05/05/2008 Annual Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Budget Note 2: Department of Public Works (- $54,895) The retirement of DPW Director Greg Taylor and the promotion to that position of Assistant Director Catherine Laurent has resulted in a vacant position which will not be filled. The Jill departmental costs reflect increases resulting from the conclusion of a 3 year collective bargaining agreement with the DPW employees. FinCom Comment Note C: Relative to the Police and Fire Departments, both departments maintain conservative manning levels and should continue to do so. Each should also continue to monitor their overtime expenses and employee absenteeism. Along these lines it will be helpful when the Police Department fills its 3 !i vacancies, and the department is brought up to full strength. Budget Note#3: Police Department: (+ $149,209) Approximately half of the departmental increase is contractually related salary increases,part of oil: which include increases resulting from a collective bargaining agreement with the Police Sergeants Unit as well as an increase in overtime costs, which, in part, are service related. About y $48,000 of the increase reflects higher gasoline costs and for an elimination of uniform allowance payments to a payment on a direct replacement basis. The uniform replacement costs are now budgeted as an expense item rather than as part of the salary budget. A 3 year collective .,h bargaining agreement with the dispatchers has resulted in an increase of approximately $28,000 in this budget year. The administration is in negotiations with the police officers bargaining unit for FY 09. Budget Note#4: Fire Department: (+ $110,081) The departmental increase can be attributed to contractually related employee step increases and to overtime and recall wages. It should be noted that as in the case of the police employees, collective bargaining agreements with the fire employees end as of June 30th. No salary increases which may p g result from the completion of new agreements have been included in either the police or fire budgets. These will be addressed at the October Town Meeting, if concluded. FinCom Comment Note D: As in past years, the budget discussions between the Town officials and the School Committee and Superintendent of Schools became protracted and contentious. Hopefully the lessons i learned from this year's experience will carry forward to next year's budget. " Last year, the FinCom made the following recommendations relative to the School Department: • The School Administration should avail itself of the services the Town's finance offices and IT staffs can provide them. In doing so, the administration will get a much better understanding, and perhaps a real benefit, from knowing how the Town ' funds each year's budget. At some point in the near future, the Finance and Accounting offices of both the Town and the School should look to merge. Over the past year there were some advances, particularly in the financial accounting area,but much more is still possible. • In future budget years, the School Committee and its administration should state the goals, objectives and improvements that year's budget will work to achieve, so the FinCom can cite them as valid justifications for the requested increases. 12