Town department budgets discussed at Jan. 18 Warrant Committee meeting

by Doug Scibeck

The Warrant Committee met on Jan. 18 to conduct preliminary review of town department budgets. The meeting started, after being called to order by Chair George Ashur, with a moment of silence to commemorate the death of committee member Lucinda Larson, who passed suddenly last week. The chair and Town Moderator are looking at candidates to fill the vacant seat, though the sentiment of the committee will be impossible to truly replace her.

The sub-committee for public safety met an hour earlier than the general committee to discuss the budgets for the Fire Department, Police Department, Emergency Management, and Inspectional Services. The Warrant Committee as a whole reviewed scheduling and housekeeping business before breaking into sub-committees. The position of clerk remains open. The chair is working with the moderator to have the position opening advertised at local colleges and on employment boards. The chair reported that preliminary revenue figures are not yet available. This is mostly due to not having the local aid amount from the state. Working revenue figures are expected next week.

The general committee divided into sub-committees to review department budgets as well as the capital budget. These reviews aimed at prioritizing questions for department heads. The committees also worked on scheduling times for sub-committees to meet. Department heads and possibly the Town Administrator will be requested for the next meetings. Agendas and times for those meetings will be posted in advance. The public is welcome to attend sub-committee meetings to provide comments or ask questions on individual department budgets, and also for the general committee.

 The school district is asking for an overall 4.6% increase for the FY19 budget.

The school budget was not discussed during this session, but the sub-committee met to review priorities. The school finance committee previously presented to the Warrant Committee what they view as their top needs. The school district is asking for an overall 4.6% increase for the FY19 budget. The school district is asking in the FY19 budget for $49.625 million, which is $2.179 million more than the FY18 budget of $47.445 million.

Most of the school budget is dedicated to instruction, a full 47%, with another 27% of the total budget dedicated to special education. The largest increase requested for FY19 is for special education needs. There are special education tuition demands that are increasing, and these costs are beyond the control of the district. Special education requires a transportation component that is projected to approach $1.3 million, or an additional $200,000, in FY18 compared to the previous year. The state budget also reduced specific reimbursements in the FY18 state budget representing a 6% increase to Milton’s actual net cost.

In order for the school district to maintain level services and meet legal mandates, the next fiscal year’s school budget will need to increase by $2.18 million. The increases include over $1.5 million in salary increases for existing staff. The school district is using the same assumptions as other town departments in calculating the budget. The assumptions are 1% increase for goods and services, 3% increase in utilities, and 6% increase for medical expenses, including out-of-district special education tuition.

The other large driver for budget increases is personnel. Apart from increases mandated by collective bargaining agreements, the district is requesting a modest increase in staffing necessitated by projected increases in enrollment. The kindergarten through grade 5 enrollment is expected to increase by 151 students in the next three years. The schools will need six new instructors within those three years, but are requesting only one new elementary teacher.

The Warrant Committee is expected to discuss the school budget request in an upcoming January meeting. The public, as always, is welcome to attend. Dates and agendas for all town meetings are posed on the calendar of the Town web page, https://www.townofmilton.org/calendar-by-event-type/16/month,

The public is welcome to attend sub-committee meetings to provide comments or ask questions on individual department budgets, and also for the general committee.

The Warrant Committee will discuss the capital budget needs on Monday, Jan. 22 and also break into sub-committees for further review of departmental budgets.