At the Blandford Town meeting last night, the Finance Committee presented a budget that level-funded the Gateway Regional School District and recommended $38,500 for a Special Project: Tax Records line item, as well as money for a Reserve Account and Stabilization Fund.
Finance Committee member Linda Smith said, “There are only two emergent questions. Do we accept or reject the Gateway budget? Do you desire a budget to allow the town to move forward with fiscal compliance before it is mandated by the state?”
Finance Committee Dale Miller, who presented the Minority Report at the meeting, said, “I don’t believe in rejecting the school budget. I don’t believe we will be decimating town offices. I believe the Finance Committee is using scare tactics.”
Blandford Moderator David B. Hopson handled the motions to accept the reports of town officials, and to vote on the Articles. Soon into the process, the Finance Committee moved the vote on the Gateway budget from number fourteen to number four. For the motion, John Crane took over as Moderator for Hopson, who is Gateway School Superintendent.
“Our opinion is that we can afford an increase of 5.7 percent to our Education portion (which includes Vocational School and Transportation). However, this increase does not allow an increase to Gateway,” Finance Committee Chairman, Andy Montanaro, said. “I do applaud Gateway’s latest effort, which has lower assessments to four of the towns. But sadly, Blandford is not one of them.”
Dale Miller, the sole dissenting member of the Finance Committee, spoke for accepting Gateway’s request of $1,507,998, instead of the $1,446,839 recommended by the rest of the committee.
“There is no reason to jeopardize the children and their education at this time,” Miller said.
The Board of Selectmen supported the majority position, with one dissenter.
“The amount of money the Finance Committee is recommending are last year’s numbers, which means no increase,” School Committee member Michelle Crane, from Blandford, said.
Crane then proposed an amendment to Article 14, with the new number of $1,490,294, representing a $43,000 increase over last year. Crane said this new number reflects further reductions in the new Version 3.0 of the Gateway budget, which will be presented to the School Committee Wednesday night for a vote.
The amended motion carried, as did Article 14 with the new number.
Following the increase to Gateway, reductions were voted for the Reserve Account, Stabilization Fund, and Special Project: Tax Records which was reduced from $38,500 to $5,000. Several residents in favor of the Special Project reduction, including Select Board member Bill Levakis, felt there were resources within the community to correct the financial problems internally.
“I think at this stage of the game $38,000 is way too much,” Levakis said. “I propose having an in-town audit, as we have done.”
Mick Brennan, the newest member of the Select Board, said he respectfully disagreed.
“We need help. We have to bring somebody in here,” Brennan said.
“I believe much of the reason we are discussing these matters is the school budget,” said Montanaro. “We passed the school budget. There is no hostage left,” he said, referring to the cover page of Dale Miller’s Minority Report, which pictured a fist holding a rolled budget and the words ‘Gateway budget held hostage.’
“Why are we still trying not to correct the records?” Montanaro continued.
WORTHINGTON VOTES TO LEAVE GATEWAY DISTRICT
Prior to the meeting, Dr. Hopson responded to Worthington’s vote at the town meeting on Saturday to begin the process to withdraw from the Gateway Regional School District.
“This is part of their ongoing process to try to reestablish a public elementary school in their town,” Hopson said. “Until they resolve that issue and move forward, they’ll have concerns with Gateway Regional School District.”
Hopson said that Worthington also voted down their Gateway assessment for the fourth year in a row.
“We didn’t really expect Worthington to pass the budget. Their assessment has been lower the last four years, and they haven’t voted for it,” he said.
Residents of Middlefield, who also held their town meeting on Saturday, voted for the Gateway budget, Hopson said. Five of the seven towns in the Gateway district must vote for the budget in order for it to pass.
