Finance Committee Meeting

Minutes – June 13, 2011

Town Hall, Lower Level Hearing Room, 7:30 P.M.

Members Present:  Arnold Cohen, Gordon Gladstone, Alexander Korin, Joel Lessard, Ira

                               Miller, Jacqueline Modiste, Laura Nelson (Hamilton)

                Absent:   William Brack, Brian Fitzgerald, Charles Goodman, Josh Kiernan

1. The agenda was to continue goals for FY’12.

2. Goal: (1).  Monitor ongoing projects:  Sharon Commons, Brickstone.  Point Person:  Ira Miller.

3. Goal: (2).  Monitor policies of town-owned vehicles (employee use, type purchased).  Point Person:  Joel Lessard.

4. Goal: (3).  Ensure Town Report includes relevant information.  Point Person:  Laura Nelson.

5. Goal: (4).  Continue to support Capital Outlay debt elimination strategy.  Point Person:  Gordon Gladstone.

6. Goal: (5).  Improve Inter-board communication.  Point Person:  Joel Lessard.

7. Goal: (6).  Improve Warrant Recommendations.  Point Person:  Bill Brack.  Adjust introduction to include advocacy.

8. Goal: (7).  Improve Finance Committee performance at Town Meeting during long debates.  Point Person:  Joel Lessard.

9. Goal: (8).  Improve budget review process.  Point Person:  Jackie Modiste.  Make working group to discuss improving budget review process as well as outreach.

10. Goal: (9).  Monitor health insurance.  Point Person:  Ira Miller.

11. Suggestion to have Peter Kenney of Cook & Company, Health Plan Management Group, come in during the summer.

12. Goal: (10). Try to get agendas into Advocate.  Try to get more and better information out to public.  That goal could be part of (5) and also part of potential for a website.

13. Potentially New for this Year:

14. Goal: (1).  Motions at Town Meeting closer to what’s in Warrant.  Strive to get some motions printed in Warrant.  Include as a goal.

15. There was some discussion regarding this goal.

16. There was some discussion regarding the Finance Committee advocating for majority opinion.  Information and opinion provided to residents.  Not trying to sway.

17. Goal (2).  Being involved in collective bargaining—having more involvement with Personnel By-law.

18. There was some discussion regarding collective bargaining.

19. Goal (3).  Finance Committee sector abolition.

20. There was some discussion regarding this goal and the need for more investigation.  Some feel time consuming to have sector budget.

21. Goal (4).  Creation and Administration of a Finance Committee Website.

22. There was much discussion regarding what information would be posted, who would be responsible and maintain it, but repository of information good idea.  Suggestion to have plan and then discuss with Town Counsel and Selectmen.

23. At the meeting on June 27 Eric Hooper will be in for Reserve Fund Transfer and then the new Moderator, David Yas, after that.  Topics for discussion will be his general plans as Moderator, Nominating Committee subject, advocacy issue, issue of calling the question, pre-Town meeting, maintain time limits for other speaker from the floor, and how he would handle long debates.

24. There was a suggestion that the committee can meet every other week on July 11and July 25.

25. There was some discussion regarding the DPW request for Reserve Fund Transfer.  Eric Hooper will update the numbers before the meeting on June 27.

26. A topic to be discussed was Fixed & Uncontrollables and separate allocations by departments that are not just salary, but benefits.

27. Joel Lessard announced the Flag Day ceremony information for June 14 at 6:45 p.m. at Memorial Beach Bandstand.  Boy Scouts from Troop 95 will raise and lower the flag.  At 7:00 p.m. the Pledge of Allegiance will be recited simultaneously with other communities in the United States in conjunction with the National Ceremony at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, MD.  Following will be music selections by Sharon School students.

28. The next meeting will be on June 27, 2011.

29. It was MOVED and SECONDED to adjourn.

30. VOTED:  7-0-0.

31. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.