Town Notes & Budget Woes: Who will get the money? The flag pole rises again, watchdog at work...
Published on September 13th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - The Police need more money. Fire needs more money. The Clerk's Office needs more money. Inspectional Services needs more money. The Health Department needs more money... These are the words echoing through Town Hall in September.
Everyone cannot get what they want. Abraham Lincoln and Finance Board Chairman Rich Gregorio riffed variations of this truth.
Town Administrator Jeff Nutting met with the heads of all town unions Tuesday afternoon. Maybe he was preparing them for tight times. The meeting was closed to the public.
Where's the money?
Finance Board member John Warren estimates the Town will spend around $1 million at the Oct. 23 Special Town Meeting.
"The October meeting is for finishing off FY 2000 and fine tuning things for FY 2001," Warren said.
The money comes from three sources: funds leftover in various town department budgets, funds coming in from the state, and borrowing.
The money leftover from the operations of the previous fiscal year is called "free cash." The state must certify this amount before the town can use it. Free cash is used to assess bond rating, among other things, so the state has an interest in making sure the figures are accurate.
Money coming in from the state for the next fiscal year is listed on the "Cherry Sheet." The state has not yet sent the Cherry Sheet to Stoneham.
And with the schools, police station and Common rolling along, more debt does not appeal to the Finance Board.
Thus Stoneham officials do not know exactly what they will have to spend. Warren's estimate is based on projections and past experience.
But Selectmen and the Finance Board know who wants the money:
Police and fire are asking for more overtime. The Selectmen are backing their requests.
The Town has to pay things it hoped it wouldn't, like an additional $23,000 to the Northeast Metro Tech.
Public Works could use some dough for drainage and sidewalk work.
With a busy election year, the Town Clerk and his staff have been looking for help.
Warren said the Finance Board itself would like to continue to place money in the Stabilization Fund and Reserve Fund, to help cover big projects and emergencies.
The Building Department needs to replace a building inspector and the electrical and plumbing inspectors are both underpaid compared to surrounding communities.
The Health Department has been demanding office help for more than a year.
The Schools need help to cover unanticipated special education costs. And so on.
But on the bright side, the Town could get more than anticipated from the state. Also, new folks replacing retirees may opt out of the town healthcare system.
It could happen, but don't count on it. That's optimism, Finance Board style.
Decisions must be made before the warrant closes on Sept. 22. To see and maybe influence who gets what, talk to town officials and attend public meetings.
Flag still flapping
The Town Hall flagpole will be the same height as before, not five feet higher as discussed at a previous Selectmen's meeting. But enough about the flag.
DeGeorge staying busy
Franklin Street resident John DeGeorge has convinced town officials to post the agendas of upcoming public meetings at the Senior Center on Elm Street and the Public Library.
DeGeorge has also gathered signatures to place an article on the warrant of the Oct. 23 Special Town Meeting. The article if approved would require the town to leave the warrants for special town meetings open for article submission for a minimum of 14 days.
Sister Plante
A priest and nun who may be able to shed light on the murky "Sister Plante case" skipped scheduled depositions last week.
Beverly Plante, Sister Michaelinda in the Sisters of Mercy Order, was fired from her job as Associate Superintendent of Fall River Parochial Schools for unknown reasons in 1994.
Discussion between the Fall River Samaritans and Bishop Sean O'Malley of the Fall River Diocese preceded the nun's ouster, and for years the supporters of Plante, many of whom hail from Stoneham, have funded a legal battle focused on uncovering what was said to the Bishop.
The priest, Father Richard Beaulieu is in defiance of a motion to compel him to attend the deposition he missed on Sept. 8. Beaulieu has also avoided scheduled depositions on Dec. 11, 1995, May 21, 1997, June 3, 1999, and July 27, 2000.
The nun, Sister Rosemary La Liberte, has skipped scheduled depositions on Dec. 11, 1995, and May 21, 1997. Plante's lawyers have filed a motion to compel La Libert
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