June 29, 2001

By Brian Burns
Staff writer

At the behest of Town Meeting, a link between the town-run Walpole Web and the independently operated Walpole.org  - www.walpole.org - was severed Tuesday afternoon.

In its place is a box notifying visitors that in order to access the site, they must type in the web address.

"We’re basically taking out the direct link," library director Jerry Romelczyk said. "If someone wants to get in there, they have to type in the whole thing."

Romelczyk runs the Walpole Web on behalf of the town.

Town meeting members voted unanimously to sever the link on June 18 following a motion submitted by Martha Ryan.

At issue is the site’s "Walpole Words" feature, a discussion board that allows visitors to read and post their ideas and comments about the town.

Those who use the board are given the option of submitting their name, but are not required to do so.

Ryan said she pushed to sever the link because the board was being used to mount anonymous personal attacks on public figures and residents of the town.

Gerry Nelson, a web designer who lives in town, started Walpole.org three years ago as a way to provide information.

He did not envision his site attracting the amount and type of attention its been getting recently.

The discussion board was put on the site "to promote some constructive comments" among townspeople, he said.

It was not his intention, he said, to have the board become a center of controversy. Amid all the political back and forth, he notes, there was a recent string about the sighting of a blue heron on Memorial Pond.

Nelson said he’s been monitoring the site, ruling out some statements that crossed the line and putting some participants on notice.

There are some drawbacks to anonymous commentary, he acknowledged. But there are some advantages: allowing more freedom of expression and at times providing a better insight into the way people think.

"There’s some good and some bad," he said.

Nelson said he’s not entirely happy about the way his site has gained popularity. Walpole.org has more to offer than the message board: there are pages from the recreation department and youth soccer, news and commentary from Mike Iwanowicz and a willingness to help townspeople get their information out, he said.

Last week, he said, the site attracted a thousand unique visitors a day, so many that they overwhelmed the software that runs the discussion board.

"It’s been crazy," he said. "It’s maxxed out the capabilities of the software."

Walpole Community Television personality Iwanowicz (who’s also a Walpole Times columnist) began contributing to the site approximately six months after its inception.

From a practical point of view, the resolution is largely symbolic, Iwanowicz said.

Most Internet users bookmark a favorite web page’s address once it has been accessed, allowing them to find the page quickly even without the benefit of a link from the Walpole Web, he said.

Iwanowicz said that as far as the message board is concerned, some of the information is very good, and some of it is awful.

"You’re going to get crank stuff," he acknowledged.

On the positive side, Iwanowicz said that town hall insiders have often used the board to reveal up-to-the minute information.

The news of School Superintendent Paul Livingston’s impending departure to Littleton first appeared there, he said.

Romelczyk created the Walpole Web by scraping together resources on a shoestring budget and recruiting volunteers, he said.

At the time, he was the only town employee with the background to do it, he said.

Since its inception, the job of determining the content of the Walpole Web has been left in Romelczyk’s hands.

This is a position he is not comfortable with, he said.

Severing the Walpole.org link brings up a number of censorship issues that someone should be discussing, he said.

The leadership for that discussion should come from the board of selectmen, not from Town Meeting resolutions that have been passed without debate, he added.

Nelson said he would have been happy to discuss the message board with Town Meeting representatives or anybody else.

But no one contacted him before last week’s resolution, he said.

"That’s the big thing that bothered me," he said.

In response to a poll on the site, half the respondents said the discussion board is helpful because the "town is afraid of the truth." Twenty two percent of the respondents said that "people need to identify themselves" in making comments.

Seven percent responded the discussion is "disrespectful" and six percent said the board is too heavy on rumors and hearsay.

Selectmen voted Tuesday night to make another effort to win approval for an override of Proposition 2 ½.

The 4-1 vote did not schedule a date, set a dollar amount or decide whether or not the referendum will offer several options in a menu format.

Dates mentioned during the discussion are two Tuesdays, Sept. 11 and Oct. 16, the primary and election to fill the seat of the late Congressman Joe Moakley, and two Saturdays, Sept. 8 and 15.

While she voted against another override attempt, Selectman Sue Maguire said if there is to be a second try, it should be early to bring an end to the divisiveness in town as quickly as possible.

Selectman John Hill, however, said there would be advantages to waiting until October. The later date would give town boards more time to prepare and townspeople a chance to assess the impact of school cutbacks, he said.

If the earliest date is chosen, selectmen would have to decide by July 28 on the amount and whether a menu format is to be used.

Town elections traditionally are held on Saturdays. But holding the override referendum on a Tuesday in conjunction with the congressional primary or final election would save up to $10,000 and simplify registration and absentee ballot processes, Town Clerk Ron Fucile told the board. A Tuesday referendum would require voters to pick up two ballots: a state one for the congressional race, a town one for the override, Fucile said.

Selectmen vowed that this time, they and not the finance committee, would manage the override process.

With exception of Judith Conroy, selectmen agreed that the $3.7 million override voters rejected June 2 was too big.

Chairman William Ryan said he has been told time and again by townspeople that they voted against the measure because they could not afford it.

"If we go back to $3.7 million or more, we won’t make it," Ryan said,

He favored going for what had been called the maintenance budget: $3 million or so to head off cuts in existing staff and services.

Conroy countered that by asking less than $3.7 million, the board would be undercutting the credibility of all those who maintained that was the amount needed. "It would be a slap in the face to people who worked really hard," she said.

Maguire responded that the board’s credibility is not at issue. What is the issue, she said, is that many townspeople cannot afford the $500 or so extra that they would have to pay under a $3.7 million override.

Selectmen said that this time, they could put several overrides on the same ballot, allowing voters to pick and choose the services for which they are willing to pay more taxes.

If the board put general government, public safety, public works and the schools on a ballot as separate items, there’s a better chance than in June that voters would approve more money for schools and public safety, Conroy said.

June 15, 2001

By Tom Glynn
Staff writer

With Walpole shutting down one classroom in every grade in every elementary school, there’s relatively little reason to be concerned that an office in Town Hall might have to close for lunch, Selectman Judith Conroy told a town official Monday night.

Her statement came as finance director David Davison noted that under the no-override budget, a full-time employee in his office will become part-time.

Selectman Susan Maguire responded to Conroy that she did not consider it appropriate for her to "castigate" voters for their decision to turn down a $3.7 million Proposition 2½ override June 2. Maguire characterized Conroy’s approach as "in your face."

It was not the voters who decided to eliminate the teachers, Maguire said. It was the schools’ choice to close classrooms rather than cut administration, she said.

Maguire raised the possibility that the lost hours in Davison’s office be made up by a person working under a town tax-relief program for the elderly and handicapped. Davison responded that it is a condition of that program that it not be used to replace town workers.

Selectman Alan Rockwood said that Conroy is correct in that the board "has to take a look at every office and every department."

By 11:30 p.m. Monday, the selectmen had done just that, cutting just over $3 million from the budget that goes into effect July 1.

Town Meeting will convene Monday night to act on those reductions.

As far as the bottom lines go, town departments generally received from selectmen what was suggested in the no-override scenario prepared by former Town Administrator James Merriam.

But above those bottom lines in the $48 million spending plan, there are some departures.

Rather than see a secretary’s hours cut from 16 to 9 a week, Veterans Agent John Spillane won the board’s permission for other reductions, the biggest of which will cost him personally $2,000 a year in reimbursements he now gets as animal control officer for boarding strays.

DPW Superintendent Bob O’Brien won permission to move $114,000 within in his reduced budget to fund road repairs. Given the condition of the town’s streets and a reduction in state highway money, that move is essential, he said.

O’Brien also rescued $37,000 for a mechanic’s position to maintain public safety vehicles. Without the mechanic, the town would end up paying $70 an hour to have the work done outside, O’Brien said.

Much of the money for roads and the mechanic will come from making deeper cuts in the building maintenance accounts.

O’Brien noted that it is less expensive to maintain closed buildings. Under the no-override budget, the town is closing Blackburn Hall, Marathon House (which houses the food pantry), the East Walpole Civic Center and Turner’s Lodge.

Maguire asked whether it would be possible for the town to lease the civic center to the East Walpole Civic Association. Acting Town Administrator Marjarita Doherty explained that under state law, the town would have to put a lease up for bids.

The police department will lose two vacant patrolmen’s positions and a lieutenant’s slot to become vacant in August. Chief Joseph Betro told the board Monday night that the reductions mean the town could not accept a federal grant to place a full-time resource officer in the schools.

The fire department is to lose its call force and one permanent firefighter. The addition of four firefighters and a start on advanced life support services approved by Town Meeting on condition that the override passed are also eliminated.

Selectman John Hill said he wanted discussions after Town Meeting on whether a call department might be restored.

The library will be closed Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Selectman Conroy asked that salary for a town planner be retained in the planning board budget. It was never agreed upon that the funding be eliminated, she said.

But Selectmen Chairman Ryan noted that the planner position was out in the no-override budget. As did the finance committee last week, selectmen suggested to planning board representatives that they find a way to tap the $250,000 Kendall fund to pay for the position.

Selectmen cut the Council on Aging budget by $8,700 as suggested in the no-override scenario. Maguire said the Friends of the Council on Aging will make up that difference.

The board also restored $17,500 to the board of health to underwrite services for the mentally ill and retarded.

In the reduced rubbish budget, there is enough money for only six months of curbside collections.

Hill asked the board to consider ending the use of tax revenue for pickups to free $500,000 or so for other services.

June 8, 2001

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

By a percentage of 52 to 48, voters turned down the $3.7 million Proposition 2½ override at last Saturday’s town-wide elections.

The ballot question, which would have added a permanent annual tax increase of about $500, was rejected by a vote of 3,856 against and 3,517 in favor.

The only area of town to support the override was Precinct 6.

The total number of voters who turned out at the polls was 7,558 – slightly more than half of the town’s registered voters.

Town officials must now go back to the drawing board and present a balanced budget for special Town Meeting on June 18.

Officials have warned that the defeat of the override could lead to teacher layoffs, building and pool closures, and cutting police officers and firefighters.

In the race for a one-year seat on the board of selectmen, override opponent Susan Maguire defeated former selectman James O’Neil, who pushed hard for the override throughout his campaign. Maguire received 3,614 votes to O’Neil’s 3,382. The number of ballots left blank (507) was more than twice the margin of victory for Maguire.

"I feel fine," Maguire said Monday night, walking in to Town Hall to be sworn in. "I feel excited about the opportunity."

First and foremost, she said, she wants an independent management study conducted on the town. She also said she wants the budget to be addressed in a "non-vengeful" manner.

O’Neil said "there appears to be a link" between the override defeat and his loss to Maguire.

While he may not necessarily seek re-election next year, he said, he plans to stay involved as a Town Meeting member and possibly in some other capacity.

The contest for two three-year selectmen’s seats was won by incumbent William Ryan and former finance committee member John Hill, both of whom supported the override.

Write-in candidate Thomas McCormack received 1,287 votes to Hill’s 3,999 and Ryan’s 3,557.

Asked of was looking forward to get back into the heart of town government, Hill said, "I never got out. My resignation from the finance committee was effective Saturday night and here I am again" sworn in as a selectman.

Incumbent Ed Collins and political newcomer Nancy Mackenzie won the two seats on the planning board. Longtime board member Susanne Murphy lost her bid for re-election. Murphy received 3,143 votes to Collins’ 3,7789 and Mackenzie’s 3,186.

Incumbents Garrett Dalton Jr., Ed Thomas and Nancy Gallivan ran unopposed for school committee.

May 17, 2001        

Town Meeting will reconvene June 18 if voters turn down a $3.7 million override on June 2.

The date for the special Town Meeting was set as the spring Town Meeting concluded Monday night. The meeting approved a $51 million operating budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

If the override fails, $3.7 million will be cut from the $51 million approved last week by Town Meeting.

Town Meeting did not create an alternative spending plan that would go into effect automatically if the override fails. Town Administrator James Merriam prepared one possible scenario, but Town Meeting representatives noted that Merriam’s plan is not necessarily the one that will go into effect should voters turn down the override.

The override budget voted by the spring Town Meeting would add 10 teachers, four firefighter/para-medics, equipment and infrastructure funds and money for the stabilization fund to maintain the town’s favorable bond rating.

Of the $3.7 million, $2 million would go to the schools, $900,000 for municipal services, $600,000 for equipment and infrastructure and $200,000 to the stabilization fund.

Under Merriam’s no-override scenario, those expenditures would be gone. In addition, 25 teachers and 9 other school positions would be cut as would a police lieutenant’s and two patrolmen’s slots and three DPW positions. A range of town services would be reduced or eliminated.

Merriam stressed that 80 percent of the money being sought through the override is not to add workers or services, but rather would go to avert layoffs and maintain the existing level of service.

Monday night, Town Meeting approved three percent raises in one-year contracts for all unionized employees, except for police officers who have not settled on a new contract. The raises total $41,000 for firefighters, $50,000 for the DPW, $14,500 for clerical workers and $4,400 for library staff. Last week, Town Meeting approved 2 percent raises for non-union personnel.

The union raises are binding, whether or not the override is approved. The contracts are only for one year so that they will expire at the same time as the teachers’ current three-year pact.

By a margin of one vote Monday night, Town Meeting agreed to reconsider its decision of the previous week that had budgeted a new community development director’s post and eliminated the town planner post that has been vacant for more than a year.

Swayed by arguments from the planning board, Town Meeting agreed to reinstate the planner’s position under that board and to de-fund the development director, who would have been part of the town administration.

A full-time town planner, with a clear first duty to the planning board, is needed to ensure that the town lives up to its statutory obligations in dealing with subdivisions, supporters of that post argued successfully.

Town Meeting agreed to boost the planner’s salary by $10,000 to $60,000 to give the board a better chance of filling the post. At least one leading prospect was lost to a neighboring town that provided higher pay.

It’s official.

Selectmen Tuesday night voted to place a $3.7 million override on the June 2 ballot.

The board earlier this month had come up with a figure that was $10,000 less than that backed by the finance committee and Town Meeting, but agreed Tuesday night not to "split hairs."

The $10,000 was the difference between filling the town planner’s position versus hiring a more expensive community development director.

Selectmen Chairman William Ryan said to leave it up to Town Meeting to decide which of the two positions to fund.

If Town Meeting approves a budget based on a $3.7 million override, but it fails on the June 2 ballot, the town must "go back to square one" and build a new budget, Town Administrator James Merriam said.

The budget is for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The board’s vote was 3 to 1 to put the override on the ballot. Selectman Ron Mariani, who is not seeking re-election when his term expires in June, voted against the measure without comment.

By Brian Burns
Staff writer

Citing the importance of maintaining a unified front, members of the board of selectmen met with the Finance Committee last Wednesday in an effort to iron out differences in the two groups’ proposed override budgets.

After modifying some of their recommendations and shuffling around some figures, both sides managed to agree on a budget based on a $3.7 million override, a number that closely reflects the FinCom’s original recommendation.

The meeting came two days after representatives at a Special Town Meeting urged selectmen to reconsider their proposed override number of $3.3 million in light of the FinCom’s recommendations.

Working to find a common ground, Selectman Alan Rockwood requested that both parties go through each of their differences line-by-line before locking themselves into a number.

"I like the process," he said.

Rockwood was accompanied by Selectmen Judy Conroy and William Ryan. Ron Mariani did not attend.

In their new budget scenarios, both selectmen and FinCom members immediately agreed to allocate $188,000 to fund the hiring of four new firefighters.

This agreement marked a change from the board’s earlier decision denying the department’s request for new hires.

Rockwood managed to convince FinCom members to reinstate the cuts they made in requests from the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Economic Development Committee and the Trails Committee.

"An attitude (of support) has to come from the board of selectmen as town fathers," he said.

The next series of discussions concerned the hiring of a part-time deputy building inspector, a full-time deputy fire chief and providing funds for an internship position in the engineering department.

Rockwood said he believed the three positions would offset at least a portion of their own salaries by the amount of revenue they produced for the town.

He told FinCom members that building inspectors are having a hard time keeping up with all of the new growth in Walpole,

Many contractors who come looking for a permit get frustrated by the wait and decide to proceed without one, he said.

If a deputy building inspector was hired to facilitate the permit process, the town could see a revenue increase of up to $200,000 a year, he said.

Interns in the engineering department assisted in the creation of plans for new athletic fields at the back of the high school, costing the town far less than it would have to hire a professional firm, Rockwood noted.

Chief Erickson told the assembled group that a deputy fire chief would help him with fire safety inspections throughout the town.

In the current system, he often has to pay his captains overtime to pursue those in violation of code.

Additional fire safety inspection could curb the amount of taxable property lost to fires each year, Erickson said.

The deputy chief would also bring in revenue through regular inspection fees, Rockwood added.

FinCom members agreed to reinstate funding for engineering interns and the position of deputy building inspector, but hesitated when it came to the deputy fire chief.

While no one disputed that the position was needed, FinCom members were concerned that some voters might view the position as an extravagance.

We can’t afford to lose one vote (because of this)," FinCom vice chairman Ron Ardine said.

Selectmen were finally persuaded to take the position out of the budget and transferred the $60,000 they would have used for salary over to the school department.

The additional funds brought the school department within $300,000 of the school committee’s requested budget for 2001-2002, a figure that would allow the department to hire more than half of the new staff it needs to handle overcrowding and accreditation issues.

"We can’t afford to play around with accreditation," FinCom Chair-man Al DeNapoli said.

After agreeing on an amount to set aside for insurance costs, both sides found themselves hovering right around the $3.7 million mark.

Rockwood said he was pleased to have developed an override budget based on quality of life issues he could defend to his constituents.

"All of the people we have added are revenue producing," he said. "The only ones who are not are teachers, and they stand on their own merits."

"These (changes) address a plan. We’re setting the right tone," Ardine added.

By Brian Burns
Staff writer

After opponents of a Proposition 2 ½ override attempt walked out of a Special Town Meeting on Monday night, remaining representatives voted unanimously to endorse the Finance Committee’s recommended override of $3.7 million.

Representatives Barbara and Kenneth Coates and Susan Maguire, who have spoken out against the override on previous occasions, left the Johnson Middle School auditorium shortly after the meeting was called to order. Several other representatives joined them; many more left at a mid-session break.

With no one else left to speak against the override, representatives then tried to glean which override budget they would support on the June ballot. Most urged selectmen to support the FinCom’s recommendations.

Representative Jim O’Neil said he couldn’t and wouldn’t support the selectmen’s $3.3 million override number because it ignored the needs of the fire department. During citizens’ comments, Precinct 5 resident John Grady said that he was very surprised that selectmen had come up with their own number after only one night of deliberation.

Alan Rockwood told representatives that he and his fellow selectmen had approached their budget workshop with an open mind and were willing to continue working with FinCom members before deciding on a final number.

During the meeting FinCom chairman Al DeNapoli explained the three different budget scenarios being considered by town officials.

The first scenario, termed the "maintenance budget," would require an override of $2.9 million.

These additional funds would be used to counteract the inevitable increases in salaries, the rising costs of utility payments and higher insurance premiums town administrators will face in the fiscal year 2002, DeNapoli said.

This would not allow department heads to hire new staff members, nor would it provide any free cash for capital budget projects, DeNapoli said.

Since the beginning of October, FinCom members have been conducting their own exhaustive analysis of the town’s financial situation, DeNapoli said.

This included meeting at least twice a week to confer with different department heads and explore all possible sources of revenue, he said.

As a result of these meetings, FinCom members recommended a $3.7 million override to selectmen during an open forum held on March 27.

During a budget workshop at the beginning of last week, three members of the board of selectmen announced their own tentative override number of $3.3 million.

Selectmen will have the final say on how much of an override will be requested on the June ballot.

Town Clerk Ron Fucile explained how an override would affect property taxes for 2002.

A good rule of thumb is to add $120 to your household property tax bill for each million dollars of override money approved by the voters, Fucile said.

Therefore, an override of $3 million would result in a $360 per home increase, while one of $4 million would add $480.

Households are already facing an average base increase of $110 through an automatic 2.5 percent hike and previous overrides to fund the Adams Farm and school projects.

An override of $3.7 million, the number endorsed by both the FinCom and Town Meeting representatives, would mean a total of $540 in tax increases to an average house, Fucile said.

The biggest differences between the selectmen’s and the FinCom’s budget scenarios are found in the amount of funding allotted to the school and fire departments.

The $3.7 million override would provide the fire department with enough funding to hire four additional firefighter/paramedics, and could allow the department to provide its own paramedic service.

Representative Terri Thornton said that the difference between the selectmen’s $3.3 million and the FinCom’s $3.7 million averages out to only $44 a home, or 12 cents a day.

That would be a small price to pay to bring the town’s lifesaving services up to speed, Thornton said.

"There are always people who can’t (pay for an override)," Representative Kevin Donnelly said. "The test can’t be the lowest common denominator."

Thornton then urged the board of selectmen to reconsider their number.

Speaking on behalf of the school department, school committee chair Jean Hogan revealed that neither the selectmen’s nor the FinCom’s proposed override number would allow the school department to hire all the additional staff it needs for next year.

School committee members would have to pick and choose between needs, with an eye on maintaining high school accreditation, Hogan said.

Although she supports an override bid, Representative Katherine Farrell-Swanson voiced her regret that the meeting had become a "FinCom love fest" since opponents of the override had left without expressing their dissent.

"I think Town Meeting is a vehicle to discuss it (the override) out in the open," she said. "I am disappointed that they chose not to be here to debate the points."

Contacted at home the day after the meeting, Susan Maguire said she left because she felt Town Meeting was intended as a forum to represent the views of her constituents, not as an opportunity for representatives to present their own opinions.

Maguire had argued against holding Monday night’s meeting back when it was first proposed during the last of January’s Special Town Meetings.

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

With just three members present Tuesday night, selectmen voted on an operating budget that calls for a $3.3 million override.

This figure is an indication of the amount the selectmen will pick later this month to put on the June 2 town election ballot for a general override.

A $3.3 million override would add just under $400 to the average property tax bill.

During the three-hour budget workshop, selectmen William Ryan, Alan Rockwood and Judith Conroy discussed and voted on each of the 49 line items in the operating budget for the fiscal year that will begin July 1.

Selectmen Ronald Mariani and Joanne Muti did not attend the workshop.

Following a lengthy debate on the school budget, the board voted on a figure of $22.8 million, which maintains existing staff and meets special-education mandates and utility increases. The school committee had recommended a budget of $23.4 million.

Prior to the selectmen’s vote, Conroy said she supported the school committee’s recommendation.

"It has great vision," she said of that committee, adding that it is "absolutely unacceptable" for class sizes at the middle school and high school levels to be over 30.

Rockwood, however, said he felt the school budget hasn’t taken as many "hits" as the municipal end in recent years and recommended a figure of $22.6 million.

Chairman Ryan said he wanted to reach a number in between Conroy’s recommendation of $23.4 million and Rockwood’s $22.6 million figure.

After several indecisive votes, the three selectmen compromised on the $22.8 million figure.

The vote prompted one woman in the audience to storm out of the meeting.

With regard to other operating budget line items, selectmen voted down a request for four additional firefighters, reduced the legal budget from $167,000 to $150,000 and slashed the board of assessors’ budget by $16,000.

Rockwood and Chairman Ryan said they didn’t think it was the proper time financially to give Fire Chief Kenneth Erickson four more firefighters.

Conroy, however, said adding four firefighters was a compromise to Erickson’s initial request for 16 new personnel.

Selectmen added $50,000 to the planning board’s budget to make way for a town planner and they increased the economic development commission’s budget by $2,500.

The board also added $18,000 to the engineering budget so that Town Engineer Margaret Walker could hire student co-op engineers.

Rockwood said he saw this as a cost-saving measure: the town would no longer have to rely solely on hiring expensive engineering consultants.

As a show of appreciation for its work, the board increased the budget of the trails committee from $300 to $800.

With regard to the insurance and employee benefits budget, the board reluctantly voted on the $6.5 million figure.

Rockwood said he wants answers in the near future as to why the town’s health insurance bill has risen by $1 million in just a short time.

"It’s such a huge increase, it’s taking away from the things we need," he said.

The proposed override will be discussed further at Monday night’s (April 9) Special Town Meeting, to begin at 7:30 at the Johnson Middle School.

The finance committee last week backed an operating budget that calls for a $3.7 million override.

Selectmen have until April 24 to decide on an amount to place before voters on the June 2 ballot.

It is expected Town Meeting in May will vote two budget numbers, one without an override, the other with one. The result of the June 2 override will determine which budget goes into effect.

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

Proponents of a Proposition 2½ override came out in droves at Tuesday night’s standing-room-only selectmen’s meeting.

During the 90-minute open forum portion of the meeting, more than 20 residents stepped up to the podium and spoke out in support of the police and fire departments as well as the hiring of more teachers to create smaller classrooms.

(The finance committee this week suggested a $3.7 million override. See page 00.)

Representing the senior population in town at the selectmen’s forum, Council on Aging Director Barbara Coghlan expressed concern over the potential of losing a van driver should an override fail on the June 2 ballot.

She referred to transportation as the "lifeline" of the Council on Aging.

Pat Cronin, a senior citizen who moved to town recently, said, "I paid a large price for my house and I want it to increase in value."

Lisa Anderson, who has two children at Old Post Road School, compared the town’s financial woes to buying a car and not being able to pay for its maintenance.

She told selectmen that those in attendance Tuesday night "weren’t just greedy newcomers asking for smaller classrooms."

Anderson said roads and public safety are as important as schools.

Liz O’Leary agreed that every department needs help, not just the schools.

Calling a modest override a "Band Aid approach," Mike Ryan said he’d like to see a figure that would address a population boom from the inevitable Gatehouse and Toll Brothers projects.

"I think we need a bigger picture – a three to five-year plan for down the road," Ryan said. "This (financial) problem is going to get tougher for us."

Ryan also said an insufficient override would lead to lousy schools, delayed response from the fire department and inadequate ambulatory care for the elderly.

He added that property values would go down, making Walpole a less desirable place to live.

Terri Thornton blamed the state issuance of Proposition 2½ for the town’s budget woes.

"Little by little there has been an erosion in town services since Proposition 2½," Thornton said.

Like Ryan, Thornton expressed concern over firefighter response time should an override fail.

She said a $500-a-year property tax increase – from roughly a $4 million override – is only a little more than $1 a day for taxpayers.

If voters turn down an override on Jun 2, Thornton said, she suggested the town sell Adams Farm to help fund town services.

"The land is no good if we are broke as a community," she said.

School advocates and fellow out-of-town teachers Mark Greene and Don Langenhorst called for an override that would properly fund the school department.

Greene emphasized that the school department needs more money in order to attract teachers who are the best of the best.

You don’t want this town in a position to scare away good talent, Greene said.

"You can’t have 30 kids in a class and expect new talent to stay," he added.

Marge Ryan noted that Walpole spends $630 per pupil less than the state average.

Deborah Burke said it would be "morally wrong" for Walpole High to have shaky accreditation status in the coming years.

Walpole High freshman Bill Buckley said he was concerned about the school possibly losing extracurricular activities (sports, music) if an override should fail.

"These programs get us involved," Buckley said.

Referring to the battle between conservatism and liberalism, he said, "We are past the time to put an ism on this (budget crisis). It’s time to fix it."

Mary Jane Brady said a $4.5 million override isn’t enough, but admitted that Walpole does have spending limitations.

"We’re not Wellesley, but we’re not Fall River either," Brady added.

Harold Paul, 76, was the only resident who spoke out against an override.

Paul said Social Security benefits have increased only 3.4 percent this year – the same as a no-override budget.

He said he fears the combination of an override with all the other debt the town has incurred.

"We’ve got to tighten our reins," Paul said.

Cliff Snuffer, who is in favor of an override, asked each selectman to state his or her desired override amount. He got no answers.

Selectmen Chairman William Ryan said the board plans to meet again Tuesday night to further discuss the budget.

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

The finance committee voted to endorse a $3.7 million override at its meeting Monday night.

An override of that size would add about $430 a year to an average property tax bill.

Speaking at the selectmen’s forum Tuesday, Chairman Al DeNapoli said that "the FinCom is very sensitive to the plight of those who will feel an override the hardest.

"But the town can’t afford not to have an override," DeNapoli said. "Without one, "we’re going to slip back to the Stone Age," he warned.

In addition to the well-publicized departments that are struggling financially (schools, police and fire), DeNapoli said, many other departments suffer just as much.

He said public works can’t even afford to clean catch basins routinely.

"Every department is faced with these issues," DeNapoli said. "We can’t cut them back any more."

He explained how the FinCom arrived at a figure $800,000 more than the "conservative" $2.9 million maintenance budget proposed by Town Administrator James Merriam.

According to DeNapoli, the FinCom added $60,000 for a community development position, $29,000 toward information systems, $188,000 to the fire department for four firefighters, $419,000 to the school department, and $87,000 toward health insurance.

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

With a public forum on a possible Proposition 2½ override set for next week, selectmen are still divided about how much taxpayers will be asked to approve.

But what is clearer this week are the jobs and services municipal and school officials say would be eliminated if there is no override.

Superintendent Paul Livingston told the school committee Monday night that without an override, 27 faculty positions would be cut and busing eliminated for grades 7-12. (See page 5.)

Town Administrator James Merriam presented his no-override cuts last week, which include the town planner post, a police lieutenant and two patrolmen, a firefighter and the entire call fire department.

Selectmen will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday to continue discussions on the budget. The public is invited to attend an open forum at 8 p.m.

Selectmen are the only ones in town who can put a Proposition 2½ override on the ballot. The board has until April 24 to come up with an override dollar amount to be placed on the June ballot.

Finance committee Chairman Al DeNapoli told selectmen Tuesday night that the FinCom is preparing two budgets for spring Town Meeting. The first will be based on an override with a yet-to-be-determined dollar amount. The second budget will not include an override.

It would then be up to voters in a townwide referendum to decide which of the two spending plans is to go into effect July 1.

Town Administrator Merriam has prepared three budget scenarios: overrides for $3 million and $4 million, and one with no override.

A $3 million override to maintain existing town services would call for a $450 increase to the average tax bill, which is about $3,300.

A $4 million override, which would increase the average tax bill by $580, would enable the hiring of several school teachers, two firefighters and a deputy fire chief, and a police dispatcher.

During a budget workshop Tuesday night, Selectman Ron Mariani called a $4 million override "unconscionable."

Selectman Judith Conroy supported a $4 million override.

She said she’d like to start at that level and work toward a figure "more palatable" if that number is not successful.

In discussing the no-override budget, Mariani said he had a "fundamental problem" with Merriam’s estimate that town budget can only increase 3.7 percent in the fiscal year that begins July 1 if there is no override. That increase would be mostly eaten up by a $1 million jump in health insurance and other unavoidable costs, according to Merriam.

Calling Merriam’s projection "ultra conservative," Mariani said there has been an average annual budget increase of about 6 percent over the past several years.

"It just doesn’t jibe with what we’ve seen historically in Walpole," he said of the 3.7 percent figure. Using the higher projected increase, rather than Merriam’s 3.7 percent, would reduce or eliminate the need for an override, Mariani indicated.

In response, Finance Director David Davison said the projected increase in revenue is 4.5 percent, in line with past years. The 3.7 percent figure is what is available for the town’s operating budget after taking care of debt service, he said.

Selectman Alan Rockwood, who has said voters cannot be expected to approve an override of more than $1.5 million or so,, was especially concerned about the $1 million increase in health insurance for town employees.

"This is the single biggest item on the budget," Rockwood said, "and I don’t see anybody who has the answers what to do about it. I see us being too passive on this."

Merriam said there are consultants who are looking into new insurance companies for fiscal year 2002. Merriam said he expects bid specifications to be sent out in July.

An override would go on the June town election ballot. Walpole has approved debt exclusion overrides for acquisition of Adams Farm and school projects. Those overrides phase out as the debt is paid off.

Walpole voters have never approved a general override, which provides money for operating schools and municipal government. A general override is a permanent addition to the town’s tax base and to tax bills.

In an attempt to call attention to what he terms an "unbelievable kind of scenario," School Superintendent Paul Livingston presented School Committee members with the cuts he would make if forced to work with a budget that does not include an override of Proposition 2 ½.

Among the items on the chopping block are 27 faculty positions, and three nursing, three secretarial and three custodial positions as well as busing for grades 7 to 12 and all extra-curricular activities.

Livingston said he would have to cut $72,000 out of the athletic department budget of $256,000 as well.

"These are things that are really going to impact people," said school committee member Bruce Norwell.

"We can live with many things, but certainly not the reduction of 27 teachers," agreed fellow committee member Ed Thomas.

Committee members Nancy Gallivan and Richard Smith supported Livingston’s decision to send a letter to parents outlining the cuts, but expressed concern that townspeople would react in the wrong way.

The schools might end up "looking greedy," Gallivan said, adding however that "the budget we put out there is the budget we really need."

"It’s our responsibility to get as much good information out to the public as we can," Gallivan added.

Without an override, Livingston‘s share of next year’s revenue increase would be $350,000.

This would result in an operating budget of $21,235,081, approximately $1.3 million less than what Livingston said he would need to compensate for rising utility costs, expensive special education requirements, and contract-mandated salary increases.

The no-override budget is $2.3 million less than the school committee approved budget, a figure that would allow Livingston to hire the 15 new staff members that he believes are desperately needed to cope with enrollment increases and keep the high school in line with accreditation requirements.

Despite the grim feelings expressed by school committee members, Livingston continued to remain optimistic that he would not be forced to implement the cuts outlined in his letter.

"I firmly believe that the town won’t let itself get to this level," he said.

In other business Monday night, the school committee student representative, Walpole High School senior Jill Amicangelo asked the committee why she and her classmates hadn’t been officially notified about the arrest of a freshman student for allegedly making threats of violence.

"It frightened a lot a students who were hearing about it for the first time in the newspaper," Amicangelo said. "Why wasn’t there an assembly called?"

Livingston told her that school department officials treat each incident on a case-by-case basis. Since there was no weapon present in the school, they decided not to give the case any extra public attention.

"It’s been well documented that when you highlight a certain situation above and beyond, it becomes an event," Livingston said. "We as professionals have to determine the seriousness of each situation.

"We are hopefully providing a very safe and secure environment," he added.

Livingston also listed a number of violence and harassment programs taking place throughout the school district.

By Brian DeCesare
Staff writer

Hearing concerns about budget uncertainties from many residents at open forum Tuesday night, selectmen voted to hold a special Town Meeting on April 9.

The board plans to schedule an override forum on a night shortly after Town Meeting, to get additional input from the public.

Selectmen voted earlier this winter to support a Proposition 2½ override to supplement the fiscal year 2002 operating budget, but have yet to come up with a dollar amount.

Town Administrator James Merriam presented the board with a list of job cuts based on a budget with no override.

Those cuts include a town planner, a police lieutenant and two patrolmen, a firefighter and the entire call fire department, a public works mechanic and custodian, and a van driver for the Council on Aging.

The town would have to close Blackburn Hall, the Stone Street and South Walpole pools, the East Walpole Civic Center, Plimpton School and Turner’s Lodge. The library would be closed Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

Under this no-override budget, the schools would lose 27 certified professionals, a nurse, custodian and secretary.

At Monday’s finance committee meeting, School Superintendent Paul Livingston said he would look to eliminate sports programs "as a first instinct." But he said he would first discuss any cuts with the school committee.

Dozens of residents showed up for Tuesday night’s open forum, held once a month before the regular selectmen’s meeting.

Many in attendance were school Parents Advisory Council (PAC) members.

Donna Murphy urged selectmen to hold a special Town Meeting in order to "educate the public" on the potential of a general override.

Murphy said she was especially concerned about Walpole High School’s accreditation status being jeopardized.

Ellen Nadeau asked selectmen to hold a special Town Meeting as well as an open forum shortly thereafter.

Supporting a sizeable override, Nadeau said, "The needs are deep. What (is expected to pass) won’t cut the mustard."

School committee member Richard Smith said residents "should not be looking for a scapegoat" as to why the town is in such financial dire straits.

He cited increasing insurance costs, state mandates in special-education, and Mother Nature (snow removal and pothole repair costs) as some of the reasons why the budget has increased.

"It’s as simple as that," Dr. Smith said. "It has nothing to do with missed opportunities and frittering away of money."

Sue Maguire suggested selectmen look into an independent management study of the town’s financial picture.

"We can certainly manage the town better," Maguire said. The government is never going to tell the people how much money is enough, she said.

She also asked the board to set up a process through which all commercial property owners can gather and brainstorm how to make the town more business friendly.

Maguire said she believes all townspeople should be guaranteed the right to live and die in their home, and not be forced out by ever-increasing property taxes.

Don Rolph said the town needs leadership from selectmen.

"Someone is going to have to generate a consensus of the town in order to move forward," Rolph said. He added that the town needs a public forum "relatively quickly."

FinCom Chairman Al DeNapoli agreed that an open forum is needed. But he also welcomed an outside management study as suggested by Maguire.

"This is a long-term situation," DeNapoli said. "We have to look at it now to see where we’re going."

During his budget presentation to the finance committee on Monday night, Superintendent of Schools Paul Livingston revealed that neither of the two current override scenarios would free up enough funds to maintain school services at their current levels.

Likening his presence at the meeting to attending a wake, Livingston described two trends of decreasing funding and increasing enrollment that he feels are stretching his department to its limit.

Livingston explained that in his three years as superintendent, there has been a steady decline in the amount of education funding provided to him by the town, bringing Walpole well below the state average.

At the same time, enrollment continues to increase, pushing class sizes to the high twenties at the elementary level and even into the mid-thirties at Johnson Middle School.

The town’s per-pupil expenditure is $900 less than the state average for the fiscal year 1999 and more than $1,500 less than those of a number of surrounding communities, he said.

To compensate for some of the shortages, many of his teachers have been working more hours than called for by their contracts, teaching outside of their certification areas, and dealing with class sizes that are too large for effective instruction, he said.

This situation can’t continue much longer, Livingston said.

"We’ve tried to be extremely sensitive to the needs of the community," he explained. "(But) you’re killing the people who work for the town of Walpole."

He said the approval of the $4 million priority service override, the current best-case scenario, would manage to keep his department above water but still result in increasing class sizes.

The only way to remedy the situation is to free up enough funds for the hire of additional staff members, he said.

The current budget of the school department is $20,885,081.

Increases in existing staff salaries, utility fees, and the cost of meeting special education requirements will tack on an additional $1.7 million to the department’s budget in the upcoming fiscal year.

The $3 million maintenance budget override, the lower of the two, would give the schools a budget of $22,630,081 that would compensate for those base increases but would not enable him to add any new staffing, he said.

The priority budget override ($22,850,000), the current best-case scenario, would still only allow him to hire a small portion of the staff he needs, he said.

The board of selectmen has yet to agree on what level of override they will ask for.

The school committee’s requested budget for fiscal year 2002 totals $23,407,391, a figure that would allow Livingston to add 15 new positions.

The additional staff would fill shortcomings in both classroom instruction and support positions including another media specialist and school psychologist.

Livingston said the additional psychologist position has become especially important in light of two incidences of violent threats that occurred in the school system over the past week.

He also expressed his concern over the recent loss of funding for the school’s resource police officer, Timothy Songin.

Should neither of the proposed override bids pass, Livingston said in order to balance his budget, his first instinct as an administrator would be to cut out extracurricular activities, athletics and bussing for grades seven through twelve.

He was quick to point out that those cuts were only his ideas and that no changes would be made without the full input of the school committee.

FinCom Chairman Albert DeNapoli voiced his support for the school department after Livingston’s presentation.

‘You have addressed the one committee so close to agreeing with all of you," he said.

"Kids don’t vote or speak out. They might not even know what they are missing," DeNapoli said. "How can we present this (problem) to the people?"

Livingston said that despite his current situation, he felt the community was smart and would act to remedy the situation once the information got out.

"I see tremendous potential for wonderful things to happen," he said.

FinCom members were less optimistic. Many felt the situation would have to worsen before it could get better.

"You presented these numbers to selectmen and they might not even support it," DeNapoli noted.

"I think the town is going to have to look at Lazarus dead for a little while," he said.

"You said that you feel this (meeting) is like coming to a wake," FinCom Vice Chairman Ron Ardine said to Livingston. "Unfortunately, we may need to have a burial."

By Tom Glynn
Staff writer

Fire Chief Kenneth Erickson told the finance committee last week that he could not support a $3 million override that would bring in only $40,000 extra for his department.

"A multi-million override and I’m going to get $40,000? I wouldn’t support it. I wouldn’t vote for it."

Asked by FinCom Chairman Al DeNapoli how much it would take to get the chief’s support, Erickson responded "eight paramedics… $400,000."

The chief said the Walpole Fire Department is the most understaffed in the state on a per capita basis. It would take 16 additional firefighters to get Walpole staffing levels up to those of the average similar community, according to surveys by the chief.

Erickson’s initial budget proposal called for adding those 16 firefighters, all of whom would be certified as paramedics capable of providing advanced life support. The department does not now provide paramedic service.

The chief told the FinCom that paramedic service would bring in almost enough through insurance reimbursements to cover the cost of the additional firefighters.

Because Walpole does not provide paramedic service and also has to call in outside ambulances frequently, the town foregoes $500,000 or so in insurance reimbursement a year, he said.

After going through the numbers, Town Administrator James Merriam agreed the paramedic plan would just about pay for itself starting in the second year, the chief said.

The difficulty is the first year, when reimbursements would be slow. Merriam eliminated the chief’s entire request for new personnel to meet his responsibility for presenting a balanced budget to Town Meeting.

Erickson told the FinCom last Thursday that after an initial eight new hires, he would want to bring on two additional firefighter-paramedics a year until reaching 16. When 12 new firefighters were on board, he would be able to reopen the East Walpole station, he said.

The $3 million override discussed by Erickson and the FinCom is one of the alternatives prepared by Merriam at the direction of the selectmen. Selectmen and the FinCom have said they will not support a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that does not contain an override.

As prepared by Merriam, a $3 million override would maintain town services and avoid layoffs.

FinCom Chairman DeNapoli agreed and Chief Erickson both said that townspeople they’ve talked to find it hard to understand that a $3 million override would not provide additional personnel.

FinCom member Carol Lane said it is understandable why the fire chief does not want to invest his political capital in an override plan that would not provide added fire protection.

FinCom member Ralph Knobel said the first responsibility of the town is to provide for public safety. He suggested a Proposition 2½ menu that would allow voters to pick the departments that would get extra money.

Chief Erickson noted that in Merriam’s no-override alternative, the fire department would be one of the few in town not to have its budget chopped below this year’s level. With no override, under Merriam’s tentative allocation, the fire department’s budget would go up by two-thirds of a percent.

With that sort of a budget, the chief said, he would let most of the call firefighters go to avoid layoffs among full-time personnel.

Call firefighters now show up only about half the time, the chief said.

To maintain front-line service, the chief said, the department has been cutting in other areas for years.

There is, for example, no longer a training budget, the chief said and then outlined some of the consequences of that lack.

DeNapoli said a big reason that the public does not understand the depth of the budget problem is that Erickson and other department heads are making "silent cuts."

"People out there are not seeing any problem," DeNapoli said.

Erickson said the demands on his department will be increasing because of building in town.

He predicted state approval for the 300-unit Gatehouse apartment complex off Route 1 and said a complex is likely to be proposed for North Walpole under the anti-snob zoning law.

He noted plans for a super Shaw’s adjacent to Palumbo’s plaza and said there’s a possibility of a hotel behind the Ground Round at Routes 1 and 27.

Police Chief Joseph Betro told the FinCom that he is very proud that he and his department were able to keep their request for a budget increase to 3.4 percent -- $98,000.

That money was sought mainly to provide an additional dispatcher and to buy three, instead of the usual two new cruisers a year.

The availability of an extra dispatcher would mean that a police officer would not have to fill in, the chief said.

The additional new cruiser is needed for a fleet so tired that one car takes six quarts of oil every other day, the chief said at last Thursday’s FinCom meeting.

But even if the town were to approve the highest override alternative under consideration – for $4 million – the budget proposed by the town administrator would not allow the purchase of that third cruiser, the chief said.

Beyond that, FinCom member Mary Boragine told the chief, "it’s very important to face right up to it that there may not be an override."

In that case, the department’s budget would be cut by 3.8 percent July 1 from the current level under a preliminary proposal from Town Administrator James Merriam.

With that sort of a cut, the department might end up not filling vacancies created by a just-retired officer and a lieutenant scheduled to retire this summer, the chief said.

Lt. Richard Stillman told the FinCom that the department cannot save big money by cutting non-personnel expenses.

"You can’t tell (the officers) that there’s no phone today, that you can’t take a cruiser," Stillman said.

He noted that part of the department’s budget is going toward a station, the former Town Hall, that is very expensive to maintain.

The lieutenant warned that the department could end up as a 911 response force, limited to handling emergencies.

Chief Betro said, "There will be things I’ll have to face and do, as distasteful as they might be…. Internally, it will be a disaster."

Fincom member Ralph Knobel said that "we’ve gone too far in cutting public safety already."

-Tom Glynn

By Brian Burns
Staff writer

The public library would lose $36,000 in state aid if it is forced to conform to a 10 percent budget cut in fiscal year 2002, Library Director Jerry Romelczyk told the finance committee on Monday night.

Should that happen, the library would also no longer be eligible for a number of grants and loans that presently provide a great deal of programs and services, Romelczyk said. The 10-percent cut is proposed by the town administrator if there is no override of Proposition 2 ½.

Coupled with the fact that the library already receives 48 percent less funding than those in eight surrounding communities, Romelczyk said that an additional loss of this magnitude could spell disaster for his department.

"If we lose state aid, we lose everything that makes us relatively competitive," he said.

The state requires that the budget of a public library reflect a 1.25 percent base increase over the average of the previous three years.

The proposed no-override budget cut would give the library a budget of approximately $506,000 for the fiscal year 2002.

This would not meet the state guidelines and result in the loss of an additional $36,000 in state aid.

Romelczyk then proposed a new budget of $529,000, which is lower than either of the two proposed override bids and would result in some cuts in services but would at least meet the minimum state guidelines for aid.