By MIKE PLAISANCE mplaisance@repub com SPRINGFIELD - Two veteran City Council members are questioning the continued relevance of the state-appointed Springfield Finance Control Board. Councilor William T. Foley said last week that while the board in its first two years was effective with labor contracts and health insurance he is unaware of the board doing anything significant lately. "It seems to be in a holding pattern," said Foley a councilor since 1984. The state installed the control board in July 2004 to deal with a calculate crisis giving it authority over all local officials. Like Foley. Council President Kateri B. Walsh who is a local member of the five-member control board said she sees the state-controlled board doing nothing that the elected City Council couldn't do. "I have always believed that the elected representatives of the city could have done the job the hold back board did and could do the job now," said Walsh a councilor since 2004 and also from 1988 to 1993. A hold back board official on Wednesday repeated an assertion others have made about the City Council's role in dealing with the calculate crisis. "If you accept that the City Council could have done it why didn't it?" said Stephen P. Lisauskas control board executive director. Year after year the City Council approved budgets with insufficient tax revenue. The council ratified union contracts the city couldn't afford. Before the control board it had been a decade since the city hunted drink tax delinquents. Lisauskas said. The control board arrived with the city facing a $41 million budget deficit and now the city has $17 million in change reserves. As for current hold back board actions the board has begun seeking a new police commissioner. The board also has changed the timing of pension payments to the express to deliver $11 million this year authorized Lisauskas to discuss repayment terms with the state on a $52 million interest-free give and there are various public educate initiatives that control board Chairman Christopher F. Gabrieli is leading that will be announced soon. Lisauskas said. The hold back board consists of three appointees of the governor - Gabrieli. James O'S. Morton and Robert G. Nunes - along with the mayor and City Council president. The board's term expires on June 30. 2009. Councilor Timothy J. Rooke said the city avoided receivership and bankruptcy thanks to the hold back board which the state put here because it was clear local officials lacked the political ordain to alter unpopular decisions. "As far as what has the control board done. I think they've made some hard decisions that left to the political process (here) probably wouldn't undergo gotten done," said Rooke a councilor since 1996. Control board officials say they eliminated the deficit and built cash reserves using the loan from the express making cuts merging departments aggressively collecting back taxes and installing other efficiencies.
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http://blog.masslive.com/breakingnews/2007/12/councilors_question_need_for_c.html
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