Charlton Select Board Awards $509,100 Road Paving Contract, Approves Multiple Licenses

Select Board · Meeting of July 7, 2026

Charlton Select Board awards $509,100 road paving contract and hears candid Bay Path budget update. The board voted unanimously Monday to award the fiscal year 2027 pavement-surfacing contract to Massachusetts Broken Stone following a June 24 bid opening, covering work through June 30, 2027. Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical School Superintendent Kyle Brenner appeared before the board to confirm the district's FY27 operating budget of $31,305,852 — unchanged from the figure approved at town meeting — and to detail the health insurance crisis that drove the year's budget cuts.

Bay Path's medical loss ratio peaked at 140, far above the 75-to-80 threshold major insurers require, leaving the district with no competitive quotes; hypothetical alternatives would have cost 50 to 60 percent more than the current Hampshire Group rates. The district introduced a $250-individual, $500-family deductible to reduce a projected 16 percent increase to approximately 12.4 percent. Brenner confirmed the school resource officer position was eliminated for FY27, with reinstatement contingent on final state budget figures.

The board also unanimously approved special alcoholic beverage licenses for a United Way touch-a-truck event at Monarch Orchards on August 22 and the Brunelle/Cashman wedding at Camp Jocelyn on September 26, appointed Paul Gagner to the Water and Sewer Commission through May 2027, and agreed to place a resident's request — that the town send a letter supporting the state auditor's legislative audit — on the August 11 agenda.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,296 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.