RALPH FIGY
WESTFIELD – Members of the City Council declined to act on a request from Mayor Daniel M. Knapik to approve a resolution that would transfer money from the School Department to City Hall to fund salaries for employees of the Payroll Department.
The School Committee voted unanimously Monday to approve the transfer of $74,423 from its budget to the Payroll Department salary account following consolidation of the district’s payroll function with that of the city. The transfer will fund three positions in the department for the remainder of the current fiscal year.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy, chairman of the council’s Personnel Action Committee, said the resolution to transfer the funds comes as a result of “the long-awaited merger of the Payroll Department” which is currently short staffed. Figy said the transfer is needed to fill the vacant position in the consolidated department.
The City Council members applauded that consolidation, but declined to act to accept the transfer of funds on procedural issues.
BRIAN P. SULLIVAN
“We’ve been taking a long time to consolidate payroll (functions),” At-large Councilor Brian Sullivan said. “All of the unions have signed on (to accept the consolidation), the School Committee voted 7-0 to approve the transfer of funds. There will not be a Payroll Department in the school side anymore. It will all be done by the City.”
“There is not a need for additional money to the City’s budget. We appropriated it to the School Department which is now transferring it to the City side,” Sullivan said.
Ward 1 Councilor Christopher Keefe said that the issue is how that transfer is being made.
“Most (interdepartmental) transfers come into the general fund, then we appropriate to the designated department,” Keefe said. “I have never seen an (interdepartmental) transfer made to a specific department without the Council’s approval.”
At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty said the City Council does not have the authority to approve a transfer which does not include an appropriation of the funds.
“We don’t have an appropriation request (in this instance), so we can’t do it,” Flaherty said. “If we get an appropriation at the Dec. 6 (City Council) meeting, we can approve it.”
Several other members also said they have reservations about approving a resolution accepting the transfer without specific numbers and an appropriation request.
The issue was tabled to the Dec. 6 meeting.
