Residents offer ideas to meet fiscal crisis
Published on March 12th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Reacting to the dismal budget predictions presented by Town officials at last Monday night's public meeting, a pocketful of concerned residents offered revenue raising ideas to meet the fiscal challenges.
Most of those gathered opposed Town Administrator David Berry's budget draft, citing that the layoffs of nearly twenty-two Town employees and thirty school officials would devastate crucial services the Town provided.
"We can't lose a policeman or a fireman in this town. It's madness," said Stoneham resident Bob Fields, after hearing that eleven total police and fire officials will be cut.
While many voiced their suggestions to help officials fill budget discrepancies, very few residents supported a property tax override initially put forth and left unendorsed by Town Selectmen last month.
One resident warned the small gathering that raising taxes would not solve the problem, accusing Town officials of flouting layoff figures to encourage a vote supporting an override.
"Let's not take what?s commonly called the 'taxachusetts' choice" Raising taxes has never got us more efficient or more streamlined government," said Stoneham resident Jim Ring. "I suspect the desired response in some cases is to get us so worked up about layoffs that we want to vote for an override," Ring added, later suggesting the privatization of some Town functions.
Although part of a minority opinion, other townspeople supported a property tax override if that meant saving the jobs of Town workers.
"I'd be open to a small override because I want to bear some of the burden," said Dan Kowalski, noting that the Town should share responsibility for the fiscal crisis.
Alternative suggestions to the layoffs or a tax override ranged from building office parks and hotels on Town land, revitalizing town properties such as the Stoneham Arena and Unicorn golf course, collecting trash fees and having students organize a bottle and can drive to help pay for school activities.
Claiming that selling Town properties such as the Stoneham Arena only provided a quick one-time fix, Stoneham resident Larry Rotondi insisted that the Town redevelop the facilities for office parks or hotels.
"I'm not in favor of selling any land. I feel Stoneham is anti-business. You get a big land developer to come up and put in office parks; I know everybody wants Stoneham to be a quiet town but if you want this closed-nest community, you've got to pay the price," said Rotondi.
Disagreeing with Rotondi's approach, other residents pursued measures that would boost the income of Town properties such as the skating rink, which loses thousands of dollars each year.
"I'm not even thinking about selling the arena," said Frank Pignone. "That's not ice there. It's a gold mine. They could have all types of rents there. You could even have $1 movies for the kids. Just use your imagination," the former town official added.
Residents also brainstormed on several other money-saving approaches suggested by town officials, such as postponing the opening of the Robin Hood and Colonial Park schools. However, state officials, who will pay the town $1.8 million next year for the schools' construction, must approve such a delay if the town wishes to be reimbursed.
"We're told that in the case of financial hardship, they might give us a one-year waiver on opening the schools, but if we waited another year, those reimbursements would be in jeopardy," explained Stoneham Superintendent of School Joseph Connolly.
Other money-saving approaches presented by residents included: creating a volunteer staff to fill in at the town library and other departments, requesting that town officials each work one to four days without pay, cutting the non-academic staff members in schools including athletic coaches, and putting parking meters in the town square.
Town officials opened an email account this Tuesday so residents can offer further suggestions on how to deal with the budget crisis. Emails can be sent to budget ideas@ci.stoneham.ma.us.
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