Fluctuating figures major topic of current town business

Date: 8/1/2011

Aug. 1, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

LONGMEADOW — The town of Longmeadow recently set a date for its Fall Special Town Meeting and moving money around in the wake of three new labor agreements figures to be a major topic of conversation.

The unions for the teachers, firefighters and police patrol officers all recently agreed on contracts with the town and each comes with it a set of circumstances the town will need to address at the Nov. 8 meeting, which is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Mark Gold, chair of the Select Board said he was not concerned about any actions taken at the meeting having a dramatic effect on the town’s business.

“On a $52 million budget, these are certainly things we can handle,” he said.

The town has already taken action to ensure funding for the teachers’ contract, which included a 1 percent pay increase, at a special town meeting on June 22, but more work needs to be done to ensure financial stability.

“The intent [of the June 22 meeting] was to go into the Operating Stabilization Fund to pay the difference, but instead the town decided to enter a deficit spending situation temporarily,” Gold said. “It basically authorized us to pay the contracts with the recognition that we would have to do something by the end of the year.”

Gold added that the town will most likely look to move money — approximately $300,000 — from free cash now that it has been certified.

While the firefighters settled their contract without a raise built in, there are some other stipulations that will require funding.

“There are no raises, but there is an additional stipend for emergency medical folks,” Gold said. “It doesn’t go into effect until Jan. 1 [2012], so we are able to wait until November to act on it.”

Gold did not know the exact cost of the stipend, but said it was “well under $10,000.”

He added that the Fire Department needs to fill a supervisory position. In order to promote someone, the town must pay for a test that has to be administered by an outside organization.

“We have to fund that exam and since the position needs to be filled quickly most likely, we will pull it out of the reserve knowing that we have to put it back at the meeting,” Gold said.

No major issues are expected in the funding of the new patrol officers’ contract, other than a few non-salary items, he added.

All warrant articles for the Special Town Meeting must be submitted by boards and committees by no later than 4 p.m. on Sept. 14 and the warrant will be officially closed on Sept. 19. Once set, the warrant will be reviewed by town counsel and the finance committee, who will make their recommendations.

Any submission must include the article, a brief narrative on the article and its purpose and estimated costs.

Citizen petitions are also due by 4 p.m. on Sept. 14 and require names, signatures and addresses of 100 legal town residents and must be certified by the town clerk.

Residents can find more information by visiting the Select Board/Town Manager page of the Longmeadow town Web site, www.longmeadow.org or calling the Select Board/Town Manager’s office at 525-4110.