Government

Child Sex Abuse Law Pushed by Local Reps Moves Closer to Approval

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After years of pushing for a child sex abuse law, a bill on Beacon Hill has moved closer to being passed than ever thanks in part to the work of two local legislators. The law would extend the statue of limitations for civil law suits to be filed by victims of child abuse. Last week, the House gave initial approval of the bill that came out of the Committee on the Judiciary, which is co-chaired by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D – Belmont, (who represents Watertown). Brownsberger has been a champion of the bill in the senate. On the House side, State Rep. John Lawn, D – Watertown, has worked hard on the bill.

Government

Schools Make Budget Case, Councilors Want More Info

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Tuesday night Watertown School officials made their case for the major increase in their school budget to the Town Council, but Councilors had concerns and questions about the schools’ request. After making some adjustments to the request, the Watertown Public School asked for a $5.8 million in Fiscal 2015 over the current year, or just under a 16 percent hike. On April 29 when Town Manager Michael Driscoll first presented the budget their figure was $6.1 million or 16.87 percent more than Fiscal 2014. This is the amount of money needed to return the Watertown Schools to the point where they were before the Recession sapped the schools of funding, said Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. On Tuesday, Driscoll again presented his proposed budget which would give an increase of the town appropriation of $2.2 million or 6.18 percent.

Government

New Approach to Making Budget Needed to Add Staffing

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As the Town Council reviews the budget during the Fiscal 2015 budget hearings they often lamented that they do not have the funds to boost staffing for multiple departments. To actually add, a new approach to budgeting is needed, Town Council President Mark Sideris said. One department that several Councilors pointed to as being in critical need for more staff is the Community Development and Planning Department. Development in Watertown is booming, and the town is also working on the Comprehensive Plan, a huge document that will help shape what Watertown looks like in the future. Councilor Cecilia Lenk said she would like to see a staff member th help coordinate public transportation for the new developments.

Government

LETTER: Watertown’s Retirement Savings is Misleading

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Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to your article on the May 27 budget hearing in the hope of clarifying issues surrounding Watertown’s pension funding decisions. [Click here to read the article.]

The article reports the misleading claim, made by the Town Manager in the April 29 budget presentation document and again during the May 27 budget presentation, that moving the end-date for eliminating our unfunded pension liability from 2022 to 2019 will save the Town $32 million. This inaccurate claim leads to the false and damaging impression that the pension appropriations for FY2015 and subsequent years cannot be reduced because doing so would eliminate substantial savings. To the contrary, in order to realize $5 million savings by 2022 (not $32 million!), by 2019 the Town must make $10 million more in contributions than had been previously scheduled through 2019. Before addressing arcane aspects of pension funding, we need to ask: Why is this important to Town residents?

Government

Mt. Auburn Street Repairs Move a Step Closer

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Mt. Auburn Street could be repaired and redesigned in the near future, as the state gave approval to the project to move into the design phase. MassHighway gave project review approval for the proposal, said Public Works Superintendent Gerald Mee, and now the town must start designing the project. “We need to finish surveying work and we will have public meetings and start designing it,” Mee said. Mee said he hopes to have the first of multiple meetings “within a few months.”

Government

Watertown School Budget on Tap This Week

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On Tuesday, Watertown school officials will make their case to the Town Council for their Fiscal 2015 budget request. The School Committee and school administrators will present their budget at the Budget Hearing on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. Their budget will be heard after the Water/Sewer Enterprise. There is a significant gap between the request from the Schools, which asked for a $6 million, 16 percent increase. While the Town Manager’s budget includes a $2.26 million, 6 percent increase.

Government

U-Turn on Watertown Street Repair Projects

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The road repair plan for the summer of 2014 hit a roadblock, so the Department of Public Works will focus on a new set of streets. The new set of streets to be repaired are short in number, but some of the longer ones in town: Arlington Street, Orchard Street and School Street. The streets will be repaired with the mill and overlay method, which grinds up the top layer of asphalt and lays down a fresh layer. The work will extend the life of the road by 7 to 15 years, said Councilor Cecilia Lenk, chairman of the Public Works Subcommittee. The original list included these streets: Fifield Street, Avon Road, Alden Road, Salisbury Road, Priest Road, Loomis Avenue, Duff Street, Barnard Avenue, Lincoln Street, Dexter Avenue, Katherine Road and Cushman Street.

Government

See Highlights from the MBTA GM’s Visit to Watertown

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Beverley Scott, the general manager of the MBTA, got the full Watertown experience this week when she toured the town and spoke with residents and the Town Council. Residents had plenty to say – some complaints and some requests – for Scott. The head of the T rode the 71 bus into town. Then Town Councilor Aaron Dushku picked her up and along with State Rep. Jonathan Hecht and resident Joe Levendusky, they visited Arsenal Street. The group tried to get over to the other booming area – Pleasant Street – but traffic and time did not allow, Dushku said.