Wrentham Selectmen Looking to Start Budget Work Early

The Wrentham Board of Selectmen decided at their meeting Tuesday night to begin working on the budget early in an effort to avoid the crunch that accompanied the last process.

Board Chairman Joseph Botaish said the selectmen had discussed changing the process last time around.

"I think we should have talks with the department heads, starting now," he said. "We're looking at ways of doing things more efficiently."

Town Administrator William Ketcham said he believed the most important task that could be completed now is a revenue projection.

"We need to establish the parameters of what we're dealing with," he said. "We need to know what we're dealing with at the earliest possible time."

He said such a projection could be developed for the board's late-August, early-September meetings.

Selectman Michael Carroll said such a projection would not be very useful this early.

"The only variable is new growth," he said. "State aid is a little variable, but we won't know what that will be yet. The only thing we can look at in terms of growth is what the Planning Board has on the table."

He suggested the town develop a methodology for developing its budget.

Ketcham said he was in the process of creating a set of steps. He said he hopes to have budgets done by March 1, in order to get them into the hands of the Finance Committee.

Finance Committee Chairman Jerry McGovern said he felt the lack of a town administrator hurt the town in the FY2012 budget process.

"I suspect, by having a full-time town administrator on now, that would help," he said.

Botaish said the town must change to keep what it has.

"If we only count on what we have now, we'll never get the services we need," he said.