To the Steamer: Pick on the Budcom all you want but please be accurate!
The November 14th edition of the Steamer featured the following op-ed piece taking the Budcom to task for not being tough enough on the DPW budget:
Not to keep picking on the Budget Committee, but how is it that the committee hashed out the nitty-gritty details of how to save a few hundred dollars on business cards for the Finance Department, only to turn around and hardly second-guess (relatively speaking at least) an increase of more than 10 percent in the Department of Public Works budget? We realize that a lot of the department's costs are non-negotiable, and we expected an increase in light of the serious road damage caused by the flooding earlier this year, but 10 percent is a lot to swallow. It's possible, of course, that every last penny is being spent wisely. It just seems like the Budget Committee could have delved a little deeper into where and how those pennies are being spent. Not to keep bringing this up, but if they're going to dissect and revise some department budgets, maybe they should scrutinize all budgets in equal measure.
Pick on the Budget Committee all you want but please be accurate. Before I get started let me clarify that I am NOT representing the budget committee in this letter. I’d like to personally comment on your “Last Word” editorial regarding the Finance Department and the Department of Public Works budgets. The department that you incorrectly refer to as the Finance Department is actually the Town Clerk/Tax Collectors Department. I had the pleasure of sitting on the sub committee to review both the TC/TC and the DPW’s budgets so perhaps I could shed a little light on the review process. Let’s begin by establishing the sub committee’s role in the review process as I see it. The Selectmen meet with the department heads to review their budgets and requests.
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Having heard the reasoning for the requests they approve or deny monies to establish a department budget. Contrary to popular believe, as portrayed in this paper, the Budget committee doesn’t review the department budgets with the sole intent of seeking cuts. The budget committee is the second tier for the department heads to explain their reasons for requesting money, including the items that the Selectman may have denied. In regards to the TC/TC budget, the Selectmen had denied $405 for the purchase of business cards and letter head. Our sub committee, having heard the department head’s request, promised we would raise the issue at our next Budget Committee meeting. At that meeting we received additional information that ALL departments, with the exception of the TC/TC department, have been printing their own business cards and letter head. After some debate the motion to add the $405 did not receive a single vote.
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Now let’s address the DPW budget. I can assure you we “dissected” each line item of the DPW budget along with any other requested items. The publicly documented meeting went 4.5 hours followed by a department tour. It should be noted that some of the increases include 6 months of operating costs for the new library, new tires for most of the trucks and substantial material for road repairs as a result of storm damage. At the end of the meeting the sub committee informed the department managers that we would be discussing a requested part time position along with a few other items. During the next Budcom meeting we spent over an hour reviewing the DPW budget prior to any votes. The part time position, to be shared with the growing Sewer Department has been adversely effecting other departments and the time has come to centralize the billing and customer service issues. This portion of the part time position will be part of the sewer department costs that are shared by the users of the sewer system.
Now let’s address the DPW budget. I can assure you we “dissected” each line item of the DPW budget along with any other requested items. The publicly documented meeting went 4.5 hours followed by a department tour. It should be noted that some of the increases include 6 months of operating costs for the new library, new tires for most of the trucks and substantial material for road repairs as a result of storm damage. At the end of the meeting the sub committee informed the department managers that we would be discussing a requested part time position along with a few other items. During the next Budcom meeting we spent over an hour reviewing the DPW budget prior to any votes. The part time position, to be shared with the growing Sewer Department has been adversely effecting other departments and the time has come to centralize the billing and customer service issues. This portion of the part time position will be part of the sewer department costs that are shared by the users of the sewer system.
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It has been my experience that the Budget committee is dissecting ALL budgets equally and this year I’m happy to report that it appears the Selectmen have done an excellent job of presenting a very lean budget. All the residents of Gilford should know that we are required to comply with the law (91A) by posting the sub committee meetings. These meetings are open to the public which includes the media. Perhaps the editor of this paper may find these sub committee meetings helpful in obtaining a more accurate picture of the whole review process.
It has been my experience that the Budget committee is dissecting ALL budgets equally and this year I’m happy to report that it appears the Selectmen have done an excellent job of presenting a very lean budget. All the residents of Gilford should know that we are required to comply with the law (91A) by posting the sub committee meetings. These meetings are open to the public which includes the media. Perhaps the editor of this paper may find these sub committee meetings helpful in obtaining a more accurate picture of the whole review process.
