SALISBURY — Town officials hope to meet soon with Salisbury's representatives to the Triton School Committee to discuss the realities of this budget season, which aren't looking rosy right now.
At their last meeting, selectmen approved a motion offered by Selectman Henry Richenburg inviting Salisbury's three Triton School Committee members to meet with the town's financial officials and its selectmen. The vote came after Richenburg and Selectmen Fred Knowles and Jerry Klima attended a Triton School District meeting at which next year's school budget was discussed.
Knowles said he walked away from the meeting wondering if school officials understood the positions its three supporting towns — Salisbury, Rowley and Newbury — were in.
School officials said they want to reinstate things they'd been forced to cut last year to accommodate the recession's impact on the state, local and school budgets, Klima said. In addition, the latest round of state cuts will result in Triton losing another $300,000 in state transportation aid, he added.
"What was being proposed (at the meeting) was a budget increase of 5.5 percent," Klima said. "I don't think the communities have that much more tax money they can raise (to accommodate such an increase)."
According to Klima, there are only two ways Salisbury could come up with more money for Triton during the current fiscal problems. Salisbury could either cut the town budget more, which would lead to more layoffs and cuts in town services, or ask taxpayers to approve a Proposition 21รขÑ2 override that would raise the tax rate.
But getting an override passed by voters in Salisbury and in other Triton towns has proved problematic in years past, Klima said.
Last year, the towns worked together with the school, and things worked out well, with little animosity, Richenburg said. But two years ago, that wasn't the case. That time proved to be a very contentious experience with voters turning down the override because the School Committee would not lower its budget.
"I'm troubled; these are unprecedented times," Richenburg said. "We need to open an dialogue with the school as to what we can afford. I don't want to see an adversarial atmosphere. I don't believe an override would ever pass. We need to sit down and (talk), so they can understand where we're coming from, and we can understand their needs."
Selectman Ed Hunt also saw the financial crisis unfolding.
"We're in real bad shape," he said of the town's fiscal situation. "We have an economy that's bottoming, and it's going even deeper."
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
