Town manager lays out budget books, 10-year capital plan and staffing notes

The town manager distributed budget books to select board and budget committee members and gave a high-level overview of the operating and capital budgets, asking members to review the materials before committee meetings.

In the presentation the town manager said the budget uses a 3% cost-of-living adjustment baseline for payroll except where union contracts or fire department negotiations require different treatment. He noted the police payroll line shows a $92,000 increase based on current staffing levels and that funding two vacant positions would raise the department’s cost by about $245,000; police staffing remains under negotiation with the union.

The manager described a proposed 10-year capital plan that groups major purchases (fire trucks, police cars and other vehicles) so the town can set aside money over time and reduce future borrowing. He said following the plan would give the town an opportunity to avoid new borrowing except for very large purchases such as an anticipated replacement fire truck.

On fire and rescue staffing, the manager said daytime coverage adjustments would leave one full daytime responder Monday through Friday with the fire chief filling a second daytime shift, a change intended to control costs while maintaining coverage.

Revenue notes in the budget book rely mainly on three-year averages and include a separate line for transfer-station revenue; the manager said some items have asterisks because of atypical recent activity. He urged budget committee members to review their books in advance and to email or call staff with questions ahead of formal budget deliberations.

The manager closed by calling the draft a ‘‘good working document’’ and said he looked forward to working with committee members as they move into detailed budget review.