Following the April 7 meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee, which included a financial presentation from Old Rochester Regional Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber and Superintendent Mike Nelson, the April 14 meeting returned to the subject of school budgets.
“The school numbers were very disturbing,” began FinCom Chairman Pat Donoghue, who once again questioned per-pupil costs, lack of transparency, and the practice of passing along the school budgets with annual 2.5-percent increases.
Donoghue has repeatedly requested financial backstories that would help to support line items in the schools’ budgets. On April 14, she again questioned why the local elementary school numbers show a much larger per-pupil cost than the junior and senior high schools combined. “We are starving ORR and fattening up the elementary schools. This has to stop,” Donoghue stated.
Turning to the costs associated with operating two elementary schools, Donoghue said, “There may be a lot of efficiencies if we consolidated the schools.”
Former Selectman and current FinCom member Tyler Macallister said, “A lot has to do with ORR being [accountable to] three communities. It boils down to the school committee[s] and the Central Office being difficult to work with.” Macallister said that had been the case in the nine years he was a sitting selectman. He also said that employment contracts are not developed with input from the three towns. “The school committee is writing teachers’ contract[s] when we leave the room.” He said that the schools get the money without any oversight from the town administrators or selectmen on how those monies are spent.
FinCom member Kevin Geraghty wondered what can be done, given that the school committees have the statutory right to conduct business as they have been doing. “If they don’t let us be part of the process, what can be done?” he asked.
Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said the schools’ budgets were formulated before they were presented and had already been unanimously approved by the Mattapoisett and ORR School Committees. He said that next budget season he intends to get the town budget done early enough so that he will have time to drill down into the schools’ budgets.
“We can’t pull a single line item out of the overall budget when we are at town meeting, you get the whole assessment. It really does come down to the towns working with their Central Office,” said Lorenco.
A study scheduled to begin in the summer and intended to help Mattapoisett determine next steps for school buildings will hopefully yield solutions needed to address decreasing enrollments and associated expenses. He said it will produce data including per-pupil costs and comparisons to other cities and towns. Lorenco said that the report from the University of Massachusetts study will be in FinCom’s hands by the fall. Later in the meeting, he said that per-pupil costs at the local elementary schools in 2019 were $20,549, while ORR Junior and Senior high schools came in at $16,508.
On the matter of new revenue sources, Lorenco said the voters will be asked to pass a Meals Tax article, which he said could bring in as much as $100,000 per year. Revenue from the planned solar array at the landfill will eventually put new money in the coffers, but Macallister, solar energy professional, said, “It may take three years.” He said that Eversource has no incentive to move projects forward and has basically shifted into low gear. “I’ve seen projects take eight years.”
Later in the evening of April 14, the Capital Planning Committee met and continued its discussion regarding the necessity of obtaining data from department heads in a uniform process to better understand capital needs requests and to help in facilitating the town administrator in his capacity as the town’s financial advisor.
Chairman Chuck McCullough said the committee is looking at three main areas: the municipal vehicle fleet, facilities, and infrastructure, including technology. He said the members need to determine what type of data is important and to define benchmarks as “good, fair, and poor” when rating a piece of equipment, ensuring consistency across departments.
“We are not intending to assume the responsibilities of the department heads but to help them,” McCullough said in a follow-up. He spoke to a developing process whereby department heads will be asked to answer a series of questions; the answers will help drive further discussion and hopefully conclusions, he said.
McCullough said Lorenco discussed the asset management software program with the committee during its April 7 meeting, and that the town administrator would be reviewing the program to determine its viability for town needs, as well as scheduling training for departments. McCullough said that several Capital Planning members would also delve into the program, adding another layer of detail believed necessary to make informed decisions.
On a bright note, McCullough told The Wanderer that a 2010 report produced by Robert Field of Field Engineering on the condition of existing municipal structures has been reviewed by member Bob Burgmann, whose background is in municipal engineering. Burgmann met with Director of Inspectional Services Andy Bobola to discuss that earlier study and where recommendations made by Field currently stand. Burgmann reported to the committee that multiple items identified as needing critical attention have received attention.
The list of facility improvements underway includes the construction of a new fire station, repairs, improvements and upgrades to the Highway Department Building, and the Water and Sewer Department will embark on conceptual drawings including cost estimates for a new all-inclusive headquarters building. Confirming those improvements, Bobola said in a follow-up that Town Hall repairs and improvements are pending the beforementioned UMass study.
“We need to understand what makes the most sense for Town Hall, a new location or repairs,” said Bobola, who added that a quick look at the outside of the building reveals windows and paint in disrepair. He said that Lorenco may need to create a committee to further review and study the matter of school consolidation, Town Hall relocation, or other recommendations.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27, at 4:00 pm; the next meeting of the Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, at 6:00 pm.
Mattapoisett Finance and Capital Planning Committees
By Marilou Newell