BY RYAN O’CONNOR

School district treasurer Arnold Coda and several other residents voiced displeasure with what they termed excessive spending by selectmen and the school board.

At the town and school district budget hearing on Jan. 24, roughly 200 Hopkinton citizens lined the bleachers at Hopkinton High School’s gymnasium.

“I’m tired of constant increases in expenses that lead to increased taxes,” said Coda. “There are many people in this town that can afford a tax increase, but I can’t. My family and I are struggling.”

The budget committee had requested a cap on increases of 3.8 percent from the town and school district, but the school’s proposed budget came in at an 8.18 percent increase, including the operating budget and warrant articles.

Selectmen, on the other hand, came in 1 percent above the suggested increase for its operating budget, and eliminated warrant articles and bonds from years past to create an overall decrease of 1 cent.

School district

The $15.14 million proposed operating budget represents a 4.99 increase, or $719,000 over last year’s budget of $14.42 million, but school board Chairman Marshall Rowe said the board anticipates

$689,000 in additional revenue to offset the tax rate.

“My goal tonight is to make sure everyone here has a clear understanding of the school district’s budget proposal,” said Rowe. “We have an obligation to present excellent educational programs and opportunities for town, but we also worked hard and make difficult choices and cuts in order to put forward the smallest tax impact possible.”

Rowe said his board took a conservative approach in assuming property values will not change, as opposed to the town, which assumed an increase is assessed valuation.

The $15.14 million proposed operating budget, after the projected revenue, results in a .21 percent net operating budget increase. This amounts to 2 cents per $1,000 property valuation, or $6 on a $300,000 home.

Uncontrollable costs, said Rowe, include contractual obligations, fuel, utilities, special education and a vocational agreement with Concord. Contracts and special education costs are $750,000 of the increase.

The budget will be partially offset by expected additional revenue, said Rowe, resulting in a net increase of $30,703.

Part of the plan is to charge more for school lunches to gain additional revenue.

“It was a difficult decision because Hopkinton is already high on student lunch costs, but the budget committee insisted that we find every possible revenue source,” he said.

The district is also laying off one second-grade teacher at Harold Martin Elementary to save money.
Coda, however, said the district could lay off six teachers at a savings of more than $300,000.

“That’s the kind of thinking I expect from my school board,” said Coda. “I want to you guys up there talking about decreases, not explaining increases.”

Resident Mary Carter defended the current staffing appropriation at district schools, saying she moved from Concord to Hopkinton for quality education for her children.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Is cutting four to six teachers a worthy goal? I couldn’t let that stand without a defense,” said Carter.

“There is one main indicator that defines the difference between mediocre education and excellent education, and there no way to get around the benefit that students receive from additional interaction with qualified teachers.”

Superintendent Brian Blake said the district’s proposed budget is comparable with other districts of similar staffing levels and special education needs.

Warrant article

The school board is also proposing a warrant article to address facility needs, as outlined by a comprehensive study to recognize deficiencies in the district’s buildings.

The article asks voters to approve spending $527,000 for upgrades to two schools – replacing 49 windows, adding 30 parking spaces, and a new heating and air-conditioning ventilation system at Harold Martin School; and a new card-reader security system and modular classroom unit for the high school.

The school board will take $100,000 from the maintenance trust fund to offset the cost, decreasing the request to $427,000. Renovations will cost roughly 56 cents per $1,000 assessed value, or $168 on a $300,000 home. However, Rowe said the district expects a reduction to 50 cents per $1,000 assessed value because of additional revenues.

Responding to criticism about not bonding the renovations, Rowe said the district will save money in the long run by paying lump sum, rather than paying interest on a 10-year bond that would increase the cost 30 percent. But, resident Peter Yunich insisted the energy savings realized by new windows at Harold Martin could be used to decrease taxes.

“It’s easy to calculate investment in terms of lower energy costs, which would more than offset the interest costs of a bond,” said Yunich. “I want to know, ‘Have you done the homework?’”

The total proposed warrant, excluding anticipated revenue, represents an 8.18 percent tax increase.

The school district  returns unspent money to offset the tax rate, Rowe said. But some residents, however, said the town and school district should calculate their numbers and increases from what is actually spent during the last fiscal year, rather than what was approved at Town and School District Meeting.

Rowe said that concept is unrealistic.

Town

Selectman Peter Russell said the budget committee directed that the town address every possible revenue source.

He said the board thought it beneficial to start with last year’s tax rate of $4.33 per $1,000 assessed property value and work to maintain the same rate. The total town budget is less than a 1 percent decrease over last year, said Russell.

“With all things we have proposed, with conservative fund balance usage, we feel we can maintain your tax rate at $4.33,” he said.

Resident Yunich openly disagreed with the selectmen’s approach.

“The issue isn’t the tax rate, It’s what we spend,” Yunich said to widespread approval by those in attendance. “If I hear one more time about all what a good job selectmen have done to decrease the tax rate by a cent I’ll do the town a favor and probably shoot myself.”

Russell said it was unfair that the town be blamed entirely for tax bills they send out, because overall taxes include school district, county and state costs as well.

During the budget process, the town had asked each department to submit three- to five-year plans.

“We found out we have a real group of progressive thinkers on the municipal side of government. So we took that narrative and the budget numbers they presented to us and, quite frankly, sat down and had a heart to heart and expressed that there may be some things they think they need, but we didn’t think they need,” Russell said.

The operating budget still shows an anticipated $372,000 increase, though Russell said the tax rate will drop 1 cent to $4.32, after a 14 percent decrease in warrant article requests from 2006.

One of the added costs is a full-time firefighter/EMT for $33,000.

Russell said because Hopkinton doesn’t have a full-time fire chief, the hiring of another full-time
employee for the fire department will allow Deputy Chief John Pianka to concentrate on administrative duties.

“It’s virtually impossible for him to make appointments with people and he often comes in on his off days to handle administrative duties, because he knew he wouldn’t have to be on a fire truck or ambulance on those days.”

The move will also allow Pianka to take on the role of code enforcement officer, a position the town would have to fill if it didn’t hire a new EMT to handle some of Pianka’s field duties.

It will also prevent the town from having to hire a full-time fire chief at a considerably higher cost, said Russell.

In addition, the town will hire a part-time assistant to recreation director Robert Mattes.

Coda, however, criticized selectmen for allowing the recreation department to morph from a part-time, self-funded program to a $147,348 expense to the town.

“I think we need to get rid of recreation department in total,” Coda said. “I don’t see why this should be done at taxpayers’ expense. If people want a recreation department, it should be funded privately through private sources.”

Resident Diane LaChance also brought up the Slusser Senior Center, which was destroyed by arsonist  Jan. 15.

Selectmen said the center will cost the town up to $33,000 to run and maintain.

LaChance said she would like to see the operating costs for the senior center put on a separate article so residents can vote accordingly.

Russell said residents have a chance to adjust the operating budget at Town Meeting.