Rochester Selectmen are not enthusiastic about a proposal to analyze the Old Rochester School Commitee’s finances - leaving them at odds with Selectmen from Marion and Mattapoisett.

The proposal in question is a $5,000 per town payment for a fiscal assessment of the Old Rochester School Committee’s finances.  The payment is a question on the agenda of all three Town Meetings. It came about after the School Committee proposed a 4.7 percent increase above the current year's budget, and the Selectmen balked, telling the school the tax base could only increase by 2.5 percent per year, per state law. Wondering how the increase was so significant, the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen proposed an analysis of the school committee's finances.

The analysis explained Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne at the April 27 Tri-Town Selectmen meeting, would study where funds are expended, where and how the revenues to fund the school budget are produced and used, and how the school finances compare with other school systems.

“We received back a two-year audit which showed that the post-employment benefits we’re expected to pay have gone from $14 million to $20 million in two years,” he noted. “If that doesn’t give anyone fiscal pause, I don’t know what will.”

Dire as the numbers might sound, elements of the plan to fix the problem didn't sit well with Rochester's Selectmen.

Rochester’s Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar stated her fears that the $15,000 for the financial assessment would not be the final payment. “I’ve talked to experts who say that $15,000 won’t get us that far,” she said. “I’m concerned about the true cost, which I’ve been told could be up to $60,000.”

“If the cost is going to be more than $15,000, we need to know," said Rochester Selectman Naida Parker. "It would be disingenuous of us as elected officials to go before our community with something before we know what the cost will be.”

Rochester Selectman Woody Hartley took issue with what he considered the vagueness of the plan. “I’m not prepared to take action," he said. "There’s no scope and no plan."

Gagne pointed out what the proposal outlined. In it is the need to study the committee’s revenues and use of current funds, the overall cost of school choice students and the shared liability of post-employment benefits.

“There are issues we need to get to quickly,” said Gagne. “What’s not specific about this?”

Hartley agreed that what happened this year can't continue. However, he noted, "I don't agree that rushing to spend money because we have to do something is the right approach." He instead said that the Selectmen should work with the School Committee members in their own towns to work out a relationship.

"There's some homework there," he said. "I support the initiative 100 percent, but funding something without knowing what it is just doesn't sit well with us."

Paul Silva disagreed. "We've kicked the can down the road for all the years we've been around, and we'll always have a town making excuses," he said, looking at Hartley. "If we don't start here we'll be kicking the can down the road for another year."

There was discussion of what would happen if one town refused to fund the analysis. Paul Dawson explained that as of yet, there were no solid plans, he expected that the financial analysis would begin regardless of the third town’s decision. "It might not get us all the way there, but it would be a start."

Marion Selectman Steve Gonsalves admitted that the unknown cost of doing the analysis could throw people off. However, he said, doing nothing was not an option. "The cost, whether it's $15,000 or $60,000 - it pales in comparison to doing nothing."