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Select Board and ABC say books under review; committee warned about relying on incomplete budget numbers
Summary
Officials told the CIC that town finances are being reconciled: new accounting staff and an outside QuickBooks consultant are updating classifications and reconciling ETFs and ledgers; the committee was cautioned that budget numbers remain provisional while staff complete the forensic review.
Members of the Assessment and Budget Committee (ABC) and Select Board reported on a multi-pronged effort to reconcile town finances and restore confidence in year-to-date numbers.
"I did express my concern that we are 7 months into the year and not having validated confident numbers is a worry to me," the Chair said, describing the work by town staff, a new treasurer, and an outside QuickBooks specialist who is auditing classifications and reconciling ETFs and operating balances.
Officials said the work is uncovering classification gaps and cases where legacy bookkeeping methods vary; the town aims for roughly 80–90% confidence in the numbers by the August meeting to inform CIP and budget decisions. Committee members acknowledged that some line items and encumbrances must be clarified before the CIC can finalize CIP recommendations linked to the tax-rate setting schedule.
