Edgartown Voters to Confront Increases in School Spending

By MIKE SECCOMBE

Edgartown residents will be presented with a proposed operating budget increase of some 5.4 per cent, and ballot questions costing a total of about $3.9 million at the April 10 town meeting.

Total expenditures for the pending fiscal year, however, are projected to increase only $245,000, or 0.8 per cent over the current fiscal year, due to a 30 per cent reduction in requested articles this year.

Morton Fearey, chairman of the town's financial advisory committee, said the reduction in requests by some $1.7 million is the major good news in this year's budgetary process.

While the town's strong financial situation requires no general override under Proposition 2 1/2, the eight ballot questions on meeting warrant would, if all passed, see temporary overrides resulting in tax increases totaling $100,000.

The largest items are $1.5 million for extension of the town sewer, and $1.55 million to purchase land for a cemetery, open space and other purposes. Debt exclusions would fund these proposals.

A variety of smaller expenditures would fund a new concrete boat ramp on Chappaquiddick ($48,000), the dredging program ($221,488), work on town streets and sidewalks ($130,000 and $105,000 respectively), the construction of a Meshacket Road bike path ($279,400) and the town's contribution to the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority ($61,921).

The printed warrant contains 67 articles, but at a March 19 meeting, the selectmen agreed to add one more, the provision of $12,000 for two floats and a gangway to extend the finger piers at the wharf.

In the financial advisory committee report at the beginning of the warrant, Mr. Fearey said close collaboration between the committee, selectmen and departments had resulted in the committee being far more likely to recommend than not recommend specific budgets and articles.

Indeed, only one of 67 printed warrant articles - the proposed Meshacket Road bike path - was not recommended. Three others were neither recommended nor not recommended.

The total appropriations requested by the financial committee for fiscal year 2008, which starts July 1, is $23,958,202. That's a 5.4 per cent increase on last year's $22,725,133.

The increase in general government costs - the various town boards and departments - is more modest, increasing about 2.75 per cent, to about $1.736 million.

The largest increases in dollar terms are in education, which is slated to take up more than one-third of the total budget, at almost $8.165 million. This is an increase of some $335,500 over the previous year, and the major extra cost is in school department salaries, which are up about $240,000.

The other big jump is group insurance costs; projections are up almost a quarter of a million dollars over the previous year, to a total of just over $3.5 million. The town share of health insurance is up about $180,000 and town share of medicare up almost $30,000.

In general, expenses have held steady, while salary costs have increased. The budget document notes that salaries and wages recommended by the personnel board and financial advisory committee reflect a 4.2 per cent cost-of-living allowance for full-time workers and a 3.2 per cent increase for part-time workers.

Town financial reserves continue to be strong. Free cash for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006 stands at nearly $1.24 million, and the stabilization fund is also about $1.24 million.

Free cash is surplus revenue, the amount by which cash, accounts receivable and other floating assets exceed liabilities and reserves.

The town also will ask voters to transfer a further quarter million dollars from free cash to the stabilization fund. That fund is a reserve fund set up by town meeting from which appropriations may be made for any purpose, on a two-thirds vote.