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Date: 11/16/2022
LONGMEADOW – Longmeadow interim Finance Director Paul Pasterczyk updated the Select Board on the current budget assumptions for fiscal year 2024 (FY24).
Pasterczyk said the budget creation is starting with a deficit of about $300,000, which he called “probably the least in the red” that the town has begun its budget calculations in a long time. He assured the board that they budget “always comes out in the good.”
The town is anticipating an increase in new growth of about $175,000, largely from public utilities, Pasterczyk said. The ceiling of 2.5 percent of the levy limit would be $1.36 million in tax revenue.
Pasterczyk said the Finance Committee has recommended 2.44 percent, rather than the 1.75 percent of the tax levy as it has been set in previous years. This difference between these rates translates to an additional $400,000 in revenue.
Pasterczyk said sales values will drive up the valuation when figures are finalized in late November. This may result in tax bills increasing while the tax rate will go down. This is a positive change considering the looming tax ceiling that Longmeadow faces in the coming years as the rate nears $25 per thousand dollars of property value.
Additionally, state aid is expected to increase by 4 percent in FY24. Pasterczyk said the town will be “very close to a level funded year.”
Special election
Select Board member Thomas Lachiusa heard from a resident that they had signed a petition to force a special election to fill the seat on the board left vacant by Stephen Marantz at the end of the summer. When the seat became vacant, the four remaining board members voted to wait until the annual election because the board rarely deadlocks on votes, the person would fill the seat for a few months before the seat would come up for election again in spring 2023 and elections cost $10,000 to $15,000. If the petition received enough votes, he encouraged a wide array of residents to run.
Chair Josh Levine agreed. He said spending thousands of dollars on an election when the town has a “tight budget” did not make sense.
Select Board member Dan Zwirko said people are making “false statements” on social media regarding the board’s decision to forego a special election. He asserted the town charter gives the board the power to decide whether to conduct an election or wait until the annual one.
“You can have your own opinion, but you can’t make up your own facts,” Zwirko said. “These are the same people that tout themselves as fiscal conservatives and here we have $15,000 that can be spent elsewhere in the town.”
Public comment
During the public comment period, resident Tom Shea said he was concerned about a proposed amendment to the water management regulations from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) that would restrict outdoor water usage in times of drought.
Shea asked the Select Board to issue an official opposition to the regulation, based on a vote at the October Special Town Meeting that removed a state-declared drought as a reason for outdoor water use restrictions.
“The residents have told you they are opposed to unnecessary DEP regulations,” Shea told the board. He went on to say the water supply should be controlled by Springfield as it sells the water to Longmeadow and the state is imposing “water socialism.”
Other issues
Town Manager Lyn Simmons said there has been an increase in the curb pickup delays. She urged residents with trash pickup issues to call the DPW at 567-3400 so that the department can coordinate with Waste Management for next-day pickup.
The new town website and URL, www.longmeadowma.gov are live, Simmons said. In addition to a fresh look, there are new features that streamline the experience, she said. People will be redirected from the old website for six months. Simmons praised Administrative Assistant Michael Barbieri for his work on the project.