Never forget. Never, never, never...

Where were you when they came down?

Live from Town Hall: It's BCG Wednesday morning!

10:36 AM
Well, this will pretty much decide the amount of the Override and structure.

10:38 AM Stephanie starts (without the Town Manager). John Musante on cell phone, presumably calling the town manager.

10:45 AM John Musante Updated Cut list. Let's hear from the heads of those budgets. Streetlights put back on list if addition funds come in. Grand total for town budget is $537,252. If state aid is only cut 5% then Pubic Safety (including Police Animal Welfare Officer) are safe. (the Governor's budget actually calls for 0% cut)

10:48 AM Elementary Schools: (Rob Detweiler Business Agent) $400,000 is our request from an Override. SC voted 5-0 for that.

Regional Schools: Asking for $950,000 from the Override. Amherst taxpayers will pay almost $750,000 of that (since we are three quarters of the Region.) Region vote was 8-0-1 (one abstention)

Library: met last night reconsidered the Override and went back to an amount of $88,994 from an Override.

Stephanie: Did they make any strong statement on the Override?

Pat Holland: "No"

Gerry Weiss: Trustees voted for this amount ($89,000) but they are not asking for an Override???

Holland: They are not taking a position on the Override. (Gerry looks a tad pissed)

11:05 AM The Town Manager has entered the room! (who needs Elvis?)

John Musante: $1,765,000 is the new (and improved) grand total for the Override.

11:10 AM Stephanie: Priorities are good--but they are inexact. Doing the best we can. We do not have strong Ra Ra support from all the boards. Looking at $1.8 million Override and $2.5 million in cuts. What is our best way to go forward? With a goal of getting some restorations would a Menu Override have a better chance of getting something passed or would a lump sum work better? Had this discussion before but it's now a "fever pitch" point with the general public. Do we want some rather than none?

11:15 AM Irv Rhodes: our 5-0 vote was NOT to support an Override, it was simply to put the $400,000 into the mix but not an official vote on the overall Override. If we had more time we would have come up with a different number. Very, very imperfect number (the $400K.)

Stephanie: "It's clear the School Committee is not vociferously supporting this."

11:20 AM Gerry Weiss reads the entire SC statement. Stephanie: "Again, not strong support for the Override." So how do we get them (schools, town, library) the extra money? Some of this is not "sexy". Library has a serious PR problem with its request (I assume she's talking about the recent six digit gift the Jones Library received)

Catherine Sanderson told Regional School Committee she strongly supported a Menu Override. Andy Churchill on the other hand strongly supported one lump sum (we all rise or fall together.)

11:25 AM Stephanie parses the written report of the FCC. They said to "consider" a menu override and that is what we are now doing. (Hmm...but they were a tad more definitive than that Princess Stephanie--and they also said an Override would be necessary in the next FIVE years.)

Gerry Weiss: Why did FCC recommend Menu?

Stephanie: Because it allows many different people speak to aspects of an Override. The problem is it gives people the right to say NO to certain parts, and it's only a tiny statement. "We give choice too much credit" (Hmm..why am I reminded of President Reagan's observation that the scariest line ever is, "I'm here from the government and I'm here to help".)

11:30 AM Gerry Weiss: "I think a lump sum Override will sink. As a lump sum we're holding each other hostage."

Bonnie Isman (Library) The voters are going to be skeptical. If schools are not ready now, why not go to Town Meeting and have them vote a budget contingent on an Override.

11:45 AM Irv Rhodes: I would welcome a delay. Otherwise, a Menu Override.

11:47 AM Stephanie: Extraordinary amount of discussion with unions (Police and Fire) giving up COLA's. Not fair to now NOT have the Override on 3/23. Contingent Override via Town Meeting is still a "safety net" if the 3/23 Override fails.

11: 52 AM Stephanie: BCG sent preliminary report to Select Board Monday night suggesting "lump sum". Do we now (BCG) still support that?

Gerry Weiss: Yeah, MOST people at this table still supports that (Lump Sum with Allocations)
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HERE IT IS FOLKS:

Shall the Town of Amherst be allowed to assess an additional $1,765,441 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the following expenses: Town Operation Budget ($537,252) Elementary Schools Budget ($400,000), Regional schools district Budget ($739,195) and Library Operating Budget ($88,994) for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2010?

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Musante: Explain it to the community this way. Extra state aid would be a "Great problem" to grapple with. We can then not levy to the limit as the town in 2004 when that $2 million Override passed. We got an extra $650,000 from the state and the town did reduce the levy of the Override amount that year. (Yes John, but what about the following year and the following year. Amherst has only had two general operation Overrides over the past 30 years and they are still both to this day generating extra revenues.)

Heated discussion between Musante and Rhodes (voices raised), Stephanie acts as ref.

12:08 PM GOTTA GO. If I had to guess they will put the above lump sum Override on the ballot for this coming 3/23. But as Bill O'Reilly would say, "I could be wrong."

Gold plated potties?

UPDATE: Wednesday morning

Nostradamus strikes again. Yesterday I predicted the Region would cave in to the bully Select Board and ask for $1.1 million (+ or minus $100-K) piece of the Override pie and apparently last night they requested $950,000--nice price point.

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ORIGINAL POST: Tuesday morning
So at last night's Select Board Override extravaganja festival Stan Gawle, 'Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change' spokesperson, mentioned the $140,000 sitting in a Capital Accounts slush fund for over a half-dozen years that Town Meeting appropriated for renovations to the "comfort station" at Community Field, recently renamed Ziomek Field.

And of course this particular comfort station is also Stan Ziomek's summer office for all things baseball.

But my sources tell me the reason the money was never spent to actually do the renovations is because LSSE (and Stan Ziomek is on the LSSE recreation Commission) wants to build a gold-plated $10 million Recreation/Teen/Senior Center on or around this site and it would look fiscally irresponsible to renovate the bathrooms and a few years later have to tear it down to make way for the Taj Mahal.

Since the town closed the War Memorial Pool next door after more than fifty years of continuous summer operation, and since the Town Manager is talking about replacing it with a water sprinkler park, why not roll that $140-K into that less grandiose idea?

Live from Amherst Town Hall: It's SB Monday night!

UPDATE: Tuesday morning

This damn good column in the Boston Globe from fellow Umass grad Kevin Cullen should be required reading for the all the Amherst town employee unions--especially the teachers union.

What Goes Around

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ORIGINAL POST: Last night
The School Committee across town must be pretty busy as this meeting is fairly dead. Maybe a dozen folks in the Peanut Gallery.

Stephanie starts on time (no surprise).

7:02 PM
First up: Andy Steinberg, Chair Finance Committee
"Long collaboration" from the Budget Coordination Group. Best work from "all of us". Not something new. Been engaged in lengthy process. Started in 2008. Had to make substantial cuts last year and did so with no Override. Identified core services and how to provide most efficiently. Even made LSSE (recreation dept) cut back on tax support...

7:10 PM. Andy is still talking. (pretty good for not having a script). Process this year was "very difficult" Schools are still working thru it tonight and tomorrow (Regional meeting). Even with Override something will get cut. BCG reached conclusion we need "some amount" for an Override--but not to exceed $1.9 million.

Ties it all together: Schools, Library, Public Safety need this Override. Did consider a "menu Override" but decided to simply go with the all-or-nothing.
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7:17 PM Open to Public Comment. First up, Clare Bertrand leader of the Override movement (replaced Ricky Boy who did such a lousy job three years ago). We've "made some really hard decisions (concerning cuts). Don't see this kind of collaboration often and we should cheer it.

Yeah, I guess as long as they agree with the Override, eh?

View it as one townwide effort (all for one and one for all). We don't want to lose "what is dear to us." One vote for the community to say what it wants.
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7:20 PM Next up Stan Gawle spokesperson for anti-override 'Amherst Taxpayers for Responsible Change', and chief architect of the torpedo sinking of the 'Amherst Plan' Override three years ago:

Excessive salary increases of 3 to 7.5% is what's causing this Override. He sites Longmeadow where the teachers union just settled for 1% per year for two years. Talking about capital items: $140,000 sitting in an account for bathroom rehab at Community Field and it's been sitting in an account for five or six years now.

Two portable classrooms we paid $215,000 for and were never used as classrooms and now are being sold as surplus.

Will the town promise to put an Underride on the ballot if more money does come in after the Override if/should pass?

Need to reduce Capital appropriations by $300,000 that could go to other things in the budget.
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Yuri Friedman, Amherst town meeting member: Put it on the ballot let the public get informed and make the decision.
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7:33 PM Rick Spurgin, Amherst Town Meeting (also a "Financial Economist"). The longer we put this off the harder it's going to be.
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7:35 Another pro Overrider. We're heading towards becoming an Argentina. Need revenue to maintain and restore some of the things we believe in. We also need Universal Health Care (what do you wanna bet he voted for Obama?)
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7: 40 PM Hwei-Ling Greeney: Voted against the last Override. Tonight I'm here to say I'm happy what the town did after the last Override failed. Applauds LSSE becoming more self supporting and the regionalization of emergency dispatch. So I'll support this Override IF shared sacrifice. Those on town payroll give back some of their payraise and step increases. If that happens before March 23rd election then I'll support the Override. I believe voters will be more likely to vote yes as well.
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7:45 PM Vince O'Connor. First confirms that Overrides are forever. Stephanie agrees this one would be a permanent increase in the tax levy. Vince would like to see a Menu Override. Can draw more people into the process, who will be interested in their niche programs.

Better to have some winners than no winners.
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7:53 PM Pat Holland President Board of Trustees, Jone Library. We are only a "little sliver" out of the total pie. Mass regulations require a certain minimum amount of tax support from the town in order to maintain state library certification. Our Trustees had different opinions. About half supported an Override. Others think question should not be the domain of the Trustees but should be decided by voters. That is why we did not take an official stand. If passed, Override would keep open the main library on Friday afternoons. Jones has about 1,000 visitors per day.

Recent gift of $293,000 is "designed to go into the endowment" (currently around $6.5 million, Hmm...) It's up to the "Friends of the Jones Library" weather to spend it avoiding all the cuts that the Override would obviate (a tad under $70,000).

8:05 PM End of 'public discussion.' Now the ball is in the Select Board court.

Princess Stephanie: If Override passes and unanticipated $ comes in, we will not tax the full amount of the Override (doesn't mention the year after, or the year after...)

Conor White-Sullivan, fresh scrubbed Umass student : We're launching a new website where everybody can make comments and discuss the Override (plus other political issues) at Localocracy.org

8:08 PM Gerry Weiss. This started out at $4.3 million short. Revised state cut from 10% down to 5% that brought us down to $3.2 million. Came up with $1.3 million more cuts and now we're at $1.9 million. The cuts are a "done deal" with or without Override. Town Meeting sets the budget so even if we promise not to tax the full amount they could still spend it (good point Gerry--but for the wrong side)

Points out the town has cut $6 or $7 million over the past three or four years. Yeah, Gerry that's true, but the town never would have done that if the Amherst Plan Override passed three years ago--and if it had passed back then, it would have now generated over $6 million in taxes from homeowners.

8:20 PM Town Manager Larry Shaffer: When the Gov announced his zero cut budget I put back restorations to Public Safety. As money becomes available we will prioritize according to a restoration list.

400 street lights have been identified for termination. (apparently not impacting public safety...apparently)

8:30 PM. Gotta go home and tuck in the kids. You can read more in tomorrow's Springfield Republican and Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Overriders last chance

UPDATE 2:00 PM. So yes--thanks for asking, I will be live-blogging the illustrious SB 7:00 PM segment tonight concerning the Override. And if I had to guess, it will indeed start pretty much on time (one thing Princess Stephanie does better than Mussolini). I would love to have Catherine Sanderson at the meeting also live posting to her blog, but she has a School Committee meeting tonight and that will prove more important than tonight's Select Board dog and pony show.

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ORIGINAL POST 10:00 AM Thus far the property tax Override campaign has been about rocky as the dark side of the moon. The Select Board had hoped to slam dunk the Override amount ($1.9 million) tonight and the structure they most prefer--lump sum general Override--but instead they will simply take "public comment" starting at 7:00 PM.

So Overriders will pack the meeting, demanding the Select Board "save our schools"--even though up to this point the School Committee has not gotten on board. And neither has the Jones Library, but that is less surprising since they did not join the lemmings parade three years ago.

The Republican Reports

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

12:25 PM
Not much going on up at Winter Fest in the remote outskirts of North Amherst, otherwise know as the municipally owned Cherry Hill Golf Course. Who would have figured that town officials would have to pay money over the last 24 hours to make snow while in Washington D.C. they are getting buried in the worst snowstorm of their existence?!

Oh well...hence the problem with things like golf or skiing: relying on Mother Nature as a business model partner is a fast track to bankruptcy (unless of course you can rely on taxpayers for life support.)

BCG: Why bother, when it's a done deal?

The Bully Reports (factual errors and all)
Of course you non news wonks will wonder what the big deal is: the Governor either submitted a level funded budget or a lousy 5% cut from last year budget (as reported in the Bully). But the difference to Amherst is $1 million. Kind of a BIG difference.

Just as someone could say what the hell difference does it make for the teachers to give up their little 3% raise and COLA next year. Well, that makes a $1.3 million difference. That too is pretty damn big.

UPDATE: 3:55 PM

My reliable sources at the BCG meeting tell me the Override will be a lump sum general amount (almost certainly $1.9 million) but "With Allocations" (meaning it will include ballot language that will allocate so much to the libraries, so much to the schools, etc.)

The BCG will meet again Wednesday at 10:15 AM, after more School Committee meetings next Monday and Tuesday. The Select Board will definitely meet next Friday at 8:30 AM, as scheduled in advance in case they needed to, to finalize things.

And Amherst School Committee lightening rod Catherine Sanderson posted this interesting strong arm incident from Tuesday's School Committee meeting:

"One final thing - I asked Stephanie O'Keeffe at the meeting last night three questions:

1. Whether it would be possible from the BCG/SB's perspective for the SC to vote simply to put an override on the ballot to let the voters decide (without the SC taking a specific stand supporting the override). She said no -- that the SB would not include the schools on an override ballot if the SC didn't take a position supporting an override."
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11:30 AM
So I'm sitting here trying to liveblog this meeting (the wireless keeps coming and going.)

Starts on time. First 'public comment' mentions "menu Override". He states that 3 members of the Facilitation's Committee are here and last year they stated an Override would be necessary withing the "next five years," BUT that Override should be a Menu Override, meaning voters can pick and choose what they support rather than an all-or-nothing, lump sum number. Maybe they should get a chance to explain that position?

I, of course, ask why we're here in the first place, since this body is supposed to forward a dollar amount and structure to the Select Board, who is meeting on Monday night, and that I also thought the Select Board on Monday would hear "public comment" on the Override--both structure and amount.

But, I'm reading today's Amherst Bulletin (dated tomorrow) that trumpets a definitive $1.9 million Override on a Front Page story--above the fold no less. So if it's a done deal, why bother with this meeting, and why bother with public input on Monday night?

Stephanie deflects by saying she can't speak for the Bulletin and they (the Select Board) are still in the process.

Vince O'Connor said he agrees a Menu Override would be best.

11:53
Andy Churchill (School Committee). Some are saying to delay the Override vote to April (thus setting up a standalone election that will cost $12,000 And since the Town Clerk is scheduled to lose an employee that's just what they need. )

The Region consists of 4 towns and the other three should have some input. They are comfortable with allowing the Amherst School Committee to come up with a figure for the Elementary Schools. The Region, however, does not meet until this Saturday.

12:05 PM
Andy Churchill actually uses the word "hardball" for the way the Select Board is strong arming the School Committee to get behind (in lockstep) with the Override. Hmm...

12:08:
Jones Library. Did not take a formal vote on supporting or opposing the Override--i.e. "took no position." They only voted to support the total amount needed so that they do not lose state certification.

Princess Stephanie (SB Chair) parses that to say that they "support" an Override. Hmm...

12:10
Town Manager asks if they are "silent on the Override". "So far," they respond.

12: 15
Gerry Weiss starts to browbeat Jones Library Trustee Chair Patricia Holland. "So, you want an extra $60,000--but you don't want to ask the voters? You want the Select Board to do that!"

12:16
Town Manager: "One option for the BCG is to give the Select board a number NOT to exceed..."
The community is expecting the Override on 3/23, so Shaffer is recommending for the SB to keep to that date. "The train is leaving the station."

12:20
Andy Churchill: "We need another BCG meeting next week and the Select Board should not make a decision this Monday night."

12:21
Gerry Weiss: "It's not feeling good to hear you're not ready. Delay is a bad idea."

12:30
Alberto Rodriguez (School Super)
How can we deliver school services cheaper? What are we going to bring back? Two different budgets (elementary and Region) but we're trying to integrate them and think more like a seamless K-12. Some cuts may go, so may come back. I met with Principals and they are working on a reprioritized list of cuts but will get them to me later.

In other words: they are still working on it. But says Mr. Rodriguez, "We will come up with something that everyone dislikes," eliciting the first chuckles of the meeting.

12:32
Princess Stephanie: We can still move forward and give the Select board a recommendation. We're committed to keeping the 3/23 date? (Andy Churchill and Regional School Chair say "no")

12:35
Town Manager uses metaphor, "We're not a speedboat, we're more like the Titanic." Yikes! (A few folks jump in to correct that image.)

12:40
Stephanie mentions the $12,000 cost for a stand alone election if after the normal 3/23 town election.

Alberto Rodriguez says you would get a better turnout on the already set 3/23 date.
Stephanie closes the discussion by saying it's going to be 3/23. Now moves on to THE AMOUNT.

12:45
Town Manager: "We're right around the $1.9 million figure." (Gee, he must have read the Amherst Bulletin.)

12:50:
Stephanie moves on the "the form" of the Override. Gerry Weiss wants to talk about the "surplus" the town seems to find every year, that goes into Free Cash savings. That with-or-without an Override we will still have a surplus (because of cuts.)

12:53
Musante: Recent surplus was about $720,000. Previous two years was a little over $1 million each year. Reserves are beginning "to rebound." Better than they were two years ago.

12:55
Sorry folks. I gotta go pick up my daughter. Will make a few calls in the next few hours to see what happened.