The weather could not have been finer, the arrangements were perfection, and the decisive manner in which Mattapoisett’s first outdoor Town Meeting conducted the business at hand was brisk. August 17 will go down in the town’s history for not only being the first time Town Meeting was held outdoors, but also for the need to keep the business of the people focused strictly on the operating budget and associated fiscal necessities – nothing more.
In the weeks leading up to Town Meeting, individual departments were asked to cut expenses wherever possible and sharpen their pencils on all line items as the uncertainty of revenue at all government levels remained high. Such are these times where COVID-19 restricts nearly everything.
Also leading up to the brief, 80-minute Town Meeting, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, along with Old Rochester Regional School District officials, prepared every detail right down to the movement of attendees in and around the enormous tent that had been erected near the outdoor track. Chairs were positioned for maximum distancing and all attendees were required to wear face coverings. Plymouth County Mosquito Control had sprayed the area, adding to the layer of protection warranted by the potential threat of mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus. It was all systems go after many weeks of delay.
The Town Meeting Warrant contained 11 articles, dealing almost exclusively with the financial business of the community. All articles were passed by either a unanimous or a two-thirds vote by the 70 attendees.
Yet there were questions that arose from the voters with the singular word “hold” singing out for articles that dealt with salaries for the Police and Fire departments, Highway Department, Council on Aging, Tax Collector, the Assessors office, and the allocation for Street Lighting.
Returning to those articles where a “hold” had been requested, Penny Carlstrom questioned salary increases. Carlstrom said that it appeared raises were as much as 9.8 percent. Lorenco said, “Everyone got two percent; some contracts were more but none got over three percent.” He said that in fact there was a freeze on new hiring and that vacancies were left unfilled at this time to try and hold down expenditures. Lorenco said of the current fiscal climate, “…a nine percent increase would be obscene.”
Regarding what resident Jodi Bauer questioned, the appearance of a $58,000 increase in salaries paid in the Assessors Office, Lorenco said that an employee who had been working in that office did not have his salary allocated to that office. The employee had been effectively transferred, thus his salary was also transferred to the correct department.
Bauer also questioned an unfilled clerical position in the Fire Department. “That will not be filled at this time,” Lorenco responded. “The Fire Department will use some federal CARES Act funding, but the (administrator) there and at the Board of Health are frozen… I don’t think the town would want to hire now.” Regarding a big-ticket item that is an annual line item, Lorenco said, “We also cut two police cruisers.”
On a positive note, Bauer acknowledged that the new LED street lighting program was saving the town money and applauded that effort. Savings have been estimated to be $35,000. Lorenco said that town buildings would also be switching off traditional blubs for LED lighting, a program that will incur no costs to the town.
Town Meeting attendee Donald Carlstrom rose to speak, saying he had a more general concern – rising property taxes. He questioned the $29,000,000 operating budget being proposed for FY21, saying that when planning the budget, the process should be “backed into” based on revenue. “We need to look at the revenue side before building budgets… a lot of people will have to give up their homes,” he said.
Selectman Jordon Collyer said that of the approximately $1,100,000 budget increase, some $400,000 represented interest on debt and principle that had been planned for. Collyer noted decreases in the OPEB stabilization fund by $215,000. Lorenco said that, to date, of the estimated $9,000,000 needed to fully pay for post-employment benefits, about one-third is now in the fund. Collyer said that schools came in around $415,000 of that proposed budget increase, but that on the general operating side of the budget, “…everything is level or net-zero.” Selectman Paul Silva said of Article One that elected officials were not receiving an increase with the exception of the tree warden – an increase of $160 was being requested.
“The town hired me because of my background in finance,” said Lorenco. “I pledge to the Town I will look at other avenues of revenue not on the backs of residents; this is part of the reason I was brought in, to do that. This is a bare-bones budget; we cut vehicles, we cut people, there’s no fluff. I will do my best not to add (burden) to the taxpayer.”
Deborah Abelha asked why the schools did not have to provide a line item budget but were simply a singular appropriation. “They get away without a line item budget. They don’t tell us where it’s going. I want to know is there a way we can change that,” she said.
Former town administrator Mike Gagne responded, saying, “In fairness to the schools, they have been very open to the Finance Committee, reporting a line-by-line budget.” Silva also responded, saying, “Anyone can attend the school committee meetings and see the budget; it’s an open public meeting. Attend the meetings.”
Earlier in the meeting moderator Jack Eklund acknowledged several new employees who have come on-board as department heads since last year, replacing those who are retiring. Those noted were Library Director Jennifer Jones, Board of Health Agent Kayla Davis, Public Health Nurse Emily Field, and Lorenco.
ORR School District ambassadors Grace Picewick, Jillian LeBlanc, Colleen Carrol, and Madeline Dugas were on-hand to help usher and assist attendees.
Also attending the meeting was Lauren Rosa from the US Census Bureau, of whom Eklund said wanted to remind people of the importance of completing the census form, given its impact on funding schools, hospitals, roadway projects, infrastructures, and food programs to name a few.
To view the full warrant, visit www.mattapoisett.net.
Mattapoisett Annual Town Meeting
By Marilou Newell