Thursday, May 26, 2016

LIve reporting: Budget Hearing #2 - May 26

meeting resumes to continue the budget hearing


F. HEARINGS
– 7:10 PM Budget:FY 2017 Budget Hearing

The budget document can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/05/franklin-ma-town-council-budget-hearing.html

Holds
210 - Police  (Vallee)
220 - Fire (Vallee)
fire expenses (Mercer)

Vallee - question on why no increase in personnel when in a survey we compared to other communities, the other towns must know something we don't know to have more people than we do

Semerjian - Any dept head would want more, you can't just add people and not be able to pay them

Vallee - you submitted for one policeman and I don't think that is adequate

Padula - rephrases question

Semerjian - if we put someone on, and don't have the fear of losing them, you could press harder. We are very fortunate in this communities. We work it the best way we can to make sure we do it within the constraints. There is a whole year to discuss this and nothing has been done since, and we're in the same situation.

Pfeffer - if you need some people, you need to come to the Council and let us work with the Town Administrator

Vallee - what is the problem with 3 ambulances?
McCarragher - We have staff for 7x24 for two not three

Vallee - how many did you request?
McCarragher - I asked to grow the budget for a period of 3-4 years so we could begin to staff the 3rd ambulance 10 hours, and then more and more. Incremental is really the way to grow the budget

Vallee - your responsibility is to do what is right

Pfeffer - How much overtime?
About 300K, but you're not going to reduce that?

Padula - does it take more time for an out of time to respond?
Absolutely,

Padula - we're doing our jobs but we want to look into this more closely

Mercer - last year you gave us some numbers
McCarragher - 1.5 per bed, up to 1.8

Mercer - have these facilities put more of a burden on the ambulance staffing
McCarragher - other communities are looking to bench mark off our numbers too

McCarragher - very few communities do use private ambulances, and it is going lower

hearing closed

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 16-33:Adoption of the FY 2017 Budget
Jones abstaining from vote (due to employment at Tri-County (which is part of the budget))

motion to approve FY 2017 budget of $116,417,305
via roll call, passed 8-1 (Jones abstain)

Motion to adjourn, passed


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