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Accounting software refund surfaces; board weighs software costs and moving town report online
Summary
Staff said TRIO accounting discovered a past overpayment and refunded roughly $16,000; the board also reviewed the recurring TRIO and software lines (~$26,000) and discussed shifting town-report material to the digital edition to save printing costs while keeping a printed copy at town offices for residents without internet access.
Finance staff told the Select Board that the towns accounting vendor, TRIO, identified an overpayment from 2021 and issued a refund in the current year (staff cited a refund of roughly $16,000). The towns TRIO software and related subscriptions account for the majority of the software budget line (~$26,000), making it a material recurring cost.
Board members said the refund offsets this years software line but emphasized the importance of staff expertise in using TRIO and the value of the hosted Trio Web environment (hourly backups and remote access). One board member summed the position, calling TRIO "the least expensive of the worst" among municipal accounting packages and noting that switching platforms would increase costs and training burden.
Separately, the board discussed printing fewer physical town reports and including tax roles and extra exhibits only in the digital edition, leaving a full printed copy available at the town office for residents who rely on paper. Members agreed to propose the change formally for a future meeting and to preserve access for residents without reliable internet.
No procurement decisions were made; staff will adjust the software budget line to reflect the refund and return later if they propose changing the accounting platform or the town-report distribution policy.
