FY09 Budget Process & Timetable

(This material is copied verbatim from a very informative page on the town's web site. It includes additional background on the Long Range Financial Planning subcommittees, and links to the budget analysis conducted by those groups last Summer and Fall)

At a tri-board meeting held on December 3rd, the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and Finance Committee each agreed by formal vote on a process and timetable proposed by their Long Range Financial Planning sub-committees for developing budget balancing options for the Town of Andover’s FY2009 Budget, which will require some combination of cost savings, service/personnel cuts, an operating override, and fee increases.Specifically, the three boards:

1. Agreed on a $3 million target amount needed to balance the FY2009 budget through a combination of cost savings, service reductions and new revenues.
2. Agreed on the allocation of target amount reductions to departmental budgets based proportionately on FY2008 appropriations as a starting point, with the expectation that they will be adjusted later based on the severity of reductions for critical services.
3. Agreed on a target amount for a second round of departmental reductions equal to the FY2008 appropriations to provide opportunities for prioritization and tradeoffs.
4. Agreed on a timetable.
5. Agreed that the process will include fully exploring both override options and approaches to balancing the budget that includes a combination of overrides, fee increases and service cuts.
6. Clearly articulated what is expected from the Town Manager, Superintendent of Schools, and Department Heads.