BRATTLEBORO-The Selectboard will host a listening session to kick off the fiscal year 2027 budget process on Thursday, Sept. 11, starting at 6:15 p.m. at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St.
This in-person event is an opportunity for the public to share their ideas about priorities for spending for the next financial year, which begins on July 1, 2026, directly with the Selectboard outside the typical meeting format.
There will be no Zoom or livestream option for this meeting, but the session will be recorded by Brattleboro Community Television and will be broadcast and streamed on its website.
Suggested questions for providing feedback include:
• What values do you want to see reflected in the FY27 budget?
• What do you most want to see changed in the FY27 budget?
• Are there any town services that you want protected in the FY27 budget?
It took two attempts to pass a FY2026 budget after Representative Town Meeting nixed the first recommendation in March 2025 and sent it back to the Selectboard which, by then, included three new members.
The body met again on May 27 and approved a $24,971,305 budget that was expected to add $286 per year, or $24 per month, to the tax rate for a median income home.
At an Aug. 4 Selectboard retreat this year, board members discussed annual priorities and brought the following "big ideas" to the table:
• Keeping the FY27 budget to a low, single-digit increase without making withdrawals from long term expenses.
• Increasing revenues without increasing property taxes;
• Cultivating financial responsibility and health (planning, policies, Finance Director, Finance Committee, roads).
• Working with local or regional partners to create a day labor program.
• Continuing to explore state revenue sharing and educate the public.
The budget conversation will continue during Selectboard meetings throughout the remainder of 2025 and into early 2026.
Future updates about the FY27 budget process will be available at Brattleboro.gov/fy27budget.
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.