#MiddletownRI begins its work on its proposed Fiscal 2025 budget, looking to get the best numbers possible to the Town Council for review.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
BUDGET PREP UNDER WAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
BUDGET PREP UNDER WAY
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (NOVEMBER 20, 2023) – Preparations for the Fiscal 2025 budget are under way.
Acknowledging the late summer approval of the current Fiscal 2024 figures was an “anomaly,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said the goal was to never have a repeat of that experience again.
Recently, Brown briefed the Town Council about the work already ongoing with the numbers. That included an explicitly stated goal to all town department heads to keep their requested budget increases to 2 percent — or less.
All departments have until Dec. 15 to submit their proposed figures. From there, the council will get a preliminary look at the numbers during the annual revenue conference, tentatively slated for Jan. 16, 2024. After a series of meetings and discussions, the budget will be presented formally to the council on April 1 for review.
“Last year was a different situation and I personally appreciate everyone’s patience,” Brown said. “We’ve pledged as a town to make sure to do everything in our power to prevent that from happening again. There were good reasons at the time — the school bond and other factors — but we’re not going to make that a habit.”
As work continues to merge the town and school finance offices, Brown said he expected the resulting budget document would be the most complete ever.
Finance Director Marc Tanguay is responsible for assembling the budget. Patrick Guthlein works with the town department heads to come up with the best totals possible, with Raquel Pellerin responsible for working with the School Department.
Brown said for the first time ever, school building principals have direct insight into their spending for the upcoming year, a process known as “site based budgeting.” In addition to following state law, Brown said the input of principals, School Improvement Teams and other key staff was critical because they know each building best along with the needs of their students.
In keeping with the ongoing effort to make the most of the resources it has, Brown said he and other staff would be looking for ways to get more resources directly in the hands of educators.
“We are working closely with the School Department on the budget,” Brown said. “The goal here is to make our accounting process faster for everyone and improve the transparency of our financial data for each and every one of our stakeholders.”
A long — and sometimes tedious — process, the budget preparation work is some of the most important for the town every year.
Despite what some might think, Brown said he knows staff works hard to maximize every dollar spent, whether it’s at Second Beach, snowplowing, emergency services and beyond.
He also noted the town is continually on the lookout for new ways to grow revenues and pare costs, items that are expected to be part of the upcoming discussion with state legislators at the Dec. 4 council meeting.
Anyone with suggestions or ideas about the budget is asked to reach out to Brown’s office at 849-2898, email or submit a request with https://mdl.town/Helps online.
“Besides health, public safety and education, the budget is one of the most important jobs we have here in Middletown,” Brown said. “We take this responsibility very seriously and want to hear what our residents and businesspeople have to say. There are new ideas coming in every day and it’s good to see so many people involved.”
Document Link: https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/9894/NYCU-25