Despite Intensity, Hudson Deliberative Session Results in Little Change in Town Budget
by Lynne Ober
February 10, 2006
It took six hours, but very little changed in spite of some passionate speeches, disagreements and disgruntled points of order made against some speakers. The Hudson Town Deliberative Session resulted in little change to the budget, but had lots of issues aired.
After the Deliberative Session ended at 3:00 p.m., the Budget Committee met again and reviewed three of the warrant articles: the operating budget will go to the ballot as recommended with a vote of 6 – 5 and two of the other warrant articles regarding trust funds that had been not recommended received a positive recommendation.
Although the operating budget received the most discussion, two of the three motions to amend it failed.
Selectman Kathleen MacLean excused herself from the board and, acting as a private citizen, made a motion from the floor to remove all of the community grant money. Her motion would have eliminated $90,260. MacLean spoke fervently to her subject and said that she was concerned that tax dollars were going to non-profit agencies. “Where do we draw the line and whose line do we draw?” she asked. She felt that donations should come from private citizens.
Her husband, Joseph, supported her position. “Have faith in the taxpayers. Let folks dig from their own pockets.”
Other residents and selectmen spoke in favor of the community grant program. Budget Committee Chairman related that Budget Committee member Shawn Jasper had brought in his 1983 budget book and the town was giving to three of the agencies back them.
Selectman Terry Stewart pointed out how many services Hudson residents received from these agencies.
When the vote was taken, MacLean’s motion was not supported.
Selectman Terry Stewart then moved to add $4,000 back to the community grants program to support three new programs. Budget Committee members had cut this funding during deliberations. Stewart’s motion failed.
Finally, Selectman Bill Cole moved to add $100,000 back to the budget for consulting fees to be used to hire consultants to work with the town during the negotiations over Green Meadows. The Budget Committee had removed this amount and was against adding it back to the budget.
“Hudson is faced with a challenge that will impact the entire town,” said Cole noting that the ripple effects from the Green Meadows development will be felt for generations to come. “We only have one opportunity to get it right and to protect the best interests of the entire community.”
While Jasper agreed that there was only one opportunity to get it right, he felt that selectmen should move dollars around within their budget to fund the consultants that would be used on this project.
Part of the discussion revolved around a lack of a plan for the use of this money. Budget Committee members wanted a plan and selectmen felt that a plan could not be developed at this point in time.
After Board of Selectmen Chairman Ken Massey spoke as to why a plan is not always necessary or even needed when a project requests money, Library Trustee John Knowles stood up and thanked Massey for that explanation and told him that he would remember it. Later Knowles said that selectmen, including Massey, had voted against a library request for land use because of a “lack of a plan.” “Now they are supporting a lack of a plan. I just want them to remember their own words.”
The motion passed and $100,000 was added to the proposed budget giving it a $25.7 million total.
Another hot topic was combined dispatch. The dollars for this project have doubled since the project was rated as the second highest ranked project in this year’s CIP report, according to Jasper.
In last year’s CIP report combined dispatch was listed as $835,000, but, since that time, some of the equipment has been purchased. This year Jasper said it was listed as $570,000, but selectmen brought a warrant article for $1.09 million to the voters.
Embedded in the amount are costs for two handicapped-accessible jail cells, an enlarged conference room, as well as combined dispatch.
Budget Committee members did not recommend this warrant article for three primary reasons:
Selectmen propose to use surplus funds to fund this project. According to figures presented the use of these funds will leave Hudson in a weakened financial situation, and Hudson’s bond rating will fall, which will mean that the town will pay more interest to borrow money. Budget Committee Chairman Howard Dilworth speaks often of “prudent” expenditures. Speaking against this form of funding, Dilworth felt that it was not prudent and not fiscally responsible.
During Budget Committee deliberations, Police Chief Dick Gendron was asked to provide statistics on how many arrests required the use of specialized jail cells but could not provide that data.
Budget Committee members felt that combined dispatch should be one warrant article, and voters should have an opportunity to vote on adding jail cells and expanding the conference room on a separate warrant article.
Budget Committee Chairman Howard Dilworth spoke in depth about the use of surplus funds. He cautioned against going below the minimum five percent surplus amount and said, “If we go below five percent, which we will if this passes, our bond rating will be in jeopardy and we’ll pay more in interest.”
Dilworth also felt that the Hudson Police Department should have hired the approved supervisor who was supposed to develop standards for combined dispatch and cross train staff. “This position is still empty.”
Both Jasper and Dilworth felt that the Department of Revenue Administration might disallow this warrant article, even if it passes, because the verbiage states combined dispatch, but it is also to build new jail cells and expand the conference room.
No one spoke against the need for combined dispatch, but people did question the funding mechanism and the enlarged scope of the project.
Another interesting discussion occurred over wages. There is a warrant article that, if passed, would raise the town clerk’s salary by four percent. Other non-union wages are on the budget to be raised by 3.5 percent.
During deliberations Library Trustees offered a warrant article to provide a 4 percent raise to library staff, whose salaries are well below market level. Selectmen refused to recommend that warrant article so the trustees lowered the percentage to 3.5 percent.
Library Trustee John Knowles carefully questioned selectmen as to why the town clerk should get a 4 percent raise and other employees should only get 3.5 percent raises, but selectmen side-stepped directly answering his questions.
Another warrant article that Budget Committee members and selectmen disagreed on is the one requesting four additional firefighters and emergency medical technicians. This is part of a three-year plan that would, according to Budget Committee testimony, add $900,000 to the tax base.
Fire Chief Shawn Murray began by saying that he wanted to fully staff the Robinson Road station, but conceded that the four new firefighters would be added to existing shifts and not placed at Robinson Road. “That will give me another resource for each shift,” he explained.
Dilworth read part of the requirements for determining the cost of fire insurance. Having water is a major factor in that cost. Since the north end of Hudson has no available water, fire insurance will not go down if more firefighters are added he told the audience.
Budget Committee member Ted Luszey spoke against the warrant article. According to Luszey, the impact of the Green Meadows development will affect the fire department. Luszey wanted Murray and selectmen to prepare a growth plan for the fire department that looks at this development and proposed growth in Hudson and return with a plan that will move the department into the future before adding staff. Such a plan could also be used to determine appropriate impact fees that developers would pay.
Two other articles were also discussed:
Bryan Lamirande, the union’s representative for town support staff, spoke at length about the fact finders report. Selectman Kathleen MacLean also spoke and told the audience that Hudson could not and would not set salaries based on other towns. She urged voters to vote against this warrant article.
Selectmen are again asking the town to vote on Bensons. That last vote was in 2001 and the town approved going ahead. According to Selectman Bill Cole, “Selectmen want to take the town’s pulse” on this issue once again. Senator Bob Clegg spoke in favor of voting to pursue Bensons.