Budget Committee - BudComm Review of the Public Sessions
After the two Public Session (one each for the Town and the SAU), the Budget Committee's mandate is to review what they heard from the public. It is the last time that the BudComm has to alter the budget or to change it's Recommendations on those budgets or on the associated Warrant Articles.
And so the debates began again.
First up was the Library, the TC/TC followed by the NGOs and then the FIRST Robotics and finally sending a letter to the Selectmen requesting the Town Salaries be published in the Town Report.
Margo made the motion to reconsider. To no one's surprise, the Library Director's husband lead the charge to have the BudComm change from Not Recommended to Recommended. Doug, Terry, and I made arguments against the change. Selectman Grant was recognized by Dick With Bob Brent away on vacation and Bill Phillips changing his vote, the vote to change to Recommend was a tie. Dick, as chair, cast his vote to give taxpayer money away to the Library.
Next was a discussion of the Town Clerk / Tax Collector. With the way it was done, there was no recommendation to give other than we asked that the salary/stipend/renumeration (whatever the right legal term is) and its burden cost be split out in the budget so it can be more easily tracked.
Last was the NGOs. Dale's attempt to say that we did not do any analysis on the amounts so we should send a letter out to the taxpayers was slapped down by Dick. Once again, it was a "we didn't do the analysis vs local property taxes should not be used to fund charities" decision. The vote was against sending out the letter.
