By Nate Leskovic
Times Staff
8/7/08

(previous)
The Warrant Committee presented two budgets to May’s Town Meeting and recommended the override budget, but it was rejected by Selectmen, the School Committee and, after considerable debate, by Town Meeting members.
Selectmen and School Committee members said FY 09 was not the year for an override, due to political considerations but maintained that with enough preparation it would likely happen in FY 10.
Selectmen Chair Kathy Fagan is ready.
“I believe, from all accounts so far, we will need an override for the next fiscal year,” she said, citing continually rising fuel and health insurance costs. “If we go by the numbers that were projected out from last year, I don’t see how we could make it through another year without an override.”
While not committing yet, Selectman John Shields and School Committee Chair Beirne Lovely say they are cognizant of the town’s financial concerns.
“I don’t expect the state government to come in as a white knight and bail us out with money,” said Shields. “Anyone who is experienced in this knows the outlook is grim, especially with the economy as it is.”
Lovely said the School Committee “is clearly anticipating that there will be serious discussions of an override for next year.” He said the communication subcommittee, led by member Kristan Bagley-Jones, is already preparing for a campaign.
Hurley said the override could be proposed in the traditional way - as a sum of money on top of what Proposition 21/2 allows in tax increases for one year - or it could be requested as a “multi-year” override.
During the first year of a multi-year override, according to Hurley, the tax levy would not be raised by the total amount authorized by voters. Then in subsequent years, the levy could be increased to meet needs without an override vote.
He said another option would involve raising the maximum amount in the first year and depositing the difference between the budget and the total tax levy in a reserve fund for use in the future years. Though a Proposition 21/2 tax override permanently increases the tax levy limit, it does not require the town to draft a budget that appropriates the full amount.
Other towns have used this option, according to Hurley, though he said the committee would make sure a multi-year override was approved by the state Department of Revenue before proposing it.
Hurley said the decision on whether to go for a single- or multi-year override would be based on discussions with Selectmen.
“As a Warrant Committee, we can’t propose any more money than has been requested by departments,” he said. “The (additional) appropriation would have to be in the budget via some kind of committee on the town side.”
Shields said the multi-year approach is a gimmick. “I don’t think it’s feasible or realistic,” he said. “It really doesn’t make a lot of long-term sense to me. Supposedly, when you go for an override you’re telling people exactly what you need the money for, and you can’t do that (over multiple years).”
He contends that overrides only pass when residents are clear where their tax hike is going.
Any override decision will depend on the ability of town departments to maintain level services, said Hurley. Officials have said budget planning last year was complicated due to the expected high costs associated with firefighter Tony Pickens’ medical bills. As a result, some departments may not have submitted true level-service budgets.
“We had some concern that the first budgets we saw may have been a little light in an effort not to have an override,” said Hurley, adding that the Warrant Committee requested revised budgets.
The definition of level service needs clarification, according to Fagan. She said last year some departments looked back to budgets in the early 2000s, when there was more state aid flowing in, while others used the previous year’s numbers to calculate level service.
Fagan said level service is defined as what keeps departments operating as they did during the previous year.
Though some departments had to make cuts in their FY 09 budgets, officials resisted the Warrant Committee’s call for an override earlier this year. They cited the state of the economy, a lack of preparation and the absence of an organization to promote an override.
“It was an interesting Town Meeting, to say the least,” said Hurley, who was the committee’s secretary at the time. “We are far less political than the selectmen or the School Committee. Our position was we did need an override. There wasn’t enough money in the budget to maintain level services. Selectmen and the School Committee looked at it as to whether it could pass and didn’t think it would.”
Hurley said the Warrant Committee had discussions about the disagreement with town officials after Town Meeting, “not from the standpoint of what they did, but the timing.” “It was kind of last minute,” he said. “Had we known a few weeks before we would have appreciated it.”
Shields said if the town goes for an override this year it needs to be united.
“I think we need to start strategizing early,” he said. “I really don’t relish going to Town Meeting and having a similar situation as this year.”
Despite the problems at Town Meeting, Hurley said the situation will not impact how the committee proceeds in the future.
The Warrant Committee is waiting for town cost and revenue estimates to begin its budget deliberations. Official departmental budget requests are due Dec. 1. Fagan said, override discussions should start soon.
“As soon as people come back from summer break would be a great time to start,” she said. “Waiting until March or April is too late.”
Fagan emphasizes the need for a group of residents to organize and promote an override. She helped with the successful 2006 Yes4Milton override campaign and, as a library trustee, backed the library renovation project.
“It’s necessary to have volunteers step up and
lead,” she said. “There is not enough cash in town
to pay for that type of campaign…it’s literally
going door-to-door and telling people why this is important.”