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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINCOM MIN 08062009 Town of Mansfield Finance Committee Minutes of August 6, 2009 Attending: Charlene Lavin Andres Gazzolo Karl Chambers Tommy Ratliff Jack Goldberg James Lazzara (arrived late) ,:1'"", /"r"'tiC'f ...." .0 ,5~ 7 Motion: To Open at 7:30p.m. (Chambers - Lavin) 5 - 0 Passes Mr. Gazzolo began the meeting with a review of the responsibilities of the Finance Committee members. He said that specifically healthcare and GIS need to have people assigned to them. He said that there will be a presentation from GIS to the Finance Committee in two weeks, possibly in place of the regular meeting. Health Care Review Mr. Gazzolo said that the focus of the evening's meeting would be on healthcare and the cost to the town. He said that Mr. Trowbridge, Ms. Miller and Mr. Aptowitz were there that evening to discuss the future of the town's healthcare system with the Finance Committee. He said that as a group they felt it is important to put together an action plan with deliverables and then present that plan to the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee. Mr. Trowbridge said that ultimately the buy in has to be from the Board of Selectmen and that the School Committee doesn't have much influence on that since they use the same system that the town chooses. Mr. Lazzara said that right now the town participates in a collaborative program with other towns for their health insurance. He said that this group should focus on what we have now and what other plans offer. Mr. Gazzolo said that the town could possibly offer basic coverage with optional upgrades. Mr. Aptowitz mentioned that the previous Town Manager was the president of the collaborative program that the town participates; he said that there may be other options even within the collaborative. Mr. Gazzola said that he thought maybe they should consult with the employees to get their feedback on what it is they want in a health plan. Mr. Lazzara said that some towns have just joined the GIC and that they should look into where that is going. Mr. Aptowitz said that he would need approval from the Board of Selectmen before he can be part of a formal committee studying the healthcare options. He also said that the acting Town Manager should be involved with this. Mr. Trowbridge stressed the importance of this being looked at now. He said that all of the contracts within the town would be up in the next year and they should have a plan in place for what they want to move to before then. He said that the town should look to see what towns outside of the collaborative are doing and if they are in a better position than Mansfield. Mr. Gazzolo said that this group should plan to meet the following week with Mr. Riccio to layout a timeline for when things need to be done by. Mr. Trowbridge said that he would ask Ms. Hodges to look at some of the communities that are outside of the collaborative and that she seems to have access to that kind of information. 11' Mr. Lazzara said that they would need to look at the cost of the plans per individual; that way they would be comparing like items. Mr. Gazzola mentioned that they would also need the breakdown for the retirees. Mr. Aptowitz said that he heard that Blue Cross Blue Shield was planning to come out with a plan specifically for municipalities. He said that he it was possibly going to be called Municipal Blue and that they should look into that as well. Mr. Trowbridge said that they should also look at what is needed if the town were to decide to go to the state plan; he said that he had heard conflicting information about the requirements for that. Mr. Aptowitz said that he had just started doing a review of the pension obligations and that the town should be prepared for that cost to go up significantly over the next several years. Mr. Gazzolo asked Mr. Ratliff to review this information with Mr. Aptowitz and provide an overview for the Finance Committee at a future date. Ms. Baldwin arrived and said that she had been in contact with Mr. Riccio about the health insurance and that they were already planning to look into it. She said that she did not see a problem with the Board of Selectmen backing a committee being formed to do more research. She said that they had asked the former Town Manager to do so, but that that request had been ignored. Mr. Lazzara said that he would make a copy of what the Finance Committee had done for research in the spring of 2008 and circulate that information to the Finance Committee. He said that they could use that information as a template for how things should be broken down. Discussion Mr. Gazzolo reviewed the assignments of the Finance Committee members. It was decided that GIS would be done by Mr. Gazzolo and Mr. Chambers and that Health Insurance would be done by Mr. Lazzara and Mr. Ratliff. Mr. Goldberg said that he spoke with Mr. Riccio about the lack of a relationship between the town and an audit firm. He said that they had a proposal that had not been acted on and that he and Mr. Riccio have come up with a counter proposal. He said that they were waiting for the light department manager to return in two weeks and give input since the proposal would affect his budget. Mr. Goldberg said that an application was received for an at large member of the audit committee. He said that this applicant is planning to meet with the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee at a joint meeting scheduled for August 26. He said that other committees meet even without all members being appointed and he feels that once an at large member is appointed the committee should begin to meet. Mr. Gazzolo said that he spoke with Mr. Arnold about the complaint letter from the attorney general in regards to the Finance Committee meetings. He said that Mr. Arnold sent another communication requesting a response from their first communication. Mr. Gazzolo said that there is a town meeting scheduled for August 18; he said that the Finance Committee should begin to review the articles at their next meeting. Mr. Gazzolo said that he had been asked to appear on a program, "Everything but the Kitchen Sink", to discuss what a Finance Committee is and how it works. Vote Motion to approve the minutes of the July 16 Finance Committee meeting. (Lazzara - Chambers) 4 - 0 - 2 Passes ...,.',"<_ _"'_~~"__'''_'_v'_~_''''~___~'w'"_''~___'"'_'.~---'''''_.''-' .. !4;l. Vote Motion to approve the minutes of the July 30 Finance Committee meeting. (Lazzara - Lavin) 5 - 0 - 1 Passes Motion: To Close at 8:35p.m. (Lazzara - Lavin) 6 - 0 Passes . /;1 . ('ill' ~.~, ~) 1/ <_ (/ l/1l4/J J -<l / l/ I "~ f Wi fA'Vl~ Signature of Clerk /0 . j ,.:) '(J (; Date of Approval 11'