Braintree facing cuts, possibly layoffs and even a tax override
BRAINTREE − Without directly naming anyone, Mayor Erin Joyce says decisions made before she took office contributed to the town’s current budget woes.
Joyce, who unseated Charles Kokoros in the last election, said Braintree has been using one-time revenues, such as its free cash reserve, to make up the difference between the town's income and expenses. Expenses are rising about 5% annually, more than double the 2.1% increase in revenue.
The town has $11.9 million in free cash certified by state revenue officials, but Joyce said at least $3.5 million will be needed to cover supplemental appropriations for the current town budget.
The town is looking to make a total of $16 million in budget reductions, about 10% of the current town budget of $160.4 million.
Some expenses missing in the budget
Joyce said about $3.5 million will be needed to cover "some known embedded operational costs that arguably should have been accounted for in the (current) budget."
That includes about $850,000 for utility costs at South Middle School, which opened in September. Close to $2 million will be needed to cover overtime in the police and fire budget.
Town of Braintree hiring is frozen
At Tuesday’s town council meeting, Joyce said municipal departments face budget challenges just as daunting as those facing the schools, which need to close "an operational gap" of $8 million for the 2024-25 budget year.
The schools will be seeking $800,000 to cover an increase in out-of-district special education tuitions that were approved by state officials after the school budget was finalized.
Joyce said she has implemented immediate money-saving steps, such as a hiring freeze as of Jan. 29 and requiring all non-payroll spending over $1,000 to be approved by her office.
She said each town department has been given spending targets to meet. The reductions vary by department, she said in a later interview.
The targets "move us away from plugging operational deficits with one-time, non-recurring funds," she said.
Potential layoffs in whole town of Braintree, not just schools
"We expect this to be a very challenging exercise," Joyce said. "We expect personnel impacts, we expect potential service reductions. Because this process is just getting underway, we are not yet able to share specific details."
She said the review could be completed within the next couple of weeks.
What layoffs school employees could face
At Monday night's school committee meeting, School Superintendent James Lee outlined the possible measures that could help meet the budget target:
Cutting 100 employees, at least 65 of them teachers.
Closing one or two elementary schools with redistricting for the remainder.
Reduced course offerings and extracurricular activities at the secondary level.
Higher fees for bus transportation and school sports.
Could Braintree have a tax override vote?
The magnitude of the reductions has led some, including officials of the Braintree Education Association, to call for a Proposition 2½ tax-limit override to increase property taxes to maintain staff and services.
"We view an override as a last resort," Joyce said. "But that being said, we have not yet been able to yet paint a picture of the full impact to service cuts across all departments."
The mayor said any override request must be tied to a multiyear financial plan for the town.
"We do not want to be back next year with the same outlook," she said.
Braintree voters have never approved an override to cover operating expenses since Proposition 2½ was approved by Massachusetts voters in 1980.
Town councilors said they would work with Joyce to balance the budget.
"We pledge to work with you to come up with the best budget we can," Town Council President Charles Ryan told Joyce.
The mayor's budget proposal must be presented to the council by May 1 and adopted before the start of the new budget year July 1. Under the town charter, the council can only reduce the mayor's budget, it cannot increase it in any area.
Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree facing cuts, possibly layoffs and even a tax override
