Gibson: FY10 budget 'most challenging' of career

Date: 5/13/2009

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Mayor Edward Gibson, a seasoned veteran of the budget process, called the fiscal year 2010 (FY10) budget "the most challenging" of his municipal career.

Massive reductions to local aid totaling over $1 million, a projected $600,000 decrease in local revenue, contractual increases and rising costs of services made balancing FY10's $82.8 million budget -- $300,000 more than last year's proposal -- particularly difficult.

"In tough [economic] times you end up defraying equipment purchases and trying to hold onto your core services," Gibson explained. "Being a municipal government, 75 percent of the budget is [comprised of] services and personnel. You try to do as much as you can in cost savings ... [by] reduced equipment and travel expenses [before] cuts to the work force."

Proposed personnel cuts include six or seven teachers in the School Department; the wiring inspector in the Building Division; civilian dispatchers in the Police Department; the tree warden in the Department of Public Works (DPW); and a clerical position within the Ambulance Enterprise Fund.

Gibson said he is hopeful that federal stimulus funds will save jobs in the School Department. He added that other positions such as the Police Department's civilian dispatchers will be funded through grants.

Carey Sheehan, business manager for West Springfield Public Schools, said four teaching positions will be lost through attrition and six to seven additional teachers have been cut. He added that the positions may be reinstated with the use of stimulus funds.

He noted that other cuts to the department's proposed $35.4 million budget -- a 0.21 percent increase from FY09 -- include textbooks, supplies, professional development and building maintenance.

Other departments have been left relatively intact, however, including only contractual increases.

Jack Dowd, director of the DPW, explained that positions lost in his department can be attributed to attrition. He added that other cost cutting measures are due to sound fiscal management within a budget that is already pared to the bone.

"It's really a balancing act," Town Councilor Paul Boudo, also a member of the Finance Committee, said of the budget process.

He added that Gibson has "taken the best educated guess" to determine the town's available revenues.

Gibson noted that despite financial hardships, no stabilization funds have been used to balance the FY10 budget; however, no appropriation has been put back into the fund either.

"While I would like to continue the efforts to build a stronger [stabilization] fund balance, the current balance of $7,153,994 is a healthy balance," he wrote in his budget proposal.

"I realize that as difficult as the preparation of the FY10 budget has been, in all likelihood, the FY11 budget will be more difficult," he continued. "Therefore, it is essential that these funds remain available for the future in order to be able to continue to provide core services to the residents of West Springfield."

The Town Council's Finance Committee will conduct several meetings to evaluate and pare the proposed budget before the entire council issues its vote by June 30.