Thursday, March 9, 2000 Older Editions

Budget unscathed

By Neil Fater

Just a couple of weeks after several selectmen called for cuts in the budget presented by Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski ("Selectmen to town manager: cut more," Townsman, Feb. 24) the Board of Selectmen has recommended that Town Meeting approve Stapczynski's recommended budgets for most town departments without cutting or adding even $1 to them.

Monday evening, the board took more than two dozen separate, unanimous votes, approving more than $20 million with no changes.

With Selectman Larry Larsen absent, the four selectmen present voted to recommend the town manager's budget for all town departments except plant and facilities, police and schools, which will be discussed at a later date.

In part because Andover has settled several employees contracts this year, employees' wages were among the items that saw significant growth within several departmental budgets, say officials.

"About the only glamorous thing in here is in public works, and that's in recycling, for expansion of curbside pick up," said Stapczynski.

If the budget is approved, Andover homeowners will be able to recycle corrugated cardboard, aluminum and some plastics along with their glass and newspapers (see sidebar).

Adding positions

Although some selectmen last week said they disagreed with the town manager's recommendation to hire 12.5 new staff members, without adding anyone to youth services, the board unanimously approved most of these decisions Monday.

The heads of the library, public works, community development and planning, accounting, purchasing and elder services departments presented cases in writing and in person as to why positions should be added to their departments. Four clerical positions were among those recommended for approval.

"We've gone quite a ways using computers, using automation," said Stapczynski. "But automation doesn't do everything. There's still some judgment, still some hand work to be done. This was the year to come clean with that."

Rod Smith, town accountant, is one department head looking for a new office assistant. Holding up a single sheet of paper he said, "In 1980, this was the firefighters' salary schedule. Notice it's one page."

Then Smith held up the year 2000 schedule. It is 343 pages.

"Someone has to audit this," he said. "My staff is getting spread quite thin."

While the town creates far more complicated contracts, hires more people, cuts more checks and approves more extensive Town Meeting articles than it did in 1980, Smith said his office staff has not increased.

In fact, his office has gone from having three full-time people to having two full-time and one person who works the equivalent of .8 of a full-time staff member, he said.

Smith, and the other department heads, got the new positions recommended by Stapczynski.

Talk of support only

Meanwhile, Bill Fahey, director of youth services, did not get the new program assistant he requested.

Though each selectman offered verbal support for the youth services program, none suggested overriding Stapczynski's recommendation to delay this addition.

Several selectmen suggest that perhaps an employee from another department could assist youth services with its increased paperwork this year.

"We've already voted to support a number of clerical positions, and all of those are created to help the town," said Chairman John Hess. "Just because someone is in one place doesn't mean they can't help someplace else.

"I think it's a year of consolidation, and not a year to add another position to youth services," said Hess.

Selectmen also are not pushing for someone to oversee the community development and planning department, although board members previously said they want such a person hired. Stapczynski maintains that such a position is not needed, and so did not include it to his budget.

"The system works," said Stapczynski. "I'm still unconvinced that a 'director' is what we need. What I'm convinced of, is that the chemistry is right for these four individuals (the heads of the CD&P divisions)."

Hess told Stapczynski the reason for the position is not to settle squabbles, but to create long-range planning for the town. Selectmen believe that the current planners have too much on their plate with immediate planning to focus on long-range plans.

Fire

One area that Hess focused on Monday, was the overtime pay in the fire department's budget.

When the town agreed to a new contract with firefighters, one of the claims was that the new contract would cut down on the number of overtime hours the town would have to pay.

However, this year's request for miscellaneous overtime is $200,000, up from $155,000 approved last year.

Also, this year's request for vacation-leave overtime is $390,000, up from $350,000 approved last year.

The budget for sick-leave overtime will remain at the $180,000 level approved last year.

"I thought one of the rationales for the new contract was to reduce that," said Hess.

Though selectmen approved the budget, Hess suggested this was an area for the town to watch.

Fire Chief Harold Wright said that if firefighters work six months without a sick day they get one personal day. As a result, the request for personal day money also has increased to $87,500 over last year's $63,000 request.