FINANCE COMMITTEE
MINUTES – MARCH 26, 2003
Town Hall – 7:30 P.M.
Members present: Heitin, Pietal, Grasfield, Bergeron, Bluestein, Fixler, Goodman, Hearne, Sirkin, (Garza). Members absent: Gillen, Tuck.
1. Conservation Commission Chair M. Arguimbau, accompanied by Conservation Agent G. Meister, explained that the Commission is seeking release of a small piece of conservation land by Shaw’s Plaza. This land was received by the Commission as part of a subdivision and is currently being used for parking. As a result of litigation, it was agreed that the Commission would be paid $30,000 for ownership of the land which money the Conservation Commission plans to use toward the purchase of a parcel off of Massapoag Avenue behind the Middle School. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 28, conveying Parcel “S”. Vote: 7-0-1
2. Executive Secretary B. Puritz reported that the Fire Department had neglected to net out the 3% increase in collective bargaining in their Reserve Fund request. He said the amount should be less than $40,000. He is hoping that the Reserve Fund will be able to return at least $100,000 to the General Fund. Bluestein reported that the Lake Management Committee will be requesting a transfer for the control of fan wort in the lake.
3. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 3, acting upon reports.
Vote: 7-0-1
4. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 4, Personnel Article.
Vote: 7-0-1. Personnel Board member Grasfield said that he voted against most of the changes in job classifications and explained that the Personnel Board can vote interim changes that then must be ratified by Town Meeting. Puritz thought the changes small and said that Personnel Board had voted for them
5. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 6, 41C exemption adjustments, keeping the age 70 limit. Vote: 7-0-2. Bluestein and Grasfield reminded the Committee of the $307,000 potential cost. Bergeron thought it more social than financial.
6. Bergeron reminded the Committee that the town will get paid the principal plus interest on the property tax deferments criteria changes in Article 7. Hearne thought the assumptions in the article not necessarily relevant. The additional cost is estimated to be $285,000. Bluestein thought the 4% interest rate attractive. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 7, with an age limit of 65 and an income limit of $50,000. Vote: 4-5-1. Moved to recommend indefinite postponement of Article 7. Motion withdrawn. The recommendation will be made at Town Meeting.
7. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement of Article 9, stabilization fund. Vote: 5-2-1
8. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 10, Dorcester Surplus Fund.. Vote: 8-0-1
9. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 11, Norfolk County Retirement. Vote: 7-0-2
10. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 12, appropriating $40,000 for the annual audit. Vote: 7-0-2. Puritz reported that a problem with the cash reconciliation between the Accountant and the Treasurer had delayed the Fiscal 2002 audit. Heitin will follow up on this.
11. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 13, unemployment insurance. Vote: 8-0-1. Puritz said that the figures were based on predicted utilization and experience. Goodman questioned the ease of finding jobs in the current economy.
12. Puritz will try to get clarification from the School Department on Article 20 related to High School remodeling.
13. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 21, School Department borrowing. Vote: 5-3-1 Pietal explained the schools’ needs and saw most of the proposed items necessary but saw a lack of planning in technology. Goodman remarked that debt appears to be increasing more that operating expenses. Pietal said that exempt debt is increasing more than non-exempt.
14. Moved and Seconded to recommend Article 22, borrowing $500,000 for street improvements. Vote: 7-1-1 Hearne said that the DPW Superintendent saw most of the roads in good condition and Hearne objected to improving dead end streets. Puritz said that the streets were done on an analytical basis. Pietal suggested relying on the Executive Secretary and DPW Superintendent. It was decided to schedule a future meeting on the road improvement plan.
15. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 23, borrowing $480,000 for the Police Department, but only borrowing for communications if external funding is not available. Vote: 7-1-1. In reply to Bergeron’s questions on the proposed communication system, Puritz explained its interoperability.
16. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 24, borrowing $109,000 for DPW equipment. Vote: 8-0-1. Grasfield urged more analysis of needs. Puritz pointed out that there was a vehicle replacement program of $200,000 a year. It was decided to ask the Executive Secretary to provide a detailed report on existing vehicle usage, conditions and future planned replacement.
17. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 25, borrowing $65,000 for the Recreation Department. Vote: 7-1-1. In reply to Fixler’s comment that the beach repairs could be cut, Hearne reminded the Committee of the advantage of volunteer labor.
18. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 26, borrowing $51,200 for the Fire Department. Vote: 8-0-1.
19. Moved and and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 31, Government Study Committee article. Vote: 6-1-1. Fixler said the problem with the article as originally drafted had been corrected by allowing more time between Town Meeting and the election. Goodman thought having Town Meeting first would give incumbents an advantage in the election. Fixler remarked that it would allow greater public discourse on override and debt exclusion issues before the election. Fixler suggested referring to Town Council for an answer Bergeron’s question on why the term “Special” was used for the fall Town Meeting. budget.
20. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 32 as written, formalizing the Priorities Committee. Vote: 2-6-1. Bergeron and Grasfield thought that some of the Priorities functions included in the article should be functions of the Finance Committee or Selectmen. Fixler did not see the Finance Committee bylaw as giving such powers to the Finance Committee exclusively. Puritz pointed out a lack of a planning process before the establishment of the Priorities Committee. Grasfield believed that the Priorities Committee should be formalized, but without some of the functions proposed. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 31, formalizing the Priorities Committee, without the words “develop, determine and” in the last paragraph of the article. Vote: 5-2-2.
21. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement Article 33, residential property tax exemption. Vote: 8-0-1.
22. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 35, directing the town boards to formulate an affordable housing plan. Vote: 2-5-2. Bergeron objected to “directing” the town boards. Puritz thought the article would support the Planning Board’s current efforts. Moved and Seconded to recommend indefinite postponement of Article 35. Vote: 7-0-2
23. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval Article 40, omnibus Revolving Fund Article. Vote: 7-0-2. Puritz pointed out that the amount of the School Bus Revolving Fund was increased.
24. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of Article 41, compliance with septic variances revolving fund. Vote: 7-1-1. Bergeron saw the article as an opportunity to increase the Board of Health budget. Heitin pointed out that the Board did not have money for that purpose.
25. The recommendation for Article 42, the septic loan betterment program, will be made at Town Meeting after getting more information. The recommendation for Article 48, Heinberg petition off street parking article, will be made at Town Meeting after the Planning Board takes its vote.
26. Grasfield pointed out that the $1,200,000 increase in the proposed Fiscal 2004 Water Department budget included projects with which the Finance Committee did not agree. He added that most of the Selectmen’s budgets were level funded with the exception of some, especially the Water Department and Data Processing. Pietal saw the increases in Data Processing as necessary to carry out the data processing function and oversee the new MUNIS system. Puritz said that it had been planned to revisit the Data Processing budget after one year of having the part time position funded through Capital.
27. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the Selectmen’s, Accountant’s, Treasurer’s, Law, Elections and Registrations, Town Report, Sign Committee, Police, Fire, Ambulance, Sealer of Weights’, Animal Inspector’s, Civil Defense, Animal Control, DPW, Council on Aging, Veterans and Veteran’s Graves, Commission on Disabilities, Recreation, Historical Commission, and Community Celebration’s budgets as presented. Vote: 8-0-1
28. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the Data Processing budget as presented. Vote: 6-2-1
29. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval the Vocation Tuition, Street Lighting, Health, Debt, Interest, Medicare, and Social Security budgets as presented. Vote: 8-0-1
30. Moved and Seconded to recommend approval of the insurance budget as presented. Vote: 6-1-1. Goodman reported a large deficit in health insurance to be paid off in fiscal 2004. Puritz hopes the proposed budget will absorb the deficit and build up a positive balance. Grasfield advocated the predictability of not being self-insured and said that the Town is paying part of the employees’ portion when it uses the Reserve Fund. Hearne agreed with the predictability of private insurance but said that the Town is paying the true cost. Puritz estimated a 40% increase in the budget with private insurance rather than a 25% increase with self insurance.
31. It was decided to talk to the DPW Superintendent about the Water Department budget. There was discussion as to the advisability of having the School Committee discuss their budget on March 31 because of their needing more time to reply to questions and the Finance Committee needing more time to review the revised School Department budget. Pietal will discuss this with the School Department and the DPW Superintendent.
32. The meeting adjourned at 11:20.
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