An Open Discussion and Q&A Session on Worthington Town Meeting 2022:
Our Moderator will give a brief summary of Town Meeting procedures, accompanied by representatives from our Finance Committee, our Fire Department, and other committees in reviewing this year’s topics.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 6:30pm.
| Remote Public access to this meeting shall be provided in the following manner: The meeting will be virtual utilizing the GoToMeeting virtual meeting software for remote participation. This application will allow attendees an opportunity for public comment. Attendees can use either phone or computer to participate in the meeting. https://meet.goto.com/CharleyRose/selectboard-meeting Phone: +1 (646) 749-3112 – Access Code: 233-643-381 |
The proposed FY 2023 Budget can be found here.
Joe Boudreau, Finance Committee Chair, has the following concerns and will be attending the meeting to adress and discuss them.
WORTHINGTON FY2023 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING EXPLANATION
- The proposed budget as presented is unbalanced . [proposed current expenditures exceed c rrent revenues by 57,647.31] See Excess Capacity, line 79 on attached Budget Summary page.
- The budget must be balanced efore the tax rate can be approved.
- A number of components in the budget are not final and that will affect Excess Taxing Capacity once they are finalized.
- Those components include the final adopted appropriations at the conclusion of the Annual Town Meeting.
- State aid is not final until the state budget is finalized. The current estimate is on line 29 of the Budget Summary.
- Conversely, state assessments will not be known until the final Cherry Sheets are issued in June or July.
- Finally, any increase in taxing capacity based on new construction, line 18 on the Budget Summary will remain unknown until the fall when it is approved by the DOR.
- When all of the above is known, and if it is still unbalanced, we feel very confident that the budget can be balanced and it will not take extraordinary means to do so. This year’s proposed budget has made estimates more important than they were in prior years.
- One final note on the proposed budget is in regard to the Fire Department’s request to appropriate 65,000 to fund a NEW fulltime Fire Chief/EMT position which with benefits including health insurance would add an additional 20,400 to the Group Insurance appropriation making a total 85,400 expenditure.
- To give the town the option to approve the request for a Fire Chief/EMT or stay with the current compensation for just a Chief the warrant has four (4) articles: 14, 15, 16 & 17). Articles 14 and 15 appropriate what is needed to fund the Fire Chief/EMT position and if that fails, Articles 16 and 17 fund the status quo.