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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBudget Comm 05/05/2025Budget Subcommittee Meeting Minutes May 5, 2025 . RLCLIv p1 VF CE rr..L�I Present: Sara Walsh, Jack Cooney, Steve Schoonveld) W+ AiCavicchiZK, Wal rgilk and Maureen Doherty were present at Town Hall in Meeting Room 3 A/B. 1d15 $�4 23 A 1. Open Meeting 1��,�)c'F,y -Q YS. c Ms. Sara Walsh called the Budget Subcommittee Meetin[>;'t� drc.0 rat 7:31PM. 2. Discussion and Consideration to Approve Meeting Minutes of January 16, 2025; February 12, 2025; February 25, 2025 and March 26, 2025 Motion: To approve as written the meeting minutes of January 16, 2025; February 12, 2025; February 25, 2025 and March 26, 2025. (Doherty/Wilk) Passes 6:0 3. Discussion and Planning for Communication planning for upcoming ballot regarding town budget Ms. Walsh stated that Attorney Donna Brewer from Harrington Heep law firm the new Town Counsel was present to discuss what can and cannot done as a committee prior to the Town Election on May 13th with the override question. Ms. Walsh stated that she wants to make people understand that there is a ballot question and what is at stake. Mr. Schoonveld then compared the motion of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant and the ballot question. He stated the ballot is asking for the money and Town Meeting Article spends the money. He then stated that both have to pass, if the override ballot question passes there would need to be another Town Meeting to approve spending the money. Attorney Brewer confirmed that the order of the ballot and Town Meeting does not matter but both things have to pass. The Committee then discussed why residents have been confused by there still being a ballot question for the override when the override question failed at Town Meeting. Ms. Walsh asked the Committee how can they help get the word out that there is a second step. Mr. Wilk commented that he thought there had been enough communication and so many options to learn about the override but residents chose not to educate themselves. Ms. Doherty then asked Counsel if the Committee members should be advocating. Attorney Brewer stated that they can not advocate for the ballot question as a committee or committee member of the Subcommittee. However, the Subcommittee members here are part of other Boards or committees and if you are an elected member of a Board/Committee have more leeway and can advocate for or against a ballot question. She then stated that any appointed policy making committees like the Budget Subcommittee can take a position on the ballot questions but can not use public resources for it. She stated that they can put information on the website about the effect of a ballot question, the effect on the tax rate but can not just send it out to the public like doing a mailing to every resident in town. Mr. Wilk stated that the information has all been put on the website and several meetings were held and there is a responsibility to residents to look at the information. Ms. Brewer also confirmed they can still hold an information session and speak about the effects of an override passing or failing. Mr. Cooney asked if as an individual could members advocate. Ms. Brewer stated that as a private citizen you have all the rights as the First Amendment and can advocate and submit letters to editor, signs on your lawn, become a member of a political action committee, but you cannot be part of fund raising and would not be able to use your official title of your appointed committee in your support or opposition of a ballot question. Ms. Walsh summarized that the Committee would like to have the word override in electronic signage that is up and would like to have another information session on Thursday, May 8th for the public to attend. 4. Public Comment There were no comments from the public 5. Any Items Not Known within 48 Hours There were no items. 6. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the Budget Subcommittee Meeting of May 5, 2025 at 8:12PM. (Doherty/Cavicchi) Passes 6:0 5 Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Date Budget Subcommittee Meeting Minutes December 19, 2024 Present: Sara Walsh, Jack Cooney, Walter Wilk, Lynn Cavicchi, Jenifer Sellon, Scott Feely, and Steve Schoonveld Also Present: Kevin Dumas, Matt Violette, and Ed Donoghue Not Present: Maureen Doherty, Teresa Murphy School Committee Members Present: Steve Schoonveld, Vivian Webster, Lynn Cavicchi, Jenn Walsh, and Jenifer Sellon. School Committee Members Not Present: Steve Schoonveld left the meeting at 7:30 pm. Jennifer Walsh arrived at 7:37 pm. Finance Committee Members Present: Sara Walsh, Scott Feely, Greta Thurston, Ryan Martin, Jack Cooney, Michael Flaherty and Melinda Tarsi-Goldfien Finance Committee Members Not Present: None Select Board Members Present: Diana Bren, Michael Trowbridge, Brendan Roche and Walter Wilk Select Board Members Not Present: Maureen Doherty 1. Open Meeting Ms. Sara Walsh called the Budget Subcommittee meeting to order at 6:32 PM with four members present. 2. School Committee, Select Board and Finance Committee Open Meetings Ms. Sara Walsh stated that the Finance Committee meeting was called to order at 6:32 PM with seven members present. The School Committee meeting was called to order at 6:32 PM by School Committee Chair, Steve Schoonveld with four members present. The Select Board meeting was called to order at 6:54 PM by Vice -Chair Roche with four members present. 3. Summary and overview of process to date Ms. Sara Walsh began with stating that the committee is moving toward a definitive final vote in January and they are looking to bring more people into the budget process at this time. Ms. Sara Walsh offered Mr. Dumas and Mr. Violette to give their presentations and asked that everyone hold their questions until the end. 4. Budget Presentation Mr. Violette reminded that they have been working on this budget since June. He then gave a preliminary overview of the budget that will be posted on the town's website before January 1, 2025. He presented a budget sheet that currently shows revenue of $119M and an expenditure budget of $124M with a projected shortfall of $4.92M. He reminded everyone that there were discussions of using some reserves that could bring the shortfall figures down. He stated that the budget drivers included a health insurance increase which is estimated to be a 15%-19% increase. The Retiree Healthcare cost which came in as an actual figure, is a 19% increase. The School budget increase is at 4.7%, which includes bringing books and technology back into the budget. The Town contractual salary increases are five percent with minimal revenue grown at 2.9%. Mr. Violette then summarized the revenue projections and stated that there was an estimated $2.4M in new revenue. He continued and stated that local receipts estimates are based on Fiscal Year 2025 actuals, as this is how the State will review those funds. Mr. Violette then listed some potential strategies to address the budget shortfalls such as, budget reductions, use of reserves, and an override option. The use of reserves would be free cash or stabilization. He also stated that it may be possible to redirect some expenses such as books and technology to CIP and free cash. He continued that one solution could also be to use the stabilization funds. As 1IPage for budget reductions, it would include looking at other strategies to offset rising health insurance costs and reductions in staff. He concluded by stating that an override provides a sustained revenue source because it is a permanent addition to the Town's revenue. Ms. Walsh commented that there is a multi -year problem and the goal is to work through possible options to get towards the best solution. Mr. Violette commented that it is understood that there is no perfect solution. An override of $5M would put the entire burden on tax -payers, but $51VI in cuts would drastically reduce the resources and services available on both the Town and Schools. Mr. Violette stated that the Budget SubCommittee does not support a $5M override and is looking to find an amount that is in the middle. Mr. Violette continued on to the next proposal which was budget reductions. This proposal would mean eliminating the proposed new police officer and fire fighter. Mr. Violette stated that if there is going to be an override and the use of stabilization the Committee needs to decide how much how much. Mr. Trowbridge commented that he would rather not use stabilization without giving the voters a chance to vote on a possible override. Mr. Wilk asked if there are any open positions in the Town and Schools. Mr. Dumas commented that the budget does contain a police officer and a firefighter which those departments need to sustain their plan for staffing. Mr. Dumas added that he has eliminated one position in his office. He added, that he strongly recommends that the open position in the Town Clerks office be filled in order to maintain services to the public. Ms. Cavicchi commented that the School Committee has not opined, but her opinion is that the Schools cannot cut any positions and they are not asking for positions that are not needed. Mr. Wilk commented the need to work toward a multi -year solution because this problem isn't going away. Mr. Dumas commented that the reductions in the Schools can be outlined for residents and that there was a $484,000 of reductions on the Town's side over the last two years. Mr. Dumas stated that they also need to show that the Town pursues grants to offset expenses. Ms. Walsh said that they have been working on bringing expenses down and the need to look at revenues and voters should be given the choice. Mr. Martin stated that the expenses will continue to accelerate for a longer period of time rather than revenues. Mr. Martin agreed with Mr. Wilk's point in saying that it is very difficult to say to the public that one employee was cut when asking for an override. Ms. Tarsi-Goldfien asked if the Budget Subcommittee has closed the door on the $5M override. Ms. Walsh responded that they had not and there are other costs to mitigate, but that the Budget Subcommittee has recommended against a $5M override given the amount of cash that the Town has in reserves. Mr. Wilk asked if she felt that a $5M override was realistic. Ms. Tarsi-Goldfien responded that given that the Town has not had an override in twenty years and in an effort to not compromise stabilization and reserves she stated that she would rather go for the full amount. Mr. Wilk expressed concern that even in going for a $5M override would not entirely solve the rising costs, and although it may help expand the tax base, it may decrease the likelihood of another override passing in the future. Mr. Dumas clarified that given the Budget SubCommittee recommendations, the gap is $2.9M and if the Committee can agree on that, he would like to propose additional reductions. Mr. Trowbridge commented that when you compare Mansfield staff in departments to other towns the staff numbers here are lower and it is easy to say that cuts are being made, but it is important to look at what the implications are. He gave examples, of employees in some departments as compared to other towns. Mr. Wilk stated that it will be difficult to get through Town Meeting because some people in Town cannot afford the override and the solutions need to sustain beyond this year. Ms. Sara Walsh asked for a straw poll on moving forward with moving forward with the Budget SubCommittee recommendations and everyone present supported continuing discussions of the $2.9M recommendation with the exception of Mr. Martin. Mr. Feely commented that this problem will continue to exist beyond this year and regardless of what is done there will likely be shortfalls over the next five to six years. Mr. Trowbridge stated that the biggest issue affecting the deficit is the healthcare increases. Mr. Dumas added that in looking at the higher deduction plans and there could actually be a reduction if enough employees move to those plans. Ms. Sellon responded that this is not entirely accurate because families will likely not opt 2 1 P a g e for the high deductible plan because the out of pocket costs would drastically increase. Mr. Violette stated that the goal in doing this is to incentivize, not force people into the high deductible plan. Mr. Schoonveld ►eft the meeting at 7.30 pm. 5. Discussion of options, next steps, and spring planning Mr. Martin asked what the cost would be for overtime if they do not add the public safety proposed new employees. Mr. Dumas responded that the overtime was not adjusted as the additional staff is intended to address an issue of staff being forced to come into work due to staffing shortages as opposed to reducing overtime. Mr. Violette added that it has been a long-term goal for the Fire Department to run a third ambulance, which requires four additional firefighter/paramedics and therefore the addition of staff members contribute to a larger goal for the Fire Department. Mr. Roche asked if there are grants available to put towards public safety staffing. Mr. Violette responded yes and that the Police Department had received a grant towards this, but these grants tend to be onboarding grants, meaning that hey help to bring new hires onboard gradually for a few years in order for the department to stand on its own when the grant ends. Mr. Violette continued to say that if they hired new employees relying solely on these grants, then there would be no funds available once the grant ends. Ms. Sara Walsh asked what other options are there. Mr. Dumas responded that another option would be to bring in new revenue to the Parks and Recreation revolving fund to sustain the entire salary costs of both employees in that department. He continued that this would bring the deficit down to $2.574M. Mr. Dumas stated that they are also working with the Schools on possible additional reductions, which could actually reduce costs by approximately by $1M bringing the gap down to $1.574M. Mr. Dumas asked if there was any appetite for the utilization of stabilization on top of these reductions. Ms. Sara Walsh stated that her own opinion is that she is not ready to support the elimination of the public safety personnel, yet. Mr. Feely stated that this is the kind of thing that the voters should be allowed to consider. They may be okay with paying more in order to keep their police and fire at the levels recommended by the departments. He added, there may be nay -sayers that are still opposed to any override. Mr. Dumas outlined other areas where reductions could be considered. Mr. Schoonveld noted that we should look closely at the towns that we compare ourselves to see what they are doing well. Mr. Schoonveld stated that we need to hear from the town about where cuts should be made or how we should consider moving forward. Mr. Trowbridge stated that there should be a public session soon, such as in February to listen to voters to get their views. He continued that these sessions would be informational only to gauge the pulse. Mr. Martin stated that he would like to discuss the question that Mr. Dumas had asked about the utilization of stabilization and that although he feels as though stabilization should be left for unexpected expenses and not operational costs. He continued that we should not do anything that would be in conflict of the financial policies and that may negatively impact the bond rating. Ms. Tarsi- Goldfien added that she agrees that the stabilization fund should not be used for operational expenses, however it could be helpful to use it for individual projects as they arise. Ms. Jenifer Walsh arrived at 7.37 pm Ms. Sara Walsh stated that they should have further meetings to discuss additional options for cuts and then have a public forum. She continued that she would then like to establish the timeline for the rest of the calendar leading up to Annual Town Meeting. Ms. Cavicchi stated that the earlier a Tri-Board meeting can be held the better because a consensus was needed on the final gap amount so that the administrative teams have time to formulate the Plan B. She continued that it is a lot of work to plan for a best -case budget, but it even more work to plan for a drastic beneath level -services reduction budget. Ms. Cavicchi added that they also need to clarity who pays for the offboarding costs. Mr. Cooney stated that it will be important to educate 3 1 P a g e the public. Mr. Martin mentioned that if the Schools and Town are running so lean then then the override should be more. Mr. Feeley disagreed. 6. Next Meeting Schedule Mr. Violette stated that the timing on determining the final numbers is going to get tight as the real numbers for insurance do not come until February and State Aid is even later. He stated that they are planning for an April Annual Town Meeting. Ms. Sara Walsh proposed that the next Budget Subcommittee meeting be held on Monday, January 13th at 6:00 pm and the next Tri-Board meeting to be held January 16th. Ms. Sara Walsh then proposed that the next Finance Committee meeting be held on January 14111 and the first public forum be held the last week of February, which would follow school vacation week. She added that this would also allow for insurance rates to come in. Ms. Cavicchi stated that the School Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, January 14". Ms. Sara Walsh stated that the next Tri-Board meeting would be in the first week of February and that time could be used to prepare for the forum. 7. Public Comment Mr. Peter Wiggins resident of Norton was present via GoToWebinar and noted that the last time Mansfield passed an override was when the trash was added and that in the neighboring town Norton, they have never successfully passed a proposition 2 % override. He then wished everyone a Merry Christmas. 8. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the Budget SubCommittee meeting of December 19, 2024 at 7:58 PM. (Cooney/Wilk) Passes 7:0 School Committee: Steve Schoonveid left meeting at 7:31 pm. Jennifer Walsh left meeting at 7:37 pm. Motion: To adjourn the School Committee meeting of December 19, 2024 at 7:58 PM. (J. Walsh/ Sellon) Passes 3:0 Select Board: Motion: To adjourn the Select Board meeting of December 19, 2024 at 7:58 PM. (Trowbridge/Wilk) Passes 4:0 Finance Committee: Motion: To adjourn the Finance Committee meeting of December 19, 2024 at 7:58 PM. (Feely/Cooney) Passes Date Minutes prepared by Michelle Henderson 9] (�-/ Z r 4 1 P a g e N!„ Town of Mansfield 6 Park Bow, Mansfield,!, Massachusetts 02048 �ABA�9 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 28, 2025 Present: Ms. Sara Walsh, Chair, Mr. Scott Feely, Vice -Chair; Mr. Jack Cooney, Ms. Melinda Tarsi-Goldfien, Ms. Greta Loukos and Mr. Ryan Martin were present in the Meeting Room 3 A/B at Town Hall. Mr. Barry LaCasse, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director was also present. Mr. Michael Flaherty was not present at the start of the meeting but arrived at 6:11PM. Opening Meeting; 1. Open Meeting Ms. Walsh called the Finance Committee meeting to order at 6:01PM and read the broadcast message. 2. Discussion and Consideration to Approve July 17, 2025 Meeting Minutes Motion: To approve the meeting minutes of July 17, 2025. (Feely/Cooney) Passes 6:0 Financial Updates 3. Reserve Fund Transfer Requests Mr. LaCasse stated that the request has not yet been approved by Town Manager as of yet and asked that it be passed over. Ms. Walsh stated she will move it to the September meeting. 4. FY25 Year End Updates Mr. LaCasse reviewed last month and noted that the free cash was certified at $2,940,000 by the State and he included the retained earning certifications for the enterprise funds. Ms. Walsh asked if Fiscal Year 2025 was officially closed and Mr. LaCasse responded that it was. Mr. Feely stated that this is a little off target of what it should be based on the financial policies. Mr. LaCasse responded that the Free Cash policy puts the target at three to five percent of Article 1 and 2 and it is a little under the target of the policy. 5. FY26 Updates Mr. LaCasse stated that he gave the two reports that are the best to look at given that it is only two months into the new Fiscal Year and so the General Fund Government and the Local Receipts were provided. Mr. LaCasse stated he likes a comparison of the past three years, but noted it is not always an equal comparison. The report shows where the Town was two months into the year compared with that time span for the past two years. Mr. Cooney commented that there are still a few days left in the month and Mr. LaCasse agreed that it takes a few days after the first for things to finish posting. Mr. Feely commented that the earnings on investment number caught his attention. Mr. LaCasse stated that the interest on accounts have not yet posted and will not post until first week in September. Mr. Martin asked what the investments are made up of and Mr. LaCasse responded mainly money markets and Massachusetts General Law restricts the accounts that the Town can have money in. Mr. Flaherty arrived at 6:11PM. Ms. Walsh asked Mr. LaCasse if there were any concerns and Mr. LaCasse highlighted a few items that are lower but he expects that they just have not yet posted yet like the Berry School Lease payment, ambulance receipts and opioid payments. Ms. Loukos asked about the excise tax receipts because it is zero and Mr. LaCasse responded that those bills are sent in March and nothing has been collected for Fiscal Year 2026 yet. Mr. Martin asked about the $600,000 payment for public safety dispatch. Mr. LaCasse stated that this is the Town's portion that goes to SEMRECC for 9-1-1 emergency calls. Mr. LaCasse stated that is zero for the other two years because it was not paid as early as this year. Mr. Martin commented that a high expense such as this should be paid as late as possible. Ms. Walsh asked if Mr. LaCasse could find out when the SEMRECC payment is due. Mr. Martin also asked about the school's employee benefits line of $435,000. Mr. LaCasse did not have the school's information available to him. Ms. Walsh stated that the new Superintendent and Mr. Violette will be coming to a November meeting. Ms. Tarsi-Goldfien stated that Mr. Cooney and her have been emailing with Ms. Cavicchi from the School Committee and they are planning to attend a School's budget meeting prior to the November Finance Committee meeting. Ms. Walsh stated that she reached out to the Chair of the Select Board about a transition plan and that information will be shared with us. 6. FY27 Budget Planning and Discussion of Override Ms. Walsh stated that they will be looking for support of override sooner by the Tri-Boards than last year. She stated that there are the multi -year projects and those have not changed and the first Budget Sub meeting will be on September 81h. The Schools are looking at the high-level lines to see if they have some initial adjustments that can made for savings. She stated that they will find a date for a Tri-Board meeting at the end of September. Ms. Walsh then asked for the committee's feedback on what they want to see. Ms. Loukos stated that she would want to see the survey results. The committee then spent time talking about the best questions to put in the survey. Mr. LaCasse left the meeting at 7:OOPM. 7. Long Term Tracking a. Cell Phone Tower b. Roland Green Building c. Request for other long-term financial tracking Ms. Walsh going to add in Town Manager Assistant Town Manager Transition costs to the list of items above. 8. Bristol County Pension Contribution Ms. Walsh emailed twice and has not heard anything back and she spoke with Mr. Wilk who is also interested and she may push this item up to the Select Board level. 9. Financial Policies Ms. Walsh went over a few changes that she sent to the Committee with the revisions recommended by Town Counsel and changing the word emergency to the words extraordinary and/or unforeseen. The Committee discussed whether or not to use "and/or" or to use just "or" in the policy. They decided to send it to the Select Board and see what they recommend. The policies will still need to be voted by the Select Board, School Committee and Finance Committee. 10. School Financial Report Discussion Ms. Walsh stated that the School sent a summary report. Mr. Feely noted that special education expenses were high. Mr. Martin commented that he thought it would be helpful to see the special education costs broken out by mandatory and discretionary expenses. Ms. Walsh stated that Mr. Violette is looking into completing some different reports for the Schools and the Superintendent is going to come to a meeting in November. Committee Business 11. Survey Update This was discussed at agenda item #6 above. 12. Committee & Liaison Updates Mr. Feely stated that there will be a CIP meeting by end of September. Mr. Cooney stated that the Audit Committee would be meeting in October for MMED audit. 13. Any items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting Ms. Walsh used this agenda item to ask the public if they had any comments but there were none. 14. Member Comments Ms. Loukos commented that she is excited for survey and thinks it will give good information. Mr. Feely stated he was concerned about whether there is sufficient staff to get everything done for the next Town Meeting. Ms. Tarsi-Goldfien announced that the Annual meeting of the Association of Town Finance Committees is October 18, 2025 in Sharon 9AM-1PM with breakfast and lunch and if anyone wants to attend just let her know. Ms. Walsh wished the best of luck to Kevin Dumas and also that she will be staying on top of the transition plan and that she looks forward to hearing from the Select Board on that. 15. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the Finance Committee meeting of August 28, 2025 at 7:28PM. (Loukos/Feely) Passes 7:0 P4� — CfI��1 zs i e Date Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne