Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 5/22/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The town presented its budget for the 2016 Fiscal Year in a public hearing on May 18, yielding questions from residents about the proposed $3.9 million increase.
Chief Financial Officer Sharon Wilcox presented the $97.6 million budget to the Town Council, the town’s department heads and citizens.
Residents will see a tax rate increase, Wilcox said. Though there will be a 1.25 percent increase, it is less than the Consumer Price Index’s 1.6 percent increase.
“The mayor’s priority was to minimize the impact on residents and still continue to offer the services that we offer in West Springfield,” Wilcox said.
The largest increases in spending come from the school budget and the capital budget, both seeing a boost of $1.4 million.
Wilcox said the capital budget would be funded from Free Cash and available funds. Because of debt from the construction of the new high school and library, no new bonding has been proposed.
One citizen expressed concern about the budget for the School Department, especially considering the amount spent on the new high school. The level service budget that is proposed is a 3.5 percent increase from 2015, but will fund a negotiated salary increase and step increases, the restoration of the curriculum director position and supplement anticipated losses of funding at the state level.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Richard said having a level service budget is necessary to reach the performance goals of the district.
“As far as other increases, we have a growing need to have the school district exit level 3,” Richard said. “I’ve spent a lot of time talking to the Town Council, School Committee and members of the community about the resources we need to put in place so we can have a premiere school district here in Western Massachusetts.”
Town Council President John Sweeney added that, even with the debt from the new high school built into the budget, the repercussions on the community have not been negative.
“The taxes have not gone up the way they could have gone up, so I think you should keep that in mind … Schools define a community,”?Sweeney said. “If you have a good school system, people want to live in that community.”
The rising cost of energy was also addressed. Wilcox said the 22.16 percent increase in facilities – heating and utilities – was in large part because of energy hikes.
“We were lucky to be locked into an electric rate through December of this year, but we actually just recently redid that,” Wilcox said. “It’s higher than it was. We were locked in at a very good rate, so the rate is going up for next year.”
Despite the large increase, she said it could have been much worse if it were not for the solar energy agreement West Springfield entered in January.
For view the budget in its entirety, visit the Mayor’s, Accounting or Town Clerk’s offices or the town’s website.