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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of fin com 05012008 Town of Mansfield Finance Committee Minutes of May 1, 2008 [0 RECEIVED H CLERKS OfFICE Attending: James Lazzara Charlene Lavin Jess Aptowitz Jack Goldberg Andres Gazzolo lUUS HAY -q A 1: 5b r+~~ l~ ','i SF iE L 0 let A C' ~ t, r wi ISET....1 S ri r-", ...J '...... ''''l '-...11 ~,t_. ....... ' Motion: To Open at 7:35p.m. (Lazzara - Lavin) 5 - 0 Passes Assessors Nancy Hinote, Bea Kearney and Roxanne Donovan presented the budget for the assessors. It was pointed out that in fiscal year 2009 the town will pick up the remainder of the mall. There is a growth number of $750,000. There is also the possibility that overlay may potentially have funds. Mr. Gazzolo asked if they could go back and see if they could release old funds. It was said that there will be an extra month in growth but that it will be needed for the cell service. When asked if there is any capital it was responded that the assessors do not. Planning Shawn Burke presented the planning budget. Mr. Burke began by saying that there are logical increases for overtime and time and a half, and that in addition there are contractual increases. Mr. Gazzolo asked if there was anything that could increase revenue, to which Mr. Burke responded that there is not; the two permanent projects across from the mall are very slow getting started and that if anything he expected to see a decline in revenue for 2009. Treasurer Roxanne Donovan presented the treasurer's budget; she began by saying that there are many salary increases in this area. It was commented that line item 5311 had gone up $6,000, but that it was worth the investment since there has been revenue of $100,000 for the cost of $15,000. It was also commented that ad costs have gone up with the down economy and that these advertisements are required of the town. It was brought up that the town may need to purchase a new paper processor. Mr. Gazzolo asked if there were any major differences, to which Ms. Donovan responded that the first interest payment of $400,000 will be due. Ms. Donovan said that the sewer project may cause the town to need a bond. Mr. Gazzolo asked about the $450,000 that had been authorized and Ms. Donovan said that it was authorized but that they never borrowed it. Town Clerk Helen Christian presented the budget for the town clerk. It was stated that the election budget has gone up because there will be three elections during fiscal year 2009. In the next year there will be a request for new voting machines, since the old ones will no longer be serviced by the maker; there is about $50,000 in the capital budget to fund those machines. Health Scott Leite, Bea Kearney and Nancy Hinote presented the budget for parks and recreation. It was stated that the budget is very similar to the last year's budget; with the exception of a couple of minor changes for payroll. It was stated that training and seminars could be reduced since both Mr. Leite and his secretary are already certified. Right to Know Scott Leite presented the health/right to know budget. It was stated that this is a $3,000 stipend and that the work load involved has gone up a little over the years. Currently eight towns work together on emergency preparedness. Conservation/ZBA Michele Grenier presented the conservation/ZBA budget. It was said that conservation gives back about $7,000 a year to the town. The only question was for professional development which is to keep up Ms. Grenier's certification. Library Janet Campbell presented the library budget. The only noticeable difference in the library budget is in salary, where some people were eligible for steps and a 3% raise. There was a deduction in book supplies; this was to offset the increase in non-book materials, which is for online publications that the library subscribes to. It was noted that if the town hits a population of 25,000 it will need to expand the library hours and staff. MIS/GIS It was stated that the breakdown of the budget has changed so that it may look skewed for fiscal year 2009, but that it should make more sense in fiscal year 2010. The GIS salary has increased because technical support is going from 30 hours to 37.5 hours per week. It was noted that line 5141 increased 94.5%; this was due to a new person coming on and that position had not originally been budgeted for. Mr. Goldberg requested that any out of the ordinary changes to the budget be supplemented with a narrative. It was said that it is difficult to try and fund the current budget and stay with the new technology. Engineering John Sullivan presented the engineering budget. It was said that an entry level position is needed in this area. It was also said that one of the two dams in town is considered a high hazard dam and has to be inspected more frequently than the other. It was said that for fiscal year 2010 the town really needs to take a closer look at bridges and stormwater; the bridges are not regulated by the state but stormwater is. The only possible unplanned expense would be if the state changed the requirements for the dam inspections. MBC It was said that the DPW shower and locker room facility is just getting underway and that they are looking to take bids for the project. There will be an expense with the modular classrooms at Mansfield High to add a brick fa<;ade and tornado anchors. There is a proposed new water treatment facility in West Mansfield. Parks and Recreation Bea Kearney presented the parks and recreation budget. It was said that all salary increases are contractual and otherwise there are no major changes to the budget. Selectmen Bea Kearney presented the selectmen's budget. The only items left in professional development are to keep the certification that is required. Town Manager Bea Kearney presented the town manager's budget. There was a 4% increase in salaries. Otherwise there is nothing out of the ordinary. Accounting Bea Kearney presented the accounting budget. It was said that the salary lines look skewed because there are two positions added in that weren't there previously; this is to have someone come in a train to take over the position for when Ms. Kearney retires. All of the money left in professional development is to get the new person the proper certifications. MEMA The budget for MEMA is level funded. The new uniforms will be put off until fiscal year 2010. There is money set aside for maintenance on a refurbished vehicle. It was said that it would be best to add $1,000 to the fuel budget. Currently, Mansfield is working with eight other towns to set up regional shelters. Building Bea Kearney presented the building budget. There was a change where they removed the part time position that was never hired; otherwise all salary increases were contractual. It was said that the revenue projections in this area does not look good and they expect to see a decrease in the coming year. COA Gale Farrugia presented the COA budget. The changes in salary in this area are due to union contracts and moving the escort driver and nutrition aide from $7.50 an hour to $8.00 an hour to comply with the new minimum wage standards. The cost of office supplies has gone up and they could use a new copy machine. It was said that the seniors are requesting more programming and that the activities director will be leaving. Veterans Bea Kearney presented the veterans budget. There were really not many differences to the previous year's budget; the salary had been under budgeted so that went up. The possibility has been discussed to combine the veteran services into a regional system. Mr. Hogan arrived after the budget had been presented and said that with the economy going down things have been picking up with the veterans. The conferences have been cut from the budget, but Mr. Hogan said that he feels they are important; he is working with both veterans agencies to have a joint conference, possibly in Mansfield, and that right now he does not have the funding to attend this conference. Airport Bea Kearney presented the airport budget. It was said that the airport reduced their revenue because of the reduction in the leases. The heat budget increased because of the raised cost. Mr. Goldberg asked whether the land that had been approved for purchase had ever been purchased; it was responded that it had not been, since they would have needed to take down trees that were in the potential flight path. Vote, 7:40p.m. Motion to make a recommendation on the police car in the enterprise account. Recommend not to support. (Lavin - Arnold) 5 - 0 Passes (Mr. Aptowitz was not present at the time of this vote) Fire The discussion of fire trucks was brought up immediately, it was said that the town has looked into purchasing two fire trucks that are very much needed. These trucks cost $563,000 each, but that the town would be able to save money by purchasing both together. These would be custom trucks that would fit into the North Main Street station. There is also a benefit to the town of $23,000 if they buy the two trucks up front and do not go onto an extended payment plan. The fire department is not able to move forward with the bids for the trucks if they do not have the vote at the town meeting. As of January 1, 2009 there will be new rules over how fire trucks must be outfitted and this will be a much higher cost to the town; it would be more cost effective to purchase the trucks before these new regulations go into effect. There has been an increase in unscheduled overtime because of the staff being out sick; for the most part they are always running short one person, but when someone else calls in sick they can't safely respond to a fire short two people. There has been an increased request for tuition reimbursement; the younger fire fighters are requesting funds to complete their degrees and that there is a career incentive for having degrees. These degrees are focused on fire science; they do not apply to just any area. Vote, 9:00p.m. Vote to request that the Board of Selectmen appoint the appropriate charter commission to study and recommend a change to the charter to enable the town to retain a professional consultant to negotiate employment contracts for the town of Mansfield. (Goldberg - Arnold) 6 - 0 Passes Motion: To Close at 9:20p.m. (Arnold - Goldberg) 6 - 0 Pa ses