With all eyes on government budgets this year, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday unanimously approved a $1.17 million budget for fiscal year 2010. The budget represents an 8.8 per cent reduction in overall spending from last year and an increase in town assessments of just under one per cent.

The commission’s budget for fiscal year 2009 was $1.28 million. Town assessments will increase a bit due to a reduction in state and federal grants of about $112,000.

As proposed, approximately $803,000 of the commission’s budget will be paid through assessments to the six Island towns. By statute, town assessments are mandatory and not subject to approval by four of the six Island towns, as is the case with the regional high school budget.

The commission voted to approve the budget last week despite protests from some town selectmen and finance committee members who questioned the commission’s decision to allow a three per cent cost of living increase (COLA) and one per cent merit increase for staff. There is a growing movement among towns to forgo such pay increases this year.

Town leaders in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs have already said they will eliminate cost of living adjustments this year. Last Wednesday, Oak Bluffs town administrator Michael Dutton sent a letter to the commission asking that the budget vote be postponed until the commission’s next meeting on Feb. 5 to allow more comment from town officials.

“Given the amounts towns are assessed by regional entities and given the state of our budgets for 2010, I believe it is important selectmen at least have an opportunity to attend and comment upon the MVC budget prior to its adoption,” Mr. Dutton wrote. “So, unless there is a legal reason not to, I am asking the MVC to postpone the budget vote.”

Finance committee members expressed similar concerns. Tisbury finance committee chairman Larry Gomez and West Tisbury finance chairman Al Devito reportedly contacted Ned Orleans, commission treasurer and finance committee chairman, prior to last week’s meeting to ask that the vote be delayed.

At Thursday’s meeting, Tisbury finance committee member Peter Hefler reiterated the request to delay the vote until the towns had a chance to review the budget.

“I understand your dilemma,” Mr. Hefler said. “But perhaps you could shelve this until next week . . . I think there is a certain amount of resentment and bad feelings around the town about the way this distinguished commission is handling the budget process.”

The commission was under a deadline to approve its budget; under its enabling legislation, the annual budget must be approved at a regular meeting in January. And last week was the commission’s last scheduled meeting for the month.

“We have to approve this tonight . . . we don’t have a choice,” commissioner Chris Murphy said.

Only Carlene Gatting, the Dukes County appointee to the commission, urged for the vote to be delayed.

“It’s clear to me several towns are lining up against [this vote tonight]. It seems somewhat arrogant for us to say we shouldn’t listen to the towns before moving forward,” she said.

But after an hour-long discussion the commission voted unanimously to approve the budget, agreeing however to delay certification of the town assessment portion of the budget until it is reviewed by towns.

Commission members and senior staff then went on the road this week to air their budget. On Tuesday the West Tisbury finance committee met with MVC executive director Mark London and administrator Jeffrey Wooden to discuss the budget.

Mr. Devito said yesterday the meeting was “very positive.” One suggestion called for the commission to eliminate the three per cent cost of living increase for staff but allow a two per cent merit raise.

“I think that’s a reasonable compromise . . . and I think they agreed. My impression was they would be willing to compromise. The towns are only looking for what is fair,” Mr. Devito said.

Commission chairman Christina Brown met with the Edgartown selectmen this week to discuss the budget. Selectman Arthur Smadbeck strongly suggested the commission reconsider last week’s vote, singling out the four per cent increase in salaries as a problem.

Ms. Brown said she would relay the message, noting that the commission had only voted to approve the budget and had yet to certify the assessments to towns.

Later in the week Mr. Smadbeck said he was pleased the commission has agreed to work with the towns, but he added he would like to see better communication in the future.

“Looking forward, I think [the town and the commission] can do a better job of talking. A lot of times these regional bodies are doing a lot of good nobody knows about, they have good people doing good work but we don’t necessarily communicate back and forth. I think maybe this [the budget] is an example of that,” he said.