Norwood Town Budget Is Balanced, But No One Is Happy

NORWOOD, MA — Things are looking bleak on the budget front, and that's putting it lightly.

Finance Commission Chair Alan Slater gave an overview of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019 at Town Meeting last week. While challenging, Slater praised the cooperative spirit between the selectmen, finance committee, town officials, and school officials.

"This has probably been the most difficult budget year, without question. I don't think anyone was happy with the budget but we got a balanced budget," Slater said. "We're not broke but we do have some challenges ahead."

Flat revenue has made budgeting difficult, forcing the town to use reserves to fund the budget due to a structural deficit.

"The bottom line is we are using too much (reserve funds) to balance our budget," he said.

This year, the town budget and shared costs have no increases, with the school budget up 3.3 percent and receiving 100 percent of the increase in the tax levy.

After Town Meeting, the budget-balancing committee is going to look at 2020 budget, develop a five-year plan, and look at legitimate needs.

Image: File Photo