City officials still navigating through budget process

Date: 7/21/2009

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



AGAWAM -- Twenty-two days into the new fiscal year, town officials are still navigating through the budget process.

Residents must wait another five days before the City Council conducts its public hearing on the fiscal year 2010 (FY10) $77.6 million budget on July 27 and an additional 26 days before the council's initial vote.

Mayor Susan Dawson submitted the budget only 19 days before the current fiscal year citing inconclusive state aid figures for the lateness. The City Council unanimously approved a Continuing Appropriation Budget last month to grant them adequate time to review the budget while maintaining funding for town personnel and services.

Dawson also submitted a supplemental budget to the City Council on July 9, which added $129,666 to state aid, restoring funding for yard waste curbside pickup, the library and one firefighter's position.

"Every department was trying to give [concessions] ... it was in our best judgment that [the aforementioned cuts] were things that we could do without," Dawson explained. "It became readily apparent that was not acceptable [to taxpayers]."

She added that only three of the 11 curbside pickups were eliminated from the budget but have since been reinstated. Dawson noted that library funding was restored in order to ensure state certification as well as one firefighter's position in order to reduce overtime costs.

Dawson noted $1.9 million was cut from the FY10 budget overall.

"These are the very issues the health and safety of our residents -- that cannot be cut," City Councilor George Bitzas said. "I'm very happy that the mayor changed her mind."

City Council Vice President Cecilia Calabrese agreed.

"I think that more people are starting to pay more attention to monetary issues [in town] because they want their trash picked up, [their] streets plowed and [they] want to live in a safe community," she said.

Calabrese added that she does not agree with every line item in the mayor's proposed budget, specifically Dawson's use of approximately $489,000 in stabilization funds for capital improvements.

"I have a big problem with using stabilization funds for capital improvements because we're not out of the woods in this economy just yet," Calabrese said. "We got thrown a bone with stimulus money [but] sometimes it comes down to the fact that we can't afford [the capital improvements]."

City Councilor Robert Rossi mirrored her sentiments.

"I'm disappointed because I think the mayor should have been more focused on doing more with less ... there's too much focus on local aid [to fund operations]," he said.

"The whole budget wasn't well thought out," Rossi continued. "We keep developing these fixed costs and we've been heavily dependent on local aid. Those costs don't go away and when the local aid dries up, what do you do? If we don't get that aid next year, what's gonna happen to all those fixed costs? Overrides, layoffs or cuts in services [or] user fees for athletics or trash removal?"

"[If] we're not prepared for [greater cuts to local aid] next year, then we have to face some severe cuts and severe choices," Rossi added.

The public hearing on the FY10 budget will take place on July 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Agawam Middle School Auditorium.