Marlborough Finance Committee defers Assessor's budget amid clerk-reclassification dispute

MARLBOROUGH -- May 2, 2022, Marlborough Finance Committee defers Assessor's budget amid clerk-reclassification dispute. The committee worked through roughly a dozen FY23 department budgets May 2 without taking a vote, continuing the session to May 4. Mayor Arthur Vigeant projected the overall tax levy would rise "less than 1 percent," and Auditor Diane Smith reported citywide salaries running about $800,000 under budget on vacancies. Principal Assessor John Valadi's plan to add a senior assessor and swap a senior clerk for a principal clerk drew sharp objections from Council President Michael Ossing, who warned the senior clerk would be left unfunded and that the posting assumed an internal hire. Superintendent Michael Bergeron, in his final budget cycle, presented a school plan including approximately $6.5 million in federal ESSER funds for HVAC at Jaworek and Kane, a $60,000 alumni foundation seed, and a new director of elementary curriculum. Auditor Smith said the $5,695,660 Assabet Valley assessment line still lacks written confirmation of a $438,000 credit owed to Marlborough.