Town Administrator Marj Roy and I met in late August to design a strategic plan to improve the process of developing the school and municipal budgets. Our approach focused on devising a meaningful exchange of information among all parties involved (Board of Selectmen, department heads, Town Administrator, School Board, Budget Committee, and the public) and developing a realistic schedule of required public hearings and Budget Committee sessions.

Statutory (elected) Budget Committees differ from Budget Advisory Committees in one important respect – members in the latter are appointed and serve at the pleasure of the governing authority. Their role, as the name implies, is strictly advisory.

The municipality’s legislative body, however, elects members of a statutory Budget Committee like Andover’s. It is the committee’s duty to prepare and recommend the final draft of the school and municipal warrant to the voters at the respective town meetings.

The Board of Selectmen presents its initial recommendations to the Budget Committee, which in turn drafts the final proposed recommendation to the voters. At Town Meeting the voters decide whether to accept their recommendation … or not. Voters can also determine Board of Selectmen concurrence by the “recommended” or “not recommended” notation included in each monetary warrant article.

In order to pull this off, we worked backward from the publishing deadlines in assigning dates for required public hearings and Budget Committee sessions. We then devised a system that would provide a means of meaningful exchange of information among the various entities that would enhance the learning process, thereby leading to judicious decision-making by the Committee members.

As the plan evolved, it was readily apparent that everyone involved felt a keen sense of ownership and commitment as we worked with others towards the common goal. We listened … and we learned. If there were areas of conflict, we met in the middle. We formed a bond of trust, and by so doing were able to advance our knowledge. The public hearings produced comments and suggestions that changed our thinking and led to some creative solutions to some of the more complex funding issues.

The complexities of municipal budgeting are daunting and deserve the best efforts by those involved. At the close of our final deliberations, we looked at one another with a sense of confidence knowing we had done just that.

I am seeking re-election as a write-in candidate for a second term on the Budget Committee and would be most appreciative of your confidence in me by writing me in as Arch (Niel) Weathers.

Thanks for your consideration!