Springfield hears town chiefs on budget
Toolbox
By Susan Smallheer Herald Staff - Published: January 8, 2009
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Select Board members kept their own counsel Tuesday evening during the first review of the proposed $9.1 million town budget, which is up 9 percent over last year's budget.
The board held the first of at least four public meetings on the budget, hearing from all of the town's department heads with the exception of police, fire and ambulance. Most of the budgets were level-funded except in the area of personnel.
The biggest increases came in the area of personnel, which often reported line item increases of 20 percent to 30 percent.
The big increase was due to a policy adopted last year by the Select Board, which added two more step increases to the town's pay policy for merit. Many town employees were at the top of their pay grade and only received cost of living increases.
Select Board member Kristi Morris, who was elected to the board last year, asked the most questions during the three-hour session.
Select Board Chairman Mark Blanchard said he was aware of the fact that the town of Hartford was seeking concessions from its unionized employees as a means of avoiding layoffs. In Hartford's case, the town administration has said that the high cost of health insurance is forcing them to cut other costs.
In Springfield's case, health insurance coverage is only going up $45,000 this year, according to the budget presented by Town Manager Robert Forguites.
Forguites presented what the different department heads had proposed to him, and said he would let the department heads make their own pitch to the board directly.
One of the biggest increases is the proposed rebuilding of Summer Street, and Public Works Director Harry Henderson outlined the $795,000 project.
Henderson said about half of the total cost of the project will involve installing new granite curbs and new sidewalks along both sides of Summer Street, stretching for 6,000 feet. Eliminating one side of the street would save the town about $100,000, Henderson said.
But Select Board members said if sidewalks were eliminated on one side of the road, the town would have to install crosswalks, among other problems.
Henderson said he was hoping the road project would attract contractors eager for work and willing to cut their profits.
"We're hoping to see some hungry, hungry contractors and see some prices we haven't seen for a while," Henderson told the board.
Henderson said while it was an expensive project, it was a good opportunity to take advantage of the poor economic conditions and have the work done at a good price.
Henderson said he and Forguites had discussed phasing the project to lessen the impact on the tax rate, but he said they agreed there was no good way to spread the project over several years.
The highway department's policy of awarding workers' compensatory time instead of overtime should be reviewed, said John Follett, a resident who attended the budget session. Follett is a former longtime Select Board member.
Henderson said in the summer, the highway crew is cut in half because people are off using their comp time.
"That puts Harry in a terrible situation," Follett said, suggesting the board review the policy.
Henderson said workers max out at 240 hours of comp time, with most people accumulating 150 hours (almost four weeks) of comp time during the high-overtime winter months.
Linda Rousse, the town's personnel director, said workers got paid at their current rate when they finally take their comp time, and not the rate they were getting at the time the overtime occurred. She said that was federal law.
Blanchard cut off discussion of the overtime/comp time issue, saying it was outside the goals of the budget sessions.
Budget sessions are set to resume tonight, with the board hearing from Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston and Fire Chief Russell Thompson.
Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com.
16