Reorganization subcommittee to review government spending

Date: 11/3/2010

Nov. 3, 2010

By Katelyn Gendron

Assistant Editor

AGAWAM -- The City Council has formed a new subcommittee for the purpose of reorganizing govern-ment spending.

City Councilor Dennis Perry will serve as the chair of the council's Ad Hoc Reorganization Subcommittee, which includes Council President Donald Rheault, Vice President Robert Rossi and councilors Gina Letellier and Joseph Mineo.

"It's to take a look-see and it's clearly not a witch-hunt or intended to eliminate departments," Rossi said of the new subcommittee. "I think it's no secret that our fixed costs are going up and up and up and we have to start reducing our spending."

Letellier noted recommen-dations from the subcommittee would not necessarily be put into effect.

"I think we're going into it with a really open mind. We're looking at the whole picture," she said. "If we can find a way to make government more streamlined and efficient then we need to do that, but at the same time maintaining services."

Letellier said some of the subcommittee's recommendations could aid the fiscal year 2012 (FY12) budget process. The FY12 budget must be proposed by Mayor Richard Cohen and passed by the City Council by June 30, 2011. The committee has yet to set a date and time for its first meeting.

Calls to Mineo, Perry and Rheault were not returned by press time.