We Can't Have it Both Ways
At our December 15th Board of Selectmen meeting, the Board decided to initiate a hiring freeze policy similar to the school’s policy. In these hard times, this was an essential move, albeit very uncomfortable. Littleton doesn’t have a lot of slack left in its various positions/functions and our dedicated and hard working employees are often in a chronic overload situation. A hiring freeze will hurt the Town, but it will hurt far less than layoffs. Reduction in service or not, we need to temporarily hold the line when a person leaves until we can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel in the on-going state economic woes.
It also makes sense that some positions are so important that they must be filled; positions where there is only one employee in a department and that department would virtually shut down, critical public safety positions and core services in schools or the like. However, we must be very stingy about refilling vacated positions and that’s why I argued against the immediate granting of two exceptions at that meeting, a Highway Department laborer and a reserve Police Officer. As important as these positions are, we should have held the line at least until we had a clearer picture of the expected cuts in local aid. I asked the Board to hold off thirty days, but that was not to be.
To add insult to injury, on December 16th, the Fincom, School Committee and BOS met to discuss the budget. We now have plans in place to shoulder a 10% cut in local aid. The reality is that our professional financial team has done well in their contingency planning, but there is no headroom. All the more reason to hold the line on a hiring freeze.
Almost unbelievably, a discussion occurred at the December 16th meeting about funding a facilities manger position, an executive level or working executive position who would oversee maintenance of our town and school facilities. I heard my comrades say things like “People have to understand.” “We have 54 million dollars worth of new buildings, we have to manage it.” “It will save the town money, it will pay for itself.” Maybe it will, but I ask: Can we afford it? Can we enter into upcoming union contract negotiations and expect concessions reflective of the times from the unions with new executive positions in the offing. This, at least to some of you, has been called meaningless implementation of a hiring freeze and even government expansion. This may be costly in many ways. One Littleton Common blogger has already pointed this out. (See comments.)
Here are my thoughts: A hiring freeze is a hiring freeze and exceptions should not be granted for thirty to sixty days. If a key position is vacated, make use of “acting” positions.
Ouch! The roads won’t get plowed as quickly…how about a capital expenditure freeze for any project not started…the hiring of engineering firms for future road work in our roadway improvement plan. In essence, pause that plan for re-assessment in sixty days. Another ouch! We need our roads fixed, but the times are too desperate and expected to get worse. Let’s wait until some of the rhetoric from the state and federal level turn into something tangible, something we can deal with and understand.
The point here is simple. Despite Littleton’s sound fiscal management, too much uncertainty lies ahead and that could deeply cut into us all. People are hurting and unsure of their own futures.
Right now, let’s take an even harder line than what we think will just get us by; if things go better that we expect, great! Littleton has done very well when compared to other towns, but we will need state and federal monies and we all know there is tremendous uncertainly there. I hope I am over-reacting and too cautious, but under-reacting on this issue makes the whole situation far worse going forward. One thing we do know is that government can ramp up much more quickly than it can ramp down and there will be no bailout packages for Littleton.
It also makes sense that some positions are so important that they must be filled; positions where there is only one employee in a department and that department would virtually shut down, critical public safety positions and core services in schools or the like. However, we must be very stingy about refilling vacated positions and that’s why I argued against the immediate granting of two exceptions at that meeting, a Highway Department laborer and a reserve Police Officer. As important as these positions are, we should have held the line at least until we had a clearer picture of the expected cuts in local aid. I asked the Board to hold off thirty days, but that was not to be.
To add insult to injury, on December 16th, the Fincom, School Committee and BOS met to discuss the budget. We now have plans in place to shoulder a 10% cut in local aid. The reality is that our professional financial team has done well in their contingency planning, but there is no headroom. All the more reason to hold the line on a hiring freeze.
Almost unbelievably, a discussion occurred at the December 16th meeting about funding a facilities manger position, an executive level or working executive position who would oversee maintenance of our town and school facilities. I heard my comrades say things like “People have to understand.” “We have 54 million dollars worth of new buildings, we have to manage it.” “It will save the town money, it will pay for itself.” Maybe it will, but I ask: Can we afford it? Can we enter into upcoming union contract negotiations and expect concessions reflective of the times from the unions with new executive positions in the offing. This, at least to some of you, has been called meaningless implementation of a hiring freeze and even government expansion. This may be costly in many ways. One Littleton Common blogger has already pointed this out. (See comments.)
Here are my thoughts: A hiring freeze is a hiring freeze and exceptions should not be granted for thirty to sixty days. If a key position is vacated, make use of “acting” positions.
Ouch! The roads won’t get plowed as quickly…how about a capital expenditure freeze for any project not started…the hiring of engineering firms for future road work in our roadway improvement plan. In essence, pause that plan for re-assessment in sixty days. Another ouch! We need our roads fixed, but the times are too desperate and expected to get worse. Let’s wait until some of the rhetoric from the state and federal level turn into something tangible, something we can deal with and understand.
The point here is simple. Despite Littleton’s sound fiscal management, too much uncertainty lies ahead and that could deeply cut into us all. People are hurting and unsure of their own futures.
Right now, let’s take an even harder line than what we think will just get us by; if things go better that we expect, great! Littleton has done very well when compared to other towns, but we will need state and federal monies and we all know there is tremendous uncertainly there. I hope I am over-reacting and too cautious, but under-reacting on this issue makes the whole situation far worse going forward. One thing we do know is that government can ramp up much more quickly than it can ramp down and there will be no bailout packages for Littleton.
posted by Alex McCurdy at
3:15 PM
12 Comments
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