Finance Committee Meeting

Minutes – July 8, 2013

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

Members Present:  Patricia-Lee Achorn, Aaron Agulnek, William Brack, Arnold Cohen (late), Gordon

                              Gladstone, Charles Goodman (late), Alexander Korin, Ira Miller, Laura Nelson,

                              Edward Philips (Hamilton)

                Absent:  Michael Fish

1. The first item on the agenda was to vote the minutes of the prior meeting.

2. A MOTION was made by Ted Philips and SECONDED by Laura Nelson to approve the minutes of June 24, 2013.

3. VOTED:  4-0-4.  For:  Agulnek, Brack, Miller, Philips.  Abstain:  Achorn, Gladstone, Korin, Nelson.

4. The second item on the agenda was to discuss the benchmark cities and towns.

5. There was considerable discussion regarding the criteria needed to determine a comparable town, have a meeting with the Selectmen and the Town Administrator, and update the list for benchmark towns.

6. The committee had a very comprehensive study regarding benchmark towns done by the Town of Wayland that can be used as a guideline.  Some of the criteria suggested by this committee were student enrollment and percentage of total population, towns within 30 miles of Boston, population density, population, income per capita, EQV per capita, state aid per budget, and student enrollment.  There would be a survey of the committee on what criteria they think is important.

7. Ira Miller announced that one of the topics at the Mass. Municipal Finance Committees Annual Meeting was benchmark towns.  This will be on the agenda in October.  We’ll learn what other towns have done.

8. There was some discussion on the schedule of meetings for the summer.  The Chair will be available July 15 and then not for three weeks.  Go over the survey results on the 15^th.

9. The next item on the agenda regarded a by-law concept to allow more time for article review, especially zoning articles.  Canton has this type of by-law which could be a model for firm deadlines.

10. There was much discussion on this by-law concept and how they would go about setting this goal.

11. There was a suggestion to ask the Canton Finance Committee Chair to come to the next meeting and explain how this by-law concept was done.

12. After the 15^th meeting, the next meeting could be August 12 or possibly the end of the July 22 week, if needed.

13. There was a suggestion to have Ben Puritz at the next meeting to discuss the Fall Town Meeting schedule.

14. The next meeting will be on July 15, 2013.

15. It was MOVED and SECONDED to adjourn.

16. VOTED:  10-0-0.

17. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.