By Chloe Lutts

The Board of Aldermen met at city hall Tuesday, June 18th, to hear budget presentations by a number of city departments. Ward 2 Alderman Maryann M. Heuston, Finance Committee chair, presided over the proceedings.

School Department
Somerville School Superintendent Anthony Pierantozzi, accompanied by a number of school committee members, presented the School Department’s budget and accomplishments over the past fiscal year, as well as its plans for continued improvement.

Somerville was one of 30 outperforming school districts in the state this fiscal year, Pierantozzi told the board. In the coming fiscal year, the department will focus its efforts on improving in eight main areas: instruction, compliance and equity, fiscal responsibility, facility planning, communications, technology, the learning environment and human resources. Recent accomplishments in these areas include continuation of free extracurricular activities, excellent audits, a student-teacher ratio of 19-to-1, a student-to-computer ratio of 3.6-to-1, the introduction of adult ID badges, introduction of diversity through new hires and the reorganization of personnel for better efficiency. The high school dropout rate is 2.3 percent and the overall attendance rate is 95 percent.

Overall, the department is decreasing the size of its staff because of the district’s declining population. However, in the coming fiscal year the department will add one science teacher, one part-time music teacher, MCAS tutors and an assistant to the Healy School Principal. Qualified full-time teachers will also be given stipends to act as curriculum team leaders, training and helping other teachers. Pierantozzi said using teachers as curriculum team leaders not only improves instruction (because teachers learn better from fellow practitioners) it also keeps the best teachers in the classroom, rather than hiring them as administrators in a similar capacity.

The department recommended a total budget of $46,785,700, a 1.74 percent increase over last year. Salaries account for $37,915,150 of the total. Special education funding, partially reimbursed by the state, increased by approximately $126,000, representing more than the total increase in the operations budget.

Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
The OSPCD is composed of the Conservation Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board, the Condo Review Board, the Redevelopment Authority and Inspectional Services. The OSPCD aims to improve the quality of life in Somerville by enhancing low- and moderate-income areas, improving transportation access and attracting economic development. Strategies include focusing on key opportunity sites including Assembly and Union squares and the Innerbelt/Brickbottom, building on Somerville’s distinctive assets rather than subscribing to a formulized development plan, improving infrastructure and targeting key business sectors like bio-technology, small businesses, hotels and green energy.

Alice Martin, senior planner in the division of Economic Development, said it will simultaneously address both “long-range planning and more immediate economic development” this fiscal year. She said this fiscal year the division will complete the Union Square zoning amendment, begin review and permitting of the initial phases of the Assembly Square development, secure consulting services to draft a preliminary development strategy for Brickbottom/Innerbelt, develop a city-wide marketing strategy, promote growth industries, provide small business assistance and expand the historic districts.

The Planning division of the OSPCD is actively working to streamline the development review process and eliminate inefficiencies in zoning ordinances. Heuston expressed her satisfaction with their work and urged the division to “keep up the improvements to our zoning ordinances.” However, she cautioned that although the board fully supports the creation of a zoning administrator position, as its underwriters they expect it to fulfill their expectations for improvement of the zoning process.

Plans to be implemented within fiscal year 2008 include construction of the Route 28 undercarriage and ADA-compliant ramps between the square and Kensington. The division is also at various stages of planning or design on projects at Union Square, Beacon Street, East Broadway and in parks all over the city. Construction has already begun on four parks, as well as two community gardens.

The housing division created 150 new affordable housing units, improving 80 existing units, providing rental assistance to 43 households and initiating a down payment and closing cost assistance program in fiscal year 2007. In the coming fiscal year, housing plans to develop more affordable units, a home for teen mothers and their children, a residence for visiting nurses and an emergency facility for victims of domestic violence. The department will also apply for $1.9 million in homeless assistance grants and develop foreclosure prevention strategies.

To accomplish these goals, the department recommended a budget increase of almost $100,000. New positions proposed include a director of economic development, a project manager for Assembly Square, a housing division manager and an accountant. Some of their salaries will be grant-funded. The Planning Board requested the addition of a full-time planner, two associate planning board members and an MPO representative, all funded by the city. Also included in the increase is $22,165 for the department to hire interns and provide them with tools.

The Inspectional Services division requested $7,390 to respond to increased demand for exterminations. The division received some criticism from aldermen who said their constituents had complained about what they thought was overzealous enforcement of trash ordinances.

However, the board as a whole acknowledged the division’s many accomplishments with minimal resources and even went so far as to ask if they needed more money. “Is there sufficient manpower for the number and types of issues that your department has to deal with?” Heuston asked.

However, among the board’s main concerns was violation of construction ordinances in residential areas on weekends, probably a concern of a minority of Somerville residents. George Landers, superintendent of Inspectional Services, told the board that some funds budgeted for overtime would make a big difference and might even pay for themselves in citations issued.

The Zoning Board of Appeals requested $8,200 to hire two new board members. The Condominium Review Board changed one position from full- to part-time and decreased the corresponding salary accordingly. The Historic Preservation Commission requested funding to fill vacant positions. The Conservation Commission and Re-development Authority were both level-funded.

Veteran Services
Director Frank Senesi requested level funding for the Veteran Services Department for fiscal year 2008, despite an expected increase in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans’ benefits are the single greatest expense for the department. Veteran Services also maintains veterans’ memorials and cemeteries and organizes the Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day parades.
The cost of the parades is partially defrayed by an annual fundraiser, Senesi said, which this year brought in about $12,500. Several aldermen commended the department on this year’s Memorial Day parade, which cost $39,700.

Elections
The Elections Department is responsible for overseeing elections, collecting census data and maintaining a variety of public records. The department’s fiscal year 2008 recommendations include a number of increases totaling almost $70,000. The new expenses include ballots for the fall 2007 local elections, the cost of the March 2008 presidential primary and the addition of handicapped-accessible voting machines, in accordance with federal law.

Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz commended the department on the usability of the new machines, saying she had heard excellent feedback from her constituents who were able to vote on their own for the first time.

Department Chairman Nicholas Salerno added at the meeting that an additional $7,000 not included in the proposed budget will be required for a special election to fill Senator Barrios’ seat.
Alderman-at-Large John M. Connolly, who said he frequently helps constituents register to vote during his office hours, asked about the department’s efforts to register voters. Salerno said he is working with schools and other city departments to register new residents, in addition to attending public events with registration materials.

Personnel
The personnel department’s greatest accomplishment in fiscal year 2007 was the negotiation of six union contracts increasing employee health care contributions by five percent. The department also hired 117 new employees, modified the worker’s compensation process to save money and organized a number of training opportunities for municipal employees.

The department’s budget recommendations for fiscal year 2008 include the following increases: tuition reimbursement for non-union employees, a pay raise for the assistant director, $4,000 to cover physical exams and drug screening for new public safety officers, $5,000 for licensing and training, funding for the BeneFIT program and $5,000 for awards and an employee appreciation day.

SomerStat
In fiscal year 2008, SomerStat plans to roll out ResiStat, bringing SomerStat data down to the neighborhood level, Director Stephanie Hisrsch said. The new project will include citizens and make information available to them on the department’s Web site. SomerStat is requesting funding for a Junior Analyst, starting at $34,000, to launch ResiStat.

In addition, the department plans to improve the ease of transactions with the city and expand their “Mystery Customer” program to assess city services.

Alderman-at-Large Dennis Sullivan recommended the department implement a follow up to 311 service requests. Currently, when a problem like a pothole is reported, repairs are scheduled, but the citizen who complained is unaware of the timeline, he said.

Heuston recommended SomerStat improve communications between departments involved in enforcement of licenses and permits, because often “you have one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing.” Hirsch said a licensing database is already in the budget for 2008, to prevent lapses of communication that can lead to situations like the one Heuston described, where police officers cite violators at night who have already been cited for a similar violation by a different department during the daytime.

Hirsch also assured Aldermen that SomerStat tracked and could share data on illnesses, drug use and needle disposal.

Constituent Services
Constituent Services is responsible for managing the 311 call center and improving the efficiency of city services and customer service. In the coming fiscal year, the department plans to increase public awareness of 311 and incorporate more city departments into the service.

Constituent Services also proposes the creation of a welcome desk in City Hall to direct visitors and allow them to do some things – like buying white stickers and paying parking tickets – that they would previously have had to go elsewhere to take care of. The welcome desk would be staffed by two customer services representatives costing a combined $56,000 in the first year. The department is also requesting $4,000 for construction of the desk itself and $6,000 to add a self-service computer kiosk in city hall.

A few aldermen expressed concern with the welcome desk for a variety of reasons. Alderman at Large William A. White Jr. thought it sounded redundant, a sentiment echoed by Heuston, who said it sounded like the desk might just be “transferring some of the tasks to a different location.” White also worried that the desk could create long lines and congestion at City Hall, such as the lines at the Traffic and Parking Department, where people currently have to go to pay parking tickets. Constituent Services Director Sean Murphy said this was unlikely to be a problem because the desk would only handle simple procedures like payment of parking tickets.

Ward 1 Alderman William M. Roche said he liked the idea of offering residents “one-stop shopping” but wondered if it would raise issues with the unions. Gewirtz agreed, and said, “I think it needs to be really specific what this person’s job is going to be.”

Executive Administration
The executive department moved the offices of Multicultural Affairs and Gay/ andLesbian Advocacy to the Health Department at the board’s suggestion, decreasing their budget by approximately $66,000.

The department is requesting $7,000 for increased dues and membership fees for organizations including the National League of Cities. The mayor‚Äôs chief of staff  Michael Lambert said these expenses are offset by the savings from membership in these organizations, through benefits such as shared purchasing agreements.

The department’s total budget was $448,133.00 last fiscal year. Mayor Joseph Curtatone’s salary is $125,480.97 per year.

Health Department
The Board of Aldermen expressed satisfaction with the Health Department’s work over the past fiscal year, congratulating the department staff on their accomplishments and the number of grants they have obtained to fund further work. The Health Department works to improve all aspects of public health and wellness in Somerville, from environmental health to human rights.

In fiscal year 2007, the Health Department provided flu shots to 1,583 residents, generating $4,000 in revenue, recruited 25 volunteers to the Board of Health’s Medical Reserve Corps, stocked an emergency preparedness trailer with supplies, provided daily nursing care to all Somerville students and implemented “fitness progress reports” for elementary school students and 10th graders. As part of the Somerville Cares About Prevention program, the department provided information on substance abuse prevention to over 400 high school freshmen during orientation, coordinated the third annual National Night Out Against Crime and Drugs in Foss Park and surveyed 1,003 high school students about substance abuse and student health related issues such as depression, diet and sexual behavior.

The department conducted sale-to-minors and secondhand smoke inspections of local businesses, both of which found 95 percent or better compliance rates. The department promoted physical activity and healthy living through Shape Up Somerville, providing incentives and information to community groups, municipal employees and other residents.

The department has six main goals for fiscal year 2008. The first is to strengthen core public health services including public health nursing, school nursing and housing inspections. The second is to sustain community health programs including the Trauma Response Network, Women’s Commission and SCAP and develop sustainable funding for these programs. The third is to increase emergency preparedness. The fourth is to improve the professional standards, education and training of the Board of Health Members and possibly expand the board from three members to five. The fifth is to complete a strategic planning process to clarify the mission of the department.

The sixth is to improve customer service in the department in line with the city’s goal, including by increasing language and cultural competencies.

The department’s fiscal year 2008 budget includes increases to fund the shift of the Human Rights Commission, the Multi-Cultural Commission and the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender liaison to the Health Department. The department is also requesting funding for an assistant director for community health whose position was funded by grants this year, $25,000 for a part-time trauma response position and $26,000 for a part-time public health nurse.