What: Whether Pine Grove Cemetery must give the Town a formal audit before receiving its $40,000 annual grant.
Where it stands: The new grant funds have not been released because the required audit is not done. On July 27 the Board tabled the matter until Town Administrator Bridges and the cemetery find an alternative (Selectman Grigg/Selectman Letendre; all five members voted yes).
Next: A meeting between the Town Administrator and the cemetery on a cheaper review option.
Possibly stale: the latest information is from July 2026; no newer Select Board minutes are posted.
Town Administrator Bridges said the agreement requires annual reports but does not specifically require a formal audit; the Board added the audit as a financial check on public funds.
Cemetery representatives said they could not find an auditor at reasonable cost, including the Town's auditor, Scanlon. They said an audit or compilation can consume a large part of the $40,000 grant. Last year's compilation cost about $3,000 and had to be redone; it consolidated the 12 monthly reports already given to the Town. They provide monthly financial reports with expenses and bank statements, and the grant is kept in a separate account.
The Board said the audit requirement came from past concerns about tracking cemetery funds, and that although current representatives are cooperative and transparent, the money is public. Alternatives such as the Town's accountant or another review were discussed, noting any alternative costs something.
Motion to table until Town Administrator Bridges and the cemetery come up with an alternative (Selectman Grigg/Selectman Letendre): all five members voted yes.