At a loss

Day light savings time was this weekend.  The older I get the more I really begin to dislike the concept. 

While we are on the issue of changing the time, tonight's selectmen's meeting has a 6:00 start.  Looking at the agenda, the highlight should be the setting of the hearings for the DOR report.  I am assuming there will be drafts of the proposed articles that have been discussed in advance of the hearings.  

Otherwise why the wait so long to hold the hearings on the report itself?

A look at agenda also shows the deadline will be set for submission of articles for the STM.  Everyone has been pretty quiet on what is coming.  I know there are a few CPC articles.  There will be several other just in case articles (i.e. just in case they need more money, just in case the reserve fund can't pay for everything, just in case someone has fallen asleep).

While my personal highlight is noted above, the most important aspect of the meeting however will be the interview process for the finance director position.  It will be interesting to see in any event.

So it seems the time span is longer, let me note that there are 54 days until Town Meeting.  Less urgent sounding than saying there are less than 8 weeks until Town Meeting.  Reality is going to start demanding more attention at this point in the process. 

The immediate reality, not the projected reality.  

The immediate reality: unless someone has figured out a way otherwise, the old saying that you can't fit a square peg into a round hole will apply.  The square peg this year is a still non-existent budgetary and funding policy, with goals and objectives.  The round hole is the FY 2014 budget.  The corners of the desired goals and objectives are simply going to have to be trimmed to fit as much of that square peg as possible into the hole.  

Not to say attempts won't continue to be made.  Not to say that there isn't some basis behind the present attempts.  Indeed, assuming everything that needs to be done to try and fit those pieces together gets done today, there might be an outside chance.  Not a realistic chance mind you, just an outside one.

Effort is always a key component to any successful effort.  So is pure dumb luck at times.

There are many things that worked successfully, or have appeared to work successfully in the past.  Past efforts, past methods do not guaranty continued success.  Conditions change, rules change, revenue flow changes along with expenditures.  

Present "game plan" is to keep spending as close to the desired "conservative revenue projection as possible. Note that this is the desired revenue spending level, not what actual revenue will be.  Nothing wrong with spending less than you can.  We all know that from our personal lives.

How you intend to accomplish it is another matter.

Personally, I don't see it happening.  Can we as a town end up in the black for FY 2014.  Most definitely.  Make no mistakes about it, that is certainly attainable, and absolutely will happen.  Despite the fact it is a legal requirement, it is something that can be done without tapping existing reserves, assuming of course there aren't even further changes to expenses or revenue projections.

Should we attempt to do better than last year, i.e. essentially appropriating to the break even point. Make no mistakes about it, that is certainly something that is attainable, and absolutely something that should happen.  

Whether someone has a realistic strategy to cut $1.6 million from requests is another matter though.  You could come close, if there weren't certain legal impediments to doing so.  But there are some things that could and would be done in private business, that simply cannot be done under existing laws governing municipal operations.  I will leave it at that.

You can get to somewhere around the 1/2 way mark though.  The bulk of those cuts would be easy, say the first 3/4.  The next $200,000 would take some brain power and decision making.  You could even stretch it a bit beyond half-way being creative.  

But to get much beyond the $800,000 mark you are going to have to reduce operations.  

You are going to have to make specific proposals to specific budgets and provide sound rationale.  

I say "you", because I do not see where it can be done in one move without taking into account some severe consequences.  Until someone tells me the what, where and how I am at a loss.  How about you?

Out of time for the day, after all we lost an hour yesterday right?  Anyway, be safe!