“You Have A Revenue Problem”

Saugus Selectman Cicolini tells Saugus Cable TV’s Board of Directors and staff that their budget isn’t sustainable

By Mark E. Vogler

With projected revenue of $360,000 – about $76,000 less than its total expenses – Saugus Cable TV lacks the financial means to support its proposed budget for the 2026 Fiscal Year that begins July 1, according to Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Jeff Cicolini. “You don’t have an expense problem. You have a revenue problem,” Cicolini told the SCTV Board of Directors and staff at Tuesday’s (March 18) selectmen’s meeting.

“There’s not enough revenue in the station to support this budget. That’s the problem that has been coming for two or three years,” Cicolini said.

Selectmen voted unanimously to continue their consideration of the SCTV budget until their April 1 meeting. Meanwhile, selectmen urged SCTV Treasurer Sandro Pansini Souza to make adjustments in its spending plan.

“It’s fantastic what the station does with fairly limited resources that you get,” Cicolini said.

“We just don’t have the revenue to support that anymore,” he said.

Total salary expenses account for $333,675, according to Souza. Four of the five employees at the cable station work full-time, Souza said.

Saugus is making a lot less than the towns around us,” he said of the employee salaries.

“Any employee of this town can leave and make more money,” Cicolini said.

“You’re budgeting an ongoing deficit that’s only going to get worse,” he warned.

In other action on Tuesday night, selectmen:

• Approved a request by Donaldo’s Catering, LLC for a Common Victualer’s License to operate K-Trina’s Taqueria at 44 Hamilton St. The restaurant will have 14 seats and be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Approved a request by Aggregate Industries, Inc. to extend a Special Permit (S-2) to allow the removal of earth and rock and for the operation of a quarry for an additional six months.
• Approved the appointment of Town Meeting Members Stacey Herman-Dorant and Frank V. Federico to be alternate members of the Board of Appeals and Chris Riley to be a full-time member of the board.
• Announced that the Board of Selectmen will close the warrant for the May 5 Annual Town Meeting at the April 15 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. All warrant articles must be submitted to selectmen by that date.