Town of Lenox, Massachusetts

Town of Lenox Annual Town Report - 2008
REPORT OF THE TOWN MANAGER
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the Citizens of Lenox:
ADJUSTING TO A NEW “NORMAL”
I am pleased to report that, despite the rather dire economic conditions that define
these times, your local government remains strong. We are working harder then ever to
deliver the services you demand within budgets that are lean and efficient. With the belttightening
that we have achieved, we should be able to absorb the reductions in state aid
and in our local receipts (notably our local room tax and the excise/vehicle tax.)
Our town employees have stepped forward and agreed to no pay increases for
FY10. All elected officials who have received an annual stipend in the past will no
longer be receiving any pay. The resulting savings have played an important role in
balancing next year’s budget.
The belt-tightening will mean some changes in our operations. Expect the
roads to be a bit more snow-covered. The Assessor’s office will be on a self-service
basis for half of each day with on-line data available 24/7. There may be an occasional
shift when one Patrolman will be on duty. These are some of the more visible
changes being made for the new fiscal year that begins July 1, 2009.
Balancing the budget beyond next fiscal year will likely require further
changes in how we deliver municipal services. Our lowered revenue streams are likely
to be the new “normal” for many years to come. With the help of the Berkshire
Regional Planning Commission and state grant funding, we have embarked on two
important projects that should result in even greater efficiencies.
One project is to expand the purchasing power of cities and towns in Berkshire
County. We currently have a group purchasing program for many of our DPW related
supplies and services along with electricity and heating oil/gas. The schools also
have their purchasing and service collaboratives. There is more that can be done here
and the study will identify new opportunities for savings by maximizing the purchasing
power of cities, towns and schools in the region.
A second study is underway that is examining the opportunities for Lenox, Lee
and Stockbridge to share various services. We already have a good model with the
Tri-Town Health Department. We are exploring what other possibilities exist. We
should position ourselves to take advantage of any openings that occur when someone
retires or leaves their current position (with an older work-force we are likely to
see an on-going stream of retirements.) Sharing services might allow for greater job
specialization and job satisfaction – too often today many town employees have to
handle an overly wide array of duties as we make do with fewer resources. Sharing
specialists among a few towns might provide a good solution to this problem.
Developing sound approaches for towns to consolidate services will be challenging
but the economics we face are demanding new service delivery models. We
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