FY14 budget requests deemed ‘affordable’

For the first time in a long time, many of the requests from municipal department heads for more budget money will likely be approved and there will not be any talk of cutbacks or layoffs in the coming budget year, which begins July 1.

Town Administrator Bill Friel and Finance Director Jim Murgia both agreed Tuesday night that the $477,000 in additional budget requests is affordable for FY14. Murgia said the town’s Revenue Committee will have a clearer picture of the budget when it meets again in two weeks; however, from what he sees now, Murgia believes there is room to approve the department heads’ requests.

The biggest chunk of the total budget request has come from the Police Department, where Chief Ken Berkowitz is seeking $189,000 in additional funds to reinstitute a school resource officer (SRO) at the Galvin Middle School and to add more part-time SROs at Blue Hills Regional School and the elementary schools. Berkowitz said he would like to add a sergeant to supervise the SROs, a new patrolman, and add more resources to bolster overall school safety. He has also requested money for shift overtime and for educational benefits for officers.

Berkowitz said there is a need for an SRO at the middle school and an urgent need to identify at-risk students before they reach the high school. He is also concerned about the increase in drug overdoses in Canton, especially those involving younger residents.

The other major budget request came from Library Director Mark Lague, who would like to hire a full-time community outreach librarian to supervise the use of the building by community groups and to promote the library through traditional media and new social media channels. Lague’s total request is for $61,423, including an additional $11,000 for books and $3,000 for temporary help.

According to Lague, of the 21 communities he surveyed, 13 have assistant library directors. He also noted that with past budget cuts, the library is short 12 positions, or the equivalent of 4.3 full-time positions. He said the library has remained very productive with the help of volunteers and the senior tax credit program, where seniors work a certain number of hours to reduce their tax bills.

The Fire Department is requesting an additional $71,412 for overtime, software maintenance, equipment safety inspections, online training for EMTs, and funding for the emergency management and emergency notification systems. The DPW is requesting an additional $32,808 for repairs and maintenance, line painting, overtime, software licenses, and engineering supplies.

Deb Sundin, chairman of the Conservation Commission, requested an additional $12,842 to add 12 hours to the Conservation secretary’s work week because of the increased data requests from the state.

Many of the town departments requested little or no additional funds, and Friel described the overall municipal budget as “affordable and pretty conservative.”

In other news:

* Selectmen signed a letter to be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration objecting to a proposed new departure route from Boston’s Logan Airport that would fly over parts of Canton. Selectmen joined state Senator Brian Joyce and Representative Bill Galvin in objecting to the new flight path, which they say will cause more airplane noise and pollution over Canton. They asked the FAA to extend the comment period to allow more residents to express their views and for a more thorough environmental review studying the impact to Canton and surrounding towns.

* Selectman Sal Salvatori announced separate donations of $15,000 and $2,500 from Canton Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of the Napleton Company, as part of the ownership transfer of Reservoir Pond from Napleton to the town. Friel said the funds will be at the discretion of selectmen but could be used for dam maintenance and future activities.

* Selectmen held a moment of silence for the passing of William Walsh, father of Building Commissioner Ed Walsh.

* Selectmen will next meet on Tuesday, February 12, at 7 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Feb 7 2013. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.