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Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes 
Bilotta Meeting Room 
Lunenburg Town Hall 
June 12, 2025 
Present Members:  Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell (Zoom), Clerk Tom Gray, 
   Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp,  
   Committee Member Jay Simeone 
Absent Member:  Committee Member Tanya Dall 
1. Call to Order 
  The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 
2. Pledge of Allegiance 
3. Announcements 
  Ana Lockwood states that the farmers market starts tomorrow and will take place 
 next to the TCP building. The dates are as follows: June 13, July 11, August 8, 
 September 12 from 4PM to 7PM. 
Jay Simeone states there will be a meeting on Monday night at 6PM regarding the 
 MBTA communities. Public input and location discussion is encouraged. 
4. Public Comment 
  There were no comments from the public. 
5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 
  The finance director will be delivering the quarter 3 financial report to the Select 
 Board at their meeting on June 17. 
There was a discussion about the financial policies that were drafted by the Division 
of Local Services last year. The policies are awaiting approval from the community. 
Chris Menard recalls previous discussion about taking approval in increments due 
to the length. 
6. New Business 
  a. Tri-Committee for budget development – plan, schedule and discussion 
   The School Committee and Select Board have been suggesting the creation  
  of a new committee specifically focused on budget development.  
There will be an initial meeting with the Select Board, School Committee, and 
Finance Committee. 
 
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Jennifer Warren-Dyment has received feedback from the Committee 
regarding the FY27 budget cycle. The first meeting will be in July to explore 
consolidation and efficiencies particularly around the school and town. 
An additional discussion will revolve around the request to standardize the 
budget presentations, forms, and flow of materials. Presentations from 
department heads will start in august. The Committee will be looking for the 
FY27 requests and a 3-year projection. The anticipated schedule is: 
 August: Human services, health services, and health insurance  
  expenditures. 
  September: Public Safety, DPW Facilities 
  October: School budget presentation, general government,   
  unclassified departmental expenditure, and debt services 
  November: Drafted summary of Town and School and FY 27 to FY 29  
  projections 
  December: Revenue hearing is held by the state in advance of the  
  Governor releasing their budget. 
Chris Menard states there will be a time limit for presentations with a hard 
stop. 
Ana Lockwood suggests that any time spent on budget projections is a waste 
of time due to the lack of good budget processes. Some of the Committee 
members disagree and believe projections are very important. 
   Tom Gray states with the proposed schedule there will be enough time  
  allotted in case further discussion is needed. 
Mike Rupp inquires if there is a conflict with the 3 departments and 
favoritism because they are a part of the Board. He believes there may be 
perception that the School Board and department heads are being given 
more leniency or say in the matter. The Town Manager disagrees and sees 
this as an opportunity to try and collaborate. 
b. Analysis of historical school budget data 
 Ana Lockwood has been working on a deep dive of the data. She  
 provided a spreadsheet and states the largest line item with the School 
 Department is staffing. Ana Lockwood has requested staffing information 
 and enrollment for the past 5 years. 
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  There are issues with finance management and the inability to see where 
 grant money and revolving funds are being moved and spent. 
Chris Menard suggests looking at overall trends and risk management 
 associated. 
Tom Gray believes there is a lot of information that the Committee doesn’t 
  have but there may be a good reason why. 
Ana Lockwood will continue to share the data that she receives. 
7. Old Business 
  a. None 
8. Minutes 
  There were no minutes to approve. 
9. Committee Reports 
  Tom Gray confirms that the Municipal Building Design Committee met with the 
 Select Board to discuss the next steps. This includes possibly creating a new 
 committee or dropping it all together. 
10. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 
  - Budget request forms 
  - Policies  
11. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings 
  The next meeting is scheduled for July 10, 2025. 
12. Public Comment 
  Dave Rogers, 82 Highland Street, doesn’t agree with the Tri-Committee and believes 
 there will be too many people. There is also concern with the schools not being 
 overly cooperative about providing financial data.  
13. Adjourn 
  There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tom Gray. Roll call 
 vote. Jean Russell aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Jay Simeone aye, Tom 
 Gray aye, Chris Menard aye. 
The meeting closed at 8:20 PM.