Finance committee to reassign liaisons, discuss early budget guideline (3% suggested) ahead of fall

The Town of Westborough Advisory Finance Committee agreed to reassign liaison seats by asking members to return a blank list of interests and to meet in mid‑August to finalize assignments.

Chair (speaker 1) said she removed prior assignments and will circulate a clean list so returning and new members can indicate preferences. The committee set a tentative August 20 meeting to finalize liaison assignments and begin planning its fall budget work.

Members also discussed when and how to provide budget guidance for the FY26 budget process. One member suggested putting out a 3% guideline as a straw man to guide department planning; the proponent said a 3% marker is consistent with town fiscal guidelines and would give departments a starting place for their budgeting. Other members said earlier philosophical guidance could help avoid last‑minute reversals but cautioned that a final numerical target may be premature before departments develop detailed proposals and after town meeting timing is considered.

The committee emphasized transparency and public comment: the chair said any formal budget guidance should allow for public comment nights and adequate notice. The group agreed to begin preparatory conversations in August and to use the September budget summit and later January sessions to dig into numbers with departments and the school liaisons.