Voters say "No" to Selectmen stipends
Published on October 25th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - Town Meeting rejected a proposal on Monday night that would have restored the $3,000 stipends stripped from the Selectmen last May.
Falling just 16 votes shy of the required two-thirds percentage, Article 1, proposed by North Street resident John Scullin, failed in a 105 to 69 vote on Monday night.
According to Scullin, who argued that the elected officials deserved the small compensation, last May's Town Meeting was unjustified in pulling the $3,000 stipends out of the Selectmen's pockets - an action largely seen as retaliation for the trash fee imposed on citizens, just days after voters overwhelmingly rejected that cost in a non-binding referendum question.
"They get hundreds of phone calls and spend hundreds of hours representing this town, all for just eight dollars a day. Whether you love them or hate them, they deserve this salary," the Stoneham firefighter and Board of Health Chairman said.
"I would just like to go back a little to that evening [last May]. In retrospect, it was a little hostile," Ellen Road resident Jim Juliano later argued. "If you don't like their decisions, you can vote them out."
Against the passage of the warrant article, Finance Board member Russell Wilson claimed that while the Selectmen may very well deserve the $3,000 stipend, the town really couldn't afford it.
Specifically, the Finance Board member insisted that the $15,000 figure would be much better spent on more pressing needs, especially given the fiscal climate of the town. The funding for the proposal would have been stripped from capital repair accounts, which would be raided later on in the assembly.
"I think we need to get back to the real issue. Money was taken away and it's being used in other places. We have to decide where that money is best spent," said Wilson.
Although the Town Meeting body rejected that expenditure request, the small gathering supported virtually every other proposal that sought to reappropriate, borrow, or tap free cash.
Article 12, which created two new positions - a clerk for the school system's Facility Director and an IT or technology worker in Town Hall - received overwhelming support by the assembly. The measure would also divert funding to pay for a demand for additional support on the Zoning and Planning Board levels, as well as a need for additional support at the recycling yard and town cemeteries.
According to Town Administrator Ron Florino, the new IT person would help the town maintain its computer software, a task that was currently being conducted by the Treasurer's office.
"It's going to be hard to keep that running and we don't want that to fall through the cracks," Florino commented. "We had a reportable condition on our audit report because our treasurer is performing the IT functions."
Claiming that the facility person would be shared between the town and school sectors, Florino argued that the $22,225 expenditure would prevent Stoneham's 13 government-owned buildings from falling into disrepair.
However, during debate on a separate measure later on in the meeting, School Committee Chair Kristen Russo admitted that the facility employee would in fact be a clerk.
"Due to not having clerical help, [our Facility Manager] is not able to go out in the field. So that $22,000 would give him that help to clear up that paperwork," the School Committee member revealed.
The Finance Board, which unsuccessfully lobbied against the measure - it passed without much opposition - warned that given the town's cash-strapped state, it was extremely likely that the two positions created would be eliminated during budget deliberations next year.
The assembly also endorsed two school-related measures that sought to borrow $250,000 for repairs at the middle and high schools, and use $39,000 in free cash to create a middle school technology aid and rehire two janitors.
The passage of Article 14 enables the school department to complete a laundry list of repairs, such as replacing a malfunctioning electrical panel, repainting or refurbishing lockers, and fixing doors, by borrowing $250,000.
According to Russo, although the total cost estimate of those mentioned repairs was far over that figure - forecasts placed the bill at over $300,000 -school officials were hoping that bids for the work would come in low.
"It is hoped that through public bidding, that the cost will be less than estimates," the School Committee Chair said. "But if the costs come in greater than the $250,000 we're approving, the School Committee will [decide which projects go forward]."
Article 15, which also earned Town Meeting's blessing on Monday night, will allow the school system to hire two janitors and a technology aid by tapping $39,000 worth of free cash - a little over $94,000 was available.
School officials argued that the janitors were sorely needed to battle a growing cleanliness and health threat within the district. The two custodians would also eliminate the need to charge sports groups for their after-hours use of schools. The sports groups were reportedly being charged $28 an hour for custodian coverage during nighttime practices or games.
The new technology aid, a 19-hour per week position that would cost $7,000 a year - according to school officials - would allow middle school students to access that building's closed computer lab.
"The School Committee acknowledges that we're using one time revenues for personnel costs. We feel that we need to address [these positions] not only this year, but also in the FY'08 budget," Russo said.
Questioning the total cost of the new positions, Historical Commission member Marcia Wengen pointed out that the salaries for the two custodians alone was estimated at $41,212.
In total, based upon those figures, the three posts would carry an approximately $48,000 cost, while the article itself only requested $39,000 in funding, Wengen pointed out. According to Russo, the remainder of the salaries would be recouped by not having to pay unemployment compensation.
In other developments, Town Meeting also:
• Authorized a $50,000 free cash withdrawal for a drainage study of MacArthur Road and Spring Street;
• Accepted $141,722 in state highway funding for road repairs;
• Permitted the town to borrow $408,000 to stop sewer leakage and infiltration;
• Granted permission for the town to pay $650 in prior year invoices.
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