More budget cuts
Toolbox
By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff - Published: January 14, 2009
BRANDON — After the town manager trimmed $25,000 from the proposed budget, the Select Board looked for ways to trim further Monday.
Board members discussed, among other ideas, eliminating the position of recreation director in favor of contracting for such services and assessing a fee to local landlords to pay for rental code enforcement. The board took no action.
Selectman Richard Baker said during last week's meeting that he wanted to keep the town tax rate level, which meant trimming about $39,000 from the $2,079,443 draft budget.
"The voters have been very supportive to us in everything we ask," Baker said. "I think that's because they recognize we do a good job. … I think we owe it to our taxpayers and our voters that we are not going to put any more stress on them."
Town Manager Keith Arlund said after reviewing the budget, he found $25,000 he could trim from various funds.
Baker questioned whether some of those cuts would hold up. As an example, he pointed to the fuel oil projections.
"You could have cut that to zero," Baker said. "We're going to spend what we have to spend. That's not a criticism, that's an observation."
Baker had raised the idea of eliminating the rental code and, with it, the appropriation for the enforcement officer, last week. Monday he said he had received several phone calls on both sides of the issue.
"From time to time, there are problem landlords," Arlund said. "That position … has been beneficial to addressing the three or four problem landlords. He does not do unnecessary work there."
Baker questioned whether the town's rental code, adopted in the 1970s, was even legal given that Brandon lacks a charter and state law addresses rental housing. Other board members suggested researching that issue. The board also discussed cost-shifting.
Selectwoman Kellie Patten asked if the town was allowed to assess a fee to landlords, saying that a $30-per-unit fee on an estimated 500 units would raise $15,000, covering the enforcement officer's salary and associated costs.
Patten and Selectman Bruce Brown said they did not think a $30 fee would be exorbitant, though Selectman Mitch Pearl counseled caution.
"There are many landlords who do it as a business and make money, but there are many who don't make money," he said. "Any cost, ultimately, gets shifted to the tenant."
Patten said the cost provides assurances of safety to tenants, though Baker argued those assurances are illusory, pointing out that apartments are only inspected during an occupancy change and could go decades without an inspection.
Functioning smoke detectors are a code requirement, and Fire Chief Robert Kilpeck said the U.S. Fire Administration just launched an awareness campaign on testing and maintaining fire alarms.
Kilpeck said with 158 fatal fires resulting in more than 200 deaths since Thanksgiving, 2008 had one of the deadliest holiday seasons in recent memory. Kilpeck said an estimated one-half of smoke detectors don't work, and that the U.S. leads the industrialized world in fire deaths.
Discussion on the recreation issue was relatively brief, with board members saying they were looking into eliminating the recreation commissioner — budgeted at $42,031 — and contracting with an entity such as the Boys & Girls Club for such services.
The board discussed deciding on a place-holder number to use for budgeting purposes, and then either contracting for that amount or doing what they could with the money on their own.
The board decided against cutting the police department budget, reducing the pay to salaried employees at a lesser rate than those covered by the union contract and against increasing the $6,000 stipend to board members.
Select Board Chairman Bill Hatch said the board had research to do, after which it would have to pick and choose.
Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.
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