Finance committee begins FY2027 budget review, highlights staffing and capital requests

The Select Board finance committee met Feb. 3 to begin reviewing the town's proposed FY2027 budget for the general fund and enterprise funds, emphasizing new spending requests and capital items. Chair Jill opened the meeting and the committee agreed to focus questions through the chair to keep the review moving.

An unidentified town administration presenter told the committee that the focus "for every department that's gonna be going through this is the EIRs," listing proposed additions including a communications internship, a second project manager to reduce consultant dependence, a one-time central facilities operational review, and a planned office trailer to house staff while hazardous-material remediation occurs at municipal buildings. Kevin Manuel, a town project manager, said the proposed trailer could accommodate up to 14 staff and include bathrooms and a small meeting area.

Committee members from the board repeatedly endorsed adding project-management capacity and expanding internship opportunities to broaden in-house skills and lower consultant costs. Finance staff described a May reorganization that created two deputy finance director roles and asked for two operational staff on a provisional basis pending an operational review due before June.

Other departments previewed notable EIRs: Health and Human Services proposed continuing wastewater surveillance and inspection software; DPW asked for two additional facilities laborers and ongoing gravel-road maintenance funding; and the airport identified supplemental capital needs tied to aircraft changes and stormwater work. Several presenters noted that some increases reflect unavoidable cost drivers such as utility costs, licensing fees and contractual obligations.

Procedural votes recorded during the meeting included approval of the agenda at the start of the session and a unanimous vote to adjourn at the end of the meeting. The committee scheduled a continuation of the budget review for Monday at 2:00 p.m.