At this week’s budget forum, the Finance Committee presented the proposed town budget for Fiscal Year 2008. This budget will fund increases in the town’s operating costs, including recurring “budget busters” of energy, benefits, and special education. It also provides for the operation of the new library, the promotion and training of a new police sergeant, increased hours for the Council on Aging, and increased positions and/or programs in the schools.
An override of $650,000 will be required to fund this budget, which will result in an increase of 9 percent to the average tax bill. The unsettled union contracts mean that no funds have been budgeted for cost of living increases for our teachers, police officers, or Department of Public Works workers for either 2007 or 2008; when those contracts settle, an additional override will almost certainly be required to fund them. (Each 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment for all union employees will cost the town approximately $75,000.)
We continue to be extremely concerned about the affordability of these annual overrides for many of the citizens of our town. In developing this budget, we have worked for several months to balance these concerns for affordability with the need to maintain an acceptable level of services, particularly in the schools. Our budget includes increased school spending, including benefits, in excess of $850,000. This represents a 7.6 percent increase over the 2007 budget and includes more than $200,000 for increases in staffing and/or programs.
We realize that this budget does not include the full amount requested by the School Committee, and we acknowledge that the larger amounts requested could be put to good use. The decision as to the educational priorities of implementing new programs or hiring staff will be made by the School Committee. We remain convinced that this budget can be managed to meet the needs of the schools.
Debbie Ricci, chairman
Harvard Finance Committee
