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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-05-13 Finance Committee Minutes Finance Committee Meeting May 13, 2009 Conference Room, Reading Town Hall The meeting convened at 7:30 PM in the Conference Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA. Members Present : Chair George Hines, Barry Berman, Matthew Wilson, Thomas White and Bryan Walsh. Members absent : David Greenfield, Marsie West, Hal Torman, Andrew Grimes. Also present : Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director Bob LeLacheur. There being a quorum the Chair called the meeting to order at 7:36 PM. 1.Reserve Fund Transfers Veteran’s Benefits: Mr. LeLacheur directed the committee to page three of the provided handout which lists all the veteran’s aid payments for the whole year. Mr. LeLacheur explained that the original projection was an annual run rate of $100,000 but it is now expected to be $25,000 more because of recent large one- time expenses. Mr. LeLacheur recommended that FinCom transfer $125,000 from the reserve fund for the veteran affairs department. Mr. Hines asked if this number has been increasing over time. Mr. LeLacheur responded that there has been a steady increase over years mainly with older veterans. Mr. Berman asked about the small costs such as the recurring $4.66? Mr. LeLacheur explained that some of the expenses are for one-time items such as a hearing aid. Mr. Berman asked is prescription medications would be included? Mr. Hechenbleikner responded that medicine is not likely to be covered because they typically get it from the VA and reminded the committee that there is a 75% reimbursement from the state the following year. Mr. Hines noted that the committee is asking questions so they can understand not because they disagree with the recommendation. Mr. Wilson asked why the original $100,000 is not enough for FY2010. Mr. Hechenbleikner replied that the cost of the benefits have been increasing over time and have increased significantly with the changes in the economy and is another example of the difficult choices everyone is currently experiencing. Mr. Berman made a motion to transfer $125,000 from the Finance Committee reserve fund for Veteran’s Assistance expenses. Motion seconded by Matthew Wilson. Vote 5-0-0 to approve. Community Services (Health Department): Mr. LeLacheur directed the committee to page six of the handout with the quote provided for the wildlife management services for beaver trapping. The beaver trapping is estimated to be $650 for 10 days, $500 if second trappings are required but this may not be necessary and another $750 for the dam removal. Mr. LeLacheur recommends a transfer of $2,000 to cover the total cost of the beaver trapping and dam removal. Mr. Hechenbleikner further discussed the dam near Track Road and how the beavers have raised the water levels in the area which can cause homes to flood and damage to septic systems. He also noted that this is a licensed trapper as required by state and has done work in Reading previously. Mr. White asked if the beavers are relocated and Mr. Hechenbleikner said the 1 beavers are relocated. Mr. Wilson asked how often this needs to be done. Mr. Hechenbleikner responded that this does not happen very often but state law requires it be done a certain way with licensed trappers. Mr. Berman asked if there is any type of work guarantee. Mr. Hechenbleikner said there was no guarantee but the Town has used him before and it was successful. Mr. White made a motion to transfer $2,000 from the Finance Committee reserve funds to community services department for the health department. Seconded by Mr.Wilson. Vote: 5-0-0. to approve. Town Administration: Mr. LeLacheur explained that the Town’s change to the Munis program caused 266 paid days instead of the typical 261 days. Mr. Hechenbleikner further explained how the Town used to pay weekly, then switched to bi-weekly and paid current without holding back a week. With the new Munis system the Town is now on a week hold back pay. Mr. LeLacheur explained that we were able to shift money around and able to figure out the more days of pay but need a transfer for $3,000 for the Town Manager’s Administration budget. Mr. Walsh made a motion to transfer $3,000 from the Finance Committee reserve fund to the Town Manager’s wages. Seconded by Mr. Wilson, Vote 5-0-0 to approve. Public Safety (Police Vehicle): Mr. LeLacheur explained that the Town purchased a fuel efficient vehicle last year expecting to get money back from the federal government but they are now saying there is no reimbursement if you have already bought the car, it’s for those not yet purchased. Therefore, $8,000 is needed for the vehicle purchased this year. Mr. White asked if the car was included in the FY2009 budget? Mr. Hechenbleikner and Mr. LeLacheur responded that it was included in the budget but the full amount was not included because they were expecting to receive the reimbursement. Mr. Berman made a motion to move $8,000 from the Finance Committee reserve fund to public safety for the police vehicle. Motion seconded by Mr. Wilson, Vote 4-1-0 (not approved by Mr. White), the motion does not carry without a full majority. 2. Other Business: The Chairmen asked if the committee had any recommendations or comments about this year’s budget process and materials. Mr. Berman commented that he liked this year’s format but felt Town Meeting members were a little confused and wanted more of a historical over few of many items. Mr. LeLacheur suggested adding a brief comment before each budget line item. Mr. Hechenbleikner added that there should be a brief summary sheet included next year with more information on one sheet instead of over several pages. Mr. LeLacheur noted that the department overview was good for new members but veteran or long time town meeting members wanted to know how the each department had changed for previous years with more explanation but less numbers. Mr. Walsh asked if there would be more Munis training for employees this year? Mr. LeLacheur said there would not be much more training maybe one more employee. Mr. Hechenbleikner suggested creating a survey and emailing or mailing it to town meeting members for feedback. Mr. Berman also commented that he found the website updates were helpful throughout the budget process. Mr. Hechenbliekner 2 recommended that next year the Fincance Committee report be provided in a highlighted box in the budget so members can see that there was a discussion and the reasoning behind the recommendation. Mr. Berman asked how the Town will react after the state legislature approves the budget? Mr. Hechenbleikner said he doesn’t think we’ll have to make any amendments until November unless something really significant happens. Mr. Wilson asked about the town meeting process and the number of empty seats? Mr. Wilson observed that we may be sacrificing efficiency over participation and asked how the committee can get more people involved. Mr. Hines agreed with Mr. Wilson’s comments adding that more things could be done to prompt more discussion and debate. Mr. Berman asked if the Board of Selectmen hold a public hearing on the budget? Mr. Hechenbleinker answered no the Selectmen do not hold a public hearing but have public meetings and the school committee do because they are required to do so by law. Mr. Wilson asked if there is data on town meeting membership from the last 10 years and if it has changed much? Mr. LeLacheur responded that many people are inspired to become a town meeting member when there are major issues such as the redevelopment of Addison Wesley which experienced a high amount of participation during that election. Mr. LeLacheur also suggested that it would be possibly for each precint to elect one member to attend the FinCom meetings and then report back to the others, however, this is essentially the whole reason behind having the finance committee. Assignments: Mr. Hechenbleikner will put together a questionnaire for Town Meeting Members and FinCom should send comments to Mr. LeLacheur. Mr. Hines will email the rest of the committee about the questionnaire. th The next meeting is planned for June 24 at 7:30 PM in the conference room at Town Hall. Mr. White made a motion to adjourn at 8:43 PM, seconded by Mr. Berman. Vote 5-0-0. 3