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Town clerk, tax collector, assessor and library present budgets; library seeks Monday openings
Summary
Department heads presented operating budgets with modest increases: town clerk and tax offices reported contract-driven salary adjustments; the assessor sought a 5.61% departmental increase; the library requested two part‑time hires to reopen Mondays and expand Saturday programming, projecting an 11.63% increase.
Multiple town departments presented their proposed operating budgets at the workshop.
Town Clerk Lyanna McMurray reviewed a line‑by‑line budget and said salary lines for the director and assistant reflect contractual adjustments while vital‑statistics spending remains unchanged. McMurray said printing and binding costs rose by $1,000 to cover a turnkey land‑records management system (IQS), film storage for land records and online code hosting. “Education meetings is the same as last year to include additional classes towards obtaining the master’s clerk designation,” McMurray said.
Tax Collector Dana Flack described contractual salary lines and an education increase to maintain staff certification (50 hours over five years). Flack proposed a $900 annual subscription (IDAR) to help locate taxpayers whose mail is returned; she said the tool’s monthly cost is about $75 and that it can process up to 250 queries monthly. “Any one account that we can find that we couldn't find before will pay for that,” Flack said.
Certified municipal assessor Kevin Morowski requested a 5.61% departmental increase for the 2026‑27 fiscal year citing education requirements, expanded association participation and software/mapping services (Quality Data and New England Geo). Morowski said travel was eliminated because the assessor now has access to a shared town vehicle. Board members questioned salary‑range placeholders from previous years; Morowski clarified the $89,000 figure had been a placeholder used while hiring and that current contractual pay is higher.
Library Director Suzanne Garvey proposed expanding hours by hiring two part‑time staff (14 hours each at $20/hour) to reopen Mondays and increase Saturday programming, a proposal she said the board supports. Garvey presented six‑month figures showing increased usage: total circulation 32,648; building visits 18,885; children's programs (87) with 1,295 attendees. She estimated the two part‑time positions would cost about $29,120 each (combined). Board members discussed patron numbers, potential volunteer support and union restrictions on volunteer duties.
Board members did not take votes on these operating budgets; they will continue deliberations in upcoming sessions as part of the townwide budget process.
