The Massachusetts town that said the cancellation of its Fourth of July celebration was “not related to funding” is looking to use surplus money to resurrect some of the holiday festivities.
The Rutland Select Board is set to meet on Monday to consider closing a warrant article that would fully fund the town’s budget for the first two months of the next fiscal year, July and August, a last-minute attempt to bring back its patriotic flair.
Select Board Chairwoman Sheila Dibb is leading the charge, as the Central Massachusetts town of around 9,000 people has entered the national spotlight for cancelling its Fourth of July celebration, in a year when America celebrates its 250th anniversary.
“This is a Hail Mary,” Dibb said at a Wednesday Select Board meeting. “Doug Flutie was before my time, but this is a Hail Mary for sure.”
Dibb described the “path forward” in addressing the Fourth of July as “narrow.” She proposes using free cash, or revenue surpluses from previous fiscal years, to fund the start of fiscal year 2027, beginning July 1.
If the Select Board closes the drafted warrant article next week, residents would vote on it on June 16.
“It would allow us to, at least temporarily, not lay off anybody, while we try again,” Dibb said. “It might allow us to bring back some of Fourth of July.”
This all comes after town leaders tried to assure residents in a letter earlier Wednesday that the devastating blow was “not related to funding availability or intended as a response to any community viewpoints.” Instead, they said it was “based solely on public safety considerations.”
The letter did not mention an override that residents shot down earlier this month – a multi-year property tax increase package that officials said was needed to address a major $3 million structural deficit.
The Rutland fire and police departments and the town’s “4th of July Committee” partnered with town leaders in publishing the letter.
Police Chief Nicholas Monaco said his department has been “crucified all week.” He said he’s not sure what the point of the Select Board’s free cash proposal is, adding that it looks like a “Fourth of July rescue mission.”
As of now, Monaco said he is set to lose four full-time officers, three part-time officers, three special officers and five firefighters.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love the Fourth of July, and I want to save it,” the chief said, “but I want to save my employees more.”
Dibb told Monaco that though restoring a piece of the Fourth of July would be a bonus, “this is about saving a department that you have worked for a decade to build.”
Instead of hosting the main patriotic celebrations this year, officials have said “several long-standing traditions will continue, including the Junior Olympics, road race, pancake breakfast, volleyball tournament, and other community activities.”
The city of Framingham has also cancelled its annual patriotic festivities, “The 4th Annual Stars & Stripes,” citing “significant budget constraints” and “limited staffing resources.”
A major sticking point in Rutland is a declaration that the town will keep the money residents and businesses donated for the festivities, and that the individual contributions won’t be refunded.
Worcester Sheriff Lew Evangelidis sent a letter to the Rutland Select Board on Thursday, saying his office is “prepared to offer sworn deputies, civilian volunteers, and any resources necessary to allow the originally planned festivities, or in the alternative, a scaled-down celebration to occur.”
“I believe that the Rutland July 4th parade is one of the best in the Commonwealth,” Evangelidis said.
