Selectmen fear future without override
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - Calling it the worst budget situation he has ever seen, Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen Chair Maurice DePalo set the record straight for people who believe the $2.1 million in cuts currently on the table are designed to scare people into passing a Proposition 2-1/2 override ques- tion in May. (See related budget article on page 10.)

"I'm getting more than a little concerned here because I'm anticipating the service reductions we're going to see," he said during the March 31 board meeting. "It's not trying to scare people, it's just the reality."

All the selectmen expressed concern about the level of cuts that will need to be made if both the override question and pay-as-youthrow program are voted down. Town Manager Daniel Morgado has called this the worst-case scenario, complete with layoffs, drastic cuts to all departments and an inability to provide the service levels people have grown to expect.

Selectman John Lebeaux said he is very fearful of how this level of cuts will impact the entire community.

"Every single person from school-age to seniors … will have instances where they're severely or dramatically affected by the reductions," he said. "They're so wide ranging that there's no way to live in the community and not feel the eff ect of these cuts."

Since initially releasing the information to the Finance Committee March 27, Morgado said he has already received several inquiries as to why some departments have been more targeted for reduction than others.

The library, for example, would see its funding cut by 25 percent, as opposed to the schools which would see just a 2.5 percent decrease in funding.

Some people are calling for each department to be cut by the same percentage across the board, something the manager said is harder and less practical than it may seem.

"We have to consider the cost structure of each department, the services each one provides and the level of cuts that they have taken in the past," Morgado said.

The Board of Selectmen will take the next several weeks to consider the diff erent reduction possibilities before off ering any input to the Finance Committee or to the public.