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Commission reviews budget overruns, printing costs and difficulty obtaining 20‑year appointment data
Summary
The commission reported a $51,000 FY budget, $33,500 spent through April, legal fees nearing $25,000, a printing estimate around $8,000, and members described obstacles obtaining 20 years of appointment/tenure data from town records.
Kathleen told the commission the Charter Revision Commission’s budget for the fiscal year is $51,000 and that expenditures through April totaled about $33,500. She said legal fees were just under $25,000 and therefore have exceeded the commission’s legal line item, though the CRC remains under its total budget for the year. A printing estimate for 1,000 copies and distribution through the Sentinel was cited at roughly $8,000. Kathleen said she will ask the board of selectmen about possible line‑item amendments if needed.
Separately, Kathleen described efforts to compile appointment and tenure data for Planning & Zoning and the Board of Finance over the last 20 years. She said she reviewed minutes and other records to assemble lists (rough counts: Board of Finance ~42 appointees; Planning & Zoning ~39) but that staff access to town clerk records was limited; staff reportedly declined to allow intern access and the town’s online database lacks clean exit‑date fields, making verification resource‑intensive.
Commissioners agreed the historical data could support findings about turnover and tenure but noted records will need verification; members asked staff to continue attempting to obtain organized data from the town clerk or to document why the information is unavailable.
