July 28, 2011
Budget Reclassification Explored
For the past few years, Colchester has become used to a certain format in which the annual budget is presented. Much work has been done over the years to include more information and make the budget easier to understand. More detail was included to show the components of every line item and narratives have also been included to describe the function and goals of the various departments.
Over time, items have been added or changed in our budget which has led to budget objects and categories that do not fit together. For instance, legal costs have been lumped together in one budget item rather then placed in the appropriate departments.
I have proposed a reclassification of the budget to the Board of Finance at their last meeting. We’ll have discussions at future meetings to determine the final outcome. The bottom line is that next year’s budget may look a little different and we need to ensure that when we compare budgets from different years that the change is taken into account.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is that the average citizen can read and understand the budget that is presented to them. By putting all costs in the most appropriate categories, we can give everyone the best sense of what the actual costs are for each department.
Human Resources
Over the last year, we have been internally reviewing and revising the personnel policies. In the next few months, these policies will be brought to the Board of Selectmen for review and adoption.
Human resources is one of the most important functions an organization has. Properly recruiting, hiring, retaining, incenting, managing, and training the right employees is critical to the success of Colchester. Having a good set of personnel policies is a key component in ensuring our employees know everything they need to about working for Colchester.
Most organizations have a dedicated human resources office or personnel dedicated to this function. Colchester however has never developed this capability and we have instead split the function. Some of the benefits management resides with the finance department, the personnel management resides in the First Selectman’s office, and we also rely on attorneys for labor advice.
Slowly, I have been trying to build a more robust human resources function by tightening up some of our rules and procedures. I am also looking more towards HR service firms to provide some of this functionality instead of using costly lawyers.
I don’t yet know what the final outcome will be for human resources in the town. However, I want to ensure we support this critical function in order to have the best and most productive employees we can.
- Gregg Schuster
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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