Budget committee presses town staff for clearer impact-fee accounting and aging schedule

At the May 11 Brentwood Budget Committee meeting, members reviewed a treasurer'provided impact-fee report and said it does not meet statutory expectations because it lacks an aging schedule showing when fees were collected. Committee members said the report lists beginning and ending balances but often omits deposit dates and line-item descriptions that track which lots or map IDs generated fees.

Why it matters: Under the applicable impact-fee rules discussed in the meeting, unspent impact fees may have to be refunded with interest after a six'year period. The budget committee noted the 2024 beginning balance in the provided report and an ending June balance of $317,801, but said they cannot determine the age of those funds without a date-stamped ledger mapping each deposit to a lot or development. "Age is very important," one member said, because the town must refund fees older than six years.

What the committee requested: Members asked that planning, the treasurer and the town administrator recreate a reconciled schedule that shows deposit dates, map ID ties, fee categories (police, fire, etc.), and disbursement details. They also asked whether the planning board will update the 2022 impact-fee schedule and suggested auditors be consulted before recreating any schedules to avoid duplicative work.

Next steps: The chair said the town is legally required to prepare a public report for 2025; committee members will request the reconciled schedule and ask planning and the treasurer to clarify how impact fees are tracked and expended. No formal action was taken by the budget committee during the meeting.