Greetings Councilors:
Has anyone noticed the cumulative monetary effects of all the new positions created within the City Administration? And yet; a second ambulance, for the well-being and safety of the citizens of Watertown, is in jeopardy of not materializing for the coming fiscal year budget.
The last paragraph of the 03/06/25 Committee on Budget and Fiscal Oversight (BFO) Report states as follows:
“At the conclusion of the discussion, the Manager shared that there is uncertainty around the FY26 budget,…..He proposed that the Fire Department and Committee continue exploring the proposal, given the value of having an additional on-site ambulance service. However, he does not see this as a possibility for FY26 given where we are in the planning cycle, and the current forecast.” [Note: referral to BFO was made on 11/12/24]
So …, after the Council and City Manager hired over thirty new employees in two fiscal years: it seems as though the City is now in austerity mode.
At the 2023 Memorial Day Parade; I spoke to several City Councilors. I strongly voiced my concerns against the then proposed increased level of new City hires, included in the FY 24 Budget.
My spoken thoughts: Councilors should be “tarred and feathered” [idiom with historical political origins], if there is no pushback against the proposed Reorganization Plan. There was no opposition from Council – unanimous support was offered for the start of over 30 new hires; and counting …
A sampling of positions and projected salaries are as follows:
FY24 – Reorganization Plan (Click here to see)
Associate Assessor $66,154
Council Analyst $80,000
Local Building Inspector $87,528
Senior Planner – Economic Development $87,528
Senior Planner – Open Space $87,528
Director of Planning and Zoning $113,808
Director of Community Design $113,808
Asst City Clerk $93,874
Constituent Services Representative $53,625
Constituent Services Director $107,979
Community Engagement Specialist $76,095
Asst City Manager for Finance $153,224
Staff Engineer $81,611
Project Manager DPW $81,611
Heavy Equipment Operator $75,681
Health Officer – Pest control $66,154
HRIS Administrator $93,874
Asst HR Director $107,979
Help Desk Tech $66,154
Asst Procurement Director $93,874
Custodian $53,333
Supervisor of Trades and Maintenance $107,979
Supervisor of Building Operating Systems $107,979
FY 25 – Organizational Changes – attached
Energy Advocate $57,513
Wellness Coordinator $61,682
Sustainability Planner $76,095
Management and Grants Specialist $76,095
Asst Supervisor for Access Services (Lib) $80,523
Technical Records Specialist (PD) $66,154
Human Services Director $115,808
Let’s not forget about the new Employee Wellness initiatives. The corporate America profit/loss bottom-line stress management concept; but funded with taxpayer dollars.
- Chair massages (03/25)
- Holiday Party at the library, catered by out-of-town vendor from Lexington: Neillio’s Gourmet Kitchen
- Grilled cheese truck
- Ice cream truck
- Breakfast sandwiches for meetings
- Pizza lunches for meetings
- Chats and Snacks (ongoing 2025)
- etc., etc.
In my opinion: enhancement of public safety is of essential importance. Where are the priorities of the powers that be?
Best,
Angie
Angeline Maria B. Kounelis
Retired District A, East End, City Councilor
Thank you, Ms. Kounelis!!
Surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle (USMC) used to say. Didn’t I read a letter to this effect in these very pages not long ago? Perhaps we thought the bio-tech gravy train was endless, and that we could spend profligately on advocates, coordinators, and planners (oh my!) ad infinitum, rather than on something as unsexy (unless you need emergency care) as an ambulance. Or property tax relief to ameliorate rising valuations. (Do retired homeowners qualify as a diverse citizenry? I didn’t think so.)
Thank you again for raising your respected voice in favor of common sense.
Not to mention the WPS DEIB Director and the Administrative Assistant for Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). That’s about 30% of the cost of the WFD Ambulance estimated purchase.
Sorry, Josh. Property tax relief will never happen. Stay tuned for Graduated Income Tax, however.
Excellent letter, Ms. Kounelis. Thank you. And too bad you are retired.
From your list, it seems that there is plenty of room to flatten the organization, starting with “Assistant” or “Specialist” anything.
All this hiring is for George Proakis’s resume, not necessarily benefitting Watertown in any manner. These are excellent administrative resume bullet points for our city manager. When he does leave, and he most certainly will at some point, his successor will be left with a lot of difficult staffing decisions. hi
You always make this charge and you never back it up with anything of substance.
Watertown Ambulance EMTs scraped me off the pavement after woman on phone t-boned me on my motorcycle on main street….
Thanks to the availability of the Ambulance and police and WFD I was able to get the care I needed and I think is a huge reason i didn’t lose my leg and my life is that i got to the hospital post haste.
No brainer for me fund a second ambulance.
TY EMT, WFD and WPD.
There’s a huge flaw in this writer’s argument: she says without context that an ambulance is more important than the impact those 30 employees have had on the city. How the heck would she know? She can not see the individual contributions those 30 people have made on our city (obviously). Also, showing salary levels makes me realize how poorly our city employees are paid. I would not accept any job at those wages… any of them.
Public Safety is a priority and should not be negotiable.
The Council’s Committee on Budget and Fiscal Management and the City Manager should approve WFD Chief Nicholson’s proposal for a second ambulance and staffing immediately, even if it means reductions in other areas. Equipment and staffing for our public safety departments (fire & police) should be among the city’s first budgetary considerations. The negative impact of increased response times during emergencies has the potential for devastating consequences. Increases in public safety staffing and equipment provide tangible benefits to the community. The safety and well-being of Watertown’s citizens should take precedence over almost any other city initiatives or administrative expansion.
Links to consider:
https://www.watertownmanews.com/2025/03/31/council-committee-exploring-cost-of-adding-a-second-fire-department-run-ambulance/
https://www.watertownmanews.com/2025/04/01/letter-ambulance-public-safety-should-be-a-priority-in-new-city-positions/
https://www.watertownmanews.com/2025/02/28/city-will-add-new-position-of-human-services-director/
More to the point: Why is this writer calling out dozens of city employees as if they’re superflous?!?! City employees are undervalued and underpaid. They don’t deserve to be called out like this.
Former Councilor Angie Kounelis raises some very valuable points. Safety is one of the key reasons government exists and it needs to be kept as a priority. If people don’t feel those needs are being met, they often feel that political leaders don’t value them.
We need to be careful with budgets, especially in these trying economic times and use common sense in approaching the upcoming budget discussions. We don’t know what our state government can provide as relief. We have a good number of older residents living here who might need to avail themselves of ambulance services at some point and minutes matter plus many other people have serious illnesses that may need quick responses.
There was a featured story, I believe on WBZ news, last week where they showed a man probably in his late 50 or early 60s who was having symptoms of a heart attack. He was reluctant to call 911, but his wife did. The first responders said that he was having a heart attack and they got him to the hospital in time. The doctors said it was a widow-maker type of attack and if he hadn’t gotten help within 10 minutes, he wouldn’t be here. Time is of the essence for heart issues and stroke victims plus accidents, etc.
We are planning to have new high-rise buildings in dense areas in our Watertown Square plans. I would think it would be beneficial to have plans in place to guarantee that we have the state-of-the-art vehicles and appropriate staff ready and in place to react to any serious situations that could arise and respond as quickly as possible.
I am sure there are other costs that could be cut or not created by hiring more staff that may not be necessary. We should first allocate the dollars needed to fund the additional ambulance and staff. Let’s put first things first, safety first.
Let Manager Proakis and our Councilors know your thoughts and concerns before it’s too late.