BUDGET AND REPORT OF THE WARRANT COMMITTEE
2004 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
Introduction
The principal function of the Warrant Committee is to make recommendations to Town Meeting on all Warrant Articles that involve immediate appropriation of money. Similar committees in other towns are often called Finance Committees.
The Committee consists of fifteen residents (not necessarily Town Meeting Members) appointed by the Moderator for staggered three-year terms, plus the Chairs of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee. The Committee appoints one of its members to the Capital Budget Committee. The Town Accountant, Town Administrator, and Town Treasurer regularly attend meetings. The other Selectmen often attend.
This report will provide Town Meeting Members with a background and explanation of the proposed budget for 2004-2005 (Fiscal Year 2005).
Budget Overview
The state’s profound fiscal problems and worst-in-the-nation recession continue to place enormous strains on the finances of most local communities, certainly including Belmont. The basic dilemma confronting Belmont is that year-to-year expenditures are growing at a greater rate than year-to-year revenues.
Despite the difficulties, the town’s fiscal 2005 budget includes only limited reductions in services in certain departments and selected marginal improvements in other areas, most notably schools. Nevertheless, following the cuts of recent years, and the relentless cost pressures, virtually all town departments and the schools are being asked to do more with less and are reaching the point where they cannot deliver the quality of services expected by the residents of Belmont.
Belmont depends on property taxes for almost 80 percent of its revenues, a share that is growing because of recent cuts in state aid. Proposition 2 ? limits annual increases in total property taxes to 2 ? percent plus any growth from new development.
During most of the 1990s, major increases in state aid allowed the town to balance its budget without program cuts. However, as state aid leveled off beginning three years ago, the town was forced to turn to operating overrides to preserve a basic level of services – a $3 million override for fiscal 2002 and a $2.4 million override for fiscal 2003.
In fiscal 2004, the town had to contend with a $1.2 million or 17.5 percent reduction in state aid. The fiscal 2005 budget assumes that state aid will remain at the same level as fiscal 2004. That appears to be a reasonable assumption given the public comments and actions of the Governor and legislative leaders. However, we will not know the distribution of state aid with certainty until the Legislature passes a final budget in June.
On the spending side, the fiscal 2005 budget shows an increase of $1.5 million or 2.3 percent. After adjusting for a reduction in debt service of approximately $300,000, spending will rise by 2.9 percent, roughly equal to the rate of inflation.
With largely fixed costs such as health care growing much faster than inflation, this puts enormous strain on the rest of the budget and on basic programs and services. Employee salaries and benefits – for teachers, police, fire and others – account for more than two-thirds of the operating budget so efforts to control costs are closely tied to the number of employees and their salaries, including collective bargaining increases.
In recent years, the Warrant Committee has mounted an intensive and continuing effort to find savings wherever possible. These initiatives have helped address the fiscal problems, but efficiencies cannot change the fundamental fact that, as a town of homes with limited land, there will always be a close connection between the level of taxes collected from homeowners and the level of services provided in our community.
Over the past six months the Warrant Committee, in collaboration with the Selectmen, School Committee and Capital Budget Committee, have made a major effort to educate Town Meeting Members and the public about the town’s fiscal realities and problems. We sponsored a special session for Town Meeting Members in November and three sessions for the public in January and February. We will continue to reach out to the citizens so they understand better the long-term fiscal dilemma confronting the town.
Separate Articles
Some elements in the budget are presented to Town Meeting in separate articles, even though the amounts in those articles also appear in the Budget Table. This year these articles are:
REVIEW OF DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS
TOWN CLERK
(Lines 010, 020 and 030)
The Town Clerk’s office maintains many of Town’s official records, records all vital statistics (births, deaths and marriages), receives all legal documents on behalf of the Town, arranges for all Town meetings, registers voters, issues absentee ballots, administers all Federal, State and Town elections, administers oaths to all elected and appointed persons, issues many forms of licenses and performs a variety of other recordkeeping and public information functions. These functions are not all required and exceed those performed by Town Clerk’s offices in many towns. It is headed by an elected Town Clerk.
It was and is staffed by 3 full-time and 1 part-time employees. It also includes the Board of Registrars, which consists of the Clerk and three residents appointed by the Selectmen. The Board members have previously been paid $1,500 a year but it is proposed to compensate them in the future on an hourly basis. The office’s total expenditures for FY02 were $244,329 and for FY03 $240,430. Estimated total expenses for FY04 are $263,951 and the level-funded budget for FY05 is $274,015. Special elections and additional Town meetings can require additional funds. Normally these come from the Reserve Fund. Total fee revenue collected by this office for FY04 is projected at $55,000. The office was recently authorized to issue U.S. passports which will increase such revenue. Fee increases for licenses are also under consideration. No major changes have occurred in this office in recent years and no major changes are contemplated for FY05.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
General Management, Community Relations, and Commissions/Committees
(Lines 040, 042, 046, and 050)
The Board of Selectmen consists of three elected members who serve in a part-time capacity and receive a small annual salary. They are also eligible for Town health insurance benefits. Although the Town’s governing structure is fragmented (School Committee, Library Trustees, Town Clerk and Town Treasurer are independently elected), the Board is the Town’s primary executive body. The Board meets regularly during the year, usually on Monday nights, to discuss policy issues, to set agendas for itself and the warrants for Town Meeting, to issue licenses, to make appointments to existing boards and commissions, and in recent years, to establish many ad hoc committees. The Board also develops the Town budget subject to review by the Warrant Committee.
The Board is supported by a full-time Town Administrator and Assistant Town Administrator, one full-time and one part-time administrative assistant. The latter also supports many of the Town’s appointed boards and committees. The Board’s general management expenditures for FY03 were $230,972 and estimated expenditures for FY04 are $263,622. The proposed budget is $257,900.
The Board also has separate budgets for community relations and boards and commissions. The community relations function involves primarily the operation of the Town’s website. Expenditures for FY03 were $17,319 and are estimated for FY04 at $22,200. The budget for FY05 is $22,200. There seems little reason this should be a separate budget. The boards and commissions budget involves primarily support of many but not all of the appointed such entities (examples of exceptions are the Planning Board and the Board of Zoning Appeals which are supported by Community Development staff). Expenditures for FY03 were $15,099 and are estimated at $16,472 for FY04. The budget for FY05 is $17,828. One part-time administrative assistant is primarily assigned to these tasks, which
have substantially increased with the proliferation of committees. Again, the need for a separate budget seems doubtful.
The total staffing for Town management is three full-time and one part-time employee. No permanent staff increase is proposed for FY05 but the Town Administrator asks that the Town consider implementation of a Management Intern program that would employ at minimal salary a recent graduate of a Masters in Public Administration or Public Policy Program.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Information Technology
(Line 050)
This separate division was created in FY04 in order to give the Town a dedicated technology management team. It reports to the Assistant Town Administrator. Its responsibilities include specification and acquisition of hardware and software, installation and troubleshooting, user education, applications projects and strategic planning.
Since it is a new division, it has no financial history other than estimated expenditures for FY04 of $161,965. Its budget for FY05 is $146,798. It presently has 2 full-time employees and coordinates with School Department Information Technology personnel. As the technology advances and Town departments become more reliant on Internet access to transact business, it seems inevitable that this budget will grow in future years.
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
(Line 055)
Human Resources was created as a separate department in 2001 with a mission to provide internal employment support services to Town management. This Department’s responsibilities include administration of classification and salary plans for Town employees, recruitment and employment, maintenance of employment records, administration of benefit plans and worker’s compensation, management training and assistance with collective bargaining. It also covers School Department benefits administration. The director is appointed.
It has two full-time and one part-time employee. The new Director is also handling employee grievances and is becoming more involved with collective bargaining. Record keeping requirements are increasing. Because of the increased scope of work, the Director asks that the part-time administrative assistant position be made full-time. The FY03 expenditures totaled $200,231 and those for FY04 are anticipated to total $183,308 (the director’s position was open for part of FY04). The budget request for FY05 is $186,132, which does not include the administrative assistant moving to full time.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Legal Services
(Line 060)
This budget consists of two distinct components – legal services and settlements. . Legal services includes the amounts paid Town Counsel and various special counsel hired by the Selectmen. It includes no Town employees as such. Expenditures for such services were $381,912 for FY03 and are estimated at $404,000 for FY04. The budget for FY05 is $359,000. Veteran Town Counsel who had been charging the Town noticeably low rates has recently resigned. The Selectmen have also been awarding out more Town legal work to more expensive special counsel. Moreover, the Town’s legal problems are increasing. Legal service expenses must therefore be expected to continue to rise.
Regarding settlements on court judgments or claims against the Town, these are inherently unpredictable, especially as to the year in which a particular claim may be settled or adjudicated. This is illustrated by the fact $5,247 was expended for such purposes in FY03 and $205,000 in FY04. The budget for FY05 remains at the traditional level of $5,000.
TOWN ACCOUNTANT
(Line 070)
This office reviews and pays all bills, approves weekly payrolls and keeps the books and contracts for the Town. It provides some internal audit controls for payroll, cash receipts and receivables in various departments. It also coordinates the preparation, printing and distribution of working budgets for the Warrant Committee and Selectmen. The Town Accountant plays a key role in preparing long-range financial projections for the Town. The Town Accountant is appointed.
The office is presently and expects to be in FY05 staffed by 2 full-time and 1 part-time employees and a part-time intern. An increase will probably be requested for FY06. Its total expenses for FY03 were $213,862 and the FY04 total is estimated at $230,698. The FY05 budget request is $236,798. The major functions of this office have not greatly changed in recent years. However, its life has been significantly complicated by increased auditing standards (GASB34). This Department has reduced the time frame for vendor bill payment from three weeks to four days. The computer system will probably have to be replaced or updated in FY06.
ASSESSORS
(Line 080)
The Board of Assessors lists and values all real and taxable personal property in the Town. In Massachusetts, values are based on “full and fair cash value” or 100 percent of fair market value. There are approximately 8,000 parcels of real estate in the Town to be appraised and assessed. The three members of the Board are part-time and elected. In addition to Board members, the office has three full-time and one part-time employee. The office’s total expenditures in FY03 were $335,375 and estimated expenditures for FY04 are $326,187. The FY05 budget request is $329,270. The functions of this office are statutory and have not changed significantly in recent years. The Board and the Treasurer will convert to quarterly real estate tax billing in FY05.
The Board also hopes to improve its property record system on the Town’s website.
TOWN TREASURER
(Lines 090 and 091)
The Town Treasurer’s office manages the Town’s cash flow, invests the Town and Light Department funds, administers the payroll for all Town and school employees, generates Town vendor payments, coordinates mailroom activities for most Town departments, sends and collects real estate, personal property and excise tax bills and manages tax title and other overdue tax accounts. The Town Treasurer is elected and also functions as Parking Clerk.
The office has and expects to have in FY05 6 full-time and 3 part-time employees. The office’s total expenditures for FY03 were $396,343 and those for FY04 are estimated at $480,356. The budget request for FY05 is $516,338. The major reasons for the increase are step and cost of living salary increases and health insurance and workmen’s compensation increases. The office collected approximately $30,000 in fees and $150,000 in parking fines in FY04. It also earned $260,000 in investment income. Whether this last figure will increase depends mostly on how interest rates behave in FY05. Parking fees may well be increased in FY05. The major functions of this office have not changed in over the past several years. Real estate tax bills are expected to be issued
quarterly rather than semi-annually in FY05.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
(Lines 110, 125-145)
The mission of the department is public safety. The department strives to provide a crime free and safe environment for all citizens. The current FY04 budget includes 49 sworn officers. Current actual staffing is 46 officers and the Town Administrator’s recommended FY05 budget is 47 sworn officers. The Warrant Subcommittee on Public Safety recommends an FY05 budgeted staffing of 48 sworn officers as outlined below. The full Warrant Committee has not yet voted on this. The Board of Selectmen is split with two Selectmen supporting 47 and one supporting 48 sworn officers.
The Town Administrator’s FY05 budget recommended for the Police Department is $5,060,000. This compares to an FY04 budget of $5,019,000 and an estimated FY04 actual of $4,983,000. The increase in FY05 over FY04 is due to wage and health benefit increases, as well as increases in rank and salary of management positions, partially offset by a budget staff decrease of two sworn officers.
The Town Administrator’s recommended budget, as noted above, includes sworn officer staffing of 47. This consists of 35 officers dedicated to patrol services (patrol officers on the road, sergeants acting as on-the-road supervisors, and lieutenants acting as shift commanders) and 12 officers handling all other functions (Chief, Assistant Chief, detectives, community service, traffic, and prosecutor). During the last year, patrol services staffing of 36 officers has resulted in approximately 40 percent of the shifts being completed without an on-the-road supervisor. The Warrant Subcommittee on Public Safety believes that as a matter of public safety it is important to have on-the-road supervisors on as close to 100 percent of the shifts as possible. This would provide active supervision of patrol
officers on the road and provide more appropriate staffing during events of risk. (As an example, domestic violence calls require three officers, ideally one of whom is an experienced sergeant. Without an on-the-road supervisor, three of the available four patrol officers must handle that call, leaving one mobile unit available to handle all other calls.) The Warrant Subcommittee on Public Safety proposes that patrol staffing be increased to 37 and all other police activities be staffed with 11 sworn officers for a total of 48 sworn officers. Most importantly, for public safety reasons, some members of the Warrant Committee recommend that the Board of Selectmen mandate patrol staffing at a level of six per shift for the maximum number of shifts possible.
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS
(Line 149)
Public Safety Communications was created in 1995 and is responsible for answering all emergency and non-emergency calls for the Police and Fire Departments. It also answers all after-hours calls for the Light Department and the Public Works Department including the Water Division. The communications center is staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year. Until this year, Public Safety Communications consisted of one Director of Communications who handled all the administrative functions, one Supervisor of Communications who functions as a working foreman responsible for training and scheduling, and eight full time dispatchers. It also engages five per-diem dispatchers who fill in for vacations, personal leave and extended sick leave. Per-diem dispatchers are
paid a straight hourly wage and receive no benefits.
Public Safety Communications has been reorganized and now falls under the supervision of the Police Department effective January 1, 2004. The Director of Communications position will be eliminated along with a permanent part-time dispatch position. An additional full time dispatch position is proposed to replace the two eliminated positions. It is anticipated that the new Chief will carefully review the Public Safety Communications operation, and, if appropriate, make recommendations for further changes going forward.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
(Lines 150-195)
The mission or primary roles of the Fire Department are: fire suppression response, fire prevention/education, hazardous materials response and medical emergency response.
The current FY04 budget and recommended FY05 budget both include a total staffing level of 57. This total includes: 52 firefighters in fire suppression (four teams of 13 firefighters) and five people in administration (Chief, Assistant Chief, Fire Prevention Officer, Assistant Fire Prevention and Training Officer, and one civilian handling office administration). Current actual staffing level is 55, with two firefighter vacancies currently being filled.
The total FY05 recommended Fire Department budget is $4,096,000 vs. an FY04 budget of $4,054,000 and an estimated FY04 actual of $3,979,000. Hiring new firefighters at lower wage steps to fill retirement vacancies has partially offset increases in health benefit costs in the department. Overtime, historically a high proportion of the Fire Department budget is recommended at the $295,000 level, slightly down from the FY04 budget level of $297,000.
While all of the Fire Department roles noted above continue to be important, the number of calls to which the Fire Department must respond is increasingly weighted toward medical emergency. This follows a similar national trend. However, for understandable historical reasons, the majority of resources (equipment and staff) have been focused on suppression rather than fire prevention or medical emergency. Some of the results of this are: no plans review officer (strongly recommended by the Chief), limited commercial block inspections, lagging oil burner/alarm inspections, one ambulance, and no Belmont first responders being trained in advanced life support.
The Warrant Committee recommends that the Selectmen request the Fire Chief to recommend appropriate objectives for fire prevention and medical care and to recommend how best to move the mix of resources to a well-balanced program of suppression, prevention and medical response.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Belmont School Department
(Line 200)
The School Committee and the School Administration are to be commended for proposing a budget that meets the allocation proposed by the Town Administrator. In addition, the School Committee, like other boards and departments, also developed a list of expenditures they would undertake if additional funds were available. Based on the availability of increased state aid, the Warrant Committee supports a School Department budget of $30,923,766.
Approximately 44 percent of the increase in the budget (about $562,000) is due to increases in the cost of health insurance for school staff. If the School Department were not participating in the changes made to the Town and School health insurance program this year, the increase would be even greater. Almost 20 percent of the increase (about $250,000) is due to increases in salaries for existing staff. The budget also includes an additional five teachers at the High School, and an additional two 4th grade teachers in response to enrollment growth. It also restores a full-time Middle School Guidance Counselor and a 0.8 FTE fifth grade Foreign Language teacher. Both of these positions were cut this year. Last year the School Department cut several teachers, guidance
counselors, and aides. The staff additions in the budget would partially restore those cuts while providing for some re-configuring of staff to meet the changing enrollment needs. These additions to staff add about $385,000 to the budget. The budget also includes a small increase in funds for textbooks and instructional supplies.
Under this budget, the School Department will not expand the Choice program beyond the 60 high school students Belmont accepted during the past two years. The School Committee has determined that the net impact of a further expansion of Choice at this time would not be beneficial. The Warrant Committee appreciates the School Committee's efforts to bring in additional resources, and the presence of Choice students has increased the diversity of our student body. The Warrant Committee, however, believes that it would be a mistake to become too reliant on Choice tuition funds. Thus, we support this decision.
In addition, the School Committee does not plan to increase fees for transportation or after-school activities such as athletics and music. Fees have become an important source of revenue and will likely need to be increased again in future years. Both recreation and school fees should be studied during the next year.
Special Education continues to be a very costly part of the School Department budget. However, the State has increased its funding of out-of-district placements (the most expensive cases), and both the Warrant Committee and the School Department are reasonably sure that this higher level of funding will continue this year.
More than two-thirds of the School Department budget goes to personnel costs, and Dr. Holland’s budget for FY05 is predicated on conservative estimates for negotiated wage increases. We strongly urge all involved in School Department labor negotiations to recognize the critical importance of controlling wage and benefit increases in these difficult budget years.
It is important to recognize the school system’s success in attracting philanthropic contributions that are entirely outside the town’s budget. Such contributions have grown in significance and now amount to more than $150,000 annually. While the largest source of contributions is the Foundation for Belmont Education, which has made more than $700,000 in grants to the Belmont Public Schools since 1993, the school system is able to attract contributions from many sources including parent teacher organizations, focused support groups such as POMS, and the property tax check-off. We wholeheartedly endorse these fundraising efforts, commend all involved for their dedication and support, and would hope that such efforts will continue to grow. We would, in addition, suggest that the school
administration and School Committee give serious thought to developing an alumni fundraising network. We believe that alumni of the Belmont school system, particularly those who live out of town, would be willing to make donations to the schools that would serve to augment the important fundraising efforts that already exist.
While the picture looks somewhat brighter this year than last, we must not be lulled into any false sense that the situation is acceptable. The proposed staff additions only partially restore the cuts made this year, while next year's enrollment is expected to be higher than enrollment levels at the time of the cuts. In addition, based on a common set of data, the State Department of Education calculates that in fiscal year 2002 Belmont spent substantially less per student than the state average, and less than the surrounding communities. As a third measure, according to the most recently published MCAS scores, Belmont is not among the top 10 systems in the state. All of these are indicators that the school system of which we have been so proud of for so many years, may be starting to decline.
MINUTEMAN REGIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
(Line 205)
Minuteman Regional High School (www.minuteman,org) is a four-year public regional high school serving Belmont and fifteen other member towns. Minuteman provides a combination of rigorous academics and preparation for college and career exploration. It is located on a 69-acre campus just west of Route 128 in Lexington, Massachusetts.
At this time, because of uncertainties regarding formula assessment and enrollments, the Town has funded this expense for FY05 at $557,063. The estimate at this time from Minuteman indicates a proposed FY05 assessment for Belmont of $556,945.
The proposed Minuteman budget for FY05 is $15,344,339, which represents a decrease of 0.64% from the previous year. Although Belmont had experienced a decrease in enrollment of its students to Minuteman over the past few years, Belmont’s town assessment increased 18% in FY04. The percentage increase represented $148,484 for a total of $597,063 assessed to Belmont in FY04. A major change in determining the cost to Belmont for students attending Minuteman occurred in 2003. On March 18, 2003, the Minuteman Regional School Committee and Administration recalculated the previous assessment method from Assessment by Agreement to Assessment by Education Reform Law. The reasons for this shift were numerous, including disagreement among member towns regarding the formula for assessment, an increase in the number
of special education students attending Minuteman, decrease in state aid, and decrease in transportation aid to Minuteman. The new method of assessment relies on the municipal revenue growth factor and three-year averages are used by the State to determine this factor. If a town’s revenues are going to grow, the State will factor that growth into the formula for determining the town’s assessment for Minuteman.
Minuteman’s total high school enrollment from all member towns for FY04 equals 876 students. All enrollment figures and assessments are based on actual enrollment at Minuteman on October 2003. Belmont is assessed for 26.8 regular students (full time equivalent), as there are 26 students enrolled in grades 9-12 and 2 post-graduate students enrolled in the automotive program who attend Minuteman 2 out of 5 days or 40% of the time (.4 x 2 = 0.8). In addition, Belmont is assessed for 4.44 Afternoon Service (FTE) students from the Chenery Middle School. A total of 120 students from the Chenery Middle School participate in the Minuteman afternoon program which runs during the months of October and March for two days a week. Additionally, there are 2.58 (adult) reduced charge (FTE) students. The total number of students from Belmont attending Minuteman is 33.82 for FY05. This number represents an increase of 3.68 over the FY04 base and represents a 12.2% increase in enrollment.
Minuteman salary negotiations have not been concluded for FY05. The budget avoids any increase in this area, despite steps in salary schedules, by including a reduction in staff of 5.649 FTEs. Salary costs are 66% of the budget, a smaller percentage than is common in most member districts. Despite increased costs such as new bus bids and major increases in health insurance costs, Minuteman has proposed a budget that is $99,126 lower than the budget for FY04.
The Minuteman School committee has proposed the adoption of Senate 262 and Senate 270 by the Massachusetts legislature. These bills would allow ninth grade students who are not from within the district access to Minuteman programs. The sending community would then pay an annually adjusted tuition set by the Department of Education. Additionally, the legislation would set the tuition paid by non-member communities at 150% of the statewide vocational foundation average. Belmont’s Selectmen and the Warrant Committee will vote on whether to support this legislation.
In summary, Minuteman continues to face declining State aid as well as increased referral of special education students. The amount of transportation aid reduction remains a serious problem for Minuteman due to the expense of transporting students from sixteen towns to the Lexington campus.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
(Lines 302-306)
The Office of Community Development is responsible for building inspections, engineering, and planning.
The budget for FY05 appears to be sufficient to accomplish the needs of this department. The department is not staffed to handle the simultaneous forward progress of development on both the McLean and O’Neill properties, but such a possibility does not appear to be imminent. Should it occur, the increased revenue from building permits would almost certainly cover the expenses associated with hiring additional personnel.
There is no money in the budget to produce a new town atlas, which has not been revised since 1998. A revised atlas would be useful to a number of boards, committees and departments in the Town and would cost approximately $10,000. The Subcommittee on Public Works requests funding a new town atlas if possible.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
(Lines 310-366)
The Warrant Committee is unified in its support of the Town’s consolidation of public works functions. This is the first year of public works consolidation, and the benefits so far have been in operational efficiencies and improved service to the public. The Town’s resources are more easily marshaled to meet the ongoing needs of the Public Works Department. Improved service delivery has been particularly evident in snow removal, where in the past a more fragmented organization resulted in underutilization of equipment and personnel. Before consolidation, highway department vehicles could sit unused during a snowstorm because employees from outside the highway department were not available to operate them. Now, the consolidated department can more effectively match equipment to
personnel by utilizing cemetery and water department employees to carry out what had traditionally been a highway function. By the same token, highway department personnel and equipment can be utilized on cemetery and water department functions. Consolidation can be expected to result in more effective maintenance of town deltas and grounds during the spring and summer.
With a net reduction of only one position for FY05, savings in personnel costs have not been dramatic. Over time the management structure is expected to become somewhat more streamlined, but the principal benefit from public works consolidation will be improved service.
The Department has done an outstanding job managing a difficult budget. It appears that in FY05, the Public Works Department will be able to deliver what amounts to level service under the constraints of level funding, although sidewalk maintenance is $84,000 less than previous year’s funding in the FY05 budget, and the trimming of roadway brush – approximately $12,000 – has been eliminated. In addition, there is some doubt that the recommended budget for parks and facilities (line 325) is sufficient to cover maintenance of the hockey rink and Underwood Pool, given the age and condition of these two important town facilities. Further, it seems apparent that the continued provision of minimally satisfactory service is not sustainable over the long term (meaning the next two or three
fiscal years) without budget increases. Should the funds be available in FY05, the Warrant Subcommittee on Public Works requests restoration of $84,000 to the sidewalk repair budget and $12,000 to trim roadway shrubbery.
BUILDING SERVICES DEPARTMENT
(Line 324)
The Building Services Department is responsible for managing and maintaining the Town Hall, Municipal Light Department building, Police Station, Senior Center, three fire stations and the Highway Yard buildings. In December 2004, the newly renovated Town Hall Annex will come on line. The Department manager is concerned that the utility/heating budget will be insufficient to cover the renovated Town Hall Annex, but this will not be known until this facility comes on line.
The Department manager also identifies a staffing problem in his department: to effectively manage the line employees (a custodian and head custodian) and the Town Hall Annex, the Department needs a working supervisor. The FY05 budget does not provide for any additional staffing. Although additional staffing would allow the Department to improve its service level, the Town could instead explore the possibility of consolidating all building services functions – town, school, and library – under one department. The Town Administrator will be looking at this issue in the summer of 2004.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
(Lines 520-522)
The Health Department budget includes programs for Health Administration, Animal Control, the Sealer of Weights and Measures and Youth Services. The goals of the Department include preventing disease, engaging in activities to promote health, and enforcing the animal control by-law and Board of Health regulations to ensure the health and safety of Town residents. The goals of the Youth Services Program, which is administratively part of the Health Department, are to plan events and coordinate a calendar of events for the community’s youth.
The staffing levels for FY03 (actual), FY04 (budget and actual) and FY05 (proposed) are as follows:
* Same number each fiscal year.
** For FY05, the nursing hours will increase from five to 10/week.
The budget by program for FY03 (actual), FY04 (budget), and FY05 (proposed) is as follows:
FY03 (actual) FY04 (budget) FY05 (proposed)
Health Administration $226,885 $228,820 $234,250
Animal Control 67,072 66,813 65,100
Weights and Measures --- 5,435 5,430
Youth 44,451 54,896 42,306
TOTAL $338,407 $355,964 $347,086
Bringing the Youth Services Program under the aegis of the Health Department has increased the workload of the Department, although program planning is the responsibility of the Youth Commission (appointed by the Selectmen), and program execution is the responsibility of the Youth Coordinator, assisted by Youth Commission members and volunteers. The Sealer of Weights and Measures was also integrated into the Department in FY04.
The State mandates that local health departments perform food service inspections; respond to residents’ complaints about possible health and safety violations in rental housing; review plans for changes proposed by food service establishments; investigate nuisance complaints; monitor day camps, swimming pools, tanning salons and sewerage systems; follow up on infectious diseases; provide flu clinics; act as a depository for vaccines; and participate in community emergency preparedness planning. In addition, the Belmont Board of Health’s regulations require the Department to participate in biotechnology licensing, monitoring abrasive blasting by parties, dumpster permitting, and non-smoking compliance. Further, the Health Department regards the following as extremely important even if not
mandated: disposal of hazardous products, licensure of day care and after-school programs, social services outreach, blood pressure clinics and a dental program for kindergartens. The workload of the Department increases as more demands are made upon it, and time and personnel must be ready at all times to respond to emergency situations.
COUNCIL ON AGING
(Line 540)
The mission of the Council on Aging is to advocate on behalf of the senior citizens of Belmont and to provide assistance with their social, financial, and healthcare needs. This department provides active and passive recreation opportunities, transportation to shopping areas and medical appointments, in-home services such as homemakers, health aides, and meals, a daily luncheon program, and help with financial and mental health needs. The Council on Aging is an 11-member board appointed by the Board of Selectmen.
In FY04, the Warrant Committee recommended that all of the programs relating to senior services be carried under the Council on Aging. In past years field trips, an aerobics program, and a holiday party were run by the Recreation Department, and are now covered by the Council on Aging.
There are 16 employees in this department, four full-time, five who are employed 20 or more hours per week, and seven who work less than 20 hours. The full-time employees include the director, social worker, Belderbus driver, and transportation coordinator. The five part-time employees who work 20 or more hours a week are a driver, in-home services coordinator, Senior Center coordinator, volunteer coordinator, and an administrative assistant. Other positions include two drivers, a lunch site host, an administrative assistant, and outside contractors as instructors for aerobics and exercise programs.
Some staffing changes have taken place between what was budgeted in FY04, what exists today, and what is being budgeted for FY05. The budget approved in the spring of 2003 carried the aerobics instructor in the recreation budget. That item was moved to the Council on Aging in the fall of 2003 as part of the effort to consolidate all activities for seniors under that department. In addition, in FY04 the Assistant Director, who was budgeted at 12 hours, retired. The Council is requesting that that position be filled with a 19-hour administrative assistant. While this will result in additional hours, the cost will be less than was previously carried due to the change in positions. (It should also be noted that until FY04 the Assistant Director was a 35-hour position.) The FY05
budget of $479,095 is a 1.9% increase over the budget for FY04 of $469,735. This increase is due to step increases, health insurance increases, and the transfer of the aerobics instructor to this budget.
As the Senior Center becomes more attractive to the seniors, the Council on Aging is responding with more programming, exacerbating the problem of accounting for the financing of these programs. It is difficult to anticipate in the winter of one year all of the programs that are going to be desired in the winter and spring of the following year. A modest revolving account would take care of this issue. The users of each program could pay the fees into this account, and the costs of the program would be paid from this account. The anticipated revenue from fees for the classes and trips is approximately $29,000.
While many departments in town are dealing with a fairly static population, the Council on Aging is experiencing a growth in clients. Currently this appears to be due to the increasing popularity of the Senior Center, but statistics show that there will be a large increase in the senior population beginning in two years and continuing for quite a while. The building of a new Senior Center will go a long way to accommodating the increased number of users, but some thought needs to be given in the next few budgets to increasing the staffing to meet the increasing needs.
Prior to the State's economic downturn, the Council on Aging received several grants from government programs that assisted this department in carrying out its mission. Some of these funds were used to provide staffing to handle many of the functions of the department. Many of these grants have been reduced or eliminated in recent years, resulting in a decrease in staffing levels, since the Town was unable to pick up all of the costs.
A level service budget will be very difficult for the staff to manage in FY05 due to the increased user levels. Among the stated needs are enhanced networking capability, an increase in need for computer-related supplies, additional administrative assistance, and the need for an on-site custodian.
VETERANS’ SERVICE
(Line 560)
A State statute requires the town have a Veterans’ Agent who is appointed annually by the Board of Selectmen. The position is now a sub-department of the Health Department with a member of that staff serving in this position. The responsibilities of the Veterans’ Agent include advising veterans, providing financial aid to qualifying veterans with proved need, and directing veterans to the Veterans Administration medical facilities. The Agent is also responsible for coordination with all veterans’ organizations to plan and operate all veteran events and programs.
The FY05 budget totaling $19,250 includes a $12,000 stipend for personnel services. It is level-funded and provides for level service. No one has yet qualified for financial assistance during FY04, although there were 3040 inquiries. The Department’s FY04 budget includes $4,400 for financial assistance with a total budget of $19,250. The actual FY03 expenses were $19,250. The State statute permits two or more towns to establish a veterans' services district with one director serving all member towns. The Town continues to explore the possibility of forming or joining such a district.
LIBRARY
(Lines 610-630)
Belmont Public Library’s mission is to provide free and equal access to information and ideas, and to serve the diverse interests of the community through a wide range of resources. It has six service programs: Adult/Reference, Young Adult, Children, Circulation, Technical Services and Branch Libraries; all are covered under three cost centers: Administration, Public Services and Technical Services.
Staffing levels by cost center for FY03, FY04 (budget), FY04 (actual) and FY05 (proposed) are as follows:
The budgets for FY03 (actual), FY04 (budget) and FY05 (proposed) for each cost center are as follows:
The budget for FY05 is maintained at level funding without significant cuts in service essentially because four senior staff with 90 years of combined experience retired, and replacements for most of them were hired at much lower salaries. Although Sunday opening hours (staffed by part-time personnel) have been maintained, there is not enough money in the budget to offer the time-and-a-half pay scale offered by neighboring communities, so it is increasingly difficult to hire people for these hours.
The Library works to maximize resource availability through its membership in the Minuteman Library Network, a consortium of 35 public libraries and 6 academic libraries in Metrowest Boston, by cross-training its own personnel to provide greater staffing flexibility and by training the staff and the public on the online catalog and the Internet. The Library’s computers are now all PC’s, which are important information resources (the number of patrons using the Internet has doubled since 2001) but which also require significant maintenance and staff involvement. The Library has begun a DVD collection and a CD talking book collection, and circulation has increased by nearly 10% since 2001. The budget for the Library does not include money for an inflation adjustment for the acquisition of
books and periodicals, shades for some of the Library windows and money to support time-and-one-half pay for Sunday workers. The Library has requested these items, totaling about $27,000.
RECREATION DEPARTMENT
(Lines 650-660)
The Recreation Department provides a wide variety of programs and activities for residents of all ages and abilities. During the summer, the Department operates a series of sports and activity camps for children. The budget fully supports the cost of our town S.P.O.R.T program, a program that complements the work of the Special Olympics. Donations to this program for bus rentals and equipment help offset this cost to the Town.
The Department’s revenues are from fees intended to cover the expenses for programs and activities. FY05 revenues are projected, by the Town Administrator to be $580,000. The Department head believes that the budgeted revenue number is conservative and is projecting $615,000. In order to meet his projection, some fees will be raised $5-$20. Revenues for FY04 were budgeted at $548,000, FY03 actual revenues were $546,000. Expenses for FY05 are estimated to be $610,900, of which $136,000 is budgeted for personal and administrative costs and $474,900 for program costs. The FY04 personnel and administrative budget was $131,000 and program costs $468,000, for a total of $599,000. FY03 actual expenses were $121,000 and $469,000, respectively, for a total of $590,000.
The Department currently has two full-time administrative employees, one full-time staff member, and two part-time staff members.
In FY05, the Department will establish a credit card program to enable residents to register for programs on-line, will add fifth graders to the Middle School Ski Program, and will co-sponsor a Children’s Theatre Group. New revenues also include advertising at the ice rink. The Warrant Committee continues to work with the Director to identify program costs and fees. This Department must be self-supporting while maintaining the quality of programs.
The new Public Works Department is now responsible for Parks and Facilities. Given the age and condition of the Underwood Pool and Rink, repairs and replacement of equipment continue to be a concern.
Non-Departmental Expenditures
Debt and Interest
(Lines 700-710)
This is the current amount necessary to pay the current principal and interest on the Town’s borrowing for FY 2005:
Respectfully Submitted,
M. Patricia Brusch
Margaret M. Callanan
Philip Curtis
James Fitzgerald
Walter A. Flewelling, Jr.
James C. Heigham
Dianne Hobbs
William Hofmann, III
Diane Kobus
Lawrence E. McCormick
Linda Oates (Clerk)
Penelope H. Schafer
Geoffrey L. Tillotson
Robie White (Vice Chair)
Michael J. Widmer (Chair)
Ex Officio: Anne Marie Mahoney (Chair, Board of Selectmen)
Kathleen Miller (Chair, School Committee)
Town of Belmont Expenditures
FY 2005 Recommended Budget
(pending Warrant Committee final vote)
Town of Belmont Projected Revenues
FY 2005 Recommended Budget
(pending Warrant Committee final vote)
| 
