Thursday, February 8, 2007 Older Editions

Adding services could mean override vote

By Brian Messenger

Despite a nearly $2.4 million shortfall between projected revenues and what it will cost to maintain current services, Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski believes Andover can avoid cuts to staff and services and bridge the gap without a Proposition 21/2 override.

However, Stapczynski says additional expenses outside his recommended buget - including $6.2 million made by department heads - probably would need to be done through an override. This would require both a vote at Town Meeting and a special election.

"My recommendation is the basic approach, to go with the level service budget," said Stapczynski on Tuesday, one day after presenting his operating budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year to the Finance Committee and two selectmen.

Andover voters have never supported a Proposition 21/2 override for operating expenses. Residents rejected the town's only two such proposals, in 1991 and 2002, by wide margins at special town elections. Under Proposition 21/2, taxes can rise only 2.5 percent annually, not including the taxes on new growth.

Andover might face two debt exclusions of Proposition 21/2 already - temporary tax increases that disappear once a project is paid for - as the town is considering asking millions to fund a school-roof improvement program, and, in a separate vote, a sidewalk repair program.

Stapczynski's budget includes the equivalent of about nine new full-time positions for the school department - it requested 21 - and no new positions for any other department. But it does not include any increases in town employees' salaries. All union contracts expire at the start of the coming fiscal year.

"We face some challenges head on. The challenge with keeping Andover affordable, the challenge of working with the new administration, the challenge of controlling spending, the challenge of increasing our revenues," he told the boards.

"It will take work from us here (and) a little luck from the legislature," said Stapczynski. "That's really the challenge before us, is to try and do that."

After the meeting Stapczynski said Andover is expecting a "modest" increase in state aid, and will continue looking at increasing town-generated revenue, exploring new growth, and limiting expenditures related to costs such as employee health insurance.

"I don't think it's going to be easy, but I think we can bring a level services budget and an available funds budget together," said Stapczynski. "There's quite a bit for us to work on."

Although the town will be working with nearly $1.7 million more in available revenue, providing the same level of services will cost more than $4 million more in fiscal year 2008, said Stapczynski. He also earmarked $2.4 million for capital projects, deciding against recommending an additional $400,000 requested by the School Committee on Jan. 16 for school technology.

Monday's meeting marked the start of a busy stretch for the selectmen, Finance Committee and School Committee, which will meet eight more times within the next two months to iron out budget details and meet with various department heads.