Town Administrator Michael Gagne put out the word through various Town departments to try and keep any fiscal year 2016 budget increases to a mere two percent. That call was heard as most department heads are presenting budgets that are flat year-over-year or around the two percent requested. Most increases involve contractual agreements with Town employees.
On March 11, the Mattapoisett Finance Committee continued the process of meeting with department heads. On this night, they met with Town Clerk Catherine Heuberger and Police Chief Mary Lyons.
Heuberger said, “I think I’ve been able to live within the budget,” which she inherited from the outgoing clerk. She said that big hits to her budget, like mailing out census forms even to a small number of seasonal residences, were a problem. She said that her department spent $2,600 on postage to mail out the census forms with approximately 500 being returned due to vacancy.
Heuberger explained that the Commonwealth mandates census taking, including to homes that are not owner occupied year round as oftentimes those homes are rented out during the winter season. However, she noted that what this exercise found was many homes remain vacant.
Gagne said that if the home is rented out, those occupants are counted as residents. He said that it is important to get as accurate a count as possible for state funding purposes.
On the theme of whether or not town bills could be paid online versus having to mail out paper bills, Heuberger said that some of the services billed from her office can be handled via the town website – such as dog licenses, marriage, birth and death certificates, and invoices associated with harbor services – but that other town offices weren’t able to do so at this time.
The town clerk’s FY15 budget was $149,322 with the FY16 budget coming in at $161,681.
In closing out her comments, Heuberger told the committee that the Town needed a new voting machine, considering that the current equipment is antiquated and problematic during elections. She estimates a new machine will cost approximately $6,000. Gagne told the committee he would include this equipment in his bundled request for new town hall equipment.
Next up was Police Chief Lyons. Her FY15 Police Department budget was $1,887,133 with the FY16 worksheet totaling $1,949,954. She said that her staffing needs would be unchanged with 18 full-time police officers (including herself), six part-time officers, and three (on-call) paramedics.
The Police Department budget has a line item of $40,000 for a new cruiser. Another cruiser is being requested through Capital Expenditures, eliminating the use of older Ford Crown Victoria models. She said that one of the retiring cruisers would be given to the Council on Aging.
The ambulance service also falls under Lyons’s responsibility. In FY15, the budget was set at $343,000, while the FY16 budget number is $346,540.
Ambulance receipts have helped to offset the expense associated with purchasing new ambulances, Gagne told the committee. A new ambulance is on order from FY15 Town Meeting vote. Factory delays have prevented delivery of that unit.
Gagne shared some other financial realities. He said that group health insurance, which stands at approximately $2 million, would go up 20 percent, which he called “moderate.” He said the pension assessment would go up $82,000; utilities about $10,000; and other liability insurance coverage – workers compensation, cyber, HIPAA, fire, theft, property and others – will increase $17,000.
Regarding the termination of a decades-long contract with SEMASS and increased solid waste disposal costs, Gagne said, “on the flipside,” the solar farms on Tinkham Hill Road will generate tax revenues of approximately $29,000, and he said that the larger commercial solar field planned for Crystal Spring Road will bring in even larger sums. Overall, he said that revenues are on par with last year.
When the committee meets again, Gagne said that Superintendent of Schools Doug White will present local school budgets saying, “(We) are working very well with the schools.”
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for March 18 at 6:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.
By Marilou Newell
