I have advocated that we set our town's spending priorities from highest to lowest, spend on the highest and hold steady, reduce or eliminate the lowest. That brings us to the practical side of the question. How to determine what those priorities are? I have to admit that I was surprised that the town voted to provide additional funds to the library. That indicates that they felt it had a higher priority than I would have assigned. One way for me to find out what people feel are a priority is for you to comment here and tell me. I will try in the next few days and weeks to post on the budgets of each department and I ask for your input. I am talking about the genral government departments and not the schools. Please feel free to comment on the schools here but that discussion is really for the School Committee. I have posted here about how the town budget is prepared and enacted and here about how it is done for the schools.
For information on how our tax levy and tax rate are related, split tax rates, overrides and capital exclusions see this post.
The work going forward is going to be difficult and contentious. Let's try to keep the discussion to the financial situation and leave aside the personal. According to the latest projection from the Finance Committee. our FY 10 shortfall will be about $1.3 million. If we can reduce expenses by $650,000 this year in FY09 and carry that forward to FY10, we may not need another override for FY10. That's our goal as I see it. Leave your take in comments.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
How to set our priorities?
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26 comments:
I think that while setting priorities is right on track with helping the town identify what its needs and wants may be (not to belittle any program or office in town) but there are some offices that are mandated by state that may not be a high priority on the list, but nonetheless, must be kept and maintained. Obviously you've got mandates for schools and police, but what about departments like libraries that require certain things to stay certified or the vets office that is mandated by state law. How will you categorize the mandated departments even if they are lower on the priority list?
see my blog for several suggestions for both school and town. www.momof3nPT.blogspot.com
The question seems to be more of what do you not value, you are surprised the library is a priority? Are you joking?
What are you planning to cut, $650,ooo of which necessary service? How about what are you going to save?
Obviously, there are functions which the town is obligated to provide. We must pay our debts, assess and collect taxes, fund the schools, maintain public records, hold elections, and administer that laws and regulations. There are others such as the veteran's agent which are mandated. The police, DPW, and library funding is not mandated. If the spending is mandated by law, I would have to assign it to the highest priority.
My priorities:
1. Schools
2. Library
3. DPW
In that order.
Where to cut $650,000? Fire department. Combine all three districts into one with one chief and 2 subordinates. Look at consolidating all equipment and eliminate dublication wherever possible. Enough of the fire department fiefdoms, open the books.
The Personnel Board is an advisory board and has not been needed for contract negotiations in the past. Why wait for them now? I am looking into whether or not the current personal contracts are enforceable if the Town Meeting does not appropriate the funds. They may not be. In any case, most are due to expire soon anyway. I am talking about personal contracts with management and supervisors, not union contracts. If the first year of those bargining unit contracts are funded by Town Meeting, they are enforcable for their term.
Time is of the essence now and why wait until the bargaining unit contracts expire to start negotiating. Let's get started now by interviewing and hiring a negotiator. Let's tackle the personal service contracts that are now expired. The Select Board doesn't need anyone else to do this, just the gumption to take on the challenge.
The terms of those contracts and all others with the town are public information and will be debated by the public. If we enter into contracts which are not in the town's interest and the public doesn't like it, they don't pass overrides. I don't think that is what we want to continue doing. It is not the public who created this mistrust, it is those created contracts which the public doesn't like. So I don't see any reason not to discuss what people think is generally fair or unfair, favorable to the town or not. They certainly will after.
The fire districts are not funded by the town government but through their own separate tax levy. They are run separately for the town budget.
To the 1:58 PM anonymous: I know that the formula for the library to retain funding is that the town has to spend the average of the prior three years funding plus 2 1/2%. If it is funded less than that figure, the library will lose state aid.
When I worked for the Freetown Finance Committee, we had worked on a survey to determine priorities that the voters wanted to see in town government. Such a survey could be a good indication of the spending that the town should emphasize (or de-emphasize). The link to the survey is here: http://www.freetownma.gov/dept/faq_detail.asp?DeptID=FINANCE&FAQID=86
priorities
Public safety
public health
animal control
schools/libraries
Then, CIP/stabilization-re-explain and place to voters after public hearing. CIP needs to be debt exclusion, bundled. Sustainable revenue must be sought for all departments. Inflation will be higher, can't keep cutting til dust of DNA. Please be a revenue seeker not slicer and dicer of quality services. I have faith that you will see we need much sustainable revenue from taxpayers. We'll squeeze efficiencies out, but the birth will be long and hard. What in the meantime? Revenue from everyone, mini overrides. Stab fund will never get to 6 million or ten when we are surviving subzero climate. Thanks Bill for listening.
animal control before schools and libraries? Are you serious?
anonymous, I understand your concern regarding services. I think the goal is to somehow meet in the middle. Spending has to be brought down while increasing revenue. There has to be an attempt to control our costs or eventually most people will be forced out of town due to property taxes. I also know that there are those who don't think that can happen but it can and will if something is not done to control our spending. I also believe that we can retain quality services by streamlining, privatizing, and consolidating. Every attempt should be made to save money. Some may work, some may not but we where do we get if we don't try?
Not all get forced out from property tax burdens. Some will be leaving of their own accord because services are being decimated by a select few who continue to gin up resentment and mis trust. Goood luck folks.
I would look into consolidation of the Parks/Recreation under the DPW.
As far as how the town feels, we just had an election and they responded.
What about private garbage(ABC for example)haulers. Acushnet just went from ABC to another less expensive one to save the town more money. ABC would buy the trucks, hire the men and we would get our garbage picked up and save money. Just a thought...
To last blog: a select few? Did you read the election results?????
Yes, I would say some questions were narrowly defeated, especially on the school side warranting being referred to as a "select few" contributing to putting things over the top.
You will never get 100 % of the people to agree on anything! That's why we have elections. It's called democracy!
To momof3npt, animal control is a part of public safety. It is a tiny part of our budget and worth the rabies control and help with other animal issues. This department has been downsized by 2 people over the past few years. Right now there is only one person and limited weekend on-call coverage, if any. We are actually wasting taxpayer money by using the executive administrator and director of public health to fill in for animal control. This could be eliminated with just $25,000. Momof3npt, I've read your posts, you should become a town meeting member. We could use your ideas!
To Chris. Thanks for the info on Freetown. Interesting survey.
BillT - I know the fire department is funded separately but they should not be a sacred cow in this town. Why have 3 separate precincts anyway? Why all the new and shiny vehicles? Is this not worth at least some scrutiny?
to anonymous from 6:15 - you must have missed the part where dpw said they put out an rfp fo rprivate trash hauling to determine if in fact there would be a savings from privatizing trash pick up services.
Of course a private garbage hauler would save the town money. The cost of employees expenses would be with the hauler and not the town. Look at the news, more and more towns and going to private garbage haulers to save money.
The argument I have heard is related to snow removal and if we will have enough people to plow the streets.
Look at what other towns do, they have other town employees plow and hire private plows. Other towns are saving money!
Nothing is as simple as it first appears. The cost savings of private haulers is not 'obvious' but we should have some actual data once the RFP results are in.
Yes, nothing is simple. I can guarantee that.
One thing that I have mentioned before and folks need to remember is that if we are able to save some money by privatizing trash and recycling that won't help the "gen gov" part of town save money. With the creation of the Enterprise Fund, which is not likely to go away, all costs associated with trash and recycling have been transferred to that fund. This includes payroll and benefits.
The big savings that came to a city like New Bedford were due to the large amount of employees that moved to the private hauler, as 1040 said. In our town there are only about 9 or 10 people associated with the trash/recycling function, so big savings are unlikely. However, any savings would be to the Enterprise Fund and therefore should reduce the cost to the taxpayers on the PAYT front, but no one should expect a windfall.
Future equipment costs, like trucks not needed to be purchased, would also result in some savings, but that is also for the Enterprise Fund, not the Town budget.
frank, anything on privatizing the library yet? It was my understanding that privatizing areas within the school did not fall within your purview. Is that still correct and if so, do you know if it is currently being analyzed? It is very likely that privatizing cafeteria and janitorial services could save some money.
Bill, I enjoy your polls but is this one a trick question? Just kidding. I would choose all of the options except having another override vote. They should all be included as components of the big picture.
I have the info on the POSSIBLE privatization of the library, and what it entails. We plan on giving a presentation at a SB meeting this month on everything we explored, and the pursuit of ANY Town privatization or outsourcing will be their decision. To be fair to the SB they should hear all the details first, and I hope you understand that. I will tell you that nothing is simple or clear-cut, there are always cons that go with the pros.
We also met with Dr. Russell and Mr. Cordeiro on the very issues you mention and others, and that will be part of the presentation. As with the Town areas being tied to the SB, any decisions to pursue school related ideas are tied to the school leadership.
The goal of our committee was to explore things and make suggestions, to everyone on our list.
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