Harwich Finance Committee Approves Three Reserve Transfers Totaling Nearly $50,000

HARWICH — May 14, 2026 — Harwich Finance Committee unanimously approves three reserve fund transfers totaling $49,520.57 at its May 14 meeting. Harbormaster John Hart secured $24,465.83 to cover emergency de-icing pump purchases made after six to eight inches of ice trapped the commercial fishing fleet at Saquatucket Harbor for nearly two months, and a second transfer of $3,930.74 for two security cameras at the harbor's front office and boat ramp. Town Finance Director Jennifer Mintz presented a third transfer of $21,125 to address a veteran services budget shortfall stemming from an administrative error that recorded $100,000 rather than the correct $120,000 assessment, compounded by the deaths of two Harwich veterans requiring $4,000 burial payments each and the addition of one new veteran from Dennis. The reserve fund balance after all three votes stood at approximately $70,000. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to Mintz's long-range excluded debt projection through fiscal year 2050, which showed the average Harwich homeowner's total tax bill rising from $5,872 to roughly $12,001 — a 104 percent increase — with the sewer program identified as "by far the biggest variable," and no formal agreement yet in place with the town of Dennis to receive wastewater flows for phases four through nine of the regional build-out.