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.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Fiscal Year 2011 budget process begins
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18 comments:
Reductions will be forth coming but Dartmouth will be opening Cushman school for all day K. And a community park to boot. I guess our children can go without books and technology for that.
So what else is new?
Where is the community park?
The community park is supposed to be between Cushman School and the library. Lara Stone is the one who proposed it to the other SB members and they all agreed that it was a great idea. I'm not sure if the community can use it during school hours as it could prove dangerous to the students at recess.
Anything happening for NORTH Dartmouth?
Did'nt North Dartmouth just get a beautiful new park a few years back?
Anything happening for NORTH Dartmouth?
Besides a park of your own (much bigger) off Old Fall River Rd?
Besides redoing the 195/fcr off ramps to speed your ride home at a cost of millions?
Besides numerous purchases of land which will be forever free from development (DNRT)?
Besides Wind turbines going in the SOUTH end of Town?
Come on, are you even serious?
I want to see all DNRT properties open to deer hunters, during the deer hunting season. Some people enjoy fishing for fish, digging for clams,catching lobsters, raising cattle for slaughter/food.I enjoy venison, so I am a deer hunter.
I also beleive in the DNRT and it's preservation of land. Don't you agree that the DNRT should shut down the properties to nature walkers and open it up for deer seson. Deer season is open for three weeks. I'm not expecting everyone to agree with me, but I feel this land should be used for all people who enjoy the outdoors including deer hunters.
I don't have a problem with hunting, but what about the duck hunters, the coon hunters, rabbit hunters and all the hunters?
Opening the DNRT property to only one group is not fair and opening it to all hunters is far too long a season.
8:15 PM
Duck hunting along with rabbit hunting is generally open for several weeks, months, along with split seasons for other species. Deer and bear hunting are considered big game hunting. Dartmouth is not known for having a large bear population and the deer herds are growing out of control.
I've walked the DNRT properties and witness several deer but not one bear. Deer hunting is for a specific number of days/ two weeks as it relates to shotgun/black powder season. I'll be looking into state/ town funding through taxation to support DNRT purchased properties. If in fact the DNRT has used, is using, have excepted state, town tax dollars to purchase properties they must/shall provide a period of time for other types of activities other than walking trails.
To deer hunter,
DNRT does use tax money to acquire parcels of land but I am not so sure about your claim that they "must/shall provide a period of time for other types of activities other than walking trails."
Instead of being confrontational on a blog, why don't you stop in to talk to them. They are a great organization that I feel has done a great service to our town. Much of their funding is private and I very much appreciate those who have supported them. Who knows, if you go in to talk to them, they may be able to inform you about other parcels where hunting is allowed.
Hopefully, you are a responsible hunter who realizes deer are a renewable resource that must be managed properly to be sustainable. Good management of that resource may or may not include having some parcels where harvesting deer is not allowed.
Even if hunting is not allowed, wouldn't you agree that preserving deer habitat is good for the population of the herd in general? I am an outdoorsman myself, although much more of a fisherman than a hunter. As a town meeting member, I vote in favor of DNRT requests even if their parcels only allow passive recreation.
I wish you safe and happy hunting but DNRT is not the bad guy here. Quite the contrary.
Regarding the budget process, where do we stand with full day kindergarten? I hear one thing from Joe M. and read another in the S-Times. Can we sustain full day kindergarten? Any fin. com members out there?
Barry Walker....your response/advise is appreciated. I didn't intend to imply that the DNRT members are the bad guys. To the contrary, I wish the organisation many additional successful years and land purchases. I mention the DNRT use of state, federal, and local tax money because state law may have stipulation(s) relating to the use of state monies as it relates to land purchase use or organisations who apply or use such available funding.
As it relates to your posting, you appear to be a person of good understanding and may have some DNRT contact. I'm certainly interested in turkey hunting and have observed several turkeys on DNRT property. If you feel comfortable, and where we appear to be on the same page, I would appreciate any further information you can offer. If you have direct contact with the organisation maybe you can advise. Just a thought. I'm on winter vacation at St. Criox U.S. Virgin island. Cell phone calls are 3 dollars per minute. Turkey season will open in April.
Thanking you in advance...
Fixing the ramps from 195 is a benefit to residents in North Dartmouth? Last time I checked, the residents of North Dartmouth are still working around the massive amounts of (primarily)out of town traffic that supports the mall and other shopping centers and produces tax revenue for the town. If you knew what you were talking about, you would realize that a lot of the residents in North and Central Dartmouth take back roads whenever possible to avoid that area. And all this keeps your tax rate down in South Dartmouth. Duh.
To Anon 8:10
Re: Full Day Kindergarten
It is still early in the budget process. We ( Fin Com ) have made a preliminary pass through the FY11 budget with more work being done even as I type. There will be a joint meeting between the Fin Com, the Select Board and the School Committee this Thursday evening ( 2/25/10 ) to discuss the budget further.
As is normal this time of year the State aid numbers are not yet set in stone, or even in wet cement :) The variance is in the $hundred's of thousands of dollars, so as you can well imagine this will make a big difference in what is possible and what is not.
That said, town meeting has so far appropriated the funds to ready the facilities for upwards to 200 kindergarten students ... that work is ongoing right now. In the spring Town Meeting will be asked to release funds they already set aside for the purchase of the books, furniture and other instructional materials needed to begin the program in fall of 2010.
Also appropriated at the fall town meeting was a line item designed to be incremented in the FY11 budget by an amount sufficient to partially offset the operational costs of FDK. We are working on finding the funds to supplement that line item right now. Additionally the school department is doing the same thing such that our joint funding will allow the project to be funded solidly into the future from recurring revenues eminating from both the School department and the General Government.
The vote taken by the school committee last evening was the first step in assuring the town of the schools continued funding support in the future by designating free ( tuition free ) FDK as a priority need. The second step will be for the Select Board to designate this as a priority goal for Dartmouth thus assuring the town's dedication to the project as well. These two actions would clear the way for the Fin Com to craft the budget accordingly.
Yes ... these funds would be in addition to required school spending ... and yes, it would require town meeting appropriation each and every year to sustain the program. These actions assure accountability for the program to the Town Meeting while providing a great improvement in education for our children with the expectation that it will reduce the need, and costs, for remedial instruction in later years. Hopefully when those 4 and 5 year olds populate the boards and committees of tomorrow they will be smarter than we are :)
Greg Lynam
Fin Com
To Anon 8:10
..sorry, I didn't fully answer your question.
Q: Is it (FDK ) sustainable ?
Yes ... I believe it is. The commitment from the school department is strong and reliable. On the General Government side we have the ability to incrementally add to the budget line item I referred to, so necessary to assure sustainable funding. This will require a firm commitment in the FY11 fiscal year but will be easier to sustain in future years as we project out the cost increments and shares.
I know this answer sounds nebulous but I would have to show you on spreadsheets just why this is believed to be so.
Greg / Fin Com
I love the people that like to bitch about having to live in North Dartmouth just to support the lifestyle of SOuth Dartmouth. If it's so bad in the north and so great in the south part of town why not move? Or were you so dim-witted as to not realize Rt 6 and Faunce Corner Roads were in North Dartmouth? Duh.
Maybe Ray can get his idol Barney to get the US Postal Service to make Dartmouth all one zip code. This would eliminate the north and south designations in Dartmouth. Then we could all be one big happy family. Oh Barney! Show us the way. Oh Barney!
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