On The Road Again

Cambridge city officials received more than $160,000 last year for conference attendance and training, according to a recent breakdown produced by the city's budget office.

Most departments spent the money allocated to them in the 1992-1993 budget to send department heads to one conference or trip, said Louis A. DePasquale, the city's budget officer.

"The city manager's policy for the larger departments is one conference per year. Of course, that's not carved in stone," DePasquale said.

However, many department officials said they felt confined by the relatively small budget which allowed them to attend only one conference.

Cambridge Hospital, which received $64,000, the largest budget allocation, spent the majority of these funds on employee training.

John G. O'Brien, the director of Cambridge Hospital, said the hospital spends approximately 95 percent of its allocation on employee training and education.

"We pay for employees' education with a caveat that they need to pay us back with service," O'Brien said.

O'Brien said the hospital will increase the money it spends on training in the next year as part of its effort toward "Continuing Quality Improvement."

Officials from the Cambridge Police Department, whose travel and training allocation increased from $13,000 to $25,000 last year, said they believe the funding is still inadequate.

Frank Pasquarello, the department's public information officer said, "Twenty-five thousand dollars for travel and training for a $20 million budget like [that of] Cambridge police is far less than most private businesses would allow."

Pasquerello said the department uses funds allocated for training for the continuing education of the city's 240 police officers.

"We're constantly sending detectives to school," Pasquerello said. "To run a professional police department, you need professional training."

Officer Raymond Santille, who oversees the department's finances, said the increase in travel and training is not enough to satisfy Cambridge's Police Commissioner Perry L. Anderson.

Santille warned, "Don't say that [the budget is large] to the commissioner. He thinks it's too small."

Santille said the department's expenditure is a combination of routine, local training for officers and trips to conferences and seminars.

"The commissioner has a contractual obligation to attend various conferences," Santille said, adding, "For example, he is the president of the National Organization of Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and attends their annual conferences as well as three annual meetings."

Santille said Anderson attended the NOBLE conference in New Orleans last year as well as the conference and meetings of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police, which were held in Detroit.

City council officials, who spent a combined $16,200 on travel and training last year, said they have a choice between attending National League of Cities meetings in Washington or New Orleans.

Officials from departments with smaller budget allocations for travel and training said they limited travel expenses to keep them in line with tight budgets.

David Haley, who is in charge of finance for the department of public works, said his department had curtailed travel expenses last year.

"We sent a couple of people to Rensselaerville, New York, and sent our arborist to North Carolina for an arborists conference," Haley said.

William Frazer, financial director of the Human services department, which spent $3,000 on travel and training, said his department also limited its travel last year.

"Usually what happens is that there may be one or two trips to areas other than Greater Boston," Frazer said, "There was one trip to California and at least one to either Dallas to Denver." Expense  Cost City Manager  5,000 Legal Department  3,000 Finance (Administration, Budget, Purchasing)  8,550 Public Celebration  125 Fire  1,500 Traffic  2,150 Inspectional  750 Electrical  600 Water  10,000 Historical Commission  550 Human Services Commission  3,000 Veterans  400 Hospital  64,000 Total  $163,345