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Mayor presents budget reductions to City Council By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD –Mayor Brian P. Sullivan presented transfers of $100,000 each into Stabilization and Other Post Employees Benefits (OPEB), along with a sizable reduction in the current budget during his briefing to the City Council on Thursday, before the regular City Council meeting. Sullivan said one-third of the way into the fiscal year, the city has enough in its health trust to offer both a Health Benefit Holiday of half a month for employees, and to transfer the city’s budgeted portion into other
accounts. The goal is to keep $10 million, or three months operating in the Trust, which they are currently above. He said the city, which is selfinsured, pays $1.2 million per month into the Health Trust for its share. The Health Benefit Holiday was part of the agreement during employee negotiations, when the city/employee split was lowered to 77/23, which according to the Mayor is the first time the city’s share went below 80%. A transfer into OPEB during any benefit holiday was also part of the agreement. Sullivan said the Health Benefit Holiday is the result of the health of
Beware Of Scammers Misrepresenting Westfield Gas And Electric WESTFIELD – Once again the Westfield Gas and Electric wants to warn the public about a telephone scam that is targeting utility customers in Westfield. Illegitimate and fraudulent individuals, claiming to represent WG+E are contacting these customers by phone to discuss their accounts. They will even leave a voice mail message instructing the customer to make a return call to a number in the 508area code. If you should receive such a phone call, please do not divulge any account or personal information or return a call if instructed by voice mail. The WG+E will contact you by WRITTEN notice if there is any discussion needed regarding your account. They do not initiate a phone call. Ironically, the timing of this latest telephone scam comes at a very inconvenient time as the Department recently launched a federally-mandated telephone survey to assess theircustomers’ knowledge of staying safe around natural gas. WG+E partnered with Great Blue Research, a national market research firm, who is calling a small sampling of customers to gauge the effectiveness of their public awareness program. These calls will originate from the 860 area code and the caller will identify themselves as a representative from Great Blue Research calling on behalf of Westfield Gas and Electric. The survey questions cover basic demographic information and general questions about how to react should you smell natural gas. If you receive a survey call, WG+E would greatly appreciate your participation as it will allow them to measure the effectiveness of their program. Please know that, at the Westfield Gas& Electric, protecting customer information is a top priority. Personal information and data about our customers is treated as confidential, consistent with all legal and regulatory requirements, including those established by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU). Please visit their website at www.wgeld.org to review the data privacy policy. You may also contact Customer Service at (413) 572-0100 during normal business hours if you have any questions.
the trust and the health of employees. He said they have not yet had to use the trust this year. “The Health holiday is paying back employees for being healthy. A lot of employers are doing that,” Sullivan said. He said in the half month holiday, $600,000 is saved in the budget, and employees don’t have to pay in for half a month. Nothing is coming out of the health trust, he said. Sullivan said there will be another full month ($1.2 million) Health benefit holiday in the spring, also. Speaking about the OPEB account, Sullivan said the city put in $50,000 in 2011 to start the account, and none
since. He will be transferring $100,000 of the savings into the account at this time, and another $600,000 from the full-month holiday in the spring. Sullivan said the city has also managed an appropriations reduction of $1,571,910 in the current FY18 budget. “One-third of the way into the fiscal year, I’ve seen areas I can manage,” he said. $100,000 will be coming from the school district budget, which was intended to send a student out of district that didn’t go. The Department of See Mayor Budget, Page 3
Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan
CFO job description goes to City Council floor for a vote One of the cruisers used by Westfield Police.
Westfield Police may receive several replacement vehicles By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD—Police are expected to get five new cruisers, pending the OK from the Westfield City Council. Mayor Brian Sullivan requested an appropriation of $125,000 from City Council Thursday, which would be used toward the purchase of five police cruisers. The request will go to City Council’s Finance Committee, where it is expected to be deliberated before coming out to full council for vote. We’re now at a place where we need to buy some cars,” Sullivan said during the City Council meeting Thursday, regarding the department’s fleet. The $125,000 covers a portion of the total needed for the vehicles, and will be added to money coming from insurance reimbursement related to an accident that occurred with another police vehicle and trade-in of the vehicles, Sullivan previously said. The five vehicles are replacing one due to an accident and four due to the vehicles’ mileage, according to Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe. “The vehicles need to be replaced,” McCabe said. “After a certain number of miles they need to be turned over for a myriad of reasons.” He said that “it’s been a while” since vehicles were replaced, though he could not specify a timeframe. According to McCabe, the police cruisers, which can spend significant time on the road daily, have warranties that expire after See Vehicles, Page 3
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – At Thursday’s City Council meeting, the job description for the new position of Chief Financial Officer was once again the subject of an extended discussion. At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty asked for a motion to suspend the rules and recall the item from the Finance Committee, which had not been able to meet since the last meeting and discuss the amendments Flaherty made to it. At that meeting, the Personnel Action Committee (PAC) chair and At-large Councilor Cindy C. Harris had moved to give the job description over entirely to the Finance Committee. Finance Committee chair and Ward 5 Councilor Robert A. Paul, Sr. said he did not support Flaherty’s changed job description. Paul said after good work done on it by the Mayor and the PAC, he believed the core criteria of the job is there, and amending it was not something that needed to be done to ensure the Finance Committee’s goals for the position are met. Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell noted that a lot of work was put into the amended job description. Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy said that even if the See CFO, Page 3
Candidate ForumS
Hosted by The Westfield News, Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce and The Westfield Senior Center
Monday, oct. 23
6:30 City CounCilor - WArD 3 Andrew Surprise, robert Atkocaitis
7:30 City CounCilor - WArD 4 Dawn thomas, Michael Burns
At the Westfield Senior Center, 45 Noble Street, Westfield. Doors open at 6:00 for Candidate Meet and Greet.
Construction underway for main entrance of Noble Hospital By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – Construction of a new main entrance at Baystate Noble Hospital is underway due to the proceeds from 2017’s 52nd Annual Baystate Noble Ball. According to Dave Rosinski, Director of Facilities at Baystate Noble, the renovation centers on making the main entrance on West Silver St. handicap accessible by raising the grade of the entrance making it much easier and safer for people to enter the hospital. The former entrance forced people to either go up a few steps or use an outdated ramp. “The transition from the road to the hospital will be
a straight line,” said Rosinski referring to a new raised driveway that will be approaching the entrance. Another feature to the new entrance will be a canopy, that will accommodate as many as five cars, and will allow individuals to pull their vehicle up to the main entrance and be sheltered from weather. The entrance will also have automatic sliding doors for people entering the hospital. Rosinski said the construction will continue as long as there is warm weather but the project will have to be put on hold once there is a steady cold front. Rosinski expects to have substantial completion by January and then finish off the project in the spring when warmer weather returns.
The construction for the main entrance of Baystate Noble Hospital is progressing. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)