Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Process topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Epping Budget Committee opts not to set hard budget cap; requests standardized guides, CIPs and metrics from departments
Summary
Committee members declined to adopt a hard percentage cap for the 2027 budget but agreed to request operational summaries, three-year comparisons and CIPs from departments and to draft a formal guidance document for town and school staff.
The Epping Budget Committee on May 13 agreed to avoid a firm target percentage for the 2027 budget and instead will use an internal 'lens' to evaluate department requests while asking departments to provide detailed supporting data.
Committee member Michael McInerny urged the group to be more directive and to compare Epping with neighboring towns. "We should ask each Department Head for a capital asset management draft with explanations," McInerny said. Member Mark Vallone recommended focusing on a small set of evaluation questions and gathering comparative metrics rather than spending many meetings debating a single number.
Member John Cody opposed a strict target, saying he preferred that Department Heads present evidence-backed budgets focused on "needs vs. wants" and requested operational details including shift patrol counts, hours worked and overtime. Select Board Representative Caitlin McCormack and Vice Chair Amy Rich Crane both emphasized fiscal restraint in light of a wastewater plant upgrade scheduled for 2028; Crane said departments should show what they could do while allowing for inflation and present case-based scenarios should the budget default.
The committee directed staff to ask departments for an Operational Summary and Operational Projection, capital improvement plans and three years of historical backup for budget requests. Chair Matt Hehl said the committee will prepare a formalized guide at the next meeting that the Town Administrator and School Board representative can take back to their respective bodies. Members also asked staff to collect metrics from comparable towns and to clarify drivers that could reduce the budget, such as expiring contracts.
The committee set its next meeting for June 10, 2026, and discussed a summer recess with a subsequent meeting scheduled for Sept. 9. No public comments were offered during the meeting.
