Town Meeting passes $57 Million budget
Published on May 10th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - Town Meeting unanimously consented to an approximate $57 million FY’07 municipal operating budget last Thursday night that transferred $15,000 into Stoneham’s capital repair account.
Approving the spending plan during a sparsely attended and unusually calm Town Meeting gathering — considering the at-times contentious and boisterous sessions in recent years — the lion’s share of debate on the budget centered upon how to spend the $15,000 stipend stripped from the Selectmen two-weeks ago.
According to Selectman Tony Kennedy, his board voted prior to Thursday night’s assembly to deposit the $15,000 worth of salaries into the capital account, which was originally budgeted to contain only $22,000 for all of Stoneham’s repair needs.
“Because of the action at Town Meeting the other evening, there was a vote taken by the Board of Selectmen to [place that $15,000 into capital]. The feeling of the board was that to maintain the infrastructure within this town, we certainly need more than $22,000,” the Selectman proposed.
Believing that the funding would be better utilized if it was slated toward something that all citizens could benefit from, Dunklee Avenue resident Jean Craigie amended that proposal, arguing that the money should go to the library.
According to the former School Committee member, who led the effort to strip the Selectmen’s $3,000 stipend three nights prior, the library has traditionally been underfunded as the town struggles with reoccurring financial troubles.
The Dunklee Avenue resident further believed that placing the small sum into the library’s operating budget was appropriate given recent news that the facility has experienced some infrastructure problems in recent weeks.
“The building is tired and it probably does need some capital work. The library touches all of us. It’s a place in town that’s very needed and useful,” Craigie said.
“This is an opportunity to enhance the quality of life in Stoneham. We are all tightening our belts, but this is our way to do something that benefits everybody in Stoneham,” former Selectman Mary Pecoraro later added, urging the body to support the amendment.
Although various residents and town officials agreed that the library could use the appropriation, opponents of the amendment claimed that the proposal lacked the flexibility to dedicate the $15,000 allotment to the entire town’s repair needs.
According to Selectman John DePinto, who recognized the facility’s need for the funding, the town-wide capital account could always be tapped in the event that the library had a critical repair need.
But if any other town building required a capital appropriation, that $15,000 amount would be off-limits if it was placed into the library’s operating budget.
“If the [library] boiler does go, we’d still have to take it out of capital. So it’s best for the library if the $15,000 stays [in that account],” DePinto commented.
After Craigie’s amendment failed in an 81 to 49 vote, the Selectmen’s recommended budget was passed in unanimous fashion.
Other Financial Measures
In addition to approving the FY’07 budget that included a reconfigured repair account appropriation, last Thursday’s assembly also approved eight other capital-related spending articles.
Of those eight proposals, all but one measure passed unanimously. A list of the those articles and a brief explanation of the proposals is as follows:
•Article 17, which sought $60,000 to purchase new firefighter turnout gear, passed unanimously. According to town officials, the present protection, which is worn at fire scenes, had deteriorated to an unsafe condition.
•Article 18, which requested to transfer $30,000 from the cemetery perpetual care account to replace a dump truck, passed by a resounding margin. According to Finance Board member Ben Caggiano, the current 1997 vehicle had continually broken-down over the past few years.
•Article 19, an annual measure proposed to maintain the town’s water infrastructure, passed unanimously.
•Article 20, another annual measure intended for sewer system maintenance, passed unanimously.
•Article 21, which sought to transfer $309,000 in state highway funds for roadway repairs, passed unanimously. The funding for the measure comes completely from state appropriations.
•Article 22, an extension of an article approved last October sought $35,000 to replace the wood decking at the high school bleachers. According to School Committee member Marie Christie, the town’s building department mandated that the repairs be completed. The proposal passed unanimously.
•Article 23, part of a 10-year capital repair plan, requested $210,000 to replace 20,000 square feet of roofing at the high school. The school department is currently in the fourth year of its decade-long replacement program for the high school and middle school roofs.
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