Salem Budget Committee takes first look at spending plan

By James A. Kimble
jkimble@eagletribune.com

October 06, 2008 01:21 am

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SALEM — The Budget Committee will take its first crack at the proposed 2009 budget this week.

The committee will review the roughly $38 million budget on Wednesday, taking a department-by-department look at proposed spending.

Committee member Stephen Campbell said he would like to see committee members shore up the proposed road budget for next year by pulling proposed funds from other departments.

Campbell said next year's road budget is cut approximately in half from this year's amount, which is approximately $2.2 million.

"The overall spending, I thought, was fairly reasonable," Campbell said. "The only problem I had was doing it through gutting the roads program,"

Roads and bridges are among the top spending priorities for selectmen this year. Proposed warrant articles include repairing two deteriorating bridges in town on Pelham Road, Cluff Crossing and Lawrence Road for $1.5 million.

Campbell said keeping roads in good form is routinely a top priority for residents, a priority that town officials should heed while deciding on next year's spending plan.

"My suggestion to the board was if we could cut money out of various departments, then maybe the selectmen would increase the amount for roads and not adversely affect the tax rate," he said. "If we could get $500,000 out of other spending, that would bring the road program to about $1.5 million."

Budget Committee Chairman Susan Covey Jr. said the board has not discussed Campbell's idea. But she said the committee does recognize how important road upgrades are to residents.

"Roads are something that nobody wants us to see fall behind on," she said.

But she said she worries about cutting funds where money is set aside for other long-terms infrastructure projects.

Covey said the Budget Committee will be looking at smaller town departments on Wednesday and Thursday. Bigger departments such as police, fire and pubic works will follow, where a harder, in-depth look is expected, she said.

Town Manager Jonathan Sistare said the Budget Committee's review will last through the month of October. Selectmen should be reviewing it again by mid-November, he said.