City Council Budget Review Stopped on Point of Order
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JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 151 TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017 75 cents A beach and boathouse are highlights of the yard at this South Loomis Street, Southwick home that is part of the Garden Tour this weekend. (Photo by Hope E. Tremblay) Lakeside garden Councilors Morganelli, Surprise, Allie and Harris discuss the process at Tuesday’s failed budget review meeting. featured on the (Photo by Amy Porter) annual Grandmother’s City Council budget review Garden tour By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Correspondent stopped on point of order SOUTHWICK – When Suze and Bob Desnoyers moved back By AMY PORTER John J. Beltrandi, III, who was chair- failed 6 to 6, with Councilors to the east coast after living in Correspondent ing the meeting as a member of Beltrandi, Burns, Figy, Harris, California for three decades, she WESTFIELD – At a public hear- Finance in the absence of Brent B. LeFebvre and Onyski voting yes, made him a deal – if they moved, ing on the budget Tuesday, the Bean, II. and Councilors Allie, Babinski, Suze could retire. majority of residents who spoke Last year, on June 28, 2018, there Emmershy, Flaherty, Morganelli and Bob agreed and Suze took the urged the City Council to make cuts was a Special City Council meeting Surprise voting no. opportunity to spend the past four and lower taxes in the budget review scheduled, with the agenda item After the vote, At-large Councilor years cultivating her garden at scheduled to follow. Budget Workshop/Committee of the Nicholas J. Morganelli, Jr. said when their Southwick home. Their gar- However, at the budget review, Whole to review fiscal year 2019 he was on the Council in 2010 and den will be featured on the At-large Councilor David Flaherty budget, language identical to the 2011, the Finance committee recom- Grandmother’s Garden annual said as a point of order that the meet- agenda of this year’s Special City mended cuts to the City Council. “I Garden Tour June 29-30. ing had been incorrectly posted as a Council meeting, Budget Workshop/ would also note that the Finance The couple lives on the hidden Suze Desnoyers and her Special City Council meeting and Committee of the Whole to review Committee chair is not here,” he gem called Whitewood Lake, a dog Hollis sit on the cov- not as a Finance Committee Meeting the fiscal year 2020 budget. said. small pond behind South Loomis ered patio in her of the Whole, and therefore could However, Flaherty’s other point Ward 6 Councilor William Onyski Street. The serene setting is pic- Southwick garden which not function as a Finance Committee was that the Finance Committee had asked why Flaherty had not brought turesque now, but when the cou- will be featured on the meeting that recommended cuts to not met to discuss cuts to recom- up this point before the meeting. ple moved in, Suze took the plain Grandmother’s Garden the City Council. mend to the City Council following “You knew this weeks ago,” he said, but well-maintained yard and Tour June 29-30. (Photo “Our rules say, right now it’s in the its department hearings. Last year, adding that he had thrown a wrench began getting her hands dirty. by Hope E. Tremblay) jurisdiction of Finance. This is a the Finance Committee met on June in the process. He also said that Literally. Special City Council Meeting of the 26, 2018 to discuss fiscal year 2019 Flaherty had not attended any of the “There was nothing here before,” Suze says as she pointed Whole,” Flaherty said. He said the budget cuts following its hearings. Finance Committee’s department to what is now a tiered rock garden filled with all the colors Finance Committee hadn’t met to Beltrandi asked for a motion to hearings. of the rainbow. recommend cuts. suspend the rules to operate as a Flaherty said he had spoken to the “And this was covered in poison ivy,” she says about “This is the meeting that we do Committee of the Whole, in order to that,” responded At-large Councilor continue the meeting. The motion See Budget Review, Page 7 See Garden Tour, Page 7 Conservation Commission Public urges Council to make budget cuts By AMY PORTER Correspondent updates plan for WESTFIELD – More than a dozen residents and department heads came out to speak at the posted public hearing on the fiscal year 2020 budget on Tuesday. The new water treatment plant majority of residents expressed concern for rising taxes, By PETER CURRIER and urged the City Council to take a hard look at the bud- Correspondent get and make some difficult cuts, while a couple of WESTFIELD- The Conservation Commission met Tuesday eve- department officials urged their budgets to be spared. ning at City Hall to host a public hearing on the construction of a new Kate Phelon of Hillside Road said she was there as the water treatment plant off of Dry Bridge Road. executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Mary Zawatski, an Commerce, and also as a resident. “You need to cut the environmental scientist budget,” Phelon said. She said there are some opportuni- Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce Executive from engineering firm ties to have reputable companies come in to the city, but Director Kate Phelon spoke out at the public hearing Tighe and Bond, present- the Council had to make some difficult decisions and cut on Tuesday. (Photo by Amy Porter) ed the commission with where they can. an updated site improve- “I am going to ask every person where they think we city had swept the budget and come up with $1 million ment plan for Well Two. From left: Conservation Commissioners should cut,” City Council President Ralph J. Figy said to to cover a shortfall in health insurance. “I think depart- The updated plan speci- Thomas Sharp, James Murphy, David Phelon when she had finished speaking. Phelon respond- ment heads in Westfield are as conscientious as you want fied where certain trees Doe, and Carl Grobe during the Tuesday ed that she had not come prepared to make those sugges- them to be,” he said. He also said employees had been and shrubs would be meeting. tions. fired. planted near the treat- Robert Pearson suggested that the city go to Raytheon Figy said he agreed with what Vella was saying, and ment plant, and how certain invasive species of plants were going to and try to get one of their plants in Westfield. asked for her suggestions on where to cut, to which she be dealt with over the course of their five-year plan. There is also the Donna Vella of Joseph Avenue said she agreed with responded that she was not prepared to give any. inclusion of a policy where the commission would have to come to Phelon. Vella said in local, state and federal governments, Following a point of order made by At-large Councilor the site of the plant to help identify invasive species like Japanese every department is encouraged to spend every nickel in Andrew K. Surprise that Figy should not engage the Knotweed. The Department of Public Works would then go to its budget, whether they need to or not, adding that she speakers, Vella said she could defend herself. “There is remove the vegetation, which could be a five-year process in itself, was speaking for a lot of their constituents. something wrong when spending continues to increase. according to Zawatski. Vella said the unfortunate part is employees could not I would be happy to come in and meet with the Finance The new plant is nearly 6,000 square-feet and will use a treatment be fired, and no one is held accountable for poor decision. Committee,” Vella said. She said the city doesn’t need technique called GAC, or Granular Activated Carbon. As of now, “It’s important for every citizen in the City of Westfield brick sidewalks or flower pots that they don’t have the another similar facility is being constructed for Wells Seven and that you have their best interests at heart,” she said, add- money to maintain. “We need water,” she said. Eight while this one would service Wells One and Two. Most of the ing, “Before you spend any money, be frugal.” Westfield Public Schools Chief Financial Officer improvements being discussed at the meeting will take place near Figy responded to Vella’s assertions, saying that the Ronald R. Rix stepped up to ask for support of the Well Two. Zawatski also announced that a large concrete slab on the school district budget. “If you look at the details of our site needs to be removed by the contractor that would be doing some budget, we’ve proposed a budget at no cost to the city, of the work. Commissioner Karen Leigh said that she was expecting plus $800,000 savings in insurance costs (to the city),” the DPW to take care of the slab, in order to keep the contractor and Rix said, adding that last year they gave back $700,000 DPW work clearly separate.