The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2025-03-05 Finance Committee Minutesa Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Finance Committee Date: 2025-03-05 Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: 41 4kieC ERK .FR�A� �2625MAR 13 AM 1t41 Time: 7:00 PM Location: Select Board Meeting Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Chair Joe Carnahan, Vice Chair Marianne McLaughlin -Downing, Geoffrey Corem, Endrl Kume, Joe MCDonagh, Ed Ross, Emily Sisson, John Sullivan, Mark Zarrow Members - Not Present: Others Present: Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, CFO Sharon Angstrom, Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman, School Superintendent Tom Milaschewski, Facilities Director Joe Huggins, Assistant Facllltles Director Kevin Cabuzzi (remote), DPW Director Chris Cole, Town Clerk Laura Gemme (remote), Community Services Director Jenna Wood, Elder & Human Services Administrator Chris Kowaleski, Karen Gately Herrick (remote), Chris Haley (remote), Mark Dockser, Carla Nazzaro, Pat Tompkins, Nancy Twomey, John Coote (remote), Nancy Zlemlak, Marilyn Shapleigh, Laura Stella (remote), Ajunetta Stith (remote), Jenni Katajamaki - LBA (remote), Brian Hromadka - Turner & Townsend, Mike Carroll - Colliers (remote), Joel Bargmann - BH+A (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 Joe Carnahan called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Roll call attendance: Mark Zarrow (remote), Ed Ross (remote), Joe MCDonagh, Emily Sisson, Marianne McLaughlin -Downing, Geoffrey Coram, Endri Kume, John Sullivan, Joe Carnahan. The Killam School Building Committee called to order at 7:02 pm. Roll call attendance: Pat Tompkins, Nancy Twomey, John Coote (remote), Ed Ross (remote), Chris Haley (remote), Carla Nazzaro. The Permanent Building/ReCAL Committee called to order at 7:03 pm. Roll call attendance: Nancy Twomey, John Coote (remote), Nancy Zlemlak, Pat Tompkins Mark Dockser arrived at 7:06 pm. Liaison Reports Page i 1 Marianne McLaughlin -Downing shared the Select Board's complete and utter shock at the almost $1.9 million estimated cost for seven pickleball courts. She noted that there could be some value engineering that could be done to bring costs down. Geoffrey Coram shared that the School Committee discussed the state approval to allow cameras on school buses to catch people who pass. While the district has a contract with a bus company, they may ask for a contribution, which could be a possible expense and warrant article in the future. The Select Board called to order at 7:06 pm. Roll call attendance: Karen Gately Herrick (remote), Chris Haley (remote), Mark Dockser. Public Comment Laura Stella noted that the debt reduction of the library and other projects appeared in both presentations for the Killam and the Senior Center, and asked how much it would lower taxpayer cost. CFO Sharon Angstrom explained that taxpayers will see the savings once, but both projects want to remind taxpayers that those debt exclusions have been paid off and will help buffer these debt exclusions. Killam School Project Presentation and Discussion Carla Nazzaro, Chair of the Killam School Building Committee, provided an update of the project, which is currently in the schematic design phase. Ms. Nazzaro shared site plans and renderings of the proposed three-story building, which will include a consolidated RISE preschool, Kindergarten through Grade 5 classrooms and other programming spaces, and improved parking and traffic flow. The feasibility study is on schedule and under budget by about $650,000 of the allocated $2.2 million. The debt exclusion vote on the project is planned for May 1P. The total project cost is estimated at $130,011,783 (which is the amount that will appear on the Debt Exclusion Ballot), with $42,666,829 estimated Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) reimbursement on eligible costs. The amount of debt the Town will incur is $87,344,954. It is estimated that the excluded debt will add approximately $734 per year to the average residential tax bill, or around $61 per month. With the recent payoff of other debt exclusions, the net tax increase for adding the Killam project would be around $347. The Committee discussed various aspects of the project including the voting process; the size and scale of the school to meet education requirement and MSBA standards; construction timeline; material costs and contingencies; increased staff and maintenance needs for the new building; and borrowing terms, project costs, and tax Impacts to homeowners. Readina Center for Active Livina (ReCAL) Proiect Presentation and Discussion Brian Hromadka of Turner & Townsend provided an overview of the Reading Center for Active Living (ReCAL) project. He reviewed the project's history, the need to accommodate the Increasing 60+ population, limitations of the current Pleasant Street Center, and site plans and renderings of the proposed building. The initial estimated cost range for ReCAL was $28-$29 million, but this was adjusted to reflect a later construction start date and an Increased contingency. These changes would have raised the estimated cost to $32.8-$33.7 million. Neighboring communities have paid in the range of $26.8-$34.4 million for similar projects. The final budget was set at $27.9 million, with a $4.7 million contingency. The potential tax increase is $183-$265 per year for an average homeowner. The Committee also discussed the potential for cost savings during the project's design and construction phases, the project's timeline, concerns about the facility being a community center and shared with other age groups, Impacts on the area due to the simultaneous construction as the Killam School project, and operational and programming plans. On a motion by Nancy Twomey, seconded by Mark Dockser, the Permanent Building/ReCAL Committee voted 5-0-0 to adjourn at 9:18 pm. Page 1 2 Roll call vote: Mark Dockser - Yes, Nancy Twomey - Yes, Nancy Ziemlak - Yes, John Coote - Yes, Pat Tompkins - Yes. On a motion by Pat Tompkins, seconded by Nancy Twomey, the Killam School Building Committee voted 5-0-0 to adjourn at 9:18 pm, as Carla Nazzaro had already left the meeting. Roll call vote: Nancy Twomey - Yes, John Coote - Yes, Ed Ross - Yes, Chris Haley - Yes, Pat Tompkins - Yes. On a motion by Karen Gately Herrick, seconded by Mark Dockser, the Select Board voted 3- 0-0 to adjourn at 9:19 pm. Roll call vote: Chris Haley - Yes, Mark Dockser - Yes, Karen Gately Herrick - Yes. Vote on Finance Committee Reserve Transfer Request CFO Sharon Angstrom presented a Reserve Transfer Request totaling $80,000, $60,000 of which Is for election cost overruns and the special election scheduled for May. The other $20,000 is for traffic control repairs that ran over what was budgeted. Town Clerk Laura Gemme clarified that the extra cost of vote -by -mail and the extra staff needed to process mail -in ballots was not known until after the Presidential election. Also included in the request is $10,000 to purchase a high-speed ballot scanner and to help with storage solutions given the retention requirements for all the vote -by -mail ballots and associated documentation. DPW Director Chris Cole explained that the extra costs for traffic controls were due to the general increased costs and frequency of repairs. On a motion by Marianne McLaughlin -Downing, seconded by Endri Kume, the Finance Committee voted 9-0-0 to approve the reserve transfer as presented. Roll call vote: Mark Zarrow - Yes, Ed Ross - Yes, Joe McDonagh - Yes, Emily Sisson - Yes, Marianne McLaughlin -Downing - Yes, Geoffrey Coram - Yes, Endri Kume - Yes, John Sullivan - Yes, Joe Carnahan - Yes. Vote on Snow and Ice Deficit Spendina CFO Sharon Angstrom stated that there will be a request at April Town Meeting for an additional $275,000 out of free cash for snow and ice, as spending for this year's weather exceeded the budgeted $675,000. DPW Director Chris Cole explained that a lot of the overage is due to the need for road solvents, and contractually obligated overtime, as storms happened on weekends and holidays. On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Endri Kume, the Finance Committee voted 9-0-0 to approve deficit spending for snow and ice removal as presented. Roll call vote: Mark Zarrow - Yes, Ed Ross - Yes, Joe McDonagh - Yes, Emily Sisson - Yes, Marianne McLaughlin -Downing - Yes, Geoffrey Coram - Yes, Endri Kume - Yes, John Sullivan - Yes, Joe Carnahan - Yes. Future Agenda Discussion The agendas for the next two meetings include a Public Hearing on the Town budget at the next meeting on March 121h, and the vote on the budget and warrant article at the meeting on March 19'h. Approve Prior Meeting Minutes The Committee reviewed the meeting minutes of February 26, 2025, and made minor corrections to the "Others Present" heading section, and a typographical error. On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Geoffrey Coram, the Finance Committee voted 9-0-0 to approve the meeting minutes of February 26, 2025 as amended. Page 1 3 Roll call vote: Mark Zarrow - Yes, Ed Ross - Yes, Joe McDonagh - Yes, Emily Sisson - Yes, Marianne McLaughlin -Downing - Yes, Geoffrey Coram - Yes, Endri Kume - Yes, John Sullivan - Yes, Joe Carnahan - Yes. On a motion by Emily Sisson seconded by Marianne McLaughlin -Downing, the Finance Committee voted 9-0-0 to adjourn at 9:43 pm. Roll call vote: Mark Zarrow - Yes, Ed Ross - Yes, Joe McDonagh - Yes, Emily Sisson - Yes, Marianne McLaughlin -Downing - Yes, Geoffrey Coram - Yes, Endri Kume - Yes, John Sullivan - Yes, Joe Carnahan - Yes. u®r