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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-02-22 Finance Committee MinutesFinance Committee Meeting i:; L f `tii E D February 22, 2006 ll 'i' 1 C L E R ING, t-11 ASS 2 0 The meeting convened at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room, 16 9@eeP, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Robinson, Vice Chairman Andrew Grimes, Members David Greenfield, George Hines, Hal Torman, Michele Williams and Marsie West, Assistant Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Police Chief James Cormier, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Town Accountant Gail LaPointe, Library Director Ruth Urell and Paula Schena. Discussion/Action Items Budget Process - The Town Manager noted that each budget has staff recommendations and introductory comments. We received the vocational school budget and it is $46,000 less than anticipated. Budget Overview - The Assistant Town Manager noted that there are some replacement pages to the budget, and the majority of the changes were to the text. He also noted that $66,000 has been cut from the budget since the Financial Forum. The Town budget has increase 6.04% from FY06. The FTE Town totals have increased from 199.9 in FY06 to 204.9 in FY07. George Hines questioned the increase of five positions. The Assistant Town Manager noted that Public Works will hire 2.6 of the seasonal laborers at no additional cost, one Police Business Manager is a new position, creation of a Permits Coordinator that will have no impact because it will be offset by fees,. and an increase in the GIS Coordinator position. George Hines noted that this doesn't fit the level service budget. The Town Manager noted that this budget reflects level service plus priority items. Department Budgets, Accounting - Town Accountant Gail LaPointe was present. The Assistant Town Manager noted that $6000 has been transferred out of this budget. He also noted that the Department Heads are working on new technology in Finance and Accounting, and that will have a financial impact around FY08. He noted that the system that is being used now has the data but it can't be manipulated easily. There is only one person at Town Hall who can retrieve the information very well. Andrew Grimes asked about the response to the Audit Letter. The Town Manager noted that this will be presented to the Board of Selectmen on March 21, 2006 and the Finance Committee is invited. Health Services - Health Administrator Jane Fiore was present. The Town Manager noted that we need to keep services level, and the increase in development puts more demand on services. There is an increase in the Public Health Nurse and Inspection positions. We are not doing the Sealer of Weights and Measures anymore. Finance Committee Meeting - February 22, 2006 - Page 2 Mrs. Fiore noted that the Dickinson Development has 12 new sites to inspect. She reviewed the other sites in Town that need regular inspection. She also noted that just reviewing the plans for Stop & Shop takes a lot of time. David. Greenfield asked if this will be enough when Stop & Shop comes on-line, and Mrs. Fiore noted that they can do this but they will probably need to hire an additional person. George Hines asked if they are doing bare minimum inspections, and Mrs. Fiore noted that the State sets the requirements. George Hines noted that the Selectmen have made the substance abuse initiative a priority, and there is no time for that in this budget and he asked how she will do it. Mrs. Fiore noted that grants are available. George Hines noted that the Health Division is under funded. The Town Manager noted that he is looking at a Permits Coordinator position, and that will lighten the load a little bit. George Hines asked about fees, and Mrs. Fiore noted that the fees were reviewed about eight months ago and Reading is in the middle. Michele Williams asked about the increase in clinics travel. The Town Manager noted that the cost of mileage reimbursement has increased from $31 to $.48 a mile. Mrs. Fiore noted that the number of screening clinics and the cost of syringes has increased. Chuck Robinson asked why the cost of syringes has increased, and Mrs. Fiore noted that we use Beede only because they are a better quality and less painful. Public Safety - The Assistant Town Manager noted that the Police FY06 budget had 40.8 FTE. We are adding the School Resource Officer and a Business Manager. Chief Jim Cormier noted that. there are two civilian Clerks in records management. The Lieutenants and Sergeants handle a lot of administrative duty and that takes away time from supervising Officers. A Business Manager would handle records management, act as the procurement officer, work on grants, adjust policies to keep the department certified, work with building maintenance and, hopefully, have some I.T. knowledge. The Town Manager noted that the Police Staffing Study recommends additional administrative and technology help in the Police Department. Chief Cormier noted that there is increased workflow with the developments in Town. Administrative requests have tripled. Hal Torman asked if other communities have this position, and Chief Cormier noted that they do and it works very well - it will become a trend in the near future. Hal Torman asked if there could be any spill over into the Fire Department, and Chief Cormier noted that he would make as much help available as possible. The Town Manager noted that there is only one person as the Procurement Officer for the Town and he is helping all departments. He also noted that the Business Manager should become a certified Procurement Officer. Finance Committee Meeting - February 22, 2006 - Page 3 Chuck Robinson asked if the School Department was going to help fund the School Resource Officer, and the Town Manager indicated that they are not - he suggests one department owning that position. Chief Cormier handed out a draft job description for the School Resource Officer. George Hines asked if some of the work that the clerical staff is doing can be reduced or eliminated, and Chief Cormier noted that they have already looked at that - you get rid of one thing and then something else comes along. He also noted that the Freedom of Information Act has increased the number of requests. The Town Manager noted that Reverse 911 is a 'great tool but it doesn't run itself. Andrew Grimes asked if the Business Manager needs to have police knowledge, and Chief Cormier indicated that they do not. Chuck Robinson asked how the salary compares with other communities, and Chief Cormier noted that it is low. Chuck Robinson asked about sick leave buyback, and Chief Cormier noted that it is part of the contract. Up to 100 days can be bought back at 505 when they leave. This is being phased out with the new Police Officers. Dispatch - The Town Manager noted that this area has been stabilized with staffing. Fire - Chief Greg Burns explained his need for an Assistant Fire Chief. The Town Manager noted that is not in this budget but there is a need for an Assistant Fire Chief. Chief Burns noted that we received $580,000 in revenues from ambulance billing. Michele Williams asked who does the billing, and Chief Burns noted that the department Secretary does the billing. Private vendors take 6% off the top. Chief Burns also noted that Medicare is changing their fee schedule, and are reducing the amount of money they pay to ambulance providers. We are in the final year of phasing so we anticipate that to drop. David Greenfield asked about sick leave buyback. Chief Burns noted that has changed to annual for new hires but we are phasing it out with the new employees. Chief Burns also noted that the Department has two capital needs - a pickup truck and a new engine truck- the oldest is 1979. He noted that we need to transition into one manufacturer for maintenance reasons. Community Services - The Town Manager noted that the ZBA Recording Secretary budget has been zeroed out. The Recording Secretary is an employee so the money was switched over to the overtime account. He has added the Permit Coordinator position in the Planning Division. There will be software and hardware expenses but that will come out of fees. The State allows a surcharge on the fee to pay for the position. The Town Manager noted that Elder/Human Services had a study done, and he has implemented the Senior Center Coordinator position and reduced the hours of the Volunteer Coordinator. Nurse Advocate is not included in the budget. Mystic Valley Elder Services runs the meal site, fuel has increased, and the Department requested a second van but the Selectmen do not view it as a highest priority. Finance Committee Meeting - February 22, 2006 - Page 4 Chuck Robinson asked about the Burbank Trust. The Town Manager noted that he asked the Council on Aging to fund the Volunteer Coordinator position a few years ago when times were bad and that is being phased out now. Michele Williams asked for a report that shows the balance in the trust funds. The Town Manager noted that State law requires a full-time Veterans' Agent. We formed a district with Wilmington and hired a full-time agent. We bear the full cost of the position and bill Wilmington 50%. The hours have increased to 37.50 hours. Veterans' assistance has increased and will probably need additional money but 75% of expenses will be reimbursed by the State next year. There is a significant backlog due to the lack of work of the former agent. The Board of Selectmen budget has an increase in advertising costs. The average cost of a hearing.notice is $75.00, and the Selectmen have approximately two hearings a month. The Town Manager noted that the Town Counsel budget has been reduced due to a down cycle. We had special counsel for the Verizon contract but haven't been billed yet. The Assistant Town Manager noted that the Finance budget is largely the audit. He noted that the GIS Coordinator is being increased from part-time to full-time. He will create a new job description and noted that this position impacts every department in Town. The technology budget has always been mostly telephones but our lease/purchase of phones is over in FY08 and that will free up $30,000. We need to improve the Town website. Marsie West asked why professional development increased, and the Assistant Town Manager noted that all of the professional development has been combined. A motion by Grimes seconded by Hines to adjourn the meeting of February 22, 2006 at 10:30 p.m. was approved by a vote of 7-0-0. Respectfully submitted, S retary