Swampscott approves FY’09 budget

SWAMPSCOTT – The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved Town Administrator Andrew Maylor’s $51.4M budget at its meeting Tuesday evening.The $51.4 million budget, which does not include the $2.70 million debt exclusion for the high school, represents a $1.9 million increase over the FY’08 budget and much of the increase is due to contractual salary increases and other fixed costs including utility increases.Maylor said the good news for the upcoming fiscal year is the cost of health insurance for town employees, which has increased by approximately 13 percent annually for the last six years, did not increase.Maylor said the town paid more than $4.3 million for health insurance premiums this fiscal year and in his preliminary FY’09 budget he factored in a 12.5 percent rate increase for health insurance.Maylor said because premiums are not increasing as expected, the town would save approximately $400,000 of what was initially budgeted for health insurance. He said $20,000 of that would go towards the increase in health insurance costs for retirees. Maylor said he is giving the school department $220,000 and the balance would go into various reserve accounts.Board of Selectman Chairman Adam Forman said given the double-digit increase in health insurance in previous years, the selectmen are looking at this as a one-time savings.”Blue Cross is not increasing our premiums this year,” he said. “But we assume going forward there will be rate increases.”According to Maylor, Town Hall staff size would be reduced by the equivalent of 1.5 fulltime equivalents and there are not any new positions, programs or requests in his budget. There was a recommendation to eliminate the town planner position but the selectmen voted not to eliminate the position.The Board of Selectmen voted not to fill a vacant firefighter position, which is funded in the budget. Selectman Marc Paster said he was against leaving the position unfilled but the other members of the Board of Selectmen voted not to fill it.Paster and Maylor expressed concerns not filling the position would lead to an increase in overtime costs but Forman said the town would monitor overtime costs and could vote to fill the position at a later date if necessary.With the exception of not filling the firefighter position, Paster said he is comfortable with the budget presented by Maylor.”There is absolutely no need for overrides in FY’09,” he said. “I am pleased the town is finding a way to live within its means without reducing vital services.”Paster went on to say he supports Maylor’s budget but he does not support the Capital Improvement Committee recommendation to purchase a new fire engine and make road improvements with a property tax surcharge.”I am not in favor of this tactic,” he said. “I am against overrides and I think this is just another form of override. I think we should look elsewhere to fund these projects.”