Thank you in advance for taking the time to participate in our survey.

The Finance Committee believes the decisions made in the next few years are extremely important for the financial future of Essex.

While we have been able to avoid an operational override for several years, the Finance Committee believes this trend will not continue in fiscal 2012.

The finance committee is proposing to hold a series of workshops / public forums in order to help residents better understand the budget process, terminology and individual department budgets.

This survey will help to define the level of interest in residents participation in a series of workshops / public forums regarding the annual town budget.

These workshops will provide detailed information of the following subjects:

1) State budget and how it affects Essex
2) Town of Essex departmental budgets
3) Ideas and input from Essex residents on how to decrease spending and increase revenues.

This survey is only 10 questions, and will take less then 5 minutes to complete, but your participation in this survey is key in helping to shape the financial future of Essex.