Boards try to work together
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Ashburnham Advisory Board members and Selectmen met on Wednesday, Sept. 26, to discuss concerns advisory members have about the financial budgeting process.

"We're not trying to reinvent the wheel," said Bill Johnson, the chairman of the Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board has met a variety of times this fall discuss questions the members have about the creation of the budget, financial planning in town and

Johnson served as the board's spokesperson during the meeting.

Johnson posed a variety of questions to Interim Town Administrator Paul Boushell and to the three selectmen about written policy for how much money to put into the stabilization and capital improvement accounts; about written long-range plans for personnel and capital improvements; and frequent updates about the ongoing fiscal year.

Johnson tried to impress upon the selectmen that the Advisory Board wants to see a copy of the budget much earlier in the fiscal planning process.

Johnson said the Advisory Board is trying to get a consensus about the future fiscal planning, "so we all know what we are trying to change."

Selectman Jonathan Dennehy responded that by the Special Act, which lays out the town's government structure, the budget is the responsibility of the Advisory Board.

"I've heard you say that before," Johnson said. "But I can tell you the last budget wasn't our budget."

Dennehy warned that there wasn't going to be a lot of room for new growth in the town or in the town's savings accounts because of lower revenue.

"(The budget)'s not likely to be flushed with cash next year either," Dennehy said.

The Advisory Board is looking to get this information because the town is going to have to get a bond rating for all of the loans for the ongoing construction projects - the new public safety building and the renovation of town hall.

Johnson also asked the Selectmen their thoughts of forming a Capital Planning Committee. The Advisory Board members said they like the ongoing five-year plan that was created by the Ashburnham-Westminster School District.

"I don't know the ins and outs of the state statute (on Capital Planning Committees) but do you want to relinquish the power," Dennehy asked.

Currently under the town's bylaw the Advisory Board and the Planning Board serve as the capital planning authorities.

Dennehy said when he was on the Advisory Board in the early part of the decade, the capital plan became "a joke" because the town couldn't afford to do any of the work.

One of the other long-range planning items the Advisory Board asked about was a five-year personnel plan. But Boushell recommended that the town not create one of these.

Boushell said it was hard to implement these plans because of lack of funding, changing priorities and other unforeseen issues.

"You'll start to see the department heads, well, start to be less than thrilled," he said.

Johnson said he understood those concerns but that it would be nice to be able to see the five-year plan.