Board reviews budget committee changes and readies warrant-article schedule

The town administrator briefed the Board of Selectmen on the budget committee’s Dec. 14 review and said the committee approved a budget with small changes to several lines, including a reduction in the executive-government line and the addition of a corrected ambulance line. He reported that the budget the committee approved totaled approximately $7,000,149 (transcript text: "7,000,000 149,00918").

The administrator said $20,000 was removed from the contingency line and will be proposed as a warrant article. He told the board that warrant-article submissions from department heads are due ahead of the Dec. 30 meeting, when the board will also consider encumbrances and contract signatures needed to encumber funds for the coming year.

Selectmen discussed involving the budget committee earlier in the year and suggested inviting a budget-committee member to sit at the table during deliberative sessions to make the review process more collaborative. The administrator said the tax rate cannot be set until required assessment and valuation work are completed, but that earlier involvement could reduce last-minute adjustments.

No final budget vote was taken; the board planned to review warrant-article language and vote on articles at the Dec. 30 meeting.