General Government (PDF)

Harold Hestnes Chairman, Board of Selectmen GENERAL GOVERNMENT Douglas P. Gillespie Joan B. Vernon Selectman Selectman REPORT OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN Douglas P. Gillespie, Ripley E. Hastings, and Harold Hestnes served as the Board of Selectmen conducting the business of the town for the year 2003. At the Annual Town Election in May, Joan B. Vernon was elected to office, replacing Mr. Hastings who chose not to run. At the organizational meeting after Town Meeting, Mr. Hestnes was elected Chairman, and Mrs. Vernon was elected Secretary of the Board. The Board met generally the second and fourth Tuesday at Weston Town Hall. These meetings were supplemented with additional meetings at posted times and locations, in order to address numerous issues facing the Town of Weston. The following report will highlight several focus areas that the Board of Selectmen devoted time and resources to during the past year. Minutes of meetings of the Board are on file and available in the Selectmen’s office and are posted on the Town’s website. Fiscal Management Fiscal issues dominated the agenda for much of the year. This was on account of many factors, including the State government’s worsening financial condition which resulted in a significant decrease in State aid from its previous level, and the generally poor economic climate which resulted in only very modest increases in local receipts. Faced with a choice of seeking an override of the constraints of Proposition 2½ and instituting reductions in service, it was determined that the latter course would be followed, so long as core services to the town could be protected and maintained. This required, among other things, implementation of organizational and operating adjustments and fee increases throughout all departments, limited program reductions in Recreation and Library, and the imposition of student activity fees in the Schools. Consistent with the character of the Town, no opportunity for revenue enhancement was disregarded: the Board of Selectmen entered into an agreement with AT&T to lease space at the Police Station for the erection of a flagpole-type cell tower, and a silent auction of retired street signs and Town Hall furnishings that were no longer needed was conducted. At the Annual Town Meeting in May, Town Meeting approved the general and enterprise fund operating budgets for fiscal year 2004 as shown below. The general fund operating budget increase of $1,155,702, or 2.7 percent, was the smallest percentage increase in a decade. (Restated) FY 03 FY 04 Increase General Fund Operating Budget 42,125,862 43,821,564 1,555,702 2.7% Recreation Department (Enterprise) 1,145,917 1,095,327 (50,950) -4.4% Water Division, DPW (Enterprise) 1,395,785 1,608,401 212,616 15.2% Total Town Budget 44,667,564 45,985,292 1,317,728 3.0% School expenditures, comprising about 55% of the total operating budget, accounted for nearly 35% of the total increase. These increases were attributable, generally, to enrollment increases, special education costs, salary increases under collective bargaining agreements, and other school-related expenses. The cost of insurance premiums relating to benefit plans for all Town employees (group health, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, etc.) continued to escalate sharply, and represented $1,032,412, or 89 percent, of the total increase. Of this increase, $767,593 is for health insurance alone, a 15.7% increase over last year, based on the Town employees’ claims history for the prior 24 months. Mandatory contributions to the Middlesex Retirement System increased by $224,000, largely reflective of the change in the stock market 13 which has impacted its assets. The insurance premiums relating to the Town’s general liability coverage increased by $27,675, or 10%, generally on account of higher property premiums due to the substantial losses in the insurance industry following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and on increasing building values as a result of the new Community Center, renovated Town Hall, and new or renovated schools. To fund this budget, the voters approved drawing $2,027,778 from various cash reserves, this being justified by the Town’s conservative municipal accounting practices that produced a robust so-called Free Cash account. Total debt service for fiscal 2004 is approximately $6.04 million, which represents an increase of about $345,000, or about 6% from fiscal year 2003. In addition to additional revenues from fees, the Town’s cash reserves will be enhanced, begin- ning January, 2004, by additional real estate tax revenues as a result of Town Meeting voting in May to accept the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 59, Section 2A (a). In essence, this new provision enables the Town to reflect new construction on its tax rolls a fiscal year earlier than before. The uncertainties and costs associated with the town wide revaluation conducted in 2001 appear to be for the most part under control, thanks to the efforts of an expanded Board of Assessors. At the same time, it was noted mid-year that building permit activity was at its lowest since fiscal year 2000, suggesting that for the immediate future, there may be decreasing opportunity to look to new growth to fund the Town’s operating budget. The combined effect of increased property values and spending constraints and reductions was a property tax rate for fiscal year 2004 of $9.67 per $1,000 of valuation, down from $10.15 for fiscal year 2003 and the lowest tax rate in the last five years. Town Administration In accordance with the plan submitted by Carl F. Valente, Town Manager and approved by the Board of Selectmen in 2002, Donna VanderClock was promoted to the position of Assistant Town Manager/Director of Finance and Administration. Lisa Yanakakis was hired as the Town’s Human Resources Director, completing the three-person flexible management team as originally envisioned. By mid-year, Weston’s first town website was up and running at www.weston.org, and is proving to be an invaluable asset to ongoing Town communications as well as a resource for information about the town itself. Town Infrastructure Construction was essentially completed at the Country School and the Woodland School. The much-needed sand and salt storage shed for the Department of Public Works was also con- structed. However, related concerns about the site work and drainage, and especially about the noise associated with operation of the shed, have not entirely been addressed to the full satisfac- tion of the Board of Selectmen and the immediate neighbors and are the subject of continuing discussion. Several town buildings, notably the Police Station, both Fire Stations, and the library are experiencing leaky roofs, and with the Board of Selectmen’s approval, an engineering firm was engaged to evaluate the problems and help define the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions. Although sorely needed, the Board of Selectmen deferred consideration of a new facility for the Department of Public Works. The Board of Selectmen appointed a committee to make recommendations concerning an appropriate use for the Josiah Smith Tavern and barn, a facility much loved in the town but expensive to maintain. Recognizing that many of the structural problems facing the Town may be the result of impru- dently deferred maintenance, the Board of Selectmen appointed a Building Facilities Committee 14 to address short- and long-term building maintenance throughout all buildings in the Town, and to make recommendations regarding how, and on what sort of schedule, it should be addressed. An engineering analysis of the former Weston landfill revealed that methane gas was being produced by the decaying material and may be migrating off of the site. It is therefore unfortunately necessary to install a methane gas collection system. In November 2003, the Selectmen approved the first phase of this work at a cost of approximately $375,000. Phase 2, should it be necessary, is estimated to cost $625,000. Affordable Housing and Elderly Affairs Construction is well underway for the expansion to the Brook School Housing, which when complete will provide an additional twenty three elderly and handicapped units. It is hoped that occupancy in these new units will be available before the end of 2004. The Board of Selectmen proposed, and Town Meeting voted in favor of, a Home Rule Petition which will expand the property tax deferral qualifications beyond those currently provided in State law, notably by reducing the qualifying age from 65 to 60, and by permitting income limits higher than $40,000 provided the higher limits are established by the Board of Selectmen and rati- fied by Town Meeting. These expanded qualifications would apply to anyone who has owned and occupied property in Weston for at least five years. A policy was established for waiving the fee for transfer station stickers for families in Weston who meet specified low income guidelines. Development Projects A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the Town of Weston and Rivers School in connec- tion with the school’s new athletic facility. Traffic and parking issues are addressed, and funds are provided to the Town for mitigation; specific time limits are set for use of the facility by the school as well as accountability for noise, vandalism, rubbish removal, and other attending mat- ters. The MOA provides for use of the ice rink by the Weston Recreation Department at certain hours when it is not in use by the school, and that it cannot be leased for commercial use or to any for-profit organization. The MWRA Metro-West Water Supply Tunnel and Norumbega Storage Tank projects are nearing completion with relatively little complaint.

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