HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-25 Finance Committee Packet
Town of Reading
Meeting Posting with Agenda
2018-07-16LAG
Board -Committee -Commission -Council:
Finance Committee
Date: 2025-06-25Time: 7:00PM
Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Berger Room
Address: 16 Lowell StreetAgenda:
Purpose:General Business
Meeting Called By:Jacquelyn LaVerde on behalf of Chair Joe Carnahan
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AGENDA:
Call to Order and Welcome
Public Comment
Liaison Reports
Finance Committee Reserve Fund Transfer Request
Improving Communicationbetween the Finance Committee and the Select Board
Discussion of Finance Committeepolicies and how to review them
Future Agendas
Approve Prior Meeting Minutes
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.
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Finance Committee: Request for FY25 Reserve Fund Transfer
To: FINCOM
From: Matt Kraunelis, Town Manager
Date: June 16, 2025
It is respectfully requested that a transfer of $120,000 be made from the
Reserve Fund to the accounts shown below, which are unforeseen or
extraordinary expenses:
14918585 585430 Cemetery/Parks Leaf Sweeper $31,000
14233511 511000 Snow/Ice Wages 20,000
12103511 511233 Police Wages 31,000
11558586 586000 Tech Capital/Fiber 13,000
12205530 530022 Ambulance Billing Services 10,000
19145574 574000 Health Insurance Premiums 15,000
$120,000
Leaf Sweeper Replacement
On October 25, 2024, while doing leaf cleanup in Laurel Hill Cemetery, the
Co Leaf Sweeper caught on fire,
and MIIA declared the piece of equipment to be a total loss. The salvage
value provided by MIIA was $12,225.00. The machine is subject to a state
contract (MA FAC116), and the quoted price is $42,290.40. This piece of
equipment plays a critical role in performing leaf cleanup, and a new
machine is needed so the Public Works Department can be fully prepared for
leaf collection in the cemeteries this fall.
Snow and Ice
$ 18,015.00 is requested. April 2025 Town Meeting has already approved
an additional $275,000; however, due to a required contractual incentive that
had to be paid out to Public Works staff who reported for every overtime
snow plowing operation this past season, the requested additional funding is
necessary to balance the Snow/Ice account.
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Patrol Arbitration Damages
A letter from Chief Clark is attached with details on the arbitration matter.
Fiber Optic Repairs
At 9:04 a.m. on Saturday, May 24th, I was contacted by Fire Captain Scott
Myette, who reported that the Main Street Fire Department was experiencing
an issue with the underground electric feed for the building. Electric service
was restored, but it was soon discovered that the explosion degraded most of
the fiber strands in that location. These fiber strands carry a variety of
services to the building, including public safety radio system signals initiated
service, and a communication system linking it to the Westside Fire Station
and with direction from Fire Captain Dan Pouliot, the Technology
Department moved higher priority services to more stable fiber strands.
RMLD came out on Friday, May 30th, to cut power to the building while the
24-strand single-mode fiber cable was replaced and respliced onto the fiber
network. Services were interrupted while this work took place. Still, with
, Steve Bohannon, the building
operated on generator power, so that only communication was lost during
the repair. The cost of this repair was $12,590.90. The insurance company
was contacted regarding this event, and although it is covered, there is a
$20k deductible.
Ambulance Billing
Chief Nelson requested a small transfer of $5,000 to cover additional
ambulance billing costs. This item has been trending slightly higher than the
budget this year and is expected to have a small deficit. The ambulance has
been very busy this year, and expenses can be unpredictable as charges
depend on the treatment people need. The third-party billing service receives
a percentage of the charges collected, making it challenging to predict. The
FY26 budget for ambulance billing was increased by $ 2,000, as recent
billing fees have been trending upward.
Health Insurance Premiums
As of January 2025, our Medex Premiums went up close to 20%. Funds
were requested at the April Town Meeting, but the budget appears to be a
little tight at year end. I am requesting an additional $15,000 to ensure there
is sufficient funding in case unexpected bills arise.
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Current FINCOM Reserve Fund balance: $200,000
Resulting balance if all items approved: $80,000
Town Manager Recommendation: Approve Disapprove
Town Manager Signature: ________________________________
Date: June 25, 2025
By vote of the FINCOM at a meeting held on June 25, 2025
the transfer(s) for the above purpose(s) in the amount of $120,000 was:
Approved Denied by a vote of: ____________.
Finance Committee
_________________
Chair
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READING POLICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF
15 Union Street, Reading, Massachusetts 01867
Emergency Only: 911 All Other Calls: 781-944-1212 Fax: 781-944-2893
www.readingma.gov/police-department
During negotiations with the Patrol Union and the Supervisors Union for the contracts starting July 2024, a
discussion came up about how overtime and road work (details) are filled. The department had been filling
overtime and details based on a 1992 arbitration case, a year in which no current member of the department had
been hired yet, as the senior member of the department, I was hired in 1995.
During these discussions, a copy of the 1992 arbitration was discovered and reviewed. Based on the review, the
Supervisors Union felt that the current practice that we were following was misinterpreted and that the members
of their union were being affected in a negative way.
I met with both unions to discuss the matter, and a resolution could not be agreed upon. The Supervisors Union
then grieved the way overtime and details are filled based on the misinterpretation of the arbitrator's case. I met
with the Town Manager and Town Counsel, and we reviewed both the Supervisor's stance and the Patrol's
stance on this issue. A grievance that was going to end up in arbitration regardless of which union we decided
in favor of, and since neither union reached an agreement, the Town had to decide, and we believed that the
Supervisors' Union had the stronger argument.
ultimately went to an independent arbitrator to decide. The arbitrator decided in favor of the Patrol Union, and
the policy of filling details and overtime will revert to how we have been doing it since 1992. The arbitrator did
It should be noted that this grievance was not adversarial between the Town, Chief, or either Union; this was a
disagreement between the unions that the Town and I were put in the middle of to decide, and both unions knew
this.
Sincerely,
David J. Clark
David J. Clark
Chief of Police
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Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
2016-09-22 LAG
Board -Committee -Commission -Council:
Finance Committee
Date: 2025-03-19Time: 7:00PM
Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room
Address: 16 Lowell StreetSession: Open Session
Purpose: General BusinessVersion: Draft
Attendees:Members -Present:
Chair Joe Carnahan, Vice Chair Marianne McLaughlin-Downing, Geoffrey
Coram, Endri Kume, Joe McDonagh, Ed Ross, Emily Sisson, John Sullivan,
Mark Zarrow (remoteuntil 8:56 pm)
Members -Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, CFO Sharon Angstrom (remote), Assistant
Town Manager Jayne Wellman, Facilities Director Joe Huggins (remote),
Assistant Facilities Director Kevin Cabuzzi (remote), Community Services
Director Jenna Wood (remote), CTO Kevin Furilla (remote), Michael Coltman,
Joe McHugh, Mary Ann Devlin, Judy Coltman, Eileen Manning, Christopher R
Cook, Chris Haley (remote), Angela Binda (remote), Melissa Murphy
(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.
Call to Order and Welcome
Chair Joe Carnahan called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm.
Roll Call Attendance: Mark Zarrow (remote), Emily Sisson, JoeMcDonagh, Ed Ross, Endri
Kume, John Sullivan, Joe Carnahan, Geoffrey Coram.
Public Comment
Michael Coltman of 18 Milton Road, as well as Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member and
president of the Reading Pickleball Players Association (RPPA), stated that RPPA is as
surprised as everyone else on the quoted cost for pickleball courts at Symonds Way. He
expressed his appreciation to Town staff and Boards and Committees on their work to bring
this to Town Meeting, emphasized the need for pickleball courts in town, and noted that the
RPPA would continue to fundraise, find ways to reduce the cost, and have less of an impact
on the town.
Discuss and Vote on financial articles for 2025 Annual Town Meeting
Town Manager Matt Kraunelisand CFO Sharon Angstromreviewed the financial Annual
Town Meeting Warrant Articles with the Finance Committee.
Article 4 Amendments to the Capital Plan
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CFO Sharon Angstrom reviewed the changes to the Capital Plan, and noted changes to
several projects including traffic signal improvements and IT upgrades in FY25, and the
addition of a facilities master plan study in FY27. Geoffrey Coram noted that the correct net
change to the FY27 amendments in the Warrant Report should be -$23,000.
Article 5 Amendments to FY25 Operating Budget
Ms. Angstrom reviewed the proposed amendments to the FY25 operating budget. Members
of the committee asked questions about specific line items and discussed the rationale
behind various changes to the capital plan and budget.
Article 6 Prior Years Bills
bills, and this article is expected to be tabled.
Article 7 Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB)
Ms. Angstrom reviewed the proposed funding for Other Post Employment Benefits. OPEB is
funded at $320,500 for FY26, with $200,000 from the General Fund, $85,000 from the
Water Enterprise Fund, $25,000 from the Sewer Enterprise Fund, and $10,000 from the
Storm Water Enterprise Fund.
Article 8 Revolving Funds
Ms. Angstrom reviewed the amendments to the Inspection Revolving fund, the balances of
the revolving funds, and the addition of an Elder & Human Services Revolving Fund, which
will primarily be used to pay vendors for programming.
Article 9 HERO Act (M.G.L. c. 59, § 5, clause 22I)
Article 10 HERO Act (M.G.L. c. 59, § 5, clause 22J)
Town Manager Matt Kraunelis explained Articles 9 and 10 pertaining to property tax
exemptions for veterans. Ms. Angstrom explained that the veteran tax exemptions will be
covered by existing abatement allowances.
Article 11 FY26 Budget
Will be discussed later in the meeting.
Article 13 High Street/Haven Street Infrastructure Project
Ms. Angstrom explained that the Town has secured a $2.6 million MassWorks grant for the
High Street and Haven Street project, and identified other funding sources to cover the
remaining costs without borrowing. The project involves improvements to High Street and
part of Haven Street, completing long-term utility upgrades in the downtown area, and is
scaled down from a previous scope. She clarified that most of the funds being used for this
project, such as funds borrowed for other similar projects, will be nearly depleted, and that
they have been carefully selected to meet legal requirements for reallocation. Some
Committee members expressed interest in seeing more detailed plans and maps of the
proposed improvements at Town Meeting.
Article 14 Pickelball
Assistant Town Manager Jayne Wellman explained that the current estimated cost to
construct pickleball courts on Symonds Way is $1.792 million, but they plan to ask town
meeting for $1.5 million in borrowing. The total project budget includes $200,000 raised by
RPPA, $100,000 from recreation capital, and $200,000 from the Burbank fund. She
expressed confidence that the Town could bid the project for $1.5 million, and noted several
ways the Town could potentially scale down the scope to decrease costs. Committee
members requested a breakdown of the costs to be presented at Town Meeting.
Article 15 Lead Mitigation
Mr. Kraunelis reviewed the Article for Phase 2 of the lead mitigation program. The request
is for borrowing $1.5 million through a no-interest loan through the MWRA plus grants. Ms.
Angstrom also noted that she would confirm that there is a 25% grant component for
communities who fully fund the removal of lead, as in the past funding for such projects
were funded by 75% grant and 25% borrowing.
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Following review and discussion, the Finance Committee voted on the relevant warrant
articles and assigned members to report on each article to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend Article 4 to Town Meeting as amended.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Ed Ross
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend Article 5 to Town Meeting as amended, as Geoffrey Coram
noted the correct Increase Subtotal was $998,000.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Geoffrey Coram
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend Article 7 to Town Meeting as presented.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Joe McDonagh
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend the contents of Article 8 to Town Meeting as presented.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Endri Kume
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend the contents of Article 9 to Town Meeting as presented.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: John Sullivan
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend the contents of Article 10 to Town Meeting as presented.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: John Sullivan
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting for Article 11 (to be voted on later in the
meeting): Joe Carnahan
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend the contents of Article 13 to Town Meeting as presented.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Marianne McLaughlin-Downing
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On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend the contents of Article 14 to Town Meeting as presented, with
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing expressing her reluctance given the cost.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Emily Sisson
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Ed Ross, the Finance Committee voted
9-0-0 to recommend the contents of Article 15 to Town Meeting as presented.
Roll Call Vote: Mark Zarrow Yes, Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Ed Ross Yes, Endri
Kume Yes, John Sullivan Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting: Mark Zarrow
Mark Zarrow left the meeting at 8:56 pm. As all remaining members were present in-
person, all other votes were taken by show of hands.
Discuss and Vote on FY26 Budget
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line B99 Benefits in the amount of $24,790,102
to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line C99 Capital in the amount of $3,398,000 to
Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line D99 in the amount of $3,051,975 to Town
Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line E99 Education - Vocational in the amount of
$1,317,435 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line F99 Finance Committee Reserves in the
amount of $200,000 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line G91 Administrative Services Wages in the
amount of $1,266,300 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line G92 Administrative Services Expenses in
the amount of $1,685,468 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line G91a Technology Wages in the amount of
$539,100 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line G92a Technology Expenses in the amount
of $759,300 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line H91 Public Services Wages in the amount
of $1,532,034 to Town Meeting.
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On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line H92 Public Services Expenses in the
amount of $313,928 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line I91 Finance Wages in the amount of
$1,123,600 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line I92 Finance Expenses in the amount of
$151,600 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line J91 Public Safety Wages in the amount of
$14,277,839 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line J92 Public Safety Expenses in the amount
of $792,208 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line K91 Public Works Wages in the amount of
$3,375,650 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line K92 Public Works Expenses in the amount
of $1,048,135 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line K93 Public Works Snow & Ice in the
amount of $675,000 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line K94 Public Works Street Lights in the
amount of $135,000 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line K95 Public Works Rubbish in the amount of
$2,200,041 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line L91 Library Wages in the amount of
$1,810,050 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line L92 Library Expenses in the amount of
$450,000 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line M91 Core Facilities in the amount of
$4,072,432 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line M92 Town Buildings in the amount of
$389,936 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line U99 School Department in the amount of
$58,491,591 to Town Meeting.
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On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line W99 Water Enterprise Fund in the amount
of $8,683,575 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line X99 Sewer Enterprise Fund in the amount
of $8,734,796 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line Y99 Storm Water Enterprise Fund in the
amount of $581,625 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line Z99 PEG Access Enterprise Fund in the
amount of $519,000 to Town Meeting.
On a motion by Emily Sisson, seconded by Joe McDonagh, the Finance Committee
voted 8-0-0 to recommend budget line ZZ9 Landfill Enterprise Fund in the amount
of $37,000 to Town Meeting.
Liaison Reports
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing stated that the Select Board discussed the Master Plan and
forming a committee, and authorized an appraisal of the Pleasant Street Center. She also
noted that CPDC received a letter indicating that the first step of MBTA Communities zoning
changes were approved by the state.
John Sullivan shared that the Eastern Gateway survey is out now.
Discuss Finance Committee Report to Town Meeting
The Finance Committee discussed the budget summary report to Town Meeting drafted by
Chair Joe Carnahan. The report outlined the Town's current financial position and budget for
the coming year. It also conveyed that while the Town can fund a level service budget this
year using free cash, there are concerns about future years. The committee briefly
addressed some minor punctuation and wording changes in the letter and agreed that it was
ready to be presented to Town Meeting.
CFO Sharon Angstrom asked whether the Committee needed to vote on the increased use of
Free Cash from $5.8 million, which was their vote to recommend in the fall, to $6 million,
where an extra $200,000 was used to balance the extra money needed for health
insurance, or whether they wanted her to make adjustments to other proposed revenue line
items such as interest earnings, to attain the balance. Members discussed and agreed that
their support of the additional use of Free Cash was inherent in their votes to recommend
Article 5, the amended FY25 Budget, and their votes to recommend the FY26 proposed
budget.
Future Agendas
nd
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 at the High School Library to vote
st
on the May 1 Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles. The following regularly scheduled
meeting will be in June, unless another meeting is needed before then.
Approve Prior Meeting Minutes
On a motion by Ed Ross, seconded by Emily Sisson, the Finance Committee voted
7-0-1 to approve the meeting minutes of March 12, 2025 as presented, with
Geoffrey Coram abstaining, as he was not present at that meeting.
On a motion by Ed Ross, seconded by Marianne McLaughlin-Downing, the Finance
Committee voted 8-0-0 to adjourn at 9:43 pm.
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Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
2016-09-22 LAG
Board -Committee -Commission -Council:
Finance Committee
Date: 2025-04-02Time: 6:30PM
Building: School - Memorial HighLocation: School Library
Address: 62 Oakland RoadSession: Open Session
Purpose: General BusinessVersion: Draft
Attendees:Members -Present:
Chair Joe Carnahan, Vice Chair Marianne McLaughlin-Downing,Geoffrey
Coram,Joe McDonagh (6:41 pm), Emily Sisson (remote), Mark Zarrow
Members -Not Present:
Endri Kume, Ed Ross, John Sullivan
Others Present:
CFO Sharon Angstrom, Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, Nancy Ziemlak,
Marilyn Shapleigh
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By:Jacquelyn LaVerde
Topics of Discussion:
This meeting was held in-person in the Schettini Library of Reading Memorial High School
and remotely via Zoom.
Call to Order and Welcome
Chair Joe Carnahan called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm.
Roll call attendance: Emily Sisson (remote), Mark Zarrow, Marianne McLaughlin-Downing,
Geoffrey Coram, Joe Carnahan.
Discuss and Vote on financial articles for May 1, 2025 Special Town Meeting
As the Committee has heard several presentations on both the Killam School and Reading
Center for Active Living (ReCAL) projects over the last several months, there was no
discussionneeded,and the Committee was prepared to vote on the debt exclusion warrant
articles for each project for the upcoming Special Town Meeting.
On a motion by Marianne McLaughlin-Downing, seconded by Emily Sisson, the
Finance Committee voted5-0-0to recommend the substance of Article 2 for the
Killam School Building Project as presented to Town Meeting.
Roll call vote: Emily Sisson Yes, Mark Zarrow Yes, Marianne McLaughlin-
Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
On a motion by Marianne McLaughlin-Downing, seconded by Mark Zarrow, the
Finance Committee voted5-0-0to recommend the substance of Article 3for the
Senior Center/Reading Center for Active LivingBuilding Project as presented to
Town Meeting.
Roll call vote: Emily Sisson Yes, Mark Zarrow Yes, Marianne McLaughlin-
Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
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Geoffrey Coram moved to adjourn, which was seconded by Mark Zarrow, but the
Committee was reminded to assign the reports to Town Meeting.
Roll call vote: Emily Sisson No, Mark Zarrow No, Marianne McLaughlin-Downing
No, Geoffrey Coram No, Joe Carnahan No.
The report to Town Meeting on Article 2 was assigned to Ed Ross, who was not present, as
he is a member of the Killam School Building Committee. Emily Sisson was assigned as
alternate in the event Ed Ross is unavailable.
The report to Town Meeting on Article 3 was assigned to Joe McDonagh, and Marianne
McLaughlin-Downing as an alternate.
Joe McDonagh arrived moments later at 6:41 pm and agreed to report on Article 3.
On a motion by Mark Zarrow, seconded by Emily Sisson, the Finance Committee
voted 6-0-0 to adjourn at 6:42 pm.
Roll call vote: Emily Sisson Yes, Joe McDonagh Yes, Mark Zarrow Yes,
Marianne McLaughlin-Downing Yes, Geoffrey Coram Yes, Joe Carnahan Yes.
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