Selectmen begin review of town departmental budgets
Published on February 23rd, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - In an effort to get a good look at the town's financial picture for the next fiscal year, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night began review of departmental budgets. No voting took place during this preliminary review, but the board was able to see shortfalls between department requests and Town Administrator recommendations.
"Requests far exceed our ability to pay," stated Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting, explaining further that revenue projections at this point are reasonable, considering potential cuts in state aid.
Police Chief Eugene Passaro presented his department's dilemma with a $100,000 discrepancy in its overtime budget.
Overtime expenditures for the past three years have averaged $289,000, with $287,000 in 1997, $261,000 in 1998 and $315,000 in 1999. Recent contract negations yielding higher salaries have pushed Passaro's estimate to $300,000 for next year. Nutting has recommended $200,000.
"We're always short on personnel in supervision...we're just about making it at nine," said Passaro.
Currently, Stoneham lags behind surrounding towns in supervisory positions, with three lieutenants and six sergeants on the force.
In contrast, Reading has four and seven respectively, Wakefield three and nine, Melrose four and nine and Winchester five and five. Coverage in supervision accounts for the bulk of the overtime usage.
While some overtime can be anticipated for vacation and training coverage, sick time and disability leaves cannot be predicted, and a reliable figure is, therefore, difficult to estimate.
Cuts to the D.A.R.E. program as well as reduction in police training in key areas, such as preventing school violence, would be necessary if the town cannot fund the required overtime.
The town's Fire Department grapples with a similar problem.
Fire Chief Lawrence Lamey has requested $245,000 in overtime funds for fiscal year 2001, a substantial increase in Nutting's recommendation of $200,000.
According to insurance recommendations, the department should staff eight firefighters per shift available for calls. This would allow use of three fire trucks.
Lamey advised, however, that in order to accomplish this for all shifts, the recommended overtime figure is not enough. 53 shifts in 1998 and 41 in 1999 were staffed below this recommendation, with just seven firefighters.
According to Lamey, the position of deputy chief has been created for full-time responsibility for the area of fire prevention. Currently, that area is staffed by department members who are required to split their time between fire prevention and suppression, a less than optimal manner in which to run such a program.
The intent is to hire from within and in so doing, reduce the number of firefighters on the force from 28 to 27 (along with five captains and five lieutenants).
"The long-term goal is to have less instances," Nutting said regarding the function of the prevention program.
Selectmen grappled with the reduction of one position in the fire suppression ranks, however, and requested a written job description for the deputy chief position be forwarded to them.
The choice, Lamey offered, is whether the town funds an additional firefighter through overtime or through a new hire. Nutting stated that even with a $40,000 new hire, savings in overtime would likely only total $5,000, due to the standard and unanticipated coverage needed in a given year.
"I'm not against a deputy chief. It's a good idea if we can maintain the number of firefighters," said Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello.
Stoneham Firefighter John Scullin stated, however, that the firefighters union is against funding the deputy chief position with a firefighter position.
"The ISO (insurance industry) says you need eight (firefighters). It recommends nine...We're very, very close to a rate increase because of lack of staffing."
Scullin went on to say that so far this month, eight days were staffed with seven firefighters.
"With seven men...you cannot adequately fight a fire. I will not give up that firefighter position."
Finance Board member John Warren said that the real threat to Stoneham in the next fiscal year is a reduction or elimination in Additional Assistance funds from the state.
For the past several years, Stoneham has received approximately $2.5 million from the Commonwealth and, if those funds are instead used to cover the overexpenditure of the Big Dig, for example, the town will find itself in a difficult position.
The board is expected to continue its review to better evaluate the priorities for its limited funds before presenting the budget to Town Meeting in May.
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