Finance Committee begins review of town department budgets
The Finance Committee began reviewing budgets submitted by the Finance Department, Land Use Boards (conservation, planning, and zoning), Library Trustees, Fire Department, Town Clerk, Council on Aging, Department of Public Works, and Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee, and began generating questions based on those budgets. The Finance Committee’s questions will be sent to department heads to provide a framework for conversations and to ensure that budget requests align with town needs and fiscal conditions. Individual budget reviews will be scheduled for upcoming Finance Committee meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays in coming weeks. Chairman Bob Thurston explained that after discussions with the departments, the Finance Committee will complete its budget analysis and prepare recommendations to be voted at Annual Town Meeting in May.
Status of state budget
Town Administrator Tim Bragan gave a brief overview of the status of the state budget, saying that the state had met target numbers for November. He also pointed out that “we’re still dealing with a $3B state deficit, a Rainy Day Fund that was nearly depleted last year, and no ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funds.” Last year, the state relied on the Rainy Day Fund and Federal ARRA stimulus funds to cushion the impact of budget shortfalls.
Bragan said Harvard is “well positioned because of free cash,” which he said was $422,000, plus $80,000 of external reserve. He also said, however, that “we need to position and prepare free cash to be able to apply it next year.”
