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“I think people are starting to understand we’re looking at a reduced-service budget,” Selectmen Chair Kathy Fagan said. “Without additional sources of revenue, there’s no way around that.”
According to Mearn, the town needs between $4 million and $5 million to roll over level services into next year: $1.8 million for schools and up to $3 million for town departments. And officials expect a reduction in state aid of up to $1.2 million.
Fagan said departments should expect some degree of personnel cuts and start thinking about first priorities.
“I just don’t know how we can avoid next year without significant layoffs,” she said.
At the request of the School Committee, Mearn asked department heads last week to prepare budget-impact statements under a level-dollar scenario.
Under such a scenario, he said the police department would lay off three patrolmen and leave two currently unfilled positions vacant. Also, two 911 dispatchers and six of the town’s 16 crossing guards would be laid off.
“At certain times of the week you’d have just one dispatcher on duty as opposed to now, where we have two,” Mearn said.
Similarly, without level-service funding the fire department would have to cut five positions and leave three other positions unfilled. That would drop the fire staffing down from 58 to 50, Mearn said. He said the department has already been operating without one of the fire engines over the past few weeks due to expected current-year cuts, which could come at Special Town Meeting Feb. 23.
Additional cuts would “probably mean closing a station,” Mearn said.
Other cost-saving measures to the town would include turning off every other streetlight, saving $80,000, and eliminating the Department of Public Work’s yard-waste pickups, saving $200,000.
In all, Selectman John Shields estimated around 21 positions would be lost on the town-side next year with a similar budget. School officials have already said they would have to cut around 40 positions and close one of the elementary schools.
Selectman Marion McEttrick called that prospect “pretty sobering.”
“We’ve cut our budget down so much over five years,” she said. “It’s changed a lot since I’ve been a selectman. It’s hard to see where we can cut anything else.”
Fagan said residents should begin considering how much of the $5 million needed to fund level services can be maintained by a tax increase.
“What would a $2 million override buy us back, for example,” she asked, “and how do you prioritize that?”
Selectmen discussed whether an override question could be placed on the ballot of Town Election in April or if a special election would be held. Fagan said a special election –which would be set for sometime in June, after Annual Town Meeting – would cost around $25,000.
Mearn noted that the override question has never been put on the April ballot.
Shields said it would be difficult to do that.
“I have some difficulty with the April ballot,” he said. “We may not be ready to request a certain number [for an override] by then.”
Fagan said residents should stay informed and voice their opinions. “We’d be interested to see who comes forward – as people always seem to do – to lead the campaign for an override,” she said.
The Selectmen met jointly with the Warrant and School committees on Wednesday, Feb. 11, after the Times’ press deadline.