I would like to thank Patrick Berry, owner of the Westfield News Group for his invitation to the City Council members to submit articles to the newspaper. He has proposed a weekly rotating schedule and this should allow you to be informed on the issues that affect Westfield.
I would also like to thank the voters for electing me to the City Council. It is a high honor to once again have an opportunity to represent the citizens of Westfield in elected office. The Council President, Brent Bean, has assigned me to the following committees of the Council; Business Development, City Properties, Government Relations and Chairman of the License Committee.
Recently, the City Council approved a license application for a new taxi service in Westfield, Michael’s Taxi, a license for video game operation at the Hangar Pub and a license for the new Book Club bookstore on Main Street. With the annual exercise of the budget behind us, it can be informative to reflect on the process. First off, the city’s budget process is very similar to the process that all communities follow. I have met with many municipal leaders, mayors, councilors, select board members, administrators and managers and I can tell you that our process is substantially similar to all others. In fact, a 2010-2011 Department of Revenue Financial Review confirmed this.
Typically, the mayor proposes a levy increase of 2.5% when building the budget, is pretty much a standard exercise everywhere I go. The mayor asks for a budget from each department based on guidance he/she gives and then typically cuts from their requests. This year in Westfield was like all the others, deep cuts by the Mayor were made prior to presentation to the City Council. Councils generally have very little left to cut (as most of the budget encumbered by cost centers that we are mandated to pay such as payroll, debt service, insurances of all types, retirement, and energy) as was the case in Westfield this year. Through the budget subcommittee process a figure over 2 million dollars emerged as a potential cut target This year’s Council budget meetings and a public hearing yielded robust debate as to the pros and cons of these proposed cuts. In the end, the final cut was just over $100,000. As I have learned from firsthand experience, it is very easy as a councilor to request that the departments cut more and then say that the departments will just have to figure it out. The reality though is much different.
From some of my colleagues, we have heard of a guaranteed substantial tax increase because a multi-million dollar budget cut wasn’t achieved in June. Well that’s not quite accurate. The last bite at the apple comes later this year and I would rather not inflame the debate by making a prediction that I cannot control. Certainly, in the spring when the budget is made there is an opportunity to restrain the rate of taxation. The mayor, understanding all the liabilities in front of the city, proposed a very responsible budget consisting of finance measures that are commonly used across the Commonwealth. The next chance to impact the proposed tax levy impact is in the fall when the tax shift is set. The mayor can certainly propose to use cash reserves (which has been done 5 of the last 6 years) to lessen the proposed levy raise. The council then will have a chance to vote for such an appropriation followed by a vote on the tax shift. The shift will determine to what extent the levy burden will fall on the residential and business taxpayers. So it is too early to say with certainty what that increase will be.
This past year, the council was presented with a Capital Improvement Plan. And though we have invested heavily in our infrastructure and equipment the last six years, there are millions of dollars of requested improvements. Some, like new fire trucks, as we need to replace a few very soon, are quite obvious, though some like a new telecom tower to replace the aging Granville tower or flood control assets are easy to tuck away for another day. The reality is this…When you are the mayor, you hear firsthand all the needs the city has and if you don’t, shame on the department head(s) that doesn’t bring this information to the mayor. Once known, the mayor then has the enormous task of prioritizing these needs based on our ability to pay for them and the significance of the need. Typically, items involving public safety are moved to the top of the list. Couple that with the ever present concern to keep the cost of government contained…it makes for a stressful job. Now that I have returned to the council, I can tell you from experience that I would rather know today the cost of a repair or replacing something than not know it. I would rather have the opportunity to work with the mayor to figure out how to pay for it as I know that the cost of deferring it could grow exponentially. Typically for building systems, every one dollar of deferred maintenance will likely lead to an expenditure of 4 to 5X that in the future when the system fails.
Another way of looking at it is this…Let’s say that you have a leaky house roof. You call a contractor and get an estimate to repair it. You decide you can’t afford to do it today, and because it doesn’t rain much and the cost of a 5 gallon bucket is negligible you decide to live with it for now by putting the bucket out to catch the water. Does that sound like a good way to run your house? Of course not. Unfortunately to many in politics, that line of reasoning is far too often the chosen course. I would rather have a chance to take a vote today to pay for something that needs to get done than to pass it off and have to take a vote to spend more money a decade from now when it would cost 4 or 5x more.
Our cost drivers are for the most part a fixed part of the budget in that they never go away, payroll, debt service, insurance, pensions and energy as a for instance. Payroll and insurance costs can be slowed but not completely arrested. Debt service eventually declines but if that money is allowed to be used for operations then you won’t have any money for capital improvements. Energy though can be controlled to some extent. In the next series of articles I will discuss the Green Energy initiative taking place in Westfield and what that means to our city and citizens.
On November 9, 2015, I was appointed to the position of Director of the Green Communities Division of the Department of Energy Resources as established by Chapter 169 of the Acts of 2008, An Act Relative to Green Communities…There shall be within the department 3 divisions: (i) a division of energy efficiency, which shall work with the department of public utilities regarding energy efficiency programs; (ii) a division of renewable and alternative energy development, which shall oversee and coordinate activities that seek to maximize the installation of renewable and alternative energy generating sources that will provide benefits to ratepayers, advance the production and use of biofuels and other alternative fuels as the division may define by regulation, and administer the renewable portfolio standard and the alternative portfolio standard; and (iii) a division of green communities, which shall serve as the principal point of contact for municipalities and other governmental bodies concerning all matters under the jurisdiction of the department of energy resources.
In this position I spend a large part of my time with our city and town officials across the Commonwealth in order to advance the Clean Energy Goals of the Commonwealth. The three divisions have been very successful in implementing their respective missions and are nationally recognized as leaders in all three areas. In fact the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been recognized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the #1 most energy efficient state 5 years running.
http://www.mass.gov/eea/pr-2015/massachusetts-named-most-energy-efficient-state.html
And the Commonwealth is presently ranked #6 in the nation in solar installations as reported by the Solar Energy Industries Association. That’s quite an accomplishment considering that just a few years ago we had hardly any solar installations statewide.
http://www.seia.org/research-resources/top-10-solar-states
Shortly after my arrival, I contacted Mayor Sullivan to see what interest he had in becoming a Green Community (GC). A logical question to ask would be why we weren’t already. The short answer as to why Westfield wasn’t a GC lies in the fact that the legislation that created Green Communities required that if you lived in a Municipal Light Plant (MLPs) community the utility would be responsible for assessing a charge on your bill that would contribute to the Renewable Energy Trust as is the case for customers in Investor Owned Utility communities. In the Commonwealth there are 41 MLPs and presently 5 pay into the trust fund that goes to fund clean energy projects. The Gas and Electric opted not to pay into the fund. For additional information on the Trust…see the link below:
http://energy.gov/savings/renewable-energy-trust-fund
In 2012, the Department of Energy Resources provided some guidance related to MLPs and becoming a Green Community. This guidance allows for a MLP community to become a Green Community if they have at least one entity that is serviced by an Investor Owned Utility. And so we do and this allows Westfield to earn designation.
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/green-communities/grant-program/mlp-guideline-may-2012.pdf
There are five criterions that need to be met to become a Green Community. They are as follows:
Criterion 1 : Provide as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable/alternative energy generation, research & development, or manufacturing facilities.
Criterion 2 : Adopt an expedited application and permit process for as-of-right energy facilities.
Criterion 3 : Establish an energy use baseline and develop a plan to reduce energy use by twenty percent (20%) within five (5) years.
Criterion 4 : Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles.
Criterion 5 : Set requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction; one way to meet these requirements is to adopt the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Code.
Today, there are 155 Green Communities out of 351 MA cities and towns representing 54% of the state’s population. Additionally, there are now 176 communities representing 58% of the state’s population living in stretch energy code communities. Since the very first Green Community designations in 2010, over 60 million dollars has been granted to these communities to assist in reducing their municipal energy consumption by 20% over five years or renewable energy projects.
The link below is a map of the Green Communities:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/green-communities/grant-program/map-summary-green-communities.pdf
The link below is a map of the Stretch Code Communities:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/green-communities/grant-program/stretch-code-towns-adoption-by-community-map-and-list.pdf
The link below details the grant awards for each community and a description of the work they did:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/green-communities/grant-program/muni-projects-green-communities.pdf
Funding is provided from proceeds of carbon allowance auctions under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and Alternative Compliance Payments (ACP) made by electricity suppliers that do not meet their statutory Renewable Portfolio Standard obligation to purchase a sufficient percentage of renewable energy.
Upon designation, a community is awarded a base grant of $125,000, plus an adder based on population and per capita income and a bonus of $10,000 if it met Criterion 1 through zoning for renewable/alternative energy generation (as opposed to renewable/alternative energy manufacturing or research and development {R&D}, which are also options). Designation grants are capped at $1,000,000.Once all previous funding has been spent and all required reporting is complete, a designated Green Community may apply for competitive grants. Competitive Grants award up to $250,000 per community to advance their Clean Energy Goals.
Westfield spends over 3 million dollars per year on gas and electricity and the projections for the future are for continued increases. If we can save 10% of that amount, in the next 2-3 years and up to 20% after that, that would be very helpful to our finances and be good for the environment. It is likely that the city would be granted a sum of approximately $250,000 that can be used to kick start our energy efficiency efforts. The Department recently posted 7 case studies of communities that have reached their 20% target. The link below will take you there:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/energy-utilities-clean-tech/green-communities/green-communities-library.html
In Westfield, we already meet #1 and #2. We have the frame work in place to develop a reduction plan to meet #3. That leaves #4 and #5 left to go and an application. The application deadline is this fall for the next round of designations. In the next few articles I will chronicle our energy conservation activities to date and discuss the path to Designation this fall. But now I would like to change course as there are some exciting events this August to highlight.
The World Series comes to town…Good Luck to our Boys…the 14 year old Babe Ruth World Series is here and is a great opportunity for the city. You can catch all the games on WSKB, Channel 15 or at
http://www.baberuthleague.org/2016worldseries/streaming.aspx.
The Westfield Technical Academy Flying Tigers just received their FAA certification making them the first high school in New England and just the third high school in the country with this certification. The Westfield News had a wonderful article in the paper earlier this week.
And August 26-28 Westfield’s food fest comes back to town…
http://www.westfieldrotary.org/
And of course the Westfield Fair is coming to town too….August 19-21 the 89th rendition…
http://www.thewestfieldfair.com/home.html
Don’t miss the last Westfield Music Fest on the Green, August 25th…a Fleetwood Mac Tribute, TUSK will be the main event.
http://www.westfieldmusicfest.com/
And this weekend is the Annual Kevin Major Tournament at Amelia Park Arena. Details in the link below:
http://kevsfoundation.com/index.html
We have had great weather this summer and with an action packed August, 2016 will be a summer to remember.
Regards;
Daniel M. Knapik, City Council At-Large
