(L-R) Blandford Finance Committee members Martin Lynch, Eric McVey, town administrator Angeline Ellison, chair Jeff Bacon and Andrew Quinn. (Photo by Amy Porter)
BLANDFORD – Blandford’s Finance Committee held a mini-town meeting on Monday to go over the budget and warrant recommendations in advance of the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for next Monday, May 1 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
Committee chair Jeff Bacon, in presenting the budget to the approximately 40 residents in attendance, said the numbers were based on what the town realistically spent in FY16, keeping all department increases to 2.5%.
The bottom line is a budget of $3,618,374 for FY18, compared to $3,539,974 in FY17. Of that amount, total education expenses are $1,642,022, including the Gateway Regional assessment, vocational schools and vocational transportation. The educational portion of the budget generated no questions at the meeting, in part due to a reduction of nearly $80,000 in the Gateway assessment to the town based on student population.
The budget did include $70,000 to the emergency stabilization account, an increase of $10,000 over last year; $30,000 in the reserve account, up $5,000, and $275,000 designated for building projects (highway, fire, library), up from a recommendation of $100,000 last year.
Finance Committee member Eric McVey said the goal is to put aside money for building projects in stabilization, to give the selectmen the ability to decide which projects to fund.
Blandford residents in attendance at the mini-town meeting on Monday.
Adam Dolby, chair of the Board of Selectmen, said that the town has a lot of capital needs, particularly with the highway department’s salt shed, which has no bathroom for workers, and the fire department’s garage, which is too small for new engines. He said the plan would be to assemble a group comprised of members of those departments to see which course to take.
“I don’t think you fix both problems with $300,000, but it makes it so you don’t have to borrow so much,” Dolby said.
Of the 20 warrant articles to go to the Annual Town Meeting, all are being recommended for approval by both the Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen, except for one, which involves the funding of the newly created town administrator position, filled by Angeline Ellison of Sturbridge since mid-September of 2016.
Article 6, sponsored via a Citizen’s Petition submitted by Don Carpenter, requests the town to vote to fund the Town Administrator salary line at $1 for FY18, effectively eliminating the position. Both the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen recommended taking no action on the warrant article.
Currently, Ellison is funded as a part-time employee for the town at a salary of $40,000, including benefits. Ellison is in charge of managing the town’s daily activities for all areas of responsibility that report directly to the Select Board, according to the 2017 annual report.
Although Ellison requested an increase to a full-time position at $90,000 for FY18, the position was funded in the budget part-time at $40,000 plus benefits.
The drive to defund the position does not appear to be related to the salary level, but rather to the relationship between the town administrator and certain individuals and committees in town that has been played out in recent months in public statements and letters.
Tony van Werkhooven, a longtime member of the Finance Committee who was involved in uncovering the fraud perpetrated by the former tax collector, now under indictment for the theft of more than $150,000 from the town, resigned in December, citing Ellison’s poor communication skills and a “hostile work environment” under her leadership.
Blandford town administrator Angeline Ellison. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Dolby, on the other hand, said that the difficulties arose from restructuring, and from asking committees that formerly reported directly to the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee to report to Ellison first. He admitted in a public statement that he had done a poor job of introducing Ellison and her role to the various departments in town.
“Admittedly, I did not do a great job of introducing Angie to Blandford residents and to the hilltowns,” Dolby said in his statement.
During the meeting on Monday, longtime Selectman Bill Levakis also took issue with the Finance Committee for not increasing the salary for the town administrator.
“I think it should be explained. We were not set up for a part-time administrator, I knew we needed full-time. The town is moving ahead. I don’t think the Finance Committee worked on the numbers hard enough,” Levakis said.
Bacon responded sharply to Levakis’ criticism, stating that the part-time salary did increase by adding benefits on top of the $40,000, which is in line with the 2.5% increases across the board. He said the Select Board did not give his committee any new direction for the position.
“If we were to increase the salary, we would have to bid that out again, especially at $90,000. That’s a whole new position,” Bacon said.
The town administrator position was a recommendation made by the Department of Revenue in 2011 when Blandford underwent a financial management review by the state agency who admonished the town for poor financial practices and a lack of oversight. Among the recommendations were to convert the collector and treasurer from elected to appointed positions, and to hire a town administrator.
Questions were also raised during the meeting about the continuing funding of the forensic accountant. That position has been filled on a contractual basis by Westfield resident Josephine Sarnelli, who helped the town “dig out from under an avalanche of financial mismanagement,” according to Dolby in an earlier statement.
At the meeting, Dolby said that Sarnelli still functions as an accountant’s assistant “to make sure that all the work the financial team has put in won’t be undone.” Dolby said that due to the recent resignation of the town treasurer, also blamed by some on tensions at town hall, there would need to be a turnover audit. Dolby also said that the criminal investigation is now in the hands of the attorney general, and any expenses related to that should be reduced to nothing.
Following the mini-town meeting, McVey said that the only contentious issues he expects at the Annual Town meeting next week will be those involving the town administrator, the forensic accountant, and the increase in the stabilization funds.
