STOCKBRIDGE Town taxpayers will see a lean operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, reflecting an overall increase of $154,000, less than 1.5 percent, from fiscal year 2021, which
STOCKBRIDGE â As budget season begins, the town plans to institute a âzero-basedâ formula for municipal spending.
That means starting from scratch instead of updating operating budget line items from the current year, Finance Committee Chairman Jay Bikofsky said during a meeting last week.
âEverything needs to be justified, as opposed to âlevel funding,â as done in the past,â he pointed out.
Town Administrator Michael Canales said that he has asked department heads to âfocus on reviewing what theyâre asking for, why theyâre asking for it, and how these numbers are calculated.â The practice has been to either ask for the same amount as the previous year, or a cost-of-living salary increase.