Mazzucco Recommends Override Instead of Cuts
 Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco is recommending a Proposition 2 1/2 override rather than cutting from the town side to fund the school budget. |
ADAMS, Mass. — Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco on Wednesday explained the consequences of shifting funds from the municipal budget to support the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget.
Mazzucco recommended a Proposition 2 1/2 override as the most feasible way to supply the additional $360,000 assessment voted by the School Committee two weeks ago.
"An override from a financial standpoint is the only way fund our school system at the level needed," Mazzucco said. "Otherwise, we are walking down the path of permanently shutting down portions of our community with no hope that they will come back, subjecting future generations to a bleak outlook."
He said he wanted townspeople to understand the fiscal realities and by shifting funds the town would "continue to kick the can down the road" and both the school and the town would be in the same position next year. He said this is because of a structural deficit both the town and school has because revenues do not match expenses.
"I don't want anyone to have false hope that if town meeting does decide to switch funds from one side of the balance sheet to their other ... that it would solve the problem," Mazzucco said. "We will be facing the same problem next year."
He said shifting funds would mean losing nearly six more full-time positions along with the four full-time positions that were reduced in the budget. He said the town next year would have to do the same thing and within two years, it would lose 30 percent of its workforce. If this continues, four years from now the town's work force will be reduced to a third of what it is today.
"There would certainly be permanent losses of services at that point in time," Mazzucco said. "Shifting expenses is only going to lead to further fiscal ruin and at some point we will run out of municipal employees to lay off and the school will still be in the same situation."
Mazzucco said even with the override, there will be continued challenges and the town and school will still face a structural deficit.
The total budget prior to being presented to the Selectmen had no additional positions or increases in services and was cut by $500,000.
"It was a budget that already had cut half a million from just last year's numbers, and these are real cuts or hard cuts from last year's appropriation and not just something we wanted to do and decided we couldn't," he said.
Mazzucco said that although there may be a rift between the school and the town, at the professional level he and the school administration are in understanding and in constant contact.
He asked to hold a meeting between School Committee members, administrators and town officials throughout the county to start a dialogue about a countywide regionalization and consolidation.
"I don't know who is going to start that conversation, and I don't know where its going to go," he said. "Maybe Adams could host a meeting in a couple months' time ... and start this discussion in how to move forward."
The board also approved an agenda item that would allow Berkshire Health Group to start discussions about plan changes because of difficulties keeping costs down in some communities like Adams.
Mazzucco said it will not change anything but allows for the process to begin and will allow Adams down the road to meet with bargaining units to talk about plan changes outside of the contacted amount.
"It starts no clock ticking, it has no impact on anyone's insurance or what they pay or what their plan, and it just allows us to begin that process of discussing changes," he said.
The Selectmen approved town election date of Monday, May 4, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the DPW garage on Summer Street.
A household hazardous waste collection will take place Saturday, April 25, from 10 to 2 at the police station. Prescription medication should be kept in original bottles and any needles should be safely contained.
Tags: #adamsbudget, ACRSD, fiscal 2016, override, school budget,
