Advisory Board Proposes Reforms to Improve Budget Process

MARSHFIELD - During a joint meeting with the Select Board on March 25, the Marshfield Advisory Board presented a series of recommendations designed to improve the town’s annual budget process.

The seven recommendations ranged from increased collaboration with departments to long-term financial planning and strategies to improve transparency for both residents and officials.

Advisory Board Chair Rick Smith said the proposals emerged after weeks of review and discussions with department heads.

“The advisory board spent a considerable amount of time going through the fiscal year 2026 budget as presented over the last probably six weeks or so,” Smith said. “We thought that it would be appropriate to go one step further.”

Focus on Collaboration and Long-Term Planning

The board’s first recommendation suggested including Advisory Board members earlier in the creation of department budgets to promote more collaboration without slowing the process.

“We believe that a process should be created for the Advisory Board members to be included in the creation of department budgets,” Smith said.

Other recommendations included asking the Marshfield Public Schools to develop a five-year financial plan to align with its strategic goals, and encouraging renewed consideration of a revenue-sharing agreement between the town and the school district.

Smith noted that such an agreement had been used in the past.

“It establishes a more solid starting point for the discussions in budgets between the town and schools,” he said.

Town Counsel Robert Galvin confirmed that a past agreement exists, though it has not been consistently followed.

“There is a written agreement between the school and the town dealing with new revenue and how it's to be shared,” Galvin said. “It hasn't been exactly adhered to. It's more of a memorandum of understanding.”

Additional Recommendations Address Communication and Staffing

The Advisory Board also recommended the town create educational resources to help residents better understand municipal finances, continue training on the town’s Munis accounting platform, and ensure department heads are actively involved in building their own budgets.

One recommendation emphasized the need to fill vacancies on the Advisory Board, which currently has five members but could have up to nine.

“Filling the empty seats needs to be a priority for the town to ensure transparency and the continued checks and balances on town government,” Smith said.

Select Board Chair Lynne Fidler thanked the board for its work.

“I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of what you see as important,” Fidler said. “Each one of them brings something to the table.”

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