Huntington selectmen John McVeigh and Ed Renauld at a public forum on the budget Wednesday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
HUNTINGTON – The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee held a public forum Wednesday on the FY18 budget and warrant articles in advance of the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for Monday, June 5 at 7 p.m. Only a dozen residents turned out to hear the presentation by Board chair Ed Renauld, selectman John McVeigh, and Finance Committee chair Darlene McVeigh.
Renauld began with an overview of the town’s finances. He said the bulk of the town’s income is raised and appropriated. The state recommends a minimum of 5% of the town’s budget in Free Cash. Huntington currently has a certified Free Cash amount of $493,545, more than the minimum. He said some of it was carried over from the previous fiscal year, and some came from a concerted effort by treasurer Aimee Burnham to collect back taxes due the town, which is on track to retrieve $82,000 this year.
Huntington also has $1,015,000 in its Stabilization fund. One of the articles at the town meeting will request $300,000 from Stabilization to repair the failing Searle Road Bridge, an amount that will be refunded in full by the Small Bridge Grant awarded the town.
Another $10,000 is being requested as seed money to start back up annual town fireworks this summer, an effort led by Capt. John McVeigh and the Huntington Fire Department. The fire department has also raised $5,800 to date, and has more boot drives and fundraisers planned. McVeigh said the fireworks festival should be self-sustaining after the first year.
The bottom line on the budget to be raised and appropriated for FY18 is $4,991,972 as of Wednesday’s meeting, an amount which is not yet finalized, according to Darlene McVeigh. That figure represents a 3.96% increase over last year’s bottom line.
Much of the increase is due to increases in the cost of education, which makes up nearly 63% of the town’s budget and has increased by 4.4% overall, including the cost of Gateway Regional and vocational education. While the town’s minimum contribution to Gateway Regional set by the state has decreased by $80,000. Gateway’s over-minimum assessment to Huntington increased more than $200,000, along with an anticipated $15,000 in transportation increases.
Part of that increase, according to McVeigh, is due to Worthington’s refusal to pay its share of debt, retirement benefits and transportation, calculated to be $80,000 annually, and which has been deducted from Gateway’s budget this year after being included the last two years. Burnham said approximately $24,000 is on Huntington to make up for Worthington’s share.
McVeigh said another part of the increase is based on an increase in pupil enrollment, with Huntington adding ten students this year.
Renauld said that four towns out of six are required to pass Gateway’s budget. To date, Blandford and Middlefield, both of which had a decrease in assessments, passed the budget. Russell, which faced a nearly $200,000 increase, defeated it. Montgomery, which also had a decreased assessment, did not achieve a quorum at its town meeting on May 15, and has rescheduled for May 22, leaving Huntington and Chester, both of which will vote in June.
Other articles to be discussed at the town meeting include requests for capital expenditures.
A $35,000 transfer is being requested from Free Cash to replace Police Chief Robert Garriepy’s cruiser, which was scheduled to be replaced this year. Renauld said a neighboring town is interested in purchasing the old one.
$180,000 is being requested for a loan to purchase a new dump truck for the Highway Department, which was slated to be replaced last year. Darlene McVeigh said that the purchase won’t affect the budget, but gives the treasurer the authority to borrow the amount over five years. “When repairs start equaling or exceeding the cost of a lease for a new vehicle,” McVeigh explained that it’s time to buy a new one.
Another $35,000 transfer from Free Cash and $35,000 from the Stanton Fund for an HVAC cooling system in the Town Hall and Stanton Hall buildings will be up for a vote. Renauld said a lot of energy is wasted on the window air conditioning units in both buildings.
Renauld said he doesn’t expect this year’s town meeting to go as quickly as last year’s, when the Gateway Regional budget easily passed the majority of towns on the first vote. Neither the Board of Selectmen nor the Finance Committee has yet voted on their recommendations for the articles.
