Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe
WESTFIELD – The request for an appropriation of $175,000 from free cash for police overtime, which was recommended on a 3-0 vote from the Finance Committee, received a more positive reception from the City Council than a similar request for $41,723 for Information Technology (IT).
Finance Committee Chairman Dan Allie said the request from the Police Department would bring them to the end of the fiscal year, due to specific issues of injury, deployment and full-time Police Academy. Allie said Westfield Police Captain Michael McCabe had attended the last two committee meetings, and had a number of injured officers that was highly unusual. He said Police Chief John A. Camerota had also said they would be seeking compensation from insurance companies.
Allie also said the Police Department’s overtime budget had been cut in fiscal year 2017, and level funded in FY18. The City Council vote to approve was unanimous.
A request to appropriate $41,723 from free cash to the Information Technology Department received a 3-0 vote for no recommendation from the Finance Committee. Allie said the IT budget was cut $100,000 during the budget vote in the City Council, and had saved $48,000 in expenses and salary. He said IT Manager Lenore Bernashe was in front of the committee on Wednesday to request the funds to pay for licenses coming due. He also reported that IT had five technicians, and now has three.
Finance Committee member Matthew Emmershy said the committee voted no recommendation, because they had no specifics from the previous Finance Committee as to where the cuts were supposed to come from. He said he had attempted to reach Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr., the previous chairman for clarification.
“Councilor Paul has strong opinions about this. It was a budget cut we all voted for,” said former Finance Committee member Dave Flaherty, adding that Paul, who was on vacation, did not support the appropriation. “He doesn’t like the concept of using free cash to fund this,” Flaherty said, adding that Paul suggested moving the money from elsewhere in the budget.
“I’d like to table this as well,” said Finance Committee member Andrew K. Surprise.
“What was the reasoning behind no recommendation without specific information. These leases and renewals need to be funded. I’d hate to see MUNIS get shut down because we’re screwing around,” said At-Large Councilor Brent B. Bean, II. Bean said he would support any budget cut that made sense, but this one left Bernashe scrambling to answer the question, “What if it took two to four weeks?”
“I wanted to hold it another two weeks but didn’t have the votes. We made the determination for no determinations,” said Emmershy, adding that ten people in the room had voted for the $100,000 cut.
“We just approved free cash for the Police Department. This is a double standard,” said Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy. “I don’t think playing around with licenses that the city needs to operate (is a good idea),” he added.
Surprise said the Finance Committee had recommended a transfer of $11,000 for the department, which should give them some time.
Flaherty made a motion to table the appropriation until the next City Council meeting, which passed.
