Council aims for budget increase under 3%

Town council is shooting for a 2011 budget increase of no more than 3%.

On Jan. 18, finance director Sharon Marshall asked councillors to provide her with a target she could take back to department heads, who will present their individual budgets to council during a series of meetings starting at the end of February.

Councillor Barb Tocher said she would prefer a budget increase of 2.5 to 3%, while councillor John Brennan replied, “I would like to see 2%.”

Mayor Lou Maieron said 2 to 2.5% seems reasonable, while councillor Josie Wintersinger agreed the maximum increase should be 3%.

Marshall also asked for input on how she should  present the preliminary budget to council. Last year she tried to provide the big picture to council, she said, as opposed to presenting each department separately.

Councillors were unanimous in their endorsement of the process used in 2010.

“The budgeting itself is never painless, but the process was much better [last year],” Brennan said.

Tocher said of all the budgets she’s ever completed, last year’s was the easiest - and the meetings were more productive.

Council’s first budget discussion is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 23 at 7pm.