Departments present preliminary budgets to Board of Selectmen

Date: 1/19/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



EAST LONGMEADOW The average town budget grows between 2.5 and three percent on an annual basis, according to James Driscoll, chair of the Board of Selectmen. For upcoming Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10), however, the town is aiming to contain growth to 1.5 percent.

Various department heads and Town Accountant Tom Caliento met with the Board of Selectmen last Tuesday to gain preliminary approval on their proposed FY10 budgets. Nearly all met the 1.5 percent increase cap.

Carolyn Brennan, executive director of the Council on Aging, kept to a 1.5 percent increase by having her staff take one hour off each person's work week and working with "bare bones expenses."

She noted that the Council on Aging has been very diligent in pursuing grants to supplement its town budget, and that this year has seen an influx of $50,000 of grant money.

The Information Technology (IT) Department, headed by Ryan Quimby, announced that his department's budget would only increase 1.5 percent, as would Building Commissioner Dan Hellyer's budget.

The Fire Department, Treasurer/Collector Office, Retirement, Long Term Debt and Accounting budgets will also see increases of only 1.5 percent.

A smaller increase is the .7 percent increase for Animal Control.

Some department budgets saw no increase or a decrease from FY09 to FY10 budgets.

Carolyn Porter of the Recreation Department noted a 4.3 percent decrease from the FY09 budget, thanks in part to a $12,000 supplemental budget increase. She also announced that the Recreation Department is hoping to launch a new Web site in the next three months listing all the programs the department offers, with sign-ups available online by summer.

The town's Legal budget will see a 6.1 percent decrease. Liability Insurance has a projected 12 percent decrease.

ELCAT, Elections, Worker's Compensation Insurance, Employee Benefit -- MedX Match, Operations, Short Term Interest and Cultural/Historical will see no change in their budgets.

The remaining budgets came in above the 1.5 percent increase cap. The Board of Selectmen's office is currently approved at a 1.5 percent increase, but that comes without a pay increase for Executive Secretary Nick Breault, so that budget is subject to change. The Trash budget is looking at a 3.7 percent increase, due to an increase in tonnage coming from the town. The Board of Health may seen an increase of 1.8 percent, and Health Insurance will be increasing 8.4 percent, which, according to Caliento, means the town is "doing extremely well" on that front.

Other large increases will come from the Police Department, Veterans Services and Communications/Emergency Preparedness.

A letter from Police Chief Doug Mellis to the selectmen stated that to reach the 1.5 percent cap, the department would need to cut three officers from the force and that the department has been understaffed for years.

Caliento and Pennie Tremblay, who attended the meeting on behalf of the Mellis, presented two budgets for the Police Department -- one with a 2.1 percent increase, which would mean the loss of two officers but which was "more realistic but presented issues," according to Caliento, and a 5.5 percent increase, which would be needed to fulfill current contractual obligations.

"I am in no way interested in the reduction of police coverage," Driscoll said. "If we cut positions, we make up for them with overtime." The selectmen unanimously approved the 5.5 percent increase.

Both Veterans Services (51 percent increase) and Communications/Emergency Preparedness will need reserve fund transfers to meet their budgetary needs. Breault said the increase in Veterans Services comes from a large increase in the number of veterans the town is now home to, and the Emergency Operations Center will need $15,000 to be completed.

"We're very happy with the work the department heads have done," Driscoll said in an interview with Reminder Publications. "There's not a lot of waste there."

He noted that the Police Department increase is necessary. "We need to spend more on the Police Department," Driscoll said.

Fire Chief Richard Brady agreed, adding that more could be used by the Fire Department as well.

Budget numbers will be made official before the town votes on the FY10 budget at the Annual Town Meeting, scheduled for May 18.