or 9.43%, from the current fiscal year.

First Selectman Casey Flanagan said the increase is largely driven by three areas.

A line for the town ambulance increased by nearly 50% in the fiscal year 2027 budget draft, from $195,900 to $290,000. Flanagan said the hike was due to a need to fund more paid staff shifts.

Another big increase was for road repairs under the Highway Department, moving from $300,000 to $430,000 for the upcoming fiscal year. The increase will not fully cover what Flanagan described as “an underfunded line item,” but he says it indicates that the town is committed to “getting us closer to where we should be.”

The final major cost increase appears in the Miscellaneous category. On April 16, voters will decide whether to authorize the town to enter into an agreement with NBT Bank to finance future road and bridge projects. If approved, the Board of Selectmen anticipates interest on the $7 million borrowing would total $117,000, resulting in a nearly 130% increase in the Miscellaneous line item.

Some smaller town programs and nonprofits also saw increases. The Sharon Playhouse is proposed to see a $1,000 or 15% increase, which Flanagan said is intended as a modest contribution to help the organization keep up with rising operating expenses. The organization’s ticket sales only cover a portion of expenses, he said, and donations are key. “They just need more,” he said, “like a lot of local nonprofits.”

Sharon Day Care is marked to increase from $40,000 to $45,000, but Flanagan said that since its budget line hasn’t moved in the previous five years, the amount is reasonable. “We haven’t kept up with the rate of inflation, and if you take that into account, it seems like a modest increase,” he said.

The Mudge Pond Association is also budgeted $6,000 for fiscal year 2027, an 140% increase from last year’s line. The increase will help the lake protection group pay for another lake study on water quality and invasive species, Flanagan said, making for three consecutive years of data, which increases the Association’s chances of getting state funding.

The Historical Society is slated to get a hike by nearly 50% as it undertakes programming for the country’s 250th anniversary this summer.