Town officials 'prepare for the worst' long-term

Date: 6/9/2009

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Town officials are preparing for the worst long-term.

The conservative $77.1 million fiscal year 2010 (FY10) budget, passed by the Town Council last week, implements financial safety nets for FY10 as well as FY11.

"We're still so much in a quandary in [FY] 2010 that it leaves [FY] 2011 wide open," Mayor Edward Gibson told Reminder Publications. "The state is using stimulus funds [planned] for 2011 in 2010 [and] that's the reason why I didn't use stabilization funds for 2010 because we might need it to plug a gap [with that money] in 2011."

Gibson noted that unemployment insurance was increased by about 150 percent in the FY10 budget in preparation for possible layoffs.

He said the town received "a very large concession from the union this year" as well that helped to offset heath insurance costs. Gibson explained that the unions agreed to "pick up an additional five percent in their health insurance premiums" totaling between $800 and $1,300 annually.

Town employees will still receive a 3.5 percent raise, however.

Town Councilor Paul Boudo, also a member of the Budget Committee, noted that even though the FY10 budget has been passed, additional cuts might be necessary after the state budget is completed.

"There is funding there to continue operations come the first of July but it will be new ground to tread this time [if the state budget cuts local aid further]," he said, adding that the Senate's budget cut local aid by $780,000.

Initial reductions to the town's local aid totaled over $1 million.

Carey Sheehan, business manager for West Springfield Public Schools, explained that federal stimulus funds have saved six teaching jobs cut from the department's $35.4 million FY10 budget.

When asked how the department will fund those positions once stimulus funds run out, he replied, "That's the million-dollar question."

"Those are jobs that we will not want to lose unless [the department] is in a dire [financial] predicament," Sheehan added.

He said the department is unsure what additional concessions it can make while still maintaining quality education.

Town Council Vice President Kathleen Bourque, also a member of the Budget Committee, called the FY10 budget process the most challenging of her career as a councilor.

She added that FY11 doesn't look much better and all the council and mayor's office can do is work together to maintain services and fiscal responsibility, while remembering that "it's not just our budget but also somebody's home budget" increasing at a time when so many are struggling to stay afloat financially.