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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-02-02 Finance Committee MinutesJ ~EV Finance Committee Meeting s i rf i ;L R4 February 2, 2000 MASS. The meeting convened at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Room, at the ToAAAYRl9g A 11' 21 Lowell Street, Reading Massachusetts. Present were Chair Carol Grimm, Vice Chair Richard McDonald, FinCom Members James Francis, Robert LeLacheur, Catherine Martin, Charles Robinson, Neil Cohen, Mary Grimmer, Paul Kurker, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner and Assistant Town Manager Russell Dean. Also in attendance were Mike DeBrigard, Joseph Delaney, Ted McIntyre, Dan Driscoll, Bill Brown and Pete Dahl. On a motion by James Francis, seconded by Catherine Martin, the Finance Committee voted to approve the minutes of the January 6, 2000 meeting by a vote of 8-0-1. On a motion by Richard McDonald, seconded by Mary Grimmer, the Finance Committee voted to approve the minutes of the December 8, 1999 meeting, by a vote of 9-0-0. Response to Audit Report Peter Hechenbleikner has finished a rough draft in response to the audit report. Two of the key points in the report are: 1. Watch out for Y2K 2. Auditing standards are changing Carol Grimm asked that the Audit meeting schedule for February 16, 2000 be posted. Override Peter Hechenbleikner reported that the Selectmen completed the warrant last evening. One of the items on the warrant is for a Proposition 2 1/2 Override for $2.5 million for operating purposes. This amount is expected to last two years. Carol Grimm said the Finance Committee would have a meeting February 8, 2000 to discuss the override. Russell Dean reviewed the DPW budget. Cemetery - Total recommended budget of $232,455 There are no salary increases and no new personnel. There is a decrease in overtime requests. All four cemeteries are self-sufficient. The employee contract is up in 2001. Capital: Leaf Vacuum - $8,000. They are currently using a leaf vacuum from the mid- 1980s. They would try to get some trade-in value for the current leaf vacuum. Parks & Forestry - Total recommended budget of $405,656 Personnel is up $2,900, based on union contracts. Carol Grimm questioned whether the Town could charge for the use of the compost area. Peter Hechenbleikner suggested the use of stickers. Landscapers are not allowed to use the compost, it is for private residents only. New Program request: They are requesting one additional working foreman. Currently 50% of their staff are seasonal employees. Seasonal employees aren't licensed and are hard to find. The additional foreman would ease this problem. Capital: The major work is upgrading one playground per year. Finance Committee February 2, 2000 page 2 DPW Administration - Total recommended budget of $91,314 There are no new personnel. Engineering - Total recommended budget of $242,062 They replaced an Assistant Civil Engineer position with a reclassified Civil Engineer position. They have kept their expenses for 2001 at $15,950. This was achieved by cutting back on their supplies. Supplemental request: There is an increase in overtime to paint the line stripes at night. Highway - Total recommended budget of $950,051 There is a personnel change of a heavy equipment operator going from a step 1 to a step 2. There is an increase in overtime due to work performed at the new Police Station. Another reason for the increase is work performed at schools that can only be done on weekends. There is a decrease in Engine Fuel that Peter I4echenbleikner will check on. There is an increase in street sweeper rental from once a year to twice a year. This enabled the work to be finished quicker. There is additional traffic marking painting. Capital: Saugus River Drainage, just the design this year, $75,000. Other large items scheduled this year are a Dump truck for $138,000, a Sidewalk plow for $66,000, and Sidewalk and curb work for $65,000. Street Lighting - Total recommended budget of $206,000 There was nothing new to report. - Rubbish - Total recommended budget of $970,241 The collection contract expires in 2001. Residents have increased their recycling by 19%. Snow & lee Removal - Total recommended budget of $226,100 The Board of Selectmen has added $25,000 to this budget to make it more realistic. Water - Total recommended budget of $1,828,906 This includes the operation of the water treatment plant. A clerical position was changed from .5 to .4. The MWRA Sewer Discharge expense has increased. Every expense in the water and sewer department is passed on to the residents. The MWRA is interested in building a new water tank and supplying water for a supplemental supply. Capital: Water tank $1,150,000. Sewer - Total recommended budget of $3,395,694 One additional laborer was added. Capital: Replace Dump truck for $68,000 and Inflow/Infiltration $155,400 Liaison Reports: Catherine Martin reported the Open Space Committee is surveying people on what is needed/wanted in this area. They have until November 2000 to file their plan. Finance Committee February 2, 2000 page 3 On a motion by Mary Grimmer, seconded by James Francis, the Finance Committee voted to adjourn their meeting at 10:25 p.m. The motion was approved by a vote of 9-0-0. Respectfully submitted, V oy Mohr Recording Secretary