Selectmen, School Committee, FinCom Hope to Get Jump on Budget Process

After the scramble to construct a budget for Fiscal Year ’14 earlier this year, the Board of Selectmen joined with the Finance Committee and School Committee at the Millennium Building on Monday night to kick start the process earlier and solve future budgetary problems that face the town.

Town Manager Jodi Ross presented preliminary estimates for a three year budget forecast from Fiscal Year ’15, which starts in July of next year, to Fiscal Year ’18.

Although Ross noted figures should significantly change and would likely decrease over the next few months as in previous years as the budget cycle progressed, particularly after September, she indicated that the initial budget deficit for FY ’15 could be anywhere from $1.6 to $2.9 million, with deficits by FY ’18 swelling to between $16 and $24 million.

In particular, she noted that potential fluctuations in healthcare costs would be one of the key driving factors in that final figure.

Westford School Department Superintendent Bill Olsen also addressed the joint boards on significant unknowns in his department’s budget, particularly possible fluctuations in special education costs with new families moving into town as well as a new state law coming into effect this summer that mandates school districts to provide out-of-school education for any excluded or expelled students.

Board of Selectmen chairman Kelly Ross asked Olsen and members of the School Committee to begin preparations for an upcoming department budget as soon as possible, although Olsen indicated that it would be difficult to provide a completely accurate picture until October due to possible changes at the beginning of the school year.

Still, even without solid commitments to specific deadlines on budget figures, the general consensus among members of the three committees was that there would be more thorough oversight on the budget this year before it is presented to voters.

“Our process last year had bumpy moments and I was as guilty as anyone for those bumpy moments,” said Kelly Ross.

While the forecasts will likely become clearer in the Town Manager and Superintendent’s offices in the early fall, the boards also were told to expect additional information around that time frame from the School Building Utilization Committee, consisting of Finance Committee member Dennis Rhona, former School Committee member and student demographics expert George Murray and several members of the School Committee.

Despite talk of potential school closures in the past, School Committee Angela Harkness noted that this new committee would not focus on closing or opening new schools, but finding increased efficiency with current buildings.

Rhona and Murray elaborated on the work done so far by the committee, which was established in late February, particularly new predictions for future student enrollments from Murray and a look at room use in all the district’s schools by Rhona, with data from both members likely being ready with the full report in early fall.

The three boards also discussed potentially gathering a new set of “market basket” communities used for comparison to Westford in collective bargaining agreements for the town’s employees, particularly in terms of reducing the number of other towns in the market basket.

Although finalized metrics were not agreed upon, potential factors ranged from the ages of populations to municipal incomes to focusing specifically on neighboring towns where employees may head if they decide to leave Westford.