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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-01-24 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting January 24, 2002 The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman George Hines, Vice Chairman Camille Anthony, Secretary Matthew Cummings, Selectman Richard Schubert, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Harry Harutunian, Town Accountant Richard Foley, Finance Director Beth Klepeis, Police Chief Robert Silva, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Domenic Cacciapuoti. Discussion/Action Items FY2003 Budget -Facilities Superintendent of Schools Dr. Harry Harutunian and Interim Facilities Director Domenic Cacciapuoti were present. Dr. Harutunian handed a revised building maintenance budget that had a $900 clothing difference, and indicated that the building maintenance budget has not been cut since 1995. He will not be replacing a general maintenance position. The remaining custodians will work staggered hours to make up the difference. He noted that the Assistant Director of Maintenance is on the cut list and in the spirit of cooperation, it is the last cut on the list. There was discussion on overtime, the cost of natural gas and the cleaning study. Selectman Matthew Cummings indicated that there are two maintenance workers on the cut list. Dr. Harutunian noted that he may replace the HVAC position with a subcontractor. Selectman Matthew Cummings asked if the contracts were increased to account for the loss of the workers and Dr. Harutunian indicated that they were. Chairman George Hines indicated that he was surprised to see the building maintenance position on the cut list. He also indicated that our assets need to be maintained, and noted that this needs to be discussed at a Retreat. Dr. Harutunian indicated that if the Assistant Director of Maintenance position comes up for elimination, he will have the School Committee contact the Board of Selectmen before voting on it. Accounting Town Accountant Richard Foley reviewed the functions of the Accounting Department. He noted that the clerical position was cut by 7.5 hours in FY02, and it would be impossible to cut any more hours in that position. Employee Benefits and Debt Service Finance Director Beth Klepeis reviewed employee benefits. She indicated that the increase is due to poor experience and a general increase in the insurance industry. She noted that the debt service includes $50,000 in capital. The total debt service decreases but we are counting on SBA - funding. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24, 2002—Page 2 Finance Department Finance Director Beth Klepeis reviewed the functions of the Finance Department. She indicated that they reduced this budget by $12,000 in FY01, $197,046 in FY02, and will be reducing by $7,550 in FY03. She also indicated that clerical cannot be reduced any further. Public Safety The Town Manager noted that the Police budget was reduced by $190,613 in FY02. There is a potential for a reduction of$101,213 by eliminating two Officer positions. Police Chief Bob Silva reviewed the functions of the Police Department. Selectman Richard Schubert asked if the D.A.R.E. Officer is State funded. Chief Silva noted that the State funds $15,000 per year and they also get a lot of donations. Selectman Richard Schubert asked what the ideal number of Officers would be. Chief Silva noted that the Police Staffing Study recommends 41 sworn Officers — we now have 38 sworn Officers and two staff. He also noted that we now have extra obligations due to terrorism. Selectman Matthew Cummings indicated that in the Police Chief's salary, there was a decrease from FY01 to FY02 and then a big increase in salary. The Town Manager noted that the FY02 number does not reflect where he was appointed, and he will get the actual FY02 number. Animal Control The Town Manager noted that this budget was reduced by $453 in FY01, $2000 in FY02, and there will be no reductions in FY03. Dispatch The Town Manager noted that this budget was reduced by $7,000 in FY01, $12,000 in FY02, and there will be no reductions in FY03. A possible reduction of $44,009 in FY03 would eliminate 1.5 positions and that would mean taking an Officer off the street to do Dispatch. Fire The Town Manager noted that this budget was reduced by $61,336 in FY01, $85,349 in FY02, $43,800 in FY03, with a potential for another reduction of$80,728 in FY03. Fire Chief Greg Burns reviewed the functions of the Fire Department. He noted that he will be understaffed by four Fire Fighters with the recommended budget. The turnout gear has a life span of six years, and 18 sets need to be replaced at a cost of$1100 per set. There are also no funds to replace the fire hose and defibrillator replacement has been eliminated. Selectman Richard Schubert asked how critical these issues are, and the Fire Chief Burns noted that the hose is very old and unreliable. There might be one year left on the hose The turnout gear has reached its life span and cannot be worn if it is torn. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24 2002—Page 3 Fire Chief Burns also noted that he is the only Administrator who is in the office every day. He is spending all of his time doing inspections, managing vehicle maintenance, attending meetings, inspecting gas stations and he is concerned about being able to provide good customer service. He is proposing promoting a Fire Fighter to Lieutenant on an administrative level. The current staffing is three shifts of 10 and one shift of 11. The change would be to all four shifts at 10. The additional cost for the Lieutenant would be $6,744 that would come out of the budgeted overtime for inspections. A motion by Cummings seconded by Anthony to adjourn their meeting of January 24, 2002 at 11:15 p.m. was approved by a vote of 4-0-0 and the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Secretary