No support for change to Budget Committee

Thursday, February 16, 2012

WILTON – A proposal to change the Cooperative School District’s Articles of Agreement to make the Budget Committee an advisory board drew no support from the 60 people attending a Feb. 8 hearing. None of the School Board members who had voted to place the question on the ballot spoke in favor.

The half-hour hearing was held at the high school prior to a hearing on the proposed budget.

Board member Matt Ballou, in opening the hearing, said over the past few years the Budget Committee has been advisory, and the status of the committee needed to be clarified.

Others disagreed with him.

Burton Reynolds, Lyndeborough Town Administrator and long-time town Budget Committee member, said having the article on the warrant “is a bad idea.”

“There will be an overwhelming response to keep the Budget Committee and it will reflect bad on you,” he said.

The problem, as he saw it, was more one of “individuals (on the board) getting used to each other.”

Under the system of checks and balances, Reynolds said, “questions are asked, points of view are expressed. You should nourish the opportunity of having people support you. You need to work together as a team.”

Lyndeborough, he said, has had a Budget Committee since 1938 and, “I don’t recall a horrible relationship.”

Wilton Selectman Bill Condra agreed and encouraged the board to withdraw the article.

Without the Budget Committee, Condra said, “the board could propose and approve their own budget. The Budget Committee is the only oversight the public has over the budget process. It puts the taxpayers at risk.”

“As a selectman, I’d love to not have a budget committee. As a taxpayer, it is important to have,” Lyndeborough Selectman Kevin Boette said.

He asked the board members for their vote on the article and the logic behind it.

Board Chairman Geoff Brock said the vote was 5 to 2, with two members absent. He and Fran Bujak were the dissenting votes.

Bujak said he agreed that “18 heads are better than nine,” but said the budget presented later in the meeting was not presented to the School Board.

“Members come from (previous school) boards that worked differently. We started this (budget process) with a request to cut $550,000 from the budget and none of us knew what we would do. The board and the committee are probably closer in their goals” than they realize.” he said.

Wilton Town Moderator Bill Keefe suggested the article be withdrawn.

“We have a long tradition of town meetings with a strong, aggressive Budget Committee that was not advisory, but we weren’t adversaries,” Keefe said.

Budget Committee Chairman Don Davidson said, “It is important to have another branch of government as a check and balance. Both towns have independent budget committees. The voters had two opportunities to (change the school district formula)” when the Articles were adopted in 1967 and reaffirmed two years ago when the present cooperative was formed.

The article is included on the warrant to be discussed and voted at the School District Meeting at 7 p.m., Friday, March 9, at the high school.

The warrant also includes three petitioned warrant articles which were not discussed at the hearing because neither board has a say in the wording or intent of a petition and, therefore, could not comment.

Article 12 asks the district to rescind the vote to move the sixth grade to the middle school.

Article 13 asks that the School Board enter into formal renegotiations with the Teachers’ Association concerning collective bargaining agreements.

Article 14 asks the district vote to return to the Official Ballot Law, (SB 2), which eliminates the district meeting and all questions are by ballot vote.