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Minutes of the Board of Selectmen Meeting
<br /> February 23 , 1993
<br /> The meeting was convened at 8: 05 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting
<br /> Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA. Present were Chairman Dan
<br /> Ensminger, Vice Chairman George Hines, Secretary Sally Hoyt,
<br /> Selectmen Eugene Nigro and Bill Burditt, Town Manager Peter
<br /> Hechenbleikner and the following list of interested parties: Tom
<br /> Stohlman, Tim Twomey, Matt Cummings, Richard Radville, Rachel &
<br /> Steve Baumgartner, Elia Marnick, Jim Biller, Barbara Philbrick,
<br /> Mary J. Andreola, Annette Flanagan, Richard Coco.
<br /> The Town Manager presented a package of proposed items which are
<br /> being included in a $2 . 5 million Proposition 2 1/2 Override.
<br /> They included elimination of the Rubbish Fee for $1, 002 , 000;
<br /> level service for the schools, including salary increases, for
<br /> $1, 009, 000; capital improvements $204, 000; and various municipal
<br /> expenses for $285, 000.
<br /> Bill Burditt reviewed a chart outlining how these items broke
<br /> down, and what the taxpayers were getting for an additional $60
<br /> per year net effect. Burditt indicated that one of the major
<br /> benefits of the override is it would eliminate the Trash Fee and
<br /> that he would never vote for Trash Fee again if the override is
<br /> voted.
<br /> Matt Cummings, Chairman of the School Committee, indicated that
<br /> the School Committee met yesterday before the Finance Committee
<br /> meeting. They looked at the Education Reform Bill and the over-
<br /> ride., and suggested the following was a consensus of the School
<br /> Committee: 1) Out of the $1,009, 000 proposed in the override for
<br /> the schools, the School Department would fund the athletic fees
<br /> and music fees - ie. separate fees would be eliminated. 2) Out
<br /> of the school override amount, the School Department would fund
<br /> the $60, 000 for the portable classroom at Birch Meadow School.
<br /> 3) If the Education Reform Bill passes, they would use ap-
<br /> proximately $150, 000 for items that would have been cut to accom-
<br /> modate the athletic fees, music fees, and portable classroom. 4)
<br /> Out of Ed Reform money, if passed, they would agree to fund the
<br /> track improvements and the roof at the Reading Memorial High
<br /> School, rather than bond for them. 5) They would look to utilize
<br /> the Educational Reform Bill to offset the use of free cash and
<br /> reduce the levy limit.
<br /> George Hines indicated that he missed the meeting last week and
<br /> the Town owes acknowledgment to the Reading Taxpayers Associa-
<br /> tion, the Selectmen, and the School Committee for putting this
<br /> package together. The current circumstances are part of the
<br /> natural progression over the last three years as budgets have
<br /> declined. These have been difficult years both nationally and
<br /> locally. People who have lost jobs have particular difficulty,
<br /> but it is time for us to put parochial concerns aside. The over-
<br /> ride package shows firmly the support for the schools. Hines has
<br /> some concerns about the proposed expenditures on the municipal
<br /> side. He feels we should not just be using up all of the money
<br /> to get to the $2 . 5 million, we still owe it to the community to
<br /> reduce as much as we possibly can. Specifically, with regard to
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