Finance Committee Meeting
Minutes – November 1, 2004
High School Library – 7:30 P.M.
Members Present: Michael Feldman, David Fixler, Charles Goodman, David Hearne,
Jonathan Hitter, Ira Miller, Paul Pietal, Gloria Rose, Gregory Sydney
(Hamilton)
Absent: Brian Fitzgerald, Kenneth Goldberg
1. Finance Committee at their new meeting place at the Sharon High School Library. Thank you to Sharon TV and Claire Jackson.
2. TOWN MEETING RECAP: Went well overall. Article 1: $550,000 for School Department no longer needed—going to lower taxes—passed. Tried to set aside a Stabilization Fund. The next Assessors meeting to set rate—may already be set. Vote in early November.
3. Fixler: Keep after funding a Stabilization Fund. Priorities Committee meeting on November 10 at School Administration Building. Capital Outlay meeting Monday, November 8 in downstairs conference room at town hall.
4. Article 2: Motion for $125,000 tied into stabilizing building. Expenditure for preventing further damage and conducting analysis on future use of building. Insurance company contracted directly with STV about what was needed to bring up to code. Study doing full historical scope. The first step for reoccupation would be municipal—COA, SBC secretary, office personnel, municipal employees. Cost benefit analysis rather than for rental.
5. Article 6: Teen Center: There were concerns that it wasn’t necessarily clear that $25,000 was added to total taxes for this initiative. Amount was added to Recreation Department.
6. Article 9: Brought by Board of Selectmen. Four items for Spring Meeting. Put in three. Possibly not going to go well with Attorney General. May have to formalize at Spring Meeting. What should have been done was move for Indefinite Postponement. Then move to amend.
7. Article 15: Board of Health will need to bring this back to Town Meeting in the spring.
8. Articles 2, 3 & 4: The Town voted to approve. This implies that no taxes need to be levied.
9. Article 6: Voted to raise and appropriate. This means that taxes need to be levied to pay for program.
10. SPRING WARRANT PREPARATION: Still want to work on Article 9 to get into Spring Warrant: (1) Reserve Fund Transfer; (2) $55,000,000; (3) computation of tax rate. Good feedback in Warrant on recommendations.
11. Discussion on budget memo sent to Committees and Boards under Fincom jurisdiction. Suggested one budget format across the board and sharing resources by other departments in extraordinary circumstances.
12. Capital memo was sent around. Summarized proposal on the early cycle of borrowing. Continued discussion of Capital spending proposal.
13. OTHER BUSINESS
14. The Government Study Committee met last Tuesday night and unanimously voted that they are going to recommend to Selectmen to consider Town Council form of government. They are meeting with Selectmen in early December. There is a need to educate other boards and committees including Fincom by convening a workshop. Study found that Town Meeting doesn’t work any more. The members of this committee include: Gloria Rose, David Fixler, Andy Nebenzahl, Ann Carney, Pat Zlotin, George Bailey. Much discussion ensued regarding pros and cons of a Town Council and/or Town Manager, and Town Meeting.
15. Gloria Rose: Friday, October 29, was the last day for Kip Roberson, Director of the Library. Barbra Nadler, current Assistant Director will be Acting Director until a new director is appointed by the Trustees of the Library. Kip had prepared the budget for FY’06, and I will be working with Barbra Nadler, Abigail Masters, Chair of Trustees, etc. to review the Library budget before it is presented to Fincom.
16. MOVED and SECONDED to accept the Minutes of September 27, 2004.
17. VOTED: 5-0-4.
18. MOVED and SECONDED to accept the Minutes of October 4, 2004.
19. VOTED: 8-0-1.
20. Minutes of October 18 will be addressed at a future meeting.
21. The next meeting will be on November 8 at 7:30 p.m. to review School Department budget.
22. MOVED and SECONDED to adjourn.
23. Meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
24. ACTION for Paul Pietal: Get in touch with Mark Mazur to see if tax rate has been finalized. If not, Fincom should go to the Assessors meeting.