Finance Committee Meeting
Minutes – August 24, 2009
Town Hall, Lower Level Hearing Room
Members Present: Maria Anderson, Brian Fitzgerald, Keith Garte, Charles Goodman
(late), Jonathan Hitter, Josh Kiernan, Joel Lessard, Ira Miller, Laura
Nelson, Edward Philips (Hamilton)
Absent: Donald Gilligan, Gordon Gladstone
1. The first item on the agenda was to vote minutes.
2. A MOTION was made by Ira Miller and SECONDED by Ted Philips to approve the Executive Session minutes of December 15, 2008, as amended.
3. VOTED: 5-0-4. For: Hitter, Lessard, Miller, Nelson, Philips. Abstain: Anderson, Fitzgerald, Garte, Kiernan.
4. A MOTION was made by Ira Miller and SECONDED by Laura Nelson to approve the minutes of June 1, 2009, as amended.
5. VOTED: 7-0-2. For: Garte, Hitter, Kiernan, Lessard, Miller, Nelson, Philips. Abstain: Anderson, Fitzgerald.
6. A MOTION was made by Ira Miller and SECONDED by Laura Nelson to approve the minutes of July 13, 2009.
7. VOTED: 6-0-3. For: Garte, Hitter, Kiernan, Lessard, Miller, Philips. Abstain: Anderson, Fitzgerald, Nelson.
8. The minutes of August 3, 2009, were deferred to the next meeting.
9. The next item on the agenda was to review goals and approve and finalize committee assignments. A suggestion was made not to have “It’s Your Money” as a goal if they could not commit to it.
10. 1. Monitor revenue expectations of ongoing projects: Sharon Hills, Sharon Commons, Wilber.
11. 2. Encourage Town health insurance coverage that reflects typical resident coverage.
12. 3. Monitor energy budgets.
13. 4. Pursue Town-wide Maintenance Department.
14. 5. Monitor Mitigation Funds to be received from Sharon Commons and Sharon Hills.
15. 6. Monitor policies of town-owned vehicles (employee use, type purchased).
16. 7. Continue to publish Annual Town Report with full details (all positions, salaries, employees).
17. 8. Continue to support Capital Outlay debt elimination strategy.
18. 9. Continue to resist utilizing unused levy limit.
19. 10. Continue “It’s Your Money” articles in Sharon Advocate.
20. 11. Monitor Salary compensation agreements.
21. 12. Improve Inter-board communication.
22. There was considerable discussion on the list of goals. A suggestion was made to have the health insurance consultant come to a Finance Committee meeting, either September 28 or October 5, to indicate how much the town could save if there were an increase in co-pays and reduce the cost to the Town on the percentage split. A town-wide maintenance report by Eric Hooper and Ken Wirtz could also be scheduled on September 28 or October 5.
23. Paul Lauenstein reported that after a meeting with Gordon Gladstone and Kevin McCarville, the Inter-Board Communication suggestion was quite complicated. A good start was the list of boards’ and committees’ e-mails and phone numbers to contact them.
24. There were many suggestions for making “It’s Your Money” work, and they would continue to try to keep it going.
25. Paul Lauenstein updated the committee on the events of the Planning Board. There will be a Brickstone hearing on Wednesday, September 16. Brickstone will present their article on the re-configuration and the zoning changes. Does not include the issue of Mountain Street access which is part of the Development Agreement. Voting will be that evening or September 30.
26. A MOTION was made by Joel Lessard and SECONDED by Keith Garte that we ratify the FY’2010 goals with specifications for monitoring.
27. VOTED: 10-0-0. For: Anderson, Fitzgerald, Garte, Goodman, Hitter, Kiernan, Lessard, Miller, Nelson, Philips.
28. Under Committee Liaisons were the following changes: Laura Nelson was assigned to the Library, Maria Anderson was assigned to the Personnel Board, and Keith Garte was assigned to the Board of Selectmen.
29. OLD BUSINESS
30. Follow up the Annual Report at the next meeting. Discussed Inter-Board Communication a little. Update of Town-wide Maintenance progress at our October 5 meeting.
31. NEW BUSINESS
32. In terms of future meeting dates, September 14, Middle School presentation. September 21, holiday. September 28 and October 5 have people in. Recommendations due October 13. Waiting for draft list of Warrant articles.
33. Paul Lauenstein announced that the Planning Board brings their zoning proposals to Fall Town Meeting. Only two are Brickstone and Johnson Drive abandoning land so Housing Partnership can build house there. Invited Housing Partnership to September 2 meeting.
34. The next meeting will be September 14. Invite Housing Partnership and School Committee to that meeting.
35. It was MOVED and SECONDED to adjourn.
36. VOTED: 10-0-0.
37. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.