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Date: 6/1/2022
BLANDFORD – The Blandford Select Board and Finance Committee convened their annual “mini-town meeting” on May 23 to review the budget in advance of the Annual Town Meeting on June 6.
Town Administrator Christopher Dunne said the broad themes this year are an 8.5 percent increase in inflation since March 2021, and decreases in local receipts.
Another important change in the budget projection is a $100,000 decrease in the assessment for Gateway Regional School District, since the alternative assessment has failed to pass all of the towns.
Dunne said one idea for Blandford would be to set up an education stabilization fund. He said the idea is to avoid wild swings from year to year in education spending, which makes up so much of the town’s budget. He said the last few years, the town avoided it by over budgeting.
“Chester has already established an education stabilization fund, starting at $100,000,” Dunne said. “The idea is if and when the assessment goes up, we’re prepared and don’t have to impact the rest of the budget.”
The difference for Blandford between the alternative assessment, which failed to pass all six towns after Middlefield rejected the method, and the statutory assessment was in Blandford’s favor this year. Select Board Chair Cara Letendre said the town administrator is recommending putting the difference into an educational stabilization account.
Payments in lieu of taxes for the solar field have brought new revenue into the town this year, raising the levy limit, he said.
He said there remains some uncertainty in the town budget, as the state Legislature has not yet passed the state budget.
The current budget request for fiscal year 2023 is $4.408 million, which Dunne said is also not final. He said there is free cash available, plus funds from the federal American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). Town officials have looked at putting some free cash in building stabilization accounts and capital investments.
“How do we strategically use remaining ARPA funds?” he asked.
The town has also hired a contractor to develop a Capital Improvement Plan for investments over the next few years.
Dunne said proposed budget does not fund a requested part-time conservation agent at $22,160, and the Conservation Commission is instead level-funded at $5,000. The Planning Board is looking for stipends, which he said is part of the same conversation, and was also level-funded.
The Chester-Blandford Police Department also requested $110,342 from Blandford, and the Select Board recommended $100,409 plus $7,400 for health insurance. He said the police are increasing officers’ pay, and the chief’s hours are also increasing from 28 to 35.
The proposal to level-fund the Highway Department prompted questions from David Hopson, who asked whether the department had locked in a price for diesel fuel.
“My diesel fuel on the farm went up 50 percent,” Hopson said.
Highway Superintendent David Waldron said right now, the town is getting a good price on fuel. He did say he is paying more for equipment than a year ago. Hopson recommended increasing the diesel fuel line for the department.
Dunne said the budget could still change a bit, potentially in the group insurance line, and whether or not the town decides to put money into an education stabilization account.
The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for June 6 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, 1 Russell Stage Rd., Blandford.