Town departments asked to slash budgets

Town departments asked to slash budgets

Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON— In anticipation of another budget crisis for Fiscal Year 2014, the Board of Selectmen has asked department heads to submit revised budgets with a 5 percent cut, complete with impact statements outlining exactly how the proposed cuts could potentially affect operations.

While not every budget was received, those that were read and reviewed Monday night painted an alarming picture of the town’s future. Most departments have already gone through several years of drastic cuts and level-funding, leaving their budgets at bare bones. For many, the only cuts to be made were in salary accounts.

“The low-hanging fruit has already been cut over the years,” explained Vice Chairman Kenn Robinson. “The bulk of these cuts will come in the form of salaries.”

“These people are sitting on the edge of their seats. We have long-term, dedicated employees,” said member Diane Haley Brooks.

Mr. Robinson also said the town would need to come to terms with whether they could continue to support a full-time government, or if they would need to drop down to part-time.

“Without some kind of override, we cannot support this staffing and the structure,” he said.


Departments such as the Board of Assessors and Parks and Cemetery Commission are already short employees. The hiring freeze enacted by the board has prevented positions from being filled and the additional cuts may jeopardize these departments further. Concerning the Board of Assessors specifically, Deputy Assessor Luanne Royer explained that her department has been running with one employee since June, however, an administrative assistant position will need to be filled in the next fiscal year due to upcoming evaluations and reviews.

Tax Collector Carolee Eaton and Conservation Commission Chairman George Andrews also reported their reductions would come in the form of hours and salary cuts.

For the Tax Collector, 5 percent of their remaining budget would result in over $1,100 coming out of both her and Assistant Collector Lyn Scerra’s salary accounts. The Conservation Commission’s Senior Admistrative Secretary’s already scant hours would be cut, impacting the public’s ability to get information and paperwork.

A cut to the Boynton Public Library’s budget, according to Director Jackie Prime, would potentially reduce operating hours, resulting in the loss of certification from the state and affecting residents’ ability to borrow from other libraries in the area. The Library Assistant’s hours would also be whittled down to three hours per week, and weekly class visits would be cancelled for the remainder of the school year due to understaffing.

For the Highway Department, Superintendent Francis “Bud” Chase put forward a flat 5 percent reduction across the board, trimming over $18,000 off the $363,333 available. The department is already deficit spending for snow and ice costs, which will come out of Fiscal Year 2014’s certified free cash amount. The cuts were found in the department’s salaries, maintenance, highway expenses, and fuel costs and according to Mr. Chase will drastically affect their ability to repair damaged infrastructure in the town, purchase necessary gas and oil, and repair the department’s fleet of vehicles.

Perhaps the most urgent statement came from Fire Chief Raymond LaPorte, who drafted a two-page letter outlining the various ways the 5 percent cut would affect the Fire Department. According to Chief LaPorte, the department has already gone through a series of drastic cuts since FY12. At the beginning of FY13, their budget was further reduced by 12-and-a-half percent, resulting in a loss of $34,000, which, the Chief said, the department worked through. Including the proposed 5 percent cut mandated by the board and the Advisory Board recommending an additional 12 percent be taken off for FY15, the department will be left at just two-thirds of what it was operating at two years ago, with devastating consequences.

The department would no longer be able to cover certain fixed, annual costs incurred each year, such as certifying their equipment for use in immediately dangerous to life and health environments, and testing their ladders and self-contained breathing apparatuses. Only basic maintenance would be performed, leading to a reduced shelf life of equipment that cannot be replaced.

In order to offset the impact of some of these cuts, Chief LaPorte plans to use the Ambulance Service, which generates revenue. He proposed increasing and improving the advanced life support service and purchasing a new ambulance with funds reserved for an appropriation account to improve the Ambulance Service’s revenue streams.

While the cuts would nearly cripple his department, Chief LaPorte made it clear he is willing to work with the board and implement the changes necessary to help the town through this difficult financial situation.

“First of all, we work for you and the taxpayers of Templeton,” he wrote in his impact statement. “And whatever we need to do to accomplish the goals of the town we will do.”

Ms. Brooks, who requested copies of the department budgets and impact statements at the last select board meeting, was disappointed that not every department was cooperative and gave the remaining departments until the end of the week to submit their work for review at the next meeting. As the budgets are received, they will be made available to the public and posted on the town’s website. Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel said he will be meeting with department heads on Thursday morning to discuss budgets and ways to reduce costs. 

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Impact Statements