Harwich Finance Committee Approves $982,200 in Year-End Transfers Unanimously

HARWICH — July 9, 2026 — Harwich Finance Committee approves $982,200 in year-end transfers to close fiscal 2026. The committee voted 6-0 Thursday to authorize 28 individual budget transfers, with roughly $600,000 tied to an accumulated snow and ice deficit and the remainder covering shortfalls across multiple departments. Town Administrator Jay McGrael and Finance Director Jennifer Mintz told the committee they were "not happy about this at all," pledging that fiscal 2028 — their first fully self-built budget — would reflect tighter departmental accountability and earlier disclosure of cost overruns. The committee also heard a legal briefing confirming that artist studio agreements at the 204 Cis and Road cultural facility qualify as license agreements under MGL Chapter 53E and a half, a classification approved twice by the Attorney General and supported by town counsel, with Mintz's new cost-allocation model projecting a roughly $10,000 surplus in the revolving fund by fiscal 2028. In its annual reorganization, the committee elected Bob McCriedy chair, Scott Norm vice chair, and Tina Games clerk, and noted that two seats on the seven-member body remain vacant.