Located in the Green Mountains of central Vermont, the town of Barre has approximately 7,900 residents and is in close proximity to the state capital, the city of Montpelier. The town operates under the council-manager form of government and has a town budget committee comprising five registered voters in the town in addition to the members of the board of selectmen. The budget committee approves six other budgets in addition to approving the general fund and highway budgets, which are also presented to the voters for approval.

Because budgets are often as complex as the operations they support, it is important for both the budget committee members and the voters approving the general fund and highway fund budgets to have as much information as possible to inform their decision making. Barre has a creative approach to providing decision makers with an understanding of what’s involved. It’s a “budget tour”—a real tour of the town’s facilities, project sites, and budget discussions with the staff in each department.

As town manager Carl Rogers describes it, the tour concept began the year before he became town manager. Originally conceived as a tour for the budget committee, Rogers opened it up to the community when he became town manager. The budget tour is heavily publicized and children are welcome to come with their parents. The town provides a bus so that as the attendees are driven to different departments, the town manager can point out new constructions, repairs to facilities, and other items relevant to the budget. Everyone has the same learning experience, which is invaluable to newly appointed budget committee members and residents who will vote on the general fund and highway budgets.

As the group visits each department they see the equipment, facilities, and the operations. They meet the staff who discuss with them the current and proposed budget and answer any questions. It is an intense learning experience that has generated positive feedback. A schedule of the 2013 tour is available here.