NORWAY — Town Manager David Holt said he expects to present his 2012 budget to the Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen in early April and then the Budget Committee will get down to work.
“While some towns start earlier, my experience has been that in Norway the number of people attending the meetings starts to decline after four weeks, so that a handful of people are making important decisions for the larger group,” Holt said when asked why the Budget Committee‘s work begins seemingly late in the season.
“Starting earlier means that the information and forecasts are not as accurate,” he said.
Town meeting, where voters establish the budget for the fiscal year July 1 to June 30, is traditionally held in mid-June.
Holt said selectmen are now advertising for members of the Budget Committee and, once the committee is established, both the committee and selectmen will schedule their own meetings to work on the budget during a four- to six-week period. Holt attends meetings of both boards.
The budget includes any capital item requests.
Last year’s $3.8 million town budget was developed by Holt, selectmen and a 13-member Budget Committee. The budget does not include county or school budgets, which are developed separately by those parties.
The $3.8 million town budget was a 2.67 percent increase over the previous year’s budget, but reflected no loss of jobs or employee hours.
Anyone who is interested in applying for a seat on the Budget Committee should contact the town manager’s office.
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