Here is a list of the people who collaborate to produce Arlington’s budget and manage the town’s money along with a description of their role and responsibilities.
| Town Manager | The Town Manager’s office is responsible for developing the budget each year and forwarding it to the finance committee. Read More |
| Superintendent of Schools | The Superintendent of Schools is responsible for drafting the school budget based on the priorities set by the school committee. The School Committee votes to approve a school budget and sends it to the Finance Committee. |
| School CFO | The School CFO is responsible for ensuring that school revenue is spent according to budgets, grant agreements, and state mandates. |
| Treasurer | The Treasurer is responsible for collecting all taxes, managing cash, managing investments and managing the Town’s debt sales. It is the Treasurer’s responsibility to ensure that the funds required to cover expenses and pay for capital projects are available when needed and to see that reserves and trust funds are wisely invested. Read more |
| Comptroller | The Comptroller is the town accountant. The Comptroller and the accounting staff are responsible for paying the bills and recording all transactions in the accounting system. The Comptroller oversees the audit and ensures that no fraud occurs. The Comptroller is hired by and reports to the Town Manager and can report problems to the Select Board. Read more |
| Assessor | The Assessors’ Office is responsible for uniformly and accurately valuing all property both real and personal located within the Town. Read more |
| School Committee | The School committee works with the Superintendent to develop a school budget, reviews it in public meetings and votes the final budget to be presented to town meeting. Read more |
| Select Board | The Select Board reviews and sets fiscal guidelines for the annual operating budget and capital improvements program, determines CDBG money disbursements, and votes to send the budget to town meeting for approval. It also votes to set the tax rate as calculated by the Assessor’s office. Read more |
| Finance Committee | The Arlington Finance Committee (FinCom) is a standing committee of the Town Meeting. Its purpose is to recommend a vote to Town Meeting on the Town budget and all articles that require an appropriation. The FinCom reviews each department’s budget in detail and holds hearings on Town Meeting appropriation articles. In conjunction with the Town Manager, the Budget and Revenue Task Force, and other Town offices, the FinCom integrates revenue and expense projections to present a balanced budget to Town Meeting. Read more |
| Capital Planning Committee | This committee assists the Town Manager annually in the preparation of a capital improvement program. The Committee makes recommendations on capital expenditure requests from Town boards and departments. The capital program and recommendations become an integral part of the Finance Committee’s budget report to Town Meeting. Read more |
| The Budget and Revenue Task Force | The Task Force meets prior to any Budget recommendations to discuss and examine the actual funds available. The purpose is to communicate accurate figures to all Boards and Officers to be used as a basis for financial decisions. The meeting schedule is ad hoc with meetings occurring earlier and more frequently in years when revenue projections are particularly difficult. Read more |
| Long Range Planning Committee | The long range planning committee meets regularly to identify and consider risks and opportunities facing the town the next two to ten years. It reviews the Town’s long range financial projection, considers alternate scenarios, and adjusts the projections as new issues appear on the horizon. Read more |
| Town Meeting | Town Meeting is the legislative branch of town government. Only town meeting can appropriate funds. Town meeting must vote a balanced budget for the town and schools each spring and must be called back into session anytime new appropriations must be approved or previous appropriations reduced. Read more |