Thursday, December 9, 1999 Older Editions

Officials eye Prop 2-1/2 override

By Neil Fater

Staring at five-year forecasts that predict annual budget deficits of as much as $11.7 million, town officials on Monday night discussed possibly needing a Proposition 2-1/2 override to pay for Andover's annual operating budgets during the next five years.

This possibility was suggested to about 15 other town officials by one of the town's most dedicated number crunchers, Finance Committee member Joanne Marden.

Although town officials this year have considered asking for a debt exclusion override to pay for the new public safety center approved by 1999 Town Meeting, Marden said that override will not be sufficient to handle the town's projected problems.

"The $11.7 million is not going to be solved with the $1.4 million debt exclusion," said Marden. "The numbers say it doesn't solve the problem. It's like a Band Aid, but I think it could be a hard sell.

"I'm concerned about focusing so much on the safety center that we lose the big picture," she said.

Marden's comments came after Peter Johnson-Staub, management analyst, presented five possible scenarios for paying for projected, future operating budgets. These scenarios showed FY 2005 deficits of between $6.3 million and $11.7 million.

However, discussions about a possible operating budget override are just beginning.

Several officials say Johnson-Staub's scenarios could change significantly, depending on what priorities they assign to future budget items.

The figures also assumed that the town would expand a number of services, said Finance Committee Chairman Don Schroeder.

Many officials question how many currently unapproved capital improvement items, town positions and programs were included in the projections to arrive at the debit figures.

School Committee member Eric Nadworny said the town must decide what programs it needs for the next five years before it can seriously consider whether an operating budget override is needed.

"It is important that the town priorities drive the budget, and that the budget doesn't drive the priorities," said Nadworny. "I used to be a budget analyst long before I was on the School Committee. You can make it look like there's going to be a problem. There's ways of dealing with it."

Still, some officials are concerned. Certainly it appears both they and residents will have a number of important decisions on their hands in the coming few years.

"We're already trying to find ways to put a patch on the financial trouble we see ourselves getting into. And they're not minor problems," said Selectman Lori Becker. "I just think we might have too much to do all at once."

Both Marden and fellow FinCom member Schroeder say the town cannot rule out either making significant cuts to proposed annual spending, or passing an override to pay for Andover's operating budget.

In fact, they say officials may need to decide on whether to pursue an operating budget override as early as January 2001, to be ready for the 2001 Town Meeting.

"I don't think that it would be for this year, meaning fiscal year 2001," said Selectmen Chairman John Hess. "It's more about what's going to happen in 2002, 2003, 2004, when operating budgets grow and more students come into town, and the schools (and safety center) open."

Nadworny and Schools Superintendent Claudia Bach say they have not yet discussed a potential operating budget override, nor the school department's position on such an override.

"We're still talking about it in a void," said Nadworny after Monday's meeting. "To be honest with you, that's the furthest thing from my mind, and tonight doesn't change that."

Budget growth

Although some of Johnson-Staub's figures indicated both town and school departments will need to seriously reduce their yearly budgetary percentage increase, some officials see certain increases as unavoidable.

School Committee member Tina Girdwood said the schools expect a $1-million increase in operating budget once the new schools open.

"I know there are people sitting out there who are senior citizens and taxpayers and this hurts," said School Committee member Dick Collins. "But we can't sacrifice our kids and we can't sacrifice our firefighters and police officers.

"The town needs to face up to the fact that this is a growing town, and there are definitely costs. I don't want to see the police or fire department hurt because of the school department, or the other way around," said Collins. "We are a town as a whole and we're not competing against each other and we have to make a sacrifice here or there if we want this to be a town of excellence."

In 1998, Andover spent $6,406 per pupil, $230 below the state average, said Bach.

Selectman Larry Larsen told school leaders that they should present the town with what they need to make Andover schools excellent, and ask voters "if you want better, then are you willing to pay for it?"

Andover approved a debt exclusion override in 1994 to pay for its last approximately $40-million schools project, and is eying another debt exclusion to build the two new schools on Cross Street.

Nearly all town officials view the $28.6 million article for building the two new schools as the key item for 2000 Town Meeting.