Written by Agenda
8:15 – 9:15 a.m.
Registration, Breakfast and Networking
9:15 – 9:30 a.m.
President’s Welcome and Business Meeting
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Navigating the Fiscal Climate: Outlook, Budgets, and the Rise of Overrides
As cities and towns across Massachusetts face increasingly tight budget cycles, local finance committee members find themselves on the front lines of navigating municipal fiscal pressures. In this opening session, panelists will provide a comprehensive overview of the state’s current fiscal climate, including a glimpse from Beacon Hill, and its direct impact on local municipal budgets.
Adam Chapdelaine, MMA Executive Director
Doug Howgate, Massachusetts Taxpayers’ Foundation President
Moderator: Melinda Tarsi Goldfien, Mansfield Finance Committee and ATFC Past President
10:45 – Noon
Concurrent Workshops I
Budgeting 101
Designed for new finance committee members, this session will provide a roadmap for building consensus by showing how best to organize and present your community’s financial information.
John Coderre, Town Administrator, Ashburnham
Moderator: Mary McBride, Billerica Finance Committee and ATFC Past President
Balancing Revenues and Expenditures
This workshop will examine alternate sources of revenues, expense reductions and budget efficiencies that can help bring your budget into balance. Aronstein will share Mansfield’s approach to this issue and will then facilitate a discussion so attendees can share their successes and challenges.
Mallory Aronstein, Town Manager, Mansfield
12 – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch
12:45 – 2 p.m.
Concurrent Workshops II
Deconstructing the School Budget
School budgets are often the largest and most complex portion of a municipality’s annual expenditures, presenting unique challenges for finance committee members. Designed as an overview, this workshop will cover basics like the net school spending requirements, special education cost drivers, Circuit Breaker reimbursements, and the Chapter 70 funding formula.
Sean Mangano, Finance Director, Amherst
Moderator: Bill Stuart, ATFC Director and Rockland Finance Committee
Financial Trend Monitoring
This workshop will show you how to implement a system of financial indicators that will allow you to objectively define, measure and report your community’s Financial Condition. It will cover best practices that are designed to bring issues and opportunities to the attention of decision-makers through a systematic method of trend analysis. Learn to separate fact from opinion and focus fellow municipal leaders on important trends and emerging issues.
John Coderre, Town Administrator, Ashburnham
Moderator: Ira Miller, Sharon Finance Committee and ATFC Past President
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