|
A resident petitioner requests approval for the Board of Selectmen to purchase, on behalf of the
<br />Conservation Commission, 16 parcels of land totaling 38 acres located between Algonquin Avenue, Old
<br />Barnstable Road and Nathan Ellis Highway, also known as the "Dacey Properties". The cost of this
<br />purchase is $5,619,300. Purchase of these parcels will result in the land being designated as lands for
<br />conservation and passive recreation uses only.
<br />'+,•,,
<br />Funds for this purchase are proposed to be appropriated from the Conservation Commission Acquisition
<br />P p pq
<br />of Land and Maintenance Account, and the land will be held in the care and custody of the Conservation
<br />Commission. The Article also seeks authorization for the Board of Selectmen and/or the Conservation
<br />u '
<br />Commission to apply for and accept for a partial reimbursement for the cost of purchase and the
<br />incidental expenses related to the purchase of the land under the MA "Self — Help Act" or the Federal
<br />Land and Water Conservation Fund.
<br />In addition to the fact that in the Town Attorney's legal opinion, the Article is "unclear and contradictory
<br />about the potential source of funding for the land acquisition", an application for funding under the
<br />Community Preservation Committee was denied, because it did not meet the criteria as "Open Space",
<br />nor would the lands appear to qualify for state conservation funds. Further, at a total purchase price in
<br />excess of $5.6 million, and an average cost of $148,000 an acre, it is not financially prudent, in the view
<br />of the Finance Committee, to approve this Article, particularly in light of the need to create $5.5 million
<br />in capital debt now that the construction of the new library is nearing completion.
<br />THE FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TOWN MEETING DEFEAT OF ARTICLE 19.
<br />Vote: 5-0.
<br />ARTICLE 21: Appropriate $450,900 from the Town's Stabilization Fund to Offset School Budget
<br />Reductions
<br />Submitted by: Resident Petition
<br />The School Committee initially submitted an FY ' 11 budget for the School Department of $19,869,194,
<br />',
<br />but as part of her balanced municipal budget, the Town Manager recommended a budget for the School
<br />wwPy i
<br />Department of $18,260,433. While the School committee has accepted this amount, a resident petition
<br />was fled seeking Town Meeting approval to utilize $450,000 of the town's $3,104,025 Tax Stabilization
<br />Funds to partially off -set the difference between the initial and final budgets.
<br />r
<br />�,w•
<br />The Tax Stabilization Fund, sometimes referred to as the "Rainy Day Fund", is a reserve account intended
<br />to meet the special emergency funding needs of a community. Some examples might be to pay
<br />extraordinary costs associated with severe flooding, which recently occurred in a number of towns, or a
<br />I�
<br />'
<br />hurricane, which could require added services or costs. In Mashpee, funds from the Stabilization Fund
<br />have only been taken once in the past 10 years. In 2004, after the municipal budget had been passed at
<br />Town Meeting, the State Legislature cut its state aid to schools. In Mashpee this reduction amounted to
<br />�h
<br />$1,000,000. In that instance, the Board of Selectmen used $750,000 from the Stabilization Fund to
<br />support the school budget. In the view of the FinCom it is not appropriate to use Stabilization Funds to
<br />j
<br />supplement departmental operating budgets. To approve Article 21 would be a bad precedent, since it
<br />U.41
<br />would, in essence, signal any municipal department experiencing budgetary reductions to file a petition at
<br />Town Meeting seeking funds from the Tax Stabilization Fund.
<br />As an aside, what is an appropriate amount to be retained in the Tax Stabilization Fund? State finance
<br />officials recommend the fund amount be 10% of the annual budget, or in Mashpee's case, approximately
<br />$4.8 million. Mashpee is currently at $3.1 million, or 6.5%. Because of the recent difficult budget years,
<br />no funds have been added to the Stabilization account, except for the interest earned on the fund balance.
<br />�..
<br />t
<br />The bottom line is that the FinCom opposes this Article for the reasons stated; however, since it is a
<br />resident petition, the committee is required to do its review, analysis and make its recommendation.
<br />
|