HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCMeetingMinutes_02.06.03 DRAFT FINANCE COMMITTEE MINUTES
February 6,2003 Meeting
ATTENDANCE: The following members were present: Jack Watkins,Chairman,Bernice Fink,Vice Chairman,
Paul Stewart, Steve Dawe,Keith Mitchell,Mark Nichols,Melinda Coppa,Paula Porten and Mike Batsimm. Also
present were Chuck Benevento,Finance Director,and Melinda Ritter,resident.
CALL TO ORDER: Jack called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Keith made a MOTION to approve the Minutes of the November 21,2002
meeting. Melinda seconded and the vote was unanimous to approve the Minutes. Paula then made the MOTION to
approve the Minutes of the January 16,2003 meeting. Mike seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
FINANCE DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS
Chuck Benevento opened by saying"Thank You"for wishing him the best at his new position with the City of
Haverhill.
Chuck noted that the state budget cuts were lower than anticipated. At$193,208,the Town did fairly well
considering the Town's estimate was closer to 10%of the budget. There was some concern about cuts in grants,but
Chuck said that Public Safety just received a grant. He then noted that the budget freeze money is stili there. Two
exceptions were the Fire Department and Health Department,which received requested funds. Chuck then referred
to the hiring freeze that takes effect immediately. The Director of Engineering position is the only one to be filled.
Chuck closed by saying that he is attending the Finance Committee meeting next Thursday,February 13,to present
the FY04 budget.
Jack then began discussions on the Budget Communications Group(BCG)and stated that this group meets for
communication purposes. He noted that Mark Rees suggested each chair from the committees(FinCom,BOS,
School Committee)be on the BCG. The Board of Selectmen decided to a BCG comprised of two members,the
chair and one other person. Jack then stated that he would like to nominate Melinda Coppa because of her
willingness to volunteer her services.Paula seconded and the vote passed by 8—1 (Melinda abstained).
FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
Paul Stewart distributed a description of the layout for the Warrant from 2002. He noted that the Warrant is actually
Town Clerk Joyce Bradshaw's responsibility and that the FinCom is responsible for explanations and
recommendations within the text of the booklet. Each member of the FinCom then volunteers to write comments for
a particular section. Charlie Salisbury is responsible for the Rules of Procedures&Bylaws about Town Meeting.
He intends to revise the Rules of Procedure from last year;Jack said he would contact Charlie to discuss this matter.
Paul emphasized the importance of completing the booklet in a timely manner to avoid a last minute rush as
experienced last year. Paul then referred to the calendar noting the deadlines involved in the completion of the
Book. Jack will help create the charts and graphs. The group then discussed their last year's assignments. It was
agreed that each member would keep the same assignment but can rely on assistance from the newest members
(Melinda,Mike and Mark). Paul will organize the list of items with volunteers and present it to the FinCom at the
next meeting.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The Capital Improvement Plan was approved at the last Board of Selectmen's meeting. Members expressed concern
with various projects. "B"questioned the expense and need for DPW road improvements to the Historic Center.
She noted that the Town's expense is high even with the$2M grant. "B"then expressed concern with the costs of
the Police Technology Project. Lastly,"B"voiced concerns about the School Administration office relocation and
whether the plans are final. Melinda agreed that spending almost$800,000 on a lease doesn't make sense if the
Town could utilize an existing asset. The possibility of reducing the lease to three years was also mentioned. Jack
noted the additional cost of$48,070 for technical equipment installation to outfit the space.
"B"distributed a spreadsheet on the CIP and staffing issues. She said that typically the Town's revenue increases by
approximately 4%annually and that the increase is usually offset by salary increases of 4 to 5%per year. It was
noted that projects like the Sargent School,Youth Center and Senior Center put a strain on the Operations Budget
because of the added debt service.The only way to remove such projects is by town ballot. The group decided to
discuss these matters another time because a change in policy cannot happen this year. Jack thanked"B"for her
hard work on the budget analysis,and then asked the committee to proceed with the agenda items.
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGET DISCUSSION DOCUMENT
The consensus was that the content of the document indicated no conflict on Paul's part and the issue was put to
rest. Paul suggested that to avoid any misunderstandings in the future,the FinCom might update the recently
developed Finance Committee Policies and Procedures to clarify members'responsibilities and behavior while
serving on committees outside the FinCom. However,no action was taken.
NEW BUSINESS
School Department Forum
The School Committee Forum is scheduled for Thursday,February 13 at 6:30 pm. Unfortunately,the Finance
Committee is also meeting on the 130'. It was agreed that the FinCom meet directly after attending the forum.
The FinCom noted that any member may participate fully in the political process,including giving endorsements to
and support for particular candidates,but that we must be careful to state that we are acting as an individual not as a
representative of,or speaking for,the Finance Committee.
A discussion ensued concerning the contract for the Administrative Office space at Jefferson Park. Paul quoted
from Article 2 at the last Annual Town Meeting. From this information,the FinCom determined that the
Superintendent and School Committee had been authorized to solicit and award contracts longer than 3 years.
OTHER
Chuck Benevento then asked how the FinCom wanted to proceed after the budget is presented. "B"requested off=
budget funds detail on the municipal side and the school side.
Steve began a discussion about the tour of Bradstreet School by first thanking Melinda for pulling it together.
Melinda noted that the children were not attending that day because of teacher conferences. She also stated that she
hasvolunteered her services for Thursday mornings;therefore,she invited members to drop by for a tour on her day
at the school. Melinda sent a"Thank You"to school personnel for the tour. Future use of this school is still an
issue with some FinCom members.
Jack then opened discussion on the interview process for the new Superintendent of Schools. He noted that all
candidates are presently employed. Twenty qualified candidates were rated then nine or ten candidates were
selected for interviews. Jack said he was very impressed with the interview process and`B"agreed. The decision
on the final choice should be at the end of the week.
ADJOURNMENT:
Steve made a MOTION to adjourn the meeting. Keith seconded and the vote passed unanimously. The meeting
adjourned at 9:10 pm. The next Finance Committee meeting is set for Thursday,February 13 after the School
Committee forum at the Middle School.
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