Help The Budget

Each March our community gathers at Town Meeting to discuss and vote on the Town's annual budget.  However, in the weeks and months leading up to Town Meeting there are many other opportunities to participate in the budget development process.  If you are interested helping create the budget before it reaches Town Meeting, we invite you to consider participating in any of these groups that craft different aspects of the Town's annual budget.

Town Budget Committee
The Budget Committee holds meetings November through January at 6:30 pm on Tuesday evenings to review and discuss the budgets that were submitted by each department. They then recommend the annual operating budget to be voted on at Town Meeting. As part of their responsibilities they also review and discuss the Capital Improvement Plan and give recommendations on the Town's larger expenditures (see below for more info on the CIP Committee).

Interested residents are encouraged to have their voices heard by attending and participating in Budget Committee meetings. Budget Committee members are elected officers and if you would like to have a more direct roll in the decision making process, we encourage interested residents to file for candidacy with Town Clerk in January.

Please click here for more details about the Town's Budget Committee
 

Capital Improvement Plan Committee
The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Committee meets with all Town Departments and the School District each year in October to review submitted requests of $20,000 or more for expenditures such as buildings, bridges, roads, vehicles, equipment and/or major projects. The CIP Committee then formulates a plan that will stagger the requested expenditures in a way that, from year to year, results in a minimal impact on the tax rate. This approach spreads the expenditures out over time leveling out the peaks and valleys so that the total budget allocation of all items in any one year are close to those in previous and future years . This reasonably level funding of capital needs from one year to the next results in small affordable tax rate impacts. The CIP Committee are charged with developing the plan, however the decision to actually fund any item is made by the Budget Committee and the Board of Selectmen.

Interested residents are encouraged to have their voices heard by attending and participating in Capital Improvements Plan Committee meetings. CIP Committee members are appointed by the Planning Board and if you would like to have a more direct roll in the decision making process, we encourage interested residents speaking with the Planning Board Chairman (click here to be redirected to the Planning Board page).

Please click here for more information about the Capital Improvement Plan Committee
 

Board of Selectmen
The Board of Selectmen hold meetings every other Monday night at 6:00 pm to oversee the general governance of the Town. The Selectmen discuss all fiscal matters as the come up throughout the year, however they begin annual budget discussions beginning in mid to late August and continuing on up to Town Meeting.  They develop the annual operating budget by meeting with Department Heads to discuss their needs, by reviewing the Capital Improvement Plan and by also taking an overall assessment of the Town's fiscal standing in terms of expenses and revenues.

Interested residents are encouraged to have their voices heard by attending and participating in Board of Selectmen's meetings. Board of Selectmen members are elected officers and if you would like to have a more direct roll in the decision making process, we encourage interested residents to file for candidacy with Town Clerk in January.

Please click here for more information about the Board of Selectmen