Veto of Gov's budget saves town 123K
Published on July 9th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Just missing another storm of budget cuts that could have cost the Town $123,000 for fiscal year 2004, the State Legislature overrode Massachusetts' Governor Mitt Romney's veto of nearly $23 million set aside for additional assistance to local cities and towns.
Responding yesterday afternoon to the governor's veto of nearly $200 million from the state budget, the House of Representatives voted 140-15, and the Senate voted 36-3 in favor of repealing the $23 million veto. Stoneham, which received over $2 million in additional assistance, would have seen approximately 6 percent of that figure shaved away if the veto had passed.
Although all cities' and towns' additional assistance would have also been slashed by 6 percent, Stoneham stood to lose more funding than surrounding communities such as Wakefield and Reading. Wakefield would have lost approximately $87,000 while Reading would have lost $93,000. Melrose, which was receiving $2.7 million in additional assistance, faced about $164,000 in reductions.
In an interview Monday afternoon prior to the override, Senator Richard Tisei dissented with Romney's decision to pass on more budget hits to cities and towns.
"I don't dispute the governor's concerns that the budget is out of balance or could be out of balance down the road. It's just I think that cities and towns have worked hard to put together budgets that reflect the cuts that have already been made," Tisei commented, adding that the House and Senate required a two-thirds vote to overturn the veto.
"I think people are really struggling to provide necessary services with what has already happened...I think his decision will be overridden," continued Tisei, who will support the majority of Romney's other budget vetoes.
Absent the recent override, the additional cuts to local aid could have proven significant given a Warrant Article for a July 28 Special Town Meeting that would increase the Town's 2004 budget by $25,000.
Because the Town anticipates receiving those funds from a legal settlement, the specifics of which Town officials declined to comment on, the Board of Selectmen has proposed increasing the library's personnel budget by $9,500 and the traffic director's personnel budget by $15,500.
According to Town Administrator David Berry, even if the legislative override didn't happen, the Town could still have dealt with the budget increase and the budget cuts.
"I think that $123,000 is something we can deal with and I think we're lucky we haven't had to deal with massive budget cuts or layoffs this year. If it (the cuts) stays in that range its not insurmountable. A lot of times you end up with savings you didn't expect," commented Berry.
According to Berry, the Town has already saved approximately $9,000 from its assessment from the Northeast Regional Vocational School, and could save up to $15,000 from switching the town's electricity provider from NSTAR to TransCanada.
Also in favor of the $25,000 increase, which is proposed under Article five of the warrant, both Selectmen Tony Kennedy and Cosmo Ciccarello support the increase.
"We positively support it. In fact, we told the Town Administrator to sponsor it. We absolutely need the traffic directors and the library needs to be open on Sunday," said Ciccarello, remarking that the article will prove tough to pass given the need for a two-thirds vote.
"I know it's unusual in July to change the budget when we just got started with it on July 1. But the thinking I had is that we need the crossing guards in September, so rather than wait until October, I thought it was a good idea to address it now," said Kennedy in a separate interview.
Not everybody agrees with the use of the $25,000. Arguing that the Town should be saving any additional funds it receives for fiscal year 2005, Finance and Advisory Chairman John Warren believes his board will vote unfavorably against the article.
"I would anticipate the Finance and Advisory Board voting against these changes. Just because we found more money doesn't mean we should spend more money. The first question should be is this a wise way to spend our money?," said Warren.
".You have to say, 'This is the money we got and this is our spending level'. If the townspeople want to increase that spending level, that's a different story," the Chairman added.
Arguing for the use of the money, Stoneham Police Safety Officer Larry Rotondi claims that bringing back another three traffic directors could prove a very wise move as the Town adjusts to the opening of additional schools.
"The traffic directors are extremely important. The biggest concern is the kids safety. We have a couple new schools on board, so right now we don't know how it's going to affect traffic," said Rotondi.
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