Town finance staff gave the Appropriations Committee an update on the town capital plan, existing authorized but unspent project accounts, and the status of 4 West Main Street on March 4.

Jason Little and town staff outlined a multi‑page packet that included memos on carrying costs for 4 West Main and White Cliffs, the public‑works capital request, a fleet inventory and a draft capital budget. Little said commercial interest in 4 West Main has prompted staff to prepare a request for proposals to explore sale or lease options; a final decision will follow the RFP and any required procurement steps.

Committee members asked how long older capital authorizations would remain available and whether those balances could be repurposed. Little explained several older authorizations remain because of project timing, vendor delays and the town’s historical approach to consolidating leftover bond proceeds; he said staff are now sunsetting long‑open authorizations when appropriate and that some older funds were being used this year for targeted repairs (carpet, partial HVAC work) but would not cover full HVAC replacement at current prices.

Members also reviewed a list of current ongoing capital projects, timelines for delivery of vehicles and equipment, and the town’s plan to transfer one‑time funds to stabilization. Little said the administration will prepare a debt‑service plan that assumes borrowing to cover any shortfall between available free‑cash and requested capital projects, and that town staff will present refined numbers to the committee in time for impending warrant deadlines.

The presentation emphasized timing constraints: warrant language must be finalized for the select board by March 19 and town‑meeting publication deadlines mean the committee needs final recommendations soon. Staff proposed a small number of additional committee meetings in mid‑March to finalize report language before the joint budget hearing and warrant publication.