WESTFIELD – At the second Finance Committee budget hearing on Tuesday, chair Robert A. Paul, Sr. said that all of the City Councilors have had access to all of the city budgets by line item for two weeks. He said each department head would be asked to make an overarching statement, then all of the councilors would be asked if they have any questions. In attendance, besides committee members Dave Flaherty and Matthew T. VanHeynigen, were Councilors William Onyski, Cindy Harris, John Beltrandi, Mary O’Connell, Mary Ann Babinski, and Andrew K. Surprise.
Paul said the Finance Committee has also been reviewing the budget, and may also make some overarching statement. “I will also ask any person(s) responsible for their department if they have closing statements,” Paul added.
First to be heard was city engineer Mark Cressotti, who said his department improves the city, and resources are used to advance city designs. Currently in the design phase are the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail and Western Avenue.
Cressotti also said some budget items have been lowered and moved to the Department of Public Works, for example the maintenance of the planters, a $40,000 item now in DPW. “Successful cities do plantings of inner cities. Some people may say it’s excess, but necessary to make the city a vital place,” Cressotti said.
“I think it’s a nicety, not a necessity,” Flaherty commented. He said he was also concerned that last year, a big construction budget of $300,000 was allocated, but not fully spent.
City engineer Mark Cressotti was the first of several department heads to go before the Finance Committee on Tuesday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Cressotti said there were “some glitches last year.” He also said money in the construction budget generally gets moved to Purchase of Services to be spent.
VanHeynigen asked how the $400,000 request this year is going to be spent
Cressotti said the priority is the $250,000 for Columbia Greenway, required by July 1 for a $6.2 million match from the federal and state governments. Also, $70,000 is for the Western Avenue design work, which will be going out to bid this summer. $50,000 is for traffic signal analysis. Cressotti said he would also like to upgrade the paving maintenance system.
Paul and Flaherty asked more questions about which programs were tied to which line items. Flaherty said he was concerned about funds being moved from approved line items.
“You need to use some bit of caution regarding some of these things. It’s conceivable that we could overreach, particularly in the construction process,” Beltrandi said.
“I’m leaning towards making the department $0,” said Flaherty, adding he would put the money in Free Cash for approval as items come up.
“With all due respect, you can’t micromanage departments in that way,” said Public Works director David Billips. Cressotti said he came before the Finance Committee multiple times as issues came up.
“I do appreciate that you’re doing your due diligence. We’re passing the city on to that next generation. That’s where we’re trying to go. We need to invest in where we’re going,” Cressotti said in closing.
Later in the agenda, resident Dan Call asked to be heard by the Finance Committee on the Columbia Greenway, saying he would be out of town for the public hearing.
Call said the $250,000 being requested for Greenway North is very important. “I’m the one that’s been tracking (numbers) since last August, when Westfield was pushed from 2017 to 2019. I go to all the meetings, it’s a learning process,” Call said.
He added that the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has 42 communities with projects. “We’re looking at $6.2 million (in matching funds), which looks really good for 2019. It has to happen. We need to be there for it. If we’re not, we could get pushed from 2020 to 2022. Westfield needs to say we are approved and ready,” Call said.
Next up, Joseph Rouse, director of Public Health, said this will be a year of transition for the landfill. Curbside trash pickup is now going directly to Holyoke, with only residential drop off and bulk pickup at the landfill. Recycling currently gets picked up, and goes directly to Springfield.
Billips added that the trash pickup contract expired and was renegotiated, but without much savings. Rouse said it was still the most advantageous way to go. “Trash hauling itself has gone up in the seven years since we’ve done it,” Rouse said.
He also said he had to estimate the tonnage for residential drop off and bulk pickup in the landfill budget, which he calculated at 200,000. Flaherty asked what the revenue is on bulk pick up, and Rouse said about $100,000 a year.
“There is no reason why this transfer station can’t pay for itself,” Rouse said, adding that this is a year of transition, and he will be coming before the City Council soon to give a presentation on the program.
Paul said that 2019 should be a giant leap forward using fees, and the Finance Committee will be looking for 50% less in costs that year, and self-funding by 2020.“It’s actually in conversation. We’re talking to players in the solid waste business,” Rouse said.
In terms of inspectors, Rouse said there is room for increases, which will be discussed on the next Board of Health agenda.
In the Public Heatlh budget, Rouse said the funding request is strictly for the two nurse’s salaries, one supervisor and one public health nurse. He said both are necessary, and deal with communicable diseases and refugee issues in the city.
“This department and the last one we read (Inspectors) are doing an amazing amount of work for a small amount of money,” Flaherty said. Rouse said it was working out, but the needs are increasing.
Onyski asked whether there was enough money for training in the budget. Rouse said that training for employees has been moved under the Personnel Department, who will track necessary training and education requirements.
Flaherty also asked Rouse if he had utilized nurses from Westfield State, who is looking to place them in the community. Rouse said the department has utilized them.
At his opening statement for the Department of Public Works, Billips said by now the Finance Committee knows what his vision is, to do the work in house. He said there are some increases in the budget. “You have to spend money to save money,” Billips said.
One of the bigger items is for Union Street, on which they will do crack sealing and is in line for micro resurfacing, which will last 10-15 years. “It only works for certain roads,” Billips said. “Keep that in mind when you see the construction budget.”
He also said that soon the city will have 5-6 areas that need storm water repairs. He said the new pothole patches hold, but that some streets in the city are all patches.
He said the water budget shows reduced funds for contractors, by an amount greater than adding another employee.
“My opening comment is your organization, your department, capability, and capacity, always doing more, excellent storm water work – you’ve fixed roads, repaired roads. The past couple of years you’ve said let me prove we can do it. I only have praise and admiration for what you’ve done,” Paul said.
“Thank you, we’ve got really good people,” Billips responded.
Billips said there are increases in construction, much of which are encumbered for the Union Street project, as well as personnel and vehicle costs. He said he is looking to get two trucks, plow and sanders, and just took two off the road.
Billips said the new deputy superintendent is doing an unbelievable job, especially on tree work. He said the DPW is taking over a lot of the work caring for the parks. “We’ll see where it falls. We’ll be fine this year,” he said.
Billips said the mayor had to cut the wastewater budget by $400,000 based on the budget from two years ago. He said there were savings in sludge hauling, due to new blowers put in to keep the water aerated. He also said revenues in the department were during the all-out water ban, and he expects them to go up.
Billips said the mayor and auditor asked him to add money to the Water budget this year. “They wanted us to increase it because there’s money available,” he said, adding that they hope to have another treatment plant up and running this year.
Babinski asked when the new water meters will be installed, and Billips indicated later in the fall. He said the new meters should save the city $400,000.
Beltrandi asked Billips if his department had calculated how much money they have saved the city by doing work in house. He said it would help for the public to see the savings.
The next budget hearing will be the School Department in City Council chambers on Thursday, June 15 at 6:00 p.m., prior to the City Council meeting.
