Hanson Select Board funds $150,000 police camera upgrade from stabilization reserves

HANSON — April 14, 2026 — Hanson Select Board closes annual town meeting warrant, adding $150,000 police camera fix over Finance Committee objection. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to fund a police station closed-circuit camera and access-control system from stabilization reserves after learning the 2007-era system is causing the station to fail state inspections and creating municipal liability. Finance staff warned the budget is "delicately balanced" with roughly $375 in projected free cash remaining after all Finance Committee recommendations are honored; the $150,000 draw will come from a stabilization account holding approximately $1.7 million. The board simultaneously stripped three articles from the May 4 warrant — a $76,000 school paving project, a $130,000 server infrastructure upgrade, and a $25,500 planning board subdivision consultant — deferring all three to the October Special Town Meeting. A fire engine replacement borrowing $705,000, supported by Finance Committee 4-0, was recommended for town meeting, as were two police station chiller units funded through a prior appropriation.