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Selectmen's Meeting Selectmen Stamp Approval for Fruit Street School Michelle Gates lone dissenter Balanced budget means tapping into last year's untapped allowable levy
by Muriel Kramer March 9, 2011 — With Special Town Meeting fast approaching, the subject of the proposed new elementary school at Fruit Street continues to inspire lively debate. Residents on both sides of the issue spoke last night during public comment, and the Selectmen late in the meeting formally voted to support and endorse the project. Todd Cestari made the motion in support of the project and then spoke to his support; while not entirely comfortable with districting, he reflected that it was not his decision to make. “Do we need a new school? Anybody who has seen it [Center School] recently knows we do. I support this effort.”
Ben Palleiko also voted in support of the project citing the long, careful study of the project and alternatives. He asserted that there is no alternative that meets the needs of School Department better, and he further supports districting as an opportunity to have even better success educationally. “I wish it was not as expensive. There is no alternative that would be better, and there are no benefits to delaying. I support this article.” John Moser voted in support as well acknowledging having wrestled long and hard with the issue. Recognizing the need for the new school and the difficult fiscal pressures facing the voters as challenges, he nevertheless voted to support the project given that there is not another viable option on the table and acknowledging that delays will be costly.
Casting the lone no vote, Michelle Gates, agreed that there was a need for a new school either through construction or repair at Center, but both the tax impact and the plan to district the elementary schools kept her from voting to support the project as proposed. Recognizing Hopkinton’s small town appeal, Ms. Gates spoke strongly in favor of protecting the one town concept and avoiding districting the elementary school children. “We are facing historic tax increases…and I am not in favor of segregated school districts. We are unique, and I’d like to keep it that way. I have to say no.” For his part Chairman RJ Dourney spoke enthusiastically in favor of the project. “It’s no secret that I am pro-schools. As a business man, I recognize that my property values go up when we have excellent education.” Continuing he asserted that he is however a fiscal conservative and recognizes that the economy is pressuring everybody. “We need to work our tails off to minimize the impact to the taxpayer. Our commitment to protecting the taxpayer has to continue.”
Resident Jen Kelly spoke in favor of the project looking at the MSBA reimbursement opportunity as essentially a 44% coupon. “We don’t have to consider all the other numbers; we should use our 44% coupon today instead of absorbing the total cost.” She also favors districting. “I don’t understand where all the distrust is coming from. We elect our School Committee. We send our kids to school every day. They (educators) unanimously support districting.” Resident Esther Driscoll also spoke in favor of the project citing the significant costs that could be incurred with delay. Referencing the high school project in Wayland that failed to get the necessary votes the first time around, Driscoll reported that the project increased in cost more than $13 million dollars by the time it was successfully voted four years later. “We have waited ten years for the new school and for districting. We have a chance to move forward.” She concluded by suggesting that those in opposition to this project are perhaps parents that aren’t as involved with the schools as others. MUCH MORE...
Resident Glen Layton is not a proponent of the project as proposed; during public comment he asked that the selectmen and residents consider all the other tax burdens. Citing in part the fact that Hopkinton’s tax rate is going to raise more than 2½% this year given that the Selectmen voted early in the budget process to utilize about ½ of the levy reserve from previous years. That excess capacity can be utilized at any time without an override vote; the current plan is to use ½ of the excess levy capacity in FY12 and ½ in FY13. Additionally citing a reported $800,000 budget gap even with that tax increase, and other financial pressures like the cost of renovating Center School for re-use as well as a needed new DPW garage, Layton pressed the Selectmen to have that complete information available for the residents to consider when voting on the school project. For their part the Selectmen agreed that having a clear financial picture available at the time of the vote on March 21 STM was necessary and important.
Resident Vascen Bogigian commented that this is not a matter of mistrust. For his part he shared his frustration that the ability of the taxpayer to pay for all this is not something that is a larger part of the discussion. “We are in the middle of a terrible recession. People are out of work, working reduced hours or for reduced wages. I would seriously like to see or hear more concern about the taxpayers ability to pay.”
Appropriation Committee Chairman Ron Eldridge reminded everybody that the ultimate decision rests with Town Meeting. “We do our damndest to get the best information; it is Town Meeting that spends the money. Everybody has the right to attend.” He also took a moment to remind those invested in the issue from all sides to remember the “we are all in this together; at the end of the day we’re still all neighbors.”
Town Manager Norman Khumalo (File photo, below) submitted his recommended budget to the Selectmen last night; they will meet again Thursday night beginning at 5:30 to finalize their recommendations and forward the budget to the Appropriation Committee (AC) for the March 15th deadline set by the Charter. The Town Manager has projected a published recommendation from the AC by April 15th in preparation for Annual Town Meeting (ATM) May 2nd. According to Mr. Khumalo, this proposed budget “achieves fiscal stability in the short and medium term, realizes alignment of resources with priorities set by the boards and community, proposes a responsible level of taxation and achieves efficiencies while continuing fiscal conservatism.” What it does not include is fully funding pension liabilities and other post employment benefits (OPEB), funding some strategic initiatives, addressing fully facilities maintenance, or raises for non-union employees.
Balancing the budget this year relies on increasing taxes more than 2½%. Because Hopkinton has not raised the maximum allowable levy limit over the past two years approximately $900,000 of available levy revenue can be accessed at any future time. The Board’s current strategy is to access ½ of that excess capacity for FY12 and ½ for FY13 which means that taxes will increase this year 3.2% without an override vote being necessary. On a separate slide later in the presentation, the increase is listed as 3.4% for FY12 and 3.5% for FY13, returning to the maximum allowable by law to 2.5% in FY14 and forward. The operating budget consists of local education 53%, other departments 16%, benefits 13%, debt service 10%, enterprise funds 6%, Keefe Tech 1% and miscellaneous 1%.
The proposed budget also includes using available funds and free cash to fund several capital items like DPW vehicles, a new booking area for the police department as well as an electronic fingerprint scanner for the police and a new bus for the senior Center. The TM also proposes using about $250,000 of stabilization funds to address culvert repairs on West Main Street and at the intersection of West Main and South Streets. The stabilization account balance is $1,108,784, and the recommended balance to support a healthy bond rating and better borrowing ability is 5% of the operating budget or for Hopkinton $2,929,593.
Referring to what he dubbed the “nitro slide, because I had to grab some nitroglycerin and my chest” showing the future tax impacts; he asserted that “I know the numbers are still in flux, and I’m hoping we still have a chance to bring the numbers down.”
Eldridge made the point that there is starting to be a trend to watch out for. “Last year we dropped $20,000 in training from the Police Budget, and I’m glad to see it back in. This year we’ve taken $50,000 from the Fire Budget. We are starting to balance the budget on the backs of Public safety, and we need to take a hard look at what we are doing.”
In other business, the Board voted to authorize the Town Manager to execute the Drug Free Community Federal Grant Application. According to Jean Vazza, Hopkinton’s Youth Services Coordinator, there is an opportunity for federal monies-$125,000 for up to ten years from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “This grant would allow Hopkinton to address risks and utilize environmental strategies to reduce youth substance abuse in Hopkinton,” according to Vazza. |
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"The News Starts Here!"
Resident
Kim Brennan, photo, also took the opportunity to appeal to folks on all
sides of the issue to respect the opportunity for rich dialogue and
debate as well as consider the need to accept the decision from TM and
Town Election and find a way to move forward as a community. “Division
divides; look at what is happening to our town already. At the end of
the day we are still neighbors and community. We need to move forward
together.”
New
expenditures in FY12 as proposed include $30,000 to improve the phone
system, $14,500 for special legal counsel to negotiate the cable
contract, nearly $800,000 for contractual obligations and strategic
initiatives in the school department, and nearly $80,000 for field
maintenance. The proposed debt exclusions (including in part the new
elementary school, new DPW garage and the library expansion), if
approved by the voters will add 2.3% to the tax base in FY13 and 8.2%
more in FY14 with about .5% less each of the following 3 years.
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