On February 6 the Mattapoisett Finance Committee continued their discussions with department heads on the current state of their respective areas of responsibility, including current spending levels against the 2020 budget. Keeping the process forward moving towards the building of the 2021 budget, one last time before retiring, was Town Administrator Mike Gagne.
Fire Chief Andrew Murray said that with the promise of a modern and safe, brand-new fire station, recruitment for on-call firefighters has proven successful. Seven new firefighters had been brought onboard, he said. Expenses for sending on-call firefighters to the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy are paid by the state, Murray explained. The recruits began the 20-week course in early February. Bidding for the new fire station has begun, he said, with a projected groundbreaking sometime in March.
Murray said that the number of calls the department had received was down from the previous year, “…for the first time since I’ve been here,” noting that the drop was primarily a result of fewer weather-related incidents.
Regarding staffing, Murray said that the station is now manned seven days a week between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. “Evenings aren’t as much a problem because most on-call firefighters are back in town,” from jobs out of the community, he explained. The fire department currently has 31 on-call members.
FinCom member Paul Amoruso asked Murray if he had a five-year capital-needs plan. Murray said he did but discussion on that point did not take place.
However, the issue of new engines was brought up by FinCom chairman Pat Donoghue. Murray said engines would be in future budget planning. He said the department had been hindered in acquiring more up-to-date apparatus, “…because the station couldn’t handle it.”
Donoghue thought the public might question more spending on the heels of building a new fire station, but Murray pointed to the inability to replace out-of-date engines due to the current station’s dimensions. For fiscal year 2020 Murray requested $18,000 for vehicle repairs for the aging fleet. As of now $16,568 has been spent.
In his report, Murray listed 592 call responses, which included 23 fire-related calls, 89 rescues, 77 hazardous-materials calls, 149 public-service calls, 47 good-intent calls – calls canceled while in route, 195 false alarms, and eight weather-related responses.
Library Director Susan Pizzolato presented a five-year strategic plan as part of her packet of departmental data. That plan, she wrote, was critical to ensure that the library meets the expectations of the 21st century patron whose needs are, “…relational rather than transactional,” requiring the staff to be, “…responsive rather than passive, and creative and collaborative in its approach to literacy in all forms – reading, digital, financial, civic, and cultural.”
Specific strategic goals Pizzolato listed were to maintain a safe space, providing information in a variety of formats that support and promote citizenship, maintain a wide range of materials for reading, listening, viewing for pleasure or learning, and offer the community access to up-to-date technology.
Pizzolato said a new position that was added to the 2020 budget serves a dual role: one as children’s department director and as assistant to the library director. Another position filled was that of a professional part-time library technician, as well as a full-time reference staffer.
A full staff, Pizzolato stated, meant that the library has been able to offer more programming for all age groups and an Improved collaboration with the schools, especially in the area of health and social concerns of teens, family literacy and resources for out-of-school students. She said that she is meeting with the Board of Trustees to develop a succession plan moving forward. Pizzolato has announced her retirement for the end of the fiscal year.
A facilities committee was formed to address and manage the library’s structural and mechanical needs, Pizzolato said. And the demands on the structure continue to grow with 75,000 visitors, over 400 programs, 111,000 items in circulations and since the beginning of the fiscal year 273 new cardholders.
Pizzolato noted increases to maintenance agreements from $11,000 to $12,000 and other modest increases from SAILS library services $23,000 to $24,000, with library materials increasing the most from $77,000 to $82,000.
The library proposed operating budget worksheet was also presented with a grand total of $554,043 for FY21 versus $540,523 for 2020.
Mattapoisett Council on Aging Director Jackie Coucci also met with FinCom. In her budget narrative she wrote, “The FY20 budget originally planned for a part-time front-desk clerk.” She said that position had not been filled to stay within budget amidst the need for more driver hours and union-contract increases. Currently, senior tax work-off residents cover the front desk and Coucci has been generally pleased with the service. She stated that she will reassess front-desk coverage in the 2021 budget. COA is planning to expand its operating hours.
Coucci said that the formula grant issued through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs has been based off census figures from 2010 and is currently at a rate of $12 per resident over the age of 60. But that rate is subject to change, she explained, based on legislative action. She said that the 2020 census will likely confirm an increase in the number of seniors living in Mattapoisett, but the town’s share may remain unchanged if legislators reduce the rate. In the absence of guarantees, however, the COA may be looking for new funding sources to maintain programming, Coucci said.
And with a vast range of programming under the COA umbrella from rides to medical appointments to assistance with financial matters and keeping people safe in their homes, the demand for services has never been greater, Coucci remarked.
One COA program in high demand is F.I.S.H., Friends In Service Helping, an all-volunteer group providing transportation for medical appointments, as well as transportation provided by the COA. The value offered by the volunteer program is estimated to be $9,792, while the COA drivers cost approximately $8,596. Also mentioned was S.H.I.N.E., Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone, a program providing free health insurance information and counseling to seniors and caregivers and tax-preparation services by volunteers of the AARP Tax-Aide program.
Events and programs sponsored by the COA throughout FY20 have been arts and crafts, educational, entertainment, and fitness offerings. In the latter category, data shows an average of 207 people regularly served each week. Coucci also noted that the COA has logged in 48 home visits in 2019, 39 of which in the past four months.
The COA FY20 budget allocation was $186,843. Coucci stated the spending pace for the department is to remain at, or below, the budget figure.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for February 13 at 4:00 pm in the town hall conference room.
Mattapoisett Finance Committee
By Marilou Newell