Town '09 Budget schedule discussed
Published on January 9th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA - The town's Board of Selectmen this week halted Town Administrator David Ragucci's plan to aggressively tackle the town's anticipated FY'09 budget woes.
According to Ragucci, he was prepared to submit two spending plans for next year by Jan. 22 to the Selectmen, so that deliberations could begin in earnest on how to tackle an anticipated $800,000 to $2 million deficit.
One of the budgets would include the revenues from a $170 trash fee, while the second proposal would not include the refuse charge, which was implemented for the third straight year last summer after a $2.9 million override question failed.
"I would hope this board would discuss the budget and get your recommendations to me on what you'd like to see happen with it," the town administrator said. "Then we would come together sometime before Feb. 25, decide on a budget, and move forward on it."
"It will be very explicit as to what would be impacted," said Ragucci of his budget recommendation. "I can't tell you on the school side what will be presented."
If the Selectmen had accepted Ragucci's budget schedule, it would have been one of the most aggressive approaches to tackling Stoneham's budget woes, since the town's financial condition started deteriorating a number of years ago.
In recent years, the Selectmen haven't completed their budget deliberations until late spring, leaving little time for local residents to digest the spending plans prior to the Annual Town Meeting in May.
Last year, the budget wasn't finalized until August.
Disagreeing with Ragucci's approach to the FY'09 budget season, Selectman Robert Sweeney characterized the schedule as completely unrealistic.
In particular, Sweeney claimed that any spending plan finalized in late February could be unwound by an incoming Selectman, depending on that person's stance on the controversial garbage charge.
The Selectman also contended that the townspeople had become extremely wary and suspicious of town officials, in large part because annual budgets have been created in the past that threaten widespread reductions in services.
However, changing revenue streams, such as the implementation of the trash fee or the influx of free cash - such as the $1.4 million received last fall - later restore the majority of those proposed layoffs and budget cuts.
"We actually can't do that. That's good in theory and it's good to have everything set in February and how we're going to pass it. But say the vote today is 3 to 2 for a trash fee and a [new] member doesn't want a trash fee," said Sweeney.
"So I wouldn't feel comfortable on letting the people know..." the veteran Selectman continued, before switching gears. 'We'll have a better gauge in April or May. We'll know what the deficit is. But we won't know how we're going to handle it [until then]."
After reviewing the town charter, Town Counsel Bill Solomon later informed Ragucci that he didn't need to unveil his budget proposal until mid-February.
According to the town's bylaws, the town administrator is required to make his recommendations to the Selectmen 75 days before the start of the Annual Town Meeting.
Ragucci would later advocate for the formation of a subcommittee to discuss his initial budget plans, so that some consensus existed between the Selectmen, School Committee, and Finance Board over revenue sources, the size of the budget gap, and what types of solutions should be explored.
"One thing I think would be very helpful to the town is if we had a working group. No one seems to be able to agree on the numbers," said the town administrator, who has reportedly already had disagreements with school officials on revenue projections.
"I think that makes some sense. When you have tri-board meetings, that's nice, but people don't want to get down to details. People are going to be more free to be innovative [in a working group]," Selectman Paul Rotondi agreed. "Then after these subcommittees get together, and they may have some differences, at least they'll know what the numbers are."
Sweeney would later also agree with that approach, but warned against moving two quickly on the budget, especially if the numbers and figures were likely to change.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!