Selectmen submit balanced budget to Finance Committee

By Mike Berger

Selectmen will submit a balanced budget to the Finance Committee and elected to only spend $52,000 in new money for the five municipal departments that requested additional spending beyond their level-funded budgets.

Although the five departments’ new requests totaled more than $175,000, selectmen followed the suggestion of their chairman, Sal Salvatori, and authorized $4,254 to the library, $975 to the Recreation Department, $10,547 to the Police Department, $27,637 to the Fire Department, and $33,310 to the Veterans Department.

The Veterans Department was the only one to receive its full request. Veterans Agent Tony Andreotti said he has seen an increase in the number of cases; however, the state reimburses the town for approximately 75 percent of the costs of each case. Selectmen also approved $47,650 in a reserve fund transfer to the Finance Committee for the rest of the budget year to cover the increased caseload.

Selectmen said they may increase the four remaining departments’ budgets if new revenue figures come in higher than expected prior to town meeting.

In other news:

• Selectman John Connolly announced that the town has won its lawsuit against the architect and builder of the police station regarding repairs to the new station’s floors, which began to buckle a couple of years after the station was built in 2004. The town will receive $425,000 and 12 percent interest dating back to when the suit was filed in 2006. Connolly credited the work of Building Renovations Committee Chairman Bob McCarthy, Chris Podgurski and Attorney Bob Geraghty. The money will be returned to the town for borrowing costs incurred when town meeting authorized funds to make immediate repairs to the station floors.

• Selectmen plan to announce a new cable contract with Comcast on March 23 and at that time will announce news about a senior discount and new cable equipment for Cable 8.

• In a close 3-2 vote, selectmen chose to shut the lighted trees in the downtown area until the next holiday season or for special occasions such as the annual downtown block party. Connolly and Salvatori voted to keep the lights on because they make the downtown brighter at night, while selectmen Avril Elkort, Bob Burr, and Victor Del Veechio voted to keep the lights off.

• Selectmen proclaimed March 19 as “Josephine Sylvester Day,” in honor of Sylvester’s 100^th birthday. She worked for 80 years as a seamstress, has five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, and is a member of the Canton Community Club.

• Selectmen accepted with regret the resignation of Frances Clines as a member of the Traffic Study Committee.

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