WESTFIELD – The Finance Committee, chaired by Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. with members At-large Councilors Dave Flaherty and Matthew T. VanHeynigen met on Monday for the first in a series of budget reviews of city departments, prior to the City Council’s vote on the Mayor’s budget on June 22. Also in attendance were City Councilors Mary O’Connell, Mary Ann Babinski, John Beltrandi, Cindy Harris, Andrew Surprise and Dan Allie.
With each department only given 15 minutes for a face to face with the committee, Flaherty said they only had time to ask questions, not do an in-depth review.
Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell attends budget hearing with members Matthew T. VanHeynigen and chair Robert A. Paul, Sr. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Monday’s meeting included Finance, City Clerk, Community Development, Fire/Ambulance, Airport, IT, Emergency Dispatch and Police, including Animal Control.
Community Development director Peter Miller answered questions about the Community Development Block Grant program, and the potential of it being cut in the federal budget, having been zero funded in the president’s budget.
Miller also answered questions about the use of $20,000 of CDBG funds in the budget for code enforcement. He said the funds will allow the assistant building inspector to do code enforcement as part of his job.
Flaherty said that funding for code enforcement needs to be offset by fines “as long as he’s going out there and writing tickets.”
Fire Chief Mary Regan said the Fire and Ambulance Departments are fully funded and staffed, although she said they are planning for a retirement down the road, referring to herself. She did not give a date for her retirement.
She said the department is making its second payment on two ambulances, and first payment on a new engine this year. In response to a question from Allie, she said there is no overtime in the Fire Department budget, as all overtime is listed on the ambulance side, where it can be covered by the ambulance fund. She said the overtime proposed for FY17 is $315,000, down from $560,000 at its height due to injuries two years ago.
Paul commented that the department’s management of the Ambulance Enterprise Income Fund should be a model for all city departments.
Regan said for the past seven years there had been talk in Boston and now there is a bill to cut ambulance rates to the Medicare rate of reimbursement, which would mean a 60% cut for Westfield. Regan said there was an amendment proposed to protect the rates and allow local communities to set them. She said that right now the billing rates are where she feels they should be. Based on a review of outside billing of the top 50 communities within western Mass, she said Westfield is competitive, not the highest and not the lowest.
“We have not raised our rates for the past two years, and won’t raise them this year,” she said. However, even if the bill were to pass, she said the new rates would not take effect until FY19.
Ward 4 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise, Barnes Airport manager Eric Billowitz and Information Technology reps attend budget hearing. (Photo by Amy Porter)
A couple of new employees came before the Finance Committee for the first time on Monday. New airport manager Eric Billowitz, who started at Barnes in January, was the first.
“Prior to your coming on board, the task was, how do we run the airport so fee structures are created to support the airport budget,” Paul stated as an introduction, adding “If we made the budget zero, is there an income stream to pay for $900,000 in expenses.”
Billowitz answered, saying an established approach is one of two paths. One would be the residual path, where for example the airport would adjust landing fees to recover costs. He said that approach would encompass both the air side and the land side.
He said everything else would be compensatory, offering opportunities at the airport at market rate. Billowitz said he was working closely with city advancement officer Joe Mitchell on opportunities for land access to the runway, for example. He said he agreed the whole idea is for the airport to be covering its debt.
“That being said, if we had a $350,000 cut to the budget, is that possible,” Paul asked. Billowitz responded that it would be, over time. “If you were proposing that for this year, I’d be clutching my heart,” he said. He said he is reviewing leases at the airport, and also fuel flowage fees, which he said at eight cents per gallon are competitive.
Billowitz also said the air show scheduled for August 12 and 13 is ready to go, and will bring in revenue for the airport.
Pressing the point, Paul asked how the airport will operate so that it’s not a drag on general expense. Billowitz said it was two years out.
Flaherty responded that in FY20, he is anticipating a “killer budget,” something he repeated to most departments, so bringing in extra money then would be good.
Another new employee, Public Safety Communications Center (Dispatch) administrator Lauren Mielke also answered questions at the budget hearing. She said the Dispatch Center’s budget included a $17,000 increase to have two on desk at the 911 call center, one a lead dispatcher who could also do training.
Flaherty said the department was created with the idea of it becoming a regional call center, and having other towns join at the site and share costs. He repeated that two years out, the city is really going to be struggling. “If you don’t have it (regionalization), we’re going to be saying let’s outsource you guys,” Flaherty said.
“I think you’re going to start to see it. I’m pro-regionalization,” Mielke, who started two months ago, said. She said she has been speaking with several area towns who may be interested, including Easthampton and Southwick.
Westfield Police Chief John A. Camerota and new Public Safety Communications Center (Dispatch) administrator Lauren Mielke. (Photo by Amy Porter)
“There are grants available from the state. We need to have that program in place,” said Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise. Flaherty asked if Peter Miller or Joe Mitchell could be asked to help spur the talks with the other towns. Mielke said she would attend any meetings that were set up.
During a rapid discussion with Information Technology manager Lenore J. Bernashe, the committee learned that Comcast was the low bidder at $2,550 per month on a new three-year contract about to be signed to supply the city with internet services.
“That’s nuts,” Paul said. “We go through another system, and we’re going to spend $100,000 (over three years).” Bernashe said they had five bidders, and everyone was offered the same specs. She said the public bid was necessary for the school district to get reimbursement from the federal government.
“It’s a bad thing for the city to be selling internet to individuals and businesses through the city, and then we buy our internet from Comcast,” Flaherty said.
At the end of the meeting, Flaherty said the good news of the night came from treasurer/collector Meghan Kane, who said the city’s $230 million OPEB (Other Post Employee Benefits) liability had just been re-evaluated at $149 million, due in large part to a new contract with a higher employee match for health insurance at 23%, up from 20%. Flaherty said despite the lowered liability, it doesn’t significantly change the funding ratio for the city, which has $50,000 in its OPEB account.
Flaherty said the committee also asked city auditor Mary Daley for an open checkbook system, where citizens can go online and see city transactions. He said the Finance committee is also looking for an end of the year line item detail on appropriations. “We don’t want them moving money to different line items,” Flaherty said.
City Clerk Karen Fanion has also included four new election machines in her FY18 budget for the fall, 2018 elections, with another nine to be purchased in FY19. Thirteen total are needed for elections. Fanion will be testing and training staff on the new machines this year.
The next budget hearing is Tuesday, June 13 beginning at 6:15 p.m., when Engineering, Public Health, Sanitary Landfill and Public Works departments will be heard in Room 315.
On Thursday, June 15, Westfield Public Schools will make a presentation at 6:00 p.m. in City Council chambers, prior to the City Council meeting. Then on Wednesday, June 21, a public hearing is scheduled at 6:00 p.m., followed by a Committee of the Whole budget workshop, also in City Council chambers.
Final vote on the passage of the city budget will be held during a Special City Council meeting on Thursday, June 22 at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend any and all meetings.
