Saugus finance board supports $68M budget

SAUGUS – The Saugus Finance Committee voted to recommend a $68 million town budget for 2013-2014 Wednesday night.The town-side budget is $41.7 million and includes $5.7 million for the Police Department (including $5.5 million in salaries), $4 million for the Fire Department (including $3.8 million in salaries) $686,000 for dispatchers, $1.3 million for recycling, $220,000 for veterans benefits, $510,000 for the library and $81,000 for the Youth and Recreation Department.While the majority of the votes were unanimous for each department budget, Finance Committee member Maureen Dever voted against the Police Department budget, saying she had an issue with an $18,000 raise for Police Chief Dominic DiMella and a $53,000 salary for an administrative assistant.?For these two reasons I can?t support this budget,” said Dever. “I have a real problem with an $18,000 raise for a department head when other department heads are not getting a raise. As the budget is presented, it?s $18,000 over that which Town Meeting voted last year.”Town Manager Scott Crabtree said the $18,000 is based on contractual raises and educational incentives that were in a separate line item last year.?The chief is a contractual position and is based on contractual raises, and that includes education,” said Crabtree. “Last year it wasn?t accounted for so it was in a separate line item.”Dever also asked about a $12,000 increase in the salary for the information technology director, which Crabtree said was to attract a qualified candidate. While the salary is listed at $83,000 per year, Crabtree noted other towns pay similar positions more than $100,000.Also in the budget is $10 million for health insurance and $4.6 million for retirement contributions, and $2.6 million in long-term and short-term debt.The Finance Committee also voted to recommend the $26.3 million budget for the school department, and voted to refer articles 21, 22 and 23, which seek money for various technology and handicap upgrades around the schools and a new school master plan, back to the School Committee.Crabtree said a handicapped ramp at the high school will be finished by July 1 and another ramp at the Ballard Early Childhood Center will be built in 2014, and noted the schools may be included in a town-wide master plan.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].