Good evening, everyone.

It's now 5 p.m.

It's April 8th, 2026.

And the finance committee has a forum.

Um this meeting may be recorded by members of the media.

The listing of agenda items are those recently anticipated by the chair, which may be discussed at the meeting.

Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed, may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

The

select board and the finance committee will discuss the budget after the public hearing and vote on the budget and also on the warrant articles either tonight or tomorrow night.

Umte that the town meeting will be held this year on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 at 2 p.m.

at the Berkshire Hills Regional School District's Fight School.

As a chair of the Great Barrington Finance Committee, I will now accept the motion to open the public hearing for the fiscal year 2027 proposed subject.

So

I have a second.

Michelle, I don't know.

And I say aye.

The public hearing on the fiscal year 2027 budget is now open.

But to start the meeting, the town manager will give us a brief overview of the fiscal year 2027 budget so that everyone has that in mind before we begin hearing your comments.

Thank

you.

Before you is your FY27 budget public hearing.

And as a reminder, uh this budget is really based on the mission statement of the town committed to providing quality services to the entire community, not just a portion.

The mission statement says that the entire community through good planning and cost effective measures.

And I believe that this process in the end of Rusa starting on February 3rd into today has really demonstrated that we are looking at it and staying true to the mission of the organization.

As well as the financial policy that you had set earlier in December, guiding this whole process of making sure that we have adequate uh providing and maintaining public services and facilities at a level that will ensure public safety uh and well-being, as well as complying with state laws and rules and regulations, and also meeting the strategic priorities of the town.

That being said, just as a quick review from last night's meeting of the recommended FY27 budget uh before you is the uh the levy as well as the revenues um that um excuse me that have the cherry sheet and the local receipts as well as the free cash offset that is in line with your um guidance that was provided on March 19th to make sure that the free cash the third line in uh line B, Section B is is reflected of the two million dollars, and then I'm sorry, jumping back up to the levy component, the last um the last line before the limit max limit section.

There is the indication of a two million dollars for either debt exclusion or an override, which will be discussed later tonight.

And then the outline of the expenses between the operating budget, school, state offset, snow and ice, state assessments, and the abatements are the overlays.

Um the use of free cash is also an expenditure that you will be reviewing tonight or in into your other meetings.

Um we currently have a balance of 11,245, 1666, and as you can see, itemized out are the seven areas of expenditures that are being proposed.

Some are obligations and requirements and some are not.

The ones with asterisk are not obligations, and number five with the offset of the budget, that is the reflection of the two million dollars that was in the previous sheet.

Um, this is a uh just a reminder or more detail on items number three and four of the actual standard uh special articles that are typically on the warrant of the Southern Berkshire Ambulance uh unemployment, locational schools, and also any collective bargaining items, which we have one this year.

The uh expenses for operating um that we had discussed last night.

These are discretionary items that we're pulling out of the traditional operating expenditures.

And we're going to be funding it or proposing it be funded in a different way.

So it'll be special articles in the community can vote on them individually.

Uh that includes the legal cost for who's atomic waterworks, the private subsidies that the community has traditionally provided, uh Lake Mansfield Lifeguards, the State Park Monitor, and the co-responder that is associated with the police department.

Um now going into the capital items.

Uh we have uh two different scenarios of whether the actual petitioned articles, which totals 565,000, if it does pass, we are limited with our free cash.

So we have two different scenarios of capital projects that are before you for your consideration.

And there are different um this slide shows the different sources of where it's coming from.

The service enhancements and the capital on the last line before the total are from free cash.

The others are from capital stabilization grants and chapter 90.

And on the right side, you can see that the um amount is a little bit more if the petition articles failed or if they are withdrawn.

That gives us a little bit more flexibility um financially, and that we can add a few more items on the capital within the free cash components of

it.

Here is a breakdown of the capital projects, just to review from last night's meeting.

Um, we have again four different funding sources for capital projects, and none of them are borrowing that is aligned with our objective for this year for capital is not to borrow but utilize what we resources we do have.

Capital stabilization grants, chapter 90, and then free cash.

And I have outlined if the article passes, and then also if the article is withdrawn on the right side.

Service enhancements are also um part of this.

They are um not capital items, but they are one-time non-reoccurring expenditures.

Um shifting some of the items from the actual traditional operating where it was, such as celebrations, we're shifting it over into the so-called service enhancements along with water quality testing, some items of a fire department washer and dryer and employee professional development, which was traditionally in the uh human service, excuse me, the human resources line and that computer replacement program.

Um, and we have two options, whether the petition article passes or if it is withdrawn for fails.

Another portion of financials that you'll be reviewing is the wastewater enterprise.

Uh, this is the operating and the capital expenditures, which we had reviewed last night.

Um lastly, the other component of the financials that is under your jurisdiction for the public hearing is the community preservation budget, which was adopted and are recommended by the uh community preservation

committee.

With that.