Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bloodless Budget

 SB Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe, John Musante, Sandy Pooler, FinCom Chair Andy Steinberg

Unlike the venerable Amherst Schools the Town Manager today presented to the Select Board and Finance Committee a level services budget that stayed within their suggested cap of 3%, so residents will see no deterioration in services and little extra money coming out of their household budget.

Unless of course the Schools request an Override to cover their projected $737,000 deficit at the elementary level.  In last year's budget the schools were given an extra $218,200 from Free Cash cash for instance.

If the Town Manger should find extra money coming into the municipal side of the budget (besides the $6,200,894 held in reserves) he would use $61,000 to fund an additional police officer for a department that is down five sworn officers over the past six years, while UMass has continued to grow over those same years.

$100,000 to add an Economic Development office to help stimulate the business/commercial side of the property tax equation, which is seriously out of balance, with residential property shouldering 90% of the property tax burden.

And the Safe & Healthy Neighborhood initiative would benefit by the addition of a building inspector ($63,608).  Town Meeting will vote this spring on requiring rental registration, and inspections will be a vital component for enforcement.

On an even more optimistic note Town Manager Musante reports: "In FY14 the town hopes to see the installation by a private company of one of the largest solar arrays in Massachusetts at the old landfill on Belchertown Road and to promote other solar development in town."

Either way, the immediate future seems bright.

Bales of hay on the old landfill that will be used this spring for regrading

11 comments:

Dr. Ed said...

$63,608.

Wow - that is three times what I did what I did for -- either I was way underpaid or Amherst is way overpaying people....

Larry Kelley said...

Those costs include employee benefits.

Anonymous said...

why can't the schools get costs under control when inflation is low and student enrollment is declining?

Anonymous said...

yes, why can't the schools control the budget. Every year, the SI states that we must make structural changes to sustain the academic mission. When is that going to happen? No ideas to do that are ever offered. And on it goes...

Also it appears that our kids have been short-changed instructional hours (and have been for a long time). We are out of compliance and have been for a long time. It is inconceivable that the admin wouldn't know this. If they didn't then there is some serious incompetence in there. So if they knew, why have they knowingly been depriving our students (many underperforming) of that much needed instruction. Yikes!!

Anonymous said...

Besides Ed, you aren't qualified to inspect anything anyway. You only think you are.

Anonymous said...

The schools have a budget shortfall because the stimulus dollars they have been using are all gone as of next year. They have a plan in place to cut their budget to where it needs be. Part of that involves cutting 17 positions, many of which are not needed because enrollments are going down.

The teachers are going to have to agree to a full day of classes on Wednesday and the admin now has the ammunition to back it up.

Anonymous said...

What is going on with instructional minutes in the schools?

Anonymous said...

I would have a lot of trouble supporting an override for the schools, unless the school administration looks hard at the high paid administrative positions ($100K+), including all those added in the past 1-2 years, and considers cutting some of them. Are all those positions even needed, and are they more important than keeping teachers and staff in the schools and class sizes reasonable? I would argue "No" on both counts.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anon 1pm. There are no plans whatsoever to ask for an override. So don't stress over it.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:37, keep in mind this is Amherst, there are *always* plans for an override.

Anonymous said...

Okay so it turns out the elementary schools are not teaching the required 900 hours of instructional time each year. What's up with this and why did it take a consultant to figure this out? Especially with the short day on Wednesday.