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Town budget meeting focuses on report recommending no change on treasurer |
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Written by Bob Sprague
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Wednesday, 28 February 2007 |
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Page 1 of 3 The Budget & Revenue Task Force on Feb. 26 reviewed a report evaluating the town's financial structure. Among the recommendations is whether the town should appoint, rather than elect, its treasurer, and a study group has recommended "no significant changes" from the currently elected treasurer.
Information about the meeting was contained in an e-mail from School Committee Chair Sue Sheffler. She also reported that the recommendations include combining town and school human-resources and accounts-payable departments. "Dear colleagues: I was not able to get you this info last night [at the regular School Committee meeting], so am distributing via email [dated Feb. 28]. "The Budget and Revenue Task Force meeting Monday night was mainly concerned with the extensive report produced by the 'Town Financial Organization Study Committee of the BRTF.' This group was asked to evaluate the option of making Arlington's elected Treasurer position an appointed one. They looked at: - the current Arlington structure
- alternate models in other communities
- Information from other sources, such as the DOE.
- They determined that there are 'competing ideals between creating a broader [and presumably better-qualified pool of candidates] and maintaining an autonomous check and balance. ....these two principles are mutually exclusive ... no compelling reason to recommend significant changes.'
"Additional recommendations were made: - Budget presentations should better reflect "budget to actual" figures.
- explore combining the Town and School HR under the Town manager
- combine Accounts Payable
- move IT under the Town Manager
- have the Town Manager set and monitor a schedule for budget submissions by departments, to keep the process timely
- have the Treasurer report back within a year about the option of outsourcing payroll functions
"Jeff [Thielman] also attended this meeting; I ask him to fill in whatever I have missed. And anyone who would like a copy of the full report, please contact Karen F. [Fitzgerald]" |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 March 2007 )
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