Budget for Fiscal Year 2012

I am absolutely delighted to tell you I am truly pleased by our Budget for Fiscal Year 2012. This new budget begins July 1, 2011. I have probably bored the reader to tears talking about all the revisions and budget hearings we have held to prepare the FY 2012 budget. Now, the Accountant Trudi Brazil and I have presented the Board of Selectmen with a budget for FY2012 that is balanced and requires no Override.

Sure, things can still change ... but I feel this budget will hold almost as it appears now until we reach Town Meeting on April 26th. I am proud of all the Department Heads who held their budget increases and plans for new programs until a better economic climate develops. As I have told you in the past, our Medical Insurance Program for Employees is held to only a 10% raise every year by the regional Cape Cod group that manages our Medical Insurance, Cape Cod Municipal Health. It is hard to say “only 10%” with a straight face. But, it honestly is a small amount compared to the percentage increases elsewhere in the Commonwealth.  

I am also proud of our municipal collective bargaining unions. Only the Police have settled their FY2012 contract. But that powerful group of bargainers settled for 1% in 2012. Do not underestimate how important that amount is to the other two unions. Police always represent the highest wage increase, across the board, in any community.

The Truro Central School is also a big player in the 2012 budget. They were an exemplary committee in developing a budget that is almost level funded! A big Thanks to the School Committee for their careful planning.

So much of Truro's budget is not discretionary or within our control. We receive the amounts to be budgeted from Retirement, Unemployment and Workers Compensation, the Cape Cod Technical High School, and even Veterans Services. 

Annual Town Meeting

Other activities of a cold February include writing the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in April. A reminder: All articles must be in March 1, 2011. So far we have some Zoning Articles that will keep the meeting hopping as well as the regular, common articles, such as pay for our Moderator and the Board of Selectmen. Think spring, and I think of Annual Town Meeting. I am thinking spring a lot lately.

Spring means Summer Planning

Spring is when we will hire the lifeguards for all our beaches and the counselors for the Truro Summer Program. Already, we have bids on Port-a-Potties for our beaches and playgrounds and Concert Park. Golf Manager, Jim Knowles is back to work. March brings the Harbormaster back to work, and March brings the dredging of the Pamet Harbor. Remember, pitchers and catchers have already reported to Spring Training, and the rest of the team is due to report at any moment. Spring will come!

Regional Cooperation

Finally, I would like to report to you about a Regional Committee in which Truro participates: the Inter-Cooperation Municipal Committee. As I have reported before, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown all meet once a month. The Board of Selectmen Chair and the Town Administrator/Manager are the representatives from each community. This year has been quite productive. In the Human Resources study we have already presented Sexual Harassment Avoidance Training for all the employees of each community. We are studying further using one Law Firm, Koppelman and Paige, to answer day-to-day Human Resource questions for each of the four towns.

Recently, the Inter-Cooperation Committee met to consider the functions of the Information Services (computer) departments of each town and how we might be able to combine forces to provide some of the functions. A very in-depth look at the functions was presented by each town's IT Director. They explained those functions that are impossible for them to get to. This included GIS and websites and phones. Eastham, Wellfleet, and Truro all have only one employee in their very busy IT Departments.

The Committee is considering having one “floater” employee to service Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro. (Provincetown already has three full-time IT employees). They would spend 10 hours a week in each community, providing routine maintenance functions. We, the four communities, also need to have coverage for IT Services if one of the Directors is on vacation or sick. It was a good meeting that will introduce some needed changes in our IT departments, I am sure.

Well, Gentle Reader, I must get back to work ... that Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting is calling my name. When I write again, we will be one month closer to Spring!

Pam Nolan
Town Administrator
townadm@truro-ma.gov
(508) 349-7004, ext 10