DOBSON — A brief overview described by town officials as a “broad strokes” look at the upcoming budget process highlights the agenda when the Dobson Board of Commissioners convenes for its regular monthly meeting tonight.

The meeting gets under way at 6 p.m. in Dobson Town Hall at 307 Main Street.

Town Manager Josh Smith said tonight’s update is simply a chance to familiarize the board with the process.

“Most of the budget work will be done in April when we hold our budget workshop,” Smith said.

With a mandated deadline of June 30 to have a budget approved, Smith said town officials are looking at actual numbers versus projections this year to get an idea of where the town stands fiscally.

But Smith says that town officials are constantly monitoring where they stand financially.

“The budget process is really a year-long ordeal that begins with monitoring and comparing numbers with projections we’ve come up with,” he said. “It’s not an exact science, but throughout the year, we compare numbers with our forecasts.”

Dobson has a combined general fund and water/sewer fund budget of about $2.5 million, with about $1.5 million in unrestricted funds. The town has a property tax rate of 38 cents per $100 valuation.

According to Smith, town residents shouldn’t worry about their taxes increasing nextyear.

“I’d say that there is very little chance of a tax increase in the town this year,” he said. “We’re going to do everything in our power to maintain our current tax rate next year, and unless something drastically changes, I see no reason to change our tax rate.”

Smith said tonight’s meeting will be an initial look at projected numbers for the upcoming year, comparing them with where the town stands to date.

“It’s extremely preliminary,” Smith said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, those numbers change drastically by the time the budget is approved.”

In other business, the board is expected to present an award to the town’s as-yet-unnamed employee of the quarter.

The board is also expected to consider the results of a request for proposals for banking services.

Reach Keith Strange at kstrange@civitasmedia.com or 719-1929.