Adams Selectmen Approve Budget for Fiscal 2017

ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen approved a fiscal 2017 budget of $14,567,135 that includes state-mandated tweaks to the wastewater treatment plant.

After the joint Selectmen and Finance Committee budget sessions last week, the Selectmen voted Wednesday to accept the budget with the addition of a $63,950 state Department of Environmental Protection-mandated position at the wastewater treatment plant.

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco said the DEP informed the town last week that instead of operating with six employees it had to bump it up to seven. This is contrary to a state-mandated study the town undertook.

The original study stated that Adams can operate with 5.7 full-time equivalent employees. The DEP decided 6.32 was the right number but rounded up to 7.

"Staffing came out fine and they just chose to ignore it and felt their understanding of our staffing was different," Mazzucco said. "It wasn't very equitably done by the DEP and it was fraught with mistakes and misinformation … we weren't treated fairly."

Mazzucco added that he was supposed to have a followup meeting with the DEP that did not come through.

Along with this, Mazzucco said the statement shows ageism by reporting that wastewater treatment plant employees are generally older and may be out of the workplace more often. This means more employees are needed to compensate.

"I see that as a form of ageism, and I think it is despicable that the DEP would put that in writing," he said.  

Mazzucco said he plans to try to appeal this decision based on this, however with no formal appeal mechanism in the DEP the town may just be "rattling sabers."

He said it would be unknown how long it would take to receive a possible appeal but the town must comply by the end of July or could be fined.

The town has two options: allocate money in the budget for a new employee or pull an employee from the DPW, which has already been cut.

Mazzucco recommended the first option and felt it would be prudent to have the money ready just in case the DEP does not budge. He said the money could be backed out at a later town meeting, and that he can hold off hiring anyone until the very last minute in hopes of an appeal.

Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian agreed with Mazzucco and lamentably motioned to add the position in the budget to be safe.

Chairman Richard Blanchard seconded the motion but Selectmen Joseph Nowak and Arthur "Skip" Harrington voted no. Selectman John Duval did not attend the meeting.

"I am not going to support this, and I don't think it's right," Harrington said. "I don't agree with the ruling that they made and I don't support taking from the DPW ... we have more flexibility if we don't approve this now, in my opinion."

Nowak agreed and said it made no sense to hire someone if the town plans to appeal.

Mazzucco responded that if the town does not allocate the money and is forced into bringing on a seventh employee, then the funds would from somewhere else, most likely the DPW. He said the town would have to wait until a next town meeting to bring an employee back. Also, Mazzucco said it helps the town's chances with the DEP if they show a preparedness to comply.

Snoonian agreed.

"I don't think our odds are good with the DEP but we won't spend a dime of it until we have to," he said. "Hopefully we don't, but if we do, we are prepared ... I rather be prepared than have to jigger things around come July."

Mazzucco said even if the town did not have the levy capacity to absorb the increase he would advocate taking it from free cash.

Nowak flipped on his position but said it is the worst vote he has ever taken as a selectman. He urged Mazzucco to fight "tooth and nail" and asked to have the DEP commissioner come to a meeting and face the town.

Harrington refused to support the allocation and voted no.

"We need to fight this and in the meantime if it comes July 1 and we don't have a resolution then I guess we have to have a librarian one week and someone else the other week," Harrington said. "We have to make sure we don't get fined and keep someone there."

The Selectmen voted to approve the school budgets that include the assessments from McCann and the Adams Cheshire Regional School District.

The only change the selectmen made to the budget was backing out $220,000 in additional funds the town originally allocated for Adams-Cheshire. The regional school assessment came in under the $4,796,525 the town originally allotted.

Mazzucco said the town can use the money to offset the levy amount or use it to reduce the amount of free cash used to balance the budget.

He said the town could also use it to make repairs to C.T. Plunkett. He said because the town has no estimates from the school district for needed roof repairs, it can hold off on a decision and put the allocation on a warrant at town meeting.

Harrington said he was in favor of putting the money back into the school and said he was disappointed that the school committee did not have the estimates yet and have let the buildings deteriorate.

Nowak said it would be in the town's best interest to make repairs to Plunkett knowing the school committee plans to close an elementary school in the next few years.

"We need to make sure the school is in good shape so if we need to consolidate to one school people will come in to Plunkett and say the school looks good," Nowak said. "So I am all for putting money into the school."

The board noted that the most immediate problem at Plunkett is the boiler room roof, but the building's entire roof will have to be addressed down the road.

Nowak lodged a protest vote against the budget because it reflects more than a dozen staff cuts.

By request of the library trustees, the selectmen added $15,000 to the library budget to retain a part time worker.

Because of an internal promotion of the library director the town would see a net savings of $28,000 — this included the elimination of a full-time employee.

"My thought is we appointed a new library director…and I'd hate to start her off then pull the rug out dome under her," Blanchard said. "So I would be in favor of keeping a part-time person on."

The other selectmen followed suit except for Snoonian who voted no.

"In my opinion when you have a savings like this, the thing I don't like to do is all of the sudden sink it back into something else," he said. "It's certainly not an anti-library vote but a more pro-fiscal responsibility vote."

The rest of the budget sailed through with minor logistical amendments.

The Finance Committee votes on the budget Thursday; town meeting members will vote on the final version.

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