Full Day Kindergarten and budget priorities

At last Thursday's Finance Committee meeting, there was a discussion of the FY2011 town budget. The preliminary budget shows a shortfall or deficit of about $217,000.

This budget level funds almost every town department at FY2010 levels. Some departments have budget cuts below the FY2010 level. Proposed funding for Elderly Nutrition is cut to zero from about $14,000, the Budget and Finance office is cut about $20,000, the Police Department is cut $67,0000, the Department of Public Works is cut $53,000, the Town Clerk office is cut $17,000, the Select Board office is cut $4,000, the Reserve Fund is reduced by $35,000, the police medical (Officer Mello) funding is cut $50,000 based on several prior years expenditures, the funding to eliminate school bus fees is reduced to zero from $91,000, and the communications budget is cut by $15,000.

Mandated spending proposed for the ambulance contract, health insurance, pensions, and the school department will rise by about $960,000 combined.

Proposed non-mandated spending increases are for the Library (about $50,000), Town Counsel (about $8,000) and the Budget and Finance tax title account ($25,000).
The added Library funding proposal is below the amount that would allow our library to maintain state certification without a waiver. The tax title increase is to continue aggressively seek delinquent taxes on properties.

The Select Board, Finance Committee and School Committee have pledged to make full day kindergarten (FDK) a top priority. To that end, the proposed town budget sets aside $230,000 from the meals tax receipts toward the cost of the FDK program. The cost of the program for the first year will be borne entirely by the school department and town since the foundation budget calculation uses the student population from the year before. The method of calculating foundation enrollment can be seen here. For FY2011, the foundation budget calculation will include the half day student population for FY2010 and not until 2012 will the FY2011 full day students be included in the foundation budget. The school department has estimated the additional cost for FDK for FY2011 to be nearly $600,000. A proposal to fund that amount includes the $230,000 plus an additional $100,000, $148,000 from the kindergarten revolving account, and about $121,000 from school department turnbacks. The difficulty is identifying where the extra $100,000 will come from, given that the proposed budget is already $217,000 in the red. Some have suggested that the remaining funds from the meals tax could be used. Unfortunately, that revenue has already been allocated to the school department through the Municipal Revenue Growth Factor (MRGF) calculation (MS Excel format) used by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to determine the town's required contribution to school funding. While the money was allocated to the schools,...
... it does not increase their total funding but rather has offset and reduced the state's contribution via Chapter 70 school aid. The MRGF number comes from the state Department of Revenue (DOR) and the calculation can be seen here in MS Excel format. That is really getting into the weeds of school finance but the short version is that all the revenue increase from the meals tax has been allocated to the school department when the $230,000 from the proposed budget is added in. Which still leaves us $217.000 short on the total budget and $100,000 short of the funding for FDK. Now I think that we can squeeze enough out of the budget here or there to cover the projected deficit and to provide something more than the $230,000 to the school department for FDK. How much more, I cannot say right now but $30,000 to 50,000 seems attainable. That means the school department would need to raise their contribution by $50,000 to $70,000 to make the financing work. Timing is a problem in making this commitment. If the school department is going to hire teachers and staff and get ready to register children for FDK next year, they need to start right now. But we don't know right now what the funding sources will be or if the Town Meeting will approve them. So the school department is going to have to go ahead as if the funding was settled and hope that it falls into place. Not an ideal situation. Nonetheless, I think we can fund the first year with a combination of town and school commitment.

The following years are where I see real trouble. The funding model that was presented calls for the town to provide the $230,000 from the meals/hotel tax and an additional $200,000 above that in FY2012. The $148,000 from the kindergarten revolving account will have been spent to support the first year, so it goes away. Due to the increased enrollment, some of the required school spending for the town will shift from the regional Voke assessment to the local district, about $47,000. Theoretically, Chapter 70 state aid will kick in at the FY2011 FDK enrollment number to support the foundation budget at somewhere between 17.5 to 22.5% and the town would be responsible for the remainder of the increased foundation except that the foundation budget was reduced by about 3% this year by fiat from the state and our total spending is above the foundation by some $2.5 million dollars. That means the state will not increase their Chapter 70 funding to help pay for FDK in FY2012. The program costs are forecast to increase by about 5% or $30,000. Therefore, the total needed for FDK is $630,000. I think that town may be able to increase funding somewhat but to reach $430,000 is unlikely in my opinion. I can realistically see $300,000 to 320,000. That means the school department contribution would have to rise another $90,00 to 110,000 to cover the FDK costs.
There are two sides to a budget, expense, which I have talked about, and revenue which I will now consider. I think that new growth on the tax levy side is going recover very slowly since the nexus of the financial downturn was in large part due to a collapse of real estate markets. State local aid may rebound somewhat by FY2012, but some of those funds are automatically apportioned to the school budget through the MRGF calculation. In addition, the contracts for town and school employees that are currently under negotiation are likely to include some adjustment of wages which will increase the town's expenditures. Eventually, growth in the foundation budget will overtake our spending above foundation and Chapter 70 will bear some of the costs. The caveat there is that our school population is falling (precipitously, it appears from the FDK student numbers). That decrease in student population would reduce the Chapter 70 contribution. Within the next few years, new growth will recover and provide increased revenue as well. As I see it, revenue is unlikely to grow enough to cover the cost of FDK in FY 2012 and for some time after.
The dilemma looking at the total town budget for FY2012 and beyond is that the increases in school department funding are mandatory once the student population has increased. There is no way for the town to cut back that expenditure. Which leaves only two options if the FY2012 budget has a serious deficit, cut spending in town departments, other than the school department, or ask the voters for an override. Town departments have been level funded or cut for several years now. There is not a lot to be wrung out of these departments. Consolidation, regionalization and privatization may lead to some savings but it would be a stretch to realize that in FY2012. Savings and revenue from wind turbines could provide relief but it looks like lawsuits will hold that up for years.
Which brings me to my final point in this very long post. I think it is fair to ask the voters for a modest override to fund full day kindergarten. I think an override amount of $200,000 to $250,000 would do the trick. If my scenario turned out to be overly pessimistic and the money isn't needed for FDK, it could be applied to reducing Pay as You Throw fees or some other direct benefit to the taxpayer.
What is being proposed with FDK is a major new program during a time of very tight budgets. The Select Board, the Finance Committee, and the School Committee are squarely behind the full day program but what is lacking is a funding source. Some believe that the townspeople will not support an override for this program. I disagree with that. I think that taking a case to the voters that early education is an important program which will benefit our town and children is a pretty easy sell. I am willing to make that argument to the voters. Some think we should fund the first year and then ask for an override to sustain town departments in some following year. Again, the rationale seems to be that the voters would not provide the funds to support the full day program. It has been suggested that the override request might be for ambulance services or some other expenditure. I think that approach is being less than forthcoming with the town. If we start a major new program which requires shifting resources to the school department, we should acknowledge that is what is being done.

What do you think? Tell us in comments.
Click here to read on!

Public employee benefits

The Boston Globe had a long article today about public employee health care benefits.
Blue Mass Group has a post by David about that article and about extra pay for clerk magistrates.
At one time, municipal employees were not paid very well. Some still are not. While they were paid less, ...

... the security of the work and benefits offset the pay somewhat. I think today many public employees are paid on par with the private sector and also enjoy a generous retirement and benefit package.
I believe that public employee benefits must be reduced or the number of public employees will shrink. We can't afford the same benefits and the same number of employees. We will have less of one or the other.
Click here to read on!

Mr. Roscoe in the Standard Times

Link to Standard Times piece on Doug Roscoe is here

Mr. Roscoe also has a website

The URL is: www.dougroscoe.com

no further after the jump Click here to read on!

School Committee proposes full day kindergarten

The Standard Times has an article today that the School Committee has voted to provide full day kindergarten with no tuition for the 2010-2011 school year. While I am fully in favor of providing early education, I am not sure that the town has the funds to start this program at this time.
My first thought about the suggested funding sources in the Standard Times article is that the School Committee is spending money that they are not sure that they will get. The Town Meeting is the only body that can authorize expenditures. The School Committee can certainly ask for funding for full day kindergarten, but whether or not the Town Meeting will approve is an open question.
After the first year of the full day kindergarten program, the increased student population will result in the state and town having to provide a higher dollar amount for required school spending since the formula is based on per student charges. I posted on the school budget process here. Since that post I have researched the state's school funding formulae a bit more (thanks particularly to Mr. Lynam of the Finance Committee for his explanations and input) and feel that I have a good handle on how it is done. The foundation budget is where the school contribution numbers begin. The state has formulae that assign a certain dollar amount to each of several categories of student. Those numbers are aggregated and that arrives at a foundation budget for the district. The foundation budget is the amount of spending that is required by the state, however it is not what the town must pay. Chapter 70 school aid spending reduces the amount that the local district has to pay. The formula for the town's contribution is relatively simple and is calculated by the town's contribution the prior year. The prior year contribution is multiplied by the Municipal Revenue Growth Factor (MRGF), adjusted for progress toward goals that the state has determined and that becomes the town's required contribution. The remainder is supposed to be funded by Chapter 70. The spreadsheet in MS excel format is available at this link.(Enter Dartmouth in the district or LEA code 72). The MRGF includes the increase in property tax of 2.5%, any new growth property taxes, and increases in local revenues such as local receipts. Local receipt revenue would include the hotel and meals tax. As a result, the increased local receipts from the meals and hotel tax will increase the local contribution required by the state because the MRGF used in the formula will reflect the added revenue. The town will have a higher school contribution requirement for that reason regardless of full day kindergarten. The state will also have a higher expenditure requirement because the foundation budget will increase by more than Dartmouth's MRGF amount. The state has set a local contribution goal of 82.5% for Dartmouth and every year they reduce the amount of Chapter 70 aid that we receive by 1% of the required local contribution amount. The reduction adds 1% of the local contribution amount to the town's requirement every year until the goal is reached. Last year, Dartmouth was at 74.52% for local contribution, 8.7% short of the state's target. The increased student population from full day kindergarten will add to the percentage that Dartmouth is short of the target. So while the state will initially bear most of the increased cost due to a higher foundation budget, over time that cost will be transferred to the town's contribution due to this 1% progress toward goal adder.
All that brings me to my second thought about full day kindergarten. There is little risk to the school department in forwarding this proposal. After the first year, the increase in student population will guarantee the school department increased funding due to the state's formula for school spending. The town however is not guaranteed added revenue to meet the required school spending. If the state requires more funding to the schools and the town does not have revenue to fund it, where will the money come from? The answer is ...

... the funds will have to be shifted from other town departments to the school department. Those other departments have already been squeezed for years as new growth has declined and due to recent reductions in local receipts and local aid. Shifting funding to the schools will mean less funding for all the other town departments. I think that shift means fewer services and/or more fees, or the need for a Prop 2-1/2 override to maintain the status quo.
Finally, the Select Board and Finance Committee had agreed upon a plan where the Town Meeting would be asked to put aside revenue in order to build toward an funding amount that could sustain full day kindergarten. I thought the School Committee had also endorsed that path. Last year, the Town Meeting began that process with a $230,000 appropriation to the Stabilization fund. The idea is to increase that amount each year until we are close to the funding needed to sustain the full day kindergarten program. Once that sustaining level of revenue had been reached, the town could implement full day kindergarten while maintaining all other departmental funding. The School Committee seems to have jumped the gun with this vote. The $230,000 in recurring revenue that the town has allocated is far short of the $598,582 needed for an estimated enrollment of about 200 students. As I pointed out, initially the bulk of that cost is borne by the state and is shifted over time onto the town. I also find the estimated student population increase puzzling. Over the past 20 years, Dartmouth schools have had about 280-300 children enter 1st grade each year. Why would there be only 200 in kindergarten? My asking that question is sure to generate all kinds of comments about why don't I just call and find out. To which I say, the School Committee, Select Board, and Finance Committee are meeting jointly tomorrow. That seems to me to be an ideal opportunity to have a discussion about the issues that I raised above and I had planned to raise the question there. I am disappointed that the School Committee did not wait until the budget process for FY 2011 had been fleshed out a bit more before announcing a major increase in spending. Perhaps my concerns will turn out to be unfounded and the funding will fall into place for all town departments. I hope so.
Click here to read on!

Public option support growing

A grassroots effort to get the public option included in a health care reform bill is helping to create support among legislators. TPM reports Senator Inouye of Hawaii has become the 23rd Senator to endorse the idea. One hundred and eight one members of the House have also expressed support. You can read the letter asking the leadership to include the public option here. A list of the Senators that ...

... have pledged support can be found here.
Our Senator Kerry is on board but as of yet, Senator Brown has not signed on.
You can call or fax his office. I could not find an email for Senator Brown at the Senate website but his office phone number is 202-224-4543. If you call outside of office hours, you can leave a message. You can fax his office at 202-228-2646.
Click here to read on!

Senator Brown votes for cloture on jobs bill

Blue Mass group has a post here about our new Senator voting to support cloture on debate for a jobs bill in the Senate.
As Charley from the MTA points out, this was not a vote on the bill but only to allow debate. Still credit must be given where it is due. Thanks to Senator Brown ...

... for putting his constituents before partisanship. If that continues, he may earn the trust of the voters over the nest few years.
Click here to read on!

Dartmouth PD arrests bank robbery suspect

From a NIXLE alert:

UPDATE ON DARTMOUTH/NEW BEDFORD ROBBERY SUSPECT

ON MONDAY 02/22/10 AT APPROXIMATELY 05:30 PM, DETECTIVES FROM DARTMOUTH, NEW BEDFORD AND ACUSHNET POLICE DEPARTMENTS CONVERGED AT THE DARTMOUTH MOTOR INN ...

... AND PLACED 17 YEAR OLD CAITLIN INGHAM AND 21 YEAR OLD KRISTOPHER SANTILLO UNDER ARREST FOR A RASH OF BANK ROBBERIES THAT HAVE TRANSPIRED IN RECENT DAYS.

A THIRD PARTY, IDENTIFIED AS 18 YEAR OLD KENDRA SOL WAS DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING AND LATER RELEASED. DETECTIVES FROM THE THREE JURISDICTIONS RECEIVED RELIABLE TIPS THROUGHOUT THIS INVESTIGATION WHICH LED THEM TO THE SUSPECT’S LOCATION.

INGHAM AND SOL WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE DARTMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR PROCESSING. SANTILLO WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY ACUSHNET POLICE DETECTIVE JAMES COSTA FOR PROCESSING.

INGHAM WAS CHARGED BY THE DARTMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH ONE COUNT OF UNARMED ROBBERY FOR THE FEBRUARY 20TH ROBBERY THAT OCCURRED AT BRISTOL COUNTY SAVINGS BANK.

INGHAM WILL BE ARRAIGNED IN THIRD DISTRICT COURT IN NEW BEDFORD ON TUESDAY MORNING.

THIS INVESTIGATION IS ON-GOING AND ADDITIONAL CHARGES MAY BE PENDING.

DARTMOUTH POLICE DETECTIVE GEORGE PERRY AND NEW BEDFORD DETECTIVE ANDREW SIMMONS ARE INVESTIGATING THEIR RESPECTIVE CASES.

For full details, go to http://local.nixle.com/alert/1273800/
Click here to read on!

Budget and Finance candidate interviews

The Select board will interview two candidates for Budget and Finance Director at tonight's meeting. Mr. Anthony Sulmonte of Abington was interviewed last Tuesday. He had a schedule conflict tonight, so he was interviewed earlier. John Clark, the Billerica Treasurer/Collector and Greg Barnes, the Townsend Town Administrator, will be interviewed tonight.
I do not know how the other members of the Select Board feel ...

... about the timing of the selection. I would like to make the appointment tonight.
The budget season is upon us and there are many issues that need to be addressed. While I am confident that Mr. Cressman and the staff at the Budget and Finance office can handle the task, it would be a great help to have a new Budget and Finance Director to sort through the details of a very challenging budget year for FY2011.
Click here to read on!

Library Director search nears completion

The deadline for applicants for our new library director is Februaury 28th. Several candidates have been considered from among those that have already applied. The Library Board of Trustees will be interviewing the finalists from the selection process on Tuesday, March 2nd.
A subcommittee has been narrowing down ...

... the list of applicants and will present a few to the Trustees for their final selection.
Click here to read on!

Fiscal Year 2011 budget process begins

The Finance Committee and Executive Administrator began the FY2011 budgeting process on Thursday. Mr. Cressman presented his ideas for next year's budget which is going to be very challenging. Our new growth revenue has been very small which means that the 2.5% growth allowed in the property tax levy will be all that is available. I previously posted about how the tax levy and budget process work at these links.
http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/2008/01/town-budget-process.html
http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/2008/01/whats-it-all-about-warning-math.html
The Governor's budget has level funded local aid ...

... and Chapter 70 school aid at the FY2010 amounts. Almost no one believes that the budget will remain at those levels as it moves through the process. Reductions are anticipated.
Click here to read on!

Budget and Finance process begins

The Select Board interviewed the first of three finalists for Budget and Finance Director. Anthony Sulmonte, Abington Town Accountant met with the Select Board this evening due to a schedule conflict on Monday. The other two candidates, John Clark, the Billerica Treasurer/Collector, and Greg Barnes, the Townsend Town Administrator, are the other two finalists. They will interview with the Board on Monday.
These three candidates have been selected ...

... from more than 30 initial applicants by a committee formed to conduct the search in accordance the Dartmouth General Bylaws.
Thanks to the committee for their time and effort in bringing the process forward to this point.
Click here to read on!

Urge our new Senator to pass the public option

Blue Mass Group has this post about an effort underway to pass the public option via a budget process called reconciliation. Most other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation have indicated their support for this effort. Let us get our new Senator, Scott Brown, to support it too.
I could not find an email for Senator Brown at the Senate website but his office phone number is 202-224-4543. If you call outside of office hours, you can leave a message. You can fax his office at 202-228-2646.

Be heard! Act now!
Click here to read on!

Select Board, School Committee races set

The deadline for submitting nomination papers was this afternoon and the races are now set. Many of those who had taken out papers to run did not return them.
Incumbent Joe Michaud will be running against former Select Board member Bob Miller. The other Select Board race will feature School Committee member Shawn McDonald against Frank Gracie of Tucker Road.
The School Committee race will be between Megan Monteiro, former School Committee member John Nunes, and Doug Roscoe. The top two vote getters in that race will fill the two seats that are up.


What do you think?
Click here to read on!

Select Board to begin interviews of Budget and Finance candidates

The Select Board will interview one of three finalists for the position of Budget and Finance Director at tomorrow's meeting. A committee set up in accordance with our bylaws (C1 section 3) has advertised for candidates, interviewed them and decided on a trio to present to the Select Board for consideration. The Select Board had planned ...

... to interview all three on February 22nd but a scheduling conflict for one candidate has pushed his interview up to tomorrow. The remaining two will appear on the 22nd.
Click here to read on!

What Matt said!

This is another edition of What Matt Said.
Here's the link

Comments?
Click here to read on!

Bay State leading the way to recovery

David at Blue Mass Group has this post about the improving economic conditions in our Commonwealth. It is still not a pretty picture but we could be much worse.
David gives that governor credit for his performance to date but I have to note that his FY 2011 budget seems to be complete fiction. There is not enough money to meet the funding he proposes in my opinion. We will see what ...

... the state House Ways and Means committee comes out with.
The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center does excellent work in reducing the various budgets to an understandable form. Their analysis of the Governor's budget can be found here
Click here to read on!

Stay tuned on Tuesday, Select Board candidate bonanza

UPDATED MONDAY
On the last day to take out nomination papers and at the final hour, candidates made their way to the Town Clerk's office and took papers for multiple seats.

Former Select Board member Robert Miller took papers for both Select Board seats.
UPDATE- Curt Brown says on his blog that Mr. McDonald has only taken nomination papers to run for Ms. Dias' seat
I am told that School Committee member Shawn McDonald also took papers for both Select Board seats. Mr. McDonald had previously taken papers to run for re-election to School Committee.

Frank Gracie of Tucker Road has pulled nomination papers to run for the seat held by Natalie Dias joining Ms. Avila, Mr. Gonsalves, Mr. Pacheco and Jamie Melo in that race.

UPDATE- Curt Brown says on his blog that Mr. Gonsalves has taken nomination papers to run for both seats.
Some comments here have indicated that Mr. Gonsalves has also taken nomination papers to run against Mr. Michaud. I am not aware that he has. Only Ms. DeFreitas, Mr. Miller, and Mr. McDonald have ...

... done so as far as I know. I have also posted here about the candidates taking out nomination papers.
Should be Dartmouth's version of March madness by the look of things right now.
Ready, set, .... wait til Tuesday for more details
Click here to read on!

Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker pans SouthCoast Rail

akloftus at Blue Mass Group has this post about Charlie Baker's visit and remarks yesterday.
So what do you think about a rail link to Boston? I like the idea.

(Full disclosure - akloftus works for Lt. Gov. Tim Murray's Committee.
Click here to read on!

Select Board candidates still not set, numbers increasing.

When I posted here, two candidates had taken out nomination papers for Nat Dias' Select Board seat. Ms. Dias will not seek re-election. David Gonsalves and Melisa Avila had pulled nomination papers to run for the seat. Since then Jamie Melo of Emerald Drive and Edward M.Pacheco of Louthan Kirby Way have taken out nomination papers to run for that seat and ...

... Michael Ricardo of Chase Road has pulled papers and withdrawn them. Mr. Pacheco ran for Select Board unsuccessfully in 2006 and 2007.
Mary Ellen DeFrias of Essex Street has sought nomination papers to run against Joe Michaud for his Select Board seat. Ms. DeFrias is a member of the Board of Registrars of Voters and is the director of alumni at UMass Dartmouth. The Standard Times has reported here (subscription required) that Ms. DeFrias is not going to return the nomination papers.
Scott Lake has taken out papers to run for Cemetery Commissioner.
Click here to read on!

Parking ban in effect in Dartmouth

Nixle is a neat tool, try the link and check it out.

From the Police Department via Nixle

Community Message has been issued by the Dartmouth Police Department.

Wednesday February 10, 2010 00:15 AM EST
DARTMOUTH, MA PARKING BAN INFO FOR 2/10/10 - 2/11/10
***DARTMOUTH POLICE/DARTMOUTH DEPT. OF PUBLIC WORKS*** reminds you that a parking ban will be in effect on WEDNESDAY, 2/10/10, @ 12noon through THURSDAY, 2/11/10, @ 6PM.
For full details, go to http://local.nixle.com/alert/1130151/

Contact Information:
DARTMOUTH POLICE
508-910-1700

And here is the rest.
Click here to read on!

Select Board chooses Captain Lee

The Select Board voted unanimously to appoint Providence Police Captain Timothy Lee as the new Dartmouth Police Chief contingent upon successfully reaching agreement on contract terms and a background check.
Congratulations to Captain Lee. I look forward to working with you.

I believe that the two candidates that we interviewed are exemplary law enforcement officers. My preference between the two is Captain Lee from Providence, although I am convinced that Chief Miller would also do a great job. The local knowledge and relationships that Captain Lee already has with police departments in the area was the determining factor in my choice.
Click here to read on!

Help the YMCA Share the Harvest

from my email,

Hi Mr. Trimble, I was hoping you would post a link to encourage
people to vote for the Dartmouth Share the Harvest program through the
following link.
http://www.refresheverything.com/sharingtheharvestHelp th
Share the Harvest is a community farm located on land adjoining the
Dartmouth, YMCA. It is a joint project between the United Way, the
Hunger Commission and the Dartmouth Y. The food grown there is
distributed to local families fresh after harvest. Last year they
produced 20,000 pounds! At the website there is a link to post it on
your facebook or twitter account for your friends and family to vote
as well. You may vote every day as well, I plan on posting it on my
FB acct each day. The top ten vote earners will get funding, up to
50,000 dollars.
Thank You,
Marlene Holohan

The Sharing the Harvest YMCA Community Farm Project is an effort to alleviate hunger at the local level. The community farm at the Dartmouth YMCA was created for the express purpose of producing fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables. This nutrient-rich produce is grown under organic principals, and is a result of the collaborative efforts YMCASouthcoast with the Hunger Commission, a project of the United Way of Greater New Bedford. Although our major focus is growing nutritional food to alleviate hunger, ...

... this project promotes volunteerism and fosters the education of volunteers and the community at large to understand and confront the reality of hunger right in their own communities. Community volunteers from businesses, schools and civic organizations bring their energy and their enthusiasm to help fulfill our mission to grow nutritious food to feed the hungry in their communities.
Click here to read on!

Police Chief interview rebroadcast schedule

The February 4, 2010 Select Board Meeting will replay on

Friday February 5th at 7pm and
Saturday February 6th at 4pm and
Sunday February7th at 4pm

Peter
Dartmouth Community Television

This is the meeting where Police Chief candidates were interviewed
Click here to read on!

Dartmouth Library receives certification (with reservations)

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has announced a list of municipalities that sought waivers for the FY2010 Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR) and will receive the certification that is required for state aid to libraries. Dartmouth was one of 96 communities that sought and received such a waiver although our town was one of four whose waiver was granted with reservation. The state Board considers a waiver with reservation to indicate that a significant gap exists between library funding and funding of other departments.
Only the Town of Hull had their waiver request rejected and lost certification.
One consequence of state certification is that the towns can continue to participate in the state's SAILS inter-library loan program. The amount of state aid that is provided in modest about $40,000 but the ability to access the collections across the state is valuable. Given the financial strains faced by municipalities ...

... across the Commnnwealth, it is likely that funding will continue to be an issue for a few years.

I posted about the certification requirements here back in 2008. If the 96 towns who were not able to meet the commissioners requirements formed their own inter-library lending association, or joined one other than SAILS, I think that the state might decide to change their requirements. Back when I wrote the linked article in 2008, there was some thought of privatizing library services. I am still not convinced that privatization would be a bad thing. I am certain that the state's funding requirements are going to be a problem for Dartmouth in 2011 and beyond. Make no mistake, the Dartmouth Library Trustees are doing the best that they can in a difficult situation but the deck is stacked against them. The funding requirements do not consider cost saving measures that may be taken. They require increased spending year over year.
Click here to read on!

Another candidate pulls Select Board nomination papers

Melisa Avila of Pardon Hill Road has taken out nomination papers for the Select Board seat now held by Nat Dias. Ms. Dias has announced she will not seek re-election. If the two candidates return the nomination papers, the race will be between David Gonsalves and Ms Avila. I don't know either Ms. Avila or Mr. Gonsalves or what their positions are on matters affecting the town.
No challenger has yet asked for nomination papers for the other Select Board seat held by Joe Michaud. Mr Michaud is running ...
... for re-election and has also announced his intention to run for the state House seat held by John Quinn in November. Mr. Quinn is relinquishing his long held seat to run for Bristol County Sheriff.
I am surprised at the apparent lack of interest in the Select Board races given the amount of sturm and drang that some issues have generated over that past couple of years.
What are your thoughts? Why are there so few candidates?
Click here to read on!

Constitutional rights and terrorists

Matt Yglesias has an excellent post here about the fact that rights are not afforded to suspects when the authorities decide it is appropriate but to all people all the time. It is an essential part of our democracy and these rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights amendments to the Constitution.
The crux of Matt's argument is ...

... that the FBI and/or President do not decide to give a suspect rights. A suspect has rights that are guaranteed by our basic law, the Constitution, and the government is required to inform them of those rights.
Click here to read on!

Select Board interviews Police Chief candidates

This afternoon, the Select Board interviewed two highly qualified and impressive candidates for the Police Chief position. The two candidates were narrowed down from 86 applicants. The Board met in executive session prior to the interviews to hear the report of Municipal Resources, the firm that was tasked with identifying and winnowing down the field. After hearing their recommendations the Board decided to interview the top two candidates out of the six who participated in an assessment center exercise the day before.
The first candidate interviewed was Captain Timothy Lee of the Providence RI Police Department. Captain Lee lives in Rehoboth, MA. Captain Lee currently serves as training officer for Providence. He is also the Civilian Complaint Hearing Officer. I was quite impressed with the breadth of Captain Lee's experience, his knowledge and associations with local departments including the UMass Dartmouth force, Sheriff's office and New Bedford and Fall River departments.
The second candidate was Chief Todd Miller of Texas. Captain Miller ...

... has been a Police Chief since 1976, mostly in the upper Midwest. He served as Chief in Terrel, Texas since 2003. Chief Miller was also an impressive candidate and has extensive credentials in his education, in forging alliances with many stakeholders in community policing, and in leading regional efforts in policing. He also has extensive contacts in the area through his work in promoting community policing.
After interviewing each candidate for more than an hour, the Board decided to think about which to appoint and return on our regular meeting on Monday, February 8 to deliberate and decide on a new Police Chief.
The interviews today were broadcast on DCTV Channel 18 and I hope that the taped program is shown again over the next few days. I don't see it on the schedule but I plan to call and ask for it to be added.
I am interested in what others think after seeing the candidates interviews. Let me know in comments.


Click here to read on!

Town earns AA bond rating

Standard and Poor's (S&P) has issued a AA rating for Dartmouth's general obligation bonds. The bond rating company said this about our town's financial position,

"Based on a review of several key financial practices, Dartmouth's financial management practices are considered "good" under Standard & Poor's Financial Management Assessment. The town is thorough in its budget preparation and forecasting processes, conservative in nature with assumptions borne out by variance analyses. Along with the budget, management creates a five-year capital improvement plan that identifies funding sources and a three-year budget forecast. State statutes guide the town's investment policy. The town does not have any formal
debt management policies nor does it maintain a fund balance policy; however the board of selectman target 5% of expenditures in reserves, and has recently finalized a policy limiting one-time revenue uses solely to capital expenditures."

I think that this review accurately reflects the conservative approach taken by the town in financial matters and ...

... is a credit to the town administration, Finance Committee, and Town Meeting as well as the Select Board.
The rationale for the long term outlook from S&P was given as,

In our opinion, the long-term rating reflects the town's:
· Strong and stable economic base, which is anchored by the presence of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Campus;
· Strong income and wealth indicators, which are particularly significant given the high student population;
· Good financial management and good reserve levels heading into 2010; and
· Low overall debt burden, and rapid debt amortization.

To be able to have such a good report in tough financial times bodes well for our future.
Click here to read on!

State lawmakers call for change

AmberPaw has a post at Blue Mass Group about eight courageous state representatives who are asking for increased democracy in our legislature. I call them courageous because it is very risky politically to go against the power structure. From an op-ed letter in Cape Cod Today, the lawmakers note,

"We clearly see that consolidation of power in the Speaker has given the Massachusetts House a less than democratic form of governance and we believe that the most important thing we can do as members is point out what is so obvious that it has been taken for granted."

In order to correct that situation, Representatives Matthew C. Patrick, Thomas M. Stanley, Lida E. Harkins, William G. Greene, Jr., Will N. Brownsberger, Steven J. D'Amico, Joseph R. Driscoll and John F. Quinn sent a letter to their colleagues asking them to support five initiatives.

To begin this process, we are focusing on five areas that we believe will begin to restore the balance of power in the membership and insure that issues will receive both proper consideration and debate. We have developed specific proposals to:
1. Ensure that Home Rule Petitions can be discharged from the Rules Committee in a timely fashion;
2. Make the state budget process in the House more transparent, and make the House operating budget specifics accessible to all members;
3. Provide a leadership election and committee appointment process that distributes more power to the members and less power to the Speaker;
4. Provide legislators with greater control of the operating budgets for their offices; and
5. Eliminate or narrow legislative exemptions to the open meeting law, public records law, and purchasing standards.

A group, Fix Beacon Hill, was trying to get signatures for a ballot initiative ...

... to change the state constitution and implement some of the changes that the reps are seeking in this case. I posted about the effort here. I think that the effort is now defunct as they were not able to get the requisite number of signatures.
Still the goal of reform in our legislature is a worthy one and I hope that the efforts of the representatives here will receive some publicity and generate interest in change.

Click here to read on!

Lincoln Park Legislation on House agenda

From the Orders of the Day for Thursday February 4th, 2010 in the House of Representatives

214. [H611] Bill creating the Lincoln Park infrastructure financing district in the town of Dartmouth (House, No. 611).

Click here to read on!

State's first public law school approved at UMass Dartmouth

The state Board of Higher Education approved the merger of Southern New England School of Law with the UMass system. That means that UMass Dartmouth will soon include a law school in their university offerings. Kudos to the many who worked to get this done. Congratulations to Chancellor McCormack, her faculty, and staff. The Fall River Times Herald article on the vote can be found here
No more after the jump


Click here to read on!

Fairhaven wind turbine project proposed

The Town of Fairhaven has announced plans to put two commercial sized wind turbines near their waste water treatment plant. Like the Dartmouth project, Fairhaven will take advantage of the new net metering rules that pay retail rates for excess generation. This project had been permitted by the Fairhaven planning board as a commercial venture but stalled on threatened lawsuits by opponents. The municipal use may be considered an as-of-right use, ...

... so no special permit is required according to the New Bedford Standard Times.
The Standard Times article on the project is at this link. The article says the turbines will be 1.65MW macines and stand 460 feet tall including the blade height. That would seem to indicate that they are similar to Vestas V82 machines with a 41 meter blade on 100 meter towers.
I was talking to my brother this weekend and he has noticed that they are putting in a wind farm of some 30 wind turbines on a mountaintop near Cresson, PA.
Perhaps as the machines become more commonplace, they will gain more acceptance.
What do you think? Tell us in comments,
Click here to read on!

UMass law school decision Tuesday

The Fall River Herald News reports here that the Board of Higher Education will decide on Tuesday whether to accept the merger of the Southern New England School of Law (SNESL) with the UMass system. SNESL has offered to donate their campus and assets to the UMass system.
Arguments were presented by both sides of the merger question at a meeting of the Board of Higher Education this past Tuesday. The Herald News report on that session is at this link. One argument put forward by Former Attorney General Tom Reilly, who is representing a group of private law schools, is that the method proposed for funding the school is illegal. The proposal is that the new public law school would be largely funded by student fees rather than tuition. Mr. Reilly argued that all payments should be remitted to the state rather than be retained by UMass. If his argument was to be adopted, it would turn higher education funding at UMass on its ear. Fees are currently about 7 times the amount of tuition at UMass campuses and represent the bulk of the system's funding. If the colleges could not retain the fees, it would throw their entire budgets into question.
Massachusetts' financial support of our public universities is among the lowest per capita rate in the nation. The trend of that support has been downward as well. Well educated citizens have much higher earnings (and pay more taxes as a result) over their lifetimes than those without college degrees. I think it is in the best interest of the citizenry to support affordable public universities for that reason. What do you think?

And here is the rest.
Click here to read on!