FINANCE COMMITTEE
MINUTES – JANUARY 27, 2003
TOWN HALL – 7:30 P.M.
Members present: Tuck, Heitin, Pietal, Grasfield, Atlas-Gordon, Bluestein, Gillen, Goodman, Hearne Sirkin, (Garza). Members absent: Bergeron, Fixler.
1. C. Tuck reported that apparently the legislature had given permission to the governor to cut state aid. Tuck said that the Priorities Committee allocated $1,149,347 to the Finance Committee Sector for Fiscal 2004, including an additional $25,000 for the library to maintain their accreditation. She said that the FinCom Sector budgets, without the library, must be reduced by $17,377 based on a 10% reduction in state aid. She pointed out difficulties in reducing the other larger budgets (Assessors, Health, Town Clerk and Conservation) that and the smaller budgets are too small to make reductions to them significant.
2. In answer to Grasfield’s suggestion that services done for the Library by the DPW be moved to the Library budget, Tuck thought that Priorities would probably reduce the FinCom allocation accordingly. Pietal suggested looking at what services were essential or mandated, pointing out that all the Town Clerk’s functions were mandated except for passports which raise revenue for the town. Tuck mentioned that the Assessors raise most of the revenue. Pietal suggested that the Town can exist without the Library and that, although he finds their services valuable, maybe the library can’t meet state requirements and should be on the table. In reply to Atlas’s suggestion that the Reserve Fund be used, Tuck explained that the FinCom must go to Town Meeting with a balanced budget and
Grasfield commented that the deficits would not be extraordinary or unforeseen. Grasfield added that library accreditation appears to be annual and suggested working with the Old Colony network.
3. Sirkin remarked that unions could interfere with the suggested option of cutting employee hours. Tuck reminded the Committee that the FinCom does not deal with unions. Gillen expressed the opinion that it was unrealistic to expect people to accept decreasing salaries and that it does not work in the private sector. Gillen added that some towns are considering closing one day a week. Goodman suggested telling all departments they must cut a certain percentage.
4. Gillen suggested that the issue of the assignment of Town cars to administrators be brought up at Priorities.
5. Hearne expressed concern that the Town Clerk mentioned that a 7½ % maximum salary increase was proposed to the Selectmen. Tuck said that the Executive Secretary has assured her that this was theoretically an outside possibility. Grasfield reported that the Executive Secretary had presented components for salary increases to the Personnel Board and that Board had agreed to consider merit increases in the context of what the
Town could afford.
6. Tuck explained that the $25,000 added for the library did not incorporate the 1½ % reduction in the total FinCom allocation. Bluestein suggested getting direction from the Priorities Committee. He said that the addition of an extra $25,000 from Priorities for the Library budget indicated to him that Priorities was not interested in cutting the budget for the Library but in meeting the state requirements for accreditation. Tuck will ask the Finance Committee Sector departments to submit 2.4% and 3.4% reduced budgets.
7. Hearne reported that the School Superintendent has about completed reworking the school budget. He said that it had been suggested that the budget presentation be to the whole committee rather than the subgroup. Grasfield expressed interest in a working group. Grasfield suggested that the appointing authorities be invited and encouraged to make the budget presentations. Pietal expressed doubt that they would be sufficiently prepared.
8. C. Tuck reported a telephone call from former Water Management Committee Chairman F. Clay assuring her that he had resigned from that committee because he had given a lot of time to that committee and was very busy with the Standing Building Committee.
9. The meeting adjourned at 9:45.
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