By Dawn Aberg
Contributor
4/24/08
Despite the grim economic choices, Selectmen can’t get residents excited about a local budget crisis. One factor, they conceded at their April 17 meeting, is state and national economic uncertainties. But the political exhaustion that has set in with the prospect of yet another override campaign looms even larger over local fiscal concerns.
Anne Comber, on hand at last week’s meeting to promote the town’s May 3 Green Day cleanup, had come to the meeting with time to spare, thinking there would be crowds to debate the override issue. She was surprised to find the room empty.
“I told my kids I had to go early to get a seat,” she says. But no residents showed up to address a potential override or budget shortfalls. By the time Selectmen addressed the budget, only reporters were present.
The eventual budget discussion focused on the stern specifics of the current situation. Selectmen began by looking at three-year budgetary projections they had requested from town departments. Even the School Committee had complied by submitting estimates of what costs would look like in FY 09–11.
Chair Marion McEttrick made a point of noting that the projection figures had been solicited for planning reasons.
“The purpose was not to ask for an override,” she stresses. But, as McEttrick admits, “the numbers were much bigger than we thought.”
Town Administrator Kevin Mearn revealed the specifics in handouts. Even with what he calls “very conservative” numbers, projections through FY 11 entail a need for $8.7 million of additional revenue over three years.
Mearn presented the stark realities of this year’s non-contingent budget (a budget without the override increase). Department by department, he marched through the attempts that have been made over the last few years at savings and describes the attrition of jobs and services. While the town has not yet resorted to layoffs to keep the budget in line, at least seven town positions have disappeared in recent years through attrition and consolidation.
Selectmen also worry that the budgets submitted by town departments do not accurately reflect what they actually need.
“We’ve been diligent in telling the departments that there would be no override this year,” Selectman John Shields notes. “Their budgets were submitted on a premise that there wouldn’t be any money.” At the same time, departments have been anticipating an eventual override to fund real costs. Without future overrides, Selectmen voiced fears of decreases in town services.
“If we do things that take apart our infrastructure, it makes Milton less attractive as a place to live,” she says, pointing out that infrastructure decay could decrease property values. Even as selectmen admit that an override is inevitable, they express pessimism that an override would succeed this year.
“I’m still very disturbed by the tepid response we’re getting,” McEttrick says regarding the lack of resident response. Shields worries about time constraints on achieving a successful override vote in the next two months.
“A non-contingent budget is unacceptable to me, I think,” he says. “But we’re not politically ready for an override. We need time to educate people about the need for an override and to possibly organize a volunteer campaign for it.”
“Time is definitely our enemy,” Selectman Kathy Fagan agrees. Fagan seconded McEttrick’s concern that no one seems truly committed to the issue. “I have yet to hear someone say ‘I’m going to lead this charge’.”
A tax override to meet basic services is not a new issue for the town. When costs rise at a steady six percent a year, but the town is only allowed a 2.5 percent increase, Fagan points out that continual override votes are inevitable.
“Unless costs go down,” she adds. “But no one thinks that is going to happen.”
“The fundamental problem,” says McEttrick, “is that local funding for mandated services is killing us. It’s made worse by the tax cap.”
The town has a limited ability to control its costs, she explains, and it’s not being given the revenue it needs to provide services. As to the ongoing need for override votes, she is clear: “I don’t want to just accept the idea that this system goes on and on.”
(More on the override possibility May 1)