Select Board approves $51,389,100 town budget for FY11

Date: 3/26/2010

March 29, 2010



LONGMEADOW -- At a special board meeting on March 22, the Longmeadow Select Board approved a town budget of $51,389,100; a reduction of $385,775 from the current year's spending level. This budget, which reflects a 4 percent decrease in state aid and the anticipated reduction of other local receipts, will be put before town residents at the Annual Town Meeting on May 11.

The vote to approve the budget was 3-2 with Select Board members Mark Gold, Paul Santaniello and William Scibelli voting in favor of the budget and board member Rob Aseltine and Chair Robert Barkett opposing the budget.

"Although this budget will result in cuts throughout the town, it represents the best way for us to maintain the balance in services that the residents of Longmeadow indicated they want," said Gold, who developed the framework for the budget compromise. "When we started this process we were anticipating reductions in state aid far greater than the legislature's current guidance, and the prospective service reductions were very grave."

At town forums hosted early in the month, the School Committee and the Select Board indicated that more than 50 positions in both town services and the schools might have to be eliminated. During these forums, residents were outspoken about their desire to maintain the high quality of services that they receive.

As the level of cuts to state aid became more definite, the Select Board was able to restore many of those positions at risk, including increasing $824,000 in funding to the Schools to maintain nearly 19 teaching positions. Initially planned reductions in hours at the town library and senior center were also restored in response to residents who mounted aggressive e-mail campaigns to save those service programs, as was funding to maintain recreation services and maintenance for athletic fields and parks.

"The reduction of six FTEs [full-time employees] in our maintenance and highway groups will still reduce our ability to provide services to town residents," said Town Manager Robin Crosbie. "I am happy, however, that the board was able to reach the funding solutions they did. We will continue provide as high a level of services to the town residents as we can within the financial constraints of the upcoming year."

In order to balance the budget, the Select Board agreed to utilize funds from the town's operating stabilization account to pay state unemployment costs for teachers and town employees whose jobs are eliminated. Depending on final action by the School Committee, unemploy-ment costs could run as high as $340,000 for the first year. In asking the School Committee to appropriate money from fund balances toward restoring additional teacher salaries, a move that would reduce unemployment costs, Select Board member Scibelli commented, "I'd rather use our stabilization funds to help pay for those teachers' salaries than use it to pay unemployment benefits."

The budget now goes to the Finance Committee for its review and recommendations. The town charter requires that the independent Finance Committee review the Select Board's budget and issue a recommendation to the Town Meeting regarding adoption of the budget. "We have suspended all salary and wage increases for non-school employees that are not contractually required." Santaniello said. "We have asked the school department to do the same, in order to preserve teaching positions. All the moves we made were necessary because the School Building Committee is planning for a town override referendum to finance the town's share of a $78 million high school, and there is a reluctance to seek an operational override at the same time."

Additional information on the budget is available on the town's Web site and will be made available in the Town Warrant. Residents with questions should write to the Select Board or e-mail the board at townhall@longmeadow.org.