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Board to spend meetings improving public budget communication
Summary
Board members proposed dedicating one or two meetings to how the budget is presented to the public and to gathering clearer information before budget season, citing public confusion about mill rates and line items.
A board member urged dedicating one or two meetings to improve how budget information is presented, saying residents repeatedly report they do not understand the relationship between mill rates and tax impact. The member suggested using the draft budget as a template and requested earlier information gathering in the months before formal budget hearings.
Members also discussed long-term commitments that will affect budget pressures next year, including bond payments and HVAC principal-and-interest expenses. The board asked staff to prepare clearer, public-facing financial links on the town website and to raise the level of transparency prior to formal budget adoption.
