Southwick Finance Committee Approves $44,340 in Reserve Transfers, Leaves Key Town Meeting Articles Unresolved

SOUTHWICK — April 28, 2026 — Southwick Finance Committee approves $44,340 in reserve transfers, defers several town meeting articles for lack of data. The six-member panel unanimously approved three end-of-year reserve fund transfers — $7,500 for street lighting, $9,000 for public safety fuel, and $27,840 for public safety electricity — before hearing a lengthy budget briefing from Rob Stevenson, chair of the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District School Committee, who warned that rising fixed costs including special education and insurance could put the town on a path toward a Proposition 2½ override "no matter what" the district does to trim discretionary spending. Stevenson committed to providing regular data dashboards, including cost-per-pupil figures and class-size breakdowns, to the Finance Committee throughout the year. The committee approved pros and cons for all three special town meeting articles and voted recommendations on salary transfers, snow and ice, and other post-employment benefits, but held action on the $1.1 million fire apparatus purchase, a tax increment financing agreement at 34-36 Hudson Drive, and two debt-authorization articles because final dollar figures remain unavailable, with the committee rescheduling its next session to Wednesday to allow additional information to emerge from Monday's Select Board meeting.