Letter: Somers Finance Board

To the Editor:

Recently, Jimmy Radziewicz sent a mailer to town residents, hand-delivered to their respective newspaper boxes indicating the Board of Finance (BOF) took 55 minutes to produce a 32 million dollar budget.

In reality, the process begins in late December when the BOF works with the boards of Selectmen and Education (BOS and BOE) to set the timeline for budget development.

In January the Boards of Selectman and Education begin the process of developing their respective budgets, which takes a couple of months. Developing a 32 million dollar budget is not a trivial matter. The BOS and BOE brief the BOF on the proposed budgets in March.

The BOF works to finalize the budget in March and April and hold open public hearings on the proposal, usually at Somers Elementary School.

In late April early May, the budget is approved at a Town Meeting. In late May the final budget goes to referendum for a town wide vote for approval or rejection.

So, in one aspect Mr. Radziewicz got the numbers correct, but it is not 55 minutes, it is actually 5.5 months, give or take a few weeks, depending on the open hearings and referendum.

Mr. Radziewicz also indicated the BOF defeated a $300,000.00 budgetary change to the public safety line item, then later the BOS reduced the budget by $150,000.00, in the same line item, saving the town additional expenses. In reality, the BOS and the BOE needed to reduce their respective budgets as a result of the revenue changes due to the continued state fiscal crisis and reduced grant funding based on the Governor’s proposed budget.

This was a very difficult decision as the community, state and nation combat an unprecedented opioid crisis.

Finally, I’ve been a member of the Board of Finance for 6 years and prior to this term, served on the Board of Selectman for over 2 terms. I applaud Mr. Radziewicz’s desire to serve and support his town and community. However, I’ve never seen him attend a BOF meeting. More importantly, he should ensure a fundamental understanding of the budget process before committing them to a mailer and potentially deceiving the public.

My experience and commitment to Somers is well documented and I would appreciate your continued support on Nov. 7.

Joseph Tolisano

Board of Finance

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