The discussion, led by Arlington Deputy Town Manager Sandy Pooler and geared toward newly elected select board members, covered “the ins and outs” of municipal finance, including budgeting basics and the importance of town finance committees.

Pooler also fielded questions on a number of topics, including how COVID-19 has affected the typical municipal budget calendar and the roles of the select board and the town manager in the budgeting process.

Municipal finance is one of the most critical aspects of the job for select boards in Massachusetts. More than 130 newly elected and experienced select board members from across the state participated in the webinar.

• Budget Basics – presentation by Sandy Pooler (1.3M PDF)