Public forum on town budget set for March 15

As the March 26 Annual Town Meeting draws near, the Finance Committee will host a virtual Town Budget Q&A on Tuesday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. (see below for Zoom link). The proposed budget for fiscal 2023 is 3.0% higher than last year’s. A summary can be found on page 8 of the Financial Section and Warrant, with a detailed breakdown beginning on page 57.

All residents have the right to speak at Town Meetings, and FinCom members will respond to comments and questions at that time. However, to keep the Town Meeting as short and focused as possible, the committee hopes to address comments and questions in this virtual Q&A session before the in-person meeting.

The FinCom presented the budget at a public hearing on February 15; click here to watch a recording of that meeting. The budget presentation starts around 30:00. Viewers have the option of using YouTube’s accelerated playback feature to review material quickly. 

Since the warrant was printed, the Finance Committee has deliberated and is recommending an amended budget that adds $200,000 to the cash capital items, and lowers the stabilization fund contribution by the same amount (formerly $1,323,438, now $1,123,438). The $200,000 was requested by the School Building Committee for lighting control systems at the renovated school and is recommended by the Capital Committee. The amount is expected to be fully offset by future proceeds from the sale of the modular classrooms. 

The March 15 Zoom Q&A session will not include the full budget presentation. See the video presentation above and/or review the financial report before the Q&A session. However, the Q&A session will be recorded and posted.

Click here to join the March 15 Q&A on Zoom (meeting ID: 849 2072 7318; password: fincom). Town Meeting will take place on Saturday, March 26 at 9:30 a.m. in the newly renovated Brooks Auditorium. All materials, including recorded presentations and slides relating to other warrant articles, are available on the 2022 Annual Town Meeting web page.

Further information on Town Meeting procedures and warrant articles will be published next week in the Lincoln Squirrel.