Well, the Greenfield Town Council that voters chose last fall has just completed one of its major responsibilities: deciding how much taxpayers will pay this coming budget year and for what services.
Councilors adopted an annual budget of $47,084,820, which was about $58,000 less than the mayor recommended, which, in turn, was a hold-the-line, no-new-taxes spending plan for the year beginning July 1. The mayor proposed giving the School Department $250,000 less than it requested and kept the lid on pretty much all other spending, with the help of the heads of other big departments like police, fire and public works.
Another year of no increase in property taxes, and maybe even a slight decrease, if the town accumulates a projected $2 million in so-called “free cash” surplus later in the year.
This decision wasn’t reached without some good-faith argument over some relatively small cuts proposed by the Ways and Means Committee to the mayor’s already lean spending plan, and without some respectful defense of those small amounts by several department heads and councilors like rookie Ashli Stempel.
“I was embarrassed by how the department heads came before us last night to argue for small parts of their budget,” said Stempel. “It’s as if they’re not trusted, and it destroys morale and satisfaction.” Good points.
Yet, Council President Brickett Allis said cutting now, when the approved budget would be raised through taxes, and then taking up a supplemental budget to be paid for with surplus later would lower taxes without affecting services. A good fiscal strategy.
While you can argue for or against certain cuts or budget strategy, and although the proposed cuts may have bordered on nit-picking and micro-managing, what we saw that was refreshing was the level of engagement by the new council in trying to do what will help the town and its various constituencies the most.
By the end of a four-hour-long budget meeting, the council had voted to cut $100 from the Conservation Commission’s budget, $2,500 for contracted services to inspect and maintain first aid equipment, a combined $7,000 from the Police Department’s vehicle and various accessories budget, $16,300 for a half-time building inspector, $18,000 from the School Department, $18,000 to pay for road salt, and $500 from the Department of Public Works’ vehicle maintenance budget.
Other amendments, including cuts to the Recreation Department’s salary line item and salaries for police dispatchers, were defeated.
Ultimately that money, and the School Department’s $250,000, may be restored with some of that free cash surplus while holding the line on the tax rate.
Seems like a good outcome from a careful process by thoughtful leaders.