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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance Comm 01/15/2026Town of Mansfield 6 Park lima, Yllnuf field, illeaa dwsells 02048 i E I l l Finance Committee . , 75 > 3 A Meeting Minutes January 15, 2026 Present: Ms. Sara Walsh, Chair, Mr. Scott Feely, Vice-Chair;Wr4 Jack Cooney, Mr. Ryan Martin, Dr. Melinda Tarsi-Goldfein and Ms. Greta Loukos were present in the`Meeting Room 3 A/B at Town Hall. Mr. Josh Reinke, Acting Town Manager was also present. Not Present: Mr. Michael Flaherty O2ening Meeting 1. Open Meeting Mr. Josh Reinke called the Finance Committee meeting to order at 6:01 PM. 2. Reorganization Mr. Reinke asked for nominations for the Finance Committee Chair. Motion: To nominate Ms. Sara Walsh for Chair. (Feely/Loukos) Passed 6:0 Ms. Walsh then asked for nominations of Vice -Chair. Motion: To nominate Mr. Feely for Vice -Chair. (Cooney/Loukos) Passed 6:0 Ms. Walsh stated that at the next meeting the Committee will talk about the different boards that the Finance Committee members sit on. 3. Discussion and Consideration to Approve November 12, 2025; November 20, 2025; December 9, 2025 and December 18, 2025 Meeting Minutes Motion: To approve the meeting minutes of November 12, 2025; November 20, 2025; December 9, 2025 and December 18, 2025. (Feely/Martin) Passes 6:0 Financial Updates 4. Review and Consideration of Financial Transfers a. Water Division b. Public Buildings c. Highway Department Mr. Reinke asked Mr. Precourt to come forward and speak about the Water Divisions request to transfer $102,712 from reserve funds to cover fiscal year operating expenses. He explained that they went over budget from Jordan Jackson water breaks and the department needed an emergency pump replacement at Walsh Well. Ms. Walsh asked what the current balance was of the Water Enterprise Reserve Fund and Mr. Monticello responded $1.1M. Motion: To move $102,712.06 from the Water Enterprise to Water Accounts: • 61450200-527000 Water- Rentals & Leases $50,242.31 • 61450200-553050 Water - Water Supplies $9,506.47 • 61450200-553000 Water - Construction Materials $5,278.28 • 61450200-530000 Water- Professional/Tech Services $7,500 614SO200-524000 Water - Repairs/Maintenance (Buildings/Grounds) $30,185.00 (Feely/Tarsi-Goldfien) Passes 6:0 Mr. Mike Ahern came forward with two requests from Public Buildings. He stated that the first request is for the backup battery system for the DPW Complex and Public Safety. This is needed for the fiber optics and server and the cost is $23,821.11 for both facilities and those batteries should last three more years. Mr. Feely stated that it is important to make sure we have this in the plan because they have a three-year life span. Mr. Martin asked how often the contracts are reviewed for contractors to ensure that the Town is getting the best pricing. Mr. Ahern responded that most are three or four year contracts. He stated that next year there will be rebidding but presently we are on the lower end because it is pricing back from three years ago. The second item he had was the elevator at Public Safety. He said that the project was permitted with a vegetable oil to be safer for the environment but the valve has failed and they are going back to standard hydraulic oil. The estimated project cost is $30,000. Motion: To move $53,821.11 from the General Fund Reserve Fund to 01192200-524000 Municipal Buildings — Repairs and Maintenance. (Feely/Tarsi-Goldfien) Passes 6:0 Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien asked what the balance was in the Finance Committee Reserve Fund and Mr. Monticello responded that it was $253,934.00. Ms. Walsh asked if there is concern about the snow and ice budget and Mr. Reinke responded that the account was 33% expended so far this year. Mr. Martin encouraged the committee to pass this because delaying maintenance will cost the Town more in the long run. Mr. Andy Littig, Highway Operations Manager came forward to request a transfer of $25,500 for the fire apparatus. He stated that anytime the vehicle maintenance department can't fix the fire apparatus it is a minimum of $3,000 to send to the dealer. Ms. Walsh asked if the account was negative because the budget was cut and there are unusual repairs or is there not even enough for normal repairs. Mr. Littig responded that it is not even enough for normal repairs. Mr. Martin asked if this was normal wear and Mr. Littig responded that it was and the pump truck cannot be fixed in-house and had a cost of $10,000. Mr. Martin asked if the budgets have been cut too much and Mr. Littig confirmed that they have been. Mr. Feely asked if it's the technical components that the apparatus has and if that is why it needs to be sent out. Mr. Littig responded that they can only do certain things on the apparatus otherwise it has to go back to a certified dealer because it is proprietary. Mr. Cooney asked if they went over budget last year and Mr. Littig responded that they did by $12,000 but it was absorbed by the highway budget. Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien asked if this has happened over the last several years or just started last year and Mr. Littig responded that it has been over the last several years. Mr. Martin asked if he will need to come back again or would this be enough for the rest of the year and Mr. Littig responded that he would have to come back again. Motion: To move $25,500 from the General Fund Reserve Fund to 01425200-524100-220 Vehicle Maintenance — Equipment Repair Fire $17,000 and 01425200-524100-421 Vehicle Maintenance — Equipment Repair Highway. (Feely/Cooney) Passes 6:0 5. Review and Discussion FY 26 Financial Updates Mr. Monticello went through the enterprise accounts. He stated that the Sewer Enterprise Account is on track and nothing stands out on the revenue or expenses for any of the other enterprise accounts. He stated that the General Fund Revenue was at $4.8M and last year was $4.5M at this time. He stated that earnings on investment is down, last year it was $357,000 and this year we are at $234,000 but he noted that there are lots of projects so the cash is out the door. Mr. Martin commented that interest rates are down. Mr. Monticello then stated that everything on the expense side is tracking. 6. Review and Discussion of FY27 Budget Planning Mr. Reinke went through the presentation that he gave last week to the Select Board. He stated that currently the budget is at a $5.1 shortfall. Mr. Reinke stated that the health insurance is budgeted at eighteen percent increase over this year but the final number is due within the next couple of weeks. He stated that currently he is preparing a balanced budget and then a budget with a $3M override. Ms. Walsh noted that the schools were going to attend tonight's meeting but have asked to present in February or March after they have had a couple more budget meetings. Mr. Martin asked for it to be February since March is close to Town Meeting. Mr. Martin stated his concerns about the budgets being unsustainable. He encouraged Mr. Reinke to look at cuts that are outside the box and not just the line items and gave an example of reducing office hours. Mr. Reinke then went through an updated timeline and noted that Town Meeting is being considered for the first week in May. The Committee offered some suggestions to enhance the presentation for example adding a break down of a tax bill by quarter. Ms. Walsh also noted the schools had some good data and statistics and Mr. Monticello noted that they report that information to DESE so it is easy for them to get the data. He stated he did an audit on the Town side and its hard to compare because not all Towns have the same positions in the same departments for example the epidemiologist in Mansfield is under fire and some towns have it in health. Mr. Martin said that as a committee they have heard from many Town departments however they have not heard anything from the schools or the effects the budget cuts had to the schools. 7. Discussion of Long -Term Tracking a. Cell Phone Tower: Mr. Ahern stated that the Town has received rent payments since July and the installation was delayed because they needed a permit from Department of Environmental Protection because it is a former landfill site. Ms. Loukos asked if DEP was Federal or State and Mr. Ahern responded State. b. Roland Green Building: Mr. Ahern stated that the hazardous waste assessment was done. He stated that they had technical flaws with the first bid so they had to get it resolved and it is going back out to bid on February S`n c. Town Leadership Transition: Ms. Walsh stated that they will get an update on this later. d. Bristol County Pension Contribution: Ms. Walsh stated that Mr. Reinke is working on letter to send to Bristol County Retirement. Mr. Martin asked if we are mandated by law or can the Town get another company to manage the pension plan that could provide better services. Mr. Reinke stated that he would have to look into that to see if that were possible. Public Comment 8, Public Comment There were no public comments. Committee Business 9. Review and Discussion of Survey Status Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien stated that there have been 318 responses to the survey have been received and the link is posted on social media and the website and hard copies are available at the library and COA. She stated that she is running another survey in South Hadley and they have 18,000 residents and have received 2,000 responses. She noted that she did not want to shame Mansfield but the more responses that are received the more accurately it will reflect the feedback from the community. Ms. Walsh asked if the Select Board could promote it at their meeting. The Committee talked about the information sessions and the need to get the information out soon about what services would be impacted if the override did not pass. 10. Review and Discussion of Finance Committee Section in Town Annual Report Ms. Walsh stated that she started a draft of the one page that goes in the annual report and gave a summary of what was in the draft. 11. Discussion of February through June Schedule Ms. Walsh stated that the next scheduled meeting is February 19tn. Mr. Martin stated that he was not available for that meeting because of school vacation week. Ms. Walsh asked if the Committee wanted to keep the date or change it and it was decided to look at some other possible dates that week either Monday or Wednesday. She also noted that the Tri-Board would be February 26'h. She stated that she did not see any issue with the March date. 12. Discussion of Goals and Projects for the Coming Year Mr. Feely commented a goal could be engaging with the public. Ms. Walsh stated that they could explore Mansfield Cable Access. 13. Committee & Liaison Updates Mr. Feely stated that CIP has decided to meet the 2nd Monday of each month going forward. Ms. Loukos stated that a big piece of CIP is going to look at long term planning and prioritizing projects. Mr. Feely stated that are also considering ways to make the information more user friendly. 14. Any items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting Motion: To nominate Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien as Clerk. (Walsh/Martin) Passes 6:0 15. Member Comments Dr. Tarsi-Goldfien noted that she would be attending the MMA Annual Conference next week and will bring info back. 16. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the Finance Committee meeting of January 15, 2026 at 7:51PM. (Feely/Loukos) Passes Sign re Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne 3c 6 Date