The town treasurer and a longtime school business employee have issued their own critiques of the state Department of Revenue report outlining steps toward consolidation of town/school financial operations.
Town Treasurer Stephen Gilligan, in a Feb. 12 Boston Globe story, calls the state report a “one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach for both its analysis and recommendations.”
The state report has suggested considering an appointed treasurer rather than an elected one. Gilligan, treasurer since 2006, told The Globe that the state treasurer is elected and that the election of a treasurer without the needed financial qualifications “would be a stretch.”
The other Arlington employee unhappy with the DoR report is Janet Collins, the school budget analyst, who records staff absences and hiring of substitutes. The report says:
Feb. 7: Selectmen move forward with consolidation
“Currently, the school budget analyst spends as many as three hours per day to complete these tasks using a manual system. We don’t believe that these responsibilities represent the best use of time for the second highest paid and longest serving person in the school business office.”
In a statement that was part of the School Committee’s packet received at the Feb. 9 meeting, Collins wrote:
“The first thing I wish to bring up concerning my substitute position in the Department of Revenue’s report is that is it incorrectly reported. I think the Department of Revenue personnel misunderstood the process that is used for this position.
“I do NOT handle substituting work three hours in the office. I work from home.
“The pay was based on approximately three hours of work home. I at tend to call between 8 and 10 at night and then proceed to pick it up at 5:30 to 6:45 in the morning.
“At 7:15 call each school to report to them the absences in the school for the day. The only process I do in work is when I come to work in the morning, call my I sub line to see who called in after 7:30 in the morning so I can add them to the list which turn I in to the various departments in the school department who need them.
“I interview the substitutes on my own time after work at4:15, 4:30 etc.
“I have asked different departments to please refer substitutes to go online and print out the application in order to fill it out, and not have them come up to see me. I then ask them to call me to make an appointment for an interview. I turn away substitutes who walk in and relate the process they should be following.
“The interviewing and putting together the substitute list originally was done by the CFO’s secretary. However, when that position was riffed a few years ago, all the business office personnel assumed some part of her duties, and I took on the part of interviewing the subs and maintaining the list.
“Because am I so busy during the day in the office, I do not see substitutes during the day as previously was done by the CFO’s secretary.
“I have been calling substitutes for over 25 years. No backup has ever been provided. However, I have managed to miss only one day to call substitutes and that was due to a serious illness at home that I had to take care of. When go I on vacation, I still do the calling from wherever I am and fax the list into the Superintendent’s Office when completed.
“I would like this clarified in the report and corrected.”
Selectmen Chair Clarissa Rowe said the state recommendations must go before Town Meeting and Arlington voters for approval before they can be put into effect.
Town Manager Brian Sullivan is accepting comments on the state’s recommendations until Feb. 22, the day before he retires, before a report for Town Meeting is put together this spring. Learn how to comment here >>
Feb. 3: State suggestions to consolidate finances include appointed treasurer, assessors
Read the complete state report here >> (.PDF)
This story was first reported Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012.
