Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.

Voters approve $51.5 million budget, plethora of projects at Town Meeting

Date: 5/17/2010

May 17, 2010

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



LONGMEADOW - The voters at the Annual Town Meeting had two major questions as they went through the 30 article warrant - where and how their tax money is being used and why a $300 fine on using marijuana in public was (or was not) a good bylaw to adopt.

The Finance Committee recommended the fiscal year 2011 (FY11) budget, totaling $51,572,864, with $28,759,202 going toward the schools. Town Manager Robin Crosbie explained that a 4 percent cut in state aid resulted in a loss of $225,428 for FY11, and the town will also see $39,000 less in local revenue. The overall FY11 budget is 1.46 percent lower than the FY10 budget.

"We feel we've delivered a responsible budget," Crosbie said.

Unfortunately, the decreased budget led to some cuts in town employees, including 8.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in the schools; 5.33 FTE in the Department of Public Works; 1.18 FTE in Parks and Recreation; and .83 FTE at Storrs Library. No personnel reductions were made in the police and fire departments or at the Council on Aging.

The budget was approved.

Other budgetary issues discussed included moving $150,000 from the FY10 Reserve Fund and the FY10 Employee Benefits/Health Insurance line items to the Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund to begin to address the unfunded liability of OPEB given to retirees and future retirees of the town.

The Finance Committee also recommended approving this motion because, as committee chair Mark Barowsky said, "the unfunded liability is out there, looming over us."

Ernest Welker of the Audit Committee said Longmeadow's unfunded liability for OPEB - mainly health insurance - totaled $45 million as of Dec. 31, 2007. Another $1.2 million was added by FY09. He noted that while there is no requirement to pay the liability now, putting money into the trust fund would be a wise move.

Crosbie stated the town currently pays about $1.1 million a year to cover retiree health insurance costs and that this savings account would be used for future years as the workforce ages out.

Resident Jerry Nolet called the OPEB cost "another nail in our financial coffin" and said the amount being set aside for the fund was not enough.

"You have to eat the cake one bite at a time," Crosbie replied. "There are a lot of other areas to focus on [financially] as well."

Voters approved the motion to move the money to the fund. Voters also approved a motion to transfer $200,000 from the Operation Stabilization Fund to fund unemployment liability in FY11, to cover the costs of the positions being eliminated.

A total of $758,000 was approved for capital improvement projects including a fire truck payment, improvements at Center, Williams and Glenbrook schools, a heating system replacement at Greenwood and other equipment purchases.

Approved community preservation projects included restoration of the American Legion Building (the Old Town Hall building), restoring the doors and masonry at Center School, preserving and restoring the ceiling at Storrs Library, work on the Community House such as replacing windows, exterior painting, pointing of brick work and installation of a handicapped accessible bathroom. A Residential Home Modification Fund to help residents with low and moderate incomes make small but necessary repairs so they can remain in their homes will also be funded by Community Preservation Act funds.

Article 25, which asked voters to approve the borrowing of $1,325,000 to be repaid from water receipts for the purpose of installing a remote read water meter system, was also passed. Water meters in town will either be replaced or retrofitted to be read remotely once the bond is paid off in the next 10 years, water rates will be lower because readings will be more accurate and less manpower and fuel will be used for meter reading.

Toward the end of the meeting, several residents voiced their opinions on Article 28, which asked voters to approve a bylaw which would make the use of marijuana in public subject to a $300 fine.

"I thought we voted to decriminalize marijuana," resident Curt Freedman said. "Do we have the police needed to enforce this? I feel there are other crimes we can focus on. This would not be a wise use of our resources."

Larry Starr called the bylaw "unnecessary."

Alex Grant said he supported the adoption of the bylaw because it would help deter the use of marijuana in town.

One resident joked that he thought the fine was not a severe enough penalty - "what about public flogging?" he asked.

All those who spoke on the issue noted that they themselves did not advocate the use of marijuana.

Longmeadow will host a Special Town Meeting on May 25 at 7 p.m. in the high school to ask voters to either approve or deny the Longmeadow High School building project.