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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-02-28 Finance Committee Minutes� rs O Town of Reading �I Meeting Minutes 'IXrtOPo ��� Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Finance Committee Date: 2024-02-28 Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Time: 7:00 PM 7 �y 7:4s Location: Select Board Meeting Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Chair Ed Ross, Vice Chair Joe Carnahan, Geoffrey Coram, Endri Kume, Joe McDonagh, Marianne McLaughlin -Downing, Emily Sisson, John Sullivan, Mark Zarrow Members - Not Present: Others Present: School Superintendent Tom Mllaschewskl, School Director of Finance Derek Pinto, School Committee Chair Tom Wise, School Committee Member Shawn Brandt (remote), Facilities Director Joe Huggins (remote), Town CFO Sharon Angstrom (remote), Chris Haley (remote) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn LaVerde Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in-person in the Select Board Meeting Room of Town Hall and remotely via Zoom. Chair Ed Ross called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm. Liaison Reports: John Sullivan shared updates from ReCALC and CPDC. ReCALC has hired an architect for the feasibility study of a new Senior/Community Center, and they are hosting listening sessions on possible sites: Oakland Road, Symonds Way, or renovation to the existing Pleasant Street Center. CPDC is delaying MBTA Communities until fall Town Meeting. The Pinevale Avenue mixed use development was reduced to 30 units, and is looking for permission from MassDOT for an extra curb cut on Main Street. Joe Carnahan shared that the Select Board voted to put together a Community Preservation Act (CPA) Study Committee, comprised of ex -officio members of various boards and committees, one of which Is the Finance Committee. He suggested adding the topic to a future agenda. Emily Sisson shared that the Symonds Way Exploratory Committee is still meeting. From the Recreation Committee meeting, she shared that Friends of Reading Baseball have a plan to improve the batting cages at Symonds Way. She noted that some of the funds came from the Town Manager Reserve Fund, but the Recreation Committee was not informed of what happened, so there were some calls for clarification on the process. Page I r Marianne Downing shared that the Select Board voted to close the Annual Town Meeting Warrant at their meeting last night. There are two non -typical financial requests: a funding article for consultant services to support META Communities initiatives; and supplemental funding for the $7 million Haven Street streetscape project, for which the Town received a $2.6 million grant. There will also be an article for the Parker Roof surplus. Joe McDonagh shared that RMLD residential rates are increasing 2.5%, and industrial rates will go up 4.8%. Ed Ross shared that the Killam School Building Committee is meeting regularly, and the Communications Subcommittee Is meeting weekly. The designer, Lavallee Brensinger Architects (LBA), has been very engaged, and is hosting a community meeting tomorrow on sustainability. Budget Presentation: FY25 School Committee Recommended Budget: School Director of Finance Derek Pinto provided an overview of the School Committee's FY25 recommended budget. The Finance Committee provided budget guidance in October of 2023 of a 4% Increase over the FY24 budget. Operating funds have been allocated to meet the Increased costs of all contractual obligations. Special Education accommodated costs include out -of -district Special Education. There is $150,000 of community priority money allocated to reduce full-day kindergarten tuition fees in FY25. Dr. Pinto also provided a detailed overview of the budget development process and timeline. School Superintendent Tom Milaschewski reviewed the budget guidance and Investment priorities including: making sure that contracts are settled and sustainable for years to come; maintaining positions made possible by ESSER grants and incorporating those salaries into the operating budget; maintaining the path to universal full day kindergarten; maintaining special education Investments; continuing the exploration for Tier II support; providing structural support for RMHS leadership; implementing the recommendations from Secondary Math Pathways Advisory Committee; reviewing the middle school literacy curriculum; and continuing the expansion of RHMS Innovation pathways, with the addition of clean energy and healthcare and social assistance courses. Dr. Mllaschewski also noted that the department is aggressively pursuing grants to pursue those initiatives, and is continuing to look Internally to meet some of those needs. Changes to support budget investments include: a 0.4 FTE speech pathologist changed to full-time, addition of 0.5 L.E.A.D. teacher at Joshua Eaton to support specialized learning for students, and a decrease in tuition for full day kindergarten. One special education teacher at Coolidge, and two counselors at the High School that were funded by the ESSER grant were moved into the operating budget. Dr. Pinto continued to review the budget by cost center. The Administration cost center includes the salaries and expenses for the central office, including administrative staff, and district wide data and information management. It accounts for 2.44% of the total district budget at $1,374,689. The Special Education cost center encompasses all personnel & non - personnel expenses necessary to deliver special education and related services to students in the community. This cost center accounts for 31.32% of the total recommended budget at $17,635,574. The Regular Day cost center Includes all expenses related to core and general education, and Is 58.74% of the total budget at $33,077,097. The Facilities cost center supports, cleans, and maintains Reading Public School buildings, and accounts for 3.01% of the recommended budget at $1,696,953. The District Wide cost center consists of Athletics, Extra -Curricular Activities, Health Services, and Technology, and makes up 4.49% of the budget at $2,526,498. Facilities Director Joe Huggins reviewed capital spending in the budget. The bid for the replacement of the Parker Middle School was scheduled to go out post-COVID, when material pricing was still volatile. The architectural firm advised waiting due to the long lead times and supply chain issues on several products that would impact the project schedule. There was a $2.7 million capital allocation to do the work. The Town was fortunate, and the low bid came in at $1.36 million. Some of the savings were used to help other Page 1 2 departments, and there are still funds available. The department Is requesting $95,000 of the remaining savings to replace the panel and several devices on the Coolidge Middle School fire alarm panel. There is also a request for $200,000 for the replacement of the existing field house floor and bleachers, which will Include the design and a full bid package. The full field house project Is projected at $1.7 million. School Committee Chair Tom Wise provided updates on future budget considerations. He stated that three out of five union contracts have been ratified for custodians, secretaries, and teachers. The cafeteria workers contract is scheduled to be ratified tomorrow, and the final contract for paraprofessionals is expected to be ratified next week. The plan is still on track for free full day kindergarten (FDK) in FY26. There is a $600,000 offset from the revolving account to support FDK in this year's budget. In the FY25 budget, there is a $485,000 offset and tuition will drop to $1,450. Dr. Pinto and Town Chief Financial Officer Sharon Angstrom provided an update on the Klllam School Building Project. The project budget has been received from the Project Manager, and $1.338 million has been committed, and there is a $555,000 contingency. Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes: On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Mark Zarrow, the Finance Committee voted unanimously 9-0-0 to approve the meeting minutes of October 25, 2023 as presented. Future Aaendas• The next meeting is scheduled for March 6'h, where the Finance Committee will begin the review of the proposed FY25 Town budget. The Committee will also discuss and possibly vote on their selection for the Community Preservation Act Study Committee. On a motion by Endri Kume, seconded by Joe Carnahan, the Finance committee voted unanimously 9-0-0 to adjourn at 9:06 pm. Paye 13