HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-01-09 SB PacketN IF
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Selectmen .
Date: 2018 -01 -09
Building: Reading Town Hall
Address: 16 Lowell Street
Purpose.: General Business
Time: 7:00
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1010 JAN --3 P`4: 1
Location: Selectmen Meeting Room
Agenda:
Meeting Called By: Caitlin Saunders on behalf of Chairman John Arena
Notices and agendas are to be posted 48 hours in advance of the meetings excluding
Saturdays, Sundays and Legal Holidays. Please keep in mind the Town Clerk's hours of
operation and make necessary arrangements to be sure your posting is made in an
adequate amount of time. A listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be
discussed at the meeting must be on the agenda.
All Meeting Postings must be submitted in typed format; handwritten notices will not be accepted.
Topics of Discussion:
1) Reports and Comments
a. Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments
b. Public Comment
C. Town Manager's /Assistant Town Manager's Report
2) Open Session for topics not reasonably anticipated 48
hours in advance of the meeting
3) Proclamations /Certificates of Appreciation
4) Personnel & Appointments
5) Discussion /Action Items
a. Reappoint Retirement Board Member
b. Discuss BOS Policies: Article 1 General Operating Procedures
C. Continued Hearing - Approve BOS Policies: Article 3 Licenses
d. Review Town Manager's Budget
6) Approval of Minutes
a. December 12, 2017
b. December 13, 2017
C. December 19, 2017
7) Licenses, Permits and Approvals
8) Executive Session
9) Correspondence
7:20
7:25
8:00
8:30
This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed
at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily Include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting.
Page 1 1
Town Department Budgets
As shown in the next table, the Town Manager's FY19 budget for Town departments, shows a
2.5% overall increase from FY18. Cuts of nearly $1.5 million were made to the budgets
presented to the Selectmen by Town Department Heads in the December budget reviews, as
shown below:
Columns above show the changes requested by the last two Town Manager budgets. Recall
that last year the Town budgets took advantage of retirements and resignations to eliminate
more underlying costs than was needed for FY18 alone. As a substitute, several one -time costs
were included in that budget, knowing they could be eliminated or repurposed in FY19,
depending on the exact financial picture. These one -time costs were most prevalent in the
Facilities and Administrative Services (Technology) budgets. Thus the two -year look gives a
more complete picture as to what has transpired.
The December budgets requested an increase, by my estimation, of 20 FTEs. As I mentioned
during those meetings, about one -third of those were positions recently eliminated and most of
the rest have been requested for years. Those unfilled requests over the years have notably
appeared in Public Safety in order to keep up with the growing community.
FY18
FTEs*
FY19 LS
FTEs*
FY19 TOWN
FY19 TOWN
FY19TOWN
FY19
FY18
PUBLIC SERVICES TOTAL
22.7
FY18 BUDGET
DH REQUESTS
MGR CUTS
MGR BUDGET
TM %
TM % !
Avg
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC TOTAL
$
2,778,900
$
3,012,255
$
(198,180)
$
2,814,075
1.3%
2.3%
1.8%
PUBLIC SERVICES TOTAL
$
1,660,959
$
1,927,800
$
(206,375)
$
1,721,425
3.6%
-0.5%
1.5%
FINANCETOTAL
$
805,050
$
866,700
$
(42,500)
$
824,200
2.4%
1.8%
2.1%
PUBLIC SAFETY TOTAL
$
10,074,925
$
11,243,925
$
(837,450)
$
10,406,475
3.3%
0.9%
2.1%
DPW OPERATIONS TOTAL
$
3,362,575
$
3,543,100
$
(100,650)
$
3,442,450
2.4 %
0.3 %'
1.3 %'
DPW TRASH -ST LIGHT -SNOW
$
2,401,500
$
2,454,395
$
-
$
2,454,395
2.2%
0.0%
0.0 %,
LIBRARY TOTAL
$
1,548,883
$
1,651,515
$
(59,500)
$
1,592,015
2.8%
1.3%
2.0 %!
CORE FACILITIES TOTAL
$
2,997,180
$
3,021,775
$
(22,500)
$
2,999,275
0.1 %'
4.9%
2.5 %!'
FAC TOWN BLDG TOTAL
$
299,935
$
321,985
$
(7,585)
$
314,400
4.8%
4.6%
4.7%
TOWN BUDGETS
$
25,929,907
$
28,043,450
$
(1,474,740)
$
26,568,710
2.5%
1.5%
2.0 %''
Columns above show the changes requested by the last two Town Manager budgets. Recall
that last year the Town budgets took advantage of retirements and resignations to eliminate
more underlying costs than was needed for FY18 alone. As a substitute, several one -time costs
were included in that budget, knowing they could be eliminated or repurposed in FY19,
depending on the exact financial picture. These one -time costs were most prevalent in the
Facilities and Administrative Services (Technology) budgets. Thus the two -year look gives a
more complete picture as to what has transpired.
The December budgets requested an increase, by my estimation, of 20 FTEs. As I mentioned
during those meetings, about one -third of those were positions recently eliminated and most of
the rest have been requested for years. Those unfilled requests over the years have notably
appeared in Public Safety in order to keep up with the growing community.
Below is a more traditional picture of the Town Manager's FY19 Budget for the Town
departments:
C16\
FY18
FTEs*
FY19 LS
FTEs*
FY19 TM
FTEs*
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC TOTAL
17.6
20.6
17.6
PUBLIC SERVICES TOTAL
22.7
26.0
! 23.1
FINANCE TOTAL
10.9
11.9
10.9
PUBLIC SAFETY TOTAL
108.6
118.,6
109.6
DPW OPERATIONS TOTAL
37.9
39.6
38.4
DPW TRASH -ST LIGHT -SNOW
-
-
-
LIBRARYTOTAL
21.0
22.0
21.0
CORE FACILITIES TOTAL
7.7
7.7
7.7
FAC TOWN BLDG TOTAL
4.0
4.0
` 4.0
TOWN DEPARTMENTS
230.4
250.4
232.3
Below is a more traditional picture of the Town Manager's FY19 Budget for the Town
departments:
C16\
My concerns with this balanced budget are many. Recognizing that Risk is now as important to
the organization as Services offered does not diminish the fact that Services are important to
residents and businesses.
First and foremost is the level of Public Safety staffing. I was unable to fund any of the nine
uniformed positions requested by the Chiefs to bring us up close to Peer Community average
staffing levels. In FY20, given the continued growth in the community, I believe we will need
to fund at least three of these positions, and without additional revenues will need to cut
services to do so. I was able to piece together the funding of a shared clerk's position for Police
and Fire, as we had discussed. This will allow existing uniformed staff to perform less clerical
duties.
My second concern is the lack of depth in the Finance department, as I was unable to fund a
junior accounting position to back up the Town Accountant. Recall that my pillars of modern
society focused on Security, Education and Infrastructure. The long -term financial health of the
organization is a key backdrop to all three of these areas. Eliminating the separate Finance
Director position (it is now part of the Town Accountant's role) has raised the organization's
financial risk profile. It is my hope that a strong Treasurer position, recently hired, will help fill
some of that void.
Public Safety and Finance as my two main concerns would be my priorities for any Override
funding discussion on the Town side, which will be discussed later in this memo.
A list of other staffing requests I was unable to fund include these positions:
Administrative Services — a second HR Generalist; a Software & Training Coordinator,
and clerical help primarily for the Town Clerk's office;
Public Services - the Community Service Director and additional hours for the H/E
Administrator;
Finance — Assistant Town Accountant;
Public Safety — five additional Police officers (one a second School Resource Officer);
four additional firefighters;
Public Works — a full -time clerical position, not one shared with Water & Sewer;
seasonal staffing in Engineering, Highway, Parks and Cemetery;
Public Library — Sunday Hours;
A list of requests I was able to fund is smaller, but will address key weaknesses in the
organization:
5�,a
FY18ACTUAL
FY19TOWN
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC TOTAL
$
2,433,058
$ 2,507,220
$ 2,585,147
$ 1,238,128
$ 2,778,900
$ 2,814,075
1.27%
PUBLIC SERVICES TOTAL
$
1,336,685
$ 1,489,537
$ 1,455,659
$ 703,276
$ 1,660,959
` $ 1,721,425 `
3.64%
FINANCETOTAL
$
683,026
$ 773,655
$ 767,655
$ 282,371
$ 805,050
$ 824,200
2.38%
PUBLIC SAFETY TOTAL
$
9,138,410
$ 9,444,888
$ 10,081,121
$ 4,365,856
$ 10,074,925
$ 10,406,475
3.29%
DPW OPERATIONS TOTAL
$
2,800,588
$ 3,118,710
$ 3,063,801
$ 1,299,284
$ 3,362,575
$ 3,442,450
2.38%
DPW TRASH-ST LIGHT-SNOW
$
2,881,807
$ 2,012,053
$ 2,465,453
$ 873,196
$ 2,401,500
$ 2,454,395
2.20%
LIBRARY TOTAL
$
1,393,957
$ 1,436,975
$ 1,483,153
$ 623,630
$ 1,548,883
$ 1,592,015
2.78%
CORE FACILITIES TOTAL
$
2,235,355
$ 2,433,048
$ 2,517,990
$ 1,053,895
$ 2,997,180
$ 2,999,275
0.07%
FAC TOWN BLDG TOTAL
$
244,002
$ 291,598
$ 295,949
$ 160,702
! $ 299,935
$ 314,400
4.82%
$ 23,146,888
$ 23,507,684
$ 24,715,928
$ 10,600,337
$ 25,929,907
$ 26,568,710
2.46%
My concerns with this balanced budget are many. Recognizing that Risk is now as important to
the organization as Services offered does not diminish the fact that Services are important to
residents and businesses.
First and foremost is the level of Public Safety staffing. I was unable to fund any of the nine
uniformed positions requested by the Chiefs to bring us up close to Peer Community average
staffing levels. In FY20, given the continued growth in the community, I believe we will need
to fund at least three of these positions, and without additional revenues will need to cut
services to do so. I was able to piece together the funding of a shared clerk's position for Police
and Fire, as we had discussed. This will allow existing uniformed staff to perform less clerical
duties.
My second concern is the lack of depth in the Finance department, as I was unable to fund a
junior accounting position to back up the Town Accountant. Recall that my pillars of modern
society focused on Security, Education and Infrastructure. The long -term financial health of the
organization is a key backdrop to all three of these areas. Eliminating the separate Finance
Director position (it is now part of the Town Accountant's role) has raised the organization's
financial risk profile. It is my hope that a strong Treasurer position, recently hired, will help fill
some of that void.
Public Safety and Finance as my two main concerns would be my priorities for any Override
funding discussion on the Town side, which will be discussed later in this memo.
A list of other staffing requests I was unable to fund include these positions:
Administrative Services — a second HR Generalist; a Software & Training Coordinator,
and clerical help primarily for the Town Clerk's office;
Public Services - the Community Service Director and additional hours for the H/E
Administrator;
Finance — Assistant Town Accountant;
Public Safety — five additional Police officers (one a second School Resource Officer);
four additional firefighters;
Public Works — a full -time clerical position, not one shared with Water & Sewer;
seasonal staffing in Engineering, Highway, Parks and Cemetery;
Public Library — Sunday Hours;
A list of requests I was able to fund is smaller, but will address key weaknesses in the
organization:
5�,a
Public Services (0.4 FTEs) — some additional funds from the general fund and
revolving fund for a full time Building Inspector, combined with reduced hours for
existing staff, though the total is less than what was requested;
Public Services — changing a clerical position into a Staff Planner position for small
incremental costs (see the department budget for more detail);
Public Safety (1 FTE) — shared clerical support for Police and Fire;
Public Works (0.5 FTEs) — shared clerical support with the Water and Sewer Enterprise
Funds.
The two -year approach worked very well. Last year we eliminated more Town positions (7.6
FTEs) than were strictly needed, and we prepared for a flat operating budget in FYI 9. In fact a
better +2.5% operating budget in FYI has allowed us to restore almost 2 of those positions.
10
Below is a line item detail of all cuts made for $5,000 or more from the December budgets -
except where a substitution was made (for example, a promotion in DPW eliminated one line
but created another). The cuts are further described as wages or expenses. Note the FY19
budget column describes what was funded. Many other smaller changes were made since
December but net to only a reduction of about $60,000 in total.
FY19TOWN
SORTED BY DOLLARS CUT MGR BUDGET CUTS WAGES EXPENSES
POLICE OFFICERS
$
1,815,000
$
(405,000)
$
(405,000) j
FIRE FIREFIGHTERS
$
2,835,000
$
(332,000)'
$
(332,000)
COMM SVC DIR /ASST DEPT HEAD
$
-
$
(80,000)
$
(80,000)'
SOFTWARE TRAINING COORDINATOR
$
-
$
(66,025)
$
(66,025)
HR GENERALIST
$
66,275
$
(59,955)
$
(59,955)
ASSISTANTTOWN ACCOUNTANT
$
2,000
$
(43,000)
$
(43,000)
AS CLERK
$
43,450
$
(37,275)
$
(37,275)
INSPECTION BUILDING INSP
$
165,450
$
(31,825)
$
(31,825)!
EN TEMP HELP EN AIDE
$
-
$
(27,500)
$
(27,500)+
HIGHWAY WAGES TEMP
$
-
$
(26,000)
$
(26,000)'
REGIONAL ANIMAL CONTROL
$
26,000
$
(24,000)
$ (24,000)
ELDER /HUMAN SVCADMIN
$
47,600
$
(21,825)
$
(21,825)
DPW CLERK
$
21,200
$
(21,200)
$
(21,200)
FIRE UNIFORMS AND CLOTHING
$
40,000
$
(20,000)
$ (20,000)
CEMETERY WAGES TEMP
$
38,000
$
(19,000)
$
(19,000)
CHILDRENS SUNDAY HOURS
$
-
$
(15,500)
$
(15,500)
REFERENCE SUNDAY HOURS
$
-
$
(15,500),
$
(15,500)
POLICE OVERTIME
$
350,000
$
(15,000)'
$
(15,000)'
POLICETRAINING
$
25,000
$
(15,000)
$
(15,000)'
POLICE UNIFORMS AND CLOTHING
$
10,000
$
(15,000)'
$ (15,000)
LIBRARY LIBRARY MATERIALS
$
212,000
$
(15,000)
$ (15,000)
LIB CIRC SUNDAY HOURS
$
-
$
(13,500),
$
(13,500)
E/H EMARC SOCIAL SERVICES
$
-
$
(13,000)'
$ (13,000)
INSPECTION ALTERNATE INSP
$
-
$
(10,000)
$
(10,000)
INSPECTION CODE ENFORCEMENT
$
-
$
(10,000)
$
(10,000)
PARKS WAGES TEMP
$
52,000
$
(9,000)
$
(9,000)
FIRE EQUIP MAINT /SVC /REPAIR
$
7,000
$
(7,000)
$ (7,000)
TF CUSTODIAL OVERTIME
$
23,000
$
(7,000)
$
(7,000)
MAINTENANCE OVERTIME
$
20,000
$
(7,000)
$
(7,000)
HR PROF /TECH SV
$
5,000
$
(5,000)
$ (5,000)
TECH NETWORK HARDWARE
$
15,000
$
(5,000)'
$ (5,000)
TOWN CLERK PROF /TECH SV
$
10,000
$
(5,000)
$ (5,000)
FIRE RADIO MAINT /REPAIRS
$
5,000
$
(5,000)
$ (5,000)
HIGHWAY LINE PAINTING
$
45,000
$
(5,000),
$ (5,000)
HIGHWAY HIGHWAY PATCH
$
25,000
$
(5,000)
$ (5,000)
DPW ADMIN PROF DEV /TRAINING
$
10,000
$
(5,000)
$ (5,000)
$ (1,417,105); $ (1,288,105) $ (129,000)
5e
Preliminary Override Thoughts
Here is a table of my current priorities, ranked in order. I have assigned a 25% benefits cost
when full time positions are created, and also estimated what the average single family home
would pay for each addition, and a running cumulative total.
Note above two bold items that were not formally requested this year. As we continue to see
retirements for employees with 25+ years of service, training and professional development
become increasingly important for the HR infrastructure of the organization. You saw in the
Library presentation that their staffing study suggested some additional positions phased in
over time. Above are a 0.5 FTE paraprofessional and a 0.25 FTE professional position.
Using the current Town/School ratio, the total list (items 1 -29) above implies a total figure of
about $4.75 million.
Absent from that total is the sustainability concept (estimated at a minimum of $500k per
year), and increased liability funding (OPEB, pensions, capital).
565
BENEFITS
AVG
HOUSE
PRIORITIZED FOR OVERRIDE
WAGE
EXPENSE
(25 %)
TOTAL
CUM. TOTAL
HOUSE
CUM.
I POLICE OFFICER #1
$
80,000
$ 3,500
$
20,000
$
103,500
$ 103,500
®$ 12.94
$
13
2 FIREFIGHTER #1
$
80,000
$ 5,500
$
20,000
$
105,500
$ 209,000
�$ 13.19
$
26
3 POLICE OFFICER #2
$
80,000 !
$ 3,500
$
20,000
$
103,500
$ 312,500
r$ 12.94 !
$
39
4 FIREFIGHTER #2
$
80,000
$ 5,500
$
20,000
$
105,500
! $ 418,000
F$ 13.19
$
52
5 POLICE OFFICER #3
$
80,000
$ 3,500
$
20,000
$
103,500
$ 521,500
$ 12.94
$
65
6 ASSTTOWN ACCOUNTANT
$
50,000 !
$
12,500
$
62,500
$ 584,000
$ 7.81
$
73
7 FIREFIGHTER #3
$
80,000
$ 5,500
$
20,000
$
105,500
$ 689,500
r$ 13.19
$
86
8 POLICE OFFICER #4 SRO
$
90,000
$ 3,500
$
22,500
$
116,000
$ 805,500
�$ 14.50
$
101
9 FIREFIGHTER #4
$
80,000 !
$ 5,500
$
20,000
$
105,500
$ 911,000
®$ 13.19
$
114
10 POLICE OFFICER #5
$
80,000
$ 3,500
$
20,000
$
103,500
$ 1,014,500
r$ 12.94
$
127
11' SOFTWARE TRAINING COORDINATOR
$
66,000
$
16,500
$
82,500
$ 1,097,000
$ 10.31
$
137
12 LIBRARY MATERIALS 14%
$ 10,000
$
10,000
$ 1,107,000
r$ 1.25
d
$
138
13 HR- TRAINING FOR ORGANIZATION
$ 25,000
$
25,000
$ 1,132,000
$ 3.13
$
142'
14 POLICE OT /TRAINING
$
30,000
$
30,000
$ 1,162,000
�$ 3.75
$
145
15 LIBRARY ADD'LSTAFFING 0.75FTE
$
35,500
$
8,875
$
44,375
$ 1,206,375
®$ 5.55
$
151
16' LIBRARY SUNDAY HOURS
$
44,500
$ 7,500
$
11,125
'$
63,125
$ 1,269,500
P$ 7.89
$
159
17 ELDER /HUMAN SVC ADMIN - hours
$
22,000
$
22,000
$ 1,291,500
P$ 2.75
$
161
18' INSPECTION BUILDINGINSP - hours
$
30,000
$
30,000
$ 1,321,500
r$ 3.75
$
165
19 INSPECTION CODE ENFORCEMENT
$
10,000
$
10,000
$ 1,331,500
r$ 1.25
$
166
20 REGIONAL ANIMAL CONTROL
$ 24,000
$
24,000
$ 1,355,500
R$ 3.00
! $
169
21 ENG TEMP HELP ENG AIDE
$
27,500
$
27,500
$ 1,383,000
r$ 3.44
$
173
22 CEMETERY WAGES TEMP
$
19,000
$
19,000
$ 1,402,000
P$ 2.38
$
175
23 DPW CLERK - share with W &S
$
21,500
$
21,500
$ 1,423,500
y$ 2.69
�$
$
178
24 AS CLERK
$
37,500
$
9,375
$
46,875
$ 1,470,375
5.86
$
184
25 COMM SVC DIR /ASST DEPT HEAD
$
80,000
$
20,000.
$
100,000
$ 1,570,375
v$ 12.50
$
196
26 PARKS WAGES TEMP
$
10,000
$
10,000
$ 1,580,375$
1.25
$
198
27 HR GENERALIST
$
60,000
$
15,000
$
75,000
$ 1,655,375
r$ 9.38
$
207
28 FACILITIES OTfor projects
$
15,000
$
15,000
$ 1,670,375
®$ 1.88
$
209
29 TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT
$ 15,000
$
15,000
$ 1,685,375
r$ 1.88
$
211
30 HIGHWAY WAGES TEMP
$
26,000
$
26,000
$ 1,711,375
$ 3.25
$
214
$
1,314,500
$ 121,000
$
275,875
Note above two bold items that were not formally requested this year. As we continue to see
retirements for employees with 25+ years of service, training and professional development
become increasingly important for the HR infrastructure of the organization. You saw in the
Library presentation that their staffing study suggested some additional positions phased in
over time. Above are a 0.5 FTE paraprofessional and a 0.25 FTE professional position.
Using the current Town/School ratio, the total list (items 1 -29) above implies a total figure of
about $4.75 million.
Absent from that total is the sustainability concept (estimated at a minimum of $500k per
year), and increased liability funding (OPEB, pensions, capital).
565
Administrative Services
FY19 Budget
The Administrative Services Department's FY19 budget is increased by 1.3% when
compared to the previous year. Details by Division are shown below:
Overview
The Administrative Service department is designed to promote organizational efficiency
and communication. The Administrative Services Director serves as the department head
and also as the role of Ombudsman - an advocate for the public. This role was thought to
be separated from the role of the Town Manager's position by the Charter many years
ago. However due to financial constraints the two roles remained together for many
years. More recent changes to the Charter approved in January 2015 by a Special Town
Meeting now requires the Town Manager to appoint someone else within the
organization to that role. This position replaced the former Assistant Town
Manager /Finance Director.
A 4.8% increase in wages is driven by the need to fund three elections - two more than in
FYI 8. The increase would be 2.6% without the change in elections. Details by division
are shown below:
FYI8ACTUAL FY19TOWN
FYISACTUAL" FY16ACTUAL FYI7ACTUAL to 12 /11/17 FYISBUDGET MGRBUDGEf CHANGE
Operations $ 318,089 $ 352,181 $ 491,100 $ 196,328 $ 499,075 $ 514,075 3.0%
Town Manager Office $ 148,467 $ 153,524 $ 164,411 $ 66,906 $ 166,325 $ 171,500 3.1%
Human Resources $ 71,082 $ 98,460 $ 140,660 $ 58,339 $ 145,025 ! $ 149,400 3.0%
Technology $ 268,823 $ 292,402 $ 318,461 $ 126,402 $ 325,825 $ 334,275 2.6%
Town Clerk Office $ 122,855 $ 126,997 $ 130,004 $ 55,055 $ 136,850 $ 140,975 3.0%
Elections $ 39,240 $ 20,315 $ 68,160 $ 770 $ 27,200 $ 52,500 93.0%.
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC WAGES $ 968,556 $ 1,043,880 $ 1,312,795 $ 503,800 $ 1,300,300 $ 1,362,725 4.8%
It is worth noting that comparing actual funds spent in wages can be deceiving because
positions were vacant for significant periods of time in some town departments. For
example, in Operations both the department head position and the centralized
procurement position were budgeted but vacant for almost two years each, understating
wages by well over $150,000 in some fiscal years shown above. An HR position shared
with the School department is the only new one shown in the table above, added in FYI 7.
N
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to
12/11/17
FY18BUDGEi
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
Operations
$
460,109
$ 493,191
$ 618,586
$
243,652
$ 641,575
$ 663,575
3.4%
Town Manager Office
$
1,057,719
$ 1,063,567
$ 873,918
$
508,379
$ 910,025
$ 937,950
3.1%
Human Resources
$
89,279
$ 136,101
$ 182,569
$
65,625
$ 169,525
$ 177,400
4.6%
Technology
$
627,949
$ 641,270
$ 678,785
$
360,236
$ 841,725
$ 795,675
-5.5%
Town Clerk Office
$
122,855
$ 126,997
$ 130,110
$
55,364
$ 151,850
$ 150,975
-0.6%'
Elections
$
75,147
$ 46,094
$ 101,180
$
4,872
$ 64,200
$ 88,500
37.9%
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC TOTAL
$
2,433,058
$ 2,507,220
$ 2,585,147
$
1,238,128
$ 2,778,900
$ 2,814,075
1.3%
Overview
The Administrative Service department is designed to promote organizational efficiency
and communication. The Administrative Services Director serves as the department head
and also as the role of Ombudsman - an advocate for the public. This role was thought to
be separated from the role of the Town Manager's position by the Charter many years
ago. However due to financial constraints the two roles remained together for many
years. More recent changes to the Charter approved in January 2015 by a Special Town
Meeting now requires the Town Manager to appoint someone else within the
organization to that role. This position replaced the former Assistant Town
Manager /Finance Director.
A 4.8% increase in wages is driven by the need to fund three elections - two more than in
FYI 8. The increase would be 2.6% without the change in elections. Details by division
are shown below:
FYI8ACTUAL FY19TOWN
FYISACTUAL" FY16ACTUAL FYI7ACTUAL to 12 /11/17 FYISBUDGET MGRBUDGEf CHANGE
Operations $ 318,089 $ 352,181 $ 491,100 $ 196,328 $ 499,075 $ 514,075 3.0%
Town Manager Office $ 148,467 $ 153,524 $ 164,411 $ 66,906 $ 166,325 $ 171,500 3.1%
Human Resources $ 71,082 $ 98,460 $ 140,660 $ 58,339 $ 145,025 ! $ 149,400 3.0%
Technology $ 268,823 $ 292,402 $ 318,461 $ 126,402 $ 325,825 $ 334,275 2.6%
Town Clerk Office $ 122,855 $ 126,997 $ 130,004 $ 55,055 $ 136,850 $ 140,975 3.0%
Elections $ 39,240 $ 20,315 $ 68,160 $ 770 $ 27,200 $ 52,500 93.0%.
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC WAGES $ 968,556 $ 1,043,880 $ 1,312,795 $ 503,800 $ 1,300,300 $ 1,362,725 4.8%
It is worth noting that comparing actual funds spent in wages can be deceiving because
positions were vacant for significant periods of time in some town departments. For
example, in Operations both the department head position and the centralized
procurement position were budgeted but vacant for almost two years each, understating
wages by well over $150,000 in some fiscal years shown above. An HR position shared
with the School department is the only new one shown in the table above, added in FYI 7.
N
Expenses are reduced by 1.8% as some one -time items funded in Technology and the
Town Clerk Office and described in the FY18 budget are eliminated. Note that the
increase in elections has no impact on the expense budget. Details by division are also
shown below:
FYI8ACTUAL FY19 TOWN
FYISACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL' FYI7ACTUAL. tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET' MGR BUDGET CHANGE !
Operations $ 142,021 $ 141,010 $ 127,485 $ 47,325 $ 142,500 $ 149,500 4.9 %'
Town Manager Office $ 909,252 $ 910,042 $ 709,506 $ 441,473 $ 743,700 $ 766,450 3.1 %'
Human Resources $ 18,197 $ 37,641 $ 41,910 $ 7,286 $ 24,500 ! $ 28,000 14.3%
Technology $ 359,126 $ 348,868 $ 360,325 $ 233,833 $ 515,900 $ 461,400 -10.6%
Town Cl e rk Office $ - $ - $ 106 $ 310 $ 15,000 $ 10,000 - 33.3%
Elections $ 35,907 $ 25,779 $ 33,020 $ 4,102 $ 37,000 $ 36,000 -2.7%
ADMINISTRATIVE SVC EXPENSES $ 1,464,502 $ 1,463,340 $ 1,272,352 $ 734,328 $ 1,478,600 $ 1,451,350 -1.8%
Department Support Revenue: The department conducts many activities for other parts
of the organization. The Water, Sewer, Storm Water Enterprise Funds and RMLD will
make total payments of about $140,000 to the general fund on behalf of the
Administrative Services department. The school department is not charged since they are
also part of the general fund. Note that property insurance is billed directly to the three
Enterprise Funds and RMLD.
Operations: This division includes the department head, Business Administrator,
Procurement Officer (town & schools) and other staff shared with the department. This
division is the centralized location for procurement, communications and constituent
services. Postage is now centralized in this division, as well as equipment maintenance.
The FY19 budget is increased by 3.4% as described below.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOWN
FYI5ACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL FYI7ACTUAL tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET CHANGE
OEPRATIONS TOTAL $ 460,109 $ 493,191 $ 618,586 $ 243,652 $ 641,575 $ 663,575 3.4%
A small increase in Overtime funding is needed for clerical coverage of night meetings,
and a software upgrade increase the Specialist position. Another slight reduction in hours
for the High School student temp office position is suggested as this position has been
difficult to fill sustainably, given the significant and variable after- school activities for
most students. Expenses in the Operations division are little changed for FY19 for most
lines as shown on the next page.
FYI8ACTUAL
FY19TOWN
FYI5ACTUAL
FYI6ACTUAL
FYI7ACTUAL
to 12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
ADMIN SERVICES DIRECTOR
$
15,282
$ 97,436
$ 100,425
$ 41,678
$ 103,625
$ 106,750
3.0 %'
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
$
63,653
$ 69,532
$ 74,506
$ 25,423
$ 66,700
$ 66,025
-1.0 %.
AS SR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
$
21,323
$ 47,246
$ 49,585
$ 20,557
$ 51,125
$ 52,650
10%
AS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
$
19,409
$ 43,248
$ 37,329'
$ 17,614
$ 46,450
$ 46,000
-1.0%
OPS ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY
$
(2)
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
AS ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY
$
42,798:
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0 %,
AS CLERK
$
41,543
$ 37,261
$ 52,937
$ 16,662
$ 42,625
$ 43,450
1.9%
OPS BUSINESS ADMIN
$
74,944
$ 43,289
$ 78,007
$ 32,458
$ 80,700
$ 83,125
3.0 %'
OPS PROCUREMENT OFFICER
$
-
$ 5,284
$ 70,505
$ 29,507
$ 73,350
$ 75,575
3.0 %'
OPERATIONS SPECIALIST
$
24,342'
$ 3,389
$ 6,939
$ 9,252
$ 20,000
$ 25,000
25.0%
OPS WAGES OVERTIME
$
11,531
$ 4,812
$ 8,068
$ 2,486
$ 8,000
$ 10,000
25.0%
OPS WAGES TEMP
$
3,266
$ 686
$ 1,117
$ 690
$ 6,500
$ 5,500
- 15.4%
OPS SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$ -
$ 11,681
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
OPERATIONS WAGES
$
318,089
$ 352,181
$ 491,100
$ 196,328
$ 499,075
$ 514,075
3.0%
A small increase in Overtime funding is needed for clerical coverage of night meetings,
and a software upgrade increase the Specialist position. Another slight reduction in hours
for the High School student temp office position is suggested as this position has been
difficult to fill sustainably, given the significant and variable after- school activities for
most students. Expenses in the Operations division are little changed for FY19 for most
lines as shown on the next page.
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to12 /11/17 FY18BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
OPS POSTAGE $ 81,517 $ 83,328 $ 71,927 $ 17,901 $
80,000 $ 85,000 6.3%
OPS POSTAGE FOR BILLING $ (200) $ - $ - $ 30 $
- $ - 0.0 %!
OPS LEASE COPIER $ 26,728 $ 28,256 $ 28,268 $ 13,295 $
30,000 $ 32,000 6.7 %'
OPS SUPLIES COPIER $ 6,974 $ 7,085 $ 5,957 $ 1,718 $
8,000 $ 8,000 0.0%
OPS OFFICE EQUIP REPAIR $ 801 $ 160 $ 595 $ 595 $
11000 $ 1,000 0.0%
OPS ADVERTISING $ - $ 152 $ - $ 261 $
- $ - 0.0%
OPS PRINTING SERVICES $ 7,047 $ 751 $ 751 $ 751 $
3,000 $ 3,000 0.0 %':
OPS PROF DEV /TRAINING $ 4,347 $ 6,459 $ 4,398 $ 2,061 $
5,000 $ 5,000 0.0%
OPS DUES /MEMBERSHIPS $ 5,730 $ 6,660 $ 6,598 $ 6,175 $
8,000 $ 8,000 0.0 %'
OPS PROF DEV REGISTRATION $ 632 $ 612 $ 529 $ - $
1,000 $ 1,000 0.0%
OPS PROF DEV - TRAVEL $ 1,815 $ 2,878 $ 3,596 $ 1,872 $
2,500 $ 2,500 0.0 %'
OPS OFFICE SUPPLIES $ 6,630 $ 4,669 $ 4,867 $ 2,667 $
4,000 $ 4,000 0.01
OPERATIONS EXPENSES $ 142,021 $ 141,010 $ 127,485 $ 47,325 $
142,500 $ 149,500 4.9%
Town Manager's Office includes the Town Manager, the elected Executive board, the
appointed Finance committee, Legal and Property Insurance.
Most of these functions
conduct activities that are central to the entire organization, often
including the School
department and occasionally the Light department. The FY19
budget is increased by
3.1 % as described below.
$ 2,000
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOWN
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to12/11/17
FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET CHANGE
TOWN MANAGER OFFFICETOTAL $ 1,057,719 $ 1,063,567 $ 873,918 $ 508,379
$ 910,025 $ 937,950 3.1%
Note that in FY18 the Town Manager refused to accept the contractual raise stipulated
and budgeted for a 0% change. In FY19 the budget (below) reflects the FY19 contractual
raise for that year only. From data compiled by a neighboring community, Reading ranks
in the bottom 15% for Town Manager total compensation among Peer Communities.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL' t012/11/17 FY18BUDGET'MGRBUDGETICHANGE
TOWN MGR WAGES $ 148,467 $ 153,524 $ 164,411 $ 66,906 $ 166,325 $ 171,500 3.1 %'
TOWN MGR WAGES $ 148,467 $ 153,524 $ 164,411 $ 66,906 $ 166,325 $ 171,500 3.1%
TOWN MGR RESERVE FUND
$
1,681
$
3,991
$
5,776
$
752
$
10,000
$ 10,000
0.0%
TOWN MGR EXPENSES
$
1,681
$
3;991
$
5,776
$
752
$
10,000
$ 10,000:
0.0%
ELECTED EXEC ADVERTISING
$
2,052
$
1,832
$
1,397
$
827
$
2,000
$ 2,000
0.0%
ELECTED EXEC OTHER
$
547
$
38
$
-
$
-
$
600
$ 600
0.01
ELECTED EXEC EXPENSES
$
2,599
$
1,870
$
1,397
$
827
$
2,600
$ 2,600
0.0%
APPOINTED FINANCE AUDIT
$
63,780
$
54,500
$
60,500
$
15,000
$
60,500
$ 61,000
0.8%
APPOINTED FINANCE PROF DEV
$
512
$
328
$
273
$
280
$
600
$ 600
0.0 %:
APPOINTED FINANCE EXPENSES
$
64,292
$
54,828
$
60,773
$
15,280
$
61,100
$ 61,600
0.8 %'
LAW LEGAL COUNSEL
$
265,230
$
155,619
$
193,465
$
10,243
$
200,000
$ 200,000
0.0 %'
LAW LABOR COUNSEL
$
7,700
$
4,958
$
19,259
$
6,112
$
25,000 !
$ 25,000
0.0 %'
TILT LITIGATION
$
177,467
$
154,395
$
16,191
$
1,080
$
-
$
0.0%
LAW OTHER LEGAL SERVICES
$
-
$
-
$
25,000
$
-
$
$
0.0%
LEGAL SETTLEMENT
$
-
$
125,000
$
1,127'
$
-
$
$
0.0%
LEGAL EXPENSES
$
450,397
$
439,972
$
255,042
$
17,435
$
225,000
$ 225,000
0.0%
LIABI L I NS PROF CONSULTANT
$
-
$
705
$
-
$
-
$
-
$ -
0.0 %'
PROP & CASUALTY INSURANCE
$
364,208
$
393,023
$
386,518
$
407,179
$
415,000
$ 430,000
3.6 %'!
LIABIL INS DEDUCTIBLES /CLAIMS
$
26,075
$
15,653
$
-
$
-
$
30,000
$ 37,250
24.2%
PROPERTY INSURANCE EXPENSES
$'
390,283
$
409,382
$
386,518
$
407,179
$
445,000
$ 467,250
5.0%
ab,
Note also that the Finance Committee has a $150,000 Reserve Fund that is not a part of
this budget and is voted by Town Meeting as a separate line item. By Charter the Town
Manager may request funding from these Reserves but only a majority vote of FINCOM
authorizes expenditure.
Human Resources: This division provides support to the Town (under the direction of
the Town Manager); to the Schools (under the direction of the Superintendent); to the
Light Department (under the direction of the RMLD General Manager) and to all
Retirees (in conjunction with the independent Reading Retirement Board). Typically this
division works closely with the town's Finance department on coordinating payroll and
benefits. The FYI budget is increased by 4.6% as described below.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET'MGRBUDGET CHANGE
HUMAN RESOURCES TOTAL $ 89,279 $ 136,101 $ 182,569 $ 65,625 $ 169,525 $ 177,400 4.6%
The Human Resources Generalist, approved by November 2015 Town Meeting, is a
shared position between the Town and Schools. This was a critical addition, because the
Human Resources field is becoming increasingly complex due to rapidly changing state
and federal requirements.
Technology: This division provides centralized computer network and
telecommunications services as well as distributed internet, audio /video, software and
personal computer support and geographic information systems (GIS) mapping. This
division also coordinates many technology activities with both the School and Light
Departments, as well as with other communities in order to support regionalization
agreements. The FYI budget is decreased by 5.5% as described below.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET'MGRBUDGET CHANGE
TECHNOLOGYTOTAL $ 627,949 $ 641,270 $ 678,785 $ 360,236 $ 841,725 $ 795,675 -5.5%
FY15ACTUAL
TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
$
92,924
FY18 ACTUAL
$
FY19 TOW N
COMPUTER TECHNICIAN
$
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
tol2 /11/17
FYI8BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
HR DIRECTOR /ASST DEPT HEAD
$
71,082
$ 75,866
$ 78,215
$ 32,458
$ 80,700
$ 83,125
3.0%
HR GENERALIST
$
-
$ 22,594
$ 62,445 '
$ 25,881
$ 64,325
$ 66,275
3.0%
HUMAN RESOURCES WAGES
$
71,082
$ 98,460
$ 140,660
$ 58,339
$ 145,025
$ 149,400
3.0°%
HR PROF /TECH SV
$
-
$ 14,145
! $ 17,991
$ -
$ 5,000
$ 5,000
0.0%
HR ADVERTISING
$
3,170
$ 3,635
$ 5,227
$ 1,840
$ 5,000
$ 5,000
0.0%
HR EMPLOYEE PHYSICALS
$
13,732
$ 16,661
$ 15,952
$ 3,235
$ 12,000
$ 15,000
25.0%
DOT CERTIFICATIONS
$
1,295
$ 3,199
$ 2,740
$ 2,211
$ 2,500
$ 3,000
20.0 %'
HUMAN RESOURCES EXPENSES
$
18,197
$ 37,641
$ 41,910
$ 7,286
$ 24,500
$ 28,000
14.3%
The Human Resources Generalist, approved by November 2015 Town Meeting, is a
shared position between the Town and Schools. This was a critical addition, because the
Human Resources field is becoming increasingly complex due to rapidly changing state
and federal requirements.
Technology: This division provides centralized computer network and
telecommunications services as well as distributed internet, audio /video, software and
personal computer support and geographic information systems (GIS) mapping. This
division also coordinates many technology activities with both the School and Light
Departments, as well as with other communities in order to support regionalization
agreements. The FYI budget is decreased by 5.5% as described below.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET'MGRBUDGET CHANGE
TECHNOLOGYTOTAL $ 627,949 $ 641,270 $ 678,785 $ 360,236 $ 841,725 $ 795,675 -5.5%
0
FY15ACTUAL
TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
$
92,924
SOFTWARE TRAININGCOORDINAT(
$
-
COMPUTER TECHNICIAN
$
76,170
GIS ADMINISTRATOR
$
69,304
TECH OVERTIME
$
29,257
TECHNOLOGY SICK LEAVE BUYBACK $
1,168
TECHNOLOGY WAGES
$
268,823
0
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
t012/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGR BUDGET CHANGE
$ 100,194
$ 106,383
$ 42,673
$ 106,100.
$ 107,125
1.0 %!
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0 %i
$ 95,205
$ 123,996
$ 50,976
$ 126,725
$ 131,725
3.95/. '
$ 72,029
$ 78,767
$ 32,577
$ 81,000
$ 83,425
3.0 %!
$ 24,974
$ 9,315
$ 176
$ 12,000
$ 12,000
0.0 %I
$ -
$
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
$ 292,402
$ 318,461
$ 126,402
$ 325,825
$ 334,275
2.6 %'
0
Expenses for the division are broken down into parts & equipment (first table) and
software system licenses (second table) that support many town and some school
activities.
As a reminder three technology projects (Office upgrade, DPW rugged field tablets, and
Network Firewall upgrade) were funded with $80,000 of one -time funds in the FY18
budget. Their elimination from the FY19 budget masks the typical annual increase in
technology expenses.
Town Clerk Office and Elections: The Town Clerk is guided by Federal, State, and
local laws and policies in overseeing Elections, voter registration, the census process,
Town Meeting, and local licenses as well as historic and legal documents for the Town.
The Town Clerk also oversees document storage efforts for town & schools. The FY19
Town Clerk Office budget is decreased by 0.6 %; the FY19 Elections budget is increased
by 37.9 %. Each budget is described further below.
am
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
tol2 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET!
CHANGE
PHONE LANDLINES
$
39,664
$ 45,762
$
42,317
$ 20,604
$ 45,000
$
45,000
0.0%
PHONE WIRELESS
$
38,076
$ 41,023
$
43,177
$ 19,274
$ 45,000
$
50,000
11.1%
TECH MAINTCONTRACT /REPAIR
$
3,600
$ 9,463
$
11,313
$ 1,159
$ 7,000
$
8,000
14.3%
TECH PROF /TECH SV
$
317
$ 804
$
-
$ 605
$ 3,000 ',
$
3,000
0.0%
TECH PROF /TECH MAIL /DELIVERYS
$
16
$ -
$
$
$ -
$
-
0.0%
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER
$
125
$ -
$
$
$ -
$
-
0.0%
TECH LICENSE & SUPPORT
$
13,904
$ 17,492
$
24,588
$ 14,023
$ 10,000
$
15,000
50.0%
TECH MICROSOFT SERVER SUPPORT
$
1,215
$ -
$
20
$ 1,138
$ 41,500
$
2,500
- 94.0%
TECH TONER CARTRIDGES
$
10,719
$ 13,596
$
7,112
$ 1,585
$ 15,000
$
15,000'
0.0%
TECH OFF SUPPLIES PAPER
$
48
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0%
TECH COMPUTER PARTS & SUPPLIES
$
25,764
$ 18,379
$
10,174
$ 6,744
$ 25,000
$
22,500
- 10.0%
TECH PC HARDWARE
$
19,265
$ 13,983
$
23,183
$ 2,331
$ 65,000
$
32,500
-50.0%
TECH NETWORK HARDWARE
$
9,630
$ 3,297
$
1,010
$ 3,252
$ 23,000
$
15,000
- 34.8%
TECH GIS SUPPLIES
$
-
$ -
$
-
$ 479
$ 1,000
$
1,000
0.0%
TECH PC SOFTWARE
$
$ 6,300
$
59
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0%
TECH MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT
$
$ 52
$
-
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0%
TECHNOLOGY PARTS & EQUIP
$
162,344
$ 170,152
$
162,952
$ 71,194
$ 280,500
$
209,500
- 25.3%
MUNIS FINANCIAL S/W
$
67,880'
$ 69,443
$
73,843:
$ 76,090
$ 78,000
$
83,000
6.4%
ADMINS FINANCIAL S/W
$
1,920
$ 2,040
$
2,190
$ -
$ 2,500
$
2,500:
0.0%
DOCUMENT STORAGE S/W
$
13,611'
$ 13,611
$
14,566'
$
$ 15,000
$
16,000
6.7%
WEBSITE S/W
$
4,400
$ 10,400
$
4,400
$
$ 6,000
$
6,000
0.0%
PUBLIC SAFETY ADMIN S/W
$
35,296
$ 20,358
$
27,707
$ 21,348
$ 36,000
$
34,000
-5.6%
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION S/W
$
9,900
$ 9,900
$
9,919
$ 9,922
$ 13,000
$
13,000
0.0%
RESIDENT COMMUNICATION S/W
$
-
$ 4,900
$
4,900
$ -
$ 5,000
$
5,500
10.0%
ELDER /HUMANSVC MONITORINGS /V $
-
$ -
$
1,800
$ 1,800
$ 2,000
$
2,000
0.0%
PERMITS & LICENSING S/W
$
34,507
$ 25,135
$
26,392
$ 28,239
$ 30,000
$
32,000
6.7%
GIS S/W
$
18,726
$ 11,503
$
14,240
$ 15,366
$ 29,000
$
30,000
3.4%
ASSESSOR FINANCIAL S/W
$
8,500
$ 9,000
$
9,275'
$ 8,075
$ 9,000
$
10,000'
11.1 %,
FACILITIES WORK ORDER SYSTEM
$
-
$ -
$
6,341
$ -
$ 7,500
$
15,500
106.7%
CEMETERY S/W
$
2,040
$ 2,425
$
1,800
$ 1,800
$ 2,400
$
2,400
0.0%
TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM LICENSES
$
196,781
$ 178,716
$
197,373
$ 162,640
$ 235,400
$
251,900
7.0%
TECHNOLOGY EXPENSES
$
359,126
$ 348,868
$
360,325
$ 233,833
$ 515,900
$
461,400
-10.6%
As a reminder three technology projects (Office upgrade, DPW rugged field tablets, and
Network Firewall upgrade) were funded with $80,000 of one -time funds in the FY18
budget. Their elimination from the FY19 budget masks the typical annual increase in
technology expenses.
Town Clerk Office and Elections: The Town Clerk is guided by Federal, State, and
local laws and policies in overseeing Elections, voter registration, the census process,
Town Meeting, and local licenses as well as historic and legal documents for the Town.
The Town Clerk also oversees document storage efforts for town & schools. The FY19
Town Clerk Office budget is decreased by 0.6 %; the FY19 Elections budget is increased
by 37.9 %. Each budget is described further below.
am
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL FYISACTUAL to12/11/17 FYI8BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
TOWN CLERK $ 72,920 $ 77,677 $ 80,067 $ 33,236 $ 82,625 ! $ 85,100 3.0%
ASST TOWN CLERK $ 49,935 $ 49,320 $ 49,937 $ 21,819 $ 54,225 $ 55,875 3.0 %'
TOWN CLERK OFFICE WAGES $ 122,855 $ 126,997 $ 130,004 $ 55,055 $ 136,850 $ 140,975 ! 3.0 %'
TOWN CLERK PROF /TECH SV $ - $ - $ 106 $ 310 $ 15,000 $ 10,000 -33.3%
TOWN CLERK OFFICE EXPENSES $ - $ - $ 106 $ 310 $ 15,000. $ 10,000 -33.3%
TOWN CLERK OFFICE TOTAL $ 122,855 $ 126,997 $ 130,110 $ 55,364 $ 151,850 $ 150,975 -0.6%
A one -time FY18 increase of $15,000 for historical document preservation is actually
continued at $10,000 for the FY19 budget. The Town Clerk and Library Director have
teamed up to apply for state preservation grants, and this funding serves as a possible
local share for such a grant.
The budget for Elections is driven by the increase from one local election in FYI to
three planned elections in FY19. A larger state grant expected in FY19 does reduce some
of that increase caused by an expanded voter registration calendar.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL FYI7ACTUAL tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET'MGR BUDGET 'CHANGE
ELECT REGISTRAR SALARY $ 1,599 $ 2,029 $ 2,072 $ 770 $ 2,000 $ 2,000 0.0%
ELECTION WORKERS $ 41,404 $ 20,771: $ 71,720 $ - $ 25,000 $ 55,000 120.0%
TOWN MEETING MONITOR $ 1,037 $ 215 $ " 868 $ $ 2,000 $ 2,000 0.0%
ELECTIONS STATE GRANT SUPPORT $ (4,800) $ (2,700) $ (6,500) $ $ (1,800) $ (6,500)' 261.1%
ELECTIONS WAGES $ 39,240 $ 20,315 $ 68,160 $ 770 $ 27,200 $ 52,500 93.0%
ELECT ADVERTISING $ 6,603 $ 8,312 $ 1,463 $ 1,854 $ 9,000 $ 6,000. - 33.3%
ELECT PRINTING TOWN MEETING $ 5,194 $ 1,600 $ 2,360 $ - $ 4,500 $ 4,500 0.0%
ELECT CENSUS EXPENSES $ 8,298 $ 3,554 $ 8,674 $ 2,068 $ 5,000 $ 5,000 ! 0.0%
ELECT BALLOT PROGRAMMING $ 10,247 $ 10,418 $ 15,712: $ - $ 10,000 $ 10,000 0.0 %'
ELECT PROF /TECH SERVICES $ 1,800 $ 45 $ - $ - $ 3,000 $ 3,000 0.0 %'
ELECT SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT $ 251 $ - $ 41 $ 180 $ 3,000 $ 3,000 0.0%
ELECTIONS - MEALS FOR WORKERS $ 3,513 $ 1,850 $ 4,769 $ - $ 2,500 $ 4,500 80.0 %`
ELECTIONS EXPENSES $ 35,907 $ 25,779 $ 33,020 $ 4,102 $ 37,000 $ 36,000 -2.7 %'
ELECTIONSTOTAL $ 75,147 $ 46,094 $ 101,180 $ 4,872 $ 64,200 $ 88,500 37.9 %.
5ffl
Public Services
FY19 Budget
The Public Services Department's FYI budget is increased by 3.6% when compared to
the previous year. Details by Division are shown below:
Overview
The Public Services (PS) department is comprised of two major functions: (1)
Community Development; and (2) Community Services. PS strives to provide excellent
customer service as well as a high level of collaboration and communication.
The Assistant Town Manager leads the department and works closely with the Town
Manager on Town Administration and special projects. The assistant department head is
also the Community Development Director. The Community Services Director position
remains vacant with this budget, having been eliminated last year as a second assistant
department head position.
Community Development is enhanced by the Planning and Permitting functions
combined as "One Stop Shopping" for small residential projects as well as large scale
commercial development projects. Having multiple permitting disciplines in one office is
helpful to applicants and provides ease of administration. Outside professional services
are provided as needed. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council and grants where
possible are used to reduce the cost of consultant services. Local volunteer boards include
Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC), the Zoning Board of
Appeals, Conservation Commission, the Historic District Commission and the Historical
Commission.
Community Services leverages increased staff communication between Health,
Human/Elder Services, Veterans and Recreation and their volunteer boards. The
Community Services Director position which was to lead this effort has been eliminated,
and a new Administrative Specialist clerical position is designed to attend many of these
night meetings in order to keep the communication flowing between volunteer boards and
the department. Local volunteer boards include the Council on Aging, the Board of
Health and the Recreation Committee.
5��a
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FYI8BUDGET
MGRBUDGET
CHANGE
Pub Svc Administration
$
336,661
$ 385,313
$ 310,850
$ 170,066
$ 371,350
$ 347,925
-6.3%
Planning
$
103,691
$ 147,799
$ 206,767
$ 122,660
$ 203,450
$ 270,025
32.7%
Inspections
$
124,742
$ 126,767
$ 112,875
$ 68,220
$ 160,450
$ 184,300
14.9 %,
Conservation
$
38,203
$ 56,496
$ 62,102 !
$ 26,397
$ 63,625
$ 65,600
3.1%
Health
$
182,738
$ 210,943
$ 219,497
$ 78,100
$ 225,775
$ 231,700
2.61% '
Elder Human Services
$
180,239
$ 188,008
$ 215,423
$ 104,396
$ 234,884
$ 226,425
-3.6%.
Veterans Service Office
$
25,344
$ 54,547
$ 57,689
$ 24,128
$ 59,500
$ 61,250
2.9%
Veterans Benefits
$
198,723
$ 183,945
.$ 173,990
$ 81,832
$ 245,000
$ 235,000
-4.1%
Recreation
$
146,039
$ 135,469
$ 95,947
$ 27,365
$ 95,425
$ 97,700
2.4%
Historical
$
306
$ 249
$ 518
$ 111
$ 1,500
$ 1,500
0.0%
PUBLIC SERVICES TOTAL
$
1,336,685
$ 1,489,537
$ 1,455,659
$ 703,276
$ 1,660,959
$ 1,721,425
3.6%
Overview
The Public Services (PS) department is comprised of two major functions: (1)
Community Development; and (2) Community Services. PS strives to provide excellent
customer service as well as a high level of collaboration and communication.
The Assistant Town Manager leads the department and works closely with the Town
Manager on Town Administration and special projects. The assistant department head is
also the Community Development Director. The Community Services Director position
remains vacant with this budget, having been eliminated last year as a second assistant
department head position.
Community Development is enhanced by the Planning and Permitting functions
combined as "One Stop Shopping" for small residential projects as well as large scale
commercial development projects. Having multiple permitting disciplines in one office is
helpful to applicants and provides ease of administration. Outside professional services
are provided as needed. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council and grants where
possible are used to reduce the cost of consultant services. Local volunteer boards include
Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC), the Zoning Board of
Appeals, Conservation Commission, the Historic District Commission and the Historical
Commission.
Community Services leverages increased staff communication between Health,
Human/Elder Services, Veterans and Recreation and their volunteer boards. The
Community Services Director position which was to lead this effort has been eliminated,
and a new Administrative Specialist clerical position is designed to attend many of these
night meetings in order to keep the communication flowing between volunteer boards and
the department. Local volunteer boards include the Council on Aging, the Board of
Health and the Recreation Committee.
5��a
Details about department Wages and Expenses are shown below - these are the two
budget lines voted by Town Meeting. Wages increase by 6.3 %, as there are some staffing
changes that are all driven by the increased economic development activity - which will
lead to New Growth tax revenues in coming years.
First, one full -time clerical position is eliminated in the Administration division, and
replaced by a full -time junior planning position in the Planning division. This will allow a
higher level of immediate customer service at the counter, and also free up senior
planning staff to work on the significant commercial development projects happening
across the community.
Second, and the FYI 9 budget driver, increased hours (14 hours per week or 0.4 FTEs) for
the Building Inspection division are also included in this budget because of that high
volume of development activity. This increase is partly offset by use of revolving funds.
The level of activity is now forecast for at. least the next two to three years, and could
increase further along with the Town's efforts to promote Economic Development.
Other department staffing levels remain unchanged.
FY18 ACTUAL FY 19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL FYISACTUAL to12 /11/17 FY18BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
Pub Svc Administration $ 312,799 $ 362,650 $ 310,954 $ 160,526 $ 343,350 $ 319,425 -7.0%
Planning $ 97,010 $ 142,344 $ 199,981 $ 121,344 $ 193,450 $ 260,025 34.4%
Inspections $ 124,742 $ 126,767 $ 112,875 $ 68,220 $ 160,450 $ 184,300 14.9%
Conservation $ 38,203: $ 56,496 $ 62,102 $ 26,397 $ 63,625 $ 65,600 3.1%
Health $ 59,340 $ 147,456 $ 167,439 $ 55,142 $ 168,525 $ 173,200 2.8%.
Elder Human Services $ 149,086 $ 156,421 $ 184,737 $ 98,782 $ 201,384 $ 205,225 1.9%
Veterans Service Office $ 25,044 $ 53,559 $ 56,751 $ 23,805 $ 58,500 $ 60,250 3.0%
Recreation $ 146,039 $ 135,469 $ 95,947 $ 27,365 $ 95,425 $ 97,700 2.4%
PUBLIC SERVICES WAGES $ 952,262 $ 1,181,162 $ 1,190,786 $ 581,580 $ 1,284,709 $ 1,365,725 6.3%
Expenses are reduced by 5.5% from the previous year, led by lower expected spending on
Veteran's Benefits. As a reminder, 75% of these expenditures are returned to the Town
one year later in the form of State Aid that is shared between the town and schools.
FYI8ACTUAL FY19TOWN
FYISACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL' FYI7ACTUAL to12/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET CHANGE
Pub Svc Administration $ 23,861 $ 22,663 $ (104), $ 9,540 $ 28,000 $ 28,500 1.8 %'
Planning $ 6,681 $ 5,454 ! $ 6,786 $ 1,316 $ 10,000 $ 10,000 0.0%
Health $ 123,398 $ 63,488 $ 52,058 $ 22,958 $ 57,250 ! $ 58,500 2.2%
Elder Human Services $ 31,153 $ 31,587 $ 30,687 $ 5,614 $ 33,500 $ 21,200 -36.7%
Veterans Service Office $ 300 $ 989 $ 938 $ 324 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 0.0%
Veterans Benefits $ 198,723 $ 183,945 $ 173,990 $ 81,832 $ 245,000 $ 235,000 -4.1%
Historical $ 306 $ 249 $ 518 $ 111 $ 1,500 $ 1,500 0.0%
PUBLIC SERVICES EXPENSES 384,423 308,374 264,873 1211695 376,250 355,700 -5.5%
The PS Department has tried several staffing models over the past few years as funding
has been a challenge even while the demand for services continues to increase.
Conservation, Health and Human/Elder Services all tried part-time division heads but
community demands as expressed through the volunteer boards required Health and
Conservation to be restored to full -time.
In response to the need for resources to address affordable housing through a regional
effort, The Metro North Regional Housing Services Office (MNRHSO) was spearheaded
5a�3
by Town of Reading staff. The MNRHSO services the communities of North Reading,
Wilmington, and Saugus with a shared full -time employee. The full wage and expense
costs of this effort is in this budget, but offset by revenues paid into the general fund by
these three communities that account for about 80% of the total cost.
The Administration budget consists of the department head, clerical support, and shared
department expenses. As mentioned, a clerical position is eliminated in this budget as
shown below. A document storage project is complete, and the revolving fund support is
discontinued. Expenses are generally level funded.
Community Development (Community Development Director) includes: Conservation,
Planning, Inspections and Historical.
The Community Development (CD) Director oversees Planning, Community
Development, and Conservation/Preservation. The CD Director also is the assistant
department Head.
The Conservation Administrator works with the Conservation Commission in
regulating the local wetland by -law as well as the Wetlands Protection Act. Reading has
a large amount of wetland areas requiring a full -time Conservation Administrator to assist
the public as well as the Conservation Commission. Note the position was restored to
full -time in FYI 6.
FYI8ACTUAL
FY19 TO W N
FYI8 ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY19 TO W N
CONSERVATION ADMIN $
FYISACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
ASSISTANTTOWN MANAGER
$
112,985
$
120,698
$
124,410
$ 51,632
$
128,350
$ 129,625
1.0%
PS OFFICE MANAGER
$
23,111
$
50,991
$
52,572
$ 13,706
$
26,050
$ 26,825
3.0%
ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST
$
-
$
-
$
-
$ 15,943
$
55,125
$ 54,575
-1.0%
PS SENIOR ADMIN ASSISTANT
$
-
$
45,930
$
991
$ -
$
-
$ -
0.0%
PS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
$
44,126
$
33,261
$
45,076
$ 18,693
$
46,450
$ 47,850
3.0%
PS ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY
$
37,760
$
59,573
$
45,260
$ 18,732
$
46,625
$ 48,050
3.1%
PS CLERK
$
76,462
$
37,569
$
39,531
$ 16,392
$
40,750
$ -
- 100.0%
PS ADMIN OVERTIME "
$
38,355
$
39,629
$
33,114
$ 4,821
$
15,000
$ 12,500
-16.7%
PS REVOLVING FUND SUPPORT
$
(20,000)
$
(25,000)
$
(30,000)
$ -
$
(15,000)
$ -
- 100.0%
PS SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$
-
$
-
$ 20,609
$
-
$ -
0.0%
PS ADMINISTRATION WAGES
$
312,799
$
362,650
$
310,954
$ 160,526
$
343,350
$ 319,425
-7.03/
PS ADMIN PROF DEV /TRAINING
W$
8,901
'$
6,566
r$
5,776
'$ 3,966
r$
11,000
$ 11,000
0.0%
PS ADMIN MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT $
7,282
$
8,104
$
7,254
$ 2,363
$
8,000
! $ 8,000
0.0%
PS ADMIN OFFICE SUPPLIES
p$
5,136
v$
6,710
'$
8,129
'$ 2,891
r$
7,000
$ 7,000
0.0%
PS ADMIN ADVERTISING
$
2,494
$
1,108
$
1,684
$ 306
$
2,000
$ 2,500
25.0%
PS ADMIN UTILWTR/SWR/STM WTR
$
48
$
39
$
53
$ 13
$
-
$ -
0.0%
PS OUTSOURCED PROF SERVICES
$
-
$
135
$
(23,000) $
-
$
-
$ -
0.0%
PS ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES
$
23,861
! $
22,663
$
(104)
$ 9,540
$
28,000
$ 28,500
1.8%'
Community Development (Community Development Director) includes: Conservation,
Planning, Inspections and Historical.
The Community Development (CD) Director oversees Planning, Community
Development, and Conservation/Preservation. The CD Director also is the assistant
department Head.
The Conservation Administrator works with the Conservation Commission in
regulating the local wetland by -law as well as the Wetlands Protection Act. Reading has
a large amount of wetland areas requiring a full -time Conservation Administrator to assist
the public as well as the Conservation Commission. Note the position was restored to
full -time in FYI 6.
The Administrator also provides oversight of the Mattera Cabin (previously handled by
the Community Services Director). Last year the cabin was used during 128 days for
56\1_1
FYI8ACTUAL
FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL.
FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGEF'CHANGE
CONSERVATION ADMIN $
42,203 $
60,496 $
63,681
$ 26,397
$ 65,625 $ 67,600
3.0%
CONSCOMM REVOLV FUND SUPPORT $
(4,000) $
(4,000)' $
(2,000)
$ -
$ (2,000)' $ (2,000)'
0.0%
CONS SICK LEAVE BUYBACK $
- $
- $
421
$ -
$ - $ -
0.0%
CONSERVATION WAGES $
38,203 $
56,496 $
62,102
$ 26,397
$ 63,625 $ 65,600
3.1%
The Administrator also provides oversight of the Mattera Cabin (previously handled by
the Community Services Director). Last year the cabin was used during 128 days for
56\1_1
various Reading Recreation or private rental programs. The Conservation Commission
has relaxed some regulations that have increased the number of Minor Project reviews,
and adopted a tree policy to allow tree removal without a permit or public meeting
requirements.
Activity has been generally flat for several years, as shown by the table below. Minor
Projects (MP), Determination of Applicability (RDA) and Orders of Conditions (OOC)
constitute the majority of the activity.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012; 2013': 2014; 2015' 2016; 2017
MP
39
26
32
20
30'
16
29
5
23!
24'
31
19;
RDA
20
13
22
17
21
23
20'
29
20
22
17'
12
00C
24
25''
24
21
8
9
16
8
21'
16
15
18
ORAD
3
3
2
1,
0
1
0'
2
2
3
4;
3
EXT
2
1
2
4
1,
1
0
0
0
0
2
3'
AM OOC
0
0
1'
1
0
1
1
2
2
3
3i
1
TOTAL
88
68
83;
64
60
51
66;
46'
68
68
72'
56
Due to some larger recent projects, fees collected are increasing. Note that most (75 % +)
of these fees are collected under the Reading General Bylaw (RGB), with the rest
collected under the Wetlands Protections Act (WPA):
$45,000
$40,000
$35,000
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$0
zn ') '7rQ
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
RGB
9 W PA
The Planning Division handles a broad range of both day -to -day and long range
planning, zoning, economic development, and other community development work. Staff
reviews plans and proposals submitted to ensure compliance with zoning and other
regulations and to ensure consistency with adopted plans including the Reading Master
Plan. Increased Economic Development activity has required the addition of a junior
planning position as shown below and as described previously.
The Planning division works closely with Inspections, which is described in the next
section. Operational improvements made by both divisions during the past few years
include upgrading a clerical position to be the Permits Coordinator (a position that was
lost years ago to budget reductions); implementing Permitting software; and streamlining
the Development Review Team process whereby development applicants have several
opportunities to meet with staff as needed before projects get underway. It is not
Fd�S
uncommon for the Town staff to make significant suggested improvements that find a
way into the final design - all free of charge, but resulting in a better project for the entire
community.
PLANNING TOTAL $ 103,691 $ 147,799 $ 206,767 ! $ 122,660 $ 203,450 $ 270,025 32.7%
* about 80% of thse costs are reimbursed by regional communities in the General Fund.
The Planning Division also includes a Regional Housing Services Office staffed by a full
time Housing Coordinator shared with three other Towns. A major housing goal is to
reach the 10% affordable housing requirement stipulated by State statute. Currently the
Town of Reading's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) is as follows:
Counted but not yet built
..153 Projected new SHI units
157
Read ingViIIage 40B
68 Johnson Woods
FY18 ACTUAL
24 Gould St 4011
FY19 TOW N
30
School house Commons 40B
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
Postmark Square 40R
FY17ACTUAL
tol2 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGRBUDGEf
CHANGE'
COMM DEV DIR /ASST DEPT HEAD
$ 75,069
$
84,749
$ 81,466
$ 33,775
$ 83,950
$ 86,500
3.0%
STAFF PLAN NER
$
$
$
$ -
$ -
$ 1 59,575
100.0 %'
PLANNING INTERN
$ 1,994
$
9,015
$
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
PLANNING PERMITS COORDINATOR
$ -
$
-
$ 52,995
$ 23,512
$ 57,350
$ 60,250
5.1%
REGLAFFORD HOUSING COORD*
$ 19,279
$
48,580
$ 50,525
$ 20,970
$ 52,150
$ 53,700
3.0%
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
$ -
$
-
$ 52,371
$ 35,682
$ 91,500 -
$ 91,500:
0.0%
ECON DEVELOPMENT LIAISON
$ -
$
$ 26,589
$ 7,405
$ 28,500
$ 28,500
0.0%
PLANNING WAGES OVERTIME
$ 668
$
$ 335
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%'.
PLANNING REVOLV FUND SUPPORT
$ -
$
$ (65,000)
$
$ (120,000)
$ (120,000)
0.0%
PLANNING SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$ -
$
$ 701
$
$
$ -
0.0%
PLANNING WAGES
97,010
142,344
199,981
121,344
193,450
260,025 I
34.4%
REGIONAL HOUSING EXPENSES*
$ 6,681
; $
5,454
$ 5,801
$ 1,316
$ 10,000
$ 10,000
0.0%
ECON DEVELOP PROF DEV /TRAINING
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
$ 2,500
$ 2,500
0.0%
ECON DEVELOPMENT TRAVEL
$
$
$ 985
$
$ 5,000
$ 2,500
-50.0%
ECON DEVELOP 0TH EXPENSES
$
$
$ -
$
$ 7,500
$ 5,000
-33.3%
REVOLVING FD EXP SUPPORT
$
$
$ -
$
$ (15,000) $
(10,000)
-33.3%
PLANNING EXPENSES
6,681
5,454
6,786
1,316
10,000
10,000
0.0%
PLANNING TOTAL $ 103,691 $ 147,799 $ 206,767 ! $ 122,660 $ 203,450 $ 270,025 32.7%
* about 80% of thse costs are reimbursed by regional communities in the General Fund.
The Planning Division also includes a Regional Housing Services Office staffed by a full
time Housing Coordinator shared with three other Towns. A major housing goal is to
reach the 10% affordable housing requirement stipulated by State statute. Currently the
Town of Reading's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) is as follows:
Counted but not yet built
..153 Projected new SHI units
157
Read ingViIIage 40B
68 Johnson Woods
7
24 Gould St 4011
55' 467 Main 40R
30
School house Commons 40B
20 Eaton Lakeview 40B
120
Postmark Square 40R
10.
2010 Cenus Housing Units
9,584
9,584
Current SHI
896
1053;
Current % SHI
9.35%
10.99%
Needed for 10%
62
If all 153 units approved by the state are built, the town will stand at 9.35% affordable. If
the additional 157 units listed above are approved, the town would be at 11.0%
affordable. However the 2020 census will increase the denominator from 9,584 units, so
the revised affordable count will likely be very close to the 10% goal.
The collaboration of the department with developers has led to a two -year moratorium
from accepting adverse 40B project applications, effective through February 22, 2019.
This two -year moratorium is very rarely granted by the state.
The Inspections Division is staffed by the Permits Coordinator who expedites permits
and follows up as needed. There are three part-time Building Inspectors with several
5a��
decades of experience managing building departments in area communities. A reduction
in their hours combined with a new full -time position added in FY 19 will net an increase
of 0.4 FTEs as has been described. The part-time Plumbing /Gas and Electrical Inspectors
are highly credentialed in the area. The expertise these inspectors provide, as well as the
coverage, is extensive. Some of these extra hours are absorbed by the revolving fund.
Combining permitting software with a dedicated Permits Coordinator allows permits and
inspections to be provided in a timely, flexible, and efficient manner. Regular Friday
scheduled inspections have been added even though Town Hall is closed. Improvements
to the Permits process (a key suggestion of a previous Economic Development Self -
Assessment study) have led to 73% of building permits to be issued on the same day or
the following day.
PERMITTING ACTIVITY
'As d 1lcw 7y 11, 2017
205 2006 2077 2(106 21119 2010 2M1 2012 2013 2074 2015 2016 '21717
ttumberot Permits
9_4JN Pant �S:.pd 511 go-, _1� 4 721 EAU v 815 891 734 842 1.239 1129 903
'�Vri rq Psnl SS ;e1 Ebt n8J 578 m 4F 5:3 r4- es2 w.2 '':e e,1 772 672
741 7:t etc e23 5-t 617 ,29 72c 823 ;c?. 754 5
Revenue Generaled b/ Permits
&;ib"sx7ree: Ap'?J w7e.i!? 534,5.9 ?0 SctJ.;. Sn,,4?5 S2503! 521SC35 K277178 5235,13: 52`13,751 S=-0M Stb,532 Se1111;349 S3`535
o�ffCR; Pees CdH.'.9: W.,Z'4 S42!,','32 954414 W, 181 5K93 2 S35,M S38 . 945 $44S77 545353 573, 0 $732M
Ft;�*cizj�eFxaCdiidsi 0,Fja ,S83 5:5,482 :.251 8i°.:'S: a23,tc2 Sw.274 523,853 X5,323 S52,Gy1 SK748 543 -W
TQTAI S0?7,981 5417,875 5 4262 5 7,754 5315713 527±.22& 53?5287 9308,864 50 2837 5546.803 5673,576 575757 S?15,967
inspections
,'n7!rtax:krs 1`;? 2'7e 12:fi IF 1243 1212 tx'? 1271 12F 1337 1753 119 1579
'ir6g!tixdu.'*. 1232 1330 `:023 1l- 9?0 930 859 545 ills 1 �19 tnj 929
FRun*a,i^g Gx lmpr:ix'g 1133 1352 815 8o2 753 7'53 A24 731 1954 M 1Cs,1 1467 1192
Activity is increased, although the amount of time and complexity of larger projects are
not reflected in the above table of statistics. Projected for the full year in 2017, building
permits issued will end up near 1,000 - a figure below the two prior years but well above
previous activity. Building Inspections are expected to slightly surpass recent years.
Looking ahead to 2018, if all large projects go as scheduled and the residential market for
home improvements continue at the recent pace, all sorts of activity records may be
broken.
The Historical Division is staffed by volunteers with clerical support from the
department as well as occasional help from the CD Director. The Historical Commission
oversees historic preservation including the demolition delay bylaw. The Historic
District Commission (created for West Street in 2004/5, modified to include Summer
Avenue in 2014) has a regulatory role over properties within the historic districts
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL' FY17ACTUAL' tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET' CHANGE
HISTORICAL SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT $ 306 ! $ 249 $ 518 $ 111 $ 1,500 $ 1,500 0.0%
HISTORICAL EXPENSES 306 249 518 111 1,500 1,500 0.01/
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TO W N
FYIS ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGRBUDGET
CHANGE
INSPECTION BUILDING INSP
$ 82,255
$ 89,207
$ 55,439
$ 23,443
$ 131,650
$ 165,450
25.7%
INSPECTION ALTERNATE INSP
$ 17,498
$ 17,620
$ 39,498
$ 16,087
$ -
$ -
0.0%
INSPECTION WIRE INSP
$ 26,455
$ 27,095
$ 31,619
$ 14,517
$ 34,400
$ 34,425
0.1%
INSPECTION PLUMBING INSP
$ 25,465
$ 27,547
$ 31,319
$ 14,172
$ 34,400
$ 34,425
0.1%
INSPECTION CODE ENFORCEMENT
$ 8,068
$ 299
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
INSPECTION REVOLV FUND SUPPORT!
$ (35,000)
$ (35,000) $
(45,000) $
-
$ (40,000)- $
(50,000)
25.0%
INSPECTIONS WAGES
$ 124,742
$ 126,767
$ 112,875
$ 68,220:
$ 160,450
$ 184,300
14.9%
Combining permitting software with a dedicated Permits Coordinator allows permits and
inspections to be provided in a timely, flexible, and efficient manner. Regular Friday
scheduled inspections have been added even though Town Hall is closed. Improvements
to the Permits process (a key suggestion of a previous Economic Development Self -
Assessment study) have led to 73% of building permits to be issued on the same day or
the following day.
PERMITTING ACTIVITY
'As d 1lcw 7y 11, 2017
205 2006 2077 2(106 21119 2010 2M1 2012 2013 2074 2015 2016 '21717
ttumberot Permits
9_4JN Pant �S:.pd 511 go-, _1� 4 721 EAU v 815 891 734 842 1.239 1129 903
'�Vri rq Psnl SS ;e1 Ebt n8J 578 m 4F 5:3 r4- es2 w.2 '':e e,1 772 672
741 7:t etc e23 5-t 617 ,29 72c 823 ;c?. 754 5
Revenue Generaled b/ Permits
&;ib"sx7ree: Ap'?J w7e.i!? 534,5.9 ?0 SctJ.;. Sn,,4?5 S2503! 521SC35 K277178 5235,13: 52`13,751 S=-0M Stb,532 Se1111;349 S3`535
o�ffCR; Pees CdH.'.9: W.,Z'4 S42!,','32 954414 W, 181 5K93 2 S35,M S38 . 945 $44S77 545353 573, 0 $732M
Ft;�*cizj�eFxaCdiidsi 0,Fja ,S83 5:5,482 :.251 8i°.:'S: a23,tc2 Sw.274 523,853 X5,323 S52,Gy1 SK748 543 -W
TQTAI S0?7,981 5417,875 5 4262 5 7,754 5315713 527±.22& 53?5287 9308,864 50 2837 5546.803 5673,576 575757 S?15,967
inspections
,'n7!rtax:krs 1`;? 2'7e 12:fi IF 1243 1212 tx'? 1271 12F 1337 1753 119 1579
'ir6g!tixdu.'*. 1232 1330 `:023 1l- 9?0 930 859 545 ills 1 �19 tnj 929
FRun*a,i^g Gx lmpr:ix'g 1133 1352 815 8o2 753 7'53 A24 731 1954 M 1Cs,1 1467 1192
Activity is increased, although the amount of time and complexity of larger projects are
not reflected in the above table of statistics. Projected for the full year in 2017, building
permits issued will end up near 1,000 - a figure below the two prior years but well above
previous activity. Building Inspections are expected to slightly surpass recent years.
Looking ahead to 2018, if all large projects go as scheduled and the residential market for
home improvements continue at the recent pace, all sorts of activity records may be
broken.
The Historical Division is staffed by volunteers with clerical support from the
department as well as occasional help from the CD Director. The Historical Commission
oversees historic preservation including the demolition delay bylaw. The Historic
District Commission (created for West Street in 2004/5, modified to include Summer
Avenue in 2014) has a regulatory role over properties within the historic districts
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL' FY17ACTUAL' tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET' CHANGE
HISTORICAL SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT $ 306 ! $ 249 $ 518 $ 111 $ 1,500 $ 1,500 0.0%
HISTORICAL EXPENSES 306 249 518 111 1,500 1,500 0.01/
Community Services includes: Health, Human/Elder Services, Veterans Services and
Recreation.
The Health Division conducts inspections as needed regarding nuisance complaints,
housing, food establishments, tobacco, swimming pools, camps, churches, septic systems
and all other permitted establishments. The Division enforces Public Health laws, codes,
regulations, environmental programs, and State environmental and sanitary codes. Food
establishments receive a mandatory minimum of two routine inspections for all Medium
/High Risk food establishments and a minimum of one routine inspection for Low Risk
food establishments (convenience stores, gas stations, etc.). Flu Clinics are a major
function of Public Health through the Public Health Nurse, are offered at the Police
Station, Fire Department, DPW, and multiple schools in town.
The Human /Elder Services Division provides human services to both older adults and
the general population including the daily operation of the Pleasant Street Center (Senior
Center). H/E Services is staffed with a part-time EHS Administrator and full -time PSC
Coordinator, Senior Case Manager, Nurse Advocate and Van Driver positions. There are
no changes in staffing proposed by this budget.
FYI8 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FYISACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
'MGRBUDGET
CHANGE
HEALTH AGENT
$
15,307
$ 67,190
$ 70,393
$ 38,150:
$ 77,850
$
78,625
1.0%
PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATOR
$
-
$ -
$ -
$ 6,932
$ -
$
-
0.0%
HEALTH NURSE
$
2,856
$ 25,197
$ 23,822
$ 1,724
$ 26,925
$
28,250
4.9%
HEALTH INSPECTOR
$
43,277
$ 56,786
$ 59,817
$ 8,337
$ 65,850
$
68,425
3.9%
HEALTH WAGES OVERTIME
$
-
$ 383
$ -
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0%
HEALTH REVOLV FUND SUPPORT
$
(2,100)
$ (2,100)
$ (2,100)
$
$ (2,100)
$
(2,100)
0.0%
HEALTH SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$ -
$ 15,507
$
$ -
$
-
0.0%
HEALTH WAGES
$
59,340
$ 147,456
$ 167,439
!, $ 55,142
$ 168,525
$
173,200
2.8%
HEALTH PROF /TECH SV
$
300
$ 300
$ 300
$ 410
$ 500
$
500
0.0%
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION SVCS
$
74,673
$ 13,290
$ -
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0%
HEALTH WEIGHTS & MEASURES
$
5,000
$ 5,000
$ 5,000
$ -
$ 5,750
$
5,500
-4.3 %!
HEALTH ANIMAL DISPOSAL
$
3,960'
$ 4,030
$ 4,301,
$ 1,440
$ 7,000'
$
7,000
0.0%
HEALTH MOSQUITO CONTROL
$
37,000
$ 38,000
$ 40,000
; $ 20,000
$ 40,000
$
41,000
2.5%
HEALTH INSP SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
1,052
$ 1,131
! $ 1,215
$ -
$ 2,000
$
2,000
0.0%
HEALTH MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT
$
1,413
$ 1,737
$ 1,243
$ 1,108
$ 2,000
$
2,500
25.0 %'
HEALTH EXPENSES
$
123,398
$ 63,488
$ 52,058
$ 22,958
$ 57,250
$
58,500
2.2%
HEALTH TOTAL
$
182,738
$ 210,943
$ 219,497
$ 78,100
$ 225,775
$
231,700
2.6%
The Human /Elder Services Division provides human services to both older adults and
the general population including the daily operation of the Pleasant Street Center (Senior
Center). H/E Services is staffed with a part-time EHS Administrator and full -time PSC
Coordinator, Senior Case Manager, Nurse Advocate and Van Driver positions. There are
no changes in staffing proposed by this budget.
S'
FYI8 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET !MGR
BUDGET
CHANGE
ELDER /HUMAN SVC ADMIN
$
37,595
$ 38,204
$ 41,359
$ 20,060
$ 46,834 $
47,600
1.6%
E/H SVC SENIOR CENTER COORD
$
41,583
$ 43,209
$ 44,773
$ 18,437
$ 46,025 $
47,400
3.0%
E/H SVC NURSE ADVOCATE
$
8,005
$ 34,254
$ 61,359
$ 25,276
$ 63,075 $
65,000
3.1%
E/H SENIOR CASE MANAGER
$
-
$ 30,332
$ 49,265
$ 19,951
$ 51,450 $
53,000
3.0%
E/H SVC CASE WORKER
$
68,196
$ 18,309
$ -
$ -
$ - $
-
0.0%
E/H SVC VAN DRIVER
$
33,164
$ 34,683
$ 37,689
$ 1$,607
$ 42,000 $
43,225
2.9%
E/H SVC SUBST VAN DRIVER
$
2,726
$ 4,509
$ 2,832
$ 2,229
$ - $
-
0.0 %'
E/H SVC WAGES OVERTIME
$
-
$ -
$ -
$ 222
$ - $
- 1
0.0%
E/H SVC STATE GRANT SUPPORT
$
(39,182)
$ (44,079)'
$ (49,540)
$ -
$ (45,000) $
(48,000)
6.7 %'
E/H SVC TRUST FUN D SUPPORT
$
(3,000) $
(3,000)' $
(3,000)' $
(3,000)I $
(3,000)' $
(3,000)
0.0%
ELDER HUMAN SVC WAGES
$
149,086
$ 156,421
$ 184,737
$ 98,782
$ 201,384 $
205,225
1.9%
S'
Note that public hours of the Pleasant Street Center were reduced by one hour each day in
FY 18 and that will continue. In response to growing needs in the community,
elder /human services staff often work late nights and weekends either on events and
administrative work. The cut in hours to the public will reduce the need for staff
compensatory time which often results in paid time, or time off when the organization
needs to have the staffing.
UMass Boston's Gerontology Institute recently completed a Needs Assessment for this
division over the next decade+ in the community. The elder population served by this
division is expected to be the fastest growing segment of the community. This discovery
is hardly surprising given current levels of activity: the case load of the Senior Case
Manager and Nurse Advocate have increased by 19% as measured by clients and by 14%
as measured by contacts (61 /week). Attendance at PSC programs and activities is also up
by 13% (327 /week), and medical transportation is up 33% (29 /week).
The Needs Assessment also confirmed the need for an improved and expanded facility
for the PSC activities. Comments included improved Accessibility, bathrooms on the
ground floor, and a better flow to alleviate overcrowding. Reusing a fire station does have
some drawbacks!
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FV11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17-
e`^- ^Meals Served
--J fitness Programs
..;.=Recreation
-- w^-Van Rides
FY18 ACTU AL
FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
E/H SVC MEAL DELIVERY SVC
$ 5,593
$ 5,593
$ 5,593
$ -
$ 5,800
$ 6,000
3.4%
E/H SVC PROGRAMS
$ 1,293
$ 1,460
$ 1,600
$ 464
$ 1,500
$ 2,000
33.3%
E/H SVC SUPPLI ES/EQUI PMENT
$ 1,339
$ 1,322
$ 1,052
$ 406
$ 1,500
$ 1,500
0.0%
E/H SVC SFTWR LICENSE /SUPPORT
$ 905
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
E/H SVC VOLUNTEER TRAIN ING
$ -
$
$ 449
$
$ 500
$ 500
0.0%
E/H SVC VOLUNTEER SUPPORT COST
$ 120
$
$ 168
$ 22
$ 200
$ 200
0.0%
E/H RIVERSIDE COMM CARE
$ 7,000
$ 7,000
$ 7,000
$
$ 7,00.0
$ 7,000
0.0%
E/H EMARC SOCIAL SERVICES
$ 13,000
$ 13,000
$ 13,000
$ 3,250
$ 13,000
$ -
- 100.0%
E/H SVC OTHER EXPENSES
$ -
$ 973
$ 119
$ 119
$ 1,000
$ 1,000
0.0%
E/H SVC DUES & MEMBERSHIPS
$ 818
$ 793
$ 892
$ 991
$ 1,000
$ 1,000
0.0%
E/H SVC PROF DEV REGISTRATIONS
$ 170
$ 678
$ 144 '
$ 40
$ 800
$ 800
0.0%
E/H SVC MILEAGE REIMB
$ 917
$ 769
$ 671
$ 321
$ 1,200
! $ 1,200
0.01
ELDER HUMAN SVC EXPENSES
$ 31,153
$ 31,587
$ 30,687
$ 5,614
$ 33,500
$ 21,200
-36.7%
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FV11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17-
e`^- ^Meals Served
--J fitness Programs
..;.=Recreation
-- w^-Van Rides
Human/Elder Services provide the following:
• Over 40 programs are offered at the Pleasant Street Center (PSC). Popular PSC programs
include fitness, bingo, book club, art, writing, and birthday luncheons;
• Coordinating volunteers ( -125) who support the PSC as Receptionists, Kitchen Help,
Newsletter Editors. Volunteers help run the Senior Tax Work -Off program;
• Transportation is a critical service offered and includes the Senior Van, Reading
Response Medical Transportation and Volunteer Escorts;
• Human services /referrals are provided for all residents. This includes responding to
inquiries about health care, financial assistance, food stamps, and others;
• Collaboration with community partners (e.g., Memory Cafe with the Reading Public
Library (RPL), Housing Authority, Sanborn Place);
• Holiday Meal programs
• Public Safety monthly roundtable — review critical cases and areas of concern in the
community.
The Veterans Services Division provides assistance to Veterans who reside in Reading. A full
time Veterans Services Officer (VSO):
• Efficiently using Reading's share (25% of CH 115) of Veterans Aid Funds.
• Identifying individuals who qualify for assistance; especially those who are unaware of
their eligibility.
• Screening beneficiaries to insure eligibility.
• Assisting with preparation of VA applications and securing needed approvals to preserve
funding.
• Conducting outreach at town events including School functions to promote veterans
services.
• Increasing VSO presence at the PSC. Scuttlebutt, a socialization program, draws over 20
veterans each month.
FY18ACTUAL FY19TOWN
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to12/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET CHANGE
VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER $ 25,044 $ 53,559 $ 56,751 $ 23,805 $ 58,500 $ 60,250 3.0 %'
VETERANS SVC OFFICE WAGES $ 25,044 $ 53,559 $ 56,751 $ 23,805 ' $ 58,500 $ 60,250 3.0 %'
VETERANS OFFICE SUPPLIES $
129
$ 444
$ 402
$ 166
$ 500
$ 500!
0.0%
VETERANS MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT $
171
$ 544
$ 536
$ 158
$ 500
$ 500
0.0 %'
VETERANS SVC OFFICE EXPENSES $
300
$ 989
$ 938
$ 324 !
$ 1,000
$ 1,000
0.0 %'
VETERANS SVC OFFICE TOTAL $
25,344
$ 54,547
$ 57,689
$ 24,128
$ 59,500
$ 61,250
2.9 %!
The amount of Veteran's Aid has leveled off in recent years, although the caseload has remained
relatively constant at about 27 veterans and /or their surviving spouses. A reminder: the state
reimburses 75% of these costs in the subsequent year's State Aid figures.
56ao
The Recreation Division encourages healthy and active children and adults through a wide
variety of program offerings. Expenses are self - funded by fees that utilize a revolving fund, and
are not part if this budget. Wages as shown below are a part of the general fund budget, but a
surplus of fees at year end typically repays all or most of these funds to the general fund. Some
highlights include:
• Offering Over 450 programs /classes in FY18
• Own website with online database management www.readinyrec.com.
• Oversite of Field & Playgrounds - Field Scheduling
• Field & Playground management and improvement
• Employing over 40 seasonal staff to support programming and events
• Coordinating Town -Wide Events such as Downtown Trick or Treat, Halloween Parade,
Egg Hunt and Summer Concert Series promoting Social Engagement and Community
Spirit.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGRBUDGET
FY18 ACTUAL
COMM SVC DIR/ASST DEPT HEAD
$
FY19 TOWN
$ 82,125
$ 37,028
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
RECREATION ADMINISTRATOR
MGRBUDGET
46,342
CHANGE
VETS AID MONTHLY BENEFITS
$
95,682
$
85,253
$
70,884
$
29,460
$
102,000
$
92,000
-9.8%
VETS AID FUEL /SHELTER
$
19,995
$
17,906
$
20,281
$
10,719
$
26,000
$
26,000
0.0%
VETS AID DOCTOR
�$
3,780
'$
3,188
F$
3,495
v$
1,374
w$
5,000
r$
5,000
0.0%
VETS AID HOSPITAL
$
5,029
$
4,239
$
3,449
$
2,405
i $
7,000
$
7,000'
0.0%
VETS AID MEDICARE PART B
$
24,335
$
23,066
$
21,494
$
10,515
$
26,500
$
26,500
0.0%
VETS AID MEDICARE PART D
$
2,429
$
3,314
$
3,846
$
2,180
! $
5,000
$
5,000
0.0%
VETS AID MEDIGAP
$
27,027
$
31,054
$
34,447
$
16,634
$
35,000
$
35,000
0.0%
VETS AID MEDICAL BENEFIT
$
20,445
- $
15,925:
$
16,093
$
8,547
! $
38,500
$
38,500'
0.0%
VETERANS ASSISTANCE
$
198,723
$
183,945
$
173,990
$
81,832',
$
245,000
$
235,000
-4.1 %!
The Recreation Division encourages healthy and active children and adults through a wide
variety of program offerings. Expenses are self - funded by fees that utilize a revolving fund, and
are not part if this budget. Wages as shown below are a part of the general fund budget, but a
surplus of fees at year end typically repays all or most of these funds to the general fund. Some
highlights include:
• Offering Over 450 programs /classes in FY18
• Own website with online database management www.readinyrec.com.
• Oversite of Field & Playgrounds - Field Scheduling
• Field & Playground management and improvement
• Employing over 40 seasonal staff to support programming and events
• Coordinating Town -Wide Events such as Downtown Trick or Treat, Halloween Parade,
Egg Hunt and Summer Concert Series promoting Social Engagement and Community
Spirit.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
The part-time Recreation Coordinator position is expected to be filled for FYI in advance of the
busy spring season.
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGRBUDGET
CHANGE
COMM SVC DIR/ASST DEPT HEAD
$
78,492
$ 82,125
$ 37,028
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0 %'
RECREATION ADMINISTRATOR
$
46,342
$ 52,685
$ 58,767
$ 27,3651
$ 68,025
$
70,050'
3.0%
RECREATION COORDINATOR
$
-
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ 24,900
$
25,650
3.0 %'
RECREATION CLERK
$
19,571
$ -
$ -
$
$ -
$
-
0.0%
RECREATION WAGES OVERTIME
$
1,559
$ 659
$ 152
$
$ 2,500
$
2,000
-20.0%
RECREATION OUTOF GRADE WORK
$
76
! $ -
$ -
$
$ -
$
-
0.0%
RECREATION WAGES
$
146,039
$ 135,469
$ 95,947
$ 27,365
'i $ 95,425
$
97,700
2.4 %'
The part-time Recreation Coordinator position is expected to be filled for FYI in advance of the
busy spring season.
Demand for programs remains high but available field and facility space has capped the growth.
The first fee increase in several years did lead to a revenue increase as shown in the table above.
t- 6a\
FY17
FY16
Change
Registrations
6,410
6,380
0.5%
Reading Residents
6,009
5,898
1.9%
Non Residents
401
482
-16.8%
First Time Registrations;,
617
686
-10.1%
Fee Revenues
$ 807,861
$ 731,198
10.5%
Demand for programs remains high but available field and facility space has capped the growth.
The first fee increase in several years did lead to a revenue increase as shown in the table above.
t- 6a\
Finance Department
FY19 Budget
The Finance Department's FY19 budget is increased by 2.4% when compared to the
previous year as shown below. Staffing at 10.9 FTEs remains unchanged. Prior to FY15
there had been staffing reductions in the Assessing division.
In the Finance department, the Town Accountant also serves as the Finance Director and
department head. In March 2017 the long -time Treasurer - Collector left for another
community, and upon the request of the Town Manager and the Town Accountant the
Board of Selectmen approved changes to the FYI Classification Plan that separated that
position into a Treasurer /Assistant Finance Director to serve as the assistant department
head, and a Collector. Other clerical changes were made such that the amount of FTEs
(10.9) and total spending were unchanged. Note that a 0.5 FTE regional Assessor position
is budgeted as an expense line item.
The independence of the Accounting, General Finance and Assessing divisions are
maintained with this structure. Note also that the Town Accountant reports to the Board
of Selectmen and not to the Town Manager, which helps maintain this independence. In
the FY19 budget, there are no other staffing changes proposed.
Accounting: This division is under the direction of the Town Accountant and is
responsible for maintaining financial records for the Town, Schools and Light
Department. These records facilitate the preparation of financial reports and schedules
that provide meaningful, accurate information for comparability and for management's
decision making process. Accounting ensures that all financial transactions are in
compliance with legal requirements and are properly recorded on a timely basis.
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL
FYI6ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12
/11/17
FYI8BUDGET
MGR
BUDGET
CHANGE
Accounting
$
181,065
$ 184,098
$ 198,602
$
83,134
$ 210,175
$
214,325
2.0%
Assessor
$
118,847
$ 167,620
$ 145,652
$
26,962
$ 150,125'
$
154,750
3.1%
General Finance
$
383,114
$ 421,936
$ 423,401
$
172,274
$ 444,750
$
455,125
2.3%
$
683,026'
$ 773,655!
$ 767,655
$
282,371
$ 805,050
$
824,200
2.451. '
Accounting
$
177,894
$ 181,022
$ 196,223
$
81,495
$ 205,725:
$
209,375
1.8%
Assessor
$
54,607
$ 35,802
$ 60,537
$
25,140
$ 62,625
$
64,250
2.6%
General Finance
$
342,343
$ 378,581
$ 384,170
$
161,806
$ 387,750
$
397,625
2.5%'I
FINANCE WAGES
$
574,845
$ 595,406
$ 640,930
$
268,441
$ 656,100
$
671,250
2.3%
Accounting
$
3,171
$ 3,076
$ 2,378
$
1,639
$ 4,450
$
4,950
11.2%
Assessor
$
64,240
$ 131,818
$ 85,115
$
1,822
$ 87,500
$
90,500
3.4%
General Finance
$
40,770
$ 43,355 `
$ 39,231
$
10,469
$ 57,000
$
57,500
0.9%
FINANCE EXPENSES
$
108,181
$ 178,249
$ 126,725
$
13,930
$ 148,950
$
152,950
2.7%
FINANCETOTAL
$
683,026
$ 773,655'
$ 767,655
$
282,371
$ 805,050
$
824,200
2.454.
In the Finance department, the Town Accountant also serves as the Finance Director and
department head. In March 2017 the long -time Treasurer - Collector left for another
community, and upon the request of the Town Manager and the Town Accountant the
Board of Selectmen approved changes to the FYI Classification Plan that separated that
position into a Treasurer /Assistant Finance Director to serve as the assistant department
head, and a Collector. Other clerical changes were made such that the amount of FTEs
(10.9) and total spending were unchanged. Note that a 0.5 FTE regional Assessor position
is budgeted as an expense line item.
The independence of the Accounting, General Finance and Assessing divisions are
maintained with this structure. Note also that the Town Accountant reports to the Board
of Selectmen and not to the Town Manager, which helps maintain this independence. In
the FY19 budget, there are no other staffing changes proposed.
Accounting: This division is under the direction of the Town Accountant and is
responsible for maintaining financial records for the Town, Schools and Light
Department. These records facilitate the preparation of financial reports and schedules
that provide meaningful, accurate information for comparability and for management's
decision making process. Accounting ensures that all financial transactions are in
compliance with legal requirements and are properly recorded on a timely basis.
Assessors: Assessment of property is the first step in the process of tax revenue
collection for the Town of Reading. The Assessment Division's function is to provide for
the fair and equitable assessment of all taxable real and personal property. A three -
member Board of Assessors sets policy for this division. Starting in FY16 Board
members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen as changed by the Town Charter in
FY15. Reading continues sharing the Assessor position with the town of Wakefield,
shown as an Admin Services expense below:
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL
FYI6ACTUAL'
FYI6ACTUAL
FYI7ACTUAL
tol2 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
TOWN ACCOUNTANT
$
105,593:
$ 109,716
$ 115,100
$ 46,938
$ 116,700
$ 117,825
1.0 %'
ACC ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
$
35,065
$ 36,527
$ 44,961
$ 19,583
$ 46,450
$ 47,850
3.0%
ACC CLERK
$
19,966
$ -
$ -
$ -
$
$
$
ACC SR ADMIN ASSISTANT
$
14,588
$ 32,584
$ 34,163
$ 14,167
$ 37,575
$ 38,700
3.0%
ASSISTANT TOWN ACCOUNTANT
$
2,013
$ 2,025:
$ 2,000
$ 808
$ 2,000
$ 2,000
0.0 %'
ACCOUNTING OVERTIME
$
668
$ 170
$ -
$ -
$ 3,000
$ 3,000
0.0%
ACCOUNTING WAGES
$
177,894
$ 181,022
$ 196,223
$ 81,495
$ 205,725
$ 209,375
1.8%
ACCTING PROF DEV /TRAINING
$
1,716
$ 1,835
$ 1,293
$ 715
$ 2,500
$ 2,800
12.0%
ACCTING PROF DEV REGISTRATION
$
493
$ 466
$ 190 !
$ 418
$ 600
$ 700
16.7%
ACCTING PROF DEV - TRAVEL
$
217
$ 566
$ 562
$ 506
$ 600
$ 700
16.7%
ACCTING OFFICE SUPP
$
745
$ 209
$ 333
$ -
$ 750
$ 750
0.0%
ACCOUNTING EXPENSES
$
3,171
$ 3,076
$ 2,378
$ 1,639
$ 4,450
$ 4,950
11.2%
ACCOUNTING TOTAL
$
181,065
$ 184,098
$ 198,602
$ 83,134
$ 210,175
$ 214,325
2.0%
Assessors: Assessment of property is the first step in the process of tax revenue
collection for the Town of Reading. The Assessment Division's function is to provide for
the fair and equitable assessment of all taxable real and personal property. A three -
member Board of Assessors sets policy for this division. Starting in FY16 Board
members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen as changed by the Town Charter in
FY15. Reading continues sharing the Assessor position with the town of Wakefield,
shown as an Admin Services expense below:
Note that the Senior Tax Relief process was completed in the fall 2017 without additional
staffing as had been hoped.
General Finance: Collections is responsible for collecting all taxes and other charges
(including water /sewer /storm water bills). They also receive and process all deposits
(such as schools and recreation). Treasury is responsible for providing the cash for the
operation of all Town, School and Light Department functions on a timely basis. In
addition, it conducts all borrowing and investing activities. Payroll for the Town, School
and RMLD departments are all processed `in- house' through this division.
FYI8 ACTUAL
FY19 TO W N
FYISACTUAL
FYI6ACTUAL'
FYI7ACTUAL
tol2/11/17
FYI8BUDGET';
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
ASSISTANT ASSESSOR
$
54,607
$ 34,725
$ 56,306
$ 23,525
$ 58,625
$
60,250
2.8%
ASSTASSESSOR STIPEND
$
-
$ 1,077
$ 4,231
$ 1,615
$ 4,000
$
4,000
0.0%
ASSESSORWAGES
$
54,607
$ 35,802
$ 60,537
$ 25,140
$ 62,625
$
64,250
2.6 %,
ASSESSOR PERS PROP INSPECTIONS
$
6,500
$ 4,760
$ 8,980
$ -
$ 7,500
$
7,500
0.0%
ASSESSOR ADVERTISING
$
-
$ 291 !
$
$
$
$
-
0.0%
ASSESSORS REVALUATION
$
$ 62,178
$ 8,249
$
$ -
$
-
0.0 %.
ASSESSORS APPRAISALS
$
$ -
$ -
$
$ 5,000
$
5,000
0.0%
ASSESSORS ADMINISTRATION SVCS
$
55,471
$ 61,435
$ 63,376
$
$ 67,000
$
70,000
4.5%
ASSESS PROF DEV /TRAINING
$
804
$ 1,049
$ 2,206
$ 1,135
$ 2,500
$
2,500
0.0%
ASSESS DUES AND MEMBERSHIPS
$
240
$ 275
$ 250
$ 150
$ 1,000
$
1,000
0.0 %'
ASSESSORS PUBLICATIONS
$
380
$ 190
$ 864
$ -
$ 1,500
$
1,500
0.0%
ASSESS PROF DEV - TRAVEL
$
226
$ 397
$ 355
$ -
$ 1,000.
$
1,000
0.0 %I
ASSESSORS OFFICE SUPP
$
-
$ 89
$ 447
$ 69
$ 500;$
500
0.0 %I
ASSESSORS MILEAGE REIMBURSEMEN
$
619
$ 1,090
$ 388
$ 468.
$ 1,500
$
1,500
0.0%
ASSESSORS OTHER
$
-
$ 65
$ -
$ -
$ -
$
-
0.0 %'
ASSESSOR EXPENSES
$
64,240
$ 131,818
$ 85,115
$ 1,822
$ 87,500
$
90,500
3.4%
ASSESSORTOTAL
$
118,847
$ 167,620
$ 145,652
$ 26,962
$ 150,125
$
154,750
3.1%
Note that the Senior Tax Relief process was completed in the fall 2017 without additional
staffing as had been hoped.
General Finance: Collections is responsible for collecting all taxes and other charges
(including water /sewer /storm water bills). They also receive and process all deposits
(such as schools and recreation). Treasury is responsible for providing the cash for the
operation of all Town, School and Light Department functions on a timely basis. In
addition, it conducts all borrowing and investing activities. Payroll for the Town, School
and RMLD departments are all processed `in- house' through this division.
Note the staffing changes mentioned previously are shown in the table above. The
Assistant Collector position has been moved into the Water and Sewer budgets, where it
replaces a Senior Administrative Assistant position.
�6 1�
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
tol2/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
TREASURER /ASST DEPT HEAD
$
86,846
$ 91,989
$ 89,349
$
34,809
$ 86,325
$ 88,200
2.2%
ASSTTREASURER
$
111,670
$ 124,354
$ 107,269
$
29,502
$ 62,000
$ 63,700
2.7%
FIN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
$
43,739
$ 45,441
$ 47,831
$
19,835
$ 49,325
$ 50,800
3.0%
FIN CLERK
$
99,724
$ 97,936
$ 111,997
$
46,129
$ 113,500
$ 116,925
3.0%
COLLECTOR
$
-
$ -
$ -
$
31,241
$ 70,600
$ 72,000
2.0%
FINANCE OVERTIME
$
365
$ 2,850
$ 1,191
$
289
$ 6,000
$ 6,000
0.0%
FINANCE WAGES TEMP
$
-
$ -
$ 7,171
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
FINANCE LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$ 16,011
$ 19,362
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
GENERAL FINANCE WAGES
$
342,343
$ 378,581
$ 384,170
$
161,806
$ 387,750'
$ 397,625
2.5 %'
FINANCE PRINTING FORMS ETC
$
14,819
$ 14,860
$ 16,172
$
4,366
$ 16,500
$ 17,000
3.0%
FINANCETAX TITLE
$
9,055'
$ 9,383
$ 9,512
$
1,486
$ 15,000
$ 15,000
0.0 %'
FINANCE BANKINGSERVICES
$
13,211
$ 11,696
$ 8,132
$
644
$ 15,000'
$ 15,000
0.0%
FINANCE PROF DEV TRAINING
$
339
$ 1,135
$ 644
$
350
$ 2,800
$ 2,500
- 103%
FINANCE PROFDEV DUES /MEMBER
$
185
$ 185
$ 315
$
160
$ 1,200
$ 1,000
- 16.7%
FINANCE PROF DEV TRAVEL
$
290
$ 619
$ 798
$
1,513
$ 1,500
$ 2,000
33.3%
FINANCE OFFICE SUPP
$
2,870
$ 5,478
$ 3,657'
$
1,950
$ 5,000!
$ 5,000
0.0%
GENERAL FINANCE-EXPENSES
$
40,770
$ 43,355
$ 39,231
$
10,469'
$ 57,000
$ 57,500
0.9%
GENERAL FINANCETOTAL
$
383,114
$ 421,936
$ 423,401
$
172,274'
$ 444,750
$ 455,125
2.3 %i
Note the staffing changes mentioned previously are shown in the table above. The
Assistant Collector position has been moved into the Water and Sewer budgets, where it
replaces a Senior Administrative Assistant position.
�6 1�
Public Safety Department
FY19 Budget
The Public Safety budget consists of the Police Department, the Reading Coalition Against
Substance Abuse (RCASA), the Fire /Emergency Management Department and combined
Police /Fire Dispatch. The total budget for Public Safety for FY19 is $10,406,475 which is a
+3.3% increase from the FYI budget.
Please see the following budget sections on Police, RCASA, Fire /EMS and Dispatch for
more detailed information.
t•
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOWN
FY15
ACTUAL 111
FY16 ACTUAL '
FY17 ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGR BUDGET CHANGE
Police
$
4,302,814
$ 4,496,581
$ 4,745,630
$
1,986,622
$
4,787,250 !
$
4,976,150
3.9%
RCASA
$
715 "
$ (360)!
$ -
$
28,.596
$
-
$
-
0.0%
Fire /EMS
$
4,371,220
$ 4,456,553 `
$ 4,844,743
$
2,084,002
$
4,712,100.
$
4,830,550
2.5 %'
Dispatch
$
463,661
$ 492,113 !
$ 490,748 !
$
266,635 !
$
575,575 !
$
599,775
4.2 %ii
PUBLIC SAFETY TOTAL
$
9,138,410
$ 9,444,888
$ 10,081,121 !
$
4,365,856
$
10,074,925
$
10,406,475
3.3%
The two lines voted
by Town
Meeting include
the
breakdown of department
salaries and
expenses, as shown
below:
FY18
ACTUAL
FY19
TOWN
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL;
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR
BUDGET CHANGE
Police
$
4,166,730
$ 4,338,070 ;
$ 4,520,261
$
1,885,030
$
4,520,550
$
4,704,950
4.1 %'
RCASA
$
(174)I
$ (360):
$ -
$
22,217
$
-
$
"
-
0.0 %'
Fire /EMS
$
4,224,805
$ 4,292,026
$ 4,673,060
$
1,987,659
$
4,521,100
$
4,638,050
2.6 %!
Dispatch
$
440,589
$ 478,345
$ 471,433
$
248,607
$
550,075
$
575,775
4.7%
PUBLIC SAFETY WAGES
$
8,831,949
$ 9,108,081
$ 9,664,754
$
4,143,513
$
9,591,725
$
9,918,775
3.4%
Police
$
136,085
$ 158,512
$ 225,369
$
101,592
$
266,700
$
271,200
1.7 %!,
RCASA
$
888
$ -
$ -
$
6,379
$
-
$
0.0%
Fire /EMS
$
146,415
$ 164,527
$ 171,683
$.
96,343
$
, 191,000
$
192,500
0.8%
Dispatch
$
23,072
; $ 13,768
$ 19,315
$
18,029
$
25,500
$
24,000 :
-5.9 %:
PUBLIC SAFETY EXPENSES
$
306,460
$ 336,807
$ 416,367
$
222,343
$
483,200
$
487,700
0.9%
Please see the following budget sections on Police, RCASA, Fire /EMS and Dispatch for
more detailed information.
t•
Police Department
FY19 Budget
The Reading Police Department's FY19 budget is increased by 3.9% when compared to the
previous year. About 95% of the budget consists of personnel costs.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL' t012/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
POLICE CHIEF $ 149,908 $ 168,051 $ 165,915 $ 68,627 $ 170,525 $ 175,650 ! 3.0%
DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF $ 131,196 $ 67,228 $ 118,211 $ 56,716 $ 140,950 $ 145,150 3.0%
POL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 66,025 100.0 %!
POL SENIOR ADMIN ASSISTANT $ - $ 4,478 $ 59,100 $ 24,106 $ 58,725' $ - - 100.0%
POL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT $ 51,484 $ 50,390 $ - $ - $ - $ - 0.0 %'
POLADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY : $ 41,610 $ 37,687' $ 43,162 $ 18,773 $ 46,650 $ 48,050' 3.0%
POLCLERK $ $ $ - $ $ - $ 19,025 100.0%
POLICE PARKING ENFORCEMENT $ 18,120 $ 18,540 $ 20,145 $ 8,327 $ 25,300 ! $ 26,050 3.0 %'
POLICE ANIMAL CONTROL $ 17,748 $ 18,295' $ 18,368 $ 7,619 $ 23,250 $ 24,000' 3.2 %.
POLICE LIEUTENANTS $ 398,553 $ 355,021 $ 385,575 $ 208,500 $ 485,000 $ 505,000 4.1%
POLICE SERGEANTS $ 740,085 $ 788,909 $ 758,345 $ 317,029 $ 742,500 $ 773,500 4.2%
POLICE OFFICERS $ 1,571,295 $ 1,659,355 $ 1,718,234 $ 694,593 $ 1,745,000 $ 1,815,000 4.0%
POLICE DETECTIVES $ 610,699 $ 588,861 $ 498,460 $ 232,730 $ 550,000 $ 560,000 1.8%
POLICE SCHOOLTRAFFIC $ 119,696 $ 134,638 $ 150,096' $ 45,541 $ 157,650 $ 162,500 3.1%
POLICE OVERTIME $ 267,489 $ 343,744 $ 472,292 $ 192,562 $ 345,000 $ 350,000 1.4 %i
POLICETRAINING $ 18,405 $ 20,340' $ 36,264' $ 5,407 $ 21,500 $ 25,000 16.3 %'
POLICE FITNESS STIPEND $ 5,250 $ 6,000 $ 6,750: $ 4,500 $ 6,000 $ 7,500 25.0%
POLICE CELL MONITORS $ - $ $ - $ - $ 2,500 j $ 2,500 0.0%
POLICE BUYBACK $ 25,190 $ 76,533 $ 69,343 $ - $ - $ - 0.0 %!
POLICE WAGES $ 4,166,730 $ 4,338,070 ` $ 4,520,261 $ 1,885,030 $ 4,520,550 $ 4,704,950' 4.1 %!
Providing the community with the highest level of police service is the goal of this
Department. To achieve this goal, we need to work with and for our community. The
members of this Department will continue to work hard and show our dedication and
unwavering commitment to accomplish this mission.
The department has 41 sworn officers; 2.5 civilian office employees (and increase of 0.5 in
clerical support); a civilian part-time Parking Enforcement Officer; a civilian part-time
Animal Control Officer; 19 per diem school crossing guards; and one full -time and one part-
time position from the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse ( RCASA). The RCASA
positions that will show in the Police Department budget are fully grant funded positions for
FY19.
The addition of clerical help (shared with the Fire department) will allow sworn officers to be
able to download some of their routine paperwork. This is especially important at a time
when Public Records requests are increasing.
Public Records Requests
An average of 360 public records requests were made in 2015 and 2016 for an average of 30
a month. As of October 31, 2017 the department has received 351 public records requests
for an average of 35 a month. A request is first received by a member of our civilian clerical
staff to be reviewed and processed. The request.then goes to our Lieutenant Detective, who
1
gathers the information and redacts all personal information that needs to be taken out.
Public records requests can range from just one report being requested to several reports over
a period of time and may include copies of audio recordings from phone conversations and
radio transmissions. These audio transmissions need to be reviewed and all personal
information needs to be redacted as well. Depending on the complexity of the request this
process can take an hour for a basic request to many hours for a more complex request. The
clerk then makes copies of all of the reports and /or audio recordings and follows up with the
requestor within the mandated 10 day period.
Department Staffing
In the Summer of 2017, the Town Manager requested an evaluation of the department to
determine how Reading's staffing compares to other peer communities. Chief Segalla conducted
an evaluation of twenty -two comparable towns in Massachusetts. Several areas of interest were
queried and the relevant data was compiled. The areas of focus were: population, sworn officers,
civilian employees, school resource officers, detectives, task force officers, dispatchers, calls for
service, population density, housing unit density, command staff levels and police department
budgets.
The goal of this study was to compare Reading to other similar communities and determine
whether Reading has an adequate number of officers. Also, if the study shows that Reading does
not have an adequate number of officers, in comparison to other communities, the study would
aim to further illustrate where the Reading Police Department should improve its staffing so that
the department can run at its optimum level. This may include hiring more patrol officers,
detectives, specialists, supervisors, command staff members, civilians or public safety
dispatchers.
The last time a formal evaluation of the Reading Police Department's staffing levels was
conducted was in 1998, by EMS Consultants out of Belmont, NH. During that review, EMS
Consultants concluded that the current condition of the town, in 1998, required a police
department of 43 - 44 sworn officers. It is important to note that not only was this study
conducted almost twenty years ago, but also at that time Reading had a population of 23,708
(2000). In addition to population growth, major infrastructure developments have increased the
commercial property, specifically the Walkers Brook Drive area with Jordan's Furniture, Home
Depot, several restaurants and retail stores. Also, the addition of several licensed bars and
nightclubs 6n Walkers Brook Drive and the downtown Reading area raise the level of calls for
service, as well as the need to have adequate staffing on patrol in case of serious incidents.
Based on the results of this study, including the comprehensive analysis of the Town of Reading,
Chief Segalla respectfully requested the addition of 5 sworn police officers in FYI 9, bringing the
total number of officers to 46. This conclusion is based on the town's current population
(26,656), budget, population and housing unit density per square mile. It also took into
consideration the status of the police department, primarily its specific current staffing levels and
how that compares to the 22 comparable communities included in this study. This would bring
Reading to the average position of peer communities. Due to the proximity to both Boston and
two major interstates, one might suggest that staffing be above that peer average.
With these 5 new officers, Chief Segalla would aim to provide additional patrol officers on each
of the 3 night shifts; fill the currently vacant patrol officer position on the day shift and add a
,6��n
second School Resource Officer position. Chief Segalla believes that with the addition of these
new police officer positions, the department will be set up to provide the optimal level of service
and public safety to the citizens of the town of Reading.
The Staffing Study was presented to the Board of Selectmen at their October 10, 2017 meeting.
Please see the 2017 Police Staffing Study located on the Police Department Web Page.
Police Staffing history
Sworn Police Officers
Population
Residents /Officer
1975 equiv. staffing
shortfall in staffing
1975 2010
2017
45 42
41
22,609 24,747
26,500
502 589
646
49
53
7
12
As the chart above shows, based on population only this request of five additional officers would
bring department staffing back to 2010 service levels — setting aside the increasing complexity of
the profession plus the influence of commercial development in town.
These requested five new additional officers were NOT able to be included in this balanced
FY19 Town budget. The estimated costs, including wages and expenses, would be an
additional $440,000 for this budget, as well as an impact on the employee benefits budget.
Patrol Division
The Patrol Division is made up of two separate divisions: the Day & Night Patrol Divisions.
The Day Patrol Division is currently staffed with 10 Officers; the Day Patrol Lieutenant, 2
Sergeants and 7 Patrol officers. The Night Patrol Division is currently staffed with 18
Officers; the Night Patrol Lieutenant, 5 Sergeants and 12 patrol officers.
The Patrol Division is responsible for all calls for service and respond to a variety of calls
including but not limited to: motor vehicle crashes; medical aide calls; domestic disturbance
calls; robberies; breaking and entering; alarms calls; suspicious person and suspicious motor
vehicle calls; overdoses; harassment calls; unwanted quests; welfare of person checks; fraud;
child custody exchanges; mental health related calls; and missing persons.
Avast majority of all incident reports filed come from the Patrol Division and these officers
start most of the investigations at a preliminary level before the reports are turned over to the
Detective Unit. The time dedicated to report writing has increased over the years as reports
need to be more in -depth and may require officers to fill out many additional forms such as: a
motor vehicle crash report; file a report with DCF on child neglect, file an immediate threat
for a license suspension to the registry, fill out an emergency restraining order forms.
Changes in evidence collection and documentation may require a large amount of property,
statements and photographs entered into evidence for a particular call. The time dedicated to
report writing can take the officer off of the street patrolling for a significant period of time.
The Patrol Division is the most visible part of the Reading Police Department and in- between
responding to calls for service perform a variety of proactive policing. These officers
perform traffic enforcement by pulling over vehicles for a variety of traffic violations. A
majority of all arrests, summonses and hearings are generated by this division.
This division also participates in community policing throughout their shift, actively
patrolling the town, engaging with residents and business owners. These officers cross
pedestrians at the train station each morning and evening and engage with the public and
assist them with crossing High Street. They also cover vacant crossing guard posts during
the school year.
The Patrol Division routinely provides invaluable assistance to families dealing with
domestic issues, drug and alcohol use, harassment, mental health issues and function as
counselors to members of the public throughout their shifts. These calls do not always
generate an incident report but can take up a significant amount of an officer's time over the
course of a shift.
Police Statistics
2015 02016 N 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
1800
1750
1700
1650
1600
1786
2015 2016 2017 YTD
thru
11/30/17
Incident reports filed
Police Statistics (continued)
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
250
200
150
100
50
0
Arrests Complaint Protective MV crash Fraud - Identity
applications filed custody alcohol & investigated theft /credit
drugs cards /all others
s � 2015 02016 N 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
1500
1000
500
0
2015 2016 2017 YTD thru
11/30/17
Alarm calls - residential and commercial
Overdose- Suicides/ Substance Substance Substance Mental
drugs and attempts/ Involve Involve - Involve - Health
alcohol threats Alcohol Drugs Opiate related calls
l 2015 E 2016 E 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
*We began keeping track of Mental Health related calls on January 1, 2017
5bb o
Police Statistics (continued)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
I A A
Domestic Domestic assistance Child custody Violation of 209A
disturbance exchange (Restraining) order
'; -1 2015 M 2016 FM 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Anti
Unwanted quest Threats Harassing phone Suspicious Suspicious
calls /emails Persons Motor Vehicle
t 2015 02016 0 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
,�A
51A filed/ Child Violation of 258E Welfare of Missing person - Missing person -
neglect or abuse (Harassment) person checked Adults Juvenile
order
2015 2016 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
5a3�
State and Federal Crime Reporting
The National Incident- Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, implemented to improve the
overall quality of crime data collected by law enforcement, captures details on each single
crime incident—as well as on separate offenses within the same incident — including
information on victims, known offenders, relationships between. victims and offenders,
arrestees, and property involved in the crimes.
Unlike data reported through VCR's traditional Summary System -an aggregate monthly
tally of crimes- the NIBRS data goes much deeper because of its ability to provide
circumstances and context for crimes. It includes all offenses within a single incident and
additional aspects about each event, like location, time of day, and whether the incident was
cleared.. Ultimately, NIBRS will improve the detail and overall quality of crime data, which
will. help law enforcement and communities around the country use resources more
strategically and effectively.
The Uniform Crime Reporting Program classifies offenses into two groups, Part I and Part II
crimes. Each month, contributing agencies submit information on the number of Part I
offenses (Crime Index) known to law enforcement; those offenses cleared by arrest or
exceptional means; and the age, sex, and race of persons arrested. Contributors provide only
arrest data for Part II offenses.
Part 1 Crimes
TOTAL Larceny
Burglary
Other
*2017
233
150
56
27
2016
228
159,
49!
20'
2015
202
141
42
19'
Family
Drug
Simple
Part 2 Crimes TOTAL
Nonviolent ;
Vandalism
Fraud
DUI
Violations
Assault Other
*2017
504
133
96,
49'
37
65 38:
2016
444'
130'
76:
76,
51
50'
46 15
2015
430!
160;
59!
46
44
41'
50 30
*2017 -11 months
Detective Division
The Detective Division is staffed with 7 Officers; the Lieutenant Detective, 5 Detectives, 1
School Resource Officer (SRO), and 2 civilians comprising the Reading Coalition Against
Substance Abuse (RCASA).
The Detective Division reviews all patrol reports and conducts investigations on numerous
other types of crimes to include Sexual Assaults /Rapes, B &E's, Larcenies, Sudden
Deaths /Suicides /Overdoses, Child Enticement, Missing Person, Possession of Child
Pornography, Narcotic Investigations, reports from DCF, Frauds, and Cyber- Crimes.
5�3�
155
150
145
140
135
130
Detective Unit
Investigations
2015 w 2016 M 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
One Detective is assigned to the prosecutor role and handles all court matters, including
processing the court paperwork for all arrests, summons, hearings, restraining orders, citation
appeals, and any other pertinent issues that deal with the court. The Prosecutor makes all
officer notifications for court appearances and gives information on the status of on -going
cases. The Prosecutor is responsible for all discovery requests by the Commonwealth and
Defense, which requires a significant amount of time to compile. All juvenile cases that meet
the standard for diversion are monitored to make sure all of the obligations set forth for the
juvenile are met.
Two Detectives are assigned the role of Evidence Control Officer. Their responsibilities
include logging, processing, packaging and storage of evidence and adherence to retention
period requirements. They are also responsible for processing civil asset forfeitures.
The Detective Division registers and monitors all Level 1 and Level 2 Sex Offenders that live
and /or work in Town. In addition, Detective's make the required community wide
notifications. The Detective Division reviews all new /renewal or change in manger
applications for Alcohol Licenses or any modifications for existing licenses. Over the past
several years as the town's business district has grown, the number of license applications,
license transfers, and change in manager applications has increased substantially. Detectives
conduct alcohol compliance checks of all licenses and surveillance patrols to monitor
underage drinking violations throughout the year.
Detectives are assigned to numerous regional groups including, a Federal Task Force,
NEMLEC Detective groups, State Fusion Center, District Attorney Sexual Assault units and
many others.
The Detective Division is the liaison of the Police Department with the Reading Public
Schools, Austin Preparatory School as well as the Northeast Regional Vocational School in
Wakefield. The SRO is the direct liaison. The SRO continues to be involved with
"Community Based Justice" which brings all interested parties together to discuss current
student issues which are involved at some level with the court system. The SRO conducts
numerous ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) trainings with all school
personal, and conducts ALICE drills in each school in the district and Austin Prep. The SRO
t
participates in monthly RCASA Board of Directors meetings. The SRO is also a member of a
regional School Threat Assessment Response Team (STARS).
Detectives worked in conjunction with RCASA to collect and properly destroy prescription
drugs through the "RX Round -up" program. Detectives assist RCASA in conducting in house
trainings to officers and school personnel.
Support Services Division
Support Services is staffed with 4 police officers, the Support Services Lieutenant, the
Traffic and Safety Officer, Armorer and Fleet Maintenance Officer, Community Service
Officer, and one civilian who functions as the parking enforcement officer and animal control
officer.
The Support Services Lieutenant oversees this division and is responsible for all department
training, accreditation, recruit training, and social media.
The Armorer and Fleet Maintenance Officer is responsible for processing all license to carry
applications, maintenance of all firearms (including recertifying all officers with their
firearms) and department vehicles. He is also responsible for maintaining radio
communications and equipment as well as other mandatory police equipment.
MGL c.140 s.131(e) and MGL c.140 s. 129B requires all local police departments to process
and conduct background investigations on every resident who applies for a gun license. Each
application takes an estimated 3 hours of work (sometimes more if the background requires
additional checks). There has been a dramatic rise in the number of license to carry
applications. In 2016 there was a 66% increase from the prior year. In 2016 we completed a
total of 215 applications compared to the 126 in 2015. As of September 2017, we have
completed 206 applicants, so we will far exceed last year's totals as well. Because of the
increasing number of applicants each year we have received recently, the Armorer has been
catching up on 187 backlogged applications from the years prior as well.
The Traffic and Safety Officer has many responsibilities, a few take up a significant portion
of time. During the school year this officer is responsible for scheduling, training, reviewing
and payroll for all of the town's crossing guards.
The Traffic and Safety Officer maintains all of the cruisers traffic radar units and maintains
the certifications for these units. This officer is also responsible for all of the speed boards
and message boards which were deployed to over 70 different locations for various events.
The Traffic and Safety Officer takes all traffic and safety complaints from residents and is a
member of the Parking, Traffic, Transportation, Task Force (P.T.T.T.F.).
The Community Service Office is our main community liaison. Over this past year the
Community Service Officer worked as a liaison to the public regarding business complaints;
on the third Tuesday of every month — Lunch at the Senior Center with our Senior Citizens;
handles all solicitor applications /badges; serves as our Human/Elder Services /Protective
Services Liaison; gave multiple station tours with safety talks to various boy scout /girl scout
5 a3"
groups; performs civilian employment fingerprinting, worked with Sherriff Koutoujian and
the Middlesex Sherriff's Office to coordinate L.E.A.R.N Program — Identifying and
Protecting Yourself From Existing and emerging Scams — gave presentations at the Pleasant
Street Center, Sanborn Place and The Residence at Pearl Street; organized four Coffee with
A Cop events; organized two Rape Aggression Defense Women's self - defense courses; re-
implemented the Helmet Incentive through the Summer — Kids wearing helmets got citations
for a free ice cream or slice of pizza — donations from various businesses; was involved with
the Fall Street Faire Committee's planning of the Fall Street Faire; organized the Citizen
Police Academy; among other activities. The Community Service Officer, also serves as the
Domestic Violence Officer and Crisis Intervention Officer.
2500
,,, 2000
c
0
0 1500
U
bb
1000
Y
M
0- 500
600
400
200
134 135 130
0
—.1m –
arrests - ADULT
totals only
Parking Officer
2015 2016 2017 YTDthru
11/30/17
Parking citations $$$ generated
Police Stats
325
—224218
58 45 51
$60,000.00
5 0
$50,000.00
$40,000.00
$30,000.00
$20,000.00
$10,000.00
554 528 495
summonses & protective custody ' my crash
hearings investigated
2014 E 2015 2016
46 21 45
overdose
5a''S
Expenses
Above is a list of the department's relatively small expense budget. Two Police cruisers are
.replaced annually - their shorter useful life does not qualify them to be classified as capital
expenses. The discontinuance of the Crown Victoria model has provided Police departments
nation -wide a challenge to find reliable replacement models. The cost of vehicles including
equipment continues to climb.
One regional effort for Animal Control was set to go in late FYI but then cancelled by the
potential host community; another regional partner has been found and talks center on an
FY19 start. The $24,000 salary of the Animal Control position is expected to be combined
with the $26,000 related expenses shown below as a start-up cost. Longer term an expansion
of services is planned, and these may bring additional costs.
5�3�
FY18ACTUAL
FY19TOWN
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET' CHANGE
POLICE EQUIP CRUISERS
$
51,200
$
55,421
$
70,912
$ 28,075
$
84,000
$
90,000
7.1%
POLICE VEHICLE REPAIR
$
4,078
$
6,107
$
7,611
$ 3,608
$
10,000
$
11,000
10.0 %,
REGIONALANIMAL CONTROL
$
-
$
-
$
-
$ -
$
50,000
$
26,000
-48.0W
POLICE WEAPONS MAINTENANCE
$
533
$
8,849
$
11,635
$ 5,178
$
9500 !
$
17,500
84.2 %,
POLICE PARK PROGRAM SUPPLIES
$
6,677
$
6,412
$
7,174
$ 7,788
$
8,000
$
8,000 !
0.0%
POLICE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIP
$
4,266
$
4,508
$
6,236
$ 30
$
7,500
$
7,500 !
0.0 %!
POLICE PUBLIC SAFETY SUPPLIES
$
6,474
$
826
$
10,245 ?
$ 59
$
7,500 ,
$
7,500 !
0.0%
POLICE CONT MAINTSVC EQUIPMENT
$
3,638
$
4,500
$
6,797
$ 109
$
5,000
$
5,000
0.0W
POLICE RADAR UNIT
$
994
$
2,658
$
902
$ 420
$
5,000
$
5,000:
O.OW
POLICE SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
1,574
$
2,178
$
5,204 !
$ 422
!, $
2,000
$
2,000
0.0%
POLICE BICYCLSUPPLAND EQUIP
$
$
-
$
-
$ -
$
2,000 !
$
2,000'
0.0%
POLICE MEDICAL SUPPLIES
$
$
$
1,294
$ 928,
$
2,000
$
2,000
0.0 %!
POLICE PROF /TECH SV
$
$
$
-
$ 250
$
500
$
500
0.0 %!
POLICE OFFICE SUPP
$
12,404
$
14,086
$
16,534
$ 12,347
$
12,000
$
13,000
8.3%
POLICE POSTAGE
$
1,533
$
1,115
$
1,661
$ 623
! $
1,600
$
1,600
0.0 %'
POLICE FURNISHINGS
$
1,726
$
3,403
$
686
$ -
$
2,000
$
2,000
0.0 %'
POLICE DUES AND MEMBERSHIPS
$
12,944
$
15,708
$
22,808
$ 8,930
$
17,000
$
21,500
26.5%
POLICE OFFICERTRAINING
$
16,252
$
5,350
$
23,851'
$ 15,455
$
17,000
$
20,000
17.6%
POLICE PROF DEV /TRAINING
$
1,309
$
713
! $
7,705
$ 813
$
6,500
$
6,500
0.0 %;
POLICE PROFDEV REGISTRATIONS
$
50
$
825
$
2,585
$ 6,832
! $
4,000
$
4,000
0.0%
POLICE REIMBURSEMENTS
$
3,648
$
12,196:
$
7,331
$ 2,980
$
5,000
$
5,000 !
0.0%
POLICE SPECIAL INVESTIGATION
$
226
$
1,069
$
1,151
$ 386
$
1,000
$
1,000
0.0%
POLICE UNIFORMS AND CLOTHING
$
6,188
$
12,288
$
12,314
$ 4,991
$
6,000
$
10,000
66.7%
CROSSING GUARD SUPPLIES
$
-
$
-
$
534
$ 1,246
$
1,000
$
2,000!
100.0%
POLICE OTHER
$
45
$
-
$
-
$ -
$
-
$
-
0.0 %'
POLICE FOOD FOR PRISONERS
$
326
$
300
! $
200
$ 125
$
600
$
600
0.0 %.
POLICE EXPENSES
$
136,085
$
158,512
$
225,369
$ 101,592
$
266,700
$
271,200
1.7 %!
Above is a list of the department's relatively small expense budget. Two Police cruisers are
.replaced annually - their shorter useful life does not qualify them to be classified as capital
expenses. The discontinuance of the Crown Victoria model has provided Police departments
nation -wide a challenge to find reliable replacement models. The cost of vehicles including
equipment continues to climb.
One regional effort for Animal Control was set to go in late FYI but then cancelled by the
potential host community; another regional partner has been found and talks center on an
FY19 start. The $24,000 salary of the Animal Control position is expected to be combined
with the $26,000 related expenses shown below as a start-up cost. Longer term an expansion
of services is planned, and these may bring additional costs.
5�3�
Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse (RCASA)
FY19 Budget
In August 2006 RCASA was formed as a sustainable, collaborative community approach to
substance abuse prevention. Since 2008 over $1.5 million in state and federal grants have
largely funded this program, with the town budget stepping in for 15 months between grants
as shown below in FY 14. Currently one full -time and one part-time position are grant funded
for FYI and shown below.
FY18 ACTUAL FY 19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL! FY17ACTUAL to12/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGRBUDGET'CHANGE
RCASA YOUTH COORDINATOR $ - $ 5,963 $ 9,897 $ - $ - $ - 0.0%
RCASA COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORD $ 45,919 $ 40,164 $ 47,928 $ 13,421 $ 33,375 $ 34,100 2.2%
RCASA PROGRAM DIRECTOR $ 74,791 $ 77,387 $ 80,375 $ 33,236 $ 82,625 $ 84,300 2.0%
FED GRANT SUPPORT $ (120,884) $ (123,874) $ (138,199) $ (24,439) $ (116,000) $ (118,400) 2.1 %.
RCASA WAGES $ (174) $ (360)' $ $ 22,217: $ $ - 0.0 %!
RCASA EVENT & PROGRAM COSTS $ 500 $ - $ 14,942 $ 5,699 $ 5,699 $ 3,300 - 42.1%
RCASA SUPPLIES $ 354 $ $ 3,624 $ 669 $ 1,050 $ 1,500 42.9 %:
IN- STATETRAVEL $ - $ $ 3,551 $ 11', $ 1,950 $ 1,500 - 23.1%
OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL $ $ $ 7,221 $ - $ - $ - 0.0%
RCASA OTHER EXPENSES $ 34 $ $ 1,884 $ $ 301 $ 300 0.3%
FED GRANT SUPPORT $ $ $ (31,221) $ $ (91000) $ (6,600) - 26.7 %
RCASA EXPENSES $ 888 $ $ - $ 6,379 $ - $ - 0.0%
RCASA works with several regional collaborations, including the Mystic Valley Public
Health Coalition, the Eastern Middlesex District Attorney's Opiod Task Force and a regional
Police Risk Assessment Team. This year they launched a successful program in conjunction
with William James College to match mental health service needs with what is available` to
the community — 60 local families have benefitted within the first several months at no cost
to them.
RCASA works very closely with the Police and School departments. Their Diversion
program that also involves the Middlesex DA's office has been a role model for other
communities. Students participating in this program have extremely high rates of avoiding
relapse.
Federal funding for Drug Free Communities expires near the start of FY20, and in the
coming year the community will need to decide what effort to put forth and support in the
area of the battle against substance abuse at the local level_
56 �1
Fire and Emergency Management
FY19 Budget
The Reading Fire Department's FY19 budget is increased by 2.8% when compared to the
previous year. Over 96% of the budget consists of personnel costs.
Department Staffing
In the Summer of 2017, the Town Manager requested an evaluation of the department to
determine how Reading's staffing compares to other peer communities. Chief Burns
conducted an evaluation of twenty -four comparable towns in Massachusetts. The goal of the
study was to compare the Reading Fire Department to the comparable communities using a
number of measurements to determine if additional staffing is warranted. Data gathered:
population, staffing, number of supervisors, Emergency Medical Services, EMS revenues,
salary budget, overtime spending and other relevant data. A secondary goal was to look at
development trends in Reading and potential development areas to predict future increases in
call volume.
In addition to the comparable community data that we gathered, the Town of Reading
Economic Development Action Plan 2016 -2022 created by the Metropolitan Area Planning
Council was reviewed to offer insights to future development. We also reviewed a study of
the Reading Fire Department that was conducted in 1987. This report is titled a Survey of
the Reading Fire Department and was prepared by George Paul Fire Safety Consultants Inc.
The George Paul report recommended the Department be increased by four Firefighter
positions and when this report was written, the on duty group strength was the same as it is
today. 'This report examined emergency response data for the years 1986 and 1987. At that
time the emergency call volume was approximately 2,500 responses per year. Our current
emergency responses exceed 3,500 per year. Since this report was written we have seen a
40% increase in call volume. The population for Reading listed in the report was
approximately 24,000. (Paul, 1987), Since 1987 we have seen our population grow to 26,356.
E
FY18ACTUAL
FY19TOWN
FYISACTUAL,
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL'
to12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGRBUDGET'CHANGE
FIRECHIEF
$
118,776
$
137,189' -
$ 155,446
$ 64,341
$
159,950
$
161,525
1.0%
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF
$
-
$
20,593
$ 114,478
$ 47,851
$
118,950
$
122,525
3.0%
FIRE EXECUTIVE OFFICER
$
$
(37)
$ -
$ -
$
-
$
-
0.0%
EMS DIRECTOR
$
$
5,615
$ 7,510
$ 3,029
$
7,500
$
7,500
0.0%
FIRE SENIOR ADMIN ASSISTANT
$
$
31,341
$ 54,994
$ 23,612
$
58,700
$
60,475
3.0 %'
FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
$
48,281
$
20,540
$ -
$ -
$
-
$
-
0.0%
FIRE CLERK
$
-
$
-
$ -
$ -
$
-
$
19,025
100.0%
FIRE ALARM
$
11,722
$
20,777
$ 15,560
$ 9,080
$
11,000
$
15,000
36.4%'
FIRE CAPTAINS
$
381,963
$
438,311
$ 607,434 j
$ 243,222
! $
580,000
$
600,000
3.4 %'
FIRE LIEUTENANTS
$
327,310
$
473,954
$ 320,098
$ 147,931
$
390,000
$
377,000
-3.3 %'
FIRE FIREFIGHTERS
$
2,543,732
$
2,611,254
$ 2,702,308
$ 1,128,092
$
2,775,000
$
2,835,000
2.2%
FIRE OVERTIME
$
574,041
$
530,519
$ 625,3881
$ 299,488
$
420,000
$
440,000'
4.8%
FIRE HOLIDAY PAY
$
218,981
$
-
$ -
$ -
$
-
$
-
0.0%
FIRE SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
1 $
1,971
$ 69,844
! $ 21,013
$
-
$
0.0%
FIRE /EMS WAGES
$
4,224,805
$
4,292,026
$ 4,673,060
$ 1,987,659
$
4,521,100
$
4,638,050
2.6%
Department Staffing
In the Summer of 2017, the Town Manager requested an evaluation of the department to
determine how Reading's staffing compares to other peer communities. Chief Burns
conducted an evaluation of twenty -four comparable towns in Massachusetts. The goal of the
study was to compare the Reading Fire Department to the comparable communities using a
number of measurements to determine if additional staffing is warranted. Data gathered:
population, staffing, number of supervisors, Emergency Medical Services, EMS revenues,
salary budget, overtime spending and other relevant data. A secondary goal was to look at
development trends in Reading and potential development areas to predict future increases in
call volume.
In addition to the comparable community data that we gathered, the Town of Reading
Economic Development Action Plan 2016 -2022 created by the Metropolitan Area Planning
Council was reviewed to offer insights to future development. We also reviewed a study of
the Reading Fire Department that was conducted in 1987. This report is titled a Survey of
the Reading Fire Department and was prepared by George Paul Fire Safety Consultants Inc.
The George Paul report recommended the Department be increased by four Firefighter
positions and when this report was written, the on duty group strength was the same as it is
today. 'This report examined emergency response data for the years 1986 and 1987. At that
time the emergency call volume was approximately 2,500 responses per year. Our current
emergency responses exceed 3,500 per year. Since this report was written we have seen a
40% increase in call volume. The population for Reading listed in the report was
approximately 24,000. (Paul, 1987), Since 1987 we have seen our population grow to 26,356.
E
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council. predicts a substantial need for housing and
significant growth in the senior population of Reading in the near future. The trend of new
growth consisting of multi -floor, multi -unit wood framed buildings and multi -floor, multi-
unit wood framed mixed residential and commercial buildings is likely to continue. The
factors of an increasing population, an increased senior population and an increase number of
large residential buildings will combine to cause an increase in emergency medical and fire
responses.
For example, the recent Developments listed in the chart below added 10% to the emergency
medical responses made by the department in 2016:
Address
Occupancy
EMS
Fire
Total
Walkers Brook
Drive
Residential
52
43
95
New Crossing Road
Commercial
48
2
50
Reading Commons
Residential
31
19
50
Reading Woods
Residential
39
76
115
Johnson Woods
Residential
9
22
31
24 -54 Haven Street
Mixed Residential - Commercial
11
6
17
General Way
Commercial
20
6
26
Total Zlv 114 '°`*
As the chart below shows, staffing for the department is well below the high levels reached
during the mid- 1970s, a time when calls for service were significantly lower — and the
department did not offer Advanced Life Support medical services. In recent years, staffing
levels have not kept up with the growth in call volume.
C
Firefighter Staffing and
EMS
,Responses
L
2,500
_ _..__ _.._.__- 60
ca
2,000
50
d
L
40
U.
v
1,500
- -.- _ .._ _ --_ _.......__
U
30
Ambulance
1,000
_- _ -_ -. _.._._._
20
Calls
E
Firefighters
500
_._; _.- ..- �..._._._._ _.._.._.__...
10
0
_ ..___._____... __,._.___.____
_ 0
O tD N 00 d O lD N
n n oo 00 Ol O O
pl Ql O O1 O O O
i--4 1-1 N N N
Year
1
Based upon the factors outlined above it is clear by the data there is a need for additional
staffing. Therefore we recommend total of four additional Firefighters be added to the
Department. This will increase each group by one Firefighter and will also have the added
benefit of a reduction in overtime expenditures.
As the chart above shows, based on population only this request of four additional firefighters
would leave the department staffing still short of 2010 service levels — setting aside the additional
influence of commercial development in town.
These requested four new additional firefighters were NOT able to be included in this
balanced FY19 Town budget. The estimated costs, including wages and expenses, would be
an additional $360,000 for this budget, as well as an impact on the employee benefits
budget.
Department Overview
The Reading Fire Department is responsible for four major functions: fire suppression, fire
prevention, the emergency medical system and emergency management. This Department is
also responsible to coordinate and apply for all reimbursements for State and Federal disaster
declarations.
The Reading Fire Department's 48 full time employees are primarily organized around four
Groups of Officers and Firefighters. The budget requests the funding of a Chief, Assistant
Chief, Administrative Assistant, five Captains, four Lieutenants, thirty six Firefighters and
two part time Fire Alarm Technicians. A new clerical position shared with the Police
department is included in this budget. This position will give some needed backup to the sole
existing clerical position and provide depth in the payroll and other essential department
paperwork that is currently shared among all senior staff.
Several years ago the department transitioned to offer Advanced Life Support (ALS). This
service is of tremendous benefit to the community and to those passing through town. It also
provides incremental ambulance fee revenues. However there is a cost associated with hiring
ALS certified paramedics, which will place upward pressure on the Fire department wage
budget for about another nine years until the staffing transition is complete.
Each day the on duty shift staffs two engines, a ladder truck and an ambulance. Each group is
supervised by a Captain who is the shift commander. Captains are responsible to respond to
emergencies, deliver services, training, scheduling, equipment maintenance and routine fire
prevention duties. The Lieutenants are responsible for supervision of the West Side Fire
5aao
1975 2010
2017
Firefighters
56 47
46
Population
22,609 24,747
26,500
Residents /Firefighter
404 527
576
1975 equiv. staffing
61
66
shortfall in staffing
5
10
As the chart above shows, based on population only this request of four additional firefighters
would leave the department staffing still short of 2010 service levels — setting aside the additional
influence of commercial development in town.
These requested four new additional firefighters were NOT able to be included in this
balanced FY19 Town budget. The estimated costs, including wages and expenses, would be
an additional $360,000 for this budget, as well as an impact on the employee benefits
budget.
Department Overview
The Reading Fire Department is responsible for four major functions: fire suppression, fire
prevention, the emergency medical system and emergency management. This Department is
also responsible to coordinate and apply for all reimbursements for State and Federal disaster
declarations.
The Reading Fire Department's 48 full time employees are primarily organized around four
Groups of Officers and Firefighters. The budget requests the funding of a Chief, Assistant
Chief, Administrative Assistant, five Captains, four Lieutenants, thirty six Firefighters and
two part time Fire Alarm Technicians. A new clerical position shared with the Police
department is included in this budget. This position will give some needed backup to the sole
existing clerical position and provide depth in the payroll and other essential department
paperwork that is currently shared among all senior staff.
Several years ago the department transitioned to offer Advanced Life Support (ALS). This
service is of tremendous benefit to the community and to those passing through town. It also
provides incremental ambulance fee revenues. However there is a cost associated with hiring
ALS certified paramedics, which will place upward pressure on the Fire department wage
budget for about another nine years until the staffing transition is complete.
Each day the on duty shift staffs two engines, a ladder truck and an ambulance. Each group is
supervised by a Captain who is the shift commander. Captains are responsible to respond to
emergencies, deliver services, training, scheduling, equipment maintenance and routine fire
prevention duties. The Lieutenants are responsible for supervision of the West Side Fire
5aao
Station and the Firefighters who are assigned there. The Lieutenants are responsible to
respond to emergencies, deliver services, training, equipment maintenance and routine fire
prevention duties.
Emergency Response
Many of the Fire Department's responses require more than one piece of fire apparatus on
scene. These calls include emergency medical responses, fires, motor vehicle accidents,
construction accidents, hazardous materials incidents and flammable liquid spills. An
example would be a motor vehicle accident on Routel28 or Route 93; it is not unusual for
the call to require the response of an engine, ladder truck and the ambulance. If there are
significant injuries on scene, the call will require the entire shift to respond.
For this calendar year, for the time period of January 1, 2017 to December 1, 2017, the Fire
Department has responded to 3,543 emergency calls for assistance. Of these calls 2,026
involved some level of emergency medical responses.
Data Reported to State Fire Marshal
All fire departments are required to report response data to the Massachusetts State Fire
Marshal's Office. Reading's required reporting data from January 1, 2017 to December 1,
2017 includes 28 fires defined as structure fires, 9 fires in mobile equipment and 21 outside
fires in addition to other responses. Below is a graph representing all emergency responses
types for this time period:
Fire Protection
SYtnvestiga'ieation
Smoke /Odors —
Other
Assist Resident
Electrical Problem
Carbon Monoxide
Hazardous-,-'
Condition
Specialized Rescue J
Emergency Responses
January 1, 2017 to December 1, 2017
Mutual Aid
Received /Given
Fires In Structures'
Malicious Call
Outside Fires
Vehicle Fires
Motor Vehicle
Crash
EMS Response
Emergency Medical Responses
Emergency medical responses are continuing to trend upward. The annual data through
December 1, 2017 reveals we responded to 2,073 emergency medical calls. When we
compare the data for the same time period in calendar year 2016 we find the responses were
1,853. This represents an increase of 11.8% in EMS Responses from 2016 to 2017. Below
is a graph representing EMS responses by type in calendar year 2017:
Unconscious /Faintin
g/Near- Fainting
7%
Traumatic Injury
7%
Traffic /Transportatio
n Incident
9%
Sick Person
2%
2017 Patient Care Report
By lnodent 'lype
Unknown Well Person Check Abdominal Allergic
Problem /Person 3% Pain /Problems _Reaction /Sti
Psychiatric
j Problem/Abnormal k
Behavior /Suicide
Attempt
11%
Overdose /Poisoning/
Ingestion
3% No Other
Appropriate Choice
6%
1%
Breathing Problem
13%
di ac Arrest /Death
1%
Choking
3%
Patient Demographics
Below are two graphs that provide demographic data of patients treated and transported from
January 1, 2017 to December 1, 2017:
Patients by Age Group
Patients By Gender
5aaa
EMS Revenue
The Fire Department bills for ambulance transport services. Below is a graph that indicates
the amount of ambulance revenue collected in the last eight fiscal years:
Emergency Management
The primary goal for Emergency Management is to identify areas of vulnerability to the
community, to prepare for all disasters whether natural or manmade, to coordinate the
response of a wide range of agencies and assist in the recovery phase. A secondary goal is to
ensure the Town of Reading is in compliance with all Federal and State requirements to
enable the community to remain eligible to receive reimbursement for Federal and State
disaster declarations.
The Fire Department is responsible to coordinate and apply for all reimbursements for State
and Federal disaster declarations. Since 2001 we have seen an increase in storm events
being eligible for reimbursements due to Federal disaster declarations. Over this period the
Town of Reading and Reading Municipal Light Department have received a total of $1.4
million in reimbursements for emergency response costs and damage to infrastructure.
Below is a graph that indicates the event and amounts received from FEMA:
�Q�3
FEMA Reimbursements
400,000
350,000
300,000 _ --
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000 - ._._.._. __. __ ._ _ _ -----
.-
50,000
0 ...
� °o � °ti ti ti ti ti
Expenses
As shown above, some one -time purchases mentioned last year are removed from the FY19
budget, leaving a very modest increase in total expenses. ALS medical supplies continue
their annual increase. This is caused by a combination of an expansion of treatment options,
increases in call volume and complexity, and price increases.
5�ak
FY18 ACTUAL ;
FY19 TOWN
FYISACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET CHANGE
FIRE ALS MEDICAL SUPPLIES
$
46,412
$ 48,571 !
$
45,376
$
14,291
$
48,000';
$
55,000
14.6%
FIRE AMBULANCE SERVICE
$
16,617 i
$ 17,645:
$
20,062
$
15,359
$
20,000
$
20,000
0.0%
AMBULANCE BILLING SERVICES
$
25,460
$ 32,338
$
31,938:
$
9,922
$
35,000
$
36,000
2.9%
FIRE EQUIP MAINT /SVC /REPAIR
$
6,736
$ 11,884
$
9,768
$
9,048
$
14,000
$
7,000
- 50.0%
FIRE RADIO MAINT /REPAIRS
$
1,090
$ 2,055
$
1,108
$
5,899
$
10,000
$
5,ODO
- 50.0 %'
FIRE APPARATUS MAINT /SVC /REPAI $
48
$ 6,273
$
2,386
$
1,605
$
3,000
$
3,000
0.0%
FIRE ALARM MAINT /REPAIR
$
90
$ (679);
$
494
$
168
$
3,000
$
3,000
0.0 %,
FIRE UNIFORMS AND CLOTHING
$
30,575
$ 31,105
$
36,089
$
30,103
$
38,000
$
40,000
5.3 %i
FIRE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
$
2,934
$ 1,953
$
8,130 !
$
1,008
$
3,000 !
$
3,000
0.0 %!
FIRE SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
892
$ 377
$
550
$
403
$
2,000
$
2,0001
0.0 %!
FIRE FIREFIGHTER TRAINING
$
6,803'
$ 7,283
$
6,500
$
725
$
7,000
$
10,000
42.9 %,
FIRE DUES AND MEMBERSHIPS
$
2,500
$ 3,525
$
3,575
$
3,450
$
3,500
$
4,000 `
14.3 %'
FIRE PROFDEV REGISTRATIONS
$
909
$ 735
$
728
$
450
$
1,000
$
1,000
0.0%
FIRE PUBLICATIONS
$
604
$ 54
$
435
$
2S !
$
500
$
500 -
0.0 %`
FIRE PROF DEV /TRAINING
$
800
$ -
$
-
$
2,020
$
-
$
0.0%
FIRE OFFICE SUPP
$
550
$ 403
$
973
$
298
$
1,000
$
1,000
0.0%
FIRE OTHER
$
2,832
$ 596
$
3,123
$
1,566
$
1,000
$
1,000
0.0 %;
FLAGS
$
562
$ 410
$
448
$
4
$
1,000
$
1,000
0.0%
FIRE /EMS EXPENSES
$
146,415
$ 164,527
$
171,683
$
96,343
$
191,000
$
192,500
0.81%
As shown above, some one -time purchases mentioned last year are removed from the FY19
budget, leaving a very modest increase in total expenses. ALS medical supplies continue
their annual increase. This is caused by a combination of an expansion of treatment options,
increases in call volume and complexity, and price increases.
5�ak
Dispatch
FY19 Budget
The Reading Public Safety Dispatch budget request for FY19 is funded at $599,750, a 4.2%
increase compared with FYI 8. About 96% of this budget is spent on personnel.
Dispatch is currently staffed with ten civilian Telecommunicators and one civilian Head
Dispatcher who works several shifts per week as a Telecommunicator and oversees the
administration of the Dispatch center.
Each year this field becomes more complex due to changes in technology and in the
Emergency Medical Dispatch requirements. Recent changes made it extremely difficult for a
single Dispatcher to handle a shift, and as a result the Town increased staffing by two
positions as is shown in by comparing the FY15 and FY16 funding levels. In addition to
providing the needed staffing depth, this change also reduced the need for Overtime, which
saved about half of this additional cost. As a result, the Reading Dispatch Center is in
compliance with all requirements.
FY18ACTUAL FY19TOWN
FY15ACTUAL FYI6ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to12/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
HEAD PUB SAFETY DISPATCHER $ 64,521 $ 68,924 $ 71,573 $ 29,606 $ 73,575 $ 75,775 3.0%
PUB SAFETY DISPATCHERS $ 322,168 $ 407,984 $ 401,463 $ 204,192 $ 473,500 $ 500,000 5.6 %'
DISPATCHER OVERTIME $ 91,264 $ 50,582 $ 48,398 $ 14,809. $ 53,000 $ 50,000 -5.7%
DISPATCH OTTRAINING $ (689) $ 579 $ - $ - $ - $ - 0.0%
DISPATCH E911 GRANT SUPPORT $ (50,000) $ (51,642) $ (50,000); $ $ (50,000) $ (50,000) 0.0%
DISPATCH WAGES TEMP $ 13,324 $ - $ $ $ $ - 0.0%
DISPATCH LEAVE BUYBACK $ - $ 1,917 $ $ $ $ 0.0 %'
Increases in wage line for Dispatchers reflect some changes under negotiation through the
collective bargaining process that will greatly benefit the town's ability to train staff on a
regular basis. Surprising there are few state requirements along these lines, but the town
imposes its own standards for the safety of the public. There is an increase below in expenses
along these lines as well.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TO W N
FYIS ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to 12/11/17 ` FYI8BUDGET MGRBUDGET: CHANGE;
DISPATCH MAINT CONTRACT /REPAIR $ $ - $ $ $ - $ 12,000 100.0%
DISPATCH COMM EQUIP $ 5,753 $ 1,644 $ 2,243 $ $ 6,000 $ - 100.0%
DISPATCH EQUIP MAINT &REPAIR $ - $ 4,413 $ 2,827 $ 10,314 $ 3,500 $ 100.0%:
DISPATCH EQUIPMENT $ - $ 1,518 $ 9,643 ; $ 5,281 $ 3,500 $ 5,000 42.9%
DISPATCH VIDEO SURV MAINT $ 11,049 $ - $ $ - $ 2,500 $ 2,500 0.0%
DISPATCH PROF DEV /TRAINING $ 261 $ 370 $ 328 $ $ 2,000 $ 3,500 75.0%;
DISPATCH PROF DEV TRAVEL $ 441 $ 340 $ 183 $ 34 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 0.0%
DISPATCH SOFTWARE LICEN & SUPP $ 3,979 $ 3,130 $ 2,620: $ 2,399 $ 2,500 $ 2,500 0.0%
DISPATCH OFFICE SUPP $ 959 $ 68 $ 40, $ - $ - $ 0.0%
DISPATCH UNIFORMS AND CLOTHING $ 630 $ 2,284 $ 1,132 $ $ 1,000 $ 1,500 50.0 %.
DISPATCH TECHNOLOGY SUPP $ - $ - $ 300 $ $ 3,500 $ 1,500 57.1%
DISPATCH E911 GRANT SUPPORT $ - $ $ $ $ - $ (5,500) 100.0 %:
, '
5a�5
In addition to Town funding, $55,500 in 911 grant funds are used to offset existing salaries
and expenses. This grant is not guaranteed and can be discontinued at any time.
In the FYI budget in the capital plan there is funding to renovate the dispatch center. This is
the first step agreed to by the Police Chief, Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools in
preparing to implement suggested improvements from a Building Security study that has
been discussed in summary form during Executive Session with the elected boards. Certain
technology can and has been replaced piecemeal along the way, but a renovation project is
needed to replace equipment that is well over ten years old and beyond its useful life.
Below are some measures of activity in the Dispatch Center. A log entry may take anywhere
from a few seconds for quick questions to over an hour for complex issues. By the end of
2017 the activity should be at an all -time high, once again reflecting in part the growth in
population within the community. For perspective, the log entries average one every fifteen
minutes through the entire year — 365/24/7.
Dispatch
40000 339503096532211
30000
20000 10000 4087 4124 4252
Log entries Access stickers
€� 2015 M 2016 M 2017 YTD thru 11/30/17
i
Public Works
FY19 Budget
The Department of Public Works FY19 budget is increased by 2.3% when compared to
the previous year. Details by Division are shown below:
Overview
The Department of Public Works consists of several divisions in the general fund
including administration, engineering, highway and equipment maintenance, storm water
(not the enterprise fund), parks and forestry and cemetery. Town Meeting approves both
a Salary and an Expense line for the total of these divisions, noted below as `operations'.
Town Meeting also votes individual budgets for the categories of snow and ice, street
lights, and rubbish collection and disposal, as well as the three Enterprise Funds (Water,
Sewer, Storm Water). Following is a breakdown of salaries and expenses for these
budgets:
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to12 /11/17 FYI8BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
DPW Administration $ 307,650 $ 306,971 $ 341,233 $ 140,469 $ 347,575: $ 386,325 11.1%
Engineering $ 384,901 $ 415,606 $ 296,149 $ 130,701 $ 377,425 $ 408,700 8.3%
Highway & Equipment $ 825,206 $ 829,907 $ 818,614 $ 351,876 $ 852,200 $ 870,450 2.1%
Storm Water (Gen Fund) $ 115,640 $ 153,506 $ 145,241 $ 57,937 $ 169,200 $ 149,075 -11.9%
Parks & Forestry $ 489,970 $ 526,034 $ 525,482 $ 226,482 $ 567,325 I $ 590,900 4.2%
Cemetery $ 154,736 $ 169,848 $ 189,124 $ 79,689 $ 203,450 $ 207,900 2.2%
DPW OPERATIONS WAGES $ 2,278,103 $ 2,401,873 $ 2,315,842 $ 987,153 $ 2,517,175 $ 2,613,350 3.8%
Snow /Ice $ 385,413 $ 145,337 $ 278,241 $ $ 115,000. $ 125,000 8.7%
Traffic /Street Lighting $ - $ - $ - $ $ - $ - 0.0 %.
Rubbish & Recycling $ - $ - $. - $ $ - $ - 0.0%
SNOW /LIGHTING /RUBBISH WAGES $ 385,413 $ 145,337 $ 278,241 $ $ 115,000 $ 125,000 8.7 %I
DPW TOTAL WAGES $ 2,663,516 $ 2,547,210 $ 2,594,083 $ 987,153 $ 2,632,175 $ 2,738,350 4.0•�
Staffing changes in Administration includes the expansion of hours (from 37.5 to
40 /week), plus the addition of a new clerical position that will be split between the
general fund (0.5 FTE) and the water and sewer Enterprise Funds (0.25 FTE each). The
increased clerical hours reflect increased paperwork in the cemetery division and an
5aa�
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FYISACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL.
FY17ACTUAL
to 12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
DPW Administration
$
333,902
$ 349,844
$ 360,436
$ 144,366
$ 368,075
$ 402,325
9.3%
Engineering
$
434,725
$ 445,347
$ 319,901
$ 141,066
$ 421,925 !
$ 450,200
6.7%
Highway & Equipment
$
1,391,153
$ 1,392,251
! $ 1,431,516
$ 619,403
$ 1,532,050
$ 1,537,450
0.4%
Storm Water (Gen Fund)
$
120,200
$ 157,066:
$ 149,886
$ 58,273
$ 176,200
$ 154,075
- 12.6%
Parks & Forestry
$
520,608
$ 565,914
$ 566,303:
$ 243,407
$ 615,825
$ 642,150
4.3%
Cemetery
$
207,872
$ 208,287:
$ 235,760
$ 92,770
$ 248,500
$ 256,250
3.1 %.
DPW OPERATIONS TOTAL
$
2,800,588
$ 3,118,710
$ 3,063,801
$ 1,299,284
$ 3,362,575 !
$ 3,442,450
2.451.
Snow /Ice
$
1,449,515
$ 564,400
$ 874,520
$ 30,490
$ 625,000
$ 650,000
4.0%
Traffic /Street Lighting
$
135,770
$ 127,758
$ 133,504
$ 55,503
$ 180,000
$ 160,000
- 11.1%
Rubbish & Recycling
$
1,296,522
$ 1,319,895
$ 1,457,429
$ 787,203
$ 1,596,500
$ 1,644,395
3.0%:
SNOW /LIGHTING /RUBBISH
$
2,881,807
$ 2,012,053
$ 2,465,453
$ 873,196
$ 2,401,500
$ 2,454,395
2.2%
DPW TOTAL
$
5,682,395
$ 5,130,763
$ 5,529,254
$ 2,172,481
$ 5,764,075
$ 5,896,845
2.3%
Overview
The Department of Public Works consists of several divisions in the general fund
including administration, engineering, highway and equipment maintenance, storm water
(not the enterprise fund), parks and forestry and cemetery. Town Meeting approves both
a Salary and an Expense line for the total of these divisions, noted below as `operations'.
Town Meeting also votes individual budgets for the categories of snow and ice, street
lights, and rubbish collection and disposal, as well as the three Enterprise Funds (Water,
Sewer, Storm Water). Following is a breakdown of salaries and expenses for these
budgets:
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL to12 /11/17 FYI8BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
DPW Administration $ 307,650 $ 306,971 $ 341,233 $ 140,469 $ 347,575: $ 386,325 11.1%
Engineering $ 384,901 $ 415,606 $ 296,149 $ 130,701 $ 377,425 $ 408,700 8.3%
Highway & Equipment $ 825,206 $ 829,907 $ 818,614 $ 351,876 $ 852,200 $ 870,450 2.1%
Storm Water (Gen Fund) $ 115,640 $ 153,506 $ 145,241 $ 57,937 $ 169,200 $ 149,075 -11.9%
Parks & Forestry $ 489,970 $ 526,034 $ 525,482 $ 226,482 $ 567,325 I $ 590,900 4.2%
Cemetery $ 154,736 $ 169,848 $ 189,124 $ 79,689 $ 203,450 $ 207,900 2.2%
DPW OPERATIONS WAGES $ 2,278,103 $ 2,401,873 $ 2,315,842 $ 987,153 $ 2,517,175 $ 2,613,350 3.8%
Snow /Ice $ 385,413 $ 145,337 $ 278,241 $ $ 115,000. $ 125,000 8.7%
Traffic /Street Lighting $ - $ - $ - $ $ - $ - 0.0 %.
Rubbish & Recycling $ - $ - $. - $ $ - $ - 0.0%
SNOW /LIGHTING /RUBBISH WAGES $ 385,413 $ 145,337 $ 278,241 $ $ 115,000 $ 125,000 8.7 %I
DPW TOTAL WAGES $ 2,663,516 $ 2,547,210 $ 2,594,083 $ 987,153 $ 2,632,175 $ 2,738,350 4.0•�
Staffing changes in Administration includes the expansion of hours (from 37.5 to
40 /week), plus the addition of a new clerical position that will be split between the
general fund (0.5 FTE) and the water and sewer Enterprise Funds (0.25 FTE each). The
increased clerical hours reflect increased paperwork in the cemetery division and an
5aa�
increase in technology across the department. Of note, the See -Click -Fix software has
passed the initial trial period (where it was grant funded) and the department needs to
embrace the efficiencies offered in customer service by focusing responsibility to one
position, much as Public Services has successfully one with a new electronic permits
system and the Permits Coordinator position. No other staffing changes are requested.
Increases in the Engineering wage line reflect collective bargaining efforts and
management's need to fill vacant positions in a strong local construction economy.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TOWN
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL tol2/11/17 FY18BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
DPW Administration $ 26,252 $ 42,873 $ 19,203 $ 3,897 $ 20,500 $ 16,000 -22.0%
Engineering $ 49,825 $ 29,741 $ 23,751 $ 10,365 $ 44,500 ! $ 41,500 -6.7%
Highway & Equipment $ 565,947 $ 562,344 $ 612,902 $ 267,526 $ 679,850 $ 667,000 -1.9W
Storm Water (Gen Fund) $ 4,560 $ 3,561 $ 4,645 $ 337 $ 7,000 $ 5,000 - 28.6%
Parks & Forestry $ 30,638 $ 39,880: $ 40,822 $ 16,926 $ 48,500 $ 51,250 5.7%
Cemetery $ 53,135 $ 38,439 $ 46,636 $ 13,081 $ 45,050 $ 48,350 7.3%
DPW OPERATIONS EXPENSES $ 730,357 " $ 716,837 $ 747,959 $ 312,131 $ 845,400 $ 829,100 -1.9 %,
Snow /Ice $ 1,064,102 $ 419,063 $ 596,280 $ 30,490 $ 510,000 $ 525,000 2.9%
Traffic /Street Lighting $ 135,770 $ 127,758 $ 133,504 $ 55,503 $ 180,000 $ 160,000 - 11.1%
Rubbish & Recycling $ 1,296,522 $ 1,319,895 $ 1,457,429 $ 787,203 $ 1,596,500: $ 1,644,395 3.0%
SNOW /LIGHTING /RUBBISH EXPENSES $ 2,496,394 $ 1,866,716 $ 2,187,212 $ 873,196 $ 2,286,500 $ 2,329,395 1.9%
DPW TOTAL EXPENSES $ 3,226,751 $ 2,583,553 $ 2,935,172 $ 1,185,327 $ 3,131,900 $ 3,158,495 0.8%
Expenses across the department are not much changed from the current fiscal year.
Administration: The Administration Division supports the Department of Public Works
with contract administration, budget preparation, departmental personnel and payroll
services, accounts payable processing, cemetery administration services and responses to
public inquiries and concerns over all Public Works areas of responsibility.
FY18 ACTUAL FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL tol2 /11/17 FYI8BUDGET MGR BUDGET CHANGE
DPW DIRECTOR $ 117,248 $ 123,123 $ 135,256 $ 55,074 $ 136,925 $ 138,250 1.0%
ASSISTANT DPW DIRECTOR $ 99,493', $ 87,007 ! $ 101,317 $ 42,053 $ 104,525 ! $ 107,675 1 10%
DPW ADMIN SPECIALIST $ $ - $ - $ $ - $ 68,200 100.0%
DPW SENIOR ADMIN ASSISTANT $ - $ 31,260 $ 55,864 $ 23,679 $ 57,550 $ - - 100.0%
DPW ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT $ 48,304 $ 20,603 $ - $ - $ $ - 0.0%
DPW ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY $ 19,847 $ 43,843 $ 46,175 $ 19,137 $ 47,575 $ 49,000 3.0%
DPW CLERK $ 21,195 $ $ - $ - $ - $ 21,200 100.0%
DPW ADMIN OVERTIME $ 1,563 $ 1,135 $ 2,621 $ 265 $ 1,000 $ 2,000 100.0%
DPW ADMIN OUT OF GRADE WORK $ - $ - $ - $ 262 $ - $ - 0.0%
DPW ADMINISTRATION WAGES $ 307,650 $ 306,971 $ 341,233 $ 140,469 $ 347,575 $ 386,325 11.11/ !
DPW ADMIN ADVERTISING $ 2,258 $ 2,942 $ 1,003 $ 972 $ 1,500 $ 2,000 33.3%
DPW ADMIN PROF DEV /TRAINING $ 10,871 $ 37,927 $ 15,522 $ 2,381 $ 15,000 $ 10,000 -33.3%
DPW ADMIN PROF DEV - TRAVEL $ 130 $ - $ 114 $ 54 $ 500 $ 500 0.0%
DPW ADMIN SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT $ 1,246 $ 1,004 $ 1,017 $ 443 $ 1,500 $ 1,500 0.0%
TOWN FOREST SUPPLIES $ 790 $ - $ 935 $ $ 1,000 $ 1,000 0.0%
TRAILS COMM SUPPLIES $ 996 $ 1,000 $ 612 $ 47 $ 1,000 $ 1,000 0.0%
EDC FLOWER MAINTENANCE $ 9,960 $ - $ - $ $ - $ - 0.0%
DPW ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES $ 26,252 $ 42,873 $ 19,203 $ 3,897 $ 20,500 $ 16,000 22.0%'
DPW ADMINISTRATION TOTAL $ 333,902 $ 349,844 $ 360,436 $ 144,366 $ 368,075 $ 402,325 9.3%
As described above, one clerical position is upgraded and goes from 37.5 to 40 hours per
week and a 0.5 FTE Clerk is added.
� 6��
Engineering: The Engineering Division provides engineering services to all departments
within the Town of Reading. The division is responsible for: the preparation of plans,
specifications, estimates, survey layout, inspection and supervision of town construction
projects; review of subdivision plans and site plans for accuracy and conformance with
subdivision rules and regulations; review of conservation submittals, preparation of
subdivision and conservation bond estimates, inspection of subdivision construction, the
administration of the pavement management program and Chapter 90 roadway
improvement program; upkeep of all traffic markings and traffic signals, issuance and
compliance of utility, street opening and Jackie's law permits, utility location and digsafe
mark -out, and the maintenance of all plan and record data.
The Town has needed to outsource some work for capital projects that would be cheaper
and have better oversight if done by in -house staff. The strong construction market has
hampered hiring in this division and the Senior Civil Engineer position has been vacant
for about two years, despite a few lengthy hiring processes that have culminated in
rejected offers due to wage levels. While the Town cannot and does not wish to compete
with the private sector, it must compete With other public employers, all of which are
influenced by the current market environment.
Wage lines above are subject to the collective bargaining process, which is in progress.
Highway /Stormwater: The Highway /Stormwater Division is responsible for the
construction, maintenance and repair of all public roadways, catch basins, drainage
systems, sidewalks, traffic and street signs, along with snowplowing, sanding /salting, and
snow removal. In addition, they provide daily and preventative maintenance services for
over 120 pieces of vehicles and equipment town -wide, including Police, Fire, School, and
Department of Public Works. Fuel costs have been running below budget for a few years,
so in FY19 that budget is reduced. There is continued pressure on the parts & equipment
and outsourced repairs lines that are directly affected by the Capital Plan.
5�a�
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FYIS ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGRBUDGET CHANGE
TOWN ENGINEER
$
97,907
$ 126,864
$ 84,220
$
36,487
$ 90,650
$ 98,800
9.0%
ENG SENIOR CIVILENGINEER
$
71,708
$ 62,923
$ -
$
-
$ 64,400,
$ 70,075
8.8%
ENG CIVILENGINEER
$
137,075
$ 140,281
$ 142,356
$
62,102
$ 146,600
$ 160,650'
9.6%
ENG FIELD TECH II
$
60,020
$ 60,930
$ 61,575
$
26,734
$ 63,275
$ 68,675
8.5%
ENG SURVEYOR AID II
$
13,181
$ 16,674
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
ENG AIDE
$
703
$ -
$
$
$
$
0.0%
ENG TEMP HELP ENG AIDE
$
-
$ -
$
$
$
$
0.0%
ENGINEERING OVERTIME
$
3,947
$ 7,607
$ 7,699
$
5,189
$ 12,000
$ 10,000
-16.7%
ENGINEERING OUTOF GRADE WORK
$
359
$ 328
$ 300
$
190
$ 500
$ 500
0.0%
ENGINEERING WAGES
384,901
415,606
296,149
130,701
S 377,425
408,700
8.3%
TRAFFIC CONTROL REPAIRS
$
33,767
$ 12,672
! $ 10,050
$
2,865
$ 22,000
$ 20,000
-9.1%
ENGINEERING PROF REVIEW SVCS
$
1,010
$ 150
$ 150
$
-
$ 2,000
$ 2,000
0.0%
ENGINEERING POLICE DETAILS
$
7,698
$ 10,547
$ 6,376
$
5,000
$ 11,000
$ 10,000
41%
ENGINEERING SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
2,111',
$ 1,665
$ 2,900
$
292
$ 3,500
$ 3,500
0.0%
ENGINEERING COMPUTER SUPPLIES
$
4,864
$ 4,707
$ 4,200
$
2,208
$ 5,000
$ 5,000
0.0%
ENGINEERING RECORDING FEES
$
375
$ -
$ 75
$
-
$ 1,000
$ 1,000
0.0%
ENGINEERING EXPENSES
49,825
29,741
23,751
10,365
44,500
41,500
-6.7%
ENGINEERING TOTAL
$
434,725
$ 445,347
$ 319,901
$
141,066
$ 421,925
$ 450,200
6.7%
The Town has needed to outsource some work for capital projects that would be cheaper
and have better oversight if done by in -house staff. The strong construction market has
hampered hiring in this division and the Senior Civil Engineer position has been vacant
for about two years, despite a few lengthy hiring processes that have culminated in
rejected offers due to wage levels. While the Town cannot and does not wish to compete
with the private sector, it must compete With other public employers, all of which are
influenced by the current market environment.
Wage lines above are subject to the collective bargaining process, which is in progress.
Highway /Stormwater: The Highway /Stormwater Division is responsible for the
construction, maintenance and repair of all public roadways, catch basins, drainage
systems, sidewalks, traffic and street signs, along with snowplowing, sanding /salting, and
snow removal. In addition, they provide daily and preventative maintenance services for
over 120 pieces of vehicles and equipment town -wide, including Police, Fire, School, and
Department of Public Works. Fuel costs have been running below budget for a few years,
so in FY19 that budget is reduced. There is continued pressure on the parts & equipment
and outsourced repairs lines that are directly affected by the Capital Plan.
5�a�
There are no staffing changes in this division. Wages are subject to collective bargaining.
Some changes forecast are due to changes in licensing or other positional qualifications.
The Storm Water division has some savings due to employee turnover.
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL:
to 12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGEI
HIGHWAY SUPERVISOR
$
71,053
$ 66,965
$ 65,205
$ 27,142
$ 67,650
$ 70,550
4.3%'
HIGHWAY FOREMAN
$
67,961
$ 72,815
$ 74,730
$ 31,889
$ 76,800
$ 77,175
0.5%
HIGHWAY WORKING FOREMAN
$
93,963
$ 109,522
$ 112,786
$ 48,998
$ 116,775
$ 119,850
2.6%
HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR
$
144,386
$ 170,531
$ 172,506'!
$ 74,140
$ 177,425
$ 179,850
1.4%
HIGHWAY SKILLED LABORER
$
74,390
$ 61,317
$ 87,044
$ 37,128 !
$ 87,675
$ 91,650
4.5%
HIGHWAY LABORER
$
53,832
$ 50,033
$ 20,129
$ 9,355:
$ 25,550
$ 22,400
- 12.3%
HIGHWAY MASTER MECHANIC
$
63,460
$ 65,940
$ 67,672
$ 29,457
$ 69,550
$ 72,725
4.6%
HIGHWAY MECHANIC CLASS
$
108,681
$ 101,988!$
106,886
$ 46,655
$ 112,350
$ 115,175
2.5%
HIGHWAY MECHANIC CLASS III
$
16,944
$ 31,909
$ 33,739
$ 14,826
$ 36,425
$ 38,07S
4.5%
HIGHWAYOVERTIME
$
57,931
$ 53,527
$ 51,475
$ 23,978
$ 60,000
$ 60,000
0.0%
HIGHWAY OUT OF GRADE WORK
$
6,281
$ 6,509
$ 5,811
$ 2,238
$ 8,000
$ 8,000
0.0%
HGWY ON-CALL PREMIUM
$
13,865
$ 13,710
$ 14,256
$ 6,072
$ 14,000
$ 15,000
7,1%
HIGHWAY LONGEVITY
$
33,102
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
HIGHWAY WAGES TEMP
$
19,357
$ 13,644
$ 6,375
$
$ -
$. -
0.0%
HIGHWAY SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$ 11,498
" $ -
$
$ -
$ -
0.0 %'
HIGHWAY &EQUIPMENTWAGES
267,526
825,206
829,907
818,614
351,876
852,200
870,450
2.1%
There are no staffing changes in this division. Wages are subject to collective bargaining.
Some changes forecast are due to changes in licensing or other positional qualifications.
The Storm Water division has some savings due to employee turnover.
5650
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
HIGHWAY GASOLINE
$
128,450
$ 106,761
$ 135,307
$
48,892
$ 205,000
$ 185,000
-9.8%
HIGHWAY EQUIP PARTS & MAINT
$
189,503
$ 196,440
$ 204,073
$
74,745
$ 205,000
$ 210,000
2.4%
HIGHWAY OUTSOURCED REPAIRS
$
118,001 "
$ 127,992
$ 129,986
$
64,857
$ 125,000
$ 135,000
8.0%
HIGHWAY LINE PAINTING
$
32,942
$ 60,663
$ 49,760
$
45,000
$ 4S,000
$ 45,000
0.0%
HIGHWAY HIGHWAY PATCH
$
27,990
$ 23,623
$ 25,887
$
15,450
$ 30,000
$ 25,000
-16.7%
HIGHWAY POLICE DETAILS
$
20,686
$ 7,069
$ 9,450
$
7,863
$ 14,000
$ 13,000
-7.1%
HIGHWAY PROF /TECH SV
$
6,818
$ 5,162
$ 18,38S
$
1,6S3
$ 10,000
$ 10,000
0.0%
HIGHWAY GRAVEL CRUSHING
$
5,299
$ -
$ 9,999;$
-
$ 10,000
$ 10,000'
0.0%
HIGHWAY STREET SIGNS
$
11,809
$ 10,627
$ 10,333
$
1,626
$ 15,000
$ 12,500'
- 16.7 %
HIGHWAY SIDEWALKS
$
7,611
$ 9,875
$ 7,595 !
$
2,536
$ 10,000:
$ 10,000
0.0%
HIGHWAYSUPPLIE5
$
14,068
$ 9,835
$ 8,786
$
3,736
$ 8,000
$ 8,000
0.0%
HIGHWAY WATER /SEWER /SWM
$
2,196
$ 2,266
$ 2,324
$
581
$ 2,100
$ 2,500
19.0%
HIGHWAY LICENSES
$
575
$ 2,031 !,
$ 1,016:
$
586
$ 750
$ 1,000:
33.3%-
HIGHWAY & EQUIPMENT EXPENSES
565,947
562,344
612,902
267,526
679,850
667,000
-1.9%'
HIGHWAY & EQUIPMENTTOTAL
$
1,391,153
$ 1,392,251
$ 1,431,516
$
619,403
$ 1,532,050
$ 1,537,450
0.4%
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL'
FY17ACTUAL'
to12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
STM WTR SUPERVISOR
$
17,759
$ 18,794
$ 16,266
$
6,786
$ 16,900
$ 17,625
4.3%
STM WTR WORKING FOREMAN
$
12,318
$ 12,849
$ 13,281
$
5,745
$ 13,82S
$ 13,900
0.5%
STM WTR EQUIPMENT OPERATOR
$
50,726
$ 58,688
$ 38,850
$
20,932
$ 60,675
$ 52,050
-14.2%
STM WTR SKILLED LABORER
$
8,626
$ 45,485
$ 36,977
$
-
$ 46,975
$ -
- 100.0%
STM WTR LABORER
$
14,368
$ 7,407
$ 19,6S8
$
19,539
$ 17,025
$ 51,550
!, 202.8%
STM WTR MECHANIC CLASS 1
$
-
$ 2,613
$ 5,492
$
2,404
$ 5,800
$ 5,950
! 2.6%
STM WTR MECHANIC CLASS 11
$
280
$ -
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
STM WTR WAGES OVERTIME
$
5,277
$ 4,405
$ 3,682
$
2,449
$ 6,000
$ 6,000
0.0%
STM WTR OUT OF GRADE WORK
$
544
$ 391
$ 1,433
$
83
$ 2,000
$ 2,000:
0.0%
LONGEVITY
$
5,741
$ -
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
STM WTR SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$ 2,874
$ 9,601
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
GF STORM WATER WAGES
115,640
153,506
145,241
S
57,937
169,200
149,075
- 11.9%
STM WTR SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
4,560
$ 3,561
$ 4,645.
$
337
$ 7,000
$ 5,000
: -28.6%
GF STORM WATER EXPENSES
4,560
3,561
4,645
337
7,000
5,000
-28.6%
G STORM WATER TOTAL
$
120,200
$ 157,066
$ 149,886
! $
58,273
$ 176,200
$ 154,075
-12.6%
5650
Parks /Forestry: The Parks /Forestry Division maintains the street trees and grounds for
all town -owned properties such as parks, schools, ballfields, playgrounds, tennis courts,
municipal and school buildings. This division also maintains the compost center and sets
up the holiday lighting on the common.
5d5�
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
tol2 /11/17
FY18BUDGEi
MGR BUDGET CHANGE
PARKS SUPERVISOR
$
43,957
$
40,532
$
51,677
$
3,222
$ 48,600
$
36,500
- 24.9%
PARKS FOREMAN
$
60,996
$
63,383
$
65,062
$
28,316
$ 66,875
$
70,000
4.7%
PARKS WORKING FOREMAN
$
104,310
$
121,266
$
125,731
$
54,743
$ 129,250
$
133,750
3.5%,
PARKS EQUIPMENT OPERATOR
$
50,158
$
52,107
$
53,495
$
16,029
$ 54,975
$
110,000
100.1%'
PARKS SKILLED LABORER
$
57,093
$
42,821
$
43,932
$
19,504
$ 45,150
$
- -
100.0%'
PARKS LABORER
$
63,453
$
70,271
$
66,967
$
24,459
$ 78,075
$
77,800
-0.4%'
PARKS TREE CLIMBER I
$
33,709
$
51,817 !
$
52,430
$
22,827
$ 53,900 !
$
56,350
4.5%
PARKS OVERTIME
$
23,935
$
28,728
$
26,249
$
17,874
$ 26,000
$
26,000
0.0%
PARKS OUT OF GRADE WORK
$
3,621
$
7,087
$
5,802
$
3,142
$ 6,500 !
$
6,500
0.0%
PARKS ON -CALL PREMIUM
$
4,653
$
4,744
$
4,797
$
4,968
$ 5,000
$
5,000
0.0 %I
PARKS LONGEVITY
$
11,334
$
-
$
-
$
-
$ -
$
0.0%
PARKS WAGES TEMP
$
32,751
$
43,279
$
29,342
$
31,398
$ 53,000
$
69,000
30.2%
PARKS & FORESTRY WAGES
$
489,970
$
526,034
$
525,482
$
226,482
$ 567,325
$
590,900
4.2%
PARKS UTILITIES
$
1,425
$
1,621
$
1,644
$
544
$ 1,750
$
2,000
14.3%
PARKS REPAIRS
$
3,600
$
11,780
$
18,405
$
-
$ 19,500
$
19,500
0.0%
PARKS SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
22,768
$
26,202
$
19,389
$
6,492
$ 22,250
$
23,250
4.5%
PARKS STUMP /BRUSH DISPOSAL
$
17,090
$
14,435
$
17,320
$
5,890
$ 16,000
$
17,000
6.3%'
PARKS POLICE DETAILS
$
4,619
$
4,508 `
$
3,450
$
4,000 `
$ 8,000
$
8,000
0.0%
PARKS REVOLVING FUND SUPPORT
$
(20,000)!
$
(20,000)
$
(20,000)
$
-
$ (20,000)
$
(20,000)
0.0%
PARKS LICENSES
$
1,135
$
1,335
$
614
$
-
$ 1,000
$
1,500 !
50.0%
PARKS &FORESTRY EXPENSES
$
30,638
$
39,880
$
40,822
$
16,926
$ 48,500
$
51,250
5.7%
PARKS& FORESTRY TOTAL
$
520,608
$
565,914
! $
566,303
$
243,407
$ 615,825
$
642,150
4.3%
The Supervisors for Parks
/Forestry and Cemetery
was
filled but is vacant once
more.
Collective Bargaining discussions
are underway to try to
solve this hiring challenge.
Cemetery: The Cemetery Division is
responsible
for the
preservation, care,
and
embellishment of the
four municipal
cemeteries in
the Town of Reading:
Laurel
Hill,
Forest Glen, Charles Lawn,
and Wood
End.
FYI8ACTUAL
FY19TOWN
FYIS ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
t612
/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET CHANGE
CEMETERY SUPERVISOR,
$
43,957'
$
53,411
$
60,757
$
5,097
$ 60,600
$
49,000
- 19.1%''
CEMETERY FOREMAN .
$
61,995
$
68,602
$
70,407
$
28,857
$ 72,375
$
75,700
4.6%'
CEMETERY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR
$
42,273
$
55,313
$
56,752
$
23,495
$ 58,350
$
61,000
4.5%'
CEMETERY SKILLED LABORER
$
-
$
16,261!
$
41,852
$
18,381
$ 43,400
$
45,400
4.6%
CEMETERY LABORER
$
70,951
$
54,125
$
34,493
$
15,120
$ 36,425
$
40,000
9.8%
CEMETERY OVERTIME
$
12,539
$
10,732
$
15,343
$
1,862'$
13,000
$
15,000!
15.4%'
CEMETERY OUTOF GRADE WORK
$
4,476
$
2,644
$
2,437
$
1,497
$ 3,300
$
3,800
15.2%
CEMETERY LONGEVITY
$
14,970
$
-
$
-
$
-
$ -
$
-
0.0%
CEMETERYTRUST FUND SUPPORT
$
(120,000)!
$
(120,000)
$
(120,000)
$
(50,000)
$ (120,000)
$
(120,000)'
0.0 %I
CEMETERY WAGES TEMP
$
23,576
$
28,760
$
27,083
$
16,937
$ 36,000
$
38,000
5.6 %I
CEMETERY SICK LEAVE BUYBACK
$
-
$
-
$
-
$
18,442
$ -
$
-
0.0%
CEMETERY WAGES
$
154,736
$
169,848
$
189,124
$
79,689
" $ 203,450
$
207,900
2.2%
5d5�
Snow and Ice: The Snow and Ice budget is increased by $25,000 after being level
funded at $625,000 for four consecutive years. The rough target is to fund this budget at
75% of a long term historical average. This is one line item where budgeting low
strategically makes sense in to avoid layoffs before the actual weather materializes. For
example in FY16 we spent less than the low amount budgeted. When more is spent,
Annual Town Meeting is asked to cover those costs with budget transfers or use of Free
Cash.
FY18 ACTUAL
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY19 TOWN
FY15 ACTUAL
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
CEMETERY GASOLINE & FUEL OIL
$
12,581
$ 10,619
$ 11,953
$ 3,699
$ 14,000
$ 14,500
3.6%
CEMETERY UTILITIES
$
3,495
$ 3,821
$ 4,178
$ 1,101
$ 4,000
$ 4,500
12.5%
CEMETERY REPAIRS
$
7,117
$ 8,801
$ 5,964
$ 2,439
$ 5,500
$ 6,000
9.1%
CEMETERY SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$
20,468
$ 14,698
$ 18,916
$ 4,341
$ 19,350
$ 20,850
7.8%
CEMETERY LOT REPURCHASE
$
9,400
$ -
$ 5,625
$ 1,500
$ 2,000
$ 2,000
0.0%
VETERAN'S FLOWERS
$
-
$
$ -
$ -
$ 4,700
$ 4,700
0.0%
CEMETERYTRUST FUND SUPPORT
$
-
$
$
$
$ (4,700)'
$ (4,700)
0.0 %'
CEMETERY LICENSES
$
75
$ 500
$
$
$ 200
! $ 500
150.0 %'
CEMETERY EXPENSES
$
53,135
$ 38,439
$ 46,636
$ 13,081
$ 45,050
$ 48,350
7.3%
Snow and Ice: The Snow and Ice budget is increased by $25,000 after being level
funded at $625,000 for four consecutive years. The rough target is to fund this budget at
75% of a long term historical average. This is one line item where budgeting low
strategically makes sense in to avoid layoffs before the actual weather materializes. For
example in FY16 we spent less than the low amount budgeted. When more is spent,
Annual Town Meeting is asked to cover those costs with budget transfers or use of Free
Cash.
Traffic /Street Lighting and Rubbish/Recycling: In FY17, the Town signed a 10 -year
agreement with JRM, for removal and transport of rubbish and recycling. The first year
of the contract saw a 16% increase over our prior contract, with 3% increases in
subsequent years. This contract with an industry leader has provided stability in a market
of tremdous upheaval in recent years, with some communities losing their services mid-
year and needing exepnsive emergency procurement.
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY18 ACTUAL
FY15 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY15ACTUAL
MGR BUDGET
FY16ACTUAL
TRAFFIC LIGHT ELECTRICITY
FY17ACTUAL
to12 /11/17
FY18
BUDGET
MGRBUDGET CHANGE
SNOW /ICE WAGES
$
33,818
$
5,158
$
31,696
$
$ 135,000
$
15,000
$ 25,000
66.7%
SNOW /ICE OVERTIME
$
351,595
$
140,179
$
246,545
$
$ 133,504
$
100,000
$ 100,000'
0.0%
SNOW & ICE WAGES
$
385,413
$
145,337
$
278,241
$
WASTEREMVL SOLID WASTE DISPOSA
$
115,000 !
$ 125,000
8.7 %'
SNOW / ICE PLOWING & HAULING
$
509,214
$
143,492
$
266,509
$
1,395
$
225,000
$ 240,000
6.7 %'
SNOW / ICE POLICE DETAILS
$
17,694
$
2,168
$
5,873
$
-
$
15,000
$ 15,000
0.0%
STREET SWEEPING
$
14,280
$
11,183
$
9,240
$
-
$
15,000
$ 15,000
0.0%
SNOW ICE SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
_$
432,776
'$
220,297
'$
303,630
'$
29,095
v$
220,000
$ 220,000'
0.0%
SNOW / ICE GASOLINE
$
75,542
$
35,323
$
-
$
-
$
30,000
$ 30,000
0.0%
SNOW & ICE MEAL TICKETS
$
14,597
$
6,602
$
11,028
$
-
$
5,000
$ 5,000
0.0%
SNOW & ICE EXPENSES
$
1,064,102
$
419,063
$
596,280
$
30,490
$
510,000
$ 525,000
2.9%
SNOW & ICE TOTAL
$
1,449,515
$
564,400
$
874,520
$
30,490
$
625,000
$ 650,000
4.0•/
Traffic /Street Lighting and Rubbish/Recycling: In FY17, the Town signed a 10 -year
agreement with JRM, for removal and transport of rubbish and recycling. The first year
of the contract saw a 16% increase over our prior contract, with 3% increases in
subsequent years. This contract with an industry leader has provided stability in a market
of tremdous upheaval in recent years, with some communities losing their services mid-
year and needing exepnsive emergency procurement.
t, 6a
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15 ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
TRAFFIC LIGHT ELECTRICITY
$ 8,225
$ 8,748
$ 8,946
$ 3,626
$ 15,000
$ 10,000
-33.3%
STREETLIGHT ELECTRICITY
$ 127,041
$ 118,506
$ 123,680
$ 51,419
$ 145,000
$ 135,000
-6.9%
STREET LIGHT MAINT & REPAIR
$ 504
$ 504
$ 877
$ 458
$ 20,000
$ 15,000
-25.0%
STREET LIGHT EXPENSES
$ 135,770
$ 127,758
$ 133,504
$ 55,503
$ 180,000
$ 160,000
-11.1%
WASTEREMVL GARBAGE COLLECTION
$ 571,636
$ 598,788
$ 691,386
$ 375,000
$ 721,000
$ 750,000
4.0%
WASTEREMVL SOLID WASTE DISPOSA
$ 448,094
$ 450,809
$ 450,041
$ 250,385
$ 515,000
$ 525,000
1.9%
WASTEREMVL CURBSI DE RECYCLI N G
$ 247,431
$ 252,665
$ 294,000
$ 155,000
$ 309,000
$ 315,000
1.9%
WASTEREMVLMISCRECYCLING
$ 29,361
$ 17,633
$ 22,002'
$ 6,818
$ 51,500
$ 54,395
5.6%
RUBBISH & RECYCLING EXPENSES
$ 1,296,522
$ 1,319,895
$ 1,457,429
$ 787,203
$ 1,596,500
$ 1,644,395
3.0%
DPW TRASH-ST LIGHT-SNOW
$ 2,881,807
$ 2,012,053
$ 2,465,453
$ 873,196
$ 2,401,500
$ 2,454,395
2.29/.
t, 6a
Public Library
FY19 Budget
In response to budget guidance given to the town operating budgets, the Board of Library
Trustees is recommending an overall FY19 increase of 2.8% for the Public Library.
Details are shown below:
Overview
FY17 saw increases in all areas of Library service. While the Library continues to expand
digital and self -serve offerings, the most significant areas of growth include reference and
research questions, the number of daily visitors, and meeting rentals. Due to current fiscal
constraints, the FY19 goal is to limit further growth and maintain current service levels.
The Board of Trustees still recommends restoring and potentially expanding Sunday
hours, however this is not economically feasible for FY19.
Salaries ( +3 %)
The overall department increase is 3% over FY18. Salaries account for 78% of the
Library budget. There are no major changes to the Administrative salary budget. All
adjustments bring the salaries in line with FY17 Actual spending:
LIB ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
LIBRARY DIRECTOR
LIBRARY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
LIBRARY DIVISION HEADS
LIBRARY LIBRARY ASSOCIATE
LIBRARY ASSOCIATE
LIBRARY SUBSTITUTES
LIBRARY OVERTIME
LIBRARY LEAVE BUYBACK
LIB ADMINISTRATION WAGES
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL
$ 44,553 $ 44,587 $ 43,055
$ 99,343 $ 103,957 $ 92,788
$ 75,077 $ 76,375 $ 25,157
$ (35) $ $ -
$ - $ $ 109
$ - $ 6,104 $ 2,656
$ 6,012 $ 11,876 $ 33,715
$ 3,299 $ 236 $ -
$ - $ . 8,533 $ 11,888
$ 228,250 $ 251,668 $ 209,368
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
to 12 /11/17
FYI8 ACTUAL
MGR BUDGET
FY19 TOW N
$ 18,067
$ 47,760
FY15ACTUAL
-2.5%
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
tol2/11/17
3.4%
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET,
CHANGE
LIB ADMINISTRATION WAGES
$
228,250
$ 251,668
$ 209,368
$
87,898
$ 224,756
$ 228,750
1.8%
LIB CIRCULATION DIV WAGES
$
203,802
$ 218,573
$ 236,229
$
97,543
$ 240,002
$ 252,925
5.4 %'
LIB CHILDRENS DIV WAGES
$
240,758
$ 242,086
$ 270,891
$
106,911 !
$ 279,170
$ 274,700
-1.6%
LIB REFERENCE DIV WAGES
$
275,556
$ 282,987
$ 310,662
$
128,784
$ 319,070
$ 340,500
6.7%
LIB TECH SERVICES DIV WAGES
$
135,862
$ 141,061
$ 145,929
$
59,542
$ 149,685 !
$ 151,675
1.3 %!
LIBRARY WAGES
$
1,084,228
$ 1,136,375
$ 1,173,078
$
480,679:
$ 1,212,683:
$ 1,248,550
3.0%
LIB ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES
$
309,729 !
$ 300,600
$ 310,075
$
142,952
! $ 336,200
$ 343,465
2,2%
LIBRARY EXPENSES
$
309,729
$ 300,600
$ 310,075
$
142,952
$ 336,200
$ 343,465
2.2%
LIBRARY TOTAL
$
1,393,957
$ 1,436,975
$ 1;483,153
$
623,630
$ 1,548,883
$ 1,592,015
2.8%
Overview
FY17 saw increases in all areas of Library service. While the Library continues to expand
digital and self -serve offerings, the most significant areas of growth include reference and
research questions, the number of daily visitors, and meeting rentals. Due to current fiscal
constraints, the FY19 goal is to limit further growth and maintain current service levels.
The Board of Trustees still recommends restoring and potentially expanding Sunday
hours, however this is not economically feasible for FY19.
Salaries ( +3 %)
The overall department increase is 3% over FY18. Salaries account for 78% of the
Library budget. There are no major changes to the Administrative salary budget. All
adjustments bring the salaries in line with FY17 Actual spending:
LIB ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
LIBRARY DIRECTOR
LIBRARY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
LIBRARY DIVISION HEADS
LIBRARY LIBRARY ASSOCIATE
LIBRARY ASSOCIATE
LIBRARY SUBSTITUTES
LIBRARY OVERTIME
LIBRARY LEAVE BUYBACK
LIB ADMINISTRATION WAGES
FY15ACTUAL FY16ACTUAL FY17ACTUAL
$ 44,553 $ 44,587 $ 43,055
$ 99,343 $ 103,957 $ 92,788
$ 75,077 $ 76,375 $ 25,157
$ (35) $ $ -
$ - $ $ 109
$ - $ 6,104 $ 2,656
$ 6,012 $ 11,876 $ 33,715
$ 3,299 $ 236 $ -
$ - $ . 8,533 $ 11,888
$ 228,250 $ 251,668 $ 209,368
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
to 12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
$ 18,067
$ 47,760
$ 46,550 !
-2.5%
$ 40,059
$ 99,201
$ 102,575
3.4%
$ 28,179
! $ 73,070
$ 72,625
-0.6%
$ -
$ -
$
0.0%
$
$
$
0.0%
$
$
$
0.0%
$ 1,593
$ 4,725
$ 7,000
48.1%
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
$ -
$ -
$ -
0.0%
$ 87,898
$ 224,756
$ 228,7501
1.8%
The Circulation and Technical Services Divisions manage over 20,000 patron accounts;
oversee seven program /meeting rooms; as well as procure and process over 12,000
physical books, movies and audio materials each year. In FY17 they handled circulation
over 428,000 items which translates to approximately 133 items per hour of service.
The Children's and Reference Divisions are responsible for programs and direct services
5x53
to all age groups: Early Literacy (0 -5yr), School Age, Teens, Adults and Older Adults. In
FY17, staff performed over 59,000 reference / research interactions and had almost
250,000 visitors.. Additionally, the meeting rooms were used 1,399 times of which 399
were by community groups or residents. These FY17 statistics are for 10 months of
service as the Library was closed for two months for its move back the 64 Middlesex
Avenue.
Additionally, the Library provided biweekly service to 26 homebound patrons and also
supplied reading collections to Sanborn Place, the Pleasant Street Center, and Sawtelle
Hospice House.
Changes in these salary lines redistribute hours among divisions based on evaluation of
current workloads and staffing needs. The 5.4% increase in the Circulation Division also
converts a short term seasonal page position into a Circulation Technician. This position
addresses a specific skills gap needed across divisions and will be funded by an overall
reduction of Circulation page hours.
Expenses ( +2.2 %)
The materials budget increases .5% over FY18 and is 13.6% of the total Municipal
Appropriation. This meets the MBLC certification requirements, but is still below the
Trustee recommendation of 14 %. Professional staff are responsible for the curating both
physical and digital collections. All collections are evaluated on an ongoing basis and
new purchases are selected according to format and age group.
The electronic portion of the materials budget supports a virtual library that includes 40
5 65'�
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12/11/17
FY18 BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
LIB CIRC DIVISION HEAD
$
59,391
$ 61,604
$ 63,854
$
26,397
$ 65,366
$ 67,600
3.4%
LIB CIRC SR LIBRARY ASSOCIATE
$
28,687
$ 26,557
$ 29,877
$
11,852
$ 32,176
$ 30,400
-5.5%
LIB CIRC SR LIBRARY TECH
$
-
$ -
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ 18,175
100.0%
LIB CIRC ASSOCIATE
$
97,754
$ 111,285
$ 120,470
$
50,539
$ 121,600
$ 129,700
6.7%
U CIRC PAGE
$
12,277
$ 13,904
$ 15,177
$
8,638
$ 20,860
$ 7,050
-66.2%
LIB CIRC THURSDAYS
$
591
$ 117
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
LIB CIRC SUNDAY HOURS
$
5,102
$ 5,106
$ 6,851
$
118
$ -
$ -
0.0 %!
LIB CIRCULATION DIV WAGES
$
203,802
$ 218,573
$ 236,229
$
97,543
$ 240,002
$ 252,925
5.4%
CHILDRENS DIVISION HEAD
$
66,854
$ 69,402
$ 70,983
$
29,142
$ 72,170
$ 73,175
1.4%
CHILDRENS LIBRARIANS
$
126,786
$ 129,509
$ 152,094
$
61,625
$ 168,022
$ 161,000
-4.2%
CHILDRENS SR LIBRARYASSOC
$
27,787
$ 28,680
$ 30,591
$
12,503
$ 30,958
$ 32,025
3.4 %'
CHILDRENS ASSOCIATE
$
1,540
$ 705
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0 %'
CHILDRENS PAGE
$
11,919
$ 7,197
$ 7,940
$
3,542
$ 8,020
$ 8,500
6.0%
CHILDRENS THURSDAYS
$
1,488
$ 689
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
CHILDRENS SUNDAY HOURS
$
4,384
$ 5,906
$ 9,283
$
99
$ -
$ -
0.0%
LIB CHILDRENS DIV WAGES
$
240,758
$ 242,086
$ 270,891
$
106,911
$ 279,170
$ 274,700
-1.65/o
REFERENCE DIVISION HEAD
$
65,668
$ 68,028
$ 70,895
$
29,142
$ 72,170
$ 73,175
1.4%
REFERENCE LIBRARIANS
$
201,457
$ 206,836
$ 230,194
$
99,521
$ 246,900
$ 267,325
8.3%
REFERENCE THURSDAYS
$
2,508
$ 52'
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
REFERENCE SUNDAY HOURS
$
5,923'
$ 8,070
$ 9,573
$
121
$
$ -
0.0 %'
LIB REFERENCE DIV WAGES
$
275,556
$ 282,987
$ 310,662
$
128,784
$ 319,070
$ 340,500
6.7%
TECH SVC DIVISION. HEAD
$
67,296
$ 69,384
$ 70,490
$
29,142
$ 72,170
$ 73,175
1.4%
TECH SVC SR LIBRARYASSOC
$
55,504
$ 58,475
$ 61,219
$
25,245
$ 62,515
$ 64,025
2.4%
LIBRARY TECH SVC ASSOCIATE
$
11,731
$ 12,804
$ 13,696
$
5,155
$ 15,000
$ 14,475
-3.5%
TECH SVC THURSDAYS
$
1,330
$ 132
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0 %'
TECH SVC SUNDAY HOURS
$
-
$ 265
$ 525
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
UBTECH SERVICES DIV WAGES
$
135,862
$ 141,061
$ 145,929
$
59,542
$ 149,685
$ 151,675
1.3%
Changes in these salary lines redistribute hours among divisions based on evaluation of
current workloads and staffing needs. The 5.4% increase in the Circulation Division also
converts a short term seasonal page position into a Circulation Technician. This position
addresses a specific skills gap needed across divisions and will be funded by an overall
reduction of Circulation page hours.
Expenses ( +2.2 %)
The materials budget increases .5% over FY18 and is 13.6% of the total Municipal
Appropriation. This meets the MBLC certification requirements, but is still below the
Trustee recommendation of 14 %. Professional staff are responsible for the curating both
physical and digital collections. All collections are evaluated on an ongoing basis and
new purchases are selected according to format and age group.
The electronic portion of the materials budget supports a virtual library that includes 40
5 65'�
digital magazines (including Consumer Reports, New York Times and Wall Street
Journal), 3,000+ downloadable audiobooks, 45,000 eBooks, 7 millions downloadable
music tracks, Ancestry.com, Tutor.com and Mango Language Learning.
The FY19 request also begins restoration of other budget lines, such as professional
development, technology equipment and office supplies all of which received no increase
for FYI or additional cuts within the last 3 fiscal years.
The Library is a center for learning and education, for personal growth and development.
In FY17 we provided 600 free classes, activities and other programs to 17,797 people.
The Town does not currently appropriate any funds to the Library for programming and
this budget requests $1,000 to establish a programming budget to support the growing
educational needs of the community.
,16M
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET:
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
LIBRARY MAI NT CONTRACT/REPAIR
$ 1,417
$ 4,012
$ 5,625
$
-
$ 20,000
$ 20,750
18%
OUTSOURCED PROFESSIONAL SVCS
$ 6,000
$ -
$ -
$
-
$ -
$ -
0.0%
LIBRARY PROF DEV - REGISTRATN
$ 6,251
$ 9,549
$ 10,388
$
3,688
$ 12,500
$ 13,000
4.0%
LIBRARY PROF DEV - TRAVEL
$ 6,764
$ 6,581
$ 2,331
$
887
$ 2,200
$ 2,500 !
13.6%
LIBRARY SOFTWARE LICEN & SUPP
$ 54,361
$ 58,264
$ 55,007
$
19,259
$ 60,000
$ 62,250
3.8%
LIBRARY SUPPLIES /EQUIPMENT
$ 4,221
$ 5,987
$ 8,754
$
5,392
$ 7,250
$ 8,000
10.3%
LIBRARY OFFICE SUPP
$ 4,684
$ 6,256
$ 6,266
$
2,962
$ 3,000
$ 4,000
33.3%
LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIES
$ 14,955
$ 4,287
$ 12,232
$
4,586
$ 15,500'
$ 15,965
3.0 %'
LIBRARY LIBRARY MATERIALS
$ 700
$ -
$ -
$
-
$ 215,750
$ 215,750
0.0%
LIBRARY ADULT BOOKS
$ 77,664
$ 78,719
$ 78,144
$
30,129
$ -
$ -
0.0%
LIBRARY CHILDRENS BOOKS
$ 23,116
$ 25,811
$ 22,274
$
8,370
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARYTEEN BOOKS
$ 6,473
$ 9,149
$ 10,525
$
2,579
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARY ADULT AUDIO
$ 11,948
$ 12,292
$ 11,870
$
5,076
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARY CHILDRENS AUDIO
$ 2,213
$ 2,080
$ 1,892
$
652
$
$
0.0%
LIBR MATERIALS TEEN AUDIO
$ 408
$ 462
$ 264
$
54
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARY ADULT VIDEO
$ 13,937
$ 13,830
$ 14,076
$
4,632
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARY CHILDRENS VIDEO
$ 3,168
$ 2,912
$ 1,869
$
964
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARY PERIODICALS
$ 18,196
$ 18,741
$ 18,385
$
238
$
$
0.0%
LIBRARY ELECTRONIC
$ 10,479
$ 27,206
$ 26,362
$
19,223
$
$
0.0 %'
LIBRARYONLINE DATA BASE
$ 30,220
$ 6,825
$ 13,454
$
14,212
$
$
0.0%
LIBR OTHER MATERIALS
$ 2,170
$ 2,523
$ 6,372
$
923
$
$
0.0%
LIBR EBKS/DWN LOA D/OVRDRV/ADLT
$ 36
$ 970
$ -
$
7,041
$
$
0.0%
LIBR EBKS /DWNLOAD /OVRDRV /CHLD
$ 7,677:
$ 2,379
$ 3,987
$
6,042
$
$
0.0 %'
LIBR EBKS /DWNLOAD /OVRDRV /TEEN
$ 1,097
$ 965
$ -
$
6,042
$
$
0.0%
PROGRAMS
$ 1,000'
100.0%
TRANSPORTATION COSTS
$ 1,576
$ 801
$ -
$
-
$ _
$ -
0.0%
LIB ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES
$ 309,729
$ 300,600
$ 310,075
$
142,952
$ 336,200
$ 343,215
2.1%
The Library is a center for learning and education, for personal growth and development.
In FY17 we provided 600 free classes, activities and other programs to 17,797 people.
The Town does not currently appropriate any funds to the Library for programming and
this budget requests $1,000 to establish a programming budget to support the growing
educational needs of the community.
,16M
Facilities
FY19 Budget
The Facilities Department FY19 budget is increased by 0.5% when compared to the
previous year. Core Facilities are up +0.1 % and the smaller Town Buildings budget is up
4.8 %. Details are shown in the tables below:
The Facilities Department is responsible for the repair, maintenance and capital
improvements of eight School Buildings and nine Municipal Buildings totaling 1.1
million square feet of space. The Department manages a staff of tradesmen composed of
an electrician, plumber and two carpenters, and some work is outsourced through service
contracts. Cleaning of the buildings is accomplished with a staff of twenty three full -time
custodians. Contracted cleaning is utilized at two schools: RMHS, Coolidge Middle
School; and four town buildings: Town Hall, Reading Public Library, Pleasant Street
Center and the Police Station. Below is a quick overview of these buildings:
School Buildings
Built
Renov.
Sq. Feet
Tuildings
FY18ACTUAL
Renov.
FY19TOWN
RMHS
1957
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
Core Facilities
$
2,235,355
$ 2,433,048
$ 2,517,990
$ 1,053,895
$ 2,997,180
$ 2,999,275
0.1%
Town Buildings
$
244,002
$ 291,598
$ 295,949
$ 160,702
$ 299,935
$ 314,400
4.8%
School Buildings
please see the School' d
1990
10,000
Birch Meadow ES
1957
FACILITIESTOTAL
$
2,479,357
$ 2,724,647
$ 2,813,939
$ 1,214,597
$ 3,297,115
$ 3,313,675
0.5%
Core Facilities
$
265,930
$ 398,519
$ 507,826
$ 219,339
$ 555,750
$ 577,000
3.8%
Town Buildings
$
178,808
$ 191,141
$ 217,507
$ 83,622
$ 219,850
$ 224,000
1.9%,
School Buildings
3,000
Mattera Cabin
1983
2011
3,000
FACILITIES WAGES
$
444,738
$ 589,660
$ 725,333
$ 302,961
$ 775,600
$ 801,000
3.3%
Core Facilities
$
1,969,425
$ 2,034,530
$ 2,010,163
$ 834,556
$ 2,441,430
$ 2,422,275
-0.8%
Town Buildings
$
65,194
$ 100,457
$ 78,442
$ 77,080
$ 80,085
$ 90,400
12.9%
School Buildings
FACILITIES EXPENSES
$
2,034,619
$ 2,134,987
$ 2,088,605
$ 911,636
$ 2,521,515
$ 2,512,675
-0.4%
The Facilities Department is responsible for the repair, maintenance and capital
improvements of eight School Buildings and nine Municipal Buildings totaling 1.1
million square feet of space. The Department manages a staff of tradesmen composed of
an electrician, plumber and two carpenters, and some work is outsourced through service
contracts. Cleaning of the buildings is accomplished with a staff of twenty three full -time
custodians. Contracted cleaning is utilized at two schools: RMHS, Coolidge Middle
School; and four town buildings: Town Hall, Reading Public Library, Pleasant Street
Center and the Police Station. Below is a quick overview of these buildings:
School Buildings
Built
Renov.
Sq. Feet
Tuildings
Built
Renov.
Sq. Feet
RMHS
1957
2006
375,000
ll
1918
1990
16,000
Coolidge MS
1959
2000
96,000
St Center
1850
1993
5,700
Parker MS
1925
1998
98,000
tation
1998
30,000
Barrows ES
1963
2005
54,000
Main St. Fire
1990
10,000
Birch Meadow ES
1957
1995
59,000
West Side Fire
1956
7,400
Joshua Eaton ES
1920
1994
56,000
DPW Garage
1989
42,000
Killam ES
1968
57,000
Library
1894
2016
39,000
Wood End ES
2004
52,000
Cemetery Garage
1929
3,000
Mattera Cabin
1983
2011
3,000
The Facilities Department Mission is to support the Town's Educational and Municipal
Government functions. This mission is accomplished through the quality driven delivery
of Facilities Services in a timely and cost effective manner along with exceptional
customer service.
5a5�
Facilities Staff members strive to maintain an efficient, safe, clean, attractive and inviting
environment for all public buildings associated with the Town of Reading. The Facilities
Department also provides the necessary services to facilitate building use for internal and
external users.
The department has three distinct divisions: the CORE is costs that are shared by both
Town and School buildings; the Town Buildings and School Buildings have costs
specific to those locations. Town Meeting votes the first two divisions as line items, and
the School Buildings budget as part of the School budget.
The department uses technology systems extensively in order to manage the buildings
efficiently. Below are some of these systems.
Work Order Management Asset Inventory and
Maintenance History
Preventive
Maintenance
UVW
Web -based
ate Facilities Management
so 5 CMMS Software
tt
i
Breakdown Maintenance
hatn
a
`Checklist &
Safety Tips
Reports
While a lot of proactive work is scheduled and completed, the Work Order Management
system often starts the reactive process. In FYI there were 2,599 work orders processed
(50 /week), an increase of 218 (or 9 %) compared to FYI 6. The share of work orders done
in -house increased from 1,619 (68 %) to 1,897 (73 %). Most of this increase can be
directly attributed to the fourth maintenance position added to the department last year, as
anticipated.
Performance Contracting Retrospective
Several years ago, Town Meeting approved a series of energy improvements as part of a
debt authorization. Typically a vendor steps in and guarantees savings that will pay for
the repairs and upgrades, and the community signs a lease. Reading decided it was far
more cost effective to issue debt with its on credit, pay the annual debt service, and reap
the savings in the operating budget.
Continued energy improvements have been made over the years since that first debt
authorization.
�&51
The results have been excellent. The first table shows that in all Town buildings
(excluding the Library because of the transition to a new space), electricity consumption
has been reduced by 8.5% from 1.1 million kWh to 1.0 kWh. This has been accomplished
despite significant technology upgrades for both the Town and Schools that are housed in
the Police station, and their accompanying increase in use of electricity. Use of natural
gas over this period has increased by 12 %, but without the impact of the DPW garage and
the effect of variable winter weather conditions, other town buildings have seen a 12%
decrease in natural gas usage. Finally, there has been a 16% reduction in water usage.
Town BuAdkigs Sum m
B.A. SELN E PER D
f °tia�r�a If x11,
>rE,�40
1,13
f t
_.
.......__ .._.... ............. .. .. .......... ......__._... ................ _........�_...__.._....
P<).�xz
w
(12) (269)
__— ___........ ... ..
7
_. __.. ..... ...._..._.._..
P,cr1 �s:_S.. .._.._.. ... �. .. __.
._ ..
4,92o
66,0 X40
3ltfi
�.
m '3 0136
...�_. �._�.. .
_. ...
_. .............
-.. ........
t.,. t:1`ttw
),' ,1881€
1.39
c3 4 X35
3'1
i,1' 1 (> ax A:ir r
1 4 < >. ) 40
11
3 1.,214
150
ALLBURDNGS
1,097,146
1 3,933
75f116
535
PE'k' FO RM AN CE PERD it
`I`owr� 11 a21.
IS `r3,(J `;(>
1,C1 �! � 7 3 1
Po lYx' ":
390,24 0
1,11 14,6 63
`....,
. .. .. ....... ,., .,,
q-
.. .. �._.., ,,............ ,,, .................... ,,,, ...........
1� ai'h 31".rte
...,.�_. , _ . ...
11Ez,,3 0
...
.ail 7,127
,,,......"..............,,..,._ .._.
11 }.` C;�?rzi1E _.....,.
..... .............................."
t�. }k3 C3
..
%la7 ').11. ;x
ALLBU XVNGS
1,003,707
3)898 84,284
450
DECRF.A.SEOR mCRFASE) FROM BASEIME
Ny'd1 1.1 ah,
c�« 1�
......... __._..... _
.......__ .._.... ............. .. .. .......... ......__._... ................ _........�_...__.._....
P<).�xz
_
(` 0 100)
(12) (269)
__— ___........ ... ..
7
_. __.. ..... ...._..._.._..
P,cr1 �s:_S.. .._.._.. ... �. .. __.
._ ..
4,92o
018) l2'1
(R)
22,920
o5 1,)oo
2
,8 {�
20 1,13?
.. ..
7
........... .................
1. k'rJ r,:rr1 i
...... . -..
t +; 60
.................................
(1r) ci"q lil:£)
30
AL'LBUUDNGS
1 93,439
34 {8P68
85
I ��zs.r:zv,�a3.. x�z�r tre,ax,£ arc >3G� k,t:�.> .�xr.z'' {�_aaE.l�rea f�, t12r_1:za.r�1.3 e�css3c;xci calilaazi .�"r .��ares rc ts�.`,,,
The larger school buildings have seen even better improvements. Electricity consumption
has been reduced by over 40% from 5.5 million kWh to 3.2 kWh. Natural gas usage has
seen a similar 36% reduction in usage, and a 37% reduction in water usage.
no,
i
schools sum m axy
consmptbn Demand Use Uae
kWh kG3 tYlrnt s kc3a]
BA S'ELV E PER D D
.v_..
. n..
W ...w.n._..�_... _•- .... ._......
..
yy
..... .
_
....... ...... __qq yy �' �.
....�.. ....
.. ... ..............._,.._........ . .........._......v...„
.._ ......_.. .._. . ... .....
.. ........_..
s 1-', W
..54,4
.._ . ./ .. .,., :
............. ......_. t
2 :
.LrC }c
`3
268;740
-...
1,V!5
31,x, 05 202
. . ..... ........m,,,,...- ,..�.m. ....... ,, .. ....... ..... .... .....,m.,,.......,.,..,........
E 111 n
.. ,,.
2
1� �a.'.
^s1 54
;
}
;£ .��4.....,�....__...�
..__......
1 3 1
();2CIO
1...? /1<x.3 ; E.,`3:3i'>
ALLHS31ID7VCws
5AS7,960 17,467 484;646 5,604
PERk"OPM ANCE PERDD
YTS(...
476,200
.1:3`.3
4 Cir& 3 322
4!1 d 0
8. 44
.., ._ ............._..,..,........_._ ...- ..-._. ._...
.............
: .y I i.vJ
�7 }
.._..................., ...... 7 ...
�
;a
..
Y
iq i.. ji
2 ,ff
2 2 6 fI t.. C,'
l,k�} t'i
_ 2 ' ?,1 4 j .... ...........................1 :7 2
., ---
�71�
52,32 0
'jtYtE. 3
.
' 3,7 6 x, ; _...,,.. _71
........,. .\�(?
>t f,e,i'�}
'��SCk1
'J 2'(9 Cj(t..;
tT
_ ............... ......_.._.._..,..._,,....._... _......_„_... ..__....._w. ...... _.............
�1..M :. :.i
_ 5 _ _.....,.m.......„..,._.
.1 1 igf (�
...
.1,F4i,3
.... .... ...... ---- - ....,.... ,.... 1 ®.
t>Y.>,A/..,5 a %t}
A,LL.BUIEDNGs
3,216,560 13,302 308 ,988 3,551
DECRFA,SEOR (INCREASE) E"riOM BASELVE
1a`r,1y0
1�i 3
4t 1} ?':a7
- .....,.
..,,, ...... .,................ .....,_ w. ,._,._ ........ .............
._... ..,..,.,_....._
_...�..,,.....,. _.m. {,,.
_- ._,...............,,,,.
102 300
121..
17 7 "7 >
.......__.................__... _...._..........,........._................_...... ...............................
........ ........................................................_......_..............__..................._......._......................_.__............__................__._...
T„ _I m, :, �s1
..................._........... ...................._............................................._.............
i 0 ?
....... ....
i5 )
:; l bf; 13n
_. ......
42,300
if9
t: ,i3.3 30
t't11:ri
121 t{
350
29,`_,52 1 Std}
:.x.1.3
.. —.. ._. _
' ......_.._.._ ... �.� 2 W..... _- ...®. , . .�
._.....
_........�_. __.._._.... _ ._......
4?hy k. .. _,. ._....__._.... _.........__,..,,_.._._..._
_...............
T3Y 140
6 3? 2/1 6
ALik3ii1LDS1GS
2,241100 4,165 175,658 2)153
Annual debt service for the initial (and largest) phase of improvements is now about
$400,000 and declines to about $340,000 for the last payment in FY25. Estmaited annual
savings are now over $500,000 annually — and those flow directly to the Town and
School operating budgets.
FY19 Core Facilities Budget
Town Meeting will vote on the 0.1% increase for Core Facilities. Below the wage and
expenses sections are described in some detail. At the request of several Town Meeting
members, some of the expense detail at the building level has been removed from this
budget. Such details are available upon request for these smaller categories.
budget, has shown the savings in other expense lines generally anticipated. It is possible
that a part time HVAC positon could show similar expense savings, though that change is
not requested by this budget at this time.
Expenses
FYI8 ACTUAL FY19 TOW N
CORE FACILITIES FYISACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL! FY17ACTUAL to 12/11/17 ! FY18BUDGET'MGRBUDGET CHANGE
FACILITIES DIRECTOR $ 47,683
$ 136,162 $ 125,606 $ 51,895 $ 129,000 $ 132,900 3.0%
FACILITIES ASSISTANT DIRECTOR $ -
$ - $ 90,805 $ 38,227 $ 93,175 $ 97,900 5.1 %'
FACILITIES SR ADMIN ASSISTANT $ 19,973
$ 45,772 $ 56,805 ! $ 20,127 $ 51,125 $ 53,700 S.0 %'
CLERICAL LONGEVITY $ 325
$ 650 $ - $ - $ - $ - 0.0%
LICENSED MAINTENANCE STAFF $ 129,596
$ 135,365 $ 134,062 $ 56,995 $ 138,835 $ 148,000 6.6%
MAINTENANCE STAFF $ 37,187
$ 52,202 $ 79,454 $ 46,882 $ 116,000 $ 124,500 7.3%
MAINTENANCE SUBSTITUTE $ -
$ - $ - $ 945 $ - $ - 0.0 %'
MAINTENANCE LONGEVITY $ 513
$ 513 $ 615 $ - $ 615 1 $ - - 100.0%
MAINTENANCE OVERTIME $ 30,654
$ 27,855 $ 15,524 $ 3,747 $ 27,000 $ 20,000 - 25.9%
MAINT BILLIABLE EVENTOT $ -
$ - $ - $ 522. $ - $ - 0.0%
VACATION /SICK LEAVE BUYBACK $
$ $ 4,956 $ - $ - $ - 0.0%
CORE FACILITIES WAGES $ 265,930
$ 398,519 $ 507,826 $ 219,339 $ 555,750 $ 577,000 3.8%
There is no change in staffing levels proposed by this budget. Two positions are
increased by 5% to correct an FYI shortfall in budgeting. Maintenance Staff wages are
subject to collective bargaining,
and budgeted as shown because the Town intends to
discuss changes to paid time off benefits received while considered School employees.
The addition of a fourth Maintenance Staff position, described as part of the FY18
budget, has shown the savings in other expense lines generally anticipated. It is possible
that a part time HVAC positon could show similar expense savings, though that change is
not requested by this budget at this time.
Expenses
FYI8ACTUAL!
FYI9TOWN
FY15ACTUAL
FYI6ACTUAL,
FY17ACTUAL;
to
12/11/17
FYI8 BUDGET ,MGR
BUDGET `CHANGE
.
FAC CORE MISC EXPENSES
$
41,536
$ 86,444
$ 37,405
$
75,354
$
33,300
$ 43,700
31.2 %'
FAC CORE ELECTRICITY
$
701,184
$ 711,072
$ 719,282
$
272,330
$
845,325
$ 879,250
4.0%
FAC CORE NATURAL GAS
$
591,796
$ 479,552
$ 447,621
$
22,001
$
626,775
$ 652,725
4.1%
FAC CORE WATER /SEWER /ST WATE $
121,410
$ 135,586
$ 163,045
$
47,054
$
132,850
$ 139,600
5.1%
FAC CORE OTHER BLDG REPAIRS
$
165,098
$ 269,532
$ 311,418
$
171,495
$
245,200
$ 234,250
-4.5%
FAC CORE OTHER MAINT EXPENSES $
13,842
$ 15,943
$ 5,042
$
20,503
$
105,700
$ 38,750
- 63.3%
FAC CORE EXTRAORDI NARY REPAI R $
110,840
$ 38,231:
$ 14,711
$
35,645
$
108,000
$ 85,000
- 21.3 %'
FAC CORE HVAC EXPENSES
$
114,262
$ 183,936
$ 142,094
$
84,324
$
150,000
$ 152,000
1.3%
FAC CORE ELECTRICAL EXPENSES
$
28,528
$ 29,896
$ 45,992
$
9,694
$
43,500
$ 43,000
-1.1%
FAC CORE ELEVATOR SERVICE EXPE $
32,142
$ 23,457
$ 26,887
$
24,128
$
53,750
$ 49,500
-7.9%
FAC CORE ALARM EXPENSES
$
35,258
$ 16,334
$ 32,003'
$
22,467
$
31,750
$ 32,000
0.8%
FAC CORE FIRE EQUIP EXPENSES
$
-
$ 8,505
$ 8,710
$
28,676
$
35,500
$ 35,000
-1.4%
FAC CORE PEST MGMT EXPENSES
$
-
$ 5,791
$ 9,257
$
9,293
$
7,580
$ 9,500
25.3%
FAC CORE PLUMBINGEXPENSES
$
13,528
$ 30,250
$ 46,696
$
11,593
$
22,200
$ 28,000
26.1%
CORE FACILITIES EXPENSES
$
1,969,425
$ 2,034,530
$ 2,010,163
$
834,556
$
2,441,430
$ 2,422,275
-0.8%
Miscellaneous expenses
A new $7,500 expense item for ice melt drives the 31.2% increase for this budget. Seven
other lines have been newly funded for $1,000 in order to accommodate the School's
year -end reporting requirements. Other lines are level funded or reduced.
Utilities expenses
Both Electricity and Natural Gas budgets are increased by about 4 %.
Water, Sewer, Storm Water budgets are increased by about 5 %.
FY15 ACTUAL
BARROWS WATER /SEWER
$
5,380
BIRCH WATER /SEWER
FY18 ACTUAL
7,323
EATON WATER /SEWER
FY19 TOW N
5,106
KILLAM WATER /SEWER
FY15ACTUAL
7,581
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
10,711
to 12/11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET CHANGE
BARROWS ELECTRICITY
$
30,725
$ 35,993
$
35,782
$
11,666
$
40,425
$
41,750
3.3%
BIRCH ELECTRICITY
$
21,776
$ 23,584
$
23,236
$
8,313
$
25,350
$
26,250
3.6%
EATON ELECTRICITY
$
27,769
$ 33,159
$
24,772
$
9,786
$
35,850
$
37,000
3.2%
KILLAM ELECTRICITY
$
35,560
$ 42,742
$
40,424
$
13,595
$
43,075
$
44,500
3.3%
WOOD END ELECTRICITY
$
38,990
$ 39,378
$
43,176
$
13,852
$
44,925
$
48,750
8.5%
COOLIDGE ELECTRICITY
$
58,522
$ 59,544
$
58,339
$
22,779
$
67,300
$
69,500
3.3%
PARKER ELECTRICITY
$
73,233
$ 73,297
$
60,624
$
22,201
$
81,175
$
84,000 '
3.5%
RMHS ELECTRICITY
$
257,874
$ 249,197
$
244,840
$
90,835
$
292,650
$
303,000
3.5%
TOWN HALL ELECTRICITY
$
21,461
$ 23,542
$
24,965
$
9,656
$
25,300
$
26,250
3.8%
POLICE ELECTRICITY
$
47,639
$ 49,777
$
52,363
$
24,127
$
54,075
$
56,000
3.6%
MAIN FIRE ELECTRICITY
$
14,320
$ 14,449
$
15,442
$
7,029
$
15,400
$
18,000
16.9%
WEST FIRE ELECTRICITY
$
4,559
$ 4,681
$
5,631
$
2,742
$
5,800
$
7,000
20.7%
LIBRARY ELECTRICITY
$
24,687
$ 16,184
$
40,171
$
22,070
$
54,600
$
56,500
3.5%
SENIOR CTR ELECTRICITY
$
7,868
$ 9,016
$
10,314
$
4,215
$
10,200
$
10,750
5.4%
DPW ELECTRICITY
$
33,255
$ 29,481
$
31,349
$
9,361
$
36,400
$
37,500
3.0%
MATTERRA ELECTRICITY
$
-
$ -
$
82
$
102
$
-
$
500
100.0%
ENERGY CONSERVATION - ELECTRIC
$
3,315
$ 7,048
! $
7,473
$
-
$
12,800
$
12,000
-6.3%
ENERGY MGMTSYS REPAIRS
$
(371)
$ -
$
297
$
-
$
-
$
-
0.0%
FAC CORE ELECTRICITY
$
701,184
$ 711,072
$
719,282
$
272,330
$
845,325
$
879,250 `
4.0%
BARROWS NATURAL GAS
$
33,780
$ 27,914
$
25,837
$
2,193
$
32,800
$
34,250
4.49/.
BIRCH NATURAL GAS
$
29,515
$ 27,048
$
22,127
$
651
$
28,800
$
29,750
3.3%
EATON NATURAL GAS
$
40,643
$ 33,669
$
30,176
$
1,644
$
42,000
$
43,500
3.6%
KILLAM NATURAL GAS
$
47,276
$ 29,837
$
26,724
$
1,418
$
37,575
$
39,000
3.8%
WOOD END NATURAL GAS
$
29,451
$ 27,750
$
25,773
$
2,185
$
28,775
$
29,750
3.4%
COOLIDGE NATURAL GAS
$
88,837
$ 73,965
$
70,772
$
2,182
$
95,800
$
99,500
3.9%
PARKER NATURAL GAS
$
61,207
$ 55,844
$
54,869
$
2,694
$
68,725
$
71,250
3.7%
RMHS NATURAL GAS
$
130,321
$ 102,933
$
94,718
$
2,629
$
139,825
$
145,000
33%
TOWN HALL NATURAL GAS
$
11,760
$ 10,166
$
9,144
$
801
$
11,250
$
11,70P
4.0%
POLICE NATURAL GAS
$
19,293
$ 17,263
$
13,343
$
1,287
$
19,750
$
20,500
3.8%
MAIN FIRE NATURAL GAS
$
9,354
$ 8,148
$
8,459
$
1,183
$
11,775
$
13,500
14.6%
WEST FIRE NATURAL GAS
$
8,306
$ 5,015
$
6,543
$
401
$
9,025
$
9,750
8.0%
LIBRARY NATURAL GAS
$
8,660
$ 5,678
$
2,912
$
210
$
32,975
$
34,250
3.9%
SENIOR CTR NATURAL GAS
$
6,648
$ 4,661
$
5,426
$
512
$
7,000
$
7,275
3.9%
DPW NATURALGAS
$
66,744
$ 49,660
$
50,209
$
2,013
$
60,700
$
63,000
3.8%
MATTERA NATURAL GAS
$
-
$ -
$
590
$
-
$
-
$
750
100.0%
FAC CORE NATURAL GAS
$
591,796
$ 479,552
$
447,621
$
22,001
$
626,775
$
652,725
4.1%
Water, Sewer, Storm Water budgets are increased by about 5 %.
FY16ACTUAL F)
$ 6,256 $
$ 7,811 $
$ 5,900 $
$ 8,537 $
$ 12,914 $
$ 18,235 $
$ 10,336 $
$ 49,359 $
$ 2,899 $
$ 2,502 $
$ 3,083 $
$ 848 $
$ 1,548 $
$ 5,357 $
$ 135,586 $
FY18 ACTUAL
117 ACTUAL to 12/11/17 F)
5,934 $ 1,409 $
9,514 $ 2,056 $
6,133 $ 1,008 $
9,125 $ 1,856 $
17,631 $ 5,807 $
34,451 $ 11,758 $
10,041 $ 2,202 $
50,031 $ 14,132 $
3,486 $ 2,428 $
2,416 $ 660 $
3,210 $ 861 $
885 $ 224 $
3,188 $ 861 $
1,573 $ 413 $
5,369 $ 1,351 $
59 $ 29 $
163,045 $ 47,054 $
FY19TOWN
'18BUDGET MGRBUDGET CHANGE
6,375 $ 6,700 5.1%
7,300 $ 7,675 5.1%
4,500 $ 4,725 5.0%
9,025 $ 9,475 5.0%
10,350 $ 10,875 5.1%
21,250 $ 22,300 4.9%
11,450 $ 12,025 5.0%
39,900 $ 41,900 5.0%
2,725 $ 2,850 4.6%
3,025 $ 3,175 5.0%
3,475 $ 3,650 5.0%
975 $ 1,025 5.1%
4,075 $ 4,275 4.9%
1,750 $ 1,850 5.7%
6,675 $ 7,000 4.9%
- $ 100 100.0%
132,850 $ 139,600 5.1%
5du\
FY15 ACTUAL
BARROWS WATER /SEWER
$
5,380
BIRCH WATER /SEWER
$
7,323
EATON WATER /SEWER
$
5,106
KILLAM WATER /SEWER
$
7,581
WOOD END WATER /SEWER
$
10,711
COOLIDGE WATER /SEWER
$
11,435
PARKER WATER /SEWER
$
11,052
RMHS WATER /SEWER
$
45,625
TOWN HALL WATER /SEWER
$
2,808
POLICE WATER /SEWER
$
2,415
MAIN FIRE WATER /SEWER
$
2,973
WEST FIRE WATER /SEWER
$
818
LIBRARY WATER /SEWER
$
1,172
SENIOR CTR WATER /SEWER
$
1,385
DPW WATER /SEWER
$
5,627
MATTERA WATER /SEWER /STORMN
$
-
FAC CORE WATER /SEWER /ST WATT
$
121,410
FY16ACTUAL F)
$ 6,256 $
$ 7,811 $
$ 5,900 $
$ 8,537 $
$ 12,914 $
$ 18,235 $
$ 10,336 $
$ 49,359 $
$ 2,899 $
$ 2,502 $
$ 3,083 $
$ 848 $
$ 1,548 $
$ 5,357 $
$ 135,586 $
FY18 ACTUAL
117 ACTUAL to 12/11/17 F)
5,934 $ 1,409 $
9,514 $ 2,056 $
6,133 $ 1,008 $
9,125 $ 1,856 $
17,631 $ 5,807 $
34,451 $ 11,758 $
10,041 $ 2,202 $
50,031 $ 14,132 $
3,486 $ 2,428 $
2,416 $ 660 $
3,210 $ 861 $
885 $ 224 $
3,188 $ 861 $
1,573 $ 413 $
5,369 $ 1,351 $
59 $ 29 $
163,045 $ 47,054 $
FY19TOWN
'18BUDGET MGRBUDGET CHANGE
6,375 $ 6,700 5.1%
7,300 $ 7,675 5.1%
4,500 $ 4,725 5.0%
9,025 $ 9,475 5.0%
10,350 $ 10,875 5.1%
21,250 $ 22,300 4.9%
11,450 $ 12,025 5.0%
39,900 $ 41,900 5.0%
2,725 $ 2,850 4.6%
3,025 $ 3,175 5.0%
3,475 $ 3,650 5.0%
975 $ 1,025 5.1%
4,075 $ 4,275 4.9%
1,750 $ 1,850 5.7%
6,675 $ 7,000 4.9%
- $ 100 100.0%
132,850 $ 139,600 5.1%
5du\
Building maintenance and repairs expenses
Other building repair expenses ($234,250) were reduced by about 5% in all town and
school buildings; except for both the Cemetery garage and Mattera Cabin which were
each newly funded at $750.
Building Maintenance ($38,750) saw the elimination of $60,000 in three one -time
building projects funded by the FY18 Town budget ($25,000 for Town Hall interior
signage, painting and furniture; $25,000 for the Police Station for a prisoner booking area
safety improvement; and $10,000 for the Pleasant Street Center for various
improvements). All other buildings saw modest reductions.
Extraordinary repairs ($85,000) were reduced by about 20 %. The recent historical total
spending in this category of $110,840 (FY15); $38,231 (FY16); and $14,711 (FY17)
suggests this line item could be significantly reduced in further budgets, and either the
FINCOM Reserve Fund or Town Meeting could be relied on for budget transfers if
needed.
Remaining lines are increased roughly by 1.4% as a group. These lines include HVAC
($152,000), Electrical ($43,000), Elevator ($49,500), Alarm ($32,000), Fire
Equipment ($35,000), Pest Management ($9,500), and Plumbing ($28,000).
5 a�°a
FY19 Town Building Budget
Town Meeting will vote on the total for the Town Facilities budget as shown below as a
+4.8% increase, which is driven by one set of expenses (cleaning services) that is
described below.
There is no change proposed for staffing levels. An FY18 increase in Overtime was
funded by the Town budget and was for some previously described building projects. The
FY19 budget removes that one -time increase. Custodian wages are subject to collective
bargaining, and budgeted as shown because the Town intends to discuss changes to paid
time off benefits received while considered School employees.
FYIS ACTUAL
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TOW N
FY19 TO W N
FACILITIES: TOWN BUILDINGS
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12 /11/17
FY18BUDGET
MGR BUDGET
CHANGE
CUSTODIAN 1
$
87,846
$ 102,298
$ 144,007
$ 57,907
$ 90,750
$ 97,000
6.9%
CUSTODIAN II
$
44,560
$ 46,510
$ 50,193
$ 19,549
$ 96,400
+ $ 103,000
6.8%
CUSTODIAL SUBSTITUTE
$
-
$ -
$ 428
$ -
$ 700
$ 1,000
42.9%
CUSTODIAL LONGEVITY
$
1,845
, $ 1,948
$ 1,948
$ -
$ 2,000
$ -
- 100.0%
TF CUSTODIAL OVERTIME
$
44,557
$ 40,385
$ 20,933
$ 5,729
$ 30,000
$ 23,000
-23.3%
CUST BILLIABLE EVENT OT
$
-
$ -
$ _ -
$ 437
$ -
$ -
0.0%
FAC TOWN BLDG WAGES
$
178,808
$ 191,141
$ 217,507
$ 83,622
$ 219,850
$ 224,000
1.9%
There is no change proposed for staffing levels. An FY18 increase in Overtime was
funded by the Town budget and was for some previously described building projects. The
FY19 budget removes that one -time increase. Custodian wages are subject to collective
bargaining, and budgeted as shown because the Town intends to discuss changes to paid
time off benefits received while considered School employees.
The Town outsources cleaning services for Town Hall, the Police Station, the Library and
the Senior Center. From experience, these buildings get the heaviest use by the public and
in -house resources are not sufficient to do this work in a timely fashion. As the table
above describes, a nearly 17% increase in these services is forecast for FY19. At some
point we may reach a tipping point where it is worth considering hiring a fifth Town
custodian. The alternative of letting any of these public buildings fall into a state of poor
upkeep and maintenance is certainly a risk that needs to be approached cautiously in
future budgets when reductions are needed.
5d`°3
FY18 ACTUAL
FY19 TO W N
FY15ACTUAL
FY16ACTUAL
FY17ACTUAL
to12 /11/17
FYI8BUDGET
MGRBUDGET
CHANGE
TOWN BLDG CLEANING SERVICES
�$ 56,894
�$
49,151
�$
64,326
�$ 73,350
64,600
$ 75,500
16.9%
TOWN BUILDING SUPPLIES
r$ 8,300
F$
46,942
v$
14,025
�$ 3,330
r$ 15,485
$ 14,900
-3.8%
TOWN BUILDING OTHER
r$ -
r$
4,364
�$
91
r$ 400
�$ -
$ -
0.0%
FAC TOWN BLDG EXPENSES
$ 65,194
$
100,457
$
78,442
$ 77,080
$ 80,085
$ 90,400
12.9%
The Town outsources cleaning services for Town Hall, the Police Station, the Library and
the Senior Center. From experience, these buildings get the heaviest use by the public and
in -house resources are not sufficient to do this work in a timely fashion. As the table
above describes, a nearly 17% increase in these services is forecast for FY19. At some
point we may reach a tipping point where it is worth considering hiring a fifth Town
custodian. The alternative of letting any of these public buildings fall into a state of poor
upkeep and maintenance is certainly a risk that needs to be approached cautiously in
future budgets when reductions are needed.
5d`°3
,. Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
w
,s9a)NCOftYORPR
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Selectmen
Date: 2017 -12 -12
Building: Reading Public Library
Address: 64 Middlesex Avenue
Purpose: Budget Meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Conference Room
Session:
Version:
Chair John Arena, Barry Berman, Dan Ensminger, John Halsey, Andrew
Friedmann
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Assistant Town Manager Jean Delios,
Administrative Services Director Matt Kraunelis, Finance Director /Town
Accountant Sharon Angstrom, Assistant Finance Director /Treasurer Endri
Kume, Administrative Assistant to the Town Manager Brendan Sweeney,
Network Administrator Kevin Furilla, Police Chief Mark Segalla, Deputy Police
Chief David Clark, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Deputy Fire Chief Paul Jackson,
Health Agent Laura Vlasuk, Veteran's Agent Kevin Bohmiller, Assistant
Director of Facilities Kevin Cabuzzi, Elder and Human Service Administrator
Jane Burns, DPW Director Jeff Zager, Assistant DPW Director Jane Kinsella,
Conservation Administrator Chuck Tirone, Bill Brown, Barbara Melanson,
Virginia Adams, Erin Gaffen, George Kachen, Amy Cole, Sherri Vanderakker,
Linda Phillips, Peter Lydecker, Mark Dockser, Vanessa Alvarado, Paula Perry,
Anne Landry, David Neshat, Bob Holmes
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Brendan Sweeney
Topics of Discussion:
Chair John Arena called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Mr. Arena began the meeting by wishing everyone a happy start of Hanukah, and then
began to outline the night's agenda. He specified how this meeting would revolve around
budget discussion and would feature presentations from the Public Services, Administrative
Services, and Finance Department Heads.
Mr. Berman then spoke of the recent Human Relations Advisory Committee event with Dr.
Anna Ornstein and noted how she did a tremendous job as a speaker. Specifically he cited
her quote "never make the unacceptable acceptable ". Mr. Friedmann noted that he was at
the event as well and affirmed the speaker's fantastic performance. Mr. Berman
additionally reflected on the recent Community Planning and Development Commission
meeting and cited the impending projects and how the challenges are being addressed as to
traffic and parking.
Mr. Berman moved his focus then to a brief reflection on the results of the recent
Selectmen's survey, placing an emphasis on how the public feels as though more
Page 1 1
MI
accountability and better communication are needed from the Town. As a practical solution
to this issue Mr. Berman proposed that a Selectman be made available for office hours prior
to every meeting, an idea which Mr. Friedmann agreed would be helpful.
Mr. Arena then asked if there was any public comment. Police Chief Segalla and Fire Chief
Burns both spoke and thanked Austin Prep for their recent event honoring the service of
local Police and Fire departments.
Peter Lydecker then called the Finance Committee meeting to order at this time.
FY19 Budget Review
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur began by explaining the differences in the budget formation
process this year as compared to years past, specifically citing how the town has begun the
process a month earlier than normal. The reasoning behind this is to involve the public
earlier in the process so that they can better understand what goes into the creation of the
budget. Mr. LeLacheur highlighted that this meeting specifically was NOT presenting a
balanced budget, but rather was a chance for Department Heads to present to the
Selectmen what they would need in order to achieve level services. Mr. LeLacheur noted
how the Department Heads themselves are always wary of the Town's ability to spend
money to cover certain departmental needs, and commended the exceptional teamwork of
the Department Heads in working with what they have been given recently.
In going into further detail in the changes of the budget formation process Mr. LeLacheur
noted that the town had taken a focus more on staffing levels and specific employee
numbers in the past rather than service levels themselves, an approach that the Schools
use and one that Mr. LeLacheur decided to employ with these December budget meetings.
After these December discussions Mr. LeLacheur noted that he will then create a Town .
Manager's balanced budget that will be available towards the end of January. The reasoning
for this approach is to allow for public input on budget requests before the Town Manager
creates the first draft budget.
Mr. Berman specifically cited how much more input he feels he has in the budget process
this year as a Selectman when compared to years past. Elaborating on this he noted how
the budget formation process had normally been a private process with Town staff, and is
now being opened so that the public can truly explore the costs behind running the town.
Mr. Arena built off of this point, referencing the Selectmen's survey, and citing how this was
one step that the town has taken to improve communication.
The Selectmen then asked a few clarification questions, to which Mr. LeLacheur reiterated
that the December budget meetings are strictly outlining what we need as a town to provide
level services, and are not presenting a balanced budget.
Public Services
Assistant Town Manager Jean Delios gave an introduction of her role and her department,
outlining the many volunteer boards, committees, and commissions that work directly with
public services. She noted how the planning /zoning boards - Community Planning and
Development Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals - take a significant amount of work
by staff to make sure that the necessary actions by those boards are all addressed. She
outlined the roles of the other public services boards as well as the miscellaneous working
groups that are tasked with addressing needs such as wayfinding.
Ms. Delios then brought up the department's organizational chart and began to explain how
it has changed over the years. Using a color -coded system Ms. Delios noted how the
department has morphed to accommodate losing positions, but highlighted certain positions
that need to be brought back, such as an assistant department head role as well as a full -
time building inspector, among others. When questioned by the Selectmen about how the
loss of these positions has affected her department Ms. Delios explained that she has had to
personally cover many of the responsibilities that these positions held, leaving her less time
to focus on the long -term planning of the town and managing her department. The
Page 1 2
VV""
Selectmen additionally asked Ms. Delios if she could line up current salary allocations to the
organizational chart and summarize this data in a concise memo, which she said that she
would work on.
One specific position that was focused on in this discussion was the Economic Development
Director. Andrew Corona, who had been the Economic Development for the last year or so,
had recently left due to an opportunity for his family elsewhere. The Selectmen noted the
great work that Mr. Corona did and how huge of an impact the position has had for
Reading's long -term economic development goals. Ms. Delios addressed additional
positions on the organizational chart as well, explaining the changes among the
administrative staff and inspectors, and why various sub - departments need additional staff
to cover their expanding roles.
Moving from personnel to the services themselves, Ms. Delios focused on how the
department has recently been able to adapt to tough circumstances. She outlined how
various forms of collaboration between sub - departments help bridge the gap made from
unfilled positions. She did however note areas where services have been directly affected,
such as Elder Services (who do great work now but have a large amount of programs and
senior center repairs that they have been unable to enact). Ms. Delios then noted the high
efficiency rate in the permitting department, specifically that the department issues 73% of
their permits either the same or the next day, and how if cuts coupled with the high number
of expected permits to be issued in coming years comes to fruition then that is a service
that will most likely suffer. There was a discussion between the Selectmen and Ms. Delios
regarding the role of fees in resolving this issue. Mark Dockser, 110 Beaver Road,
specifically was hoping to see what the potential impact of any fee changes would like.
However, Ms. Delios felt it would be prudent to hold off on raising any permitting fees this
budget cycle.
Continuing with her presentation Ms. Delios highlighted recent improvements in the way
that the public services department operates, from streamlining permitting to increasing
their technological usage to finding innovative ways to collaborate with other towns in the
region. She then addressed the 40B concerns at the urging of the Selectmen, noting that
the town is close to meeting the state mandated 10% affordable housing number and has a
two year safe harbor from the provisions of the state's 40B law that will run into 2019.
Moving along she noted the great work of Chuck Tirone in conservation, the work of the
historical volunteers, the work of the health department, and especially the work of elder
and human services. With elder and human services specifically Ms. Delios commended the
programs, such as the Memory Cafe, that her department has worked tireless to implement.
George Katchen, 66 Colburn Road, noted the importance of these programs and alerted Ms.
Delios that when he recently talked to seniors in town about a potential override that they
were hesitant to fully support the town as they feel that their needs are overlooked. Ms.
Delios continued providing updates on the various sub - departments and concluded by
looking at a line -by -line analysis of what the costs for the department would be to reach
level services.
As Ms. Delios went through her line -by -line analysis Mr. Dockser asked about a more in-
depth look at the FTEs (Full -Time Equivalents) for the department. Mr. Halsey agreed that
this data could be valuable, but is tough to pinpoint those numbers in relation to the true
value and equivalence of service provided by the department. Mr. Friedmann agreed with
Mr. Dockser, however, and additionally voiced a request to incorporate the FTE numbers
into the equation. Vanessa Alvarado, 5 Grand Street, echoed Mr. Dockser and Mr.
Friedmann's request with regards to the FTEs. Mr. LeLacheur interjected to explain that the
FTE numbers do not paint as black and white a picture as one may think, and that looking
at the needs with regards to service level rather than solely FTE numbers gives one a better
understanding of the impact that various cuts would have on a department.
At this time Mr. Arena called for a brief recess.
Mr. Arena called the meeting back into session at 9:16 PM.
Page 1 3
Administrative Services
Administrative Services Director Matt Kraunelis then began the presentation on his
department, noting all of its subdivisions - Town Clerk's office, Human Resources, Town
Manager's office, Operations, and Technology. Mr. Kraunelis cited that although some
offices are short - staffed, particularly the Town Clerk, the staffing needs are not too
extreme. The specific position that was referenced was additional help in the Clerk's office,
as there are administrative employees that are shared by the many subdivisions, creating a
need in the Clerk's office when those employees are elsewhere. Additionally Mr. Kraunelis
noted the recently created HR Generalist position that has been shared with the Schools, as
both he and Mr. LeLacheur clarified to the Selectmen the divide in this employee's time
between these two departments and how the salary burden is divided. Ideally Mr. Kraunelis
noted that he'd like to be able to bring in another HR Generalist so that one could be
dedicated solely to the Schools and other solely to the Town. Mr. Kraunelis analyzed
departmental expenses as well, clarifying the fluctuation in election expenses depending on
the year.
Finance
Finance Director /Town Accountant Sharon Angstrom began by outlining the department and
its divisions - Assessing, Accounting, Collections, and Treasury - while noting irregularities
such as the fact the town has a shared Assessor with Wakefield whose salary is allocated as
a departmental expense, rather than a wage itself. Ms. Angstrom focused primarily on
accounting, due to both the pivotal role that the department plays in administering MUNIS
software throughout the town as a whole as well as the need for another Accountant to help
staff the department. When questioned by the Selectmen Ms. Angstrom explained how she
was originally just the Town Accountant but then later took on the role of Finance Director
as well, and now finds that she has to commit so much time to accounting duties that she is
spread too thin to adequately address all of her responsibilities as Finance Director.
After Ms. Angstrom concluded her presentation Mr. LeLacheur noted that hers was the last
of the departmental presentations for the night, and at that time Mr. Arena called for
another quick recess.
Mr. Arena called the meeting back into session at 9:59 PM, and at this time the Finance
Committee left the room to deliberate in the hallway outside.
Mr. Ensminger then made a motion as follows:
I, the Clerk of the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Reading, Massachusetts (the
"Town "), certify that at a meeting of the board held December 12, 2017, of which meeting
all members of the board were duly notified and at which a quorum was present, the
following votes were unanimously passed, all of which appear upon the official record of the
board in my custody:
Voted: to approve the sale of a $1,490,000 2.00 percent General Obligation
Bond Anticipation Note (the "Note ") of the Town dated December 15, 2017 and
payable August 17, 2018, to Eastern Bank at par and accrued interest, if any,. plus a
premium of $6,520.04.
Further Voted: that in connection with the marketing and sale of the Notes
the preparation and distribution of a Notice of Sale and Preliminary Official
Statement dated November 30, 2017, and a final Official Statement dated December
7, 2017, each in such form as may be approved by the Town Treasurer, be and
hereby are ratified, confirmed, approved and adopted.
Further Voted: that the Town Treasurer and the Board of Selectmen be, and
hereby are, authorized to execute and deliver a significant events disclosure
undertaking in compliance with SEC Rule 15c2 -12 in such form as may be approved ( _
Page 1 4 , (\ c"�
by bond counsel to the Town, which undertaking shall be incorporated by reference
in the Notes for the benefit of the holders of the Notes from time to time.
Further Voted: that we authorize and direct the Treasurer to establish post
issuance federal tax compliance procedures in such form as the Treasurer and bond
counsel deem sufficient, or if such procedures are currently in place, to review and
update said procedures, in order to monitor and maintain the tax - exempt status of
the Notes.
Further Voted: that each member of the Board of Selectmen, the Town Clerk
and the Town Treasurer be and hereby are, authorized to take any and all such
actions, and execute and deliver such certificates, receipts or other documents as
may be determined by them, or any of them, to be necessary or convenient to carry
into effect the provisions of the foregoing votes.
I further certify that the votes were taken at a meeting open to the public, that no
vote was taken by secret ballot, that a notice stating the place, date, time and agenda for
the meeting (which agenda included the adoption of the above votes) was filed with the
Town Clerk and a copy thereof posted in a manner conspicuously visible to the public at all
hours in or on the municipal building that the office of the Town Clerk is located or, if
applicable, in accordance with an alternative method of notice prescribed or approved by
the Attorney General as set forth in 940 CMR 29.03(2)(b), at least 48 hours, not including
Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, prior to the time of the meeting and remained so
posted at the time of the meeting, that no deliberations or decision in connection with the
sale of the Notes were taken in executive session, all in accordance with G.L. c.30A, § §18-
25 as amended.
During this reading a motion was made by Mr. Halsey to suspend the readina of
the motion, seconded by Mr. Arena, which passed by a vote of 5 -0 -0.
Mr. Arena then seconded Mr. Ensminger's original motion, which passed by a vote
of 5 -0 -0.
Mr. Arena then addressed the correspondence that the Board of Selectmen had been
receiving with regards to the train depot parking sticker pricing. Mr. LeLacheur noted that
the town is aware of these complaints and has been responding accordingly.
Mr. Halsey made a motion to adiourn at 10:06 PM, seconded by Mr. Ensminger,
which Dassed by a vote of 5 -0 -0.
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Arena at 10:06 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Secretary
Page 1 5
E
oyZ� OrR`
ti. I Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
r��9 +)NCOHQO�A
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Selectmen
Date: 2017 -12 -13
Building: Reading Public Library
Address: 64 Middlesex Avenue
Purpose: Budget Meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
Time: 7:00
Location: Conference Room
Session:
Version:
Chair John Arena, Barry Berman, John Halsey, Dan Ensminger, Andrew
Friedmann
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Town Accountant Sharon Angstrom, DPW
Director Jeff Zager, Facilities Director Joe Huggins, Assistant Facilities
Director Kevin Cabuzzi, Library Director Amy Lannon, Police Chief Mark
Segalla, Deputy Police Chief David Clark, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Deputy Fire
Chief Paul Jackson, Town Treasurer Endri Kume, Finance Committee
Members Peter Lydecker, Marc Moll, Mark Dockser, Paul McNeice, Anne
Landry, Paula Perry, Vanessa Alvarado, Executive Assistant Caitlin Saunders,
George Kachen, Todd Merkle, Linda Phillips, Michele Sanphy, Sherri
Vanderakker, Pat Shannon, Linda Snow Dockser, Elaine Webb
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By:
Topics of Discussion:
Chair John Arena called the meeting to order.
Finance Committee called to order.
FY19 Budget Review
Library
Director Amy Lannon was present to give the Library's budget overview.
Currently they have 20.8 regular FTE's with 9 substitutes. The Library also gets about 20
hours of volunteered time per week. The library has minimum standards it must meet
including being open for 60 hours per week and have a materials budget allocation that
equals 13 %. The library is asking for a 6.6% increase with their main goal being to restore
Sunday hours and grow their digital services. Their overall circulation is up 3 %. They had
90,248 electronic uses in 2017. Ms. Lannon noted that reference interactions have become
more complex due to the digital world we have entered. Visitors are up 24% from last year
and they average 109 new members a month. Meeting room usage is up 75% but that is
mostly because once they moved into the new library they simply have more meeting
rooms to be used. However, having more meeting rooms comes with more work when they
need to be set up and broken down for specific meetings. In FY17 the library had 600
programs that were used by 17,797 people. All programs are funded externally (about
$35,000- 45,000) and they could really use some help with funding programs from the
Page 1 1 (�O\
budget. In the future the library would like to see an increase of an extra .5 FTE for a
paraprofessional (about $22,000) and a new .25 FTE professional at about $13,500.
Fire Department
Chief Burns and Deputy Chief Jackson were present for the Fire Department budget
overview.
The fire department budget has a 10% increase in salaries because they are asking for four
new firefighters and an administrative secretary that will be shared with the Police
Department. That would be a 17% increase in their expense budget mostly to outfit the new
firefighters. Currently the department has 48.5 FTE and they are asking for 53 FTE. Mr.
Burns explained the importance of having a deputy chief and noted he has a hand in
everything across the board which is a big help. The department currently is on the lower
staffing level compared to our peer communities but with a higher population. Within our
peer communities we are ranked 9 out of 25 in population but fall down to 15 when it
comes to staffing levels.. We are currently staffing 1.78 firefighters per 1,000 citizens. The
call volume is up 40% since the late 80's due to our increase in housing, yet our staffing
remains the same. The over 55' population accounts for most of their calls. The chief
showed a graph of the types of calls they receive. He then explained emergency
management and dealing with storms and other related natural disasters. If a storm is
declared a Federal disaster then the department can try and collect reimbursement of costs
related to that storm.
A question was raised asking about the ability to close the Woburn Street station and if that
would help save more money. The Chief answered the Woburn Street station is very helpful
to the Main Street station because of its location, it helps split up the town better when calls
come in to get the closer engine out. He also noted if they closed that station it would not
save any money because they would have to make the Main Street station bigger to fit all
the engines and staff they would bring over from Woburn Street.
Elaine Webb inquired about the square footage of the town compared to our peer
communities. She also asked if, because the fire trucks are considered ambulances too, if
they get more wear and tear than if they were not.
Mark Dockser asked if the overtime would diminish if we hired four new firefighters and the
Chief noted it is hard to say because you cannot predict when someone may get hurt.
Paula Perry asked if hiring four new firefighters would raise their `minimum staffing level'
and the chief noted it would add one more to each shift.
Police Department
Chief Segalla and Deputy Chief Clark were present to go over the Police Department's
budget.
The Police Department is requesting an additional five officers bringing them to a total of
46. This would be a 13.9% increase with most of it being in wages and expenses to outfit
the new officers and train them. Three of the new officers would be for the night shift, one
to fill the day shift and one new school resource officer. Much like the fire department, the
population has increased greatly with no change in staffing in the police department. Mental
health calls are up. Drug related calls are up. Plain and simple, they need more coverage on
the streets. The department is below average in officers per 1,000 citizens compared to our
peer communities and they need to be proactive before it's too late. The legalization of pot
has resulted in more calls to the high school.
Linda Phillips asked about using 'flaggers' instead of police officers for details to alleviate
overtime costs but the Chief noted they are not used anymore and would cost just as much.
She also then asked about the cost of the School Resource Officers and if there's any
possibility of splitting the cost with the schools. It was noted the original use of school
resource officer may have been funded with a grant that the schools received; however,
since the grant ended the police department pays the salary of the officer.
Anne Landry asked if there is any mental health support for our officers and it was noted
yes there are various ways an officer can get support including a large support group of the
officers themselves.
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Dispatch
The FY19 budget for dispatch is up 5.4% compared to last year. Most of this budget is spent
on personnel; they have 11 FTE's. Wages are up 5.9 %. Dispatch is currently staffed with 10
dispatchers and one head dispatcher who also oversees the administration of the dispatch
center. The department receives a 911 grant that helps fund some of the salaries but the
grant is not always guaranteed. Dispatch is a very technical and involved job and they will
eventually need some technology upgrades.
RCASA (Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse)
Director Erica McNamara was present to give us an update.
The coalition was formed in 2006 as a collaborative community program to prevent
substance abuse in town. The board meets monthly with their goals to establish and
strengthen local collaboration in support of local efforts to prevent youth substance use.
They have regional collaborations with Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition, Eastern
Middlesex District Attorney's Opioid Task Force and Regional Police Risk Assessment Team.
Ms. McNamara noted currently they are funded under a 5 year grant that will be expiring in
the fall of 2019. The staff is currently 1.6 FTE and have an office in the Police Department.
The coalition collects old Rx bottles to help keep those unused medications from getting to
the streets and they have collected over 6,000 bottles. They also have many other
programs that include referral services to help place individuals to get the help they need.
The board thanked everyone for being there to hear these budget updates and requests and
noted they will continue on with their budget process next week.
Mr. Ensminger made a motion to adjourn at 10:39 PM, second by Mr. Berman and approved
with a 5 -0 -0 vote.
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�,. Town of Reading
- Meeting Minutes
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Selectmen
Date: 2017 -12 -19
Building: Reading Public Library
Address: 64 Middlesex Avenue
Purpose: Budget Meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Conference Room
Session:
Version:
Chair John Arena, Barry Berman, Dan Ensminger, John Halsey, Andrew
Friedmann
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Assistant Town Manager Jean Delios,
Administrative Assistant to the Town Manager Brendan Sweeney, Police
Chief Mark Segalla, Director of Facilities Joe Huggins, Assistant Director of
Facilities Kevin Cabuzzi, Bob Holmes, Deputy Fire Chief Paul Jackson,
Finance Director Sharon Angstrom, Assistant Finance Director Endri Kume,
Superintendent of Schools John Doherty, School Director of Finance Gail
Dowd, Director of Public Works Jeff Zager, Administrative Services Director
Matt Kraunelis, Bill Brown, Peter Lydecker, Mark Dockser, George Kachen,
Eric Burkhart, Anne Landry, Elaine Webb, Vanessa Alvarado, John Andresen,
Loran Andresen, Emily Ryan, Carolyn Mertz, Nick Marrangoni, Michele
Sanphy, Matt McLeod, Christen Pegoraro, Todd Merkle, Ellen Brogan, Nicole
Heffernan, Ashley Quinn, Linda Phillips, Jennifer Kane
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Brendan Sweeney
Topics of Discussion:
Chair John Arena called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Mr. Arena began with a brief introduction, identifying that this was the third of four
scheduled budget meetings for the month of December. He then outlined the night's
agenda, which began with facilities then moved to a conversation about debt /capital and
miscellaneous shared costs. The other Selectmen were called upon to give their liaison
reports, and Mr. Berman made note that the Trust Fund Commissioners had agreed to fund
the RCASA interface program for another year. Additionally Mr. Ensminger identified that
Sherri Vanderakker had officially been appointed to fill the School Committee vacancy, and
Mr. LeLacheur noted that because of this Ms. Vanderakker will need to give up her seat on
the Board of Library trustees.
Mr. LeLacheur segued the meeting into the budget discussions, calling upon Director of
Facilities Joe Huggins to present on his department.
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Facilties
Mr. Huggins introduced himself, and explained how the mission of the Facilities Department
is to support the education of Reading students as well as the functions of the Reading town
government. He then identified the breakdown in department expenditures. As most of his
department's concerns revolve around the maintenance of Town and School buildings, Mr.
Huggins looked at spending per building and also at a breakdown of the spending per
square foot in each of the Town and School buildings. Mr. Huggins then moved into the
explanation of recent technological updates in the department, noting how all the modules
in their new program are now fully implemented. Going more into depth off of his early
square footage breakdown Mr. Huggins began to look at specific water, sewage, electric,
and natural gas usage by each building, using this to highlight recent energy efficiency
measures and how they've saved the town money in certain areas. Specifically energy
efficiency measures in electricity have the Town buildings combined using 93,439 kw /h less
and the School buildings using a 2,241,400 kw /h combined less. Mr. Berman asked Mr.
Huggins to monetize these savings. Mr. LeLacheur then spoke, noting that these energy
efficiency measures were initially a $5 Million investment that is allocated as a $400
Thousand cost in the capital plan each year (spread out for another seven years or so),
however, the yearly savings amount to around $750 Thousand. Mr. LeLacheur additionally
added that these savings are magnified as they are savings in the yearly operational
budget, and the costs are diminished as they are allocated to the capital plan. Mr. Berman
inquired as to whether the town should look to make another energy efficiency investment
in the near future, which Mr. LeLacheur responded that it would be worthwhile to look at,
but would require a commitment by the town to a somewhat intense process. On the topic
of energy efficiency Mark Dockser of 110 Beaver Road chimed in and stated that the LED
light efficiency difference is notable and he implored the town to look into making the
transition. Additionally a member of the audience asked Mr. LeLacheur about looking into
solar panels for the schools, to which Mr. LeLacheur responded that the cost savings is
almost non - existent and unfortunately the school roofs cannot sustain solar panels at this
time. Mr. LeLacheur did, however, note that RMLD has been testing the waters with solar
panels in Wilmington.
Mr. Huggins then shifted his presentation towards a focus on work orders processed, noting
the FY16 number of 2,381 work orders process that year and the FY17 number of 2,599
work orders processed. Looking beyond these numbers Mr. Huggins identified that the
hiring of a new carpenter has been beneficial to the department, as the electrician and
plumber are now freed up to move beyond some work orders that they had previously been
assigned to and can now focus on their specialized jobs. He concluded by outlining some of
the mandated tasks that facilities must complete, such as facility maintenance and fire
safety inspections, among others. Mr. Berman asked Mr. Huggins if there was anything his
department would love to add if the funds are available, and Mr. Huggins responded by
noting that in an ideal world he'd like to add another HVAC mechanic, however current
market salaries for the position make it a tough add at this time. Elaine Webb, 309 Pearl
Street, questioned some notable increases in the elevator line item of the facilities budget,
and Mr. Huggins noted that this was not because of a tangible change but rather a
transition in how related cost were accounted fora
At this time, 7:35 PM, Peter Lydecker called the Finance Committee meeting to order.
Capital Plan
Mr. LeLacheur, along with Superintendent John Doherty, then shifted the meeting to the
discussion of the 10 year Capital Improvement Plan. Mr. LeLacheur noted that we have
$1.87M allocated to this plan for FY18 and a projected $1.51 for FY19. He then broke the
overview of the capital plan into three categories: inside of the tax levy, outside of the tax
levy, and not yet planned. The not yet planned category was only briefly touched upon,
however, and contains just the potential community center. Mr. LeLacheur then outlined
where upcoming projects fell in that regard as of right now, with the town Infrastructure
repairs, the DPW move, and the first stage of building security improvements under the
category of "inside the levy ", and the Killam School renovations, RMHS Athletic Field
improvements, and the remainder of building security improvements under the "outside of
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the levy" category. Mr. LeLacheur then began outlining details of the projects that are
planned to be funded within the levy, noting specifically that the reason that a big project
like the DPW move is able to be funded within the levy is due to the fact that the costs of
the project are being spread out through 25 or so years and that other towns (Wakefield)
will be participating in the project as well.
Mr. LeLacheur then began explaining the projects to be funded outside levy, touching on the
RMHS Athletic field improvements. He broke down each specific improvement (turf, track,
bleachers, etc.) but noted that although these incremental improvements can be done in
any order, it will be tough to try and fund the project overall within the levy. Mr. LeLacheur
estimated these repairs to total around $8.7 Million.
Mr. Doherty then took his turn as speaker, honing in on the JW Killam Elementary School
portion of the Capital Improvement Plan. He began by noting first off the great work that
the Facilities Department has done to keep the schools up and running. He then talked
about the need for numerous repairs to the Killam School, initiating that conversation by
first talking about the role of the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) in the
process and the potential for available funding from them. The MSBA conducted surveys of
all of the schools in the state that were older than 10 years old in 2010 (7 of the 8 Reading
Schools were looked at) and graded them on a scale of 1 to 4, 1 being the best 4 being the
Worst, in various categories. Of the Reading schools Killam received the worst grade, a 3,
when being graded, on the school building itself. The reasoning for this being that the
building is quite old (built in 1969), but also has notable deficiencies including: handicap
inaccessibility, traces of lead-in the water, aging windows and doors, as well as a few
others. The school does not suffer from other factors, however, such as an unsafe
environment or overcrowding.
After the Killam assessment Mr. Doherty then moved into a broader outlook, noting how the
town needs to create an overall plan for improvements, including the most pressing needs
of the Killam school, which should be initiated by a feasibility study of the entire Reading
School system's capital plan. Mr. Halsey chimed in and noted the importance of outlining
each aspect of capital spending while creating the feasibility study so that the taxpayers
know specifically where their money is going. Going off of Mr. Doherty's point about the
capital improvements feasibility study Mr. Berman inquired where exactly the money would
come from, to which Mr. LeLacheur noted that most of this would have to be acted upon by
the School Committee. Jennifer Kane, 143 Wakefield Street, spoke on Mr. Doherty's earlier
point about the MSBA ratings, noting that 1.2% of MA schools were rated as a 4 and 15%
were rated as a 3. Ms. Kane noted that this puts Killam in the bottom 16% of MA schools in
this rating system, and as the High School received MSBA funding with a 3 rating Ms. Kane
argued that Killam should pursue MSBA funding for repairs and that these repairs should be
a higher priority than any athletic field repairs needed. Mr. Doherty did highlight, however,
that the standards used when the High School applied for funding as a 3 have changed.
Christen Pegoraro, a first -grade teacher at the Killam school, emphasized the need for
repairs to the Killam school and noted how specific building conditions have created
distractions in the classrom.
As the question of what fits inside and outside of the levy was brought up again, Mr.
LeLacheur noted that FINCOM has guidelines for what capital expenditures should be
covered inside and outside of the levy, but in general he stated that it is extremely tough to
try and cover a large -scale building project completely within the tax levy.
Further questions were brought up with regards to a potential feasibility study itself,
including how, much a feasibility study would cost, what external factors would be taken into
account, and where the money for such a study would come from. Mr. LeLacheur
responded by highlighting that the School Committee and Permanent Building Committee
would need to have a joint meeting in which the specifics behind a feasibility study were
discussed. Michelle Sanphy, 75 Glenmere Circle, asked for clarification on the difference in
timelines between applying for MSBA funding and conducting a full -scale feasibility study, to
C �
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which Mr. Doherty responded that a feasibility study is a more efficient and concise way to
address immediate needs while the MSBA application process may take a few years.
Vanessa Alvarado, 5 Grand Street, asked a few general questions about the capital planning
process, including why the DPW project could potentially fit inside of the tax levy as well as
who determines the prioritization of capital projects. Mr. LeLacheur answered the DPW
question by noting that the involvement of multiple towns as well as long -term planning
allow the expense to be spread out through a number of years within the levy, and on the
prioritization of capital projects Mr. LeLacheur noted that he had highlighted the pressing
needs of the next 3 -4 years, but that it is up to the community to decide which order they
are acted upon.
After discussing the capital projects portion of the presentation Mr. LeLacheur moved on to
shared costs with the majority of the focus on OPEB and other insurance related employee
benefits. Mr. Friedmann observed that these costs are rising at more than 2.5% (in
reference to the Proposition 2 1/2 restrictions) which Mr. LeLacheur affirmed. Mr. LeLacheur
continued on this point by noting that 4% growth in these categories, which compared to
other communities is a strong and manageable number, is still difficult for the town fiscally
and that many communities who have not planned as well for these costs as Reading are
facing severe fiscal consequences. Mr. LeLacheur concluded his presentation on shared
costs by diving further into depth on the specific drivers of the budget numbers presented,
such as the employee - employer split in retirement costs and the number of Reading
students enrolled in regional vocational schools.
Mr. Arena then gave his concluding remarks, highlighting how the process was created with
the intention of garnering public input and fostering public participation in the budget
creation process. Mr. Berman noted how much he has gained from this process, and Mr.
LeLacheur implored the Selectmen to bring their comments on budget specifics from the
presentations as well as comments on the process as a whole to their January 9th meeting.
Mr. Berman made a motion to adjourn at 8:56 PM, seconded by Mr. Halsey, which
passed by a vote of 5 -0 -0.
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Arena at 8:56 PM.
At the time the Finance Committee adjourned as well.
Respectfully submitted,
Secreta ry
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