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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFin Comm 01/25/2007 r RECEIVED r~ft1)N ~F MAN&FIJ;l.t)nvs OFFICF FINANC~ Ce>mmfrr~~ 07 FEB 15 PH I: 20 It4NSFlELD Minutes ofMeetin2: held Januarv 25. 2007 MASSACHUSETTS Finance Committee Members Present: Andrew Gazzola (presiding) Jess Aptowitz Jack Goldberg Greg Arnold Charlene Lavin John Oppenheim Also in attendance: John D' Agostino, Bea Kearney & William Clemmey These minutes were prepared by Greg Arnold. The meeting was opened at 7:00 p.m. Matters Discussed and/or Voted On Chairman Gazzola reported on the recent meetings between himself, Jim Lazarra and Jack Goldberg with the School Department concerning the budget process. Among the issues r discussed were head count projections. Chairman Gazzola also reported on his meeting with Ms. Kearney of this morning, in which they reviewed the 'baseline' numbers lifted from the accounting system that would be plugged into the Finance Committee's budgetary analysis. John D' Agostino then provided a budget overview from the Municipal side, including a discussion of various spreadsheets depicting: (a) Town Expenses Related to Education (depicting, inter alia, the excess over net school spending(; (b) a Budget Increase Chart (depicting, inter alia, a projected increase in health & pension benefits of -15%, as well as a line item in the budget for the stabilization account); (c) the Full-Time Equivalent personnel list (noting that the benefit numbers in the current budget proposal do not include any projected new hires, although the personal services numbers do include projected new hires); and (d) a Revenue Sheet. On the subject of benefits, Mr. D' Agostino indicated that a projected 15% increase in premiums was built into the budget projections; however, he was in the process of negotiating changes to the health care plan, such as a higher co-pay option, that would serve to reduce this figure (in conjunction with establishing a Mitigation Fund to off-set any potential impact on the employees). There was also a discussion about the status of the School Department's efforts to employ a similar proposal, which would further reduce the impact of rising health care cost to the overall Town budget. r- 1 . Jess Aptowitz, while acknowledging that the proposal of higher co-pays coupled with a r Mitigation Fund was a good band-aid, questioned whether the Town could really afford to continue offering such attractive health benefits to its employees. Business in the 'real world' were being pinched by rising costs and employees were impacted by that. Thus, isn't it reasonable to assume that municipal employees should also be effected? A general discussion was held on the subject of contract negotiations. The Finance Committee reiterated their desire to receive a "total picture" of the negotiations (i.e., one that includes all step increases, raises, lane changes, etc.) A short discussion was held on the Parking Enterprise account. Chairman Gazzola suggested that we set up a meeting with the Municipal and School departments to discuss the budgets and state of union negotiations. Jack Goldberg reported on the recent discussions with the School Department. As to enrollments, the School Department was projecting an increase in -90 students over last year; however, that figure does not seem to comport with recent trends in student population and will, thus, need to explored in further detail. There is also a large proposed expenditure for text books. In addition, Special Education costs continue to rise as additional children come into the Town. The school department has purchased 2 new buses to transport the kids (which was cheaper than renting/hiring them) and is looking into the potential for using these buses to transport children from other towns as a means of generating revenue. ,--- Chairman Gazzola reported that initial indications are that the Circuit Breaker numbers are not going our way, as the State has raised the 'deductible,' resulting in the Town having to pay more before the State kicks in. Mr. Goldberg reported that a new bus contract has been entered into, on terms that were not as favorable as the contract that recently expired. The Meeting closed at approximately 8:25 p.m. orb Nn~ary r 1 .