By Dawn Aberg
Contributing Writer
3/27/08
The nation’s economic woes cast a long shadow on local decisions at last week’s Selectmen meeting. Of immediate concern was the town’s $2.7 million budgetary shortfall, a result of rising costs and falling revenues.
The problem will come squarely before residents at May’s Town Meeting when they will be forced to grapple with the prospect of an override and potential tax increases.
“My priority is the operating budget,” says Chair Marion McEttrick. “This is a tough year. We’re looking at a contingent budget.”
McEttrick requested input from residents on the override possibility over the next two weeks to inform the board’s recommendation to Town Meeting.
“We really want to know what residents are willing to do,” says McEttrick.
Selectmen struggled with what their recommendation should be.
“This is our responsibility,” says Selectman John Shields. “Town Meeting is looking to us to tell them what they ought to do. We’re $3 million out—that’s a lot of money, and that’s a lot of cuts.”
Selectman Kathy Fagan says she is not categorically opposed to putting the override issue to voters. But she wants more detail about the School Committee’s budget, which is still being finalized, and more input from Town Meeting before she takes a specific position. On the one hand, she notes, the town is spending over its revenue. On the other, residents already feel the pinch of a dismal economic environment.
“People are on the edge of losing their homes,” Fagan says. “Talk of tax increases throws them into a panic.”
Shields says he sees an override this year as inevitable.
“People in town expect certain services, and we don’t have the revenue to provide those services this year,” he says, adding, if the town doesn’t tackle the override now, residents need to be aware that the situation will be even worse next year.
Fagan says she would consider support for an override that could be phased-in over a two- or three-year period. The board recognized, however, that there are legal restrictions on the town’s authority to implement such long-range plans. The matter would need to be submitted to town counsel for review.
Community Preservation Act
The override possibility affected the board’s consideration of several specific matters beyond the budget. Selectmen are reluctant to send complicated issues to Town Meeting in an already complicated budgetary year.
For example, Wallace Sisson and Meredith Hall of the town’s Historic Preservation Committee saw the board deny their request to bring the Community Preservation Act (CPA) to voters this year. Local enactment of the law would make state matching funds available to the town for open space, historic preservation and affordable housing projects. But it would also require a property tax increase for residents, with an estimated annual $69 hit to the average homeowner.
Selectmen voted unanimously to keep the issue off the warrant, even for discussion purposes.
“The intent is laudable,” Shields says, but notes because 80 percent of the town’s budget deals with personnel costs, state monies available under a CPA enactment would not address the budget shortfalls in a meaningful way.
McEttrick says discussion of the issue could confuse voters, who might see a CPA property tax and a budget override as an either/or situation. She did, however, promise to revisit the CPA issue next year. She suggests that the Historic Preservation Committee return with specific project proposals that could benefit from CPA funding.
Snow Removal Bylaw
Regarding a proposed article less obviously connected to belt-tightening measures, the board voted to retract the snow removal bylaw article from the Town Meeting warrant. They agreed unanimously to send the matter out for further study.
McEttrick reported negative community response to the proposed requirement that residents clear snow in front of their properties. She says “What right do you have to tell me to remove the snow?” is a common reaction to the bylaw.
Fagan, after a meeting with seniors, reported specific concerns related to enforcement, exemptions and fines, as well as broader safety concerns. The board agreed it would be best to tackle the matter after Town Meeting in May.
Milton Residents’ Fund
Not all the economic news was bleak, however. Diane Ferrari of the Milton Residents’ Fund reports that her organization had given out more than $200,000 over the last year to residents struggling with limited incomes and rising costs, particularly the rising expense of heating oil.
Ferrari, with the board’s support, encourages any resident facing these issues to contact her at 617-696-1214 for a completely confidential assessment. She notes that donations to the fund, which is exclusively for residents, can be sent to the Fund’s offices at 535 Canton Ave.
“Anybody who thinks they might qualify shouldn’t hesitate to call,” she says. “We’ll discuss it privately and help with resources and referrals.”