Proposed Adams DPW Budget Cuts Two Positions
 The fiscal 2016 spending includes cutting two jobs in the Department of Public Works. |
This is the third in a series on the fiscal 2016 budget for Adams, being reviewed this week. The first part can be found here and the second, here.
ADAMS, Mass. – The proposed Department of Public Works budget for fiscal 2016 calls for the reduction of two full-time employees.
Director of the Department of Public Works Joe Bettis presented the budget items that fall under the DPW's purview during a joint meeting Wednesday between the Selectmen and the Finance Committee.
The budget presentation can be found here.
He said the Highway Department personnel budget is decreased by 9.11 percent, from $1,311,642 to $1,192,194, from the reduction of one employee.
He said there is a proposed elimination of another position at the waste-water treatment plant.
Bettis said his recommendation is only to reduce one position.
"I am concerned as far as that goes because even this winter we had two guys out in the Highway Department for a month with injuries," he said. "We had to borrow a guy form the waste-water treatment plant for most of the winter."
Bettis said the DPW is becoming more consolidated as the amount of employees are reduced.
"The DPW is becoming steadily more integrated," he said. "Everybody is working together more, and there is more cross training because our crew is getting smaller and we need to do that."
Bettis said the only place he could pull money from to save the position is the proposed purchase of a one-ton dump truck with a plow for $50,000. Along with a lease payment for the street sweeper, the equipment maintenance capital expenses budget is $98,200. That's a 15.84 percent increase from last year.
Bettis said he would be happy do without the truck to save a position, but the DPW's fleet needs replacement vehicles. He said the new truck would replace a 15-year-old truck.
He said the DPW originally planned to replace 10 percent of the fleet value on new vehicles to keep maintenance costs down. Now they are spending 2 percent on the aging fleet every year.
Town meeting member Jeffrey Lefebvre said he would feel more comfortable with a bigger DPW squad than another truck.
"Things can go bad real quick here," Lefebvre said. "I know you were short this year, the guys did a good job, but it took a lot longer and now you turn around and you are down another and it can get pretty nasty."
Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco said the vehicles are "rolling stock" and items that need to be purchased over time to keep other vehicles in good working order. He said if they did not buy it now, they will have to later or pay for more maintenance.
Mazzucco responded to public concern about reducing the DPW and said he does not want to reduce the position but has to take into account the whole budget.
"It's going to be difficult, and we are not going to have the same level of service year in or year out," he said. "Plow routes will get extended and it will take longer for the plow to go down each road. I don't want to cut a person at Public Works … but we only have so much money."
Bettis also recommended an $80,000 increase in the salt budget; however, Mazzucco requested only a $25,000 increase.
The total snow and ice control budget has a 6.49 percent increase from $231,000 to $246,000.
Bettis said the price of salt has gone up 37 percent this year. The $80,000 would provide the same amount of salt the town used this year.
"Even if you raise it $80,000, you still have the same budget," Bettis said. "Either way, we are going to pay because we can overpay for ice."
Some Finance Committee members recommended the increase because the DPW always has to purchase more salt.
Bettis also recommended level funding for garage equipment maintenance. "Since we are not replacing vehicles at the rate we would like to, I'd like to keep that level funded," he said.
Mazzucco advocated for a $5,000 reduction.
Bettis said the Recycling Center Operating budget increased 17.41 percent from $46,100 to $54,125. The major increases were engineering and dues for the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District.
Mazzucco said he would like to keep an eye on the recycling center land possibly opt out of the solid waste district.
 Officials and the public debated the wisdom of cutting a truck in favor of keeping one DPW position. |
Bettis said there could be possible savings but opting out of the district could cost the town money because it would have to pay a higher price for a solid-waste hauler because a hauler can't charge less than what it charges for district members.
Bettis said the cemeteries, parks and grounds budget increased 6.49 percent to $44,160. He said a lot of this increase will go to landscaping and wood chips for playgrounds. The parks should have 12 to 15 inches of wood chips and they are now down to 4 inches.
"If we do not maintain those our insurance carrier will say we cannot keep those parks open," said David Nuvallie, deputy DPW director. "Last year we got rid of that line item so we are two years behind … if we don't get them this year we are probably going to have to close a couple of playgrounds."
Adams Memorial School building budget increased from $23,400 to $26,400. Mazzucco said it is cheaper to continue to heat the building and get limited use than to go through the process of categorize it as a vacant building through the town's insurance.
"Even if we mothball the building and say we are not going to do anything there it is cheaper to pay the $20,000 and keep it at 40 degrees than it would be to insure it," he said.
Other larger increases included the personnel cost for the DPW administration that increased 65 percent from $135,960 to $225,363. This is mainly because the newer deputy DPW director position was moved to that line item from another budget.
Many other building budgets saw mild increases or were level funded.
Tags: #adamsbudget, DPW, fiscal 2016,
