TOPSHAM

Selectmen shaved municipal spending Thursday to cover a loss of more than $200,000 in anticipated state aid.

The vote divided the board, with one selectman saying Topsham has a “salary-and-benefits problem” that should lead to a discussion about cuts in municipal positions.

The final state budget dropped the town’s estimate of state revenue sharing from $721,000 to $512,000. “That left a $209,000 shortfall in what was approved,” Town Manager Cornell Knight said.

To deal with the shortfall, selectmen agreed to carry over $22,004 in excess revenue sharing from last year, not spend $65,585 from the assessing budget, not fill the assistant assessor’s position, not spend $25,000 from the public works department, delay hiring a public works driver, not spend $22,500 from the solid waste budget, not spend $72,530 from the paving budget and apply $2,300 in an equipment account toward the purchase of a sweeper.

Together, those moves save $209,919.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Don Russell, who met with the Finance Committee, said that panel agreed with those budget adjustments. But his initial motion to approve them failed, as Selectmen David Douglass, James Trusiani and Ron Riendeau voted against it.

Trusiani asked to withdraw his vote and for a re-vote after selectmen discussed having a budget workshop. But Knight pointed out the new fiscal year has started and that some programs, bidding and purchasing are already creating expenses.

In a second vote, Trusiani supported Russell’s motion.

“And the reason I am, as much as I believe everything I just said, I know it can’t happen overnight. I don’t agree with how this was presented. But to get things going, this time, I would have to go with the recommendations because we’re not going to find $209,000 between now and next week.”

The motion passed, with Douglass and Riendeau still opposed. Trusiani warned, “Don’t put a dime in front of me between now and November without the proper process.”

Douglass — unable to attend the July 11 workshop where the budget adjustments were discussed — said Thursday that when selectmen were working on the 2013-14 budget, approved at town meeting in May, the question was asked several times, “what’s the plan if we don’t see the full revenue?”

“I think we got very lucky possibly that someone left their job; there was another position open, because there doesn’t seem to be a plan,” he said. “No hard decisions had to be made.”

Douglass took issue with the proposal to not fill the assistant assessor position and to cut a paving budget he said is already underfunded.

“I don’t think Topsham has a spending problem. I quite frankly think Topsham has a salary-and-benefits problem,” he said.

About a year ago he said the town approved contracts with 2.5, 3 and 3.5 percent raises for employees.

“Every year we come into a budget: Here’s salary and benefits, there’s nothing we can do about it. Well there is something we can do about it. We didn’t do it,” Douglass said. “I think there’s some hard decisions to be made.”

Trusiani, who missed the portion of the workshop July 11 dealing with the revenue sharing shortfall, echoed Douglass’ sentiments.

“We will be lucky” to see the $511,000 in state revenue sharing the town is supposed to get in 2013-14, he said.

Trusiani called the savings proposed by Russell “an easy way out,” and said, “I blame myself as an elected official.

“I have made it too easy for myself that status quo is OK, that we can continue to present 30, 40, 50 cent tax increases and sit at Town Meeting and say, 65 percent of it’s payroll related and we’re not going to do anything about it.

“Well tonight I’m going to make some hard, fast announcements. I will not be voting for the easy way out. We need to look at departments and we’ve got to make some tough decisions,” Trusiani said.

He argued that the town needs the assistant assessing position to keep up with its assessing record and valuations, but suggested the town needs to look at the need for expensive mid-management positions such as the solid waste facility director and having two administrators within the fire department, and asked if the town needs two town planners.

Russell said he’s be willing to look at Trusiani’s suggestions moving forward, “but right now I think this is the way that’s going to take care of the problem without causing a real upheaval in town, and deal with it the best way we can.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com