The winter months have been mostly mild this year, but we seemed to make up for the lack of snowfall in March. A few big storms late in the season reminded us of what winter in New England is like.
The crew at the Department of Public Works was out several times in March and did a great job keeping up with the ice and snow. We appreciate the hard work and extra time the crew puts in to keep our roads clear and safe so that we can get where we need to be. A big thank you to all of our Public Works employees. Hopefully, winter is behind us, and spring is on the way!
Spring conjures images of blooming flowers, longer evenings, warmer temperatures and birds singing. At Town Hall, spring also means that budget season is in full swing.
While the budget process and review are ongoing throughout the year, the first step in the formal process began with my management team developing the proposed budgets in the fall. The department leaders reviewed existing obligations, community expectations, facility needs and responsibilities and changes in operations to develop the departmental budgets for the coming year.
Our goal is to deliver and maintain excellent Town services that maximize the highest quality of life for our residents while budgeting in a conservatively and fiscally responsible manner. The Finance Director and I spent many hours meeting with staff, reviewing and tweaking the budgets to finalize the Town Manager’s budget that was presented to the Board of Selectmen in March.
The Board of Finance received the Plus One Budgets from the town and Board of Education and, as the budget-making authority of the town, established a spending guideline for the operating boards. In February, the Board of Finance set an operations guideline to keep the operating budget under a 4 percent increase for the Town, under 5 percent increase for the BOE and a mill rate increase of less than 1.93 percent.
At the time of this writing, the BOS and BOE were holding workshops to finalize the budget to present to the BOF at the end of March. I hope that some of you were able to attend the workshops and participate in the budget process.
That brings us to April, a very important month in the budget process. The proposed budget will be posted on the Town website and printed copies will also be available to the public. The Board of Finance will hold a public hearing to hear comments and feedback and the Annual Budget Referendum will be held. These are important decisions for Town residents, and I encourage you all to take part.
Budget Schedule
Thursday, April 6: Proposed Budget available on the website and at Town Hall and the Library.
Monday, April 10: Board of Finance Public Hearing, 7 p.m., high school auditorium
Special Meeting of the Board of Finance immediately following the Public Hearing to consider action on the 2023-2024 annual budget.
Thursday, April 13: Final budget available on the website and at town hall and the library.
Monday, April 24: Annual Budget Referendum (Machine Vote)
12 p.m. – 8 p.m., town hall meeting room