LET'S GO CELTICS

This will be last time over the next few weeks that I'll write this note. Just carry it along in future posts: I know most of you don't care. But I don't care that you don't care. I say you should care. If you don't care, and don't want to read, that's OK. We'll see you later.

On with the business at hand...

The Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals. It's the morning after their fantastic Game 6 win in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Detroit Pistons (in Detroit), and I'm still a giddy, giddy little boy. Fantastic.

It's been a stressful six weeks. The Cs have played pretty much a game-day, off-day schedule for nearly two months. It's a rhythm that has you ready for a game one day, assessing the game and the prospects for the next one the next day, and then right back at it. It's been all-consuming. It's been, in the end, a great ride.

What have we learned? Well, that the Celtics can be beaten by high-energy, high-athleticism teams. We've learned their defense is as good as advertised. We've learned their offense can disappear inexplicably at times. We've learned Sam Cassell has little left in the tank. We've learned Ray Allen can be a headcase, but that we appreciate his dead-eye shooting all the more when it magically returns. We've learned coach Doc Rivers is a little shaky (and that's putting it charitably today). We've learned young guys Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, and old-timers P.J. Brown, Eddie House and James Posey can suddenly combust. Brown and House will be remembered for their offensive outbursts, but Posey's fourth-quarter defense last night was tremendous.

We've learned that the Celtics are still sometimes unsure headcases, best displayed during the can't-win-on-the-road travails, which were absolutely painful. We learned they can win on the road, and we learned that since Game 4 of the Cleveland series, there are times when they've played some very, very, very good basketball (Games 3 and 6 are exhibits one and two, not in that order). We've learned they belong here. We've learned they have a very legitmate chance of winning the championship.

We learned two more things, that are probably most important of all.

First (maybe we didn't learn it as much were reminded), Kevin Garnett can't play a bad game. He doesn't have to put up 30-20, but he can't go 12-6, either. In the ugliness of Game 4 -- a game all but handed to the Celts on a platter -- Garnett stunk. He was out of sorts, and not in the flow of the game. In the first half of Game 6, he couldn't make a basket. He started to warm up in the third quarter, and played a valuable secondary role in the fourth. He needs to play well for the Celtics to win. Not dominate, but play well.

Second, we learned the answer to a question that has hung over this team since the day Garnett was traded here. If Game 7 of the Cleveland series wasn't definitive proof, last night was. When the Celts need a score, when they need someone to take over the game, that guy is Paul Pierce. You could see Pierce itching to take over early in the fourth, and slowly he did. He ignited the 10-point run that tied it up, and carried the Celts home from there. He was the best player on the court in the fourth quarter, and usually the team with the best player on the court in fourth quarters wins playoff games. Paul Pierce is a front-runner. When things are going bad, he pouts, complains, is generally not a good teammate (maybe was). When things are good, he's one of the best players in the league. Right now, you must love Paul Pierce. He is four games away from officially being a Celtics legend. His time served, Game 7, and last night make him a debatable retired-number candidate. If they win it all, book it.

So, here we go. I was on youtube past midnight last night, watching chunks of the 1984 Finals. It's Celtics-Lakers. I'm just thrilled the Celts have made it. The whole Lakers thing is just icing on the cake. Film of Kareem sucking oxygen, please.

The Celtics aren't going to get a whole lot of national media love in the next five days. There is much, much, much love for Kobe Bryant right now. He's the best player in the league. One of the all-time greats. The Celtics can't hold him down. They need to figure out a way that he doesn't absolutely kill them when he's ready to take over games late. I'm not sure they can do it. No one else has. They'll have to double out high (see Joe Johnson, LeBron) and hope for the best, in all likelihood.

The Lakers certainly have other parts, chief among them Pau Gasol. But let's be honest, if the Lakers win this series, it's because Bryant takes over games late. No way around it.

The Finals are the horrible 2-3-2 format, which puts more pressure on the Celts to win the first two. It also moves Game 5 out of the Garden, which sucks. If they can hold serve, win one of the three out west, all of the sudden Game 6 is clinch night. It's just that easy, right?

Here we go. Let's go Celtics.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes and the Mayor

We have a standing Friday early-morning meeting with Mayor Lisa Wong at the City Hall Cafe to discuss the budget and other city-related issues. It's ungodly early at the end of the week, but the City Hall Cafe makes a damn fine chocolate chip pancake, so I'm cool with it.

There were a couple of items this morning that are of interest to Save Fitchburg readers.

First, I know where Wong was Tuesday night, and it was probably a meeting worth her attending. If something comes out it -- and there is optimism that it might -- I'll connect the two at that point. I'm sure the anti-Wongies don't care, but I was interested to find out, and I know she wasn't sitting on her couch eating bon-bons and watching "The Office" reruns.

Second, on the CVS issue. Here we go.

Honestly, this is an issue that has been slowly moving to my front burner, but it's kind of so complicated and multi-layered that I was kind of trying to avoid it, although I was on the verge of digging into it. There's more at stake here than one site and one building. There's a fundamental discussion about how the city does things, how it operates, and what its vision is. Complicating things is the relative importance of that particular intersection and its connection between downtown and the college -- a connection that everybody and their mother wants to see happen and happen correctly.

Wong is not opposed to a CVS on that location. What she doesn't like is a stand-alone, one-story CVS surrounded by a big parking lot. Or, take the Parkhill CVS, put on that corner. That's not what she wants. Instead, she wants a mixed-used development that includes a CVS (or other pharmacy to be named) and something else. Perhaps a coffee shop or cafe. A multi-level building is strongly desired, with the upper floors office space, housing, or FSC space. She wants the building to fit in with downtown, and closer to the sidewalk rather than surrounded by a big parking lot.

Here's where it starts to get complicated. The current "leading developer" builds one thing -- Parkhill-esque CVS buildings. Single-story, surrounded by parking lots. There is little to no wiggle room on building style with that developer. Wong says there are other developers interested who can build something closer to what she has in mind.

"It's not A versus B," Wong said. "It's A plus B."

For a long time, Wong has been talking about "not doing better, doing best." It's a fundamental part of her community development theory. She said it again this morning.

"This all relates to the need for community development to plan for what is the highest and best use," she said.

To probably over-simplify the issue, it comes down to this: Should the city take the quickest and easiest path, and wave through the standalone pharmacy, or should it take a little more time to try to work out a perhaps better option? That's where we're at on this particular parcel.

But for Wong, there's more at stake than just the corner of North and Main. This is the first high-profile development opportunity since she's been mayor, and it's sort of a precedent-setting situation. If she backs down on "best, not better" this time, what kind of signal does that send? She wants to use that strategy in a number of different areas in the city. If she doesn't stick to her guns now, why would anyone think she would in the future? There's some politics and long-term issues at stake here.

"We, as a community, need to stand up for ourselves and not sell ourselves short," she said. "We have such low self-esteem here. What I'd like to see is have us take pride in our city and ask for what we want to see to define our community before other types of development define us," Wong said.

So, there you go. There's where she stands on this one. I'm sure you're ready to fire away.

Knuuttila ... In

The Brian Knuuttila for Senate campaign sent out a press release this afternoon saying not only is Knuuttila in the race for Senate, but he's taking a leave of absence from his job in the Worcester Sheriff's Office "to prove his dedication and commitment to winning the Worcester and Middlesex State Senate seat."

In the release, Knuuttila also calls on his opponent, Rep. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) to forego her salary during the campaign.

"During these tough economic times, I believe candidates should not be campaigning on the backs of the taxpayers," Knuuttila said in the release. "I understand that both candidates wil be spending a lot of time campaigning during the day, and since the Legislature will be in summer recess, my opponent should hold herself the same standard."

So, there you go. Knuuttila is in the race. On we go.

The Senate Race Gets Weird

There's a story in today's dailies about the state Senate that is bizarre, a little, tiny bit cutthroat, and really, well, just head-scratching.

Apparently, former Gardner Rep. Brian Knuuttila met with Rep. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) -- Knuuttila's opponent -- and Sen. Robert Antonioni (D-Leominster), who is leaving the seat. Flanagan and Antonioni say Knuuttila told them last Friday he was getting out. Knuuttila says he was only talking about the giant fundraising gap he faces, and expressed concerns about how he was going to be able to keep up, and maybe -- just maybe -- he might get out.

How strange.

Make no mistake, this story came from the Flanagan camp. That's not weird. What is weird is that they were so blatant about it. This wasn't a whisper/back channel kind of thing. This was a "get on the phone and make some calls" deal. I wonder if there was any kind of last-minute "are you sure you're not getting out" calls made to Knuuttia, or if Flanagan just moved ahead without, well, warning. I'm not saying what the Flanagan camp did was wrong by any stretch, but I wonder if this could have been settled behind the scenes, or at least hashed out a bit more. It's an aggressive move, but not an unfair one.

All that said, this is a tremendous embarrassment to Knuuttila, who in both stories also apparently said he may move to Florida in the fall. His handling of it -- he apparently tried at first to deny the meeting, and then started hedging his comments on whether he was getting out or not -- was not super-smooth, to say the least. So now his credibility takes a hit, his desire is somewhat questionable, and clearly money is an issue.

Who knows what will happen over the next four months, but clearly at this point Flanagan is in a great position. Knuuttila worried that he would be outspent 7 to 1. I know some big Senate races have candidates raising $100,000 in places like Cambridge, a high total. If I were a serious candidate or part of a serious campaing, I'd set $50,000 as a basement level, while thinking $75K was a possibility. Let's say Knuuttila banked on even $30,000 -- a subpar number more fit for a competitive House race (see DiNatale, 2006). That would mean he's expecting Flanagan to raise over $200,000. And that's at a short $30G. Does he expect she'll clear a quarter-million if she had to? Good lord. No wonder he's nervous.

Give Flanagan this: When this race started less than three months ago, she was lumped in with Knuuttila, Hank Naughton, and a few others as potential winners. Hell, folks were just waiting for Dean Mazzarella to jump in and kill her chances. In those three months, she's gone from what might have been a free-for-all to being the clear monster candidate in this race.

So, now what? The good news for Knuuttila is that it's May 28. He has nearly four months to get over this. Most people will forget about this little dustup by next Tuesday, forget the third Tuesday in September. But Knuuttila probably needs to reassess where he's at (reassess again, apparently). He also might be getting a few phone calls from supporters and advisors. He might need to make a decision, and if he stays in, almost kind of reannounce his campaign and start over.

Finally, what a downer politically. When Antonioni announced he was stepping down, you had to hope this was going to be a three- or four-way, knock-down-drag-out preliminary. Now we're left with this. A lot can happen in four months, but Knuuttila needs to do some things in the next three or four days to get things back on track.

Last Gasp of the Annual Fee

There may or may not be a trash fee when all is said and done, but I'd be willing to bet that if there is, an annual fee won't be part of it.

Sadly, space constraints left out the following from my story in Friday's Pride from Tom Conry:

"I think if that $100 fee would drop, and maybe if there was a slight increase in bags, maybe it would be easier to see. We just can’t break the backs of some of these people. I really don’t’ think it is a bad idea, but I think really needs fine tuning."

So that's coming from the president of the City Council, and there's going to be some options delivered to the Council for review. Does anyone really think that with options, they'd take the original version of the fee proposal?

I'm guessing for most residents, you have an all-or-nothing attitude about all of this. If you favored it before, you'll be fine with the changes. If you were against before, a reduced proposal won't make you slam the trash can lids together in celebration. I don't think there were too many folks before who were on the fence by this point.

However, for 11 people, this is an interesting situation now made even more interesting. You'd have to assume there's some council-mayor negotiations going on that will iron all this out. You'd also have to assume that with some "more attractive" options on the table, a trash fee is becoming more and more a reality.

A Day at the Library

The budget situation at the Fitchburg Public Library is pretty well-known at this point. But what happens throughout the day at the library? We've sent Pride reporter Karen Mann down to the FPL to spend the day and observe an average day at the library. She'll be writing a story for next Friday's paper, but she'll be filing updates throughout the day over at the Fitchburg Pride website. So, check it out randomly during the day when you get a chance.

Note: If you've subscribed to the Fitchburg Pride e-mail update list (and if you haven't, a tsk-tsk dear reader), you've gotten an update that Karen has started posting. I promise we won't be sending e-mails every time she updates. You're aware of the situation, and I'm not going to harass you about it.

The School Budget

The School Department budget has been a popular spot for folks hollering for cuts. Sometimes it's a general "it's the biggest budget in the city. Cut it." Sometimes it's the wonderful, old "cut the administrators. They aren't needed."

The administrator situation is too convoluted to really get into with any kind of deep understanding. I talked to a very high-ranking DOE official today who is a pal, and some admin positions are state-required at a certain level of student use. My pal, of course, doesn't know all the ins and outs of what positions Fitchburg must have, what it doesn't. Sure, I could call the School Department, but I'm feeling a little lazy today. That said, my phone convo with my buddy is more research than 95 percent of the "cut the administrators" crowd has done. Here's my threshold: Tell me what job isn't needed or state mandated, and why. But the blanket "too many administrators" is as much urban myth as it is fact in my view right now.

Now, as for the money. There's been some talk here recently about minimum spending and things of that naturem but no one (including me) was really sure what the deal is. I said earlier this week that I thought the city was just at its minimum spending. I'm a silly boy. For this fiscal year, the city is $1.1 million under the state's required spending. Here's the link. That number seems to include some non-school budget items (like health insurance), which makes it difficult for me to say off the top of my head if the city is reaching its minimum next year. I'd be willing to bet on "no," and I'd be willing bet big on "if so, not by much."

My point? The city is falling short of state minimum requirements for education money, which is a shame. Or just making it, which is OK, I guess. In either case, it's not a place open for cuts. I'd love to say something like "this is an area where we can discuss the state's not stepping up and helping out," but it already throws $41 million into the pot next year, an overwhelming amount of the operating budget. It's tough to criticize the state on this one.

I know a lot of people out there want to gun for the School Department in times like this, but the blanket statements need to be backed up by facts some times.

Verrrry Exciting Pizza-Related News

If you go the Fitchburg Pride website, you'll find out that Sal's Pizza is moving to the spot that once was home to the Kalimba Grill.

For those who know Sal's, this is very, very, very good news. Sal's is fantastic. There was a Sal's in downtown Lowell back in the day, and both myself and Mrs. Save Fitchburg fell in love with its wonderfulness. We're both giddy at the news.

Anyway, that's about that. Although I'm sure you've signed up for the Fitchburg Pride e-mail news alerts by now, and this is all old news to you. Right?

If Not Now, When?

Not so start (another) war on the trash fee front, but one thing in both dailies today struck me as odd.

From the Telegram: "She’s been in office five months, all of a sudden she’s trying to quash the problem that’s been here for years,” (Bill) Walsh said. “I’d never vote for her again. I’d vote for the homeless first.”

From the Sentinel: "It took us years to get into this mess and now she wants to wipe it out in the first year and dump it on the taxpayers," (William) Clapper said. "That ain't right. I just can't take it anymore."

The she in both instances is the mayor. So, she's moving too fast to try to solve the budget problem? What is the proper pace? If not now, when? I understand the arguments of more burden on the taxpayers and all that, but I don't really understand the umbrage at trying to tackle the problem quickly. Can someone help me out here?

Big Turnout for Trash Fee

If the trash fee has a majority approval from the City Council (as Rachel reported here today), that might have to be reconsidered after tonight. About 100 people showed up tonight to protest the fee, an unheard of number for a word-of-mouth campaign. Big doings for the opponents of the fee, for sure, and it certainly got councilors' attention.

Hey, read more at the Fitchburg Pride website. And while you're there, take advantage of a new feature and click the "get news updates" button at the very top left corner of the page. Pop in your e-mail address, and you'll get updates in your inbox when the paper is online on Fridays, and when we update the site with big news like this.

Why I Favor the Trash Fee

I know I said last week I was pretty much against it, but (with a few caveats), I've come around to the trash fee. Here's why:

In short, somebody has to do something.

For too long, we've complained about what's wrong with the city. The schools stink. The roads don't get plowed. The library is being cut back. Police officers aren't getting raises and are being laid off. The sidewalks aren't disabled-friendly. We complain, we vote, but we don't make changes.

While it's not anyone's idea of a perfect solution, it's a chance to start making those changes. In the Police Department, the change would be real and immediate, with officers left on the street. Other areas of the city would be bolstered.

If you have a couple of days (weeks), you can find long-time commenters on this site who oppose the trash fee talking about the faults in city services. I intentionally mentioned two of them above. This is a time to start to putting it back together. It's time to stop complaining and do something.

How did I come to this decision? I was thinking about the school budget, and the terrible job the city does funding the School Department. About 90 percent of the schools is state-funded. Wouldn't be good if we could put more money in the schools, create a better school system, and create something that would make the city better, make it more attractive, make one more thing to be proud of? Instead of admiring Andre Ravenelle's bailing-wire-and-bubble-gum approach, why not give him the tools to make an A-1 system?

But that desire to improve the School Department can be extended to a lot of city services. It's a desire to do better that we all have to embrace.

Here are the caveats: There needs to a promise/language that freezes the fees for 10 years. I'd be willing to consider five. There needs to be a promise that there will be no other new fees created. It would be disingenuous to use this as a doorway to other fees or bigger trash fees in the near future.

I know this trash fee isn't a savior, but it is a helping hand to the city that needs all the help it can get. I'm not a legal scholar, but it isn't unconstitutional or illegal. Otherwise 129-odd communities wouldn't have one already. Is it a financial run-around? There is an argument for that. But sometimes the decisions aren't that attractive.

We talk about political officials making "tough choices," but now it's time for us to make a tough choice. Fewer cops and firefighters, or fewer bucks. I'm voting for the cops. It all comes down to that questions: More services, or more bucks.

I figure, even with the annual fee, I'm looking at $200 a year, tops. That's at a trash bag a week, which seems easily doable based on current Save Fitchburg Mansion trash usage. That's just under $17 a month.

This site is littered with the complaints and the comments about things that don't work right in the city. Next year's budget isn't going to make things any better. The goal, always, is to make things better. To go back to the top of the page, to Save Fitchburg. So, I'm on board.

I know this won't change any minds, and I know this is going to set off a firestorm like none other. I'm trying to do the first, and while I don't welcome the latter, that's OK.

There was a lot of talk last year about taking back the city. It's time to extend that responsibility a little bit more. We're all in this together, even when the times suck and the decisions suck even harder. But it's time to suck it up, and I'm ready to do my little bit.

Your Friday Budget Update

Slowly, the grinding through the budget begins. We're told it will likely be available online some point today. When, and if, that happens, we'll let you know.

Nothing earthshaking so far, but we're just starting to plow through it. Interestingly, the DOR report also came out this week. There's a series of suggestions, and acknowledgement that the city is weak financial condition, but on first glance it's not a horribly depressing document. From what we've told, other communities have received similar reports, but we're checking on that. At first blush, this report won't be added as evidence by the pro-receivership faction.

One of the cooler things about this budget: Projections for the next five years. And each year includes a deficit going forward. I hate to keep going back to it and sounding like a broken record, but the system is pretty broken right now. New revenues don't meet new expenses year-to-year. That said, Wong's projections flatline new growth at $425K over the next five years, which is hopefully woefully pessimistic. But that's where the new money is going to come from.

Wong said today she's going to see the trash fee proposal through. At this point, it might be more a litmus test on where the council stands on more money/more cuts than anything else. But I still think it's going down.

More later, perhaps today, perhaps next week, but the numbers are getting out there. We'll let you know when it's available online.

The Budget is Out

Hot off the presses, the FY09 budget has been submitted to the City Council.
Wong has submitted a balanced budget, without the creation of a waste enterprise fund, and has also drafted up a supplemental budget, with positions that could be reinstated or added, should the council choose to create the watse enterprise fund, thus charging for trash disposal.
For highlights of the budget, head on over to the lovely fitchburgpride.com web site.

A Timeout for Receivership

Nothing like budget hysteria to reignite the calls for receivership. Let's just end it now, shall we? Look, there are a bunch of reasons to not go into receivership, and not one good one to do it.

First of all, as bad as things might be, they aren't even close to receivership level. Money isn't being "mismanaged." Money isn't being grossly misused. Consider that Springfield and Lawrence have been sucking much harder for much longer, and aren't in receivership. The last community I know of was Chelsea, back in the early 1990s. I don't know the last one before that. It takes real, real, real, real bad problems, not real bad problems, for receivership.

Second, what exactly is receivership going to do? It can force the unions to renegotiate, but renegotiate what? They don't have a contract and I'm not sure what they would cough up at this point that's worth much. What can the state do that the city can't right now? Will it bring in a bucket of money to fill in the gaps? No. Will it force businesses to move to the city and stimulate growth? No (although the state should be doing more business stimulus in most cities. That's a whole other story). Will it wave a magic wand and cure all the problems? No.

Third, receivership is a giant black eye on the community. Consider the other three cities in the post: Chelsea, Lawrence and Springfield. Feel good about any of those towns? Didn't think so, and only one has actualy gone through receivership. The other two are just closer than Fitchburg to that unsightly mark. Receivership is more than a black eye, actually. You might as well dump a truckload of nuclear waste in the center of town. Yes, I'm using hyperbole as a tool, but not by much.

Fourth, in some ways, what is happening this year is a symptom of statewide problem. The revenue system is not working for most communities in Massachusetts. Simply, the city's new revenue this year only covers health-care increases. Other inflationary costs aren't covered. Neither are step raises. Look on the other side of Route 2, where Leominster is making a similar cut to its budget. Leominster has a bigger cushion to ease the blow, but it's making cuts all the same. It's a problem, but it's not overly unusual.

Look, I don't know much about the city's budget right now. I think I'm against the trash fee, but not fully convinced. I think these cuts stink, but I know there's little option. I think it will be very interesting to see what gets cut where, and I don't know what those cuts are yet. But I do know this: Receivership is not just a bad idea right, but it's just not reasonable or necessary right now.

It's not a white-horse option. It's a black mark on the city. We shouldn't be encouraging it, we should be avoiding it all costs.

Your Thursday Budget Update

As you know by now, the trash fee took a beating last night. The pressure now turns ot the City Council. This is no easy decision fundamentally, and when you thrown in the general public ire against this (where's the public support? Is there any?), it makes a "yes" vote probably even tougher to take. You have to think right now it's not happening, but who knows what's happening behind the scenes?

Wong unveils the budget to the council tonight. We're not sure when we'll get our hands on it, but all signs point to some kind of Web link at some point. Will be tonight? Not sure about that. Tomorrow? We hope so. More on that later.

If you haven't checked it out, make sure you check out the story at Fitchburg Pride about councilors' views on an override. The general feeling: they'll unenthusiastically send it to voters, with all expectations that it will fail.

Let's Try This One More Time

Due to the library's Wi-Fi network kicking users off after 30 minutes, the live update could not happen.

Here is the rundown though what happened during the 2-hour-long heated debate.


Steve Curry, director of public health kicks things off. The power point presentation is up and roaring, and will last about 20 minutes.

DEP official Irene Congden on stage with Curry.

Showing residents it is a scale, more trash vs. more recycling.

Whether or not people realize it, trash collection and disposal is currently paid through property taxes.

127 communities in the Commonwealth have some sort of Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) fee in place.

Only 15 percent of trash residents throw away is actually trash, according to Congden.

Showed the difference between the rate of recycling vs. disposable trash in communities like Fitchburg that have no pay-as-you-throw plan, and communities with a plan. The difference is significant. Congden said state has noticed if a town has a plan in place, they throw away significantly less amount of trash.

Worcester has over 45 percent recycling rate, who has a pay-as-you-throw in place. Fitchburg is only at a 15 percent recylcing rate. Leominster is in the same boat, at 15 percent.


Massachusetts does have a waste ban law, recyclable paper, yard waste, glass, metal and plastic bottles are all banned from the trash.

PAYT is a waste reduction program. With it, each household trash disposal cost is based on how much you throw out. Households that recycle more, pay less.

"It is that simple," said Congden.

It consists of a big recycling bin, and a small trash can. Fitchburg has single-stream recycling, so recyclable goods can all go together, residents do not have to sort the items aheaad of time.

The Green Bag Program: Households up to 8 units will pay $25 quarterly bill, in their water bill, to cover fixed costs. Residents will purchase green bags at local retailers, $1.50 for a large bag, which Congden stepped inside of to show the large size, and $.75 for a smaller bag.

The price of bags, covers the cost of disposal, and will all go into an enterprise fund.

Residents will get an introductory coupon, 10 free bags, 5 of each, at the local store. (Coupon will have an expiration date)

Everything has to be in a green PAYT bag.

Recylcing and yard waste disposal remains free.

Residents can opt out by contracting with a private hauler.

Gardner and Worcester closest cities with PAYT plans. Lunenburg, Ayer, Northborough, and Maynard have it as well.

Some of these programs are over 10 years old, and continue to work, said COngden. She said the residents in those towns feel it is logically to pay for the amount of trash they put out, no more, no less.

Congden encouraged people to donate items, still good, but don't want.

"It is amazing how much we throw out that doesn't need to be thrown out," said Congden.

Currently the city throws away 19,000 tons of trash, at a cost of over $1.7 million to the city. Hope to get it down to 13,000 tons, and cost the city only $1.4 million.

The recycling market could add other opportunities for the city. More jobs being the biggest. Nationally 1.1 million jobs have been added since 2000 due to increased recycling.

Newark Group, out of Fitchburg creates items out of recycled paper, such as Harry Potter book covers. They need paper, according to Congden, sad when its own hometown cannot supply it with enough recyclable paper.

The landfill will fill up soon. Then where will we go with our trash?

Recycling one ton of paper, saves 17 20 -year-old trees, and produces enough energy to power the average home for six months. It takes one month for what goes into recycling bin, to come back out onto the shelf.

The Commonwealth is very supportive of program, will give $4 per household if it is successful.

The great thing about the new system, according to Curry, is it creates equity between single-family, and multi-family units in the city.

About 15 people line up right away for questions.

Jeff

He is against the current proposal.

Curry said the city needs to be run as a business, cannot continue to provide services with no revenue.

Enterprise programs in Fitchburg have failed miserable, sewer, and water have failed miserably. Believes there will be an increase with those two bills.

Curry is refuting, it is not his budget.

Jeff gets a round of applause

He wants to know what the projected revenue will be for PAYT.

Curry said he hopes it will generate $200,000 in FY09.

Jeff said the implementation of the program will probably be flawed. It’s implementation was not successful in Gardner. Projected revenue was off by over $300,000.

Congden said in Gardner, the landfill closed at the same time, so the residents had to take the brunt of that.

Curry added that Gardner went to $3.50 per bag, a lot more than he is proposing.

Jeff, adding about $200 per year to each resident, if put out one bag a week, and flat fee.

Jeff, asked if recycling will be picked up every week, Curry said no, still every other week.

Jeff said it is not the case there will be no need for landfills and incinerators, because Waste Management is in the business of attracting people to landfills, and will find someone.

Jeff thinks opting out will be a nightmare for the Board of Health.

Bags will still have to go to the landfill by residents in the PAYT bags, so if have landfill sticker, purchase a $50 permit and PAYT bags. Or you show the Board of Health that you have a contract with a private company.

Jeff ended by saying, the revenue projections will be off. He got a round of applause.

Rick
He would like to see PAYT go on a ballot, and let residents decide.

“You are going to raise my taxes for something I am already getting…NO.”

He doesn’t think 10 people sitting in a room should decide about a PAYT program.

He said the city should go into state receivership, and let someone fix the budget.

Bob
I myself am totally opposed to another fee. Put it to a tax increase, Prop 2 ½ override, so voters decide.
He thinks that recycling should be pushed, and enforced instead of implementing a fee.

Congden said it only gives about a 10 percent recycling increase.

He said last time this was discussed, the Board of Health was the first one against it, because of enforcement.

Bob said he would rather have a tax that can be voted on, than a fee he can’t decide on.

Ray
A senior citizen on a fixed income, in a single family home, why should I pay $100 and a multi-family home should pay the same?

Curry said multi-family units will pay $100 per unit. 3 apartments, $300 annual fee.

Heidi
She wants to know what she should do with the trash that ends up in her yard for people who opt out? Where will the city get the money to clean up after?

Congden said illegally dumping is always an issue, if you have it now, you will always have it. Congden said it costs about $300-$500 a year to hire a private company.
She said if someone is illegally dumping on your property, call the Board of Health.

“This works. It is always hard in the beginning,” said Congden.

Richard
For many years we were able to use to landfill. It was sold down the tubes though to Waste Management, and they are reaping the benefits of it.

I own three multi-families and one single family. I now pay to get rid of trash when I have to. I take it to the Leominster transfer station, and pay by the tonnage, instead of paying for a $50 permit at Fitchburg’s landfill.

Unless our political parties come up with a solution, like putting a water meter so each tenant pays for their water bill. Should do this with trash to, let tenants pay for their trash.

The police are dealing with the corruption that has come to the city, because of the methadone clinic that was put here.

I find it very difficult for people to be making decisions for this town, that do not live in this town.

Brian
Has talked to people in other communities who say the bags rip easily.

Curry said you can put them in a bag in a barrel, and will be accepted, as long as the bag is visible.

I would like to hear numbers on the increase in numbers of recycling and increase in cost.

Brian said taxes should be reduced by that amount (amount of trash fee) then they should pay for the PAYT program, instead of being taxed on the tax.

“Show me the numbers, show me the money,” of paying for recycling.

Congden said if we add another truck for recycling, the collection cost would stay the same as is now. Have a contract through 2011 for collection cost with Waste Management, that will stay in place.

Brian does not believe their will be no additional cost, because their will be more recycled goods.

Congden explained the collection fee is a flat fee, and is not tied into disposal costs.

Tom Donnelly
Calling the $100 a magic number. Saying it is a magic number because the city needs $1 million.

Curry said it is not a magic number, that is how much it costs to run the program.

Tom said you are paying $3.50 a week for trash, breaking down the annual fee, and cost of bag.

Curry said non-profits will pay the fee now too.

“You are going to have a nightmare in enforcement,” said Tom.

Curry said the program adds in a few employees to help with enforcement. And if a resident does not pay a water bill, the bill will go out separately.

Tom said if people go away, will they still pay the cost of the rubbish?

Curry said they will have an opt out program, people that leave the city in the winter.

I have been in the apartment business for 30 years, and I have been saying, the single-family units subsidize the rubbish.

Congden said the reason not to just pay for the bags, is because it costs $1 million no matter how many bags are picked up, that is the flat fee paid to Waste Management.
The bag cost covers the disposal cost.
She said that is why the program is fair, if you put out one bag, you pay for one bag. If you put out 10 bags, you pay for 10.

Tom said the single-family unit will stay be subsidizing the cost of rubbish disposal.

Tom thinks the cost should be put into the price of the bags, not into a fee.

Tom said it is false to believe that the life of the landfill will be prolonged, because Waste Management will go after other towns to fill the landfill.

Curry said he did not promote the life of the landfill.

Congden said regardless, the landfill will be filled up. But Fitchburg residents will help in reducing what fills it. She said it is a scary thing for the landfill to close and say to residents, you are on your own, at about $500 a year to contract a private company.

William
The mayor took and ran on a platform of change. So far all I have seen is the same thing, raise taxes, reduce services.

I am all for recycling, but instead of imposing this fee, why not put out extra containers for recycling.

William said PAYT program is not benefiting the residents of Fitchburg, because they are not receiving more services and paying less. The landfill will still get the tonnage, so where is the benefit for us?

William said Curry will be generating revenue and making a profit, and Curry agreed, but that will help the city.

“The enterprise fund is a joke. That is a fact,” said William


One woman is in favor of this program.
The point is we have to get started. We will face this problem a few years down the road again.
She said there has to be an incentive to recycle. Residents are given free recyclable bills.
She realizes you have to pay for what you get, and it costs to do things.
“I think this program is a sensible one because it encourages promotes to recycle. I think this program will work, but it needs a lot of education.”

Bernie
Thanked them for coming down. And said he feels for the city councilors, facing important issues, with not a lot of money to go around.

He said he pays for trash now, and recycles.

He wants to know what will prevent people from hiding trash under their recyclable items.

Curry said they will reject the bag and notify the Board of Health.

Sherry
Lives in a 3 family home as a single family home. You are going to charge me $300. What are you going to do for me? Are you going to reimburse me?

She said the city will continue to tax her for trash pick-up, and she will not get any service.

“Every time this comes up, it is basically to compensate for other areas in the city.”

Congden said this is a great point to bring up to City Councilors.

Curry said there is an opt out clause, if she doesn’t have three units rented out, she wont pay $300.

Sherry is saying the point of this program is just to pay for something to be hire to enforce PAYT.

This system can give more enforcement, said Curry.

Warren
Also wants it to go to ballot so residents can chose.

Woman said we should do what they do in Europe. Refill the containers they have. Taking you laundry detergent bottle back to the store, to be refilled.

“We need help in this city. We can’t do it, we just can’t do it anymore. I think you need to be cognizant of that, that we cannot endure any more costs”

Chuck
What happens if a bag rips, if it is not heavy?
He felt the bag, and said it was not that heavy

They told him he can put the bags in his barrel.

He argued that most barrels are 55 gallons, the bags are only 33 gallons.

He wants to know what the experience has been in cities with non-English speaking residents or low income residents.

Congden said it works. She said it enforces itself very fast.

“The second you pay for the bag, it will reduce your trash.”

Congden said burst bags have not been an issue. It is usually a bad batch, so gets replaced.

Chuck said, okay that is very helpful and good to know.

Chuck said it is also good to know that enforcement in poorer communities is working.

Phil
Phil said he is being asked to consider PAYT, but he is not really. To be able to consider it, it should go to ballot, he should be able to vote on it. Curry is not considering what everyone in the room is saying.

$100 is cheap according to Congden. $50 is average for a drop-off. Some communities are $280-$350 for fees. Congden said it is hard to compare though, because different communities offer different things with the fees.

Congden said three options, one is paying the $25 per quarter, the other is $25, but for first year you get 10 free bags, the next option is that it is on a tax-base. Everyone still pays for the bags though.

This option (the first one) is the one the Board of Health feels is the best, said Congden.

Luke
Asked if there was a way for the city to restructure the way recyclables are picked up? He said in England there are central yards where people bring their items and sort them out themselves.
Wants to know if some of the vacant land can be used around the city for a centralized recycling system,

Curry said yes that could happen, a beneficial recycling program could produce other options. He said that option has been explored, it is a matter of cost right now.

Dot
Wanted to other another option, that is free.
Free-cycle, an organization she heads up, is a great way for people to get ready of items that are still in usable condition, but people may not want to use.

She offered info for anyone interested in being a part of Free-cycle.


There were about five people left waiting to ask questions, but because the library closes at 8 p.m. residents were asked save the questions.

Now the City Council will debate the three options under PAYT, and it is clear that residents do not want to leave it in the hands of councilors, they want it brought to them by a ballot vote.

Back on after technical difficulties

Due to the library's Wi-Fi network kicking users off after 30 minutes, the live update could not happen.

Here is the rundown though what happened during the 2-hour-long heated debate.

Steve Curry, director of public health kicks things off. The power point presentation is up and roaring, and will last about 20 minutes.

DEP official Irene Congden on stage with Curry.

Showing residents it is a scale, more trash vs. more recycling.

Whether or not people realize it, trash collection and disposal is currently paid through property taxes.

127 communities in the Commonwealth have some sort of Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) fee in place.

Only 15 percent of trash residents throw away is actually trash, according to Congden.

Showed the difference between the rate of recycling vs. disposable trash in communities like Fitchburg that have no pay-as-you-throw plan, and communities with a plan. The difference is significant. Congden said state has noticed if a town has a plan in place, they throw away significantly less amount of trash.

Worcester has over 45 percent recycling rate, who has a pay-as-you-throw in place. Fitchburg is only at a 15 percent recylcing rate. Leominster is in the same boat, at 15 percent.


Massachusetts does have a waste ban law, recyclable paper, yard waste, glass, metal and plastic bottles are all banned from the trash.

PAYT is a waste reduction program. With it, each household trash disposal cost is based on how much you throw out. Households that recycle more, pay less.

"It is that simple," said Congden.

It consists of a big recycling bin, and a small trash can. Fitchburg has single-stream recycling, so recyclable goods can all go together, residents do not have to sort the items aheaad of time.

The Green Bag Program: Households up to 8 units will pay $25 quarterly bill, in their water bill, to cover fixed costs. Residents will purchase green bags at local retailers, $1.50 for a large bag, which Congden stepped inside of to show the large size, and $.75 for a smaller bag.

The price of bags, covers the cost of disposal, and will all go into an enterprise fund.

Residents will get an introductory coupon, 10 free bags, 5 of each, at the local store. (Coupon will have an expiration date)

Everything has to be in a green PAYT bag.

Recylcing and yard waste disposal remains free.

Residents can opt out by contracting with a private hauler.

Gardner and Worcester closest cities with PAYT plans. Lunenburg, Ayer, Northborough, and Maynard have it as well.

Some of these programs are over 10 years old, and continue to work, said COngden. She said the residents in those towns feel it is logically to pay for the amount of trash they put out, no more, no less.

Congden encouraged people to donate items, still good, but don't want.

"It is amazing how much we throw out that doesn't need to be thrown out," said Congden.

Currently the city throws away 19,000 tons of trash, at a cost of over $1.7 million to the city. Hope to get it down to 13,000 tons, and cost the city only $1.4 million.

The recycling market could add other opportunities for the city. More jobs being the biggest. Nationally 1.1 million jobs have been added since 2000 due to increased recycling.

Newark Group, out of Fitchburg creates items out of recycled paper, such as Harry Potter book covers. They need paper, according to Congden, sad when its own hometown cannot supply it with enough recyclable paper.

The landfill will fill up soon. Then where will we go with our trash?

Recycling one ton of paper, saves 17 20 -year-old trees, and produces enough energy to power the average home for six months. It takes one month for what goes into recycling bin, to come back out onto the shelf.

The Commonwealth is very supportive of program, will give $4 per household if it is successful.

The great thing about the new system, according to Curry, is it creates equity between single-family, and multi-family units in the city.

About 15 people line up right away for questions.

Jeff Jersyck said he is against the current proposal.

Curry said the city needs to be run as a business, cannot continue to provide services with no revenue.

Enterprise programs in Fitchburg have failed miserable, sewer, and water have failed miserably. Believes there will be an increase with those two bills.

Curry is refuting, it is not his budget.

Jersyck gets a round of applause

He wants to know what the projected revenue will be for PAYT.

Curry said he hopes it will generate $200,000 in FY09.

Jersyck said the implementation of the program will probably be flawed. It’s implementation was not successful in Gardner. Projected revenue was off by over $300,000.

Congden said in Gardner, the landfill closed at the same time, so the residents had to take the brunt of that.

Curry added that Gardner went to $3.50 per bag, a lot more than he is proposing.

Jersyck, adding about $200 per year to each resident, if put out one bag a week, and flat fee.

Jersyck, asked if recycling will be picked up every week, Curry said no, still every other week.

Jersyck said it is not the case there will be no need for landfills and incinerators, because Waste Management is in the business of attracting people to landfills, and will find someone.

Jersyck thinks opting out will be a nightmare for the Board of Health.

Bags will still have to go to the landfill by residents in the PAYT bags, so if have landfill sticker, purchase a $50 permit and PAYT bags. Or you show the Board of Health that you have a contract with a private company.

Jersyck ended by saying, the revenue projections will be off. He got a round of applause.

Rick
He would like to see PAYT go on a ballot, and let residents decide.

“You are going to raise my taxes for something I am already getting…NO.”

He doesn’t think 10 people sitting in a room should decide about a PAYT program.

He said the city should go into state receivership, and let someone fix the budget.

Bob
I myself am totally opposed to another fee. Put it to a tax increase, Prop 2 ½ override, so voters decide.
He thinks that recycling should be pushed, and enforced instead of implementing a fee.

Congden said it only gives about a 10 percent recycling increase.

He said last time this was discussed, the Board of Health was the first one against it, because of enforcement.

Bob said he would rather have a tax that can be voted on, than a fee he can’t decide on.

Ray
A senior citizen on a fixed income, in a single family home, why should I pay $100 and a multi-family home should pay the same?

Curry said multi-family units will pay $100 per unit. 3 apartments, $300 annual fee.

Heidi
She wants to know what she should do with the trash that ends up in her yard for people who opt out? Where will the city get the money to clean up after?

Congden said illegally dumping is always an issue, if you have it now, you will always have it. Congden said it costs about $300-$500 a year to hire a private company.
She said if someone is illegally dumping on your property, call the Board of Health.

“This works. It is always hard in the beginning,” said Congden.

Richard
For many years we were able to use to landfill. It was sold down the tubes though to Waste Management, and they are reaping the benefits of it.

I own three multi-families and one single family. I now pay to get rid of trash when I have to. I take it to the Leominster transfer station, and pay by the tonnage, instead of paying for a $50 permit at Fitchburg’s landfill.

Unless our political parties come up with a solution, like putting a water meter so each tenant pays for their water bill. Should do this with trash to, let tenants pay for their trash.

The police are dealing with the corruption that has come to the city, because of the methadone clinic that was put here.

I find it very difficult for people to be making decisions for this town, that do not live in this town.

Brian
Has talked to people in other communities who say the bags rip easily.

Curry said you can put them in a bag in a barrel, and will be accepted, as long as the bag is visible.

I would like to hear numbers on the increase in numbers of recycling and increase in cost.

Brian said taxes should be reduced by that amount (amount of trash fee) then they should pay for the PAYT program, instead of being taxed on the tax.

“Show me the numbers, show me the money,” of paying for recycling.

Congden said if we add another truck for recycling, the collection cost would stay the same as is now. Have a contract through 2011 for collection cost with Waste Management, that will stay in place.

Brian does not believe their will be no additional cost, because their will be more recycled goods.

Congden explained the collection fee is a flat fee, and is not tied into disposal costs.

Tom Donnelly
Calling the $100 a magic number. Saying it is a magic number because the city needs $1 million.

Curry said it is not a magic number, that is how much it costs to run the program.

Tom said you are paying $3.50 a week for trash, breaking down the annual fee, and cost of bag.

Curry said non-profits will pay the fee now too.

“You are going to have a nightmare in enforcement,” said Tom.

Curry said the program adds in a few employees to help with enforcement. And if a resident does not pay a water bill, the bill will go out separately.

Tom said if people go away, will they still pay the cost of the rubbish?

Curry said they will have an opt out program, people that leave the city in the winter.

I have been in the apartment business for 30 years, and I have been saying, the single-family units subsidize the rubbish.

Congden said the reason not to just pay for the bags, is because it costs $1 million no matter how many bags are picked up, that is the flat fee paid to Waste Management.
The bag cost covers the disposal cost.
She said that is why the program is fair, if you put out one bag, you pay for one bag. If you put out 10 bags, you pay for 10.

Tom said the single-family unit will stay be subsidizing the cost of rubbish disposal.

Tom thinks the cost should be put into the price of the bags, not into a fee.

Tom said it is false to believe that the life of the landfill will be prolonged, because Waste Management will go after other towns to fill the landfill.

Curry said he did not promote the life of the landfill.

Congden said regardless, the landfill will be filled up. But Fitchburg residents will help in reducing what fills it. She said it is a scary thing for the landfill to close and say to residents, you are on your own, at about $500 a year to contract a private company.

William
The mayor took and ran on a platform of change. So far all I have seen is the same thing, raise taxes, reduce services.

I am all for recycling, but instead of imposing this fee, why not put out extra containers for recycling.

William said PAYT program is not benefiting the residents of Fitchburg, because they are not receiving more services and paying less. The landfill will still get the tonnage, so where is the benefit for us?

William said Curry will be generating revenue and making a profit, and Curry agreed, but that will help the city.

“The enterprise fund is a joke. That is a fact,” said William


One woman is in favor of this program.
The point is we have to get started. We will face this problem a few years down the road again.
She said there has to be an incentive to recycle. Residents are given free recyclable bills.
She realizes you have to pay for what you get, and it costs to do things.
“I think this program is a sensible one because it encourages promotes to recycle. I think this program will work, but it needs a lot of education.”

Bernie
Thanked them for coming down. And said he feels for the city councilors, facing important issues, with not a lot of money to go around.

He said he pays for trash now, and recycles.

He wants to know what will prevent people from hiding trash under their recyclable items.

Curry said they will reject the bag and notify the Board of Health.

Sherry
Lives in a 3 family home as a single family home. You are going to charge me $300. What are you going to do for me? Are you going to reimburse me?

She said the city will continue to tax her for trash pick-up, and she will not get any service.

“Every time this comes up, it is basically to compensate for other areas in the city.”

Congden said this is a great point to bring up to City Councilors.

Curry said there is an opt out clause, if she doesn’t have three units rented out, she wont pay $300.

Sherry is saying the point of this program is just to pay for something to be hire to enforce PAYT.

This system can give more enforcement, said Curry.

Warren
Also wants it to go to ballot so residents can chose.

Woman said we should do what they do in Europe. Refill the containers they have. Taking you laundry detergent bottle back to the store, to be refilled.

“We need help in this city. We can’t do it, we just can’t do it anymore. I think you need to be cognizant of that, that we cannot endure any more costs”

Chuck
What happens if a bag rips, if it is not heavy?
He felt the bag, and said it was not that heavy

They told him he can put the bags in his barrel.

He argued that most barrels are 55 gallons, the bags are only 33 gallons.

He wants to know what the experience has been in cities with non-English speaking residents or low income residents.

Congden said it works. She said it enforces itself very fast.

“The second you pay for the bag, it will reduce your trash.”

Congden said burst bags have not been an issue. It is usually a bad batch, so gets replaced.

Chuck said, okay that is very helpful and good to know.

Chuck said it is also good to know that enforcement in poorer communities is working.

Phil
Phil said he is being asked to consider PAYT, but he is not really. To be able to consider it, it should go to ballot, he should be able to vote on it. Curry is not considering what everyone in the room is saying.

$100 is cheap according to Congden. $50 is average for a drop-off. Some communities are $280-$350 for fees. Congden said it is hard to compare though, because different communities offer different things with the fees.

Congden said three options, one is paying the $25 per quarter, the other is $25, but for first year you get 10 free bags, the next option is that it is on a tax-base. Everyone still pays for the bags though.

This option (the first one) is the one the Board of Health feels is the best, said Congden.

Luke
Asked if there was a way for the city to restructure the way recyclables are picked up? He said in England there are central yards where people bring their items and sort them out themselves.
Wants to know if some of the vacant land can be used around the city for a centralized recycling system,

Curry said yes that could happen, a beneficial recycling program could produce other options. He said that option has been explored, it is a matter of cost right now.

Dot
Wanted to other another option, that is free.
Free-cycle, an organization she heads up, is a great way for people to get ready of items that are still in usable condition, but people may not want to use.

She offered info for anyone interested in being a part of Free-cycle.

There were about five people left waiting to ask questions, but because the library closes at 8 p.m. residents were asked save the questions.

Now the City Council will debate the three options under PAYT, and it is clear that residents do not want to leave it in the hands of councilors, they want it brought to them by a ballot vote.

Live Coverage: "Pay-As-You-Throw" Public Hearing

Minutes before 6 p.m. and the auditorium of the library is about half full. Mix of residents young and old.

UPDATE: Obviously, we're having problems on site. Info later.

Live from the Library

Pride reporter Karen Mann will be covering tonight's trash fee public hearing as it happens, right here at good old Save Fitchburg. Join her, won't you.

Also, later tonight at some point, there will be a story at the Fitchburg Pride website regarding the prospect for an override in the city. Good reading, indeed.

You've been updated.

What Fate for the Trash Fee

The more I think about it, the more I think tonight is going be verrrrrrry interesting as the trash fee gets a public hearing.

From looking at the comments here, reading Fitchburg Hometown, and hearing feedback from other spots, there seems to be very few folks out there supporting this -- at least publicly. And there are a lot of people who are flat-out against it.

Tonight is going to be interesting not because people are going to come out to complain -- the room won't be full of green-lovers under any circumstance -- but it will be interesting to see how many people come out and how many people get fired up, and how deep and broad the voices are against this. I don't think there's a middle ground tonight. I think the place is either empty and pretty quiet, or I think it's a big, fired-up crowd. I've leaning toward fired-up crowd right now.

Obviously Wong supports the idea, but I think the council is a different story. I think are there might be some conflicted folks among the 11 who are watching what's going on with the budget and desperately want to throw it a lifeline, but who are also fundamentally aware of the "higher water, sewer, gas, Unitil, so on" argument. A "yes" vote might seriously tick off a pretty vocal minority (not, mind you, a majority of residents, because that's probably a given. Concentrate on the vocal minority). But in the political math, would that vocal minority remember 18 months from now? Who knows?

It will be interesting to see how this is played tonight. Wong spent the last two weeks talking "go green" and linking the fee to recycling and making money. But last night's conversation that tied to the fee to cop jobs and other cuts -- while a realistic assessment of the situation -- now adds an air of political hijinx (justified or not).

There's a feeling in the city that people feel taxed out. Tonight, we're going to find out just how deep-rooted that feeling is, and what residents are willing to do about it. A big crowd tonight might make up some of the 11 minds that are paying close attention to this.

Your Wednesday Budget Update

The bodies are starting to mount a little bit, after Mayor Lisa Wong outlined some of the cuts in the upcoming budget. Up to 12 firefighters and a half-dozen police jobs are on the line, and it could get worse.

Tonight is a big night for the budget, with a public hearing on the trash fee proposal (6 p.m., library auditorium). There isn't a ton of public support, it seems, but it will be interesting to see the depth of the animosity toward the fee. Will folks be motivated enough to show up and voice their disapproval, or will they merely grumble about it semi-privately? It should be an interesting evening.

Wong said last night if the trash fee doesn't happen, another $1 million will have to come out of the budget, with likely three more cops gone. Is that political hysteria, or are those things Wong would really, really like to keep in the budget, but needs the extra money to do so? That may be in the eye of the beholder, and might shape tonight's discussion.

Councilors don't seem especially warm to the trash fee cause, so the volume tonight could play a role in the final decision. I don't think many councilors would need a big shove to vote against, so a loud showing tonight might sway some votes.

Your Tuesday Budget Update

If there's a quiet day this week, this is going to be the day.

On the update front: The library is getting $88,000 to keep the youth library open. Andy Roy says the Coolidge Park pool will likely close, which is a bummer, because that pool does a brisk business.

Tonight, the City Council meets, with the expectation that it will approve Mayor Lisa Wong's reorganization plan. Councilors said last week they want to approve it, but just wanted to read the final draft after amendments before OKing the plan. Based on their comments last week, if they were to pull the carpet out from under her tonight, that would be rather uncool, and probably lead to some chaos the next few days as Wong reshaped the budget. But all signs point to passage, so it should be anti-climatic. See? I told you today would be relatively quiet.

Tomorrow, though, things start to get interesting. The trash fee public hearing is tomorrow night at the library (of all places). There's a lot of negative feedback on the trash fee, and folks who don't normally pay attention to these kinds of things are pretty upset about the whole deal. That should be an interesting one. And then Thursday, of course, the budget is rolled out in all its glory.

So, to recap: Tonight, reorg. Tomorrow, trash fee. Thursday, the whole thing.

By the way, Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said yesterday he's cutting $4.9 million out of the city's budget next year. Mazzarella said he's laying off one person and making cuts throughout city departments. It's no surprise that Leominster is in strong enough shape that it can limit layoffs, but it is interesting to note the city is facing a similar budget gap to Fitchburg. Certainly Fitchburg is in tougher shape, but it shows that the larger revenue/cost inflation problem is universal.

Behold the Budget Buster

We're going to wade into budget week slowly. We know all too well how cold the water is this time of year, and diving in is just not advised. It'll stop your heart and all that.

So, to sort of get used to it, here's a little story on health insurance, or, how to try to tame a ridiculous budget buster. The mayor is rolling a bunch of new plans that will cost the city (and the employee) less, while offering same or better services (although that's probably in the eye of the beholder in some cases). From the info from the Mayor's Office, once switch from one Blue Cross plan to the other would save a family like $4,800 a year. That should cover the lack of raise, no?

Health insurance costs are going up 12 percent for the city this year, or over $1 million. Basically, any new dollar the city taking in next year over this year is gone to health insurance. So, new inflationary costs and step raises and all that stuff need to get funded somewhere else. Or, you have a $5 million hole (which, I am now obsessively reminding one and all, includes $500,000 for the stabilization fund).

So, take a gander at the health insurance situation, in all its bloated, crippling glory. And when you get bored of my constant babbling about how there's a fundamental problem between stagnant revenues and increasing costs, remember this as a not-so-shining example.

It's going to be a busy week. Let's go.

Budget Questions

Well, library questions, really. But it's all the same at this point.

If you haven't heard, the library trustees voted late this week to go with a $300,000 budget for next year, a cut of $800,000. This leads to the library being open three days a week.

While Mayor Lisa Wong has talked about not liking such a big cut, she hasn't talked about why the library was delivered such a big blow (nearly 75 percent. Holy cow). (Self-beating: I haven't talked to Wong in a week. Shame on me.) More big hits are coming, you have to think, and Wong is going to have to justify her thinking, or at least explain her decisions as this moves on. Considering how draconian some of these cuts are going to be, she's going to have to. She doesn't have to explain the situation, but she does have to explain some this. Or she's going to be hung worse than she already is.

Now, while we're asking questions, a story in today's Telegram says Wong wants the library to make sure the youth library stays open. Initially, it was going to be shuttered. In the story, the library director says it will cost $75,000 to staff the youth library at 22.5 hours a week. That's 1170 hours a year. That comes out to over $64 an hour. How many people are working back there? If it's three, that's pretty good coin for a part-time job. Sign me up. If it's less than three, holy cow. If it's more than three, is that really necessary? How many people are needed back there at one time? I've been there randomly over the last few years, and I've seen at most three families at once back there (but I haven't been for a story hour or whatnot). Which leads me to my final question: Considering what's going on in the city, isn't there a way to keep the youth library open for less than $75k/year?

Let the week of questions of begin.... now.

Fitchburg Is Burning

Or is it?

We'll find out next week, but it looks like this week is budgetary gloom-and-doom week for the city, as department heads wax tragically about the worst-case scenarios.

From my point of view (and this is rather limited), the Wong Administration can be very frustrating in that no news is divulged before its time. There are certainly hints here and there at times, but in terms of getting full details, they are held close until they are deemed ready. It's not an unwise policy on their part, but on this side it can be frustrating, for reporters and folks like that, it can be frustrating. I would say one of the favorite lines out of the Mayor's Office over the last four months is "everything is on the table." It doesn't elminate an option, but it keeps it in play.

So, this week is the week of all worst-case scenarios. Will the library be all but closed down? Will the Fire Department be cut by over $1 million? Will we start paying for trash? What about police? DPW? How bad will it be?

As the above probably illustrates, I don't know. And I'm not sure too many people do. I think there are still a lot of variables being sorted out.

I do know this: The mayor is living up to her campaign talk of really assessing the rate of return on what the city spends on a service. She is trying to gauge the bang for each buck in the budget, and there are some areas that create well-used services for shorter dollars, and those seem pretty safe (at least they were a month ago).

None of this, really, should be a surprise. The $5 million budget gap (actually, $4.5 million with another $500,000 dedicated to the stabilization fund) has been pretty publicly known for a couple of months, so the fact that some steep cuts are coming should be a shocker.

What have at this point are a bunch of questions. Such as, Is a $1 million cut -- about 20 percent of the total cuts -- really necessary from fire? Will the library really be cut to the point that it's only open a couple of days a week? Will the police be cut $1 million also? Will it cost hundreds of dollars a year to throw away trash? What's safe? What isn't?

But the biggest question is: What are Wong's priorities, and what are the council's priorities? Wong is going to detail where she thinks the cuts should come from. Will the council agree? President Tom Conry is making noises that public safety is a priority. After he sees the entire budget, will he think that area was handled appropriately? It's one thing to want to protect public safety -- not a bad idea -- but how do you handle that in the larger budget?

So, this is the week of scary thoughts and too many unanswered questions. It's also the time for folks to start drumming up support for their endangered services. No one wants to see a fire house close, and no one wants to see the library scaled back, and those two departments are sounding the alarms. But their situations can't be dealt with in a vacuum. The totality of the budget needs to be considered. It's important to understand the worst-case, but at this point we can only prepare for the worst, and wait and see what comes out next week. Whatever comes out, it's not going to be pleasant.

Here's Your "Trash Fee"

It's not a straight out trash fee, but Mayor Lisa Wong is proposing a pay-as-you-throw program for the city. Public hearing May 14. Details are at the Fitchburg Pride website. The down-and-dirty: You'd have to buy special bags at the grocery store and elsewhere (75 cents for small bags, $1.50 for big ones) for your trash. The idea if you're paying for the bags, you're going to cram a lot of stuff in there, and put more stuff in your recycling bin.

I'll say this, for now. If this is going to happen, the city is going to need to get their hands on a lot of recycling bins, and get them out there, fast. I'm not talking hundreds, I'm talking thousands. If we're supposed to get serious about recycling, we'd need double our current two bins at the Save Fitchburg Mansion. Probably even more than that. Someone in the Pride office lives in an apartment, and has no bins. I'm sure he's not alone. If you're going to want people to recycle and save money, you have to give them the means to do it. Wong says she will, but the more I think about it the more it seems like a big task.

Wong also said the budget won't include money for raises. That public acknowledgement isn't going to go over well.

Back to Main Street

If you missed last week's impromtu Main Street meet-and-greet, Joel Kaddy is trying to rally the troops again this Friday. Nothing overly complicated, just come on down, walk around, maybe check things out.

Last week's first-time deal drew a small crowd, but Kaddy didn't the word out until Thursday night that this thing was happening. I would say at this point, consider it a Friday afternoon/early-evening tradition unless notified otherwise. Heck, if nothing else, it's a good excuse to park the car, walk a block or two, and finish off the week with a coffee or soda (or other appropriate beverage of choice) at the end of the work week.

While we're on Kaddy and business development, I'm intrigued by his comments regarding Local First (now at fitchburgpride.com, tomorrow in the paper), which is a business organization that encourages people to shop and eat at local establishments. His message is sort of, It's up to you. People complain all the time "no one goes downtown," and many of those people don't go downtown. Chances are there's something -- even that aforementioned beverage -- that would catch your attention for 10 or 15 minutes.

So, for those who like the old "How can show up, I've never been asked," well, you've been asked. Invited, even.