KENT, Conn.—Town Treasurer Barbara Herbst recently reported to the Selectmen that the 2024-25 fiscal year ended in good order with only a total of $186,000 in line-item transfers needed.
She said the first week of July that many of these transfers can be handled through intradepartmental shifts of funding, and that she had identified $130,000 in those departments that can be applied to overages.
“Interest rates are trending the way they should,” she said, “and should exceed what was budgeted by a bit.” And she added that a couple of departments had not yet recorded their revenues.
“We allocated $500,000 last year [to be applied to the budget to keep taxes down], but I don’t think much of it will be used—maybe $100,000, maybe nothing.”
Ironically, the Board of Finance exceeded its budget and needs a transfer.
“The audit cost $2,000 more than anticipated,” Herbst explained. And computer services for her own department went over budget as she transfers to new, more sophisticated software.
On the other hand, the tax collector, town clerk, planning and zoning, building inspector and inland wetlands commission had surpluses. Happily, she reported that the cost for EMS staffing was less than anticipated. After the fire department signed a new, post-budget-preparation contract, town officials anticipated a cost of $80,000. “I think it will come in around $60,000,” she reported.
Highway department salaries were over budget because the men logged 142 holiday hours. “They get paid triple time on holidays,” Herbst explained. “We don’t budget for working holiday hours.”
The Board of Education reported a large surplus but will exercise its right to put two percent of its operating budget—some $102,000—into a non-lapsing fund.
In a separate issue, she said she wants to move her office to a more digital footprint, having the selectmen make a blanket motion to process recurrent bills and sending departments a monthly report to review.
“The current system is not efficient,” she said. “I’m thinking of transitioning to a more digital footprint. [Department heads] will still see the information, but they won’t see the electric bill to stamp and sign and hand back to [Administrative Assistant Joyce Kearns]. This would be for utility bills, insurance bills and things like that. Purchases would still be submitted.”
