Adams Board Won't Play Guessing Games With Tax Rate
 Chairman Donald Sommer, right, said the board would not put out figures it would 'have to take back.' |
"We don't want to be putting figures out there that we have to take back," said Chairman Donald Sommer. "Until we have a ballpark figure, then we can tell people what we think it is in anticipation of what we think is coming from the state."
He cautioned, however, "There's always two figures: what the state says they're going to give us and what they really give us."
Town Administrator Jonathan Butler said a major variable in the town's budget — the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District assessment — hadn't even been provided yet. "We can't give any honest projections until we know what the school budget is."
Jeffery Lefebvre raised the issue during open comments, saying the estimate was an 80-cent hike if the town dipped into the stabilization fund; if not, it would be another 42 cents. Homeowners were upset, he said.
Selectman Joseph R. Dean Jr. said the board wasn't "planning to get anywhere near that."
State officials warned municipalities last week to be prepared for at least a 4 percent reduction in aid as they deal with a $3 billion shortfall for the coming year.
That means about a $100,000 cut for Adams and $400,000 for the school district, said Butler.
"The money's got to come from somewhere or there's going to be drastic cuts in services," he said. "It's one shoe or the other."
The Selectmen have discussed raising fees, including doubling the stickers for the transfer station as a way to fund certain programs.
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Sommer said the board had not made a decision and wanted taxpayers' input, but he objected to Lefebvre's assertion that no fees should be raised.
"The problem of saying we shouldn't be raising any fees is we keep getting less and less money from the state and people, I think, want the board to maintain at least minimal services here in town," he said. "You have to get the money somewhere."
The board has been diligent in cutting costs while maintaining services, added Sommer.
"We're in the same boat," responded Lefebvre. "But we can't raise fees ... we have to live within our means."
In other business:
• The board and Butler congratulated the 75th anniversary run of Thunderbolt this past weekend. About 1,000 people had attended activities related to the event, said Butler.
• Butler updated the board on the use of the town garage as a polling station after voters complained about its shift to the Community Center on East Street. A representative from the secretary of state's office had toured the site and will provide a recommendation. The polling station had been at the now-closed middle school.
• The board opted to waive its right to buy 5.52 acres of land being carved out of David and Doris Alibozek's dairy farm. The farm's 140 acres is under a Chapter 61 agricultural restriction for reduced taxes, giving the town priority rights to purchase the property, which has a buyer.
• Voted to bring an article to town meeting requesting $3,000 to upgrade the electrical system at Bowe Field for the Agricultural Fair.
• Encouraged residents to fill out their U.S. Census forms and approved a number of permits for uses of town fields and spaces.
• Reminded residents to take the caps off jars and bottles before putting them in the recycle bins and to clean up after their dogs.
The town is hosting a breakfast for local businesses on Tuesday, March 23, from 8:30 to 10 at Town Hall as a way to solicit ideas to encourage development. A representative from the Small Business Administration will be on hand to explain federal assistance programs.
