Norwich
The Selectboard finished up an almost five-hour meeting with a $4.15 million draft budget, a roughly 8.7 percent decrease from the plan proposed by Town Manager Herb Durfee late last year.
The five-member board declined to vote on a final number to present to voters on the March warning, however. That action is likely to come at its next meeting later this month.
“Unless we can really convince ourselves to put something back in, this is the result of a lot of surprises, which is storms and overages,” Selectboard Chairman John Pepper said of the cuts.
“Somehow we’ve got to figure out how to pay for these things, and I think this is the most prudent way” without reducing staff or services, he added.
Selectboard member Mary Layton said all of the reductions are really painful, but she understands the need to forgo funding some things for a year.
“I see this as a one-time thing but I’m not enjoying it,” she said.
To keep spending in check, the Selectboard decided to eliminate about $275,000 from the budget that traditionally is set aside for paving. They also chose to cut another $96,000 intended for designated funds.
The designated funds are used to help maintain Tracy Hall, purchase equipment and repair town infrastructure, such as sidewalks and bridges.
The reductions are expected to force Norwich to increase its tax revenue by 0.45 percent, Durfee said. That’s down significantly from the 8.5 percent he was projecting from earlier budget proposals.
The measures are intended to keep Norwich on a solid fiscal ground during a time when the town faces several challenges, including overspent construction projects and more than $3 million in roadway repairs that haven’t yet been reimbursed by the federal government.
“We should not treat this as a typical budget,” Selectboard member John Langhus wrote in a letter last week that outlined the spending reductions.
By taking action, the board would “protect the fiscal health of our town while also protecting our citizens from unwarranted tax increases,” he wrote.
Over the past year, the town has seen plans to renovate its highway garage and construct a new public safety overrun costs by about $560,000. It also used roughly $240,000 to pay down the 2018 tax rate.
Overall, those appropriations have depleted the unassigned fund balance, a surplus account, to a point where it might not be able to pay for major emergencies, according to Town Manager Herb Durfee. There’s about $400,000 left there, and it’s common practice to set aside 10 percent of a community’s overall budget as insurance against unexpected bills.
The board also cut about $30,000 dollars from within the budget, and reduced specific line items using past spending figures and input from department heads.
At times, Selectboard members also lightheartedly negotiated the final numbers, offering counter offers as though they were at an auction.
The practice ultimately drew a slight condemnation from Town Manager Herb Durfee.
“It’s disappointing that you do it that way, like an auction,” he told the board.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re doing the very best we can,” said Pepper, who went on to explain that decisions were being made with expert advice and compromise.
“If we seem to be having a little fun with this, forgive us,” Pepper added. “We’re trying to enjoy what typically is a very horrible process.”
The Selectboard is expected to meet again at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23, at Tracy Hall.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.