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Tamworth Selectboard reviews 2025 budget draft, seeks $500,000 in reductions
Summary
Board heard a first-draft budget presentation showing an unassigned fund balance of about $2.53 million, an estimated $400,000 surplus for the year and a proposed total budget near $5.33 million; members were asked to find roughly $500,000 in savings ahead of the next meetings.
Unidentified Speaker (S3), presenting the first draft of the town's 2025 budget, told the Selectboard the town is starting from a strong unassigned fund balance and faces a larger school budget and rising ambulance costs.
"We're at 2,530,000.00, which is a very strong starting fund balance," S3 said, adding an estimated $400,000 surplus for the current year. The presenter said the working total expense figure with wish-list items is about $5,330,000, roughly a 1% increase over last year.
S3 flagged an $800,000 net increase in the school budget and said the ambulance cost represents an annual increase of about $40,000 (roughly 20%) tied to the start of a five-year cycle.
Board members and staff noted that the fire department's budget figures and health-insurance numbers were not yet submitted. S3 said the missing inputs (fire budget and health insurance) will affect final totals and urged department heads to continue refining submissions.
The presenter framed the near-term task: identify roughly $500,000 in reductions over the next four weeks to limit upward pressure on the tax rate. "That's the challenge," S3 said, calling out CIP items including a major bridge project and a potential backhoe and compactor for the transfer station.
The board discussed options for limiting tax-rate impact while preserving capital planning. No formal budget vote was taken; the board scheduled department-head reviews in the coming weeks and indicated additional line-item scrutiny at follow-up meetings.
The Selectboard will revisit the draft after the fire department and health-insurance figures are supplied and after department-head meetings are held.
