The 2008 Annual Report is available at the Municipal Center. It contains the fiscal year budget for 2009-2010 and fiscal year audits for 2007-2008. The school district budget is also included.

This is the kind of document that takes a team of people to read closely. There are 73 pages of financial information and accompanying notes to enjoy. It says the Selectboard had 14 meetings to work out the details, and much staff time went into getting it done.

Expenditures are up 8% and taxes will be going up for homeowners 1.23%, Sondag writes, mostly due to the Selectboard doubling paving expenses from $400,000 to $800,000 in FY10, to be paid for with a 5 year bond.

In order of the sizes of increases:

Insurance went up 35%
Capital Improvements (paving) up 32.7%
Bonds and notes up 18%
Fuel, electric and utilities up 16.6%
Benefits up 11%
Trash and recycling up 7.5%
Salaries, overtime, and seasonal work up 1.6%

Town Manager Barb Sondag warns that the Town must continue to reduce services or increase revenue in the future. She says that Brattleboro has deferred many capital improvements, including the Municipal Center which "requires much attention," as well as bridges, roads, and retaining walls around town.

She says the Town has had relatively little debt, but that is going to change. They are developing a strategy for debt, beginning with the recently-completed comprehensive capital improvement plan.

Sondag says the best way to increase revenue is to grow the grand list by "attracting good businesses and employers to the area." Tax stabilization, she says, was the first step but more needs to be done.

She mentions Pay As You Throw, and that she expects next year's tipping fees to be higher than this year's $91 per ton.

On page 43 there is a note about the Union Station project. You may recall that the Federal Transportation Agency (FTA) asked that Brattleboro not proceed with Phase 2 (primarily the platform at the train station) until a Financial Management Overview Review by the FTA has been completed.

This note indicates that the review is not yet complete, but that the Town believes the FTA is still committed to the project. Delays, it says, may raise the cost. The entire multi-modal transportation center project was budgeted at $4.5 million and approximately $1.5 million has been spent to date, according to the note..


You can pick up a copy of the Annual Report at the Municipal Center on Main Street.