BOF Gets a Look at the Selectmen’s Budget
- 40 minutes ago
- 3 min read
First Selectman Bill Morrison presented a budget he described as a work in progress at the February 26, 2026, Board of Finance (BOF) meeting. The Board of Selectmen has yet to officially vote on and approve the 2026-2027 budget, which would then officially be sent to the BOF for consideration. Still, at the moment, 2026-2027 is coming in at just a .35% increase over last year’s budget, for a total of $16,787,911.42.
That’s $58,592.42 more than this year’s budget. As a reminder, the current combined budget for FY 2025-2026 for the Town and Schools maintained the previous mill rate (38.59) but cut the actual dollar amount spent by more than $70,000.
Morrison walked the BOF through the changes for each department, which he will undoubtedly do again once the budget is officially presented at a public hearing. So, rather than digging into all the details of these possibly still changing numbers, let’s talk briefly about the big savings that made this relatively small increase possible: Debt Service. That line item decreased by $404,675.58, a result of paying off old debts, though Morrison did not dive into the details on Thursday night.
See the whole presentation here:
Budget wrangling begins
What was evident at the meeting is that the Town is still struggling with the eternal question: What will the voters approve?
BOF member Dave Walsh said he had a “problem with the whole approach we’re taking.” He went on to ask, “Does it make sense to stay with the same amount of money…simply to pacify people who don’t want to believe there’s going to be a tomorrow?” Walsh has long advocated for greater investment in the Town.
Morrison said that it is ultimately a question for the taxpayers. He didn’t necessarily disagree with Walsh, but he said, “I’m the one who answers the phone…” when people call, indicating that he felt a conservative approach was still what voters wanted.
Soon thereafter, a few voters had the chance to express their opinion during public comment. (It’s worth noting here that the BOF tried to make it clear that this is not a question and answer session, and that when people asked questions anyway, Morrison told them to come talk to him after the meeting.)
Derek Dimmock said, “Dave, you think everyone has a pot of gold in the basement.” He said the roads are not that bad, and if they get too good, people will just complain that people are driving too fast. He went on to ask questions about why the town is providing Building Inspector services to Windham, for 10 hours each week, when, at a meeting earlier this year, Fire Marshal Mark Morrison, who is also a Building Inspector, made no bones about it; his office cannot keep up with the demand for fire inspections.
During the presentation, Morrison said Windham pays Stafford $138,507 a year for the Building Inspector services. If you’re doing the math, they are essentially paying nearly $140,000 for what amounts to one-quarter of a full-time employee. Morrison also said that Glen Setzler and Mark Morrison frequently work Fridays and weekends to make up for the lost time in Stafford.
Next, Henry Brooks said that if the Town wants him to Vote Yes, it will have to fund the additional staffing requests made by the police department, which are not currently included in the proposed budget. “I don’t think Stafford should be short law enforcement,” he said.
Sage McPherson asked if the town had a game plan for dealing with businesses that owe back taxes, suggesting that there should be a deadline or payment plan in place.
Laura Lybarger said she generally agrees with Walsh that Stafford needs to invest in its community, but “people are struggling right now, myself included.” She said the problem was not the town but the state, and that the solution to the problems towns face had to be implemented at the regional level. She suggested that combining school districts, among other services, could help keep costs down, but that people would need to advocate for changes at much higher levels. “This is not going to get solved in Stafford,” she said. (Learn more about the battle for Educational Cost Sharing at the state level here.)
