ROCKLAND — Rockland City Councilors reviewed proposed changes to the fiscal year 2016 municipal budget Wednesday, June 3. The budget originally brought forth by city departments in April totaled $21.6 million, which is an 8.59 percent increase over last year. The budget reviewed at this meeting brought the percentage increase down to almost zero. Public hearing and final budget adoption is set for June 24 in Council Chambers, though the Council reserves the right to make budgetary changes before and after that date.

According to Finance Director Tom Luttrell, reductions in appropriations totals $811,468. Revenues will be increased $136,500. Of that revenue increase, $52,000 derives from RPLEA and Friends of the Library. The new net budget appropriations minus revenue is $16,915,369.

City Manager James Chaousis added that this is a net adjustment to the tax levy of $947,968. The city’s portion of that would be a reduction of .83 percent compared to last year’s mill rate.

“It is not a proud day,” Chaousis said. “We are going to eliminate positions, and not fill some, and ask other employees to carry more weight, and then tell our city employees that next year is going to be as bad.”

Acting Fire Chief Adam Micelli will continue in his dual role of interim fire chief and assistant fire chief for another year. A vacant police officer position will remain unfilled, and the library has stripped its budget and determined to be closed on Sundays, while also seeking and accepting larger private-fund donations.

Boat dockings and mooring fees will also be increased in an attempt to $30,000 in revenue from what Councilor Will Clayton described as the best harbor north of Boston. 

The Recreation Center will continue to be city-operated through the first quarter of the new fiscal year, allowing time for lease negotiations with the YMCA to occur. In terms of the negotiations, councilors requested non-disturbance clauses so the partial lease with the Rockland Department of Nurses Association be allowed to continue, as well as permit the Center to remain the locale of voting polls.

Negotiations would also maintain provisions for residents unable to meet membership costs of the YMCA.

Councilor Valli Geiger said: “We’re making a huge change to a city service that has a long history and is well loved by many people. And I think the only way to justify it is... there’s a huge gap between revenue and expenses.  It is our hope... is that the Y will be able to offer robust programs that will be a positive to the City of Rockland and not a loss.... Without those programs, then we look at, five years from now, raising the police department’s budget because our crime rate goes up.” 

This is a reduction of $221,839 from the overall budget.

Luttrell told the Council that he and Recreation Director Rene Dorr looked for other ways to cut the rec. budget while keeping the Center going.

”We looked at it briefly by closing nights during the summer, closing Saturdays during the summer, they’re closed Sunday anyway, and then gradually increasing the hours and changing some staffing requirements,” he said. “It could be in the range of maybe $30,000. But that’s a high number, also.”

Councilor Louise MacLellan-Ruf said: “It’s a sad day... This is an institution that has been around. It has transitioned, and it has changed. We have not, as a city, as a community, met those changes. And that’s why we’re here today. I do believe that moving forward — and that’s what we need to do here in order to move Rockland forward — I think in a very short time... we’ll have a much better sense of what’s going on in the community. I have every confidence that our at-risk children will be very well taken care of.”

At last week’s budget meeting, Councilor Will Clayton asked why the recreation budget had doubled in the passed seven years. The answer brought forth during this meeting, by Luttrell, was that in 2006 all employee benefit costs were covered in a general fund. Then, in 2007, the fund was dissolved and the benefits costs were placed in each department.

Also on the chopping block is $80,000 that was going to be used for union contract negotiations. And, $290,388 dollars that should have been on the school budget but ended up on the municipal instead, has been deleted.

Municipal revenue sharing will remain the same as last year. This is important in terms of potential state government shut down, and Rockland’s reliance on inbound funding. City Manager James Chaousis said that it’s next year’s revenue sharing budget that needs to be watched.

Chaousis pointed out that if Rockland actually received all of the 5 percent sales tax owed by the state ($1.2 million) it would have been the same as the amount Rockland has struggled to reduce.

“It’s tough from a small business perspective,” Mayor Frank Isganitis said. “You bust to grow a business, and you have to add — for me, now — eight percent onto every ticket. You kind of do it willingly because you know there’s this other contract, and you’re helping to build your own coffer....The tough part about that is to have one half of the contract decide they want to change it midstream.

“We don’t have any other revenue making mechanism because the state specifically prohibits us from doing that.”

According to Councilor Larry Pritchett, the Angus King Administration took a small amount of the sales tax to help balance the budget during the economic slow-down. Other governors followed suit.

Pritchett pointed out that Rockland does not have reserve funds. Rockland cannot apply for match-grant opportunities and lost one particular $400,000 grant due to not having money to match. 

 Related stories:

Answers still sought for Rockland Recreation Center funding a week before preliminary budget adoption

Rockland Library meets request for budget reduction and match-grant option

Rockland City Council hears from RSU 13 school board

Rockland Council continues to mull budget ideas

Passionate crowd gives testimonial to value of Rockland library, recreation center

Rockland City Council begins budget talks with department heads about requests

Rockland’s city manager introduces $21.6 million budget

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com.