Fairhaven Town Meeting passes override budget

By Beth David, Editor

Fairhaven Town Meeting members voted for a budget that will require a $450,000 override of Proposition 2 1/2 to be implemented. TM actually passed two budgets, the larger one, at $58,086,901, will require the override. The smaller one, at $57,636,901, will not, but would result in the School Department getting $200,000 less for its budget; and $250,000 will be taken from the salary reserve fund, which is used for raises and promotions for non-union employees. 

The two budgets were passed so that TM will not have to reconvene in case the Prop 2 1/2 override fails at the ballot box. An election is sched­uled for June 5 for voters to decide.

The Finance Committee also recom­mended a $57.6 million budget, with cuts in different places. But their attempts to have their amendments adopted failed.

So the end result is that a town­wide vote will have to approve a Prop. 2 1/2 override for the larger budget to be implemented. If it fails, the cuts will be implemented.

Town Administrator Angie Lopes Ellison explained that the override would result in an 11 cent increase in the tax rate for FY24. For a residential property assessed at $350,000, the increase in property taxes would be $38.53/year.

Ms. Ellison also explained that the real shortfall is $750,000, but they took $300,000 from the OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefit) payments.  She said they also are using 90% of estimated local receipts (permit fees and excise taxes), instead of the recommended 80-85%.

FinCom Chairperson Padraic Elliott admitted that his committee’s cuts were not sustainable. But, he said, they were designed to buy some time for the town to figure out how to offset the shortfall next year, with out having to go to an override.

Fairhaven Schools Superintendent Tara Kohler told TM members that funding for the school department has been going down in recent years. She explained that net school spending is a minimum amount that the state requires municipalities to spend on schools. She said Fairhaven is dangerously close to the minimum, when it should be well over.

“We’re trending in the wrong direction,” she said.

The state recommended that they ask for $1.5 million more this year, she said, but they only asked for $1 million, and the budget is giving them just over $800,000.

The School Department used to be 50% of the town’s budget, and now it is 41%, she said.

She asked TM to support the contingent budget even though for the schools, it is “not even close” to what the state says they should be doing.

“Forty-one percent of the town budget is unacceptable,” said Ms. Kohler.

“You make do with what you’ve got,” said TM member John Pond, calling the override a “slippery slope,” and saying “you can always find funding.”

“I don’t like going down this particular road,” said Mr. Pond, adding there’s a lot of money out there.

David Patterson spoke in favor of the larger budget, saying children are our future, and he was concerned the cuts would trickle down to special needs students.

Robert Grindrod, a FinCom member, said the committee “agonized” over the number looking for cuts. He said the school department’s budget has been going up while enrollment is going down. 

He also said the town may need to do some “soul searching” on some departments and may have to reorganize things. 

James N. Souza recommended making the Tourism Director a part time position. When told he could not do that because it was a vote for money only, Mr. Souza said, “So let’s delete the Tourism Office entirely,” and asked if he could amend the article to completely eliminate funding for the Office of Tourism.

The amendment was written and presented to TM discussion ensued.

“I do not believe we need a full time tourism department in Fair­haven,” said Mr. Souza, adding that people do not come to Fairhaven for vacation, it’s not Cancun, he said.

Select Board Chairperson Leon Correy asked people to be civil, and then said that tourism does bring in some revenue to the town. He said tourism is important and said their “personal feelings” for an individual are irrelevant. 

Tourism Director Christopher Richard said it was difficult to quantify how much revenue his office helps attract to the town. He said TM should not be thinking about how individual departments generate revenue. They are there to provide services, he said, and services cost money, and he noted, they are not asking how much money other departments bring to the town coffers.

He ran through the list of events sponsored by the tourism office and how they bring in people to shop in town.

Jim Anderson said he visited Fairhaven six years ago and went to the tourism office, where he got information. Now he lives in Fairhaven.

“I know how I’m going to vote,” he said. 

In the end TM voted by an overwhelming majority to fund the Office of Tourism.

FinCom also tried to amend the capital budget by removing $24,605 for new motors for the Harbor­master’s boat. 

Mr. Correy said the TM is a representative body and they should let the voters decide.

Ms. Ellison explained that Harbormaster Tim Cox got called away so she spoke about the item, saying the engine is “falling apart,” and it would be “short sighted” to keep repairing it. 

Resident Bob Pink said it would be a second vessel and would allow the HM to have a boat on the east side of town and one on the New Bedford Harbor side. 

The amendment failed and the engines were approved, along with all the other items on the capital budget plan.

Another item getting some discus­sion was to give $50,000 to the Buzzards Bay Coalition for a Conservation Restriction on part of the Salt Winds Reserve on Sconticut Neck Road. The BBC purchased the property after the town assigned its right fo first refusal to the BBC. The project will allow public access and passive recreation. The nine acres is a combination of private ownership, BBC ownership, and conservation restrictions. TM voted to spend the money for the CR. 

TM did not see fit to change the Finance Director/Treasurer/Collector position to be simply the Finance Director under the direct control of the TA. 

Ms. Ellison said she is having difficulty filling the position.

TM member Beth Luey said it would give too much control to the TA. FinCom member Bob Grindrod said he was afraid it would create two positions. 

The vote was close, so a count was necessary. The measure failed 109–83.

In similar fashion and for the same reasons articulated, albeit by different people, Article 17 to make the town clerk position appointed by the TA instead of elected also failed, although the acting Town Clerk, Elizabeth “Lissa” Horan spoke in favor of it and noted that the former Town Clerk also was in favor of it.

Bernie Roderick said if they give up the right to elect the position, “you will never get that vote back again.”

Linda Gallant agreed, saying, “We’ve done a great job in the past with our election of town clerk.”

Caroline Nunez said the position should be appointed to get “free and fair elections.”

Anne Morton Smith agreed, saying it was a critical role and should be someone with expertise.

“We need to keep control in the people’s hands,” said Lisa Plante, instead of putting one person in control of everything.

The change would have to be approved in a town-wide election.

Mr. Correy said being elected is a popularity contest and requires knocking on a lot of doors. 

He also said he heard many complaints about past town clerks, and if people say now that they did not complain, they are lying. 

And the third personnel change also failed, by a close 94-93 vote. Article 18 would have established the Town Administrator as the appointing authority for the Health Agent. Currently it is the Board of Health. 

Ms. Ellison said it was due to a pending lawsuit. If the position is under the TA, then evaluations would not be in open session, where people have been “publicly humiliated.”

Rich Griffith spoke in favor of the change, saying it was a myth that voters are better for holding people accountable.

“In fact, you have less accounta­bility,” he said.

Article 19 passed, adding “With prior approval of the property owner or other legal authority as provided by law,” to make it clear that Conservation Commissioners do not have blanket freedom to enter property, even to inspect a project. 

Article 20 was amended, but still takes away the authority of the Conservation Commission chairper­son or other commissioners to enforce the Wetlands Protection act or issue fines. 

Whitney McClees, with the support of ConCom commissioners offered an amendment that would allow enforcement by a majority vote of the commission. The TA and Select Board supported the change and it passed.

Town Meeting also passed a ban on single use plastics and nips, with much discussion on both articles. The Fairhaven Sustainability Commit­tee petitioned both articles. Commit­tee member Christin Ritz described the dangers to marine life from microplastics, and how the toxins make their way to humans who eat seafood. 

The plastics bylaw bans single-use plastics, disposable styrofoam food containers. It would also require restaurant patrons to ask for straws and disposable take-out utensils, instead of those items automatically being included. 

The nips bylaw included a change, removing the word “plastic” so that all nips would be banned from sale in Fairhaven. The small bottles are found littering every street and get in catch basins and in the ocean. Other communities have also started to ban their sale.

Ms. Plante, who works at a small liquor store in Fairhaven, said she was getting tired of people banning or cancelling anything they do not like. She said they should lobby for an expanded bottle bill that would include nips.

“You will destroy small businesses in this town,” said Ms. Plante. 

She said lottery tickets are a worse litter problem than nips.

“You think the lottery is going to ban scratch tickets?”

Mark Riley, who owns two liquor stores in Fairhaven spoke against the ban saying people will not drink less, they would just buy the next size up and actually drink more. He suggested they lobby to add nips to the bottle bill.

Brian Monroe said he saw someone throw a nip bottle out the window as he was walking. 

As a bourbon lover, he said, he never buys nips. He said people are probably buying nips to consumer quickly and then they throw out the bottle.

“I consume quite a bit,” he said of his bourbon.

“You might want to wrap it up,” interjected Town Moderator Mark Sylvia. “We have to talk after town meeting.”

The meeting is available for viewing at www.fairhaventv.com

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