Andover avoids tax hike with compromise budget
No big school cuts as plan goes to vote
With too many bills and too little revenue, Andover officials hunkered down this month and channeled their inner Yankee to come up with a reworked budget for the upcoming fiscal year, sparing the School Department deep cuts while averting the need to seek a tax increase.
A joint panel of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, and Finance Committee last Wednesday approved the $127.2 million compromise budget plan, avoiding a budget standoff at Town Meeting this week.
"This compromise allows us to present a balanced budget," said Finance Committee chairwoman Joanne Marden. "There will be no override and no reductions to teaching staff."
Under the town's reworked spending blueprint, the School Department will receive $59.4 million in fiscal 2009, which begins July 1. That total is $1.3 million less than what the School Committee initially approved, and $825,867 more than what the selectmen had recommended.
The revised level of school funding will enable the district to maintain services, but not expand them. Under the reworked budget, the jobs of 40 elementary school teachers and classroom aides will be preserved, and the district's high school athletics program will remain intact, without any increase to student fees, said Marden.
Local leaders were able to close the projected budget deficit by updating the cost estimates for various items based on new information from the School Department and town officials, and by curbing the town's spending plans in other areas.
Before last week's meeting, the Finance Committee had agreed to scrub $750,000 from Town Manager Reginald "Buzz" S. Stapczynski's $2.53 million capital improvement recommendation. As a result, the town will spend the same amount on capital projects next fiscal year as it is spending this year: $1.78 million.
The new capital budget means that repairs to the Fish Brook culvert will not be completed next year, less money will be earmarked for sidewalk repairs, and the Police Department will have to wait for computer upgrades.
"The town will have to go without things that would be nice to have, but are not strictly necessary," said Alexander J. Vispoli, secretary of the Board of Selectmen. "Our taxpayers expect us to make the budget work with the funds we have available."
As part of the reworked budget, the School Committee agreed to cut $409,645 in new spending, funding that had been requested by Superintendent Claudia L. Bach to help the district recover from the cuts it sustained during the state fiscal crisis of 2002.
"We are doing all we can to make sure we squeeze value out of each and every dollar," said Arthur Barber, chairman of the School Committee.
In addition to the slashed spending, the town was able to realize a total savings of roughly $1.28 million as a result of new information related to School Department retirements and extended personnel leaves, special education expenses for students who are enrolled in programs out of the district, and town and school insurance policy estimates.
Brenda J. Buote may be reached at bbuote@globe.com.
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