FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 directors brainstormed ideas Tuesday on how the budget process will work and how to best get that information to the public in a way that people will understand.

The discussion came during a board workshop at Mt. Blue Campus. No action was taken on any topic; the ideas will be presented to the full board during a board meeting and if a vote is needed, it will be taken at that time.

One discussion centered on a preliminary 2017-18 budget calendar.

It was suggested that the budget votes take place in May instead of June, as was done in years past. 

The board changed to June to try to save the towns money on the referendum process, Superintendent Tom Ward said.

However, for the past two years, two annual budget meeting votes had to be held each year and two yes or no validation referendums before the budget was passed.

The first proposed budgets failed at the polls both years.

The delay in getting an approved budget has hindered the hiring process, stalling scheduled projects.

“We didn’t actually save the towns money because we had to have two budget meeting votes and two referendums,” said board Chairwoman Jennifer Zweig Hebert of Starks. Hebert is also the town clerk in Starks.

Ward said the administrative team would draft an initial budget and make reductions prior to presenting it to the board.

Last year, a preliminary budget was brought forth that contained everything, which greatly overinflated the budget, Ward said. The people involved in the process knew it was just preliminary for discussion, but it upset some people in the community, he said. 

Administrators are expected to present a proposed budget with cuts already made and to present a list of the reductions to the board. 

Discussions will be clear and concise and if there is an increase, it will be explained, Ward said. Items added to the proposal will also be highlighted for the board.

The board also discussed ways to communicate better with the public on the budget and how best to present information for people to understand it.  

The revenue side will be presented up front instead of later in the budget process.

It was recommended that all board meetings during budget season be held from 6 to 9 p.m. and there will be fewer budget meetings. Last year, there were two a week for most of the process.

“We meeting-ed ourselves to death,” Ward said. “We burned ourselves out.” 

The tentative date for the preliminary budget to be presented to the board is Jan. 24, 2017. A board budget meeting will be held Jan. 31. The preliminary calendar includes the annual districtwide budget vote occurring on May 3 and the validation referendum on May 16.

The proposed calendar will be discussed at the next board meeting. All regular board business meetings will also include budget-related topics.

It is understood that they need to bring in a budget that is as close as possible to what communities can support, Ward said.

It is the job of the administrators and the board to present a budget that supports the needs of the children, he said. 

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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