Join Sudbury's Finance Committee (FinCom)

As we get past the 2013 Town Meeting, the Sudbury Finance Committee (FinCom) will have a few openings and we are looking for Sudbury’s best and brightest to apply.

I have been a member of FinCom since 2011, serving as Vice-Chairman for the past year.  Prior to FinCom, I had spent 3 years on the CIPC.  My reasons for joining FinCom included wanting to contribute more to the town, wanting to have a say in how my tax dollars were being spent, and, as my oldest child will not enter kindergarten until 2015, wanting to have representation in the budgeting process from someone with a longer-term view.  My time on FinCom has more than fulfilled each of these expectations, and been an educational and rewarding experience for me, although certainly sometimes a bit frustrating.

That being said, FinCom is an apolitical organization, which is why we are appointed and not elected. Our job is to advise the Selectmen and the town on financial matters, and to present voters with a balanced, non-override budget each year at town meeting.  It is not our job, nor do I feel that it is in the voters’ interests, to advance any individual or group’s personal political agenda, and so one of the key criteria we are looking for in new members is a sense of objectivity and open-mindedness, as well as a willingness to question assumptions and challenge key stakeholders.

Other criteria that we value in new members include:

• Having some finance/accounting background—ideally with budget experience
• Fluency with Excel and data analysis
• Experience with municipal finance or other town governance/ operations
• Knowledge of key financial issues facing the town.

In terms of time commitment, the FinCom schedule ebbs and flows with the budget cycle.  From Town meeting through January, we meet once a month, and from Nov-Jan, Fincom members also meet 1-2 times per month with cost center liaisons, and there is usually about 3-4 hours of research and analysis per week that happens outside of meetings.  From Feb through town meeting, we meet 10-12 times over that 3 month period, with 12-15 hours per month of additional analysis.

If you are looking for ways to get involved and feel that your background is a good fit, we would welcome you to apply for the FinCom.  You can find an application on the town’s website.

Doug Kohen

Vice-Chairman, Sudbury Finance Committee