RALPH FIGY
Good morning citizens of Westfield especially those of you that reside in Ward 2. As I start to write this article, I look outside and it is snowing! I for one am ready for springtime, warmer temperatures, birds singing in the morning, and longer days. We spring ahead Saturday night as daylight savings time begins for another year. This is a perfect time to replace the batteries in your smoke and CO2 detectors. It is my hope that you will never need them, however if you do you want them to work.
I had the privilege to volunteer along with my family at the Friends of the Senior Center’s Spaghetti Dinner a couple of weeks ago. This was truly a positive experience on so many levels. It was great to see all of the support that the Friends received. The money’s raised will continue to be invested in our Senior Center to cover items of need that are not budgeted for in the Council on Aging’s budget. I want to thank and congratulate Alice Darwicki for her service as a member of the Council on Aging. She had nine years of service. It is citizens like Alice that makes our city work as well as it does. I continue to be amazed by the number and the quality of the various board and commission members serving the City in some capacity or another. Thanks to all of you.
At the last City Council meeting a question was raised regarding the next stage of the Rail Trail and the funding being spent. Some councilors were asking if the $3 plus million dollars could be used for road repairs instead. The short answer to this question was no. The funds are being provided to the City from both State and Federal Department of Transportation funds. The City of Westfield put up money for the pre engineering work and this was bonded for years ago before I became your City Councilor. The plans for the Rail Trail have been in the works for over 20 years. There have been numerous public hearings and opportunities for community input. As I stated at the City Council meeting last week, the time to have input is in the planning stages not after contracts have been awarded and construction is set to begin. The initial question was a good one as we all can benefit from additional information.
Congratulations go out to the Westfield Redevelopment Association on their successful negotiation and purchase of the property downtown. The Romani’s bowling alley, alley way, and Madeline Murphy’s properties have all been purchased. The process was one that went extremely positive with all parties being pleased with the process. Well done W R A. Once the buildings have been taken down, an RFP can be issued to see if the City can get a parking garage. Additional parking is the key for additional development of our downtown. As I drive downtown, the number of empty store fronts appears to be decreasing. I know of two restaurants that are looking to relocate if they can find a suitable location.
I would like to take this opportunity to further explain my disagreement with Councilor Allie at our last City Council meeting. It was my impression that Councilor Allie was blaming the Quinn Bill and our Police Department for the city’s monetary problems. The Quinn Bill was passed in 1970 by the State legislature in response to a large number of lawsuits against police department across the state. There is no question that the better educated the Police are the less likelihood of lawsuits. So the State passed the Quinn Bill to increase the salaries of police officer as they increased their education. The legislatures also add an appropriation to fund one-half of the salary increases. Educational incentive was not a new concept at the time of implementation as other unions had negotiated this in the past. The Quinn Bill award a 15% increase for an Associate’s Degree, 20% increase for a Bachelors’ Degree, and 25% increase for a Masters Degree. A few years ago, the legislature stopped funding their share the Quinn Bill. The City of Westfield and the Police unions entered into contract negotiations to resolve this new issue. The outcome was the any officer that was receiving benefits would continue to receive those benefits until retirement. Any new officer would only receive a 15% educational incentive once they received a Bachelor’s Degree. In the 2016-17 budget, Educational incentive for the Police Department was $777,009.28. The city always agreed to pay half when they voted this in. They are now paying the States half of the non funded mandate. The State if it had funded the mandate would have paid 388,504.64 This is a far cry from the $1.5 million that my colleague was claiming at the last meeting.
The issue that needs to be addressed is one of unfunded mandates from the State. There are numerous programs that the State requires that the State does not fund adequately. This is the point I wanted to make, however my delivery left a lot to be desired. I hope that this will help clarify the issue.
I am hoping that Spring is truly on its way. I would like to remind the Citizens of Ward 2 that I continue to hold office hours at our Senior Center on the third Thursday of each month at 11AM. I can be reached by email at R.figy@cityofwestfield. Thanks again for the honor of being your City Councilor.
Respectfully submitted,
Ralph J. Figy
