EAST LONGMEADOW — As a decision on the fiscal year 2026 budget approaches, the East Longmeadow Town Council discussed whether to eschew the use of the Financial Oversight Committee or continue with past practices.
As a standing committee of the Town Council, the Finance Oversight Committee’s charge does not end at a specific point and the members do not change unless the Town Council president decides to appoint a replacement.
At the Town Council’s March 11 meeting, President Connor O’Shea said that in past years, the Finance Oversight Committee reviews the budget, often interviewing department heads in the process, and then their recommendation is “dumped” in the council’s lap at the last minute, not giving councilors the time to thoroughly review information and follow up on concerns.
Councilor Kathleen Hill, who has served on the Finance Oversight Committee in the past, said the committee spends about 20 hours undertaking a “deep dive” of the budget materials before making its recommendations. She asked O’Shea how that would be done without a dedicated committee. He responded that the council could do that work during its regular meetings every other week.
Hill dismissed that idea, saying, “It’s going to be too cumbersome.” Reflecting on the uncertainty around federal and state funding, Hill said, “This is not the year to change horses midstream.”
Councilor Marilyn Richards said councilors cannot be expected to be experts in all matters and that the Finance Oversight Committee is “doing the stuff that I’m frankly not able to do.”
Councilor Anna Jones asked what made the Finance Oversight Committee members experts. Hill said the members of the committee, which usually includes councilors and people with backgrounds in finance, understands the intricacies of debt and borrowing more than most of the councilors. Councilor Ralph Page agreed. He said that if any unexpected budgetary issues arise, the committee may see solutions that the Town Council would not.
Jones questioned whether Town Manager Tom Christensen and Finance Director Kimberly Collins had the same institutional knowledge. Collins said that she and Christensen spend time with each department, going over every line item. From her perspective, rather than it being a question of expertise, she said it is more about having another “set of eyes” to review the budget.
Countering an assertion by O’Shea that the budget is the responsibility of the council, Hill pointed to the Planning Matters and Bylaw subcommittees, two bodies that review matters and hammer them out before they are taken up by the full council. She saw the Finance Oversight Committee’s purpose as being in much the same vein.
O’Shea asked his colleagues if they were willing to “take the heat” for cuts that they did not agree with. Page said he was, and pointed out that the council could choose not to adopt the committee’s recommendations.
Hill said it was incumbent upon the councilors to stay abreast of the discussions in Finance Oversight Committee meetings by attending or watching recordings. Jones also suggested a collaborative model, with councilors attending committee meetings.
O’Shea agreed to make use of the Finance Oversight Committee this year budget season, but said he would change the roster and follow Councilor James Leydon’s suggestion to adopt an abbreviated deadline to give the council time to review the recommendations and follow up on any concerns. If needed, he said department heads could attend a meeting with the council but not appear before the committee alone.
Being the “keeper of the purse” is the council’s most important duty, O’Shea later told Reminder Publishing. Allowing the heavy lifting to be done by another body felt like it was not in keeping with the charter’s intent, he said. He also said the council and the committee do not always have the same perspective.
