Lanesborough Finance Committee approves $58,300 in year-end fund transfers

LANESBOROUGH -- June 1, 2026, Lanesborough Finance Committee approves $58,300 in end-of-year transfers and raises questions about mall legal costs. The five-member committee voted unanimously Monday to transfer $15,000 from the reserve fund to the law account, which carried a balance of just $4,182.35 after a year of elevated legal activity, and approved a separate $43,300 block of operating-budget line transfers driven largely by a severe winter season. Chair Lyndon Moore noted the invoices from KP Law and Mirick O'Connell covered mall-related matters, union negotiations, and personnel issues, with the law account on pace to reach roughly $65,000 against last year's full expenditure of approximately $50,000. Member Vera Farrell pressed for a breakdown of costs tied to the Malls at Lanesborough property owners, who did not meet the terms of a negotiated agreement before the annual town meeting, saying "I wish that the finance committee had been more involved in the conversations this year instead of learning about it in the newspaper." Town Moderator David Raleigh, attending in person, flagged an error in newly posted FY27 warrant articles in which both the general operating budget and the school budget carried the same dollar figure, saying Town Accountant Gina had been notified and would repost a correction.