New Natick Budget Includes Layoffs, Cuts, Town Hall Closures

NATICK, MA — Town Administrator Melissa Malone on Monday submitted a new $154 million proposed budget for the upcoming 2021 fiscal year to the Board of Selectmen. The budget is about $5.7 million less than what she proposed in January, and is about $2.2 million lower than the current 2020 budget.

The cuts hit almost every department, and include some layoffs, reduced Sunday Morse Library hours, and a proposal to keep Town Hall closed on some Mondays throughout the year, according to the budget. Malone is also proposing to use $2.3 million from the town's rainy day fund to make up for lost revenue.

Revenue from the state and local taxes could be $8.4 million lower in fiscal 2021 due to coronavirus closures. State aid is the biggest question mark, however. Gov. Charlie Baker released his proposed budget in January, but state lawmakers haven't released their budget. The state budget is typically being debated at this time of year. The 2021 fiscal year begins on July 1.

The job cuts include more than seven full and part-time workers. Those positions include a part-time bookkeeper at the Morse Library, a fire department clerk, and part-time parking enforcement workers. The Natick Community Services Department, which oversees a variety of services from parks to veterans, would lose five positions — four part-time buildings monitors, and a special assistant to the director who assists with building rentals.

In contrast, the police department personnel costs would rise by about $241,000 due to an expected new contract with the police superiors and dispatchers union. The town is also planning to replace a new police officer for half the year beginning in January at a cost of about $32,000. Malone had initially proposed hiring two new full-time officers when she first proposed the 2021 budget in January. However, the overall 2021 police budget is set at $7.6 million, which is $32,000, or .42 percent, less than fiscal 2020.

Other increases include $212,000 for a new waste disposal contract, and about $45,000 for technology upgrades and IT staff salary increases. The budget also proposes salary increases for some staff who will take on the duties of a director of strategic initiatives position the town had planned to hire.

Malone is proposing an additional Natick schools cut of 1 percent, or about $700,000. But that's on top of a more than $829,000 gap the district had at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. The total deficit heading into fiscal 2021 will be at least $1.7 million, Superintendent Anna Nolin said. That $1.7 million is before contractual increases, Nolin said, so the schools deficit could actually be as high as $4.6 million.

The Board of Selectmen will review Malone's proposal before passing it to Town Meeting, which is expected to begin on July 7.

In her budget message, Malone notes the uncertainty around what impact the coronavirus crisis will have on town finances. It's possible the pandemic will have a bigger impact than even the recession of 2008, she said.

"Standing still is not an option, we must and will learn from our experiences of the last three months, analyze how we have done things in the past years, and adapt to this new world reality," she wrote.

This story has been updated to add more context around funding cuts for Natick schools. It has also been updated to add more detail about the overall police department budget.