The Finance Committee meeting held on December 18, 2024, in Charlton, Worcester County, focused on budget preparations and updates regarding departmental changes. The meeting began with discussions about the timeline for budget submissions, with all department heads required to submit their budgets by December 30 and 31. The committee noted that while most departments are on track, the new fire chief's budget may be submitted late due to his recent appointment.

The committee confirmed that the police department is scheduled to present its budget in January, while other departments, including IT, library, building, assessors, and fire, have postponed their presentations to February and March. A joint meeting with Dudley Charlton was also mentioned, necessitating a rescheduling of the February 12 meeting.

A significant portion of the discussion centered around the ClearGov budgeting software, which has undergone major modifications that have complicated its use for both end users and the finance team. The committee expressed concerns about the new consolidated format that combines revenue and expenditure data, making it more challenging to analyze budgets. As a workaround, department heads have been asked to submit their budgets in Excel format for easier processing.

The committee plans to evaluate the effectiveness of ClearGov after the current budget year, considering the difficulties encountered with the recent updates. Despite these challenges, the finance team will continue to provide the necessary budget spreadsheets to ensure transparency and clarity in the budgeting process.

Overall, the meeting highlighted the ongoing efforts to streamline budget submissions and the need for adaptability in response to software changes, with a focus on maintaining clear communication and organization among departments. The committee will reconvene in January to review the police budget and further discuss the upcoming departmental presentations.