TOWN OF MILLBURY
Board of Selectmen Minutes
Municipal Office Building – Selectmen’s Meeting Room
March 5, 2009 7:00 p.m.
Present: Board of Selectmen: Chairman E. Bernard Plante, Joseph F. Coggans, Jr., Kenneth I. Schold, Francis B. King.
Robert Spain, Town Manager, Susan Hitchcock, Jane Pojani, Mike O’Connor, Bill Hamilton, Steve Hebert, Don Gauthier, various Town Hall employees, Brian Turbitt, Finance Director, Tom Reilly, The Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, Donna Boynton, Telegram & Gazette and concerned citizens
Chairman Plante opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance
Motion made by Selectman Coggans to appoint the Town Manager as Tax Title Custodian, seconded by Selectman Schold.
Motion carried unanimously.
One Day Liquor Licenses
Simply Serving II-Asa Waters- March 22, 2009.
Motion made by Selectman King, seconded by Selectman Schold, to approve a one day liquor license for Simply Serving II on March 22, 2009.
Motion carried unanimously.
Women’s Club/Lenny’s Liquors-Asa Waters- March 28, 2009.
Motion made by Selectman King, seconded by Selectman Schold, to approve a one day liquor license for the Women’s Club/Lenny’s Liquors on March 28, 2009.
Motion carried unanimously.
TOWN MANGER BUDGET PRESENTATION
Mr. Spain informed the Board and citizens that per the Charter he is required to give them the budget 60 days prior to town meeting. Millbury’s financial health, just like the economy, is not very encouraging. The Town is down $1,619,650.00 for fiscal 2010. Overall: State Aid is down 6.73% from 1 year ago. It still may be cut even further than that he learned from the Senator’s meeting held last night. Local receipts may finish in a deficit. State law requires we pass a balanced budget.
Total budget he proposed is $34,354,298-which is a reduction from last year; this includes a reduction in force of 8.8 positions. This will result in a reduction in services to the Town. The Town has reduced its side by $649,000; the rooms & meals tax could produce $250,000-if passed we will pass along. We plan to meet with employee groups to discuss concessions.
New growth is estimated at $90,000-last year was $200,000. Local receipts-down $200,000, which we get from transfer station, Wheelabrator money, taxes, permits, Medicaid, etc.; running about $250,000 short for fiscal ‘09. We expect this trend to continue in FY ’10. Free cash is $523,000 less this year as well.
Mr. Spain is only presenting Town side of Budget. The School Committee is responsible for their budget. Currently general government is going to decrease by approximately 5.3% from the current fiscal year’s budget and 7.2% from the original proposed budget. General government includes the Town Manager’s office, Selectmen, Town Clerk, Assessors, etc. Major reductions made .3 full time equivalent in the Manager’s Administrative Assistant, frozen the salary of the Town Manager for both fiscal year ’09 and ‘10, 1.0 fulltime equivalent (hereinafter “fte”) in finance office and freezing Finance Director pay, other department heads also froze their salary, 2.5 full time employees reduced in the Treasurer and Assessors offices, .3 fte in the Town Clerk’s
office, .7 fte in the eliminating the night janitor at Municipal Office Building. Public safety reduction 1.0 fte reduction in an open position, .3 fte fire department clerk, 1.0 building inspector department, reduced stipend for assistant inspectors in electrical and plumbing.
Public Education budget is up 3.81% and Blackstone Valley Tech is level funded, debt service will be slightly down. School Committee is not done with their budget and will work at it-They need to decrease their budget by $971,000 based on 60/40 split of deficit.
Public works has increased by $125,000.00 because of equipment lease payment, there are 1.3 fte reductions in DPW, one open highway position and the clerk is reduced, also reducing number of lead positions. The market for recyclables has bottomed out. Recyclables are now costing us to dispose. Gas and diesel has obviously increased.
Public Health and Human Services has increased by 2.78%. -.3 fte reduction in Board of Health staff, garbage pickup in Town will be stopped, .4 fte reduction at the senior center, veterans services has increased by $43,000. Not only effecting fiscal year ’10 but our current fiscal year as well as we needed a transfer for this year’s budget.
Culture and Recreation is decreasing by 8.47%. Library 1.7 fte reduction, 2 are open positions- children’s librarian and library asst., and a night janitor. Debt services increasing 9.5% but covered by sewer enterprise fund.
The Employee Benefits are increasing. Health insurance costs are way up; Fallon is up 9.59% and Tufts up 9.74%. Retirement up almost $80,000 because of early retirement several years ago. Anytime you reduce force, unemployment costs will increase.
General insurance is level funded. Sewer enterprise fund is decreased-not putting money into debt service-cost will be transferred after appropriating.
Basically that is the decreases in the operations/maintenance budget. In addition there are other expenses as well such as, special articles and capital requirements including $60,000 police revolving account deficit, $55,000 for Asa Waters oil cleanup, $20,000 for the senior work off program, $141,000 for 3 school capital projects, one of which is for ADA, one for drainage work, and the other for Windle Field lighting which if they do not fix the lights the field will have to close, $1,800 for a Veterans Monument, $90,000 Medicaid for schools, $40,000 for partial cost of repairing McCracken Road bridge.
Not a pretty picture. Situation is very severe. Needs cooperation from all employee groups. Hardest budget he has ever had to put together-worst thing he has to do is tell someone there is no job. Cannot pull out of this one. Budget needs cooperation in order to be balanced. Needs to find common ground to benefit all citizens-not just one group of citizens.
Last year in his budget presentation he mentioned that the future was not going to be rosy and the economy was going to affect State Aid. Little did he know how bad it was going to be. On January 30 the deficit was $1.35 mil. Currently added in is snow and ice, waters mansion, etc. He will work hard to reduce those employees that lost their jobs and hours. There is no fat to cut-we are cutting bone. This could be a 4 fiscal year cycle. This will produce a drop in services from the town. Please be patient and have consideration with them-the employees of this Town do a great job.
Questions:
Chairman Plante said that he doesn’t remember such a bad time-we have great employees. No fat here-for the 19 years he has been here he has never seen any fat-this bothers the Board immensely. When you get $637,000 less from the state than you expected there is no place to find money. This Board, the manager and finance director are going to continue to work as hard as they can not to let employees go.
Selectman King said that if the unions cooperate with any found moneys or any new moneys at all will be used to save jobs for people positions, not open positions.
Selectman Coggans wanted to know if the unions would consider any unpaid furlough days if that could help save jobs. Mr. Spain said that we are trying anything that would help and we are willing to discuss and to try to figure out how to do it.
We have to have a balanced budget by town meeting and we may not even have real numbers until July.
Selectman King had the idea of furloughs awhile ago-he took one dept and was amazed that it did not save that much money-it would need to be every single employee in this Town in order for it to work.
Chairman Plante said that if anyone has any ideas, please present them.
Mail:
Letter from Poll worker Ms. Stanbury submitting her resignation.
Selectman Coggans made a motion to accept the resignation of Ms. Stanbury, seconded by Selectman Schold.
Motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Spain wanted to thank her for her dedicated and very helpful service.
The DPW will be doing spring cleanup working with FEMA-pick up any brush and chip.
April 13-21, stack brush by side of road.
Executive Session
Motion made by Selectman Schold, seconded by Selectman King to move into Executive Session at 7:50 p.m. under Chapter 39, Section 23B, Paragraphs 3 to discuss collective bargaining or potential litigation.
Chairman Plante -Yes
Selectman Coggans, Jr. - Yes
Selectman Schold - Yes
Selectman King - Yes
Chairman Plante stated that the Board will leave Executive Session solely to adjourn; no other business will be conducted.
The Board returned to open session at 9:10 p.m.
Chairman Plante cancelled the March 10, 2009 meeting.
Adjournment
Motion made by Selectman Coggans, seconded by Selectman King to adjourn at 9:10 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Tish Hayes, Secretary, Bd of Selectmen
E. Bernard Plante __________________________
Joseph F. Coggans, Jr. __________________________
Kenneth I. Schold __________________________
Francis B. King __________________________
Its Board of Selectmen
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