FINANCE COMMITTEE
MINUTES – MARCH 05, 2003
COMMUNITY CENTER – 7:30 P.M.
Members present: Tuck, Heitin, Pietal, Grasfield, Bergeron, Bluestein, Gillen, Goodman, Hearne, Sirkin, (Garza). Members absent: Atlas-Gordon, Fixler.
1. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the Dorchester Surplus Fund article. Vote: 5-0-2. Bergeron recommended that information on this article be available.
2. Heitin reported that the cost of the Fiscal 2004 audit was slightly higher. He will get information on the progress of Fiscal 2003 audit. He stated that the audit is due thirteen months after the end of the Fiscal Year.
3. Goodman pointed out that, after a $25,000 Reserve Fund transfer for unemployment insurance, the Executive Secretary has not come back for the additional amount originally requested. Tuck said that unemployment is a bill that must be paid. Bergeron said that there is normally a quarterly bill. It was decided not to vote on Fiscal 2004 unemployment insurance until the number is available.
4. Goodman said that he has not seen any figures for a surviving spouse paying into health insurance. It was suggested that it was not included in the figures because spouses did not pay in.
5. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the Nebenzahl lease article.
Vote: 6-0-2.
6. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the Flynn easement abandonment article. Vote: 7-0-1
7. Several FinCom members thought that the Annual Report should go to every house. The opinion was expressed that it was a connection with the community, that few people would pick it up and that it is difficult to read on the internet. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement of the annual report distribution article. Vote: 5-2-1
8. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the Town Clerk’s enumeration of fees. Vote: 7-0-1
9. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the article allowing the Town Clerk to appoint substitute election workers. Vote: 7-0-1
10. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the article accepting Chapter 90 funds. Vote: 8-0-1
11. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the changes in the alarm bylaw. Vote: 8-0-1.
12. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of veteran’s exemptions. Vote: 7-0-2.
13. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement of the article for a water connection at Cobb’s Corner in Stoughton. Vote: 8-0-1
14. Heitin reported that he and Grasfield plan to review the Water Department records. He proposed that the Water Department be the special focus of the annual audit. This could be included in the FinCom recommendation on the annual audit. Pietal reported that the Water Advisory Committee and the DPW Superintendent were in support of the article for a Water Department audit. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement of the article for a Water Department audit. Vote: 7-1-1
15. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of a request for a moratorium on 40B. Vote: 2-3-4. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement of a request for a moratorium on 40B. Vote: 3-2-4
16. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the article allowing for exemptions from the junk car by-law. Vote: 8-0-1
17. Draft recommendations were assigned.
18. Pietal reported that the borrowing for books was originally to be from septic authorizations. He said that the School Department had underspent in some capital areas and overspent in others, but $125,000 seemed correct.
19. The minutes of February 26 were accepted. Vote: 6-0-3.
20. Tuck will contact the Library Director and the Executive Secretary about the results of Grasfield’s recommendations on the library budget.
21. Pietal distributed copies of three scenarios with different percentages of carry-over of unspent funds within a department from one year to the next. Tuck was unsure if a carry-over had to be voted in Town Meeting, but thought it needed Department of Revenue approval. She added that a carry over was proposed for the School Department but would benefit other departments as well. Pietal thought it would complicate the budgeting process. Bluestein pointed out that the savings were mostly in the contingency and hiring and thought there should be a new contingency in the next year. Grasfield believed that the savings were from the beginning of the year, that the freeze was coincidental, and that they could only give raises by using the carry-over. He thought the raises would effect municipal
employees whose wages are frozen. There was considerable discussion about some incentive for fiscal responsibility without a carry-over of funds.
22. Heitin suggested that the schools spend any savings on anything that would benefit Fiscal 2004. Grasfield agreed, saying that, if books are needed, savings should buy books and anything left should go to Free Cash. Hearne objected to borrowing for books becoming part of Fixed and Uncontrollables.
23. The consensus of the Finance Committee not to support the carry-over. Tuck suggested that the Priorities meet earlier in the fall to address this and similar issues.
24. Grasfield reported that the Executive Secretary had done some research on a Director of Finance position. Pietal mentioned that the Priorities Committee makes a lot of financial decisions. Tuck thought that the Priorities Committee was already institutionalized and that it was better to work through issues together. Bergeron believed that what the Priorities Committee does should be a Finance Committee function. Grasfield reported that the State says the Finance Committee should work with the Board of Selectmen. Gillen saw a need for a priorities process but was concerned with formalizing it. Grasfield agreed with some of the proposed functions of the Priorities Committee but disagreed with some of the others.
25. The meeting adjourned at 10:05.
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