Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pownal Select Board approves warrants, sets proposed schedule for 2026 budget presentations
Summary
The Select Board approved two routine warrants and outlined a proposed FY26 budget schedule with joint presentation nights, public hearings and a target town meeting date of June 22, 2026; Budget Committee members agreed to meet in early January to elect officers and prepare questions for presentations.
The Pownal Select Board unanimously approved FY26 Accounts Payable Warrant #14 for $61,944.74 and Payroll Journal #221 for $16,681.07 during its Dec. 8 meeting.
The board then discussed the FY26 budget cycle. Town Administrator Becky Taylor-Chase described a process of joint presentation nights with the Budget Committee followed by standalone deliberations, two public hearings and a town meeting. The town proposed presentation nights on Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb. 23 and March 9, public hearings on April 13 and April 27, warrant signing on May 11 and annual town meeting on June 22, 2026. Chair Jon Morris said presentation nights would start at 6 p.m. and proposed sending proposed budget sheets a week before each presentation.
Budget Committee members Andy O'Brien, Gennifer Guiliano and Deborah Delp agreed to meet in early January to elect a chair and a scribe so the committee can prepare before presentations begin. Guiliano urged brief follow-up meetings immediately after presentations to process information and prepare questions for departments.
The administrator said departments will receive a standardized budget template and that materials will include the last three years of budgets plus current year-to-date figures. The board emphasized that the March 25 school-board adoption of the superintendent’s proposed RSU5 budget is the key deadline for school-related input.
The board’s approvals and the proposed calendar are preparatory steps; any changes to dates or the warrant will be posted and noticed according to town meeting law.
