At its June 12 meeting the Finance Committee reviewed a proposed town calendar, the timing of motions and pink-sheet circulation for town meeting, and the committee’s role in outreach and presentations. Members said they would like meeting materials consolidated and distributed earlier where practical and noted the motions meeting in the proposed calendar occurs earlier than in past years, which may help release information sooner.

Why this matters: The committee discussed how to present budget materials to town meeting members and residents in a way that provides more opportunity for review, while acknowledging statutory or state-level timing constraints for some documents.

Committee members also discussed longer-term fiscal constraints and the potential impact of a substantial revenue shortfall. Members said that if the town had to reduce the budget materially (discussion cited an illustrative order-of-magnitude figure of several million dollars), most cuts would come from positions and programs outside core municipal services. Committee members identified core functions — police, fire, public works, building inspection, assessor’s and finance functions — as essential, and said that discretionary services such as recreation, libraries and senior services would be candidates for reductions if revenue growth does not materialize.

The conversation covered levy-limit mechanics and overrides, noting that overrides are dollar-limited and that communities have recently seen voter reluctance on large overrides or debt exclusions. Members discussed forming a joint group with the selectmen and school committee to model various scenarios, including one with no use of certified free cash, and said they expect to refine options ahead of fall town meeting.

Ending: Action items included creating a proposed calendar and scheduling follow-up meetings with staff and possibly auditors; committee members identified additional outreach and analysis tasks to present options to town meeting and residents.