ATFC holds webinar exploring municipal budget implications of COVID

Brian Boyle, president of the Association of Town Finance Committees, speaks during the ATFC’s April 29 budget webinar.

The Association of Town Finance Committees held a webinar yesterday to discuss how the COVID-19 emergency could impact municipal budgets for the rest of the current fiscal year and in fiscal 2021.

The unprecedented shutdown of the economy has taken a toll on state and local revenue streams that has not yet been quantified. While the Baker-Polito administration has indicated that the state will continue to meet its commitments to cities and towns through June 30, the budget picture for fiscal 2021 is still a ways from coming into focus, creating an enormous challenge for local budget development.

The webinar panelists – MMA Legislative Director John Robertson and Hudson Town Manager Thomas Moses – covered all of this and more, exploring a range of scenarios and strategies that can help communities plan budgets in a time of uncertainty.

They also answered questions from town finance committee members during the 75-minute webinar.

• Presentation materials – Thomas Moses, Town Manager, Hudson (157K PDF)