By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — The Town Council last night discussed four more Fiscal Year 2025 departmental budgets that will eventually go before the voters at the April 29 Annual Town Meeting.
As always, Town Accountant Kevin Gill presented the raw budget numbers with the respective department heads on hand to provide background and answer questions from Town Councilors.
Gill presented the Veterans Services Department budget request of $178,300 for FY 2025, a reduction of $16,213 from last year’s budget. That reflected a $20,000 cut in the line item for direct benefits to veterans (from $110,000 to $90,000), based on declining claims in recent years.
Veterans Service Officer David Mangan and Veterans Advisory Committee Chairman Paul Cancelliere were also on hand.
Cancilliere advocated pulling out of the regional Veterans Services District that includes Wakefield, Melrose and Saugus and increasing the Wakefield VSO position from part time to full time.
It was noted that the regional district had been working very well for many years, but the past year has been difficult because Wakefield has not been receiving needed help and support from the district office.
Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio said that he had met with Melrose Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis and had reached an agreement to have the Veterans District administrator work in the Wakefield office at least one day a week to help out. While the agreed upon arrangement would return staffing at the Wakefield office to its previous level, Maio said that he would monitor the situation.
Town Councilor Edward Dombroski said that Wakefield should consider leaving the district and going it alone. He said that the one-third of the district budget that Wakefield is funding could be used for local veterans. He said that having the district director fill in one day a week in Wakefield is not the answer.
Town Councilor Robert Vincent agreed. He said that if Wakefield is funding one-third of the regional director’s salary, then the town should be getting one-third of her time. He advocated continuing with the district model for one more year and then re-evaluating it.
He also asked Mangan if he was comfortable reducing the direct payments to veterans line item by $20,000. Mangan said that he was.
Even though this line item was being reduced due to less demand for the funds, Maio stressed that no veteran is ever turned away and the fund can always be supplemented if demand goes back up.
But Dombroski said that he was not comfortable with the reduction in the benefit line item, saying that it “sends the wrong message” to veterans.
Town Councilor Michael McLane agreed. “It’s only $20,000,” he said.
Dombroski made a motion to amend the Veterans Services budget by restoring $20,000 to the direct benefits line item. McLane seconded the motion.
Dombroski’s amendment passed by a 7-0 vote. The overall Veterans Services Department budget as amended was approved by the same unanimous vote.
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The $1,030,195 Medicare budget was approved, including an increase of $68,864 for FY 2025, with no discussion from the board.
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The Cable Television (WCAT) budget was approved at $559,216. This budget is funded by franchise fees paid to the town by the cable TV companies and funneled to WCAT.
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Gill presented the $15,917,161 Group Insurance budget request for FY 2025, including an increase of $204,144.
After a lengthy discussion that included a request to add a new $65,000 position to the Human Resources Department as well as a discussion of whether Group Insurance and Human Resources should be separate departments, the board decided to continue the discussion and vote on the budget at its next meeting.
