“It’s going to be another tight season,” said Rochester Town Administrator Michael McCue on January 6, following the January 5 meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen.
Town department heads will be asked to provide a level-service budget for fiscal year 2016 as they begin to build their budgets and attend scheduled meetings with McCue and members of the Finance Department over the next several months.
“I’ve started some discussion and reached out to the different department heads,” said McCue.
Looking forward, McCue, like many town administrators, has to keep his eye on the proverbial ball – a ball McCue said is “already bouncing” as the budget season begins and the numbers are tossed around.
“My main concern is revenue,” said McCue. “I think revenue is going to be stagnant.”
McCue said there really is not much other foreseeable revenue beyond the levy limits allowed under Proposition 2½.
The Rochester Finance Committee will soon begin holding regularly scheduled meetings to oversee the FY16 budget process.
In other news, selectmen gave their approval to expand its regional Veterans Services Office it shares with Mattapoisett, extending it now to Marion. Veterans Agent Barry Denham will now service veterans in all three towns.
“It made a lot of sense,” said McCue during a follow-up interview. “There really was no opposition to it.” The only concern was incurring extra costs to the Town, which McCue said is not a factor.
Also during the January 5 meeting, selectmen signed the renewed agreement with the Town of Lakeville’s animal shelter to continue to send stray dogs from Rochester to its Lakeville facility. Rochester does not have an animal shelter of its own.
The Lakeville Animal Shelter only accepts stray dogs from the Rochester Animal Control Officer; however, they will accept dogs from Rochester residents with a standard $50 surrender fee.
Selectmen that evening also approved the use of the Town’s new recently acquired voting machine, originally requested by Town Clerk (and Selectman) Naida Parker and subsequently approved for funding during the last Special Town Meeting. Residents will begin using the new machine during the April election.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 26 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Jean Perry
