Gibson has 'no clue' how to plug budget gaps created by Council

Date: 6/16/2010

June 16, 2010.

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- The good news: the town council unanimously approved the Mayor Edward Gibson's proposed fiscal year 2011 (FY11) budget at its June 7 meeting. The bad news for some: the council made additional cuts to the $80.3 million budget in four different areas and Gibson can't fathom how the town can absorb them.

The council reduced the Police Department's personnel budget by approximately $84,000, totaling $5.7 million; cut the School Department's budget by $75,000 to total $34.9 million; reduced the municipal debt to $3.3 million from $3.6 million; and cut animal control from $73,000 to $40,000. The animal control officer will now be a joint position between West Springfield an Agawam, allowing the two communities to split the cost of the position.

When asked how he plans to offset the other cuts, Gibson said, "I have no clue. I'm not really thrilled about it."

Carey Sheehan, business manager for the School Department, echoed Gibson's frustrations.

"We were not [pleased], however, we do somewhat understand their logic because our superintendent will be finishing up on June 30," Sheehan said of the $75,000 cut to a budget that was already reduced by 1.96 percent from FY10. "Our line item budget for the superintendent showed a full year salary."

The logic behind the cut is that an interim or new superintendent would cost less, he explained; however, Gibson disagreed.

The mayor said he also wasn't comfortable with the council's reduction of police personnel from 64 patrolmen to 62.

Even though councilors Angus Rushlow and George Kelly voted in favor of the FY11 budget, they said they still did agree with certain expenditures.

"I'm not convinced that it has been pared down to the lowest possible figure," Rushlow said, adding he voted in favor of the budget because he "would rather not be the odd vote."

Kelly noted, "Since the inception of the council, we've gone from $59.5 million [budget] to $80 million, averaging $2 million a year and I just think in this terrible economy [the taxpayers] can't support more tax increases.

"If you vote against the budget, you vote against somebody's job and I don't want to see anyone lose their job but I thought some of the capital expenditures could be deferred for another year," he added.

Kelly said he didn't see the need to spend $162,400 for a new dump truck, plow and sander; he also wanted to cut the appropriations for sidewalks by $75,000. Ultimately, Kelly and Rushlow were overruled as the capital budget passed by a vote of 7 to 2.

"The upcoming year is going to be difficult to get through but we will get through it," Gibson assured. "I hope we've hit the bottom of the shock waves with the funding reductions [to state aid and] we start to move in the other direction."

The FY11 budget will take effect July 1.