JAY – Selectpersons are looking for as many as three residents to serve on a committee which will evaluate the town’s streetlight usage, after one quarter of the associated funding was cut out of the proposed budget.
Recommendations by the selectpersons and budget committee are to cut a quarter of the approximately $64,000 budget for streetlights. The reduction is included within a proposed budget which is 8.3 percent smaller than the one utilized in the current fiscal year. The Verso Paper Mill has requested an abatement, and some town officials have expressed a desire to reduce expenditures until the outcome of the process is known.
Reducing the streetlight budget by one quarter would require shutting down approximately a quarter of the town’s 400 streetlights. The town proposes to create a seven-member committee to make recommendations concerning which lights should be turned off.
One resident had already come forward and expressed interest in serving on the committee, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said Monday evening. Selectpersons Justin Merrill and Pearl Cook agreed to serve on the committee, and the board asked that LaFreniere find a member of the Jay Police Department to serve on the committee. Three other residents would bring the committee to seven people, which selectpersons agreed would represent a good number. Interested residents can contact the town office.
In other business, selectpersons voted against purchasing a new truck and plow. The vote was contested, with Selectpersons Merrill, Cook and Chair Steve McCourt opposing the purchase and Selectpersons Tim DeMillo and Tom Goding in favor.
Acquiring a new truck was recommended by Highway Foreman John Johnson. It would replace a 2003 International truck, currently used to plow a 40-mile loop that includes Route 133. The truck, one of four used by the highway department, has 166,000 miles, is not expected to be reliable going forward and is currently in the shop requiring a $500 pump repair.
Johnson was recommending that the truck be replaced, rather than attempting to keep it running through another winter. That could require additional repairs, he said, as well as eat into the $29,000 value of the truck. Trading in that truck and expending $133,000 out of the department’s capital equipment account would purchase a new truck and plow.
McCourt noted that he had asked all department heads to refrain from proposing large purchases, “until we know what’s going on across the river,” he said, referring the Verso abatement process.
Johnson acknowledged that department head’s were looking for ways to improve efficiencies and save funds, but that if the old truck broke down, roads wouldn’t be plowed until a repair or replacement could be obtained.
“Under no scenario is not plowing the roads part of someone’s efficiency plan,” Johnson said. “Someone has to acknowledge that when [the plow truck] doesn’t go, nothing goes.” He described the purchase as the correct, economical move, but said he understood that selectpersons may be unable to undertake it due to political considerations relating to the abatement and associated budgetary concerns.
DeMillo and Goding moved and seconded the purchase of the new truck. The final vote was 2 to 3.
At some point in time, with or without the loss of revenue from Verso, both the town and school will have to revisit both the number of employees, supervisors/administrators, office help for both the school department and the town office, as well as their corresponding pay and benefits. The private sector has already seen much of this and public service will be next.
And furthermore, the selectman and school committee should not enter into any long term contracts with any individuals such as town manager, superintendent, principals, and the many other high paying administrators that are paid out of Jay taxes. Don’t lock yourselves into any long term deal. No one should be getting 2 or 3 year contracts that guarantee them their pay and benefits with these unknowns out there. No one in the real world has this guaranteed job security. If people do a good job for a fair price, you continue to employ them. But don’t guarantee them their years of employment and salary and benefits. Go year to year. It is really that simple. If other people or places want to do that, let them. Don’t let that be an argument of why the town of Jay has to do the same. There are plenty of people out there.
While the town departments have cut back their budget requests for the coming year, the school department continues to add positions and programs, increasing their budget for the coming year. The sneaky vote at the open budget meeting last week to spend thousands of dollars on the old high school and saying it doesn’t need to be included in the vote by secret ballot later this month is just an example of what the school board is capable of. I hope the whole school budget is voted down and brought back for some cuts and revision.
Why, when ever the town tries to save money on one hand there asking to spend it in the other hand? Can’t or won’t repair a pump for 500.dollars but ask to buy new? Worried about street light but buy more cars,trucks and alike. Can’t bring these issues forward at a town meeting because it would be placed at the end of a town meeting.. And, you want to know why town people doesn’t want to go to a town meeting. Selectmen spend like a drunking sailor. More,More,More for ME.
All we hear at the school committee meetings is it will hurt the students.
The ones that is going to be hurt is the ones paying the taxes.
When the old folks in town can not pay their taxes, what will happen to the schools?
The Livermore Falls High schools should be shut down as voted on it previous years.
Come on people, they do not have to have a big building for adult ed.
I hope the school budget is turned down so a reasonable budget can be worked out.
Pass the word…………..
LOL @ people complaining that the education system is spending too much money. Then in the next statement talk about people who don’t pay taxes because they don’t have jobs and are on welfare. People what do you think happens when kids gets get a poor education and grow up….they don’t get jobs! What happens when people don’t get jobs? We the almighty “tax payers” support them. Connect the dots.
Seems to me that there are no jobs for them to get.