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Board to reconstruct unrecorded March 25 budget meeting amid questions about a $50,000 cut
Summary
Board members agreed to recreate minutes for a partly unrecorded March 25 special budget meeting after members recalled a vote to zero the town's trans multiuse building fund; the board asked staff to verify whether a formal motion reallocating $50,000 took place.
The Andover Board of Finance on April 22 agreed to reconstruct minutes from a portion of its March 25 special budget meeting after officials discovered the recording did not capture part of the session.
Chair said he had failed to record a segment of the meeting and was uncertain which actions — if any — had been formally adopted during the missing portion. Multiple board members recalled discussion and one remembered the board had cut the trans multiuse building contribution to zero for this year; they asked staff to verify whether a formal motion to remove the $50,000 allocation had been made and recorded.
Matt, the new town administrator, advised caution in reconstructing the public record. "Put the minutes together as best as possible," he said, and include a clear statement that the recording did not work and the minutes were reconstructed "to the best of your knowledge," so the board does not circulate private notes as official record.
Members agreed to gather available notes and earlier budget documents and to consult with select board members who had attended the March 25 session. The board planned to route the reconstructed minutes through the town clerk (Kate) and return the item to the Board of Finance for formal ratification at a subsequent meeting.
Why it matters: Members flagged this omission because the missing portion may include a substantive budget action (the $50,000 reduction) that affects reserve levels and longer-range capital planning. The board said it will confirm whether a formal vote occurred and will present an amended record for ratification.
Next steps: Staff will search for contemporaneous budget spreadsheets and notes, contact select board participants for recollections, and prepare a reconstruction of the session for Board of Finance review at the next meeting.
