1991-03-BOS-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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�r SELECTMEN'S MEETING March 4, 1991 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 4, 1991, in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, at 7:34 p. m. chairman Smith, Mr. Marshall, , *fr. Eddison, Mr. Dailey, Mr. McSweeney; Mr. white, Town Manager, 'Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs. Snow, Executive clerk, were present, HUMAN SERVICES BUDGET REVIEW Rene Cochin, Co- Chairman, Ann Irving and Richard Dougherty ~, of the Human Services Committee, and Stephen Baran, Human Services Coordinator, met with the Board for review of the Committee's FY92 Budget Recommendations. Mrs. Cochin spoke of the dif f icult time her Committee has faced in trying to alleviate stress in the community in view of the troublesome economic situation which is affecting different levels of people than in the past. She referred to the cuts in State & Federal funding for Human Services programs, although the Governor has said that the truly needy will not be abondoned. She listed the areas slated for decreased funding as Home care, Meals on wheels, Public Health, and Mentally Disadvantaged, who are apt to the the poorest of the poor in the State. She referenced the Emergency Fund, created for the first time this year because of the increased need to assist citizens in financial crisis situations. Mrs. Cochin reported that the 'trustees of Public Trusts' funds and private contributions to the FY"91 Emergency Fund, are almost gone. These funds have been used to assist unemployed, to pay utility bills, rental fees for single parents, to help disabled and ill with ?deals on wheels and for fuel assistance. Mrs. C ochin reviewed the process of the Committee in a rri�ring at its recommendations, considering the economic picture of the Town and new needs that must be addressed. The Committee recommends continuation of funding for services supported in the past, including Youth Services (crises intervention, crisis counseling and child abuse); Serb -ices for the developmentally disabled; and the Emergency Fund, The Committee is proposing a f% increase in - the appropriation for Emergency Funds, in order to provide a court of last resort and to fill some small gaps created by cuts in State and Federal funding. The Town Manager's directive for 3% cuts in FY92 budget request had been addressed by cuts in Youth Services and Developmentally Disabled. A new request for Emergency funding ($7,500), would actually represent a .06% increase in the total Human Services budget. It was voted that Emergency Fund donations by the Trustees of Public Trusts will not be forthcoming this year and Mrs. Cochin added that although the Town will never have sufficient resources to make up for lost State and Federal funding, it can play an important role in filling some of the niches to make the difference in the lives of Lexington residents at troubled times in their lives,