Brentwood select board trims $319,631 from proposed budget, approves line-by-line reductions

Brentwood Select Board members and the Budget Committee approved a package of targeted reductions totaling $319,631 at a joint meeting, moving the town's proposed operating budget down from a first-pass figure of $7,146,674 to $6,827,043.

The board voted line-by-line through 26 modified budget items after Select Board member Jennifer said the cuts were intended to shrink a projected tax increase while retaining operational reserves. "We tried to leave a buffer," Jennifer said, explaining that the board deliberately did not cut every available dollar so the town would have room for unexpected expenses such as weather or equipment failure.

Why it matters: the package reduces the preliminary increase the board had forecast, lowers several departmental requests and formalizes how the town will use reserves, impact fees and some ARPA allocations. Many of the shifts affect public-safety staffing and equipment lines and town finance operations.

Most important votes and outcomes

The meeting produced a long series of motions and roll-call votes for individual budget lines rather than a single omnibus approval. Highlights include:

- Executive Office: Approved $20,905 (passed, roll call ayes by members on record). - Town Administrator: Approved $121,942 (passed). - Town Clerk (Daphne): Approved $93,839 (passed). - Election: Approved $6,552 (passed). - Tax Collector: Approved $94,938 (passed). - Finance (including bringing reconciliation in-house / treasurer salary): Approved $125,790 (passed). - Budget Committee: Approved $67 (passed). - Legal services / engineering: Approved $34,002 (passed). - Planning Board: Approved $114,707 (passed); board discussed routing unspent master-plan funds into a capital reserve fund (CRF) and a planned warrant to start that CRF. - Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA): Approved $404 (passed). - Government buildings: Approved $82,302 (passed). - Cemetery: Approved $13,740…