Town of West Boylston, MA - FY09 Expenditure Recommendations

The Town’s operational expenditures are divided into functional categories that become the legal budget appropriated at Town Meeting. These functional categories include General Government, Public Safety, Education, Public Works, Human Service, Culture and Recreation, Debt Service, Intergovernmental, Employee Benefits, and General Insurance. Also added to this is the sewer enterprise operating budget. The final budgeting category, though not part of the actual budget vote, is the remaining Town Meeting Warrant articles that have a financial impact.

Below, I shall detail the proposed expenditures for all line items for the Town budget. This has been reviewed and recommended by the Board of Selectmen on April 16, 2008.

Moderator: I am proposing maintaining this line item at $300. This would allow the Moderator to attend the annual Massachusetts Moderator Association training conference and meeting and cover his stipend.

Board of Selectmen: I propose to fund this line item at $9,920 by maintaining the meager expense account within the Board of Selectmen office at a bare bones level. This pays for legal postings and mailings throughout the year and MMA expenses.

Town Administrator: I am proposing increasing this line item from $145,547 to $161,974. This increase reflects a COLA increase for the Municipal Assistant and maintains the other expenses on a level funded basis. This line item also includes the contractual increases for the Town Administrator that was renegotiated in FY08.

Finance Committee: I am proposing maintaining this line item at $155. While not a lot of money, the Finance Committee has offered to eliminate its line item of $155 for next year.

Reserve fund: This fund is necessary to cover any unforeseen expenses incurred by the Town and the Finance Committee must approve any expense paid through this fund. The safety net to cover unexpected costs in the upcoming year shall be hampered by a reduction in the reserve fund. While I strongly recommend funding this line item on an annual basis, I am left with few areas of discretion on the Town side of government to cut costs without even more drastic cuts in critical public safety and governmental programming. Therefore, I am proposing funding this line item at $50,000.

Finance Department: I am proposing a slight increase of this line item from $155,180 to $158,150. This increase provides for a COLA increase for the Assistant Town Accountant and level funding all other purchases and supplies, including the services of FAA.

Town Audit: I am proposing increasing this line item from $26,000 to $27,500. This amount will allow us the Town to obtain our basic financial statements.

Assessors Department: I am proposing increasing this line item from $78,225 to $80,100. This budget provides for a COLA increase for the Assistant Assessor, and maintenance of the current level of services from the Assessor’s Office.

Treasurer/Tax Collector: I am proposing increasing this line item from $139,382 to $146,107. This increase provides for a COLA increase for the employees of the department, necessary step increases, and maintenance of the current level of services from the Treasurer/Tax Collector department. It also includes $2000 for tax title enforcement.

Town Counsel: I am proposing reducing this line item from $90,000 to $85,000. We will have to be more conservative with the Town Counsel budget and it does leave us potentially short, particularly if we begin formal labor negotiations early.

Personnel: I am proposing maintaining this line item at $100. This Board reviews the proposed changes in the wage classification and job descriptions. This modest sum covers any costs for the Board and the Town assumes the costs of the MMPA. While not a lot of money, the Personnel Board could do without this budget if need be.

Computer Services: I am proposing increasing this line item from $55,225 to $69,815 which INCLUDES the purchase of some equipment. This increase includes the increased costs for our computer maintenance contracts. On the capital side, I am proposing an increase from $2,000 to $13,000 to cover various computer supplies for the Town and the purchase of new workstations to replace computers no longer under warranty and were deferred from last year.

Town Clerk: I am proposing increasing this line item from $58,160 to $59,536. This increase includes the COLA increases and a marginal increase in the other charges.

Elections: I am proposing increasing this line item from $21,647 to $23,130 primarily due to the changes in the costs to process the ballots.

Planning Board: The Planning Board is no longer able to operate effectively under its revolving fund without an allocation of funds from Town coffers. Without additional resources, the Planning Board will be left with the choice of reducing the services provided to the community through reduced meetings and reduced staffing levels. I am proposing that they receive an allocation from the Town of $4,500 to help cover their secretary and posting costs. They will continue to maintain their revolving fund.

Public Safety Building: I am proposing increasing this line item from $59,634 to $63,640. This increase provides for a COLA under the salaries account and a marginal increase in the gas and electric costs to the building and includes the sewer usage costs previously budgeted separately.

Town Hall (formally Mixter Building): I am proposing increasing this line item from $94,500 to $157,470. This increase provides for a COLA increase for the janitor at the Town Hall and will pay the rental costs of the 127 Hartwell Street property which the Town now leases for its services. While most expensive utility costs are eliminated, they are now covered under the large rental costs we now have.

Town Report: I am proposing reducing this line item from $2,961 to $2,461. This reduction is due to the work of the Municipal Assistant in reducing the printing costs of the annual Town Report.

Total General Government expenditures: I am proposing funding this section of government at $1,099,858, an increase of 10.2% largely due to the massive increases in the Town Hall line item to cover the rent of the municipal offices and the addition of the Planning Board to the Town Budget.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
General Government	776,181	857,705	941,896	1,010,332	997,791	1,099,858

Police Department: I am proposing increasing this line item from $1,179,528 to $1,228,509 including the leases on the police cruisers as part of the Police Department operating budget. This includes a COLA for union and non-union personnel. It does not include any additional costs associated with the bicentennial year. Otherwise, it maintains current services at the Police Department.

Fire Department: I am proposing increasing this line item from $513,600 to $551,047. This budget calls for maintaining the same amount of personnel provided for in the Department, a COLA increase, one step increase, and stipend pay increases. It level funds the purchased services and supply costs of the department. It does NOT include the costs of the new firefighters which will be dealt with on a warrant article.

Public Safety Communications: I am proposing increasing this line item from $238,450 to $246,045. This increase provides for a COLA for non-union employees and a marginal increase in the non-radio communications system allowing us to continue, for the time being, with the outdated, substandard radio system that needed to be replaced many years ago.

Building Department: I am proposing decreasing this line item from $110,010 to $104,050. This budget calls for a reduction in staff in the department.

Sealer of Weights: I am proposing reducing this line item from $1,960 to $1,900 to maintain the current contract with the Commonwealth to do the measure tests. The Town does recoup inspection fees for these tests that more than pays for the contract.

Emergency Management: I am proposing increasing this line item from $4,500 to $5,500. As always, it is the Town’s hope that the civil defense budget will be supplemented with grants. At its current level, this budget does not allow for any advancement of the Town’s emergency management processes. The costs are higher this year as we expect to spend more time in this department this year as we rewrite the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for the Town this year.

Animal Control: I am proposing maintaining this line item at $9,600. This provides for the animal control officer and money for an alternate if necessary. I believe this line item will adequately maintain services for the animal control department.

Total Public Safety expenditures: I am proposing funding this section of government at $2,146,651, an increase of 4.3% due to the COLA in the various departments.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Public Safety	1,526,320	1,498,734	1,607,648	1,805,722	2,052,078	2,146,651

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Education	8,196,845	8,032,908	8,326,705	8,857,690	8,927,045	9,380,045

Public Works: I am proposing increasing this line item from $532,012 to $557,689. This increase provides for personnel COLA increases, increases to the DPW union, increases in the municipal fuel costs to deal with the rising fuel costs, and training costs. This budget also originally requested extra monies to fund certain projects to be determined by the Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator for FY09 however I have requested that these be presented as separate warrant articles. I have also replaced the parks funds as cut last year. This year, we consolidated the two secretaries of the DPW and have greatly reduced the administrative costs accordingly.

Snow and Ice Removal: I am proposing increasing this line item from $102,800 to $104,324. I am proposing at least building into each snow and ice budget a small increase to cover increases in COLA’s. This budget cannot be reduced from level funding in order to allow for overspending in the event of drastic emergency situations.

Street Lighting: I am proposing increasing this line item from $80,560 to $81,761. This increase reflects the costs to provide streetlights on the Town’s roads. Any reduction of this line item could cause the elimination of some of non-essential streetlights. The Town Administrator is prepared to move forward with this suggestion if the Town’s budget needs to be pared down.

Trash Removal & Disposal: I am proposing increasing this line item from $403,200 to $418,000. On the collection side, I am expecting the cost to rise from $238,400 to $243,000. On the disposal side, I am expecting the cost per ton to increase by the end of the year to about $79.42/ton, which comes to $175,000.

Cemeteries: I am proposing increasing this line item from $40,059 to $40,230. This line item pays for the salary of the Cemetery Superintendent and the salaries of the Cemetery Commissioners required by Town Bylaw.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Public Works	906,474	905,431	1,025,489	1,102,842	1,158,631	1,202,004

Board of Health: Like the Planning Board, the Board of Health is facing the drastic situation of not providing adequate services to the community due to a lack of funds in their revolving account. I firmly believe that the Board of Health needs to be rolled back into the Town’s budget. I am proposing funding the Board of Health at $12,500. This funds some of the cost of the secretary to the Board of Health, the consulting services of the VNA for disease management, and training costs. Like the Planning Board, they would continue to operate their revolving account to cover the remainder of their operating expenses.

Council on Aging: I am proposing reducing this line item from $63,680 to $51,202. This proposal eliminates staffing at the Council on Aging and could greatly reduce service to the elder community.

Veterans Services: I am proposing increasing this line item from $15,029 to $44,505. This line item provides for benefits for Town veterans and a level funded salary for the veteran agent. It is an expansion from last year’s original budgeted amount due to an increase of veterans receiving services. The Town will receive 75% reimbursements on expended benefits.

Total Human Service expenditures: I am proposing funding this section of government at $108,207, a massive increase of 37.5% largely due to the addition of the Board of Health to the budget and the increase of the veterans’ services.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Human Service	64,200	65,400	70,350	80,361	78,709	108,207

Library: I am proposing increasing this line item from $313,640 to $313,640. Last year the Town once again had to seek a waiver from the Commonwealth’s Board of Library Commissioners to meet the MAR (Municipal Appropriation Requirement). This allocation will once again mean that the Town will need to seek a waiver. It does not return to pre-cut service hours.

Historical Commission: Like the Planning Board and the Board of Health, the Historical Commission has received no funds from the Town last year. Unfortunately, the Historical Commission will once again receive no funds from the Town.

Celebrations: This line item was formally called Memorial Day Expenses. I am proposing funding this line item at $1,710 so as to provide level services for Memorial Day services and to purchase brass markers and flags as needed.

Arts Council: I am proposing maintaining this line item at $500 so as to provide level services to the support of arts within the community.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Culture & Recreation	309,420	301,429	309,300	328,192	315,850	315,850

Debt – Principal: I am proposing decreasing this line item from $1,165,301 to $1,155,301. This line item is a fixed cost to the Town and represents the amount of money the Town is required to pay for the principal on its debt largely due to the new school gymnasium floor, school roof and fire truck.

Debt – Interest: I am proposing reducing this line item from $520,505 to $467,399. This line item is a fixed cost to the Town and represents the amount of money the Town is required to pay for the interest on its debt.

Short-term borrowing: I am proposing increasing this line item from $1,500 to $19,000 in order to cover interest on temporary loans to the Town.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Debt Service	1,592,360	1,566,921	1,462,483	1,535,550	1,687,306	1,641,700

Intergovernmental: This line item used to be called Regional Planning and includes the Town’s participation in the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission. This assessment rate comes to roughly $1,472. Also added to this is $1,868 for M.O.R.E. (Municipalities Organized for Regional Effectiveness), which tries to provide cost saving opportunities to member communities in greater Worcester. This group works to improve municipal regionalization and the cost-savings associated with such cooperation. The total for this line would be $3340.

Retirement and Pensions: This is a fixed cost of the Town and cannot be lowered in accordance with Chapter 32, Section 22 (7)(c)(ii). Therefore, the Town must allocate $516,864, an increase from last year, to be paid to the Worcester Regional Retirement System. The Town will be able to see some savings by prepaying the year’s cost to the Worcester Retirement System.

Workers Compensation: This is a fixed cost to the Town and is based, in part, by our workers’ compensation claim experience. Due to decent claim history and the recommendation of our workers’ compensation insurance agent, I am recommending that we increase this line item from $52,000 to $55,000.

Unemployment Insurance: This is a fixed cost to the Town and is based upon a percentage of the Town’s payroll. However, we saw great increases in this line from last year due to the number of layoffs this past year. I believe we need to fund this line item at an appropriate amount and Mike Daley has recommended $100,000.

Group Health Insurance: This is a fixed cost to the Town and is the Health Insurance line item for the Town and School employees. I am proposing increasing this line item from $2,904,481 to $3,113,604. This increase betters the industry standard of 10-12% by coming in at 7.2% due to negotiations with our new health insurance carrier.

Group Life Insurance: This is a fixed cost to the Town and should not be lowered. Based on stable premium costs, the Finance Director has recommended that this line item be reduced to $13,000.

Medicare: This is a fixed cost to the Town and is based upon a percentage of the Town’s payroll. It is estimated that an increase from $150,000 to $155,000 to cover expenses for FY09.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Employee Benefits	2,827,806	2,893,500	3,119,815	3,276,408	3,508,264	3,953,468

General Insurance: I am proposing level funding this line item at this time at $145,100. As you know, this is about $40,000 less than what we historically had been paying before moving over to MIIA.

Operating Budget:	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
General Insurance	195,000	200,000	185,100	185,100	145,100	145,100

This budget, as presented, relies heavily on non-recurring funds to achieve balance. The total budget is $19,996,223, an increase of $1,046,443 or 5.5%.