Some personal perspectives on the proposed town budget

One of the most important pieces of the work of a selectboard is proposing the town budget. The budget not only determines how much your local tax rate will be, it also sets the priorities for the town.

While the five members of the Charlotte Selectboard must work together and compromise to get a budget created, they rarely agree on all aspects of it. This review of the budget is my personal opinion as a selectboard member and doesn’t reflect anyone else’s opinion.

Overall budget number expenses

The proposed budget for 2026 is $4,265,990. That represents a less than 1 percent increase from 2025. It is important to keep costs in check even though the municipal budget is a small percentage of your total tax bill. Voters spoke in 2023 when they voted down the town budget. And when the cost of everything is increasing, I’m proud that the town was able to contain costs. It was a group effort.

There are two allocation requests coming before voters on town meeting day. One for $62,000 for the town trails and one for $40,000 towards a new bath house at Charlotte Town Beach. The existing bath house is nearing 50 years old and is not accessible. Adding those two requests would add about 2 percent to the budget.

The No. 1 way we pay the bills is tax revenue. This year we will ask voters to raise just over $2.5 million from taxes. The homestead tax rate is likely to be lower than last year. That’s pretty good news considering that things cost more. The town gets money from other sources to make up the difference. This largest amount comes from leases on Thompson’s Point (nearly $1 million); plus over $300,000 from the state for roads and other tax payments.

Compared to fiscal year 2025, there are several noteworthy changes:

• The selectboard supported a 3-percent cost of living increase for all employees for 2026. Something we needed to get back on track with.

• Bravo to the Charlotte Library for presenting a flat budget. While some staff costs are increasing, the library operations have remained level-funded.

• The senior center increased its revenue projection by 20 percent.

• The recreation department is covering over 75 percent of their costs with revenue.

The selectboard made the difficult decision to increase its budget for legal fees by more than 100 percent. Based on recent history, we are seeing more challenges to development review decisions. Also, the town needs additional legal services as it works through its first labor union negotiation. And there are legal fees associated with the flood damage from Hurricane Beryl. The good news is FEMA reimburses those.

One word of caution: With so much shifting nationally, we need to keep a close eye on our budgets in the coming year, including making sure we dot our i’s and cross our t’s on this flood repair. Committed reimbursements from the state and federal government are crucial to this work. We expect Spear Street to re-open in the spring.

Actions I support the town taking in the coming year for fiscal strength:

• Adopt a proactive capital planning strategy.

By implementing a comprehensive capital improvement plan, the town can prioritize preventive maintenance, extend the lifespan of its assets and reduce the need for emergency repairs, which often come at a premium.

The town garage is a good example of why you need to be prepared. We relied on a privately owned facility. After it was destroyed by fire, the town had to take immediate action to create a new facility. In my opinion, it’s always better to be prepared. And while we do have reserve funds for a rainy day, we can do more to manage all of the amazing buildings and facilities.

• Expand the town’s access to grant opportunities.

I was very supportive of work done by our energy, trails and recreation committees to apply for grants to support their work. The library and senior center are also working on more grant funding.

All of our boards and committees are doing important work for the town. Access to grants will help them do more when budgets are tight. But grant applications are time-consuming. The town and its many volunteers would benefit from professional support with grant writing, and there are professionals who do this work on a contract basis. Working with committees and boards to expand grant opportunities will be a win-win for Charlotte.

• Shared authority for financial decisions.

Volunteers are doing important work on behalf of the town. Why not give them more authority over some of the funds the town allocates to their work? I’d like to have the selectboard discuss, with their input, more sustainable allocations for each of these groups annually and give them some authority over spending.

Giving wider authority to the town administrator for purchasing and contracts will streamline the work of the selectboard and make town operations more efficient. To do this, the selectboard would need to adjust its purchasing policy. This policy is in need of an update if for no other reason than to reflect how much things cost these days. Simple decisions and repeat contracts could be handled by the town administrator.

• Exploring shared or regional fire and rescue services.

Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services is our largest single budget item at just over $1 million. These services are important to our residents. One way to manage these costs would be to consider working with our neighboring towns on shared services. The leaders of the fire and rescue service have voiced support for exploring this. It is time to take a close look at this option.

Finally, a question — Should we grow and diversify the tax base? More revenue and different types of revenue sources would help the town address the rising cost of almost everything. But is that what the town wants? I’ll be asking folks that question. We all love Charlotte for its amazing natural beauty and open space. That must be preserved. At the same time, if we don’t grow or grow slowly, our property taxes will increase when costs increase.

The best news is that Charlotte voters get the final say on all of this at town meeting on Saturday, March 1. I look forward to our first town meeting in several years and a chance to hear from our community.

If you have questions, please reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you.

(Kelly Devine is a member of the Charlotte Selectboard.)