Marshfield Advisory Board Approves $35,000 Fire Engine Repair, Warns Budget Process Is Off Track

MARSHFIELD — March 24, 2026 — Marshfield Advisory Board approves two emergency expenditures and warns it cannot meet its budget advisory duty before late-April town meeting. The board unanimously approved a $34,859.36 transfer from the town emergency reserve fund to pay for repairs to Engine 4, a 2014 E1 Typhoon fire engine currently disassembled at Kenworth Northeast in Brockton after mechanics discovered significant cylinder wear during what began as routine maintenance; Fire Chief LaSalva said the department has no reserve engines available until the work is complete. The board also ratified a Select Board vote raising the Council on Aging's Seaflower Cafe revolving fund spending cap from $60,000 to $100,000 annually, with Council on Aging Director Carol Hamilton confirming the fund is entirely self-financed through cafe revenues. The meeting's longest discussion produced no formal vote but a pointed consensus: with the fiscal year 2027 budget not yet delivered to the board, eight weeks past the charter deadline and five weeks before town meeting, members said they lack the time and information to responsibly advise residents. "I don't think it's fair and I don't think it's transparent," said the board chair, adding that he has personally asked the Select Board to consider postponing town meeting. The board agreed to raise a formal postponement motion at a joint Select Board session scheduled for March 25.