Committee rescinds its own construction change order decision three weeks after making it

What happened

On January 8, 2026 the committee gave the superintendent authority to approve construction change orders of up to $25,000 each, but amended the motion to add wording limiting that authority to cases where the committee cannot meet in time. On January 28 it voted 6-0 to rescind that decision and immediately re-approved the authority without the added wording. Jason Dean objected that the reversal came after the mayor commented on the vote at a town council meeting; Andrew Bacon said he had asked for the item because he had been recused from the January 8 vote and had information to add. The town council raised the episode with the committee at a joint meeting on February 3.

Why it matters to families

Change orders on the B.F. Norton project are how extra costs get added while a $43 million building goes up. Whether one official can approve them alone, or whether the elected committee sees them first, decides how much public scrutiny that money gets. The record shows the committee changed its mind within three weeks, and members disagreed publicly about why.

The evidence

The approved January 8, 2026 minutes record the amendment and the 5-0 votes to amend and approve; the approved January 28, 2026 special meeting minutes record the motion to rescind passing 6-0 followed by re-approval 6-0, and record Dean's objection about the mayor's comments and Bacon's explanation.

The source