Minutes of the Municipal Budget Advisory Committee
Town of Temple, NH
May 8, 2024

The Municipal Budget Advisory Committee was authorized by the legislative body on March 16, 2024, to “assist the voters of the Town of Temple in the prudent appropriation of public funds or take any action relative thereto,” as authorized by Municipal Budget Law, RSA 32:24 (Warrant Article 21).

Members present (in alphabetical order):
Steve Anderson 924-8544
Rae Barnhisel 878-3671
Michael Barrett 878-1032
Hap Brown 878-3200
Bruce Kullgren, Sr. 878-2968
Ted Petro 878-1393

Meeting called to order at 7:45 pm

Order of Business:
1. Nominations of officers resulted in Mike Barrett and Steve Anderson elected as Co-Chairs and Rae Barnhisel elected as Minute-Taker.

2. Goals and objectives were defined as:
A. Understand NH state law.

B. Understand history and evolution of Temple's town budget.

C. Recommend a budget in whole or in part that reflects a prudent appropriation of funds.

3. Future meetings will be held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month from 7:30-9 pm at the Municipal offices. A Co-Chair will post the meeting in two places 24 hours ahead or post the scheduled day, time, and place.

4. Actions to be taken to address the above goals and objectives include:

A. Understand NH state law:
Set up a meeting with an experienced auditor of NH Dept. of Revenue Administration (DRA) to understand what the state requires of a town in budgetary procedures. Barnhisel will contact our current auditor, Sandra Rourke, for information on time availability.

B. Understand history and evolution of Temple's town budget:
Set up an appointment with all members of the Select Board and Administrative Assistant Debra Harling to understand how the budget is currently set up and why it is organized the way that it is. This action will follow the DRA meeting above.

C. Recommend a budget in whole or in part that reflects a prudent appropriation of funds:
Set up a meeting with Aaron Kullgren of Greenfield who sits on a budget advisor committee to understand how such committees operate, what their goals are, and how they are effective. Other towns with similar committees should be also be contacted.

5. Informal resolutions include to:

· have the BAC function as an advisory capacity with cost-cutting in mind;
· work with the Select Board on an amicable basis;
· distinguish recurring items in the budget from unusual or exceptional items;
· scrutinize line items that have high rates of increase;
· analyze each item line by line;
· prioritize items according to their prudent level of scrutiny;
· work with department heads and other town employees, officials, and committees to understand costs and concerns; and
· specifically address Capital Reserve Funds and a Capital Improvement Program.

Meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm

Respectfully submitted,
Rae Barnhisel
May 22, 2024