Milton Budget Coordination Committee: September 15th, 2026

The Milton Budget Coordination Committee met on September 15, 2026, to discuss the town and school budget planning process for fiscal year 2028. The meeting focused heavily on financial forecasting improvements, budget assumptions, and the coordination between town and school budget forecasts. Committee members reviewed survey feedback emphasizing the need for detailed, realistic forecasting grounded in supporting data and the importance of a unified forecast owned by town staff but reviewed collaboratively. The committee also discussed the capital budget request process, operating budget timelines, and the challenges of balancing budgets amid constrained revenue growth. It was noted that departmental budget requests are due by the end of the month to enable capital committee evaluations, and that a preliminary budget would be presented to the warrant committee by December 1, with final budget decisions expected by the end of January. The discussion highlighted the need for early scenario planning, clear communication of revenue projections, and the expectation that budgets may be incomplete or unbalanced by December 1, requiring further refinement. Benchmarking staffing and spending against comparable communities was also discussed as a potential tool for budget evaluation. Overall, the meeting centered on improving the budget forecasting and development process to better prepare for upcoming fiscal challenges and ensure coordinated decision-making across town and school departments.