ATFC 2009 Annual Meeting workshop handouts
The following are the workshops for which handouts were available. Click on the link to download.
New to the Finance Committee: Budgeting 101
This session will provide a good foundation for understanding the basics of municipal finance and budgeting. It will include a review of the timetable of the annual budget, developing a capital improvement plan, an overview of the tax recapitulation process and managing long-term debt.
• Al Tosti, Arlington Finance Committee Chair and ATFC Treasurer
• Tony Torissi, Finance Director, Andover
Moderator: Paul Joyce, Dedham Advisory Board and ATFC Past President
• New to the Finance Committee: Budgeting 101 (1.9M PDF)
Presentation by Andover Finance Director Tony Torrisi and Arlington Finance Committee Chair Allan Tosti
Drafting and Implementing Sound Financial Policies
This session will present a model of financial planning activities that finance committee members can use to engage decision makers in financial policy discussions and long-range planning, ideally leading to budgets based on policies and principles rather than the minutiae that frequently overwhelms the budget process.
• William Keegan, Town Administrator, Dedham
• David Martin, Finance Committee Chair, Dedham
• Marilyn Mathieu, Chief Finance Officer, Bellingham
Moderator: John Warren, Stoneham Finance Committee Chair and ATFC Vice President
• Purpose and Benefits of Financial Policies (656K PDF)
Town of Bellingham presentation
• Sound Financial Policies: Establishing Policies that Stabilize Your Budget Process (56K PDF)
Town of Dedham presentation
• Debt Management Policy (28K Word)
Town of Dedham, revised January 2003
• Overall Financial Management Policies (24K Word)
Town of Dedham, revised January 2003
• Investment Policy (36K Word)
Town of Dedham, revised January 2003
Crystal Ball Finances: Revenue Forecasting
This session will approach multi-year financial planning as a valuable tool for cities and towns in the Proposition 2 1/2 environment. Planning revenues, operating expenses, capital expenditures and their impact on three-to-five-year scenarios will be discussed. The relationship of these expenditures to the planning and use of balance sheet reserves such as free cash, overlay and stabilization funds is also addressed.
• Charlie Foskett, Chair, Arlington Capital Committee
• Christopher Ketchen, Assistant Executive Director, Town of Wellesley
Moderator: Mary McBride, Billerica Finance Committee and ATFC Director
• The Basics of Revenue and Expenditure Forecasting (696K PDF)
Town of Wellesley presentation
• Quality Municipal Service: Financial Planning in Uncertain Times (248K PDF)
Town of Arlington presentation
School Funding Basics
Chapter 70 aid is dubbed education aid, but when it gets reduced, your community loses town services and public safety employees. When it is increased, there is a community debate about how much of the increase your school can have. It’s a large number that is often dismissed as too complicated to comprehend. This presentation will provide an explanation of the foundation budget algorithms, local required spending concepts, and state aid variances among communities.
• Charles Lyons, Superintendent, Shawsheen Vocational Technical High School
• Roger Hatch, Finance Programs Administrator, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Moderator: John Warren, Stoneham Finance Committee Chair, ATFC Vice President
• School Funding Basics: The Chapter 70 State Aid Formula (380K PDF)
