Coming before the Mattapoisett Finance Committee on February 24 were Recreation Director Greta Fox, Board of Health Agent Gail Joseph and Fire Chief Andrew Murray to present their FY23 budget projections and narratively explore opportunities each department envisions moving forward.
Fox discussed the challenges the Recreation Department faced over the past two years due to the pandemic. Despite those demanding health-related restrictions, the department has been able to provide youth-based programing with a bit for the more mature members of the community.
Fox shared that summer camp remained a strong offering with the Seahorse Summer Explorer program implementing COVID-19 protocols – all sessions were filled to capacity. With the need to eliminate field trips that would have required buses, she said new themes that included science and magic were introduced, along with more expanded use of Center School and its grounds. Renewed was a partnership with the Mattapoisett Land Trust for a third year of kayak classes.
Fall programing included outdoor activities that granted fresh air and distancing such as flag football, tennis for the young and the young at heart, as well as pickleball for all ages including an adult tournament, track club, kid fit, running club, outdoor drama club and a program called Sport Fit.
Looking ahead, Fox said the hope of repairs and improvements to the basketball courts at Center School and the prospect of more pickleball courts would be an asset to those programs and the community. She also expressed hope that use of the town-owned Holy Ghost grounds could be solidified in the coming months.
Beyond the summer-camp programs, Fox said golf camp was sold out, as was basketball camp; both programs will be returning in FY23.
The FY22 operating budget for the Recreation Department was set at $55,770, and FY23 planned at $57,500.
Meeting with the FinCom members for the first time since she was hired earlier in FY22, Joseph spoke to overarching improvements in the flow of recyclable and non-recyclable waste, including the establishment of a textiles-only bin that gives those items a recyclable value and frees up landfill space. A mattress-recycling program has begun, Joseph said, another new way of salvaging reusable materials. She also spoke to changes in staffing at the transfer station as part of restructuring the operation.
FinCom Chair Pat Donoghue said she has received complaints primarily from small landscape companies that a decrease in operating hours at the transfer station creates a hardship for small local businesses. Joseph said plans include the hiring of full-time staff to keep the operation open Tuesday through Saturday versus current hours of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Joseph shared that one goal the operation is moving towards is being more “user friendly” with more signage to help residents using the facility and reorganizing some spaces, especially in consideration of the solar array planned to be constructed on the property.
Regarding the solar array, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said that timing for construction has not been set, that it was unclear when Eversource would be ready to interconnect with an array located in that area but that plans are slowly moving forward to a clear set of timelines by 2023.
An interesting concept Joseph is planning for the Transfer Station is a “swap shop” where residents can leave or find usable materials. She said it would at the very least give new life to items otherwise destined for destruction but would also require a staff person to ensure materials left at the shop are, in fact, worthy for continued consumer use.
The overall Transfer Station operating budget for FY22 was $165,782 with a $48,000 general-fund subsidy. FY23 projections will be forthcoming. In a related category, rubbish pickup costs for FY22 were $309,423 and planned for FY23 at $314,586; SEMASS for FY22 was $235,000 and planned for FY23 at $299,200; and recycling for FY22 was 189,210 and planned for FY23 at $187,752.
Murray told the Finance Committee that his department needs a support vehicle estimated at $54,000. He said it was the only capital expense he is listing for FY23 and explained that presently no such vehicle is part of the Fire Department fleet – all other motorized units are emergency units. He said that ferrying fire-fighting trainees to academy classes is only one reason the department requires the vehicle. He said that a pickup truck that had been used in that capacity is no longer on the road after failing inspection.
The Fire Department’s overall operating budget for FY22 was proposed at $753,015, compared to $816,214 for FY23 with a $63,199 increase that Murray explained includes increases in office supplies and other daily office needs.
The biggest line item presented was $26,112 in wages paid to call firefighters. Murray said that an increase in trained personnel responding to emergencies has increased in part due to their availability during COVID-19, but members of the Finance Committee commented that the goal has always been to increase the number of trained firefighters answering the call, and in that regard the department has succeeded.
Lorenco stated during his comment period that salaries in several categories are rising, not just in the Fire Department but also in the Police Department with a number of staff members achieving step increases. He also said that local schools will likely be up by 3 percent or $230,000, Old Rochester Regional High School up 3.5 percent equaling $83,000 and town retirement fund up 3.38 percent or $120,000.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for Thursday, March 3, at 4:30 pm.
Mattapoisett Finance Committee
By Marilou Newell