Adams Proposes Raising 2013 Budget By $500K
ADAMS, Mass. — Town Administrator Jonathan Butler is proposing a town budget about $500,000 higher than this year, $278,000 of which is aimed at neglected capital improvements.The Board of Selectmen began approving the budget lines on Monday and continued on Wednesday. The total $13.2 million budget includes not only $278,000 worth of capital repairs but also a 2 percent cost of living raise for all town employees. The proposed budget is an increase from $12,710,431 to $13,241,860.
Other additions include $40,000 for maintenance and operation of Adams Memorial Middle School; $10,000 to establish a volunteer program to staff the Discover the Berkshires Visitors Center on nights and weekends and an additional $20,000 for the center's operations; an additional $20,000 for expanded use of reserve police officers; and $5,000 for special town events.
The extra police hours will improve enforcement of parking meters and parking violations and the $20,000 for the visitors center is to make up for the Berkshire Visitors Bureau moving to Pittsfield. The town will also have a vacant middle school once the new Hoosac Valley High School is completed in the fall. The town is still looking for a use of that building.
The town will be using $500,000 of its reserves to offset the tax rate — which is expected to increase slightly — and have about $750,000 remaining. The budget does not include any savings that could come from re-negotiations with the town's unions regarding health care after the state passed a reform law that allows it to negotiate lower contributions.
"This is the first draft using very conservative local aid figures," Butler told the Selectmen on Wednesday. "This is before the change to the health insurance so the savings could be even lower."
Last year, the town made nearly $400,000 worth of cuts to the budget. According to Butler, the cuts coupled with restructuring has led to the town running more efficiently so money is not needed to restore those positions — which include elimination of the Social Day Program at the Council on Aging, reducing the animal control officer position to part time and sharing custodian positions with the library.
"The featured emphasis of the fiscal year 2012 budget was to better position ourselves to address neglected capital needs in the near future," Butler said on Monday to introduce the 2013 budget. "The town has resuscitated the long dormant Capital Planning Committee to assist with not only this year's recommendations but also with the establishment of a new capital plan for future years."
The capital items include such things as a new police cruiser, which the Selectmen voted in favor of on Wednesday as they continued their review of the budget. Butler said that the Police Department has not purchased a new vehicle in four years despite having a plan in place to replace one vehicle each year.
The Police Department was one of 14 budget lines the Selectmen reviewed with little controversy Wednesday. The board approved lines for insurance, the accountant, benefits, technology, the town clerk, elections, assessor, debt service, the police station, animal control officer, hazardous waste, parking clerk and treasurer.
On Monday, the board approved lines for the wastewater treatment plant, cemeteries, seasonal celebrations, flood control, equipment maintenance, the Registry of Deeds, Town Hall, the visitors center, the tree warden, the Department of Public Works, snow and ice, the recycling center and waste-water collection.
The board will resume its review of the proposed budget on Monday, April 2.
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