USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1941 > Part 7
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In this report it has been the intention to commend as freely as to condemn, and likewise no criticism has been made without a remedy being suggested. Neither has any recommendation been made which is not entirely legal and which has been put into operation in other communities with marked success.
Wherever recommendations require additional expenditures it should be borne in mind that other recommendations (especially in the welfare functions) will or should save funds more than sufficient to meet any recommendations in other branches of government.
The survey staff has not been unmindful of the financial condition of the town of Wilmington. On Page 270 of Public Document No. 79, which is the latest edition of the report of the Division of Accounts, State Department of Corporation and Taxation, will be found the statement that in the town of Wilmington the percentage which the net debt bears to the valuation of the town was 6.4% for the year 1938 (which is the last year so reported). Fifty-one other towns under 5,000 population reported no debt and the average of the other 174
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towns with debts was 1.9%. In the list above referred to the town of Wilmington occupied seventh position from the top of the list, rated by those with the highest debt ratio.
On page 264 of the aforementioned report it will be found that of all the towns under 5000 population, Wilmington had the highest out- standing indebtedness in this last State report, with the one exception of the town of Scituate. The town of Scituate had outstanding in- debtedness of $807,500, as compared with Wilmington's figure of $458,692.16. However, Scituate had a valuation of $13,275,161, as com- pared with Wilmington's valuation as $4,497,180. Of the outstanding indebtedness, Scituate had $653,000 as loans on its water department, while Wilmington had $261,800 as loans on its water department. It is interesting, however, to note that in the case of Scituate the gross income from the water department was reported at $92,000, while the gross income in Wilmington was reported as $23,000. In other words, when comparing the fact that Scituate showed outstanding indebted- ness of not quite double that of Wilmington it should be realized that its valuation was nearly three times that of Wilmington, and while considering that Scituate's indebtedness for water loans at that time was over twice that of Wilmington, it should be realized that the gross income of the Scituate water works was four times that of Wil- mington's. In the matter of temporary loans during that year of the report, Wilmington showed the highest of all the towns under 5,000 population; namely, $140,000.
On page 147 of the report being quoted it is found that one of the heavy expenses in Wilmington is the annual interest charge. In the year 1938 the total interest charge amounted to $12,187, of which $10,093 was on water loans. No other town of the 14 between four and five thousand population showed total interest payments of more than $3,600 with the exception of Medfield, which showed a total interest charge of $6,157, of which $5,063 was interest on water bonds.
These figures are shown to indicate that while Wilmington's gen- eral condition would appear to be in rather poor condition, yet a large share of the situation is caused by indebtedness on the water depart- ment which will gradually be paid off. It is well to realize that in the matter of the much needed improvements in some departments, future expenses will not greatly increase the annual burden because the water indebtedness is gradually diminishing.
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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
CHAPTER 1-GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTIONS-SECTION A
Findings
1-Wilmington is at present operating on a twelve months' budget-which usually means that suffcient funds are not available to continue activities when the year draws to an end.
2-Preliminary work on the budget is postponed until February and March just prior to the town meetings.
3-In Wilmington $650 a year is expended for Selectmen's salaries.
4-The Board of Survey and Street Acceptance is not strict enough in its investigation into the prep- aration of private ways before the town accepts them.
5-The town reports contain much duplication and material which is no longer necessary to print-vital financial data is frequently lacking.
Recommendations
1-The Finance Committee should arrange the an- nual budget on an allotment system, set up by the four quarters of the year.
2-The Finance Committee should insist on proper accounting methods and a "works and operation program" so that budgetary work can start in November.
3-The Selectmen should be merely an unpaid board of directors holding a legal and routine weekly meeting to review the work of their officials during the past week and to outline the policies for the forthcoming week.
4-The board should require all proposed layouts to be first approved by the engineer engaged by the town, the streets graded to sub-grade and brought up to a level upon which the final road bed may be laid. From there on, the town should work under the Betterment Act.
5-The town will save considerable money each year by simplifying its reports.
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Findings
6-The Selectmen's secretary holds the blank license forms; the engraved licenses are pre-num- bered, but the special licenses are not.
7-The fees charged for most of Wilmington's licenses are exceptionally low.
8-Wilmington has taken steps in the right direc- tion to lower its insurance charges; by appointing the Board of Selectmen as an insurance board to adopt a schedule of fire insurance to cover all town buildings (blanket schedule).
Recommendations
6-The town accountant should be custodian of all blank license forms. The collector (not the clerk) should receive all fees for licenses, with the excep- tion of marriage, dog and game licenses.
7-As shown in detail in the text, license fees should be revised and raised.
8-A careful study should be made of penalties placed by the rating bureau against each individual risk. Savings can often be made by slight altera- tions or improvements.
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SECTION B-GENERAL GOVERNMENT OR STAFF DEPARTMENTS
9-The assessors begin their canvass in January of each year; they use slips of paper upon which are listed name, address, poll, personal property and real estate valuation. Under good weather conditions, the canvass takes about six weeks.
10-The cross index file, compiled by the W. P. A. project about two years ago, was not kept up-to-date last year.
11-Permits for alterations or new buildings are not always given to the assessors.
9-Assessors' cards for real estate valuation should have listed type of structure, class of construction, recent improvements, graduated depreciation-other- wise the assessors must rely on their memories.
10-This file should be kept up-to-date and com- plete (type, class, improvements, alterations, etc.) so that the cards could be used in field work and the valuation book made up more readily.
11-The building inspector should make a dupli- cate permit (with estimated cost of the work there- on) and give it to the assessors for their files.
Findings
12-The tax collector collects bills only for real estate, personal, motor excise and poll taxes.
13-The chairman of the assessors and the tax collector are one and the same individual. As tax collector, he makes out the bills.
14-About a thousand checks monthly are issued by the treasurer. This is a very high number for a small town.
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15-Department heads do not always notify the accountant about bills due the town.
16-Bills are not always checked before authorized for payment.
17-The accountant's report does not list the amount received in fees from different liquor licenses; nor can they be found anywhere in the town report.
18-The town clerk receives a yearly salary of $400 and is allowed to retain all fees received from marriage intentions, marriage certificates, births and deaths, recording of mortgages, etc.
Recommendations
12-The collector should collect all money due the town, including: water rates, cemetery charges, all fees for licenses and permits issued.
13-The office of tax collector and town treasurer should be combined under one full-time position, with an office at the Town Hall. In so doing, the work would be more efficiently and more economically per- formed. $500 could be saved in salary alone.
14-Vendors' bills should be rendered monthly or semi-monthly, thereby reducing the number of check payments. All town employees should be paid on a semi-monthly basis, by check.
15-The accountant should be notified promptly so that his ledger will reflect the true condition of town accounts receivable.
16-See complete recommendations regarding bills and accounts.
17-The accountant should keep such list of fees and publish same in Town Report.
18-All fees received by the clerk should be turned over to the town and a specific salary should be paid the clerk.
CHAPTER 2-THE PURCHASING OF MUNICIPAL SUPPLIES
Findings
Recommendations
19-Whenever a vacancy occurs in either position of town clerk or accountant, the joint position should be established on a full-time basis-town clerk and accountant.
20-Purchasing in Wilmington is highly decentral- ized-19 department heads act as purchasing agents.
20-Purchasing should be placed in the hand of some centralized authority; needs should be pooled and bids secured on supplies. At least $3,000 a year could be saved by such method.
21-It appears that gasoline is used excessively by Wilmington departments.
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21-Careful checking of the use of gasoline should be inaugurated by the use of "double signatures" on all gas pump slips-both pump men and driver to sign.
CHAPTER 3-PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC SERVICE DEPARTMENTS
22-At the time of this survey, the Police Depart- ment was in the process of moving its headquarters from the highway garage to a store room in the business section of the town.
23-It seems that politics and friendship have had a considerable part in the unbusinesslike manner in which the Wilmington Police Department has been operated. Fortunately the chief has recently been placed on civil service.
22-It is wise that the Police Department has been given proper headquarters in the business district. Never should the department be moved into an out- of-the-way section with inadequate office facilities.
23-The legality of locally created titles should be clarified: e. g. commissioner of police, deputy chief of police. A Police Department cannot have two directing heads. The chief is and should be the chief executive officer of the department.
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Findings
It took very little study on the part of this survey staff to come to the direct conclusion that politics and friendships have had a considerable part in the unbusinesslike manner in which the Wilmington Police Department has been operated. It is surpris- ing that such conditions have not brought about a general disruption of service. It appears that the town of Wilmington (5,000 population) has been laboring under the misapprehension that the local officials could, by themselves, create positions which are generally only found in cities of one hundred thousand population or more. Not only is the action of this type ludicrous but it is actually illegal. As an example, we find a member of the Board of Se- lectmen designated as "commissioner of police," but we find (fortunately) the chief has recently been given Civil Service status by the vote in town meet- ing-without effort or assistance on the part of the Selectmen. Another interesting situation is the locally established position of "deputy chief of police." In addition to these two or three titled positions, there are but two regular patrolmen on the force! In checking with the state Civil Service rec- ords, it is found that the only recognized Civil Service member of the Wilmington Police Department is the chief and such recognition comes about from the very recent vote of the town meeting.
Recommendations
It is recommended that the matter of Civil Service status and the legality of the local- ly created titles be clarified. It is also recom- mended (and most urgently) that the Selectmen immediately discontinue the prevailing custom whereby one or more of the board give direct orders to the subordinate working under the chief without any knowledge of the chief. Common sense should tell anyone that a Police Department cannot have two directing heads and that the chief is and should be the chief executive officer of any department large or small.
The new ambulance (which should not cost $3,000) should have a schedule of charges by length and character of the trip. Persons able to afford trans- portation to or from a hospital should, of course, not have this service given at the expense of other tax- payers, many of whom could not pay for such service themselves-let alone contribute towards the expense incurred by those who can afford to pay. Further- more, all insurance companies are most willing to pay the small fee connected with prompt removal of injured persons for treatment rather than suffer the heavy losses frequently due to delay in the adminis- tering of medical attention. If transportation by a municipal ambulance is charged to all persons and departments, it is a legal charge against the Welfare
Findings
The Police Department is rather handicapped in its lack of any outside telephones, although it has a radio, in the police car, upon which can be received broadcasts which are especially tuned on wave lengths which can be reached by this particular set.
A "blinking light" at the main intersection is con- nected by telephone and can be flashed by the opera- tor when police are needed.
24-The Fire Department is operated on a very small scale, with only two full-time men. The call men are paid only when working at fires.
25-There are several hazardous fire traps and abandoned buildings in the town.
26-The Wilmington Water Department is oper- ated on an exceedingly close budget-but apparently operated well. There are certain important functions which should be either corrected or included in the operation of the department.
27-The Highway Department has a minimum of equipment-and what it has is old and dilapidated. The highway yard is a disgrace to the town.
28-There has been no program or planning for permanent highway construction in Wilmington. The roads are in very bad condition.
Recommendations
Department as well, and if the charges for such welfare cases are paid by the Welfare Department to the recipient, the latter may in turn pay the town and in this manner federal and state reimbursements are securable for this type of work. From the rec- ords kept in the past, and experiences of other towns over many years, it is known that the charges for such services rendered by the police ambulance will run into several hundred dollars in the course of the average year.
24-Additional hose should be bought so that it will not be necessary to borrow from towns nearby.
25-The fire chief and building inspector should proceed legally to have these torn down.
27-Immediate steps should be taken to correct the appearance of the town yard. See photographs on page 27.
28-A program for highway development should be planned and carried out-either through a W. P. A. or local relief project.
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Findings
29-Wilmington's public works and public service functions are highly decentralized.
30-The condition of the public cemetery is ex- cellent. The trustees deserve high commendation for their continued interest in maintaining the cemetery in a fitting manner.
31-The town has been most niggardly in its ap- propriation for "forestry" work. It appropriates a fraction of the money necessary to spray trees along the highways, but does nothing in regard to trees on private property.
32-The fees collected for the town's expense on inspection of construction totaling $81,210 (for the benefit of private citizens) was $59.50-ONE-FOUR- TEENTH OF ONE PER CENT.
33-The 529 street lights in Wilmington are main- tained in excellent condition by the Reading munici- pal light department for a contract price of $7,534.
Recommendations
29-The town should consider the advisability of combining all of the public works and public service functions into one general department.
30-The charges for cemetery use should be in- creased so that this department may "break even."
31-Immediate steps should be taken to secure government and local welfare projects for the trim- ming, repairing and protecting of shade trees on public property, and under the assessment plan, on private property.
32-Charges for permits and inspections should be raised to the value of the construction being super- vised (in proportion).
33-Every effort should be made to have the public service companies maintain but one line of poles on a street under a joint-ownership agreement.
CHAPTER 4 WELFARE DEPARTMENT
34-The Board of Public Welfare is actually the Welfare Department-it participates actively in case work procedure.
34-Welfare Board's duty should be to outline policies and review the work of the administration.
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Findings
35-The present chairman of the bcard is giving full time as an acting agent, but has no authority as such.
36-The department has kept no record of accounts receivable; therefore, amounts outstanding due the town from other cities and the state is not known.
37-The cost of administering local relief was but 4.3% in 1940-a very inefficient ratio.
38-The present "headquarters" are inadequate for the needs of welfare work.
39-During 1940, a charge of $1,621 for transporta- tion was made against the Welfare Department-at a rate of ten cents per mile. Yet, exceptionally few home visits were recorded.
40-The Welfare Department uses no system of clients' financial ledger cards, thereby making it virtually impossible to gather accurate financial in- formation on a family.
41-During the past two or three years, Wilming- ton has lost over $2,300 in the matter of reimburse- ment from the state and other cities and towns be- cause of improper administration or relief problems. (Much more to be correct.)
Recommendations
35-A full-time trained agent or social worker should be employed without delay to function as agent.
36-A duplicate copy of all welfare accounts should be kept in the welfare office so that slow accounts may be traced quickly.
37-At least ten cents out of every dollar should be spent on administration. The present ratio is enough proof for the employment of a full-time agent and clerk-bookkeeper.
38-The agent should have a private room in which to conduct his work of intake and interviewing.
39-Had the usual transportation rate for welfare visitors been in effect during this period, 41/2c to 5c a mile, the town would have saved $591.
40-A sample ledger form as recommended by the survey is included in this report.
41-Since the reorganization of the department, more attention is being paid to these vital matters. Strict watchfulness should always be maintained on this particular phase of the relief problem.
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Findings
42-The full-time clerical worker, originally em- ployed as W. P. A. sponsor's agent, now does much MINOR clerical work for the Board of Selectmen and Welfare Board.
43-There is no system of adequate filing proce- dure for welfare records.
44-Orders are not made out in triplicate so that a copy remains in the welfare order book.
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45-Apparently nothing is being done to contact employers in regard to putting welfare clients back to work.
46-Work relief is poorly administered in Wil- mington.
47-The welfare report was erroneous in the state- ment that the Social Security Board reimburses ap- proximately two-thirds of total salaries.
48 -- $1,260 was lost to the town in 1940 as a result of inefficient purchasing of food supplies.
Recommendations
42-This clerk, capable of executive duties, should be placed in the position of full-time clerical worker for the Welfare Department as well as for the Board of Selectmen and W. P. A. She should delegate the detail work of payrolls, etc., to assistants under her.
43-Cases should be filed alphabetically-divided as to activity.
44-Orders should be made out in triplicate: one for the vendor's record, the other to be returned with his statement, and the third to be retained in the welfare order book.
45-An occupational index should be kept and every effort made to transfer clients from "relief rolls to payrolls."
46-There should be a work project for every em- ployable client-the taxpayers deserve some payment for aid rendered.
47-It should be thoroughly understood that reim- bursement on O. A. A. and A. D. C. administration is but two-thirds of 5% on the federal share of aid granted to recipients.
48-See detailed recommendations on pages ? ? delivered to Welfare Department for their consid- eration.
Findings
49-The Welfare Department paid 46.2% above wholesale prices on groceries for the year 1940.
50-Grocery bills are not thoroughly checked be- fore payment is made.
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51-Actual purchases made by the survey staff with welfare orders disclosed dishonesty on the part of the grocers contacted.
52-The present method employed in intake work is highly inefficient and results in loss of time, money an dself-respect.
53-The present relief load is about 165. Case work and home visits are at a minimum.
54-Federal programs have not been utilized to their fullest extent, the result being a loss of town money.
55-Case folders contain almost no case "his- tories."
56-Resources of clients are not routinely checked.
Recommendations
49- This survey staff recommends that either an effort be made to secure the Stamp Plan or that the Fixed Price Method of Purchasing Groceries at a 20% markup over wholesale be instituted.
50-All grocery bills should be thoroughly checked as to items listed thereon before approved for payment.
51-Use of the "Agreement for Uniform Prices on Welfare Orders" as recommended herein and the recommended order form should be adopted in an effort to prevent such occurrences.
52-See detailed recommendations on page 74. Each one is highly important.
53-There should be no delay in employing a qualified case worker to make the required contacts regularly.
54-Each program should be fully utilized.
55-See detailed recommendations for setting up case histories.
56-Resource inquiries are just as important as home visits; inquiries should be a routine clerical procedure.
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Findings
57-A family budget is not worked out on each case.
58-Survey home visits disclosed many "interest- ing" facts-one being a client who claimed she received only six or seven grocery orders from October, 1940, to just after Christmas. Yet her ac- count was charged with $241 in aid from October, 1940, to February, 1941.
59-The State Hospital at Tewksbury is not used as often as it might be.
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60-$130.43 was spent for drugs and medicines in 1940-bills accepted by the department are un- itemized.
Recommendations
57-State budget recommendations should be fol- lowed; a budget sheet made out and filed in the case folder-it should be reviewed with the client period- ically.
58-See full comments on each case.
59-In order to cut down medical costs, the State Hospital should be used as frequently as possible.
60-All drugs bills should be properly itemized- those unitemized should be returned to the vendor.
CHAPTER 6-THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
61-The general condition of the Wilmington High School is DEPLORABLE. "Sanitary" conditions are disgustingly unsanitary; and working with other facilities are hardships.
62-Several other schools in the Wilmington system are also in need of repair.
63-The schools have taken very little advantage of federal N. Y. A. programs.
61-The school building and its equipment must be repaired. See detailed list of survey suggestions.
62-See detailed analysis of pages 110-112.
63-More use should be made of N. Y. A. projects. Certainly there is enough work to be done.
Findings
64-Transportation costs in 1940 were $4,265-the bid going to the lowest of seven bidders-it includes all transportation except from Martin's Pond area, which is arranged for with a private car at $500 per year.
65-Out of 110 towns in the state, Wilmington has the lowest per capita school cost.
66-It appears that on the whole the Wilmington School Committees have realized their duties were legislative-not administrative.
67-Wilmington's school population is much higher than the state average, yet its school costs are much lower.
68-The neatly folded-away sketches and plans are evidence of several School Committees' awareness of the need for an addition to the High School.
Recommendations
64-Bids for transporting Martin's Pond area chil- dren should be sought. Possibly a saving may result.
65-This is poor economy since Wilmington's schools need so many improvements-both in phys- ical condition and curricula. The Finance Committee should not arbitrarily cut the school budget.
66-The School Committee should endeavor to gain town support for the organization they were elected to lead, and in this way procure adequate facilities for the school children.
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