Kingston budget committee flags delayed tax revenue, reviews first-quarter spending and personnel change

Chair Stacy Dion opened the April 30 Kingston Budget Committee meeting to review first-quarter revenues and year-to-date expenditures.

The committee noted total income was at roughly 9.29% of budgeted revenue after three months, well below the roughly 25% one would expect a quarter into the fiscal year. "It's the tax money, so that doesn't come in until July," Marissa Federico said, explaining why town revenue will be low through the first half of the year. Chair Stacy Dion added that larger state distributions typically arrive in November and December and that the committee's quarterly spreadsheet excludes property-tax receipts because of how the town accounts for those revenues.

The review moved department by department. Dion reported executive operations were at about 15%; election and registration at about 13.71%; planning and zoning at roughly 15%; government buildings at about 15.9% (with some payroll shifts after a temporary full-time hire was made permanent); police overtime and part-time pay were elevated while the department continues to recruit a full-time officer; and the highway department had unusually high cold-patch/equipment-maintenance spending (equipment maintenance/heat and cold-patch lines were cited as high).