Questions raised on fiscal restraint, services for seniors and equity of public programs
By: David Campbell
MONTGOMERY The Township Committee held a budget work session Wednesday night that raised philosophical questions about fiscal restraint, services for seniors, and equity of public programs.
Township staff presented the committee with departmental line items under a preliminary 2006 budget for health, recreation and finance.
A total 2006 budget figure was not discussed at the meeting. However, Township Administrator Donato Nieman said the administration is aiming for a spending plan that doesn’t raise property taxes over last year’s $31.3 million municipal budget.
Mr. Nieman said the state has set a spending increase cap of 3.5 percent for this year’s budget, even though the cost of living has risen about 4.5 percent, which he said warranted some concern.
The philosophical issues came up during Wednesday night’s discussion of proposed 2006 budgeting for the township senior center. Committeeman Mark Caliguire, the lone Republican on the governing body, objected to the nearly 28 percent increase for senior services over last year in an economic environment requiring lean budgets and fiscal restraint. The recommended 2006 budget for the senior center was $108,577, up from $85,085 spent through November of last year.
Mr. Nieman said this is the first full year of operation for the center, which he indicated helps to explain the increase. Township Chief Financial Officer Randy Bahr said the municipality has witnessed an increase in demand for services for seniors.
The senior center and its programs such as English-as-a-second-language courses, which the discussion Wednesday focused on, is unlike most other programs in the township’s Recreation Department, which are largely paid for by user fees.
Of the $394,473 paid out in 2005 for recreation services and programs, $332,000 was recouped through fees. No such fee system is in place to reimburse the township for services provided to seniors, officials said.
Mr. Caliguire expressed concern about the size of the proposed increase for senior services when other departments were contemplating proposed increases ranging from 1 to 3 percent. The proposed 2006 budget for the township tax collector, for example, was down nearly 22 percent from last year.
Deputy Mayor Cecilia Xie Birge said she would not abide cuts to the English-as-a-second-language program, particularly for Chinese-American seniors. She said such language classes help seniors feel less isolated and are a health issue as well.
Committeeman John Warms expressed an interest in programs funded through the township being available to all. He said language programs for Chinese Americans are unfairly exclusive because English-speaking seniors have no need of them and so cannot benefit from such publicly funded programs.