Weston Finance Committee pushes for earlier role in town budget process

WESTON — October 8, 2020 — Weston Finance Committee presses for top-down budget guidelines and reviews first year of performance data. Member John Sally argued the town's "very bottom up" process leaves volunteer boards reacting in January to budgets that are already set, and urged guideline targets — debt reduction, OPEB funding, per-pupil costs he placed 27 percent above comparable towns — borrowed from Concord and Lexington. Member Bharath Venkataraman pushed for a Concord-style growth ceiling and a five-year advance-notice rule for capital projects over $1 million. Town Manager Leon Gaumond presented a draft 12-month performance-measurement report on fire, public works, water and police, and said he is preparing a state IT grant application of up to $200,000 due the following week. Member John McDonald called the data "meaningless" without peer-town benchmarks. The fall Special Town Meeting is canceled and the financial summit moves to November.