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RSU 22 fund balance $6.09M unallocated; town reps press for clearer accounting and public messaging
Summary
The RSU 22 budget committee was told the district’s unallocated fund balance is about $6,090,981 (audit shows a larger cumulative figure due to voter-designated carry-forwards); town representatives urged clearer, color-coded reporting and better public messaging to explain differences between audit totals and spendable balances.
Superintendent Nick Raymond told the RSU 22 budget committee that the district’s unallocated fund balance is approximately $6,090,981 and explained that audit headlines showing a larger cumulative figure reflect voter-designated carry-forwards and other reserved amounts.
"If you go to the very back page ... you will find exactly what our unallocated fund balance truly is, which is just over $6,000,000. That's $6,090,981," Raymond said, adding that the audit’s $9.4 million number includes red-line carry-forwards that voters have previously designated for specific purposes.
Committee members pressed for clearer accounting. Mad Williams of Winterport suggested the district should "color" or otherwise label funds by fiscal year so towns can see which dollars are legacy carry-forwards and which represent recent surpluses. Other members said voters have received roughly $4 million returned to towns over the last two years and urged improved communication to avoid misleading press coverage that conflates the audit total with spendable balance.
Members also discussed statutory guidance: Raymond noted the state statute's 9% guideline for fund balances and said RSU 22’s unallocated balance stands at about 14% of the prior year’s budget; he said staff believe a multi-year plan to expend those reserves is feasible and prudent.
The committee agreed to pursue clearer public outreach (including social-media-friendly factual posts) and to explore accounting presentations that distinguish older, obligated carry-forwards from more recent surpluses.
