On snow & Ice spending and Town vehicle fuel.

The Budget versus Actual document from the Town Accountant, dated May 11, 2017 shows an allocated amount of $80,500.00, and the Budget versus Actual document dated June 29, 2017 shows an allocated amount of $73,000.00.

I believe the original appropriation or allocated amount from Town meeting was for $100,000.00 for Town Vehicle Fuel. That is what the Budget versus Actual document from the Town accountant dated September 12, 2012 shows. The November 7, 2017 Budget versus Actual shows allocated for Town Vehicle Fuel as $80,500.00 after several transfers from Town Vehicle Fuel at the special Town Meeting of October 20, 2016. As the winter season approaches and the main job of the highway department is about snow and that involves using fuel for all the trucks, selectmen propose and voters approve the use of Town vehicle fuel dollars to pay for Unemployment compensation ($10,000.00), Council on Aging Director ($9,500.00), which takes the amount for town vehicle fuel from $100,000.00 down to $80,500.00. It would seem the statement from the selectmen concerning the FY2017 budget being proper, correct and balanced at the Annual Town Meeting was not so!

So, next, the selectmen by way of the Town Administrator proceed to "charge" fuel to the snow & Ice account rather than to use the Town Vehicle Fuel account, as I would think most if not all people at Town Meeting think would be done. (More just moving money around rather than having a real budget based on financial history and good financial forecasting - can you say DLS)

Now, the selectmen proposed and it did happen, to take $12,500.00 from Town Vehicle Fuel account to help pay for the snow & Ice deficit, which the selectmen helped increase by "charging" fuel rather than using monies appropriated by Town Meeting for Town vehicles fuel. Yep, seems this group of selectmen have not learned much - as in keep doing the same thing over and over but expect different results is ....  It would seem this group of selectmen are continuing the same old same old, even as they have lessons to use that show what not to do.  In my opinion, of course.

posted by Jeff Bennett