HomeMy WebLinkAboutFin Comm Minutes 10/6/2005Town of Mansfield
Finance Committee
Minutes of Meeting held Thursday October 6, 2005 3
Finance Committee Members Present:
Andy Gazzolo (Chairman)
Jess Aptowitz
Jack Goldberg
Charlene Lavin
Jim Lazzara
Greg Arnold.
These minutes prepared by Greg Arnold.
Matters Discussed and /or Voted On
Chairman Gazzolo reported on a recent meeting with John D'Agostino, John Moretti and
members of the School Committee on the general subject of consolidation. The meeting was
productive, with organizational charts being exchanged and discussions being held on areas
warranting further exploration. It was expected that Mr. D'Agostino and Mr. Moretti would
each take a few weeks to identify starting points for further discussion.
Chairman Gazzolo also reported that he has continued discussions with respect to a 5 -Year
Forecast for the budget. John Moretti is scheduled to speak with the School Committee on
October 1 I rh to discuss this request, after which time they will inform us who their representative
will be for those discussions. Louo Amorouso is slated to be the Selectmen's representative.
There was a short discussion on the projected growth in revenue, which is anticipated to be
approximately $830,000. There was a discussion about the earmarked of portions of this for the
Stabilization Account.
There was also a short discussion on the Memorandum received from John Moretti concerning
the state of the School budget, and the recent newspaper article related thereto.
There was a discussion of John D'Agostino's recent request made to the Selectmen for 3 new job
descriptions. Apparently, the money associated with the additional responsibilities was already
put into last year's budget, although it was not clearly delineated as such at the time. It was
noted that matters such as this involving the spending of money are more appropriately discussed
with the Finance Committee prior to being implemented.
The following individuals were nominated, and accepted, by 6 -0 votes, to fill the following
positions for the upcoming year:
President: Andy Gazzolo
Vice President: James Lazarra
Secretary: Greg Arnold
By a vote of 6 -0, the Minutes of the September 22, 2005 meeting were approved.
A short discussion took place with respect to candidates to fill the currently vacant seat on the
Finance Committee.
Jack Goldberg spoke about the potential for corporate sponsorships and other similar means in
which it may be possible to raise additional revenue for the schools. It was agreed that he would
further explore the potential in this regard and discuss the matter with representatives of the
Schools. In the context of these discussions, he may also raise the possibility of presenting a
"Financial Literacy" course for interested students.
Further discussion was held concerning the formation of an Audit Committee.
The date for the proposed Fall Town Meeting was discussed, as was the proposal to review draft
warrant articles prior to publication.
Jess Aptowitz raised the issue of the cost of insurance for Town employees. Questions discussed
included determining how much the town in spending on these costs, how fats they are growing
and what, if anything, is being done to identify additional providers for the same level of service.
The Meeting closed at 8:15 p.m.
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Gregor Arnold, Secretary