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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance Comm 02/19/2026Town of Mansfield C Park ItmU, Ainn#irlA, klncrncGJrretfs 02048 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes February 19, 2026 Present: Ms. Sara Walsh, Chair, Mr. Scott Feely, Vice -Chair; Ms. Melinda Tarsi-Goldfein, Clerk, Mr. Jack.Cooney, and Ms. Greta Loukos were present in the Meeting Room 3 A/B at Town Hall. it Not Present: Mr. Ryan Martin and Mr. Michael Flaherty Opening Meeting 1. Open Meeting Ms. Walsh called the Finance Committee meeting to order at 6:09 PM. 2. Discussion and Consideration to Approve January 15, 2026 Meeting Minutes This item was passed over. Financial Updates 3. Discussion with Town Departments: a. Public Library, Catherine Coyne Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Library Director and Whitney Brown, who is the Assistant Director at the Library came before the Committee with their FY27 update as follows: • Budget overview: Library presented proposed budget and statewide comparisons; Mansfield receives a smaller share of municipal budget (FY25: 0.72%vs. statewide average—1.09%) than state average. • MAR/state aid risk: Meeting the Municipal Appropriations Requirement (MAR) is critical for certification and state aid; even a $1 cut can trigger a waiver process and jeopardize roughly $64K—$70K in state grants. Ms. Coyne explained the waiver limits (max five years) and long-term consequences of repeated shortfalls. • Service impacts: Proposed Saturday reductions would significantly affect working families, students, and patrons who rely on weekend access; FY26 losses included a custodian and a part-time youth services librarian, which has reduced teen programming capacity and support in the youth areas. • Additional cuts already made in FY26: Included Hoopla and other digital services reductions; Proposals for FY27 include further cuts to materials and books. • Follow up: Catherine will confirm whether MAR compliance can be achieved via mid -year adjustments or must be reflected in the certified budget (she noted the October certification deadline and will check with MBLC). b. Planning and Zoning, Sarah Raposa • Budget & staffing: Total FY27 budget roughly $200-216K, is almost entirely personnel; recent elimination of a ZBA admin position shifted duties to planning staff. No room for further reductions without risking statutory deadlines. • Core functions of department: Application review (special permits, variances, site plans), statutory timelines, SHI/subsidized housing tracking, MBTA-related zoning work, and interdepartmental coordination. • Fees recommendation: Planning staff supports a town -wide fee analysis to update outdated application fees (many currently around $400; comparable towns charge up to $1,000). Small fee increases would be recommended ($40—$50) as this could help capture additional revenue without shifting drastic costs to general taxpayers. • Identified Risk: Further cuts would slow reviews, increase exposure to constructive approval/appeals, and reduce board support. c. Fire Department, Chief Desrosiers • Call volume & workload: Calls rose from 1,538 (2001) to 4,165 (2025); EMS calls up 206%; workload per firefighter increased from 256 to 520 calls/year. Simultaneous incidents tie up resources about 20% of the time. • Drivers of call volume: Aging -in -place population, more complex home systems (solar, lithium batteries, EVs), mental health/substance crises, and more frequent medical calls. • Staffing & overtime: Overtime is essential to maintain coverage; cuts to overtime directly reduce ambulance coverage. • CIP pressures: PFAS-free turnout gear costs have nearly doubled; cardiac monitors rose from $3,700 to $72,000 for some monitors; fire apparatus lead times are 24-36 months and ladder trucks can cost about $2.1M. • Staffing study: Chief recommends a staffing study (estimated $30K—$50K) to evaluate FTE vs. overtime tradeoffs. • 8 versus 10 Daily staffing: Previous Town Manager was looking to increase staffing to be able to increase to three ambulances. This would increase revenue but not enough to offset the cost of staffing increase. d. Police Department, Chief Sellon • Recruitment & retention: Statewide applicant pool down sharply since 2019; Mansfield must compete with neighboring towns on pay/benefits (Mansfield ranks 3rd in salary among SEMRECC towns). • Workload: Mansfield has the highest calls for service among the four SEMRECC communities while staffing levels remain similar. • Budget & grants: Level -service budget submitted but repeatedly cut; gaming and COPS grants provide targeted funding (COPS grant requires 2 new FTEs on payroll for 3 years by Nov 2029). Grant and opioid funding could fund two full-time officers if overtime is reduced. • Fleet & equipment: Replacement cruisers are behind schedule (need 8 now, 6 next year); taser replacement and other CIP items are costly (tasers—$270K). DPW maintenance provides important fleet support and extends vehicle life. e. Public Buildings, Mike Ahern • Staffing & scope: DPW Public Buildings: 4 FT+ 3 PT employees; responsible for 39 buildings, Mansfield Green, procurement, CIP oversight, and facility maintenance. Some positions and Mansfield Green hours were reduced this year (FY26). • Budget reality: Operating budget has been level -funded while building complexity and inflation increased; deferred maintenance is beginning to surface (harder to get parts, obsolete controls, rising contractor costs). • Procurement & transparency: Uses state contracts when cost-effective; advertises bids via local paper, ProjectDog, and state portals; handles bid protests, audits, and contract compliance. • Projects: 499 East Street tower permit received (rent $2,900/month is currently be paid); Roland Green building bids out and demolition/raising planned within fiscal year. Treasurer/Collector, John Ellard • Operations: Office issues ^8,500 real estate/personal property bills and 25,000 excise bills; collection rate—99.45%. Payroll brought in-house about 1 year ago resulted in a savings but increased workload in the Treasurer's office significantly. • Staffing: Five employees currently; any reduction to four would strain coverage (vacation/sick leave) and increase operational risk. Tax title/foreclosure work is selective and resource -intensive; more budget would allow proactive case work. • Controls: When asked, Mr. Ellard said he will check whether bonding requirements change with staffing levels; he noted the town's conservative approach to initiating tax -title cases. 4. Review and Consideration of Financial Transfers There are no transfers. 5. Review and Discussion of FY 26 Financial Updates • General Fund revenues: Motor vehicle excise is a major timing item; overall revenues are stable. • Enterprise funds: Sewer revenue monitored closely; Water, Parking, and Airport tracking well. Parking absorbed the full MBTA assessment this year; town considering raising non-resident parking fee by $1/day. Parking usage at 85% of pre COVID levels. • General Fund revenues: Motor vehicle excise is a major timing item; overall revenues are stable. • Enterprise funds: Sewer revenue monitored closely; Water, Parking, and Airport tracking well. Parking absorbed the full MBTA assessment this year; town considering raising non-resident parking fee by $1/day. Parking usage is at 85% of pre-COVID levels. 6. Review and Discussion FY 27 Budget Planning • Health insurance: Initial projections (15-18%) revised down; final increase 6.3%, lowering the deficit. • Current deficit: $3.8M total; Schools 63%, Town 37%. • Balanced budget scenario (no override): Town share $1.4M — would require 11 FTE reductions, end the Senior Tax Work -Off program, reduce Mansfield Green hours, cut Saturday library hours, and reduce town landscaping and other services. Some departments with only two staff would face intermittent closures. • $3M override scenario: Reduces town deficit to $300K; FTE reductions would be handled mainly through attrition and smaller department expense cuts; Mansfield Green hours could be restored to three days. • $2M override scenario: Under consideration; five-year projections prepared to show long-term impacts under different override levels. • Labor negotiations: Potential to affect expense trajectory; any savings from negotiations would be part of the multi -year forecast. 7. Discussion of Long -Term Tracking • Items tracked per Nick Monticello: Cell phone tower (499 East St), Roland Green building demolition and lot disposition, town leadership transition (no net budgetary cost this year), Bristol County pension contribution (awaiting audit; limited response from county). 8. Discussion of CIP Planning • Scott Feely offered: CIP Committee is looking at a restructuring process and creating a monthly schedule for meetings. They will be focusing on a Five -Year plan. They have been meeting with department heads to hear their needs. Mr. Feely spoke about the challenges of not investing in CIP equipment and maintenance. • Finance Committee and CIP will coordinate to prioritize projects and funding sources (debt vs. pay-as-you-go). Deferred maintenance is increasing long-term costs; early in may avoid larger future expenditures. Public Comment 9. Public Comment There were no comments from the audience. Committee Business 10. Review and Discussion of Survey Status Ms. Tarsi-Goldfein: Shared that there have been 450 respondents to the Finance Committee's survey. She will be looking into how her class project resources could help with paying for a mailed survey. 11, Discussion of February through June Schedule Ms. Walsh reviewed the upcoming schedule: Upcoming Tri-Board meeting, Finance Committee meetings through June; Annual Town Meeting May 5, Election May 12. Possible public listening sessions on the budget in March. 12. Committee & Liaison Updates As mentioned above, CIP Update from Scott Feely: CIP Committee is looking at a restructuring process and creating a monthly schedule for meetings. Focusing on Five -Year plan. They have been meeting with department heads to hear their needs. Mr. Feely spoke about the challenges of not investing in CIP equipment and maintenance. Greta Loukos: Foresees an intersection of Fin Com and CIP when funding needs to be identified. Ms. Walsh offered that things to consider would be whether to look at more debt to cover these costs. Mr. Feely talked about how a livable balance being a moving target. 13. Any items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting Mr. Feely mentioned that we may start seeing a problem with Seniors looking to take advantage of the Circuit Breaker for the taxes because the trash collection fee cannot be taken into consideration. He recommended that town departments make seniors aware. 14. Member Comments Ms. Walsh thanked the department heads for coming in tonight to share their views. 15. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the Finance Committee meeting of February 19, 2026 at 8:30 PM. (Feely/Loukos). Signa ur Minutes prepared by Nancy Griffin Date