MassBudget: Mid-Year Budget Cuts

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Mid-Year Budget Cuts Because tax receipts for FY 2013 have been lower than expected, the Governor today announced a series of mid-year spending cuts--along with plans to use money from existing reserves. Our new factsheet, Mid-Year Budget Cuts for FY 2013, describes these proposals and the broader fiscal context. Among the cuts announced today are the following: Lower reimbursements for districts with high-needs special education students (via $11.5 milllion in cuts to the SPED Circuit Breaker) $7.4 million in cuts to mental health programs, including some services for children and some for adults A 1% cut to Local Aid, which funds municipal services including police and fire protection, parks, and public works. (This cut would have to be approved by the legislature.) $200 million drawn from the state stabilization fund (the "rainy day" fund) There are two basic reasons that Massachusetts continues to find itself in a fiscal crisis. First, because of the lingering effects of the Great Recession. And second, because of tax cuts and other declines in tax receipts over the last fifteen years that cost the state over $3 billion in annual revenue. Read MID-YEAR BUDGET CUTS FOR FY 2013 The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

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Tax Rate info for FY 2013 updated

I have updated the numbers for this year based upon the info provided for the Town Council meeting agenda and the MA DOR webpages for Franklin.


Franklin FY2013 TaxRateInfo


There is some good news in all this data. The decline in valuation of Residential values is less than prior years. The Commercial category increased for the first time since 2008. Maybe, just maybe this is showing we are at the bottom of the property value decline! Time will tell.

You can view these numbers here
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZX-GuFrcIQNnKeLDAg785q_fgYq4BBjqwArGUDfs86U/edit

Franklin council unanimously backs budget

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Franklin council unanimously backs budget

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Jessica Trufant/Daily News staff on 5/24/12

Town Council last night took just 15 minutes to unanimously approve a $91.5 million budget for fiscal 2013, up from $90.1 million in fiscal 2012. The council discussed the information technology and Fire Department budgets in further detail before voting on the second reading, or final approval, of the budget.

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• Subscribe to The Milford Daily News News RSS using Google Reader
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Town Council - Budget Hearing FY 2013

Present: Mercer, Dellorco, Kelly, Powderly, Vallee, Pfeffer, Bissanti
Absent: Jones, Roy


A. ANNOUNCEMENTS
This meeting is being recorded by Verizon, Comcast and Franklin Matters.
Parade 10:30 AM Monday morning, Andy Bissanti Senior Grand Marshall

B. HEARING
FY 2013 Budget Hearing – 2 nd Reading

Clerk to read line item, if an item would like to be held for discussion, say so
The line items come from this worksheet  Expense budget FY 2013

motion to move all line items not held, passed 7-0

hold placed on
155 - Info Technology : why expenses and no salaries? The School Dept pays the salaries, while the Town picks up the facilities. The expenses are kept here, mostly maintenance fees and software licenses. Some purchases for replacements. The School Dept has their own expense line item

motion to move line item, passed 7-0

220 - Fire
I have been wanting to see three ambulances here 24x7, how close are we to that goal?
We are quite a bit away. We are about 5-8 people away from staffing level. We have applied for a grant to help. We continue to monitor this, monitoring mutual aid. The cost for overtime to staff doesn't cover the ambulance revenue the 3rd one would bring. As the industrial parks continue to build out, we would have pressure to increase but the call volume is pretty static right now. We do have two full staffed ambulances right now.

How much have your responses increased in the last several years?
With the downturn in the economy we have 'lost' calls and really held about the same. It hasn't been escalating like it did when we were growing. When we see the full commercial side of the town running, we'll see an increase.

Nutting - we have asked for a transfer of money coming in a future meeting to cover for injured coverage.

motion to move line item, passed 7-0


C. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 12-36: Adoption of FY 2013 Budget
Motion to accept, passed 7-0
needed a 2/3 vote, so they did roll call to cover


D. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn

"pleased with the level of communication and transparency"

The Milford Daily News reported on the Town Council Budget hearing on Wednesday:

“Overall, the budget is only up about 2 percent. … It’s a pretty modest budget. We still are near the bottom in all spending categories for towns our size,” Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said. 

Unfunded health insurance liability, stormwater management and roads are potential fiscal hardships for 2014, Nutting said. 

School Committee Chairwoman Paula Mullen presented her committee’s proposed $52.7 million budget, up from about $51.1 million this year. 

Mullen said Chapter 70 funding, or state aid for schools, is expected to be $26.86 million, which will cover 51 percent of the budget.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1347547568/Franklin-Town-Council-approves-budget-in-first-hearing#ixzz1vmQyukYL

Related post on the Franklin budget hearing process
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/05/franklin-ma-fy-2013-budget-hearings.html

Franklin, MA: FY 2013 Budget hearings

The Town Council has two special meetings this week for the annual budget hearing on the FY 2013 budget.

Franklin operates on a fiscal calendar from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. The FY 2012 budget approved last year funded operations through June 30, 2012. The budget hearings on Weds/Thu will look at funding operations for the period from July 1 through June 30, 2013.

The budget cycle generally begins in Sep/Oct as each department puts together their capital budget. The capital budget is funded by 'free cash'. Free cash is the amount of money left over from the prior budget year that the State has certified is really available. It is a one time fund and not used for operational expenses (personnel, salaries and benefits). It is used to fulfill the capital requirements (new equipment, school books, vehicles, etc.).

As the capital needs are reviewed, each department also puts together their operational requirements. These are reviewed by the Town Administrator and then brought before the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee holds a set of budget hearings where each department manager presents their case for the next year budget, explains their operations, their funding priorities and answers any questions.

The Finance Committee (FinCom) budget hearings were held in April and ended with the FinCom voting on the budget to forward it to the Town Council. This is the budget the Council will be reviewing.

The voting document shows multiple columns. The last two years total for each line item. The original total for this year as put forward by the department. The recommendation by the Town Administrator (TA). This year, the TA only changed one line item (510 - Health) reducing the amount by $1,500. On the one hand, you can attribute only one change to close coordination between the TA and the department head. In this case, the Board of Health apparently submitted a request to create a salary or stipend for what has been a volunteer or unpaid position.

The expense side of the budget generally gets the most focus but the revenue side of the budget is equally important. Franklin is required to present a balanced budget. Where the money comes from is as interesting as how it is spent. For example, this year $350,000 that was taken away from the School budget in Oct 2011 is being put back into the budget for next year. The vote to approve that transfer is part of the overall budget process decisions coming up Weds and Thu nights.

The budget documents

Expense budget FY 2013
Revenue budget FY 2013

FinCom hearings
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/finance-committee-budget-hearing-fy.html

Hearing schedule for FinCom
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/fincom-fy-2013-budget-hearings.html

Events in Franklin this week

The Parmenter Elementary School sign highlights some of their events this week




Also up this week:

Jeff Roy's Campaign kicks off with an event at the Elks Club on Tues, May 22 from 6:00 - 9:00 PM
http://www.facebook.com/events/234977643273553/ or http://jeffreyroy.com/

Author Kristi Marsh talks about her book "Little Changes" at the YMCA on Weds, May 23
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/05/local-author-to-discuss-making-little.html

The Town Council reviews the budget for next year over two nights Weds and Thu (May 23, 24) both night beginning at 7:00 PM. The final vote on the budget for next year is scheduled for Thursday's meeting.

"everybody knows where we are"

“That shouldn’t have happened last year,” Town Council Chairman Robert Vallee said, of the Town Council cut. 

To prevent a similar scene, the School Committee and Town Council have been meeting regularly as the Joint Budget Subcommittee to provide each other updates on budget needs and financial limits. 

“There’s more communication, more open communication, between the School Committee and the Town Council,” Vallee said. “There’s nothing (in the fiscal 2013 budget) that will come up that will make the councilors attack the School Department for any reason whatsoever, nothing controversial.”

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x775168158/Franklin-officials-hope-to-avoid-budget-showdowns-this-year#ixzz1ued22sgs


The Town Council will hold their budget hearings on Weds May 23 and Thu May 24.

The budget documents can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/franklin-ma-fy-2013-budget-documents.html

The Finance Committee budget hearings
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/fincom-fy-2013-budget-hearings.html

Franklin, MA: School Dept - Proposed Budget FY 2013

The presentation document used for the FY 2013 School Budget can be viewed here:



Related posts:
Summary budget documents
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/franklin-ma-fy-2013-budget-documents.html

Budget hearing 4/25/12
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/finance-committee-budget-hearing-fy.html

Finance Committee - Budget Hearing FY 2013

The Finance Committee approved the budget put forward for Fiscal Year 2013 on Wednesday evening. The total of $102,179,773 provides the same level of service with no program reductions and no increase in school fees. Some fees on the Town side of the budget were previously approved and their revenue is accounted for.

The refinancing effort of current debt to lower the interest cost will be beneficial especially in the area of the debt exclusions. The lower interest rates were announced during the meeting as the bond sales was held on Tuesday. The final impact to the dollar amounts overall will be available later.

While the FinCom approved the total budget, they did not explicitly approve the transfer of the $350,000 from the stabilization fund for use in the budget. I expect that approval to be scheduled for their May meeting next week. Their vote on the matter is usually an input to the Town Council for their deliberation and vote.


The collection of posts from the Finance Committee budget hearing are found here:

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/live-reporting-finance-committee-budget.html

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/live-reporting-fincom.html

The summary budget documents referenced can be found here

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/franklin-ma-fy-2013-budget-documents.html

FinCom: FY 2013 Budget hearings

The budget hearing for FY 2013 have mostly been held now. They were scheduled for four sessions as follows

Apr 3
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_FinanceAgendas/Agenda%202012-4-3.pdf


Budget Hearing
Veterans 543   E-19
Human Resources 152 A-26
Facilities 192   A-47
Library 610   F-1
Town Council 111  A-1  
Town Administrator 121 A-2
Finance Committee 131 A-4
Comptroller 135  A-5
Treasurer/Collector 147 A-16
Legal 151   A-23
Central Services 196  A-53
Animal Control 292  B-53
Benefits 910   G-16
Liability Insurance 945 G-26

The video replay for this meeting is available on the Franklin website
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?ecm=634707088382946090&indexSessionSKU=OQs85NOhWcBJ13Ix9wlbOw%3D%3D&siteSKU=L7qhQ46xin/r3Z0jcDVCNw%3D%3D



Apr 10
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_FinanceAgendas/Agenda%202012-4-10.pdf


Budget Hearing
Council on Aging (COA) 541   E-9
Inspections 240   B-53
Appeals 176   A-42
Police 210   B-1
Recreation 630  F-10  
Fire 220   B-12
Norfolk Aggie School 395 C-3


There is no video replay available as this session was held in the 3rd floor training room and not broadcast via local cable.

Apr 11
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_FinanceAgendas/Agenda%202012-4-11.pdf


Budget Hearing
Health 510   E-1
Assessors 141    A-11
Planning 177   A-43
Town Clerk 161  A-36
Elections 164   A-39  
Information Systems 155 A-33
DPW 422   D-1
Enterprise   H-1

The video from this meeting is available on the Franklin website
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?ecm=634707075522074166&indexSessionSKU=sKQphCKirlrcGpOc9OakkQ%3D%3D&siteSKU=L7qhQ46xin/r3Z0jcDVCNw%3D%3D



Apr 25
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_FinanceAgendas/Agenda%202012-4-25


Budget Hearing
Education – Franklin Public Schools    C-1

Franklin, MA: FY 2013 budget documents

When you start a budget, you need to know what revenues you expect to have. For your household, the revenue number would be your expected annual salary (i.e. take home pay). This document walks through the sources of Franklin's expected revenue for FY 2013.

Recall that FY 2013 will begin on July 1 and run through Jun 30, 2013. We are currently operating in FY 2012 which began on July 1, 2011 and will complete on Jun 30, 2012.

The Franklin, MA expected revenue for FY 2013:

Franklin Budget Revenues FY2013


With the revenue number to work with for FY 2013, each department goes through their budget to determine what they will need to operate with for the coming year. The capital requirements are separated and were recently approved by the Town Council. This is the operational budget at a summary level for each line of the budget.

The Finance Committee will review the budget at a detail level with each department manager. This detail review occurs over the course of several meetings. The department manager makes their recommendation, the Town Administrator makes his recommendation (which may differ) and the Finance Committee approves of their version (which may be the same as the Town Administrators or differ in some aspects).

This set of recommendations is what the Town Council will review in their two budget hearings currently scheduled for May 23 and 24. The budget total is voted on and becomes effective July 1, 2012.

The Franklin, MA proposed FY 2013 budget:

Franklin Budget Voting FY2013

Note that at the time the Franklin budget was put together, the School Dept had not yet submitted their budget. The place holder that was included 52,710,000 fortunately comes out to be exactly the number the School Dept appears to be bringing forward. I say appears to be as this document is up for discussion by the School Committee and they may make some changes before it goes to the Finance Committee and Town Council.

The School Dept budget as proposed for review by the School Committee:

FPS_FY2013_ExecSummary


You can also view or download these docs from the Franklin Matters Google doc folder
FY 2013 Expected Revenues
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczQnc2a19DSk12cmM

Franklin Budget
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczMmdIMjB1NENGOEk

School Budget
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczY0JaRnlQalRkVXM

In the News - budget balancing, Hamilton digs, Daddario awards, patent law, puppy training

Franklin leaders begin budget-balancing act

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Hamilton digs in at Forge Park in Franklin

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Daddario Hardware awards $1,000 Shopping Giveaway

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Franklin resident named Boston Patent Law Assoc. president

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

NEADS seeking help training puppies

by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Budget Workshop - Weds, Jan 11, 2012

As announced during the Jan 4 Town Council meeting, there will be a budget workshop for Town Council, School Committee, Finance Committee and open to the Franklin public to participate.

The workshop will be held on Wednesday, Jan 11 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers and is also reported to be broadcast. Participation in the room can guarantee your input, questions and answers are addressed.

Watch as Councilor Tina Powderly mentions this workshop at the end of the Jan 4th meeting at about 39:00 minute mark
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=rXB9VmkYdGYwNuGB9%2fgS1g%3d%3d

Note: about the 27 minute mark, Councilor Tom Mercer (and School Building Committee Chair) provides an update on the increased (and final) reimbursement amount for the project at 59.52%.