Selectman nix override, pry open health talks
Published on March 2nd, 2005
STONEHAM, MA - A second stab to put a $1 Million debt override on the April ballot was again shot down by the Board of Selectmen prior to Tuesday night’s Tri-Board meeting. Selectmen Tony Kennedy again fostered the motion into discussion and spoke as its biggest proponent, "asking that it at least be put on the ballot to let the voters decide."
Board of Selectmen Chairman Cosmo Ciccarello and Selectman Bob Sweeney both voted against the motion, with Ciccarello citing that the voters had voiced their wishes during the prior override vote last year.
With a 4/5 vote needed for the override’s sponsorship on the ballot, and Tuesday night marking the 35th day prior to the April 5 election, a debt exclusion override is officially a dead issue for the April election.
"My feeling is that you should have at least let the people decide whether they wanted it or not," said Selectman Charlie Smith, who has also decided not to run for re-election during the April 5 vote. "All that they’re (Ciccarello and Sweeney) doing is taking away one less option to bridge the $1.7 Million deficit we’re facing in FY06. I don’t think it made a whole lot of sense if we’re looking for a solution here."
According to Kennedy in an impromptu presentation to a Banquet Hall filled with residents and town officials — as well as the members of the School Committee and Finance and Advisory Board waiting for the Tri-Board meeting to commence — the debt exclusion tax fee to taxpayers would have lessened each year as the debt decreased. With the town receiving $1 Million in 2006, $950,000 in FY07, $829,000 in FY08 and so on over a 15-year period, Stoneham resident Peter D’Angelo estimated the tax to the average household ($300,000) would be in the $1200-1500 range over 15 years.
"The voters sent a message to us when the last override was defeated that they don’t think the answer is spending and raising taxes," said D’Angelo. "It’s encumbent upon the committees and boards to find ways to cut costs and live within their budgets."
"People talk about uncontrolled costs like health care and special education...well at some level I don’t believe it’s uncontrollable," said D’Angelo. "Everything is controllable in form or another. If healthcare is going up 24 percent (as Town Administrator Ron Florino estimated during Tuesday night’s proceedings), then perhaps it’s time we re-opened collective bargaining and spoke with the union heads."
"The Collective Bargaining agreements exceeded the town’s ability to pay for the COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) increases for town employees, and now we’re seeing that problem with the rising cost of health benefits," added D’Angelo. "A debt exclusion override is only going to embolden those who have continued to spend. We need to stick with a budget rather than continuing spend."
Takes as almost a cue from D’Angelo, the Finance and Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend that both the town and schools vote to re-open Collective Bargaining negotiations — with the hope that some accord can be reached over the health care costs.
Currently, the town’s employees pay 15 percent of their HMO care costs with the remaining 85 percent carried by the town. While placing a heavier cost burden on the town’s workers has been discussed for almost as long as the financial troubles have dogged Stoneham over the last few years, this was the first official movement toward making a change.
Both the Board of Selectmen and School Committee also made the motion and unanimously voted to re-open negotiations with their employees, after nearly all town Union representation declined the town’s bid to discuss a change in public.
Quoting from a letter sent by union representation from the Stoneham Teachers Association Union. union leaders felt a public meeting "was an inappropriate forum" to discuss Collective Bargaining issues and suggested any discussions take place in Collective Bargaining sessions.
"Everything is on the table right now," said School Committee member Dave Sheils of an oft-repeated mantra the school administration has had in recent weeks with possible school closings, redistricting and other radical damage-control plans in store if they must absorb a $1.2 Million deficit entering FY2006.
Florino expressed a reluctance to alter an agreement that both negotiating sides "reached in good faith", and also warned that raising the cost of employees’ healthcare may lead to higher costs in other areas. But each of the town boards were anxious to see each union’s reaction when possible layoffs and the quality of Stoneham children’s educations were at stake.
Speculation has run rampant that the town is looking to raise the employee’s share to anywhere 20-25 percent of the overall cost.
"When you work in the private sector, you pay more health insurance and I think it’s time that the town employees foot a little more of the rising bill," said resident Edie Previde, who then confirmed with the Selectmen that the 15 percent health care share hasn’t risen in at least the last 15 years.
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