Orleans Finance Committee Reviews $1.84 Million in CPC Projects for May Town Meeting

ORLEANS — February 12, 2026 — Orleans Finance Committee reviews $1.84 million in Community Preservation Committee funding recommendations ahead of May Town Meeting. At a hybrid joint meeting Thursday, Select Board member Michael Herman presented 13 CPC-recommended projects, including $300,000 for the Affordable Housing Trust, $175,000 for a Cedar Pond shoreline acquisition by the Orleans Conservation Trust — aided by a $275,000 grant confirmed during the meeting — and $120,000 to restore the zinc Civil War monument on Monument Road. A $1 million Eldredge Park allocation will reduce an existing bond anticipation note from $3 million to $2 million. Finance Committee member Ed Mahoney reported that the Finance and Treasury departments' FY27 budgets are up 37 and 25 percent respectively, driven by 1.5 net new full-time equivalents, rising healthcare costs, and accelerated pension funding, with both departments mid-installation of OpenGov financial software. Fire Chief Jeff Deering and Deputy Chief Tim Guler are set to address the committee's questions about the department's overtime spending at the February 26 meeting, with a joint Finance Committee and Select Board public budget hearing to follow on March 4.