HARWICH – Harwich Selectmen are looking over the proposed Fiscal Year 2018 budget plan before voters make the final decision at Town Meeting in May.
The balanced budget includes over $60 million in total expected expenditures and is up 4.2 percent from the FY17 budget.
The spending plan includes hiring a part-time assistant for Channel 18 and around $6,000 to pay for additional staff at the former Harwich Middle School.
“The real tough element to this budget was the health insurance,” said Town Administrator Christopher Clark. “When your revenues are growing by 3.5 to 4 percent, and you have one of your large cost centers going at 8 percent, that really puts the screws to things.”
Clark added that regionalizing schools with Chatham would free up budget funds to expand services and staffing.
The merger saved the town from funding a new high school but did not create a financial windfall.
The budget also includes over $925,000 in reductions, which eliminates two new firefighters and an elder affairs police officer.
Also removed were four new positions in the public works department.
“If the funding’s not there, I think in the board’s directive they did not want to see a general override to fund some of these, so if the money’s not there within the existing revenue, then we have to forgo it,” said Clark.
The town has nearly $2 million in free cash that can help pay for capital purchases and one-time expenses.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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