Commission discusses budget timing and warns against supplanting short-term grant money; Kids in Crisis counseling shifted to high school

Commissioners discussed how the commission’s budget and outside funding sources should be viewed when making funding recommendations. One commissioner warned that temporary external funds — for example opioid-related grants — can supplant baseline budgets and create a gap if the short-term money runs out. The group agreed to discuss funding strategy and budget details at the November meeting, and staff were asked to provide recent budget spreadsheets and outside-source summaries ahead of that discussion.

Commissioners were told that the Kids in Crisis counseling contract is no longer part of the commission’s budget for the current year; the superintendent arranged to bring a counselor in-house at the high school. One participant said the $88,000 that had been allocated for Kids in Crisis was being used by the high school this year, and commissioners noted that could change future commission budgeting and grant decisions.

Members asked staff to provide multi-year budget and actual-spend spreadsheets and to identify which services are supported by ongoing town funds versus time-limited grants. The commission tentatively set a goal to narrow grant recommendations in November and planned to make final recommendations ahead of the town’s January–March budget process.

Less-critical details: commissioners agreed to keep July and August meeting dates on the calendar and to cancel them if nothing was scheduled, rather than removing them entirely.