Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Andrew Dallas stresses tax transparency, lake protection and process improvements in Belgrade forum
Summary
At a Belgrade candidate forum, Select Board candidate Andrew Dallas prioritized addressing rising property taxes through budget-visualization tools, protecting lakes and following the comprehensive plan, and advocated hiring a town manager with strong financial and communication skills.
Andrew Dallas, a candidate for Belgrade’s Select Board, told a town candidate forum he would focus on tax transparency, protections for the town’s lakes and bringing private-sector systems thinking to municipal budgeting.
"The lakes are our lifeblood," Dallas said, arguing that protecting water quality is essential to tourism and residents’ quality of life. He described his background running a medical-device software company and volunteering locally as an EMT and youth sailing program leader and said those experiences shaped his campaign.
Dallas called rapidly rising property taxes the town’s "single biggest issue" and urged new tools to help residents see how town money is spent. He said he is working with the town treasurer to develop interactive, public-facing budget visualizations that allow residents to compare current and prior-year budgets and drill into subcomponents to find potential waste.
He pointed to one reserve account the town recently identified—"a reserve account for $150,000 for purchase of property"—and said the board should review reserves, reprioritize holdings that are no longer needed, and consider applying funds to current budgets to relieve pressure on taxpayers.
On governance, Dallas said he supports the town-meeting form of government for most financial votes and suggested keeping personnel or other sensitive matters non-public when appropriate. He also outlined the characteristics he would like in a new town manager: strong financial-management experience, clear communication skills and a collaborative, decisive approach to implementing the select board’s policies.
Dallas proposed modest economic development to reduce seasonal pressure on services, suggesting the town expand shoulder-season tourism and follow the comprehensive plan to guide growth while protecting rural character.
In closing, Dallas urged adopting "continuous improvement" practices in town processes to increase efficiency and said he would aim for taxes to rise no faster than inflation.
The forum moderator noted that fellow select board candidate Melanie Juel was absent for health reasons. The session moved afterward to the school board candidates.
