Westfield Ward 6 City Councilor William (Bill) Onyski (WNG file photo)
I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2017! I expect that this year will be even busier than last year.
2016 ended off on a very positive note regarding residential property taxes. For the first time in many years, the residential property tax rate went down. Yes, down.
In 2016 the residential tax rate was $19.44 per $1,000.00. The new 2017 rate is $19.42 per $1,000.00. If you have an average home in Westfield, this equates to about a $5.00 savings. That in itself is worth a cup of coffee and a doughnut. However the fact that City Council voted not to have an increase in the tax rate is notable. The commercial rate did rise slightly from $36.68 to $37.08 per $1,000.00.
There was a lot of work that allowed this tax reduction including Mayor Sullivan, the City Council Finance Committee (Chair—Bob Paul, Dave Flaherty, MattVanHeynigen) and the Finance Team at City Hall. A recommendation was made to use $2,372,378.00 of Free Cash to help offset a tax rate increase. Free Cash is the “leftover” money from the past fiscal year which can be maintained as free cash or used for other purposes (road repair, maintenance, snow plowing, etc.). In this case, the Finance Committee recommended, the Mayor agreed, and the City Council voted to use the Free Cash for a tax rate reduction.
Please remember that although the tax rate was reduced, if your home value increased, your tax bill will likely increase. Unfortunately, property values are market driven and not controlled by the City.
Next year will bring a different set of circumstances but hopefully the trend will continue.
This past Thursday, the City Council re-elected Councilor Brent Bean to be the President of the City Council again. This is a very important position in the City. If you watch the Council meetings in person, on cable access, or online, you would know that the President has to sometimes keep order when debates become heated and must also keep track of the rules of the Council, which can be confusing. The City Council President also meets regularly with the Mayor and Department Managers to discuss issues, ideas, and solutions.
The Council President also choose to maintain the same Council Committee membership from 2016. Each Councilor is on 2-3 Committees. Most items on the City Council agenda are sent to the appropriate Committee where the details of the issue are discussed and debated prior to going back to full Council for the final vote. All of the Committees worked out well so the decision was made to keep the same Councilors on the same Committees. I am a member of the Personnel Action Committee, Legislative and Ordinance Committee, and Health and Safety Committee. ThePersonnel Action Committee works to vet those applying for the many Boards and Commissions in the city as well as most Department Heads. I work with Chairperson Cindy Harris and Councilor Ralph Figy on PAC. I am also a member of the Legislative and Ordinance Committee which works to review a large majority of actions from the Council, most notably any ordinances. I work with Chairperson Ralph Figy and Councilor Mary O’ Connell on the L&O Committee. I am a member of the Health and Safety Committee with Chairperson Dan Allie and Councilor Mary Ann Babinski. Needless to say, we review Health and Safety issues and most recently have discussed the proposed plastic bag ban for Westfield. I was pleased to work on all of these Committees and 2016 had a lot to show for results.
As the Barnes Airport Liaison, I keep current on Airport issues and attend as many of the Airport Commission meetings as possible.
There has been an ongoing search to fill the Airport Manager position.An Airport Manager is a highly specialized profession that requires proficiencies in many fields—FAA regulations, management, maintenance, grant procurements, military relations, and attracting airport business to name a few. The search drew 21 applications. Applications were received from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Mississippi, Alabama, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma. 8 applicants came to screening interviews and 3 were interviewed by the Airport Commission.
There was a Special Airport Commission meeting this week to publically interview a candidate for Airport Manager, Eric Billowitz. The Airport Commissioners (Chairperson Kim Cameron, William Gonnet, and Don Nicoletti) did a thorough job with the interview and follow up questions. Mr. Billowitzwas an excellent candidate who had in-depth answers and an impressive resume with much experience leading other airports on a contract basis. After the interview, the Commission deliberated and unanimously voted to offer the position to Mr. Billowitz. The offer was accepted and we are excited to have Eric Billowitz as the new Airport Manager, starting soon.
There will be a public meeting on Wednesday January 11 at 6:00 PM at the North Middle School auditorium to discuss the Airport Noise Compatibility Program. This program was initiated when the F-15s came to Barnes Airport to help the affected residents through the “sound proofing” of homes or outright purchase of properties. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that the program be reassessed every five years. The Noise Map has changed which locates some residents in a noise zone, takes others out, and changes the status of others. This has a negative effect on those who were planning their near future, or retirement, based on what the rules were five years ago. Wyle Associates, managers of the program, and the FAA will lead the meeting. This is a good chance for the residents to discuss their issues with the FAA, which funds 90% of the program and dictates how the funds are to be dispersed.
Thanks to Cheryl Crowe for inviting me to use the Hampton Ponds Association Building for a neighborhood meeting on November 30. Much of the conversation centered on the possible expansion of the Hampton Ponds Playground and getting ideas and suggestions from the neighbors regarding the playground layout.
Thank you for taking time to read this. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 413-568-7747.
