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Selectmen approve short‑term finance contractor to reconcile town accounts; Health Trust insurance issue flagged for monitoring
Summary
The select board authorized up to eight hours of work from a municipal finance contractor to reconcile the town’s BMSI accounting records and bank reconciliations. Separately, board members were briefed on a potential Health Trust reserve issue that could force towns to seek alternate insurance plans by year‑end.
Brentwood selectmen on Monday approved an initial contract of up to eight hours with a municipal finance contractor to reconcile 2024 records in the town’s BMSI accounting system and to assess outstanding budgetary reconciliations.
Town Administrator Andrea (last name not specified) told the board the contractor — who has more than 20 years’ municipal finance experience — will perform an initial review at $125 an hour so staff can determine the full scope of remedial work needed before deciding whether to extend the contract. The board voted 4–0 to authorize the initial engagement.
Separately, the board received an update about Health Trust, the town’s current insurance pool. Staff reported the state legislature is considering a bill addressing Health Trust reserves and that the Trust warned members the pool could terminate coverage on Dec. 31, 2025, if legislative changes pass. That would require towns to identify alternate carriers and perform a procurement process before year‑end.
Why it matters: Accurate reconciliations are critical for audit readiness and for preparing reliable budgets. A disruption of Health Trust coverage would affect health, dental and disability plans for town employees and could change premium timelines.
What happens next: The contractor will begin up to eight hours of reconciliation work; the administrator will return to the board next week with a fuller estimate of hours and costs if additional work is required. Town staff will continue to monitor Health Trust developments and report back as the legislative process evolves.
