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Town Report
How and Why to Read Your Town Report
A few days before Town Meeting, it’s time to sit down and look over the Town Report. Often it doesn’t take that long, because it doesn’t seem all that interesting. Oh, sure, there’s a nice picture of a new plow on the front, and a list of those who haven’t paid their property taxes that year, but most of the Town Report just doesn’t sing. Who would blame us for dozing off?
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Town Meeting is how citizens guide the town, and is a chance to share questions and concerns about town issues with neighbors.
Photo by Sandy Macys, courtesy Times Argus.
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Too many voters put their Town Report in the “I’ll read it later” pile.
Give it a chance.
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Before you doze, however, think about what this report means. A good Town Report can tell you a great deal about your town. While town expenditures and tax rates are important, the reports of the town officials help us understand what has been going on during the last year and what must be planned for the future.
The budget is up for a vote, but is it a fair and responsible budget? How does the highway budget proposed for this year compare with last year? How much did the zoning administrator take in fees and penalties, and how much did the grand list grow?
The answers to these and other questions are in the report, but for many voters, the Town Report arrives in the mail, gets put somewhere where “I’ll read it later,” and then if read at all is zipped through in less than a minute, often with a distasteful feeling because it reminds you of some other tax you have to pay.
Sit down with it, in good light, and give it a chance. It’s the report of your town.
Opening the Cover
Find the table of contents. Now scan the listings. You will see several key elements. The audits list how money of the town and school was spent during the previous fiscal year. The budget outlines what the Selectboard proposes to spend on town needs during the coming year. Next come a series of reports from town officials, including the Selectboard, the Zoning Board, and others. These are the big categories. But before diving in, locate one vital entry first: the warning.
The Warning
The first item we want to look at is the warning. Don’t go any further with the book until you find it. Look at the heading. Are you sure this isn’t last year’s minutes? They are important, but keep hunting for the warning. When you’ve found it, check where and when the meeting is being held. Put it on your calendar now. Reserve this time, and protect it from competing events. After all, this is the Town Meeting of your town.
Okay, let’s see what’s going on this year. Find the budget article. Circle that amount. Write it on the back cover right now. Later we’re going to want to know the answer to the most important question at Town Meeting. How much does the budget increase over last year? And why? That information is in a different part of the report, and we’ll find it.
First, read through or skim each of the articles. Elections, setting the tax due date, discounts, installments, the rate of interest on delinquencies, and a whole long list of organizations who want some town money, each have their own questions. It ends with “Other Business,” and we’re out of here. Now, let’s see if there are any public questions in the list. Do you get to vote on a zoning amendment or a bond this year, or perhaps take a stand on national or international policy? You may want to learn more about these before the meeting. Some questions may be voted by Australian ballot; distinguish them from those to be discussed at the meeting. Mark the page of the warning so you can find it at the meeting.
The Budget
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The Town Report is mailed to all residents and taxpayers. Extra copies are available from the Town Clerk’s office, and can also be picked up at Town Meeting.
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First, take a moment to read the Selectboard’s report commenting on the budget. At the same time, read what the Budget Committee writes as a preface. This was written by your neighbors who follow the budget process; they explain their opinions, and note special points of interest this year.
Okay, now I want to know how much the budget went up and why. First, find the budget. Look at expenditures first. This section is usually broken down into categories, beginning with “General Government” and running down, page by page, each of the departments and functions of town government. Each heading is followed by a series of columns, showing the actual and budgeted expenditures. Running your finger or a straight edge along this line shows how the budget has changed over time. It also shows how well the Selectboard has done in predicting how much the town needs for line items.
Go to the last page of the budget where it says “Grand Total” for all expenditures. This is the money proposed to be spent in the town this coming year. The grand total does not include money to be appropriated at Town Meeting for special expenditures, including social service requests.
The next section is revenues, a listing of where the money needed to run the town originates. State funds, fees, penalties, and interest are listed there. So is the amount proposed to be raised in property taxes. At the bottom of this section you see “Total Revenues.”
Town Meeting can consist of skirmishes about individual lines in the budget. People may debate math errors, or why the salt budget is so high. Beware the distractions of minor issues. The budget is the key to everything a town does.
The Reports
Tired of numbers? Here come the words. Here among the reports are a good number of your neighbors, telling you how it went this year. There is a lot of interesting detail in the reports. You can learn how many zoning permits were issued, how many fires were extinguished (hopefully all of them, eventually), and more. Some of this won’t interest you, but give everything a try. They’re trying to report to you, after all.
Use of the Town Report
The Town Report is obviously essential to a full appreciation of Town Meeting. It doesn’t answer all your questions, but it can certainly help you form your questions.
Having your report handy, you can follow along when the debate gets hot. Rolled up, it can serve as a great prop to wave around theatrically while you’re speaking to the assembly. Most importantly, it is a reference tool for finding answers from town officials. You can cite authority if you have your report with you at Town Meeting.
Adapted from “How and Why to Read a Town Report,” by the Vermont Institute for Government. (See Resources for Democracy)
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