Aldermen hear budget recommendations from city departments

By Chloe Lutts

The Board of Aldermen met at city hall Tuesday, June 18th, to hear budget presentations by a number of city departments. Ward 2 Alderman Maryann M. Heuston, Finance Committee chair, presided over the proceedings.

School Department
Somerville School Superintendent Anthony Pierantozzi, accompanied by a number of school committee members, presented the School Department’s budget and accomplishments over the past fiscal year, as well as its plans for continued improvement.

Somerville was one of 30 outperforming school districts in the state this fiscal year, Pierantozzi told the board. In the coming fiscal year, the department will focus its efforts on improving in eight main areas: instruction, compliance and equity, fiscal responsibility, facility planning, communications, technology, the learning environment and human resources. Recent accomplishments in these areas include continuation of free extracurricular activities, excellent audits, a student-teacher ratio of 19-to-1, a student-to-computer ratio of 3.6-to-1, the introduction of adult ID badges, introduction of diversity through new hires and the reorganization of personnel for better efficiency. The high school dropout rate is 2.3 percent and the overall attendance rate is 95 percent.

Overall, the department is decreasing the size of its staff because of the district’s declining population. However, in the coming fiscal year the department will add one science teacher, one part-time music teacher, MCAS tutors and an assistant to the Healy School Principal. Qualified full-time teachers will also be given stipends to act as curriculum team leaders, training and helping other teachers. Pierantozzi said using teachers as curriculum team leaders not only improves instruction (because teachers learn better from fellow practitioners) it also keeps the best teachers in the classroom, rather than hiring them as administrators in a similar capacity.

The department recommended a total budget of $46,785,700, a 1.74 percent increase over last year. Salaries account for $37,915,150 of the total. Special education funding, partially reimbursed by the state, increased by approximately $126,000, representing more than the total increase in the operations budget.

Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
The OSPCD is composed of the Conservation Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board, the Condo Review Board, the Redevelopment Authority and Inspectional Services. The OSPCD aims to improve the quality of life in Somerville by enhancing low- and moderate-income areas, improving transportation access and attracting economic development. Strategies include focusing on key opportunity sites including Assembly and Union squares and the Innerbelt/Brickbottom, building on Somerville’s distinctive assets rather than subscribing to a formulized development plan, improving infrastructure and targeting key business sectors like bio-technology, small businesses, hotels and green energy.

Alice Martin, senior planner in the division of Economic Development, said it will simultaneously address both “long-range planning and more immediate economic development” this fiscal year. She said this fiscal year the division will complete the Union Square zoning amendment, begin review and permitting of the initial phases of the Assembly Square development, secure consulting services to draft a preliminary development strategy for Brickbottom/Innerbelt, develop a city-wide marketing strategy, promote growth industries, provide small business assistance and expand the historic districts.

The Planning division of the OSPCD is actively working to streamline the development review process and eliminate inefficiencies in zoning ordinances. Heuston expressed her satisfaction with their work and urged the division to “keep up the improvements to our zoning ordinances.” However, she cautioned that although the board fully supports the creation of a zoning administrator position, as its underwriters they expect it to fulfill their expectations for improvement of the zoning process.

Plans to be implemented within fiscal year 2008 include construction of the Route 28 undercarriage and ADA-compliant ramps between the square and Kensington. The division is also at various stages of planning or design on projects at Union Square, Beacon Street, East Broadway and in parks all over the city. Construction has already begun on four parks, as well as two community gardens.

The housing division created 150 new affordable housing units, improving 80 existing units, providing rental assistance to 43 households and initiating a down payment and closing cost assistance program in fiscal year 2007. In the coming fiscal year, housing plans to develop more affordable units, a home for teen mothers and their children, a residence for visiting nurses and an emergency facility for victims of domestic violence. The department will also apply for $1.9 million in homeless assistance grants and develop foreclosure prevention strategies.

To accomplish these goals, the department recommended a budget increase of almost $100,000. New positions proposed include a director of economic development, a project manager for Assembly Square, a housing division manager and an accountant. Some of their salaries will be grant-funded. The Planning Board requested the addition of a full-time planner, two associate planning board members and an MPO representative, all funded by the city. Also included in the increase is $22,165 for the department to hire interns and provide them with tools.

The Inspectional Services division requested $7,390 to respond to increased demand for exterminations. The division received some criticism from aldermen who said their constituents had complained about what they thought was overzealous enforcement of trash ordinances.

However, the board as a whole acknowledged the division’s many accomplishments with minimal resources and even went so far as to ask if they needed more money. “Is there sufficient manpower for the number and types of issues that your department has to deal with?” Heuston asked.

However, among the board’s main concerns was violation of construction ordinances in residential areas on weekends, probably a concern of a minority of Somerville residents. George Landers, superintendent of Inspectional Services, told the board that some funds budgeted for overtime would make a big difference and might even pay for themselves in citations issued.

The Zoning Board of Appeals requested $8,200 to hire two new board members. The Condominium Review Board changed one position from full- to part-time and decreased the corresponding salary accordingly. The Historic Preservation Commission requested funding to fill vacant positions. The Conservation Commission and Re-development Authority were both level-funded.

Veteran Services
Director Frank Senesi requested level funding for the Veteran Services Department for fiscal year 2008, despite an expected increase in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans’ benefits are the single greatest expense for the department. Veteran Services also maintains veterans’ memorials and cemeteries and organizes the Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day parades.
The cost of the parades is partially defrayed by an annual fundraiser, Senesi said, which this year brought in about $12,500. Several aldermen commended the department on this year’s Memorial Day parade, which cost $39,700.

Elections
The Elections Department is responsible for overseeing elections, collecting census data and maintaining a variety of public records. The department’s fiscal year 2008 recommendations include a number of increases totaling almost $70,000. The new expenses include ballots for the fall 2007 local elections, the cost of the March 2008 presidential primary and the addition of handicapped-accessible voting machines, in accordance with federal law.

Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz commended the department on the usability of the new machines, saying she had heard excellent feedback from her constituents who were able to vote on their own for the first time.

Department Chairman Nicholas Salerno added at the meeting that an additional $7,000 not included in the proposed budget will be required for a special election to fill Senator Barrios’ seat.
Alderman-at-Large John M. Connolly, who said he frequently helps constituents register to vote during his office hours, asked about the department’s efforts to register voters. Salerno said he is working with schools and other city departments to register new residents, in addition to attending public events with registration materials.

Personnel
The personnel department’s greatest accomplishment in fiscal year 2007 was the negotiation of six union contracts increasing employee health care contributions by five percent. The department also hired 117 new employees, modified the worker’s compensation process to save money and organized a number of training opportunities for municipal employees.

The department’s budget recommendations for fiscal year 2008 include the following increases: tuition reimbursement for non-union employees, a pay raise for the assistant director, $4,000 to cover physical exams and drug screening for new public safety officers, $5,000 for licensing and training, funding for the BeneFIT program and $5,000 for awards and an employee appreciation day.

SomerStat
In fiscal year 2008, SomerStat plans to roll out ResiStat, bringing SomerStat data down to the neighborhood level, Director Stephanie Hisrsch said. The new project will include citizens and make information available to them on the department’s Web site. SomerStat is requesting funding for a Junior Analyst, starting at $34,000, to launch ResiStat.

In addition, the department plans to improve the ease of transactions with the city and expand their “Mystery Customer” program to assess city services.

Alderman-at-Large Dennis Sullivan recommended the department implement a follow up to 311 service requests. Currently, when a problem like a pothole is reported, repairs are scheduled, but the citizen who complained is unaware of the timeline, he said.

Heuston recommended SomerStat improve communications between departments involved in enforcement of licenses and permits, because often “you have one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing.” Hirsch said a licensing database is already in the budget for 2008, to prevent lapses of communication that can lead to situations like the one Heuston described, where police officers cite violators at night who have already been cited for a similar violation by a different department during the daytime.

Hirsch also assured Aldermen that SomerStat tracked and could share data on illnesses, drug use and needle disposal.

Constituent Services
Constituent Services is responsible for managing the 311 call center and improving the efficiency of city services and customer service. In the coming fiscal year, the department plans to increase public awareness of 311 and incorporate more city departments into the service.

Constituent Services also proposes the creation of a welcome desk in City Hall to direct visitors and allow them to do some things – like buying white stickers and paying parking tickets – that they would previously have had to go elsewhere to take care of. The welcome desk would be staffed by two customer services representatives costing a combined $56,000 in the first year. The department is also requesting $4,000 for construction of the desk itself and $6,000 to add a self-service computer kiosk in city hall.

A few aldermen expressed concern with the welcome desk for a variety of reasons. Alderman at Large William A. White Jr. thought it sounded redundant, a sentiment echoed by Heuston, who said it sounded like the desk might just be “transferring some of the tasks to a different location.” White also worried that the desk could create long lines and congestion at City Hall, such as the lines at the Traffic and Parking Department, where people currently have to go to pay parking tickets. Constituent Services Director Sean Murphy said this was unlikely to be a problem because the desk would only handle simple procedures like payment of parking tickets.

Ward 1 Alderman William M. Roche said he liked the idea of offering residents “one-stop shopping” but wondered if it would raise issues with the unions. Gewirtz agreed, and said, “I think it needs to be really specific what this person’s job is going to be.”

Executive Administration
The executive department moved the offices of Multicultural Affairs and Gay/ andLesbian Advocacy to the Health Department at the board’s suggestion, decreasing their budget by approximately $66,000.

The department is requesting $7,000 for increased dues and membership fees for organizations including the National League of Cities. The mayor’s chief of staff  Michael Lambert said these expenses are offset by the savings from membership in these organizations, through benefits such as shared purchasing agreements.

The department’s total budget was $448,133.00 last fiscal year. Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s salary is $125,480.97 per year.

Health Department
The Board of Aldermen expressed satisfaction with the Health Department’s work over the past fiscal year, congratulating the department staff on their accomplishments and the number of grants they have obtained to fund further work. The Health Department works to improve all aspects of public health and wellness in Somerville, from environmental health to human rights.

In fiscal year 2007, the Health Department provided flu shots to 1,583 residents, generating $4,000 in revenue, recruited 25 volunteers to the Board of Health’s Medical Reserve Corps, stocked an emergency preparedness trailer with supplies, provided daily nursing care to all Somerville students and implemented “fitness progress reports” for elementary school students and 10th graders. As part of the Somerville Cares About Prevention program, the department provided information on substance abuse prevention to over 400 high school freshmen during orientation, coordinated the third annual National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs in Foss Park and surveyed 1,003 high school students about substance abuse and student health related issues such as depression, diet and sexual behavior.

The department conducted sale-to-minors and secondhand smoke inspections of local businesses, both of which found 95 percent or better compliance rates. The department promoted physical activity and healthy living through Shape Up Somerville, providing incentives and information to community groups, municipal employees and other residents.

The department has six main goals for fiscal year 2008. The first is to strengthen core public health services including public health nursing, school nursing and housing inspections. The second is to sustain community health programs including the Trauma Response Network, Women’s Commission and SCAP and develop sustainable funding for these programs. The third is to increase emergency preparedness. The fourth is to improve the professional standards, education and training of the Board of Health Members and possibly expand the board from three members to five. The fifth is to complete a strategic planning process to clarify the mission of the department.

The sixth is to improve customer service in the department in line with the city’s goal, including by increasing language and cultural competencies.

The department’s fiscal year 2008 budget includes increases to fund the shift of the Human Rights Commission, the Multi-Cultural Commission and the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender liaison to the Health Department. The department is also requesting funding for an assistant director for community health whose position was funded by grants this year, $25,000 for a part-time trauma response position and $26,000 for a part-time public health nurse.

Comments

[The Mole]

Gee Whiz, how come Boss Hog’s DPW Funland wasn’t among the reports? Could it be he is all filled up or hiding what is really on the menu. Naw, they are waiting for the Hog to give the class on, “How to F’k em all, 101.

And this so called “Mystery Customer” program should entail finding out who these “Mystery Junior Analyst are. I must be going to another relative of someone on the BOA or contributor.

Another Department not mentioned was in Purchasing. Could it be that the Mayor is waiting to appoint a new person since she is slated for the “Heave HO” pile along with the Treasurer?

Still shaking up those people huh Joeycakes? It seems whenever one does not think your way, out they go.

The Mole

[School Department]

Here's a budget-buster that the school department doesn't want you to know about......the school department continues to bus all students who choose to attend the Undios Program. If you try to find out how much this busing costs, you will probably be told that it is not happening. Yet it is, and the city pays not only for buses, but for bus monitors, and for teachers to supervise the loading of the buses. One explanation also given is that it is required due to the fact that these students are not english-speaking. That is not true. The requirement to bus non-english speakers refers to those who must attend SEIP (bilingual) classes be bussed wherever they are held. Non-english speakers who choose to attend Unidos do not fit into that category. And that explanation certainly does not explain why we are busing english speaking Unidos students! And yet, my neighbors' kid skipped pre-school because they couldn't get to the Capuano School, and now their choices for elementary school are limited by their lack of transportation. Why are we wasting this money in a time of tight budgets?

[Tricky]

Please elaborate more on the situation of your neighbor's kid, S.D. Where in the city are they located so that a) they couldn't get to Capuano and b) they're now facing limited choices for elementary school?

We had acquaintances with a kid at the Brown who still managed to get their pre-schooler over to Capuano.

[City Hall Nose]

Is it true the school Committee is short by one? Rumors around the streets are that the School Committee woman from Ward 4 did not have enough signatures in for bid for re-election.

Anyone have the scoop?

[Pre-School]

Tricky, why so sarcastic? Many people don't have transportation. Yes, buses are available across the city, but not all bus routes/homes are convenient to the Capuano School. And did you ever carry an infant, or hang onto a toddler, while getting a pre-schooler to school every day by bus? It's not easy. DOn't forget, their schedule is 8:45-1:30 every day, 8:45-11:30 on 1/2 day Wednesdays - not a lot of 'turn around' time! Many people who work have child care arrangements which do not include transporting to and from school, and if your job schedule conflicts with school schedule, you cannot get them there yourself. Trust me, there are many kids across the city with parents who won't or can't get their kid to the lovely 'early childhood center'. I'd venture it serves more middle to upper-class pre-schoolers than low-income or immigrant pre-schoolers.

[Somerville Resident]

All these people should come out and vote for change this time! Otherwise they cannot complain.

"I'd venture it serves more middle to upper-class pre-schoolers than low-income or immigrant pre-schoolers."

[Ron Newman]

Yes, as discussed in another thread, there will be an all-write-in election for School Committee in Ward 4, because nobody returned papers with sufficient signatures.

[City Hall Nose]

And we want this person to continue as Ward 4 School Committtee person when she can't even get enough signatures or forgets to turn them in?

Come on Ward 4 people, vote for a change. Why subject our children to this type of leadership.

[Tricky]

No sarcasm intended, P-S, although I am curious at to the whereabouts of the previous poster. It's a given that the Capuano is inconvenient to get to, where are these people that their school choices are limited by transportation? Ten Hills? Boston Ave and Route 16? I'll admit to not hustling the Trickettes around on the bus much during their toddler years, but I've done enough time pushing a double stroller through the snow over the years to know that getting your kids someplace is a pretty rotten task.

I'll also agree the hours are tough for working parents. (I've had enough of this half-day Wednesday B.S. also...) Is there an after-school option for the Capuano? And even if kids are covered until 5:30, what time do you think you have to leave work to pull this off? When I worked downtown, it used to be 4:30. Payback for that sort of stunt stinks after awhile, too. You count on friends chipping in, buy favors from your boss, pay for sitters, etc.

As far as busing requirements, I think the city has to provide transportation if you're not within two and a half miles of the school you're assigned to, unless it's your choice to attend that school. SEIP students probably get crosstown transportation.

[Ron Newman]

But in a city as small as ours, I wonder how often that provision takes effect. On Broadway, it's only 3.2 miles from the Arlington line (Route 16) to the Charlestown line (Mt. Pleasant Street).

[Tricky]

Ron, apparently it's two miles. There's been a little dust-up this year with kids in the Kennedy and Brown neighborhoods being slotted to the new school at Lincoln Park (becuase there's no room at Brown or Kennedy), and some of the parents are requesting transportation, which I think might have to be provided.

I'm not sure if this is a trend that's going to get worse down the road, or an anomaly, but there seem to be more kids around. When we moved eight years ago, there were two kindergarteners on the block, couple older kids (whose old-line families have all since moved to NH), and the senior Trickette. Now we've got the two Trickettes, at least half a dozen kids under five and more coming AFAIK.

Maybe this should be addressed to Shelton, but I think the more people who are aware the train's coming (as some may put it, "yuppies with kids"), aldermen, school committee, bureaucrats, etc., the better.

[Somerville Bussing??]

I don't believe that busing is required regardless of the distance, except for students in the SEIP Program who must attend a particular school for their language classes. The point is, Unidos is not a 'SEIP' class, it is a choice that people may make. Just like the Choice Program at the Healey - do any students get bussed to that program? No. So no students should be receiving transportation to the Unidos program, most especially the English speaking students! Especially when you have other students told there is no transportation available to the Capuano or to any other school! The point is, busing is a huge expense, and it should not be happening, but it's the 'dirty little secret' of the school department that noone wants to talk about.
As far as after-school at the Capuano, there is a program for the Kindergarten students. They have begun to accept a VERY LIMITED number of pre-school students in recent years.

[somerville old timer]

Tricky: I'm with you on the 1/2 day wednesday stuff. What's with that? How are parents supposed to work?

[Somerville Resident]

"busing is a huge expense"

Any idea on the actual numbers?

[Tricky]

Try looking at the after-school options: last I looked you can pick three days (any three), or five days, but if you pick the three day option you can't pick half-Wednesdays. Sounds a little archaic.

OTOH, the School Department seems to be on the need for after-school to meet demand, so kudos to that (reportedly, there was a twenty person wait list at one school during the spring).

The city is legally required to provide bussing if a student does not get to go to a school of their choice and they are assigned to a school over two miles from their home; SEIP students are the exception to this rule.
I'm not sure why they'd be bussing Unidos students, maybe they're West Somerville students shut out from their preferred schools. (Can we get someone in the know to comment about this?) The city may not have to provide transportation for Capuano preschool classes, only for the kindergarten.

[Townie]

If there is a law requiring bussing if more than 2 miles from your school, I'm not aware of it. I don't think any town does that, and it would be rather odd since Somerville is only 4 square miles! At any rate, I would doubt it would apply to K or to Pre-K, since you are not required to attend either by law. The Unidos students being bussed (all who wish the 'service'), are any and all students attending Unidos. Most make a choice to go there, and are not 'shut out' of any school. There may be some for whom Unidos is their second choice, but that's not as common as first choice. Again, the school department (and school committee) won't talk about it, and will repeat the old line of 'being required to bus SEIP students'. They won't acknowledge that this is a different situation.
Also, I'm not sure that the after-school care at Capuano is part of the city-wide after school program, because I don't think you can pick a 3 or 5 day option. I think 5 days is the only option (I believe I recall people requesting fewer days, and being told that was not an option).

[Tricky]

I'd bet Ron Newman, cyber-Esq. (or JAR), could find the Mass. law regarding transportation over two miles. I know Somerville's pretty small, but Powderhouse Square to Union Square is over two miles, and there's a bit more in either direction from there.

Your comment about the preschool and kindergarten not being required is well taken, which makes sense regarding our friends at the Capuano. As far as Unidos, the only thing I can think of is that the city gets enough state or federal funds to provide transportation for students in a bilingual program. Other than that, I'm stumped.