Wednesday, July 13, 2011
State Rep. Hecht told the Town Council that the Special Education Circuit Breaker will be increased by as much as $500,000, and the town will get more money for roadwork.
The approval of the state budget did not come until after the start of the new budget year, but for Watertown officials the wait was worth it - worth more than $700,000, in fact. The fiscal 2012 budget signed by Gov. Deval Patrick on Monday includes an increase of Special Education Circuit Breaker funds – which could be as high as $500,000 – and $156,000 added to the Chapter 90 roads funds, State Rep. Jonathan Hecht told the Town Council Tuesday. “The Special Education Circuit Breaker is a concern for all communities, particularly Watertown because of the large special education population,” Hecht said. The House proposal was to increase the circuit breaker funds by more than $80 million, while the Senate proposal called for a $61 million …
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149 Main St, Watertown, MA
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Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Watertown Councilors did not make any changes to the budget. Any increase in one budget requires reductions from others.
After months of wrestling over Watertown’s fiscal 2012 budget, the Town Council approved the $98.9 million with no changes and little discussion on Tuesday night. The Police and Fire budget were the only departments removed for discussion by councilors. District A Councilor Angeline Kounelis said she thought that the public safety budgets needed more money. “As I indicated last year, I strongly believe the staff levels should be at previous levels,” Kounelis said. She noted that Ladder 2 in the East End Fire Station is out of service more than half the time. “With minimum staffing there are short comings,” Kounelis said. “If money does become available I would like to give it to public safety.” While she spoke out against the funding …
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Town of Watertown Town Hall
149 Main St, Watertown, MA
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
The department will soon be fully staffed, and the new hires come in at lower salary levels.
The Community Development & Planning Department will be cutting nearly $25,000 from their budget in fiscal 2012 – down to $703,891, but most of the savings comes from replacing retiring staff with new blood, said director Steve Magoon. The department’s budget was one examined by the Town Council in Wednesday’s budget hearing. “The biggest change is the change in staffing,” Magoon said, adding that the department hired a new senior planner and is close to hiring a wiring inspector. The hirings will mean the department is fully staffed, which pleased Town Council President Mark Sideris. “It is nice to see that you have a full compliment of staff,” Sideris said. “In the next fiscal year you can address some things that have somewhat fallen to…
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Town of Watertown Town Hall
149 Main St, Watertown, MA
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Friday, May 13, 2011
The series of meetings will focus on budgets for individual departments.
The Town Council will begin wading into the fiscal 2012 budget on May 18, at the first of a series of budget hearings from now through mid-June. The meetings will focus on the budgets for particular departments in Watertown (see the schedule below for details). Under the following schedule, the Town Council will take action on the fiscal 2012 budget at its meeting on Tuesday, June 14 meeting, Sideris said. Town Manager Michael Driscoll unveiled the basics of the budget in April. The full version of the budget background materials are available in a binder that can be seen at the Watertown Free Public Library and the Town Clerk’s office in Town Hall, said Town Council President Mark Sideris. The budget information can also be viewed on the …
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Town of Watertown Town Hall
149 Main St, Watertown, MA
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Budget presented by Town Manager Michael Driscoll provides 2 percent increase for schools and maintains staff for Police and Fire departments.
Watertown’s fiscal 2012 budget proposal laid out by Town Manager Michael Driscoll Tuesday night calls for a 2.33 percent increase, up to $98.9 million, and would provide a 2 percent increase for the schools and maintain current staffing in the Police and Fire Departments. Driscoll presented the report to the Town Council, but members did not comment on the budget summary. The budget is based on a State Aid figure of $9.6 million, which is nearly $404,000 less than the current year, fiscal 2011. The amount, which Driscoll said is based on resolution from the Massachusetts House and State Senate outlining minimum local aid funding, is significantly better than original projections in October. Under the first projection Watertown would have …
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Town of Watertown Town Hall
149 Main St, Watertown, MA
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John MacNeill
8:40 am on Thursday, June 16, 2011
How do we equate "a responsibility to pass a balanced budget" with borrowing $3-million to astroturf a football field? more ›