To the Editor,
I write to note a couple of corrections to your recent article, “Overdue school budget complicates life for FinCom.” First, the headline is misleading. My comments at the Feb. 2 meeting were intended to show my frustration with the Finance Committee (FinCom) not having been shown a detailed school or town operating budget or capital budget prior to late January. It is not exclusively the School budget that has complicated life for FinCom.
Also, the article states that “McCall [Town Manager] sent FinCom a preliminary budget on Dec. 31 with the numbers they had to date, which did not include all the school numbers.” This is inaccurate. FinCom did not receive a preliminary budget by the end of calendar year 2025. We received a document containing only unclassified line items in early January, and we did not receive detailed Town departmental budgets — and the standard one-line School budget — until Jan. 30.
My comments at the Feb. 2 FinCom meeting reflected the fact that, in a typical budget year, the committee is reviewing detailed budget materials throughout most of January. This year, that process is only beginning in February, leaving roughly six weeks for FinCom to review both the operating and capital budgets as well as draft a substantial number of warrant articles.
I offer this clarification so that readers understand the context of my concerns and the timeline under which FinCom is working this budget cycle.
Pamela Roman
Finance Committee member
