A Closer Look at Article 15: Operational Override of $500,000 for Town Budgets

Article 15 as it is Presented in the Warrant Report: “To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate and/or transfer from available funds sum of money ($500,000) requested by the Selectmen or any other Town Officer, Board, Commission or Committee to defray operating expenses of the Town for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2011, or such other sums as the Town may determine as required by General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 108, or do or act anything in relation thereto.”

Article 15 Passes Town Meeting:

Article 15 of the Warrant Report called for an override of roughly $500,000 to its operating budget and was presented to the forum just before 10:30 p.m. at Monday’s Town Meeting.

Medfield’s Preliminary Report of the town’s finances explained the reasoning for the override request, saying “the continued decline in state aid” coupled with “the financial crisis that began in 2007 has resulted in a prolonged economic downturn.”

“[Medfield] has managed to operate without a so-called proposition 2 1/2 override for the past two years, but with rising costs of pension assessments and health insurance premiums” asked voters to approve the $500,000 to its operating budgets for fiscal year 2012. All proposed budgets, with the exception of the Animal Control Officer salary and the total school budget figure were approved by 2/3 vote after being read by McDermott. The Animal Control Officer salary and total school budget figure were items held by members in the forum, requesting more discussion before a vote was made.

The request facilitated debate and a motion by selectman Ann Thompson to reduce the school committee’s proposed budget increase from 3 percent to 1 percent.

“I have total respect for our schools,” said Thompson. “I think they’re terrific and they do a wonderful job for my kids and grandkids. But we have to be fair. I want to be fair and teach my kids and my neighbor’s kids that we have to be careful, we don’t have a lot of money this year and people are in serious trouble with their debts and are having serious trouble paying routine bills. Let’s teach our kids in times like this you don’t spend as much as you usually do. You don’t buy new computers, you do without a year or so and let’s give respect to our other departments.”

Tim Bonfatti, School Committee chair, quickly responded to Thompson’s motion and remarks, explaining the increase in budget is not meant for more spending but is meant to offset loss in state aids and other government funds.

“We have been faced with real cuts in state aid,” Bonfatti said. “We have been successful in weathering some of those cuts with stimulus money but that has ended with this budget year. We worked really hard to try to and address some of the concerns that Ann [Thompson] has raised in terms of looking at all the different items and trying to come up with a budget that is really bare bones and efficient and represents in the past what this town has done in terms of investing in education. When you look at the school budget over the past few years, the average increase has been 1.3 percent per year. Our per pupil spending rate in the state ranks in the bottom 15 percent yet our scores and performance clearly rank us in the top 10 of the state. So the investment that people in town have made to its education has really paid off over the years.”

After several remarks in favor of the school department’s proposed budget, Thompson moved to formally make a motion to reduce the budget from 3 percent to 1 percent.

Some residents sided with Thompson’s stance, arguing their tax dollars are going towards something that has zero impact or influence on them personally.

 “I’m with Ann,” Cindy Massaro of Evergreen Way said. “I agree with everything that Ann said and I wanted to reiterate it coming from a senior citizen’s point of view. I have no children in the school system and I don’t have kids. The school has made out well on my tax dollars. Ann I’m with you.”

Other residents went to the microphone to defend the school department’s budget request. Superintendent of Schools Bob Maguire also stated his case.

“I’m really reserved to speak at a town meeting but this is something of critical importance to me and we have been through difficult times,” said Maguire. “I really suffered personally about making recommendations to our budget. My family has made personal sacrifices for this town. This past year, my wife wrote a check for the amount of my raise and donated it to the town of Medfield because I believe that my family shouldn’t benefit at a time that so many families are making difficult decisions. At the same time we have not been funding our budget appropriately over the past few years. We’ve had less than a half percent increase in the last two years for our schools and that situation really can’t continue. We have a good school system, I’m proud of it and it is a benefit to our community. We fund a good education at a very reasonable cost.”

After both arguments were heard, McDermott asked the forum to vote on Thompson’s motion on the floor to reduce the school department’s proposed increase in budget from 3 percent to 1 percent, the majority of voters rejected Thompson’s proposal.

McDermott then revisited the original school budget figure of $27,162,358, asking residents to vote opposed or in favor of that figure, which those in attendance did by 2/3-majority vote by show of hands after McDermott could not determine the outcome verbally.

Animal Control Officer Salaries:

As for the Animal Control Officer salaries, a Medfield resident simply asked why the salaries have increased from $65,417 in fy2011 to the $83,042 proposed for fy12. Medfield Chief of Police, Robert Meaney Jr. provided the forum with the answer.

“What I’m trying to do with this is we have one full-time Animal Control officer and we have two part-time officers who work nights, weekends and holidays. Those officers get a stipend for working the entire year. When you take the number of calls they do and the number of hours, it turns out to be about $1.46 per hour. I’m at risk of losing those folks as I think they’ve had it and I understand why. So what I want to do with this is to provide them with $20 per hour [at a minimum of two hours per call]. That would allow them to come in and do the job. They are getting called at 3 a.m. or 3 p.m. for hit deer, hurt animals, snakes in houses and things of that nature and all of that is worth more than $1.46 an hour so that’s the reasoning behind this."

After Meaney’s explanation, the Article budget passed.

As a result of both budgets being approved, Article 15 passed its required override.

 How Much Will this Override Cost Residents:

"This would result in $0.22 increase in the FY12 tax rate which would amount to an increase of $124.17 on the average home ($564,400)," said Town Administrator Mike Sullivan. "Anyone who wants to figure it out on their own home can just divide their property valuation by 1,000 and multiply that amount by $0.22. For example, for a house assessed for $500,000 the tax impact would be $500,000/1,000 or 500 x $0.22 = $110."

With the Article 15 override of $500,000 being passed at Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen called for a May 23 Special Election for residents to vote “Yes” or “No” on these two questions in a paper ballot election. The deadline for registering to vote for the May 23 election is on Tuesday, May 3. Town Hall offices will be open until 8 p.m. on May 3 for residents to register.