Salem Proposing First Layoffs in 25 Years
SALEM, Conn. – Facing tight constraints in a tough budget year, the town of Salem is proposing its first series of layoffs in 25 years.
After a special meeting on March 19, the Board of Finance asked the Board of Selectmen to cut $75,000 from the general government budget and the Board of Education to cut $240,000 from the schools’ proposal. Having already pared their plans significantly prior to the meeting, both boards were left with little choice but to start eliminating or reorganizing positions.
”These are not cuts that anyone is advocating. They are reluctant recommendations based on a requirement by the Board of Finance,” First Selectman Bob Ross said. “ They are what we see as the least harmful, but any time you cut staff it comes with an impact on service.”
Ross said these are the first layoffs he can recall in 25 years in the town. They include eliminating a town clerk assistant, a full-time public works maintainer and two summer help positions, as well as sending one resident state trooper back to the barracks. The proposed layoffs would result in only two actual job losses for the town, since the two summer help positions have not yet been filled and the state trooper would still be employed, just not stationed in Salem.
The Board of Selectmen discussed alternatives to the proposed layoffs, including approaching the public works and firefighters unions and asking them to restructure their contracts and concede annual cost-of-living raises, which they were unwilling to do. Ross was then forced to compose a list of potential cuts to winnow the budget by the necessary $75,000.
”Even with all these reductions we’ve made in the proposal, we’re still looking at a $300,000 to $400,000 increase in taxes, and that reflects a one-and-a-half to two percent increase from last year,” Board of Finance Chairman Bill Weinschenker said. “I’m not even sure the proposal we have on the table right now is palatable to the public.”
The cuts come amid a general government budget that includes 3 percent pay increases for most town employees, as well as similar increases scheduled in the public works and firefighters union contracts.
However, Ross was quick to point out, “all told, you’re talking about $37,000 of pay increases, which is spread out over 30 to 40 employees, and in the grand scheme, that is small. Nobody is getting rich in municipal government, people are just eking by.”
The Board of Selectmen approved the layoffs in a special meeting March 24, though Ross said the votes were far from unanimous. He added that the forced budget reductions are a revenue problem, not the result of irresponsible spending.
”What changed this year is the dramatic decline in revenues and you simply can’t spend money you don’t have, “ Ross said. “We’ve cut capital back as far as I think we should at this point and the downsizing on personal property, licensing fees and things of that sort, as people cut back on their expenses, means that the town loses a lot of revenue and that’s what forces us to scale back on the budget.”
Overall, Salem’s budget proposal – currently $13,807,516 – reflects about a 3 percent decrease from last year. The general government portion stands at $3 million, while the school board is asking for just under $10 million and $650,000 is planned for capital expenditures.
The Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Monday to finalize its budget proposal before the Board of Finance holds its public hearing at the Gardner Lake Firehouse at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The proposal will then go to a town meeting, followed by a referendum.
This article originally appeared on B1 of the New London Day and is available online here: http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=755ddded-bdaa-44cc-9c6e-93a854677b55
