GREENFIELD — Now that the city’s budget has been set and several department budgets were trimmed to shift money to the schools, Mayor William Martin has to decide what’s next.
That may be an additional spending request to backfill some of those cuts to smaller departments.
Last week, City Council voted to cut $352,811 from several departments and increase the budget by another $47,189 to give Greenfield schools an additional $400,000.
“We’re still determining what impact the loss of funds will have for the departments,” Martin said.
“The cutting and adding to the school department is not the best practice. … We can’t just take money from departments and say ‘consolidate,’” he added.
The city’s budget this year is $48,164,004 and will increase $693,489 to $48,857,493 July 1.
Finance Director Elizabeth Braccia said, “I will suggest a supplemental (budget) because we already made cuts, and (the council) made additional cuts.”
A supplemental budget was used last year to offset a 1 percent cut made to the mayor’s proposed budget. The supplemental budget totaled $495,556.
Martin said it is a “high possibility” he will ask for a supplemental budget, but he must first assess how the departments adapt to the cuts.
Money for a supplemental budget could come from several places, Braccia said. The city could use stabilization funds, which she estimates have more than $2 million available. Free cash surplus from past years could be used, though that would need to be decided before June 30, or else officials would need to wait until September or October when it is certified by the state again.
Braccia said the city could also ask for more money via a property tax increase.
Braccia said the amount needed, if any, is yet to be decided.
Martin said the largest effects were in the police and health departments. City Council cut $118,128 for two new school resource officers and the police operating budget by $28,026.
Martin said the cuts didn’t just take away school resource officers. The cuts included money for leasing police vehicles and training for officers. With the potential of two police officers leaving and those positions needing to be filled, this loss of money could affect how the department replaces the two officers because of costs for training. Martin said one officer expected to leave already requested to be transferred to another department.
“We know there will be a turnover of police officers in the very near future,” he said. “We may have to go back to the council for that or not hire.”
A total of $52,920 was cut from the health department’s salaries, with Councilors Brickett Allis and Isaac Mass suggesting previously that Martin create a director to oversee all inspections in the city, and with that position, inspection services can be consolidated to save money.
Martin said he has been looking into creating a supervisor of inspections for about a year, but the position won’t address the need for additional personnel.
Martin said the health and building departments have lost three employees within the past year, including a health inspector and building inspector.
On the school’s side, it’s uncertain how the $400,000 will be used, though the money combined with just over $400,000 found in various revolving accounts by Superintendent Jordana Harper will make certain the department does not have to cut 18 positions.
Not all of the positions though, are currently filled, Harper noted.
Harper said the majority of the money will go toward maintaining existing positions. The money may also be used to fund additional staffing in areas Harper said are in dire need, including special education, behavioral and mental support services and English language learning.
“We recognize these cuts are difficult in a situation where everybody is looking for funding and we are grateful for the support from the community,” Harper said.
You can reach
Dan Desrochers at:
ddesrochers@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257