Town Meeting and Budget Updates (1/10/25)

TOWN OF JERICHO

TOWN MEETING REIMAGINED

On January 23rd, 2025 the public will have an opportunity to discuss the DRAFT Budget with the Selectboard using the same format and structure as our old Town Meeting. Jericho residents may make suggestions or ask questions from the floor at the MMU Auditorium or from their homes via Zoom, and the Town Moderator will judge and record the amount of support of those present using a show of hands (in the auditorium and on zoom).

In preparation of this meeting, the DRAFT budget will be available to the public on January 17th. The DRAFT budget will be on Join in Jericho (jerichovt.org/jericho-town-meeting-2-0), and paper copies will be available from the Town Clerk at the Town Hall or via email for anyone who requests one. This will allow the public to see the budget prior to the meeting on January 23rd and prepare their ideas and comments before we gather. We are trying to ensure that we have a binder at TMR with all of the outside agency requests in it, which would provide documentation if anyone would like to see it.

After January 23rd, the Selectboard will review the public comments and the amount of support received from those present to make their final decisions on what will be included in the complete Final Proposed Budget. The final proposed budget will be sent to the printers on January 30th and a printed Annual Town Report will be mailed to residents on February 17th, as you’ve come to expect. Voting on the final proposed budget and any public questions will occur by Australian Ballot on March 4th at MMU anytime between 7 am and 7 pm.

Timeline Recap:

January 16th - Budget hearing

January 17th - Proposed budget available for public review

January 23rd - Public discussion of budget at Town Meeting - MMU or Zoom at 6 pm

January 30th - Final proof of Annual Report including Budget (+/- amendments from the public) due at printers

February 17th - Annual Report mailed to all residents of Jericho

March 4th - Voting by Australian Ballot at MMU from 7 am - 7 pm

The changes that we are working through will continue the tradition of public discussion in a Town Meeting format in a way that is more accessible to more Jericho Voters and allow Jericho to enable more people to participate in voting for the final budget. Thank you for your support as we work through this first year! We look forward to seeing you on January 23rd and March 4th, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

We ask all residents to understand that this is a new process, and the Task Force, Town staff and Selectboard are working hard to ensure everything goes smoothly. We will be collecting feedback from the public so we can make future events better.

If you are interested in the Selectboard’s budget-building process - they have been building the budget at their 2 monthly public meetings since October 2024. These meetings can be reviewed HERE (minutes, MMCTV). This process will wrap up with the Capital Budget Hearing on January 16th, during which they will also review the final numbers in the Draft Budget. Previously, the SB has had through late January to finish their proposed budget work, but last March, they committed to completing a DRAFT Budget in time for voters to have an opportunity to review and offer input before the Selectboard finalizes the Capital and Operating Budget that will be on the Ballot on March 4, 2025.