This is a busy time of year for the Warrant Committee. This part Saturday they convened an all day meeting in which they reviewed the FY12 budgets for all town departments with those department heads. The heads of department can voice their concerns and opinions about where their needs are greatest, the members of the WC can ask for clarification, and the public can watch. It makes for a long, dry, and occasionally fascinating discussion. Here are some highlights.

This meeting went all day from 9:00 in the morning until almost 5:00 in the afternoon. Given time we could watch, we heard:

Chief Wells remind the committee and the people watching that there are real people behind all the numbers being discussed in the spreadsheets being pulled up one after the other on the projection screen. People are affected by these numbers. Some may lose their jobs, some may see a deterioration in town services, some may have to work with equipment that is not up to date or have to make a tough decision because there is not enough resource to do everything. Chief Wells may be more sensitive to this than others because as he noted, “When we hear from people they are usually not having their best day.”

Joe Lynch of the DPW give an example of how cutting certain costs and services will only cost the town more down the line. One example is filling pot holes. If road crews get cut back and don’t fill holes in a timely fashion those holes get bigger. And when those holes get bigger, the damage to vehicles increase and the possibility of dealing with accident claims increases with them. He also stated that the storms had cost the town $600,000. That figure includes all labor and material costs (e.g. salt).

Ms. Gormley, the Superintendent of Schools, is looking at reducing her staff by 11.2.  When asked what order she would add back those cuts, she gave the following order for bringing back staff on cut list: English/reading teacher, middle school math teacher, high school science teacher, middle school teacher (tbd), HS Spanish teacher. Gormley noted this was the recommendation of the leadership team and had not voted on by school committee. She also noted that the incoming class to Pierce is one of the largest 5th grade classes in history.

Phil McNulty mentioned that the Friends of the Library and the Foundation provide the library with $30,000 in funding. Mr.  McNulty compares Milton with towns of similar size and neighboring communities. Milton does not compare well in the area of budget for books. If he could get desired funding his priorities are book purchases to ensure the library stays in compliance with state requirements and looking to open the library on Saturdays in the summer.

Chief Grant of the Fire Department say “We’re holding our own.” But the station at town hall is a major concern and will need significant attention within the next 10 years.