LAKEVILLE — Four firefighter positions are back in the proposed Lakeville budget for next year, Town Administrator Andrew Sukeforth told Select Board members at their April 28 meeting.

He and Town Accountant Michael Ellis made some moves within the budget to free up funds for the posts, Sukeforth said.

At the March 31 meeting, Sukeforth presented a budget that cut four firefighter positions. These jobs had been funded with federal money received through the American Rescue Plan Act, often known as ARPA. Those funds run out in July, Sukeforth said.

To keep the positions, a scheduled debt payment was moved from the operational budget into a capital stabilization fund, a reserve fund for capital needs, which added about $375,000 into the budget, Sukeforth said.

Select board members on April 28 welcomed the return of the positions. “I’m thrilled the team pulled a rabbit out of a hat’’ to make next year’s budget work, said Select Board member Brian Day.

But he said was “ultra-concerned’’ about future budgets.

Sukeforth shared those concerns and warned that future year’s budgets could be challenging.

“Austerity measures’’ might have to be taken going forward, Sukeforth said, including potential hiring freezes. “We have to get creative’’ and possibly take “kind of harsh’’ measures.

Select Board Chair Maureen Candito noted that, with voters’ approval of a new fire station, an additional $300,000 would need to be added in operating expenses, including  for the facility once it opens, likely in spring of 2027. The expenses would include items such as utilities and repairs.

Candito said the town needs to scrutinize “every hire’’ to see if positions can fill “multiple roles’’ and to ensure that the jobs are “less siloed’’ so that tasks could potentially be shared.

“We never want to be in a position to hire people and then have to let them go,’’ she said.

Financial challenges are being faced on several fronts, Sukeforth explained. State aid is declining, with a drop of $325,000 for next year. New growth, such as added businesses that bring in more tax revenue, is limited.

A few years ago, the budget was bolstered by about $700,000 to $800,000 in new growth, Sukeforth said. That number has dropped to about $200,0000.

Meanwhile, retirement and health costs continue to “skyrocket,’’ he said, and the town has to meet contractual obligations.

Possible revenue enhancers include adding a local meals tax of 0.75%, which Candito has said could bring in about $70,000.

Increasing EMS fees and adding a short-term rental tax for temporary rentals such as bed and breakfast facilities and summer rentals are also possibilities, Sukeforth has said.

Voters at the June 9 Town Meeting will have the final say on the budget.