Gray budget up 15%
By Elizabeth Prata Salvetti

Gray--Gray Town Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz has passed his recommended Fiscal Year 2002-03 budget to the Gray Council. They will now discuss the nuts and bolts of the budget and hear input from the citizens.

The biggest ticket items causing the 15% increase are a new combination of reserve accounts for buildings and grounds at $40,000, technology replacement reserves at $1,000, reserves for the sidewalk program at $30,000, and $50,000 for bridge maintenance, totaling $121,000.

In addition, the Pay Plan Committee has recommended that town employees receive a payroll adjustment of $100,000. The Committee, composed of membership from among the employees, including Chair Jon Barton of Fire-Rescue, Priscilla Payne, Library Director, Dean Bennett, Director of Parks and Recreation, Donna Hill, Gray Office Manager, Helen Taylor, Gray’s Tax Assessor, Mike Gervais of the Public Works Department, Diana Oddi from Fire-Rescue Dispatch, and Town Manager Berkowitz, has researched area market salaries and say that their salaries are in some cases 30-35% below market, comparatively. When drawing from the same labor pool as other towns that pay more, they say it makes attracting and retaining employees difficult. The Employee Benefits section of the budget is up 57%, from $363,046 to $570,733, partly from the payroll adjustment, and a major portion due to higher health insurance premiums the Town is contractually obligated to pay.

Council Chair Pam Wilkinson said, "We don’t want to live year to year, we want to recognize the needs of the citizens as they exist now but also envision the needs of the future." She said the Council prioritized the needs in terms of long-term goals that include maintaining town assets such as the lakes through a water quality program, the buildings and grounds through a five-year capital reserve account, and sidewalks and bridges through another five-year reserve account. "Doing it this way helps dampen spiking of the tax rate in the future," Wilkinson said. Of the wage adjustment to the payroll, she said it is a way to "make sure that the wage structure is good enough to keep people. The longevity plan (a bonus to employees who stay for 10 yeas, 15, 20, and 25 years) has a lot to do with continuity. Retraining people costs money."

She also described a new approach to paying for the increased and enhanced services in the town. "The users will be paying for more of their share, reflected in the increased Town fees and in fees to pay for Parks and Recreation programs."

The Council meets the first and third Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and the second and fourth Mondays at 6 p.m. in Stimson Hall, 4 Shaker Road in Gray. All are invited to attend. Input about the budget is welcome. The budget can be obtained from Town Office at 6 Shaker Road.