[Rich, 01:50]

• The Ottoson Select Singers sang the national anthem and gave a mini-concert.
• Article 2 - Reports: Ms. Galkowski presented the Annual Report. Ms. Howard presented the Vision 2020 report. Article tabled.
• Article 56 - Capital Budget: Continued from prior session.
  • Ms. Galkowski said we simply cannot afford to have the Park Circle firehouse in the FY04 capital budget. She said it is very important to be redone but it cannot start in FY04.
  • Mr. Bernardin offered an amendment to insert $20,000 for Dallin School infrastructure improvements into part (3) of the capital budget. He said it was only fair since $40,000 is in the capital budget for improvements at Thompson and Stratton. He talked about the terrible conditions of the girls' lavatory at Dallin. He noted that his amendment does not compel any money to be spent. Mr. Foskett asked where Mr. Bernardin got the $20,000 figure from and if the proposed work was capital or maintenance, and if the work had been itemized and priced. Mr. Bernadin said it was not and asked if the Thompson/Stratton work was. Mr. Foskett said that work was itemized and priced and went into the capital budget at the request of the School Committee. He said the proper approach is to bring the problems/suggestions to the School Committee, which would evaluate and prioritize the issues. Ms. Donovan said the lavatory problems are on the repair list to be fixed this spring.
  • Mr. Carabello said he supported the Capital Budget Planning Committee. He said the firehouse work would consume half of the capital budget and we cannot afford to leave so many other things unattended.
  • Mr. Judd asked if there were any reassuranced that the Park Circle firehouse would be in the FY05 capital plan. Mr. Foskett said it is in the proposed capital plan and will remain there if the revenue forecast holds up, but cannot promise more than that. Ms. Galkowski agreed with Mr. Foskett.
  • Mr. Leonard asked why we have spent close to $1,000,000 to renovate the Robbins Memorial Gardens and why field maintenance is in the operating budget while that renovation is in the capital budget. Mr. Tosti said the Robbins work involves much rebuilding and is therefore a capital item like when some playing fields were torn up and rebuilt, but day-to-day maintenance is an operating expense. Mr. McClennan said the Robbins work has been preceding under a master plan approved by TM a few years ago, and all the moneys have come from federal and state grants. He said no work will be done on it this year since there is no grant money this year and that the same is true for the garden wall near the library, which will collapse soon.
  • Mr. Foskett noted that grant money given for one purpose cannot be moved to another item in the budget.
  • Ms. Galkowski explained the difference between capital and operating expenses.
  • Ms. Fiore said she supported Mr. Bernardin's amendment.
  • Mr. Ruderman asked if we really needed three fire stations, and pointed out we spent $25,000 on a study which said we only needed two, and rejected the study.
  • Mr. Cleinman said he suppored the capital plan and was opposed to the amendment, though he did not doubt its sincerity. He asked if there were any chances of getting security-related federal grants for the firehouse. Mr. Greeley said that there have been some discussions with Belmont about the possibility of a combined station and that the Town was trying for grants but did envision anything being available this year.
  • Ms. Friedman moved the previous question on all matters, which carried 126-44.
  • Bernadin amendment defeated 34-129.
  • Section (1) approved, and $300,000 stabilization fund transfer approved unanimously.
  • Section (2) approved.
  • Section (3) approved 151-7.
  • Section (4) approved unanimously.
  • Section (5) approved.
• Article 35 - CDBG: Had been postponed to tonight. Tabled.
• Article 54 - Operating Budgets:
  • Mr. Lavalle moved to consider the budget sections one at a time instead of following the usual process of only consider those sections anyone yells out to hold. Motion carried.
  • Mr. Tosti said that the Department of Revenue will not allow a contingent budget vote, so TM will have to have a session after the override vote and act accordingly. He took us through a number of tables and charts in the FinComm report, some key points of which are that we are burning reserve funds at an unsustainable rate (FY04 proposed budget uses up about $6,000,000 of the remaining $10,000,000 of reserves) but that the Town is hoping such use will buy the Town time by allowing it to help maintain services as it wait for federal and state economic conditions to turn around. He said that health insurance costs are really hurting the Town. He urged TM to hold the line against amendments presented to increase spending and cut revenues and to keep a balanced budget.
  • Mr. Greeley moved to table sections (1) through (16) of the budgets so that Mr. Ryan could comment on the Police Services piece of section (17), as he would not be present for the next session. Motion carried. Mr. Greeley moved to amend section (17) by adding $90,000 of police overtime spending and $70,000 of fire overtime spending.
  • Mr. Ryan said the police increase would fund "minimum manning", and would keep 5 officers on the day shift, 7 on the night shift, and 5 on the graveyard shift. He said he would be comfortable with that level of staffing but that it is not ideal. He said this would not be replacing cut positions.
  • Ms. LaCourt asked where the offsetting $160,000 was. Mr. Greeley said $85,000 was offset by reductions in tip fees. Mr. Tosti said he did not know where the rest would come from and that this year revenues were not estimated conservatively and thus there is no wiggle room in revenues to make up for increased spending. He said that proponents of increased spending should propose offsets along with their spending increases. Mr. Ryan said this was about safety and that even 5-man shifts are "way below" the staffing he would like to see.
  • Mr. Caggiano introduced Patrolmen's Association president Jim Smith. Mr. Smith urged us to approve the amendment and said the Association believes the failure to do so would compromise the safety of the public and the officers.
  • Mr. Carreiro said that Mr. Tosti had said most of what he wanted to say, but reiterated that he would like proponents of spending increases/revenue cuts to also provide the meeting with formal or suggested offsets.
  • Mr. Roselli said that when he was appointed to the police force in 1963 there were 11-man shifts and the department had 40 more men than now. He said he felt 5-man shifts were "ludcirous" and also asked why we keep spending money on studies we ignore.
  • Mr. Taber asked what the relationship was between the extra overtime and the position add-backs that will happen if the override passes. Mr. Ryan said that if the override passes the "minimum manning" problem would be solved. Mr. Taber asked what would happen to the amendment money if both it and the override passed. Mr. Greeley said it would go into free cash if not spent. Mr. Greeley also said that the $75,000 of the increase not covered by the tip fee reduction would come out of the stabilization fund.
  • Mr. Tosti asked why FinComm had not heard about the proposed amendment before last week and said he felt it was unfair to propose changes like that this late. He cited sharply declining crime numbers over the last 20 years (the totals of the seven "major" crimes dropped from 1760 to 495) and wondered if given the fiscal crisis we were in, minimum manning was necessary. He said the study that said the Police Department was understaffed was "ridiculous" since it compared the Town to places like Everett, Chelsea, Haverhill, etc. and that Arlington had more officers per 100 crimes than any of the places the report compared us to.
  • Ms. Mahon said that money to pay for the proposal could come from lots of places, such as reserves or "cutting the fat." She talked about eliminating/reducing car allowances and travel. She said we are "whacking" on direct services too much and that perhaps more upper-level positions should be eliminated. She said that she had been discussing this since December and that the amendment was not "sneaky". She said the Acting Town Manager will simply have to cut spending to balance the budget. She said we would lose the drug officer and the domestic violence officer.
  • Mr. Hughes asked how long it takes for a patrolman to go from appointment to the street. Mr. Ryan said a took a year. Mr. Hughes said he has a permanently injured wrist and that he hoped it did not happen to any other officers.
  • Ms. Mann said that everyone who feels strongly about the effects of cuts should vote for the override. She said that as a Middlesex County prosecutor she sees the effects of police staffing cuts and that it is very frustrating, but is still against the amendment. She said the approach is improper and that budget planning should be done comprehensively. She said that as much as she would like the higher staffing she could not in good conscience support the amendment.
  • Mr. Bernardin moved to postpone section (17)(b) until after the override vote. The Moderator made it clear that subsequent debate would only be on the motion to postpone.
  • (on motion to postpone) Mr. Foskett said that TM must be courageous and decisive, and to vote against postponement.
  • (on motion to postpone) Mr. Tully said he felt upset about being rushed and was "outraged" that people who present new options are treated as "disruptive."
  • (on motion to postpone) Mr. Roselli said he was opposed to postponing and in favor of the amendment.
  • (on motion to postpone) Mr. Berkowitz moved the previous question on postponement, which carried.
  • Motion to postpone defeated.
  • Mr. Holman said he supported the amendment. He said police are a critical municipal function. He said he did not know how to work the finances but that it should be done.
  • Motion to adjourn made and carried.
• Mr. Bernardin, Mr. Foskett, and possibly others served notice of reconsideration on Article 56.
• Meeting adjourned to 20:00 on Wednesday, May 28. (Monday is Memorial Day)