Charity Begins At Home?

Craig's Doors seasonal Homeless Shelter @ First Baptist Church recently added new trailer in back to serve dinners

Over the past four decades, up until 2009, Amherst has probably donated over 2 million in tax dollars to privately run charitable organizations performing valuable social work with the less fortunate citizens in town -- low income residents, the homeless, hungry, cold,  etc.

The town redirected Social Service spending to come out of Community Development Block Grant Funding back in 2009.  Since that grant is Federal money, the state anti-aid agreement would not apply.

But Amherst did briefly lose its CDBG eligibility last year (for FY15) and Vince O'Connor convinced Town Meeting to once again use regular General Fund tax money ($125,000) to fund the agencies.

Amherst is, to the best of my knowledge, the only municipality in Massachusetts to spend public money on private non-profit charitable agencies.  Which of course makes Amherst a "good guy" (or gal).

But is it legal?

Apparently a few people in town think not, and as a result Finance Director Sandy Pooler asked Town Council to look into it.

   Amherst Charity Spending Illegal?

I asked Sandy if it turns out the naysayers are correct and we should not have been donating the money all these years would the town be forced to ask those agencies to return the funds?

Said Sandy:  "That is a good question. I don't know the answer to that.  If the lawyers come back with an opinion that we have violated the anti-aid amendment, we will get to that."

Although he does close on a reassuring note:  "I do not think there is a violation, but we will see."

A Capital Idea

 

APD Chief Scott Livingstone right

It's that time of the budget year when department heads appear before the Joint Capital Planning Committee with tin cups in hand looking to fund equipment above and beyond their "operation budget."

The Joint Capital Planning Committee is comprised of two members each from Select Board, School Committee, Finance Committee and Library Trustees.

The target expenditure goal for capital is 7% of the $45 million projected tax levy, or $3,130,466.  However two-thirds of that -- $2,008,575 -- is already spoken for to service debt on previously authorized projects, leaving available $1,044,588.

Plus $180,000 in Community Preservation Funds (the Community Preservation Act Committee is in charge of those funds) and another $255,000 in ambulance funds bringing the grand total to bankroll new capital purchases to $1,480,000.

But the problem is requests to the JCPC are always w-a-y over that limit, with requests this year totally $3,881,311-- so cuts have to be made.

The Amherst Police Department was first up last week and their modest request consisted of 3 new vehicles, total of $105,000, and a $15,000 fingerprint scanner,

The front line police patrol cars are used 24/7 and rack up more miles than a NASA orbiter.  Both of the cruisers are Ford Interceptors -- one an SUV and the other a sedan -- and the third car, for administration, will be a politically correct Ford hybrid Escape.

Ford Interceptor SUV (Crown Vics are no longer manufactured)

Everybody APD arrests has to be fingerprinted.  The current eight year old scanning unit is outdated and breaks down frequently.  The new unit will automatically link to Massachusetts State Police data base for instant background checks.

Of course like Amherst Fire Department one serious problem faced by APD is a lack of people power.  The Town Manager has put the hiring of one new officer ($62,908) for downtown patrol on his "prioritized list of budget restorations" if the Regional Dispatch Center should miraculously happen and saves the town $62,908.  Kind of a Public Safety robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul scenario.

This morning the JCPC heard pitches from the Jones Library ($39,000), Planning Department ($52,000), and Conservation Department ($10,000).

The Library is looking for $4,000 for a new snowblower.  Finance Director and JCPC staff liason Sandy Pooler pointed out the committee has a minimum threshold of $5,000 per item and half jokingly suggested, "Why don't you order a bigger snowblower?"

The North Amherst Library is in need of new carpet so no problems making the $5,000 minimum there, since a lot of equipment needs to be removed and stored before going back in on the new carpet.  A company that specializes in libraries will do it all for $10,000.

The request that will stir the most controversy, but was described by Library Director Sharon Sharry as their #1 priority is for $25,000, representing a one-third contribution to apply for a $50,000 State Planning and Design Grant (25 out of 35 libraries will win be awarded grants).

If the Jones does not win the $50,000 grant the town's $25,000 will be returned.

The $75,000 will go towards hiring a project manager and architect to start the process of a major renovation that could double the size of the Jones Library.  The state would cover half the cost of the renovation/expansion, but on a $10 million project that's still $5 million of town tax dollars.

JCPC Chair Kay Moran called it a "very exciting project, but we have these other very large needs" as she rattled off major renovations coming up -- two elementary schools, a new DPW building and
the forever talked about new Fire Station.

Planning Director Jonathan Tucker presented a request for $52,000 to complete a project already underway:  remapping the 100 year flood plains.  Town Meeting approved $100,000 in 2012 and $15,000 of that was used to hire a consultant.

The consultant concluded the cost to integrate new information into new maps would be $137,000 total or another $52,000 on top of the remaining $85,000 from 2012.  Tucker described the current set of maps (dating back to 1972) as a "Very accurate representation of old information."

David Ziomek took off his Assistant Town Manager hat and put on his Director of Conservation and Development hat to request $5,000 for a new brush hog mower and another $5,000 for a trailer to cart it safely and efficiently around Amherst.

The Conservation Department oversees 2,000 acres, including 40 open fields where mowing is a big part of that upkeep.  The current brush hog is five years old and tends to break down.  But if the new one is purchased the old one would be kept as a back up.

Sandy Pooler gingerly asked (his boss when he's wearing his Assistant Town Manager hat) if he could borrow a DPW mower.  Ziomek replied the DPW is busy with theirs at the same time so it's hard to schedule, although items like a chipper, which is not used as frequently, can be borrowed. 

The JCPC will be meeting with town department heads every Thursday until mid March, and in April will issue a final report to Town Meeting with their Golden Ticket recommendations. 

Sparks fly over "safety"

Sandy Pooler makes a firm point to Library Trustee Carol Gray.  Comptroller Sonia Aldrich stuck in the middle

Carol Gray pulled out the classic Smothers Brothers "Mom always liked you best!" routine at an animated Joint Capital Planning Committee meeting this morning, complaining that "other departments" were given their top two or three requested items, but the Jones Library just had "six out of seven eliminated."

Finance Director Sandy Pooler had indeed decided not to recommend any of their big ticket funding requests:  $150,000 for fire safety upgrades, because AFD Chief Tim Nelson believes it can wait a year or more (especially since you can hit the Jones Library with a rock from AFD Central Station),  $125,000 for generators to turn the Jones or North Amherst library into an electricity oasis should the power ever go out again, and $30,000 for security cameras (down from the original $60,000 request).

The 16 security cameras are strongly requested because of previous incidents of (homeless) individuals "exposing themselves" and other purported general safety concerns of rank and file staff.  Although original presentation materials from last month included the statement "It has been recommended by both Amherst Police and Trustees that a security system, including cameras be purchased and installed," the Amherst Police Department was never officially asked, nor did they give such an endorsement.

The JCPC only makes recommendations to Amherst Town Meeting, but such items are all but guaranteed approval; items not recommended are guaranteed to be a Sisyphean task to now revive.

As sports fans are fond of saying:  "Wait until next year."