Library turns to Town Meeting for some help
Published on August 15th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - The cuts may not draw the same widespread panic as those to the town’s school and public safety departments, but supporters want Stonehamites to know that their library stands to be decimated without more funding.
To prevent such wide-reaching reductions, which would include the decertification of the Stoneham Public Library, the facility’s supporters and Board of Trustees plan to turn to this Thursday’s Special Town Meeting assembly for help.
One of four articles being pitched to the Town Meeting body this week, the measure will ask that the townspeople appropriate $92,000 to supplement the library’s FY’08 budget.
If approved, the library would receive the necessary funding to receive state certification, which would bring with it $25,000 in state aid and permit residents’ to borrow books from other cities and towns. In addition, the facility’s hours, which were slashed in light of the budget decreases, would be restored by hiring back part-time workers.
“That’s less than 1.5 percent of our total town budget,” said Library Board of Trustee Catherine DiDonato, referring to the department’s total required $757,000 budget. “It’s just a drop in the bucket.”
“What you’re doing when you go below the minimal appropriation is the same as saying the sophomores can do without science,” the library trustee contended. “You’re cutting into our core curriculum.”
Based upon the budget recommendation by Town Administrator David Ragucci, the library stands to receive up to $40,000 of the revenues generated through the $200 trash fee, which is expected to raise $1.3 million.
Without taking a larger share of that funding source, the townspeople would have to endorse a withdrawal from dwindling reserves in the stabilization account, which requires a two-thirds vote.
Although the library can still receive state certification by receiving a waiver, Library Director Mary Todd warned that the 65 available exceptions were limited, given the number of municipalities sharing Stoneham’s financial plight.
Reached this week, Town Administrator David Ragucci confirmed that he is currently working to identify a source to meet the libraries needs.
“We [the Selectmen and myself] feel very strongly about addressing that library service level. We have spoken about taking some of that money out of capital line items,” Ragucci said.
“I would reluctantly say I would agree with that, but we need to address all of the needs in this community and capital is certainly one of those. You can’t have your infrastructure crumbling all around you,” the Town Administrator explained.
According to Ragucci, while he will support the library request, he cannot show the same backing for a warrant article seeking to appropriate $15,000 to the recreation department.
Although the Town Administrator had high praise for the work of Recreation Director Christine DelRossi — who has managed to keep the department afloat for two years now without municipal funding — he believes that he has to look out for the needs of all the town’s offices.
“The philosophy I used is that I have 12 children and all of them need to be treated equally,” said Ragucci. “Christine is doing a bang-up job there, but I can’t support giving any one department additional funding while others aren’t getting any money.”
Along similar lines, the Town Administrator is also discouraging people from trying to redistribute his overall FY’08 budget recommendations by withdrawing funding from the stabilization account.
According to the Ragucci, he tried to split the $1.3 million worth of trash fee revenues in the fairest way possible, while addressing the most pivotal functions of the town at the same time.
Ragucci’s take on the split differs from Selectman Paul Rotondi, who has repeatedly urged his counterparts to split the trash fee money equally between the town and the school side. The selectman’s push to accomplish that 50-50 distribution was defeated by his counterparts in a 4 to 1 vote at the most recent Board of Selectmen meeting.
Given that Stoneham will likely face a similar plight in the years to come, Ragucci also feels that any withdrawal from reserves would be irresponsible if supports reoccurring budget expenses.
“I feel very strongly about not taking money out of stabilization. The stabilization fund will run dry and the operating expenses won’t be reduced,” said Ragucci. “Stabilization should be for an emergency, just like your savings for your own household expenses.”
The last and fourth article, sponsored by Franklin Street resident John DeGeorge, would seek to create a new policy regarding the rainy day fund, as it relates to free cash money.
Specifically, DeGeorge wants all free cash to automatically be deposited in the reserve account, a measure that would make it more difficult for both town officials and townspeople to utilize the money for operating costs during October Town Meeting.
Traditionally, the town’s fathers have recommended that a large portion or free cash be slated for budget adjustments made after May’s Annual Town Meeting, a practice the Franklin Street resident has repeatedly criticized.
Such expenditures only require a majority vote at Town Meeting. But if the warrant article was to pass, a two-thirds vote would be required to touch free cash.
DeGeorge couldn’t be reached for comment on the proposal by presstime.
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