Town Report and Budget

Town Report

Each February, in anticipation of Town Meeting, the Town of Manchester publishes a Town Report. The Town Report includes the report of officers of the Town, financial information, the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, and a list of elected and appointed Town officials.

Starting in 2010, the Town Report is divided into two parts - Part A and Part B. Part A mailed to all postal patrons of zip codes 05254 and 05255, includes the proposed budgets for the school district and municipal government, tax information, Town Meeting Warning, minutes from previous Town Meetings and contact information. Part B includes reports of officers and not-for-profits, financial reports and information, and a list of appointed and elected Town officials.

Part B can be picked up at Town Meeting, and beginning on Monday, February 20 at Kilburn's Convenience Store, Town Hall (Town Clerk and Town Manager's offices), Discount Beverages and the Mark Skinner Library. Residents may also request that Part B be mailed to them by contacting Ioana Drew at 362-1313 (option 2) or emailing i.drew@manchester-vt.gov. This method is designed to save the taxpayers money and reduce paper consumption.

• View Part A of the 2011 Town Report (includes FY 2013 budget)
• View Part B of the 2011 Town Report

The 2010 Town Report (parts A and B can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

The Selectboard dedicates the Town Report to a group of citizens or individuals in the Town that have made significant contributions to the Town. Since 1992 past honorees include:

• 2011 - Fire Chief Philip "Grub" Bourn and Tropical Storm Irene responders
• 2010 - Don and Nancy Otis
• 2009 - Police Chief Manfred ("Fred") A. Wessner 
• 2008 - Doug and Cynthia Kilburn
• 2007 - World War Two Veterans
• 2006 - Ron and Cheryl Wilcox
• 2005 - Manchester Fire Department Members
• 2004 - Stanley S. Hinkley
• 2003 - Mary Hard Bort
• 2002 - Jeff Wilson, former Town Manager
• 2001 - Doug Shaw, former member of the Planning Commission
• 2000 - Howard Wechsler, Zoning Board of Adjustment Chair
• 1999 - Betty A. Tobin, Town employee
• 1998 - I. Stanford Zecher, Jr.
• 1997 - Barbara Cross
• 1996 - Ferdinand "Nundy" Bongartz
• 1995 - Madeline and Clifford "Doc" Harwood
• 1994 - Howard Dailey, Manchester Fire Department
• 1993 - Oscar Johnson Jr.
• 1992 - Chris Swezey, Manchester Fire Department

FY 2013 Town Budget: On the General Fund side, for FY 2013 property tax spending increases from $2,245,683 in FY 2012 to $2,285,802, an increase of $40,119. This represents a modest increase in property tax spending of 1.79%. The budget also implements a previously scheduled 3% increase in water and sewer user rates.

Property tax spending (and the related property tax rate) may be influenced upward by Article 27 of the Town Meeting Warning, which includes a bond question in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000 for the construction of a new building at the Dana L. Thompson Memorial Park. If Article 27 is approved, the Selectboard estimates that property tax spending would increase by another $37,000, for an overall property tax spending increase of approximately $77,000, for Fiscal Year 2013. Article 27 may also add another $121,000 (estimate for Fiscal Year 2014) to $80,000 (Fiscal Year 2032) over the next twenty years to property tax spending.

Individuals with questions or comments about the FY 2013 budget can email John O'Keefe, Town Manager, at j.okeefe@manchester-vt.gov or call (802) 362-1313 (option 2).

The Town of Manchester operates on a fiscal year that begins on July 1 of each year and ends on the following June 30. The Town Report includes the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. 

Budget Process Overview

In 2008 the Town of Manchester Selectboard adopted an innovative two year budgeting process. According to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), Manchester is one of the only municipalities in Vermont that currently utilizes a two year budget planning process. The second year of the two year budget process is for planning purposes only and is not included in the Town Meeting vote or Town Report. The budget submitted by the Town Manager on December 11, 2009 includes recommendations for Fiscal Year 2011 and 2012.

The following is a typical budget schedule:

• In August Selectboard approves Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that details the Town's  capital needs for six fiscal years
• In September the Town Manager solicits budget proposals from heads of departments through a document called the "budget call letter"
• In October heads of departments submit budget proposals to the Town Manager with supporting documentation
• In October and November the Town Manager works with heads of departments to develop Town Manager's budget recommendations to the Selectboard
• In December the Town Manager submits the budget recommendation to Selectboard
• In mid-December the Selectboard holds public meeting to review budget recommendation submitted by Town Manager and to accept public comments
• In January the Selectboard approves the Selectboard budget
• In February the Selectboard budget is printed in Town Report
• In late February or early March Town Meeting discusses and votes on Selectboard budget 
• In July the Town management team begins to implement the Town Meeting approved budget