Photo: The event will take place on Thursday, March 4.

“There are no dumb suggestions,” proclaimed the Select Board’s Adam Dash when it comes to Belmont closing the ever-present funding gap created by the town’s structural deficit.

The recently formed Structural Change Impact Group will be holding a virtual public forum on Thursday, March 4, starting at 7 p.m., designed to solicit ideas – smart, dumb and out of the box – from residents, business owners and town employees to reduce expenses, increase revenues and improve town services.

The Public Forum will be held on Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87116634696
and it will be aired by the Belmont Media Center.

The public forum also will provide the opportunity to learn more about the work of this new group, which has been charged to investigate and recommend a list of potential changes for the town to positively impact the structural deficit challenges the town faces, and improve operational approaches to delivering town services.

Part of this charge is to gather broad input through forums like public meetings. The Structural Change Impact Group wants the community to know that Belmont needs everyone’s ideas to save money, raise funds, and improve our town. All ideas are welcome. All suggestions will be compiled, evaluated, and a final list of recommendations will be presented to the Select Board by the end of the year.

The Structural Change Impact Group also has set up an online portal to collect ideas from those who may not be able to attend a
Forum.