Finance Committee Meeting Agenda
Bellingham Municipal Center
Monday March 13, 2017 7pm
Arcand Meeting Room
- FinCom Present: JA, JC, JF, KC, KK, KG, MF
- FinCom Absent:
- Meeting called to order: 7pm
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- Police Department Budget Discussion-Chief Daigle: Original budget submitted has been cut by approximately $100K, by eliminating 1 currently unfilled officer position, PT dispatcher position, and overtime position. This will allow us to operate as we have been. By cutting these positions, I am able to keep the officers we have and keep the officer in the school, which is vital. Total budget is an increase of $144, 029.75. Salary expenses are contractual obligations. 32 positions are now filled within department.
JA: question with 2017 budget numbers ($3,168,636.25) and what was voted at ATM ($3.125 MIL).
CL: $90,000 was voted at STM for the contractual increase in salaries and grant money was reallocated.
JC motion made to approve budget from taxation. Second by KC, approved 6-0
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- Fire Department Budget Discussion- Chief Gentile: Budget has been reduced in overtime wages by $50K. May be short on shifts at some points. The rest of the salaries are contractual. We do need to figure out the cost of ambulance supplies which have increased. There are 29 fulltime employees (26 FF, Chief and Lt and Chief admin Asst.) Staffing levels will stay the same this year as last year. All salary increases are contractual obligations.
(IV pumps (4) are expected to be a required by state law. Will be a capital request - to be considered at a future meeting. )
KG made motion, KK second $2, 952, 032.
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- DPW Budget Discussion- D. DiMartino
Budget 421: Budget reduced to $69,182. Mostly engineering, does cover a small portion of salary. Maintenance is the focus of the HWY budget. Storm water now includes two employees. $20,000 increase overall.
$69,182 Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
Increase in the 422 budget due to two new staff members, reflecting the increase of pay for full year.
Contracted HWY is anything that we contract out for (IE: Milling machine). Ideally, this budget expenditure would be substantially larger to encompass required Town road repairs and maintenance.
JC Street Lighting. Are we getting credits? CL: Town credits are going down a little bit, and we are using the credits to offset the accounts that we use.
JC If we are running surpluses in the town, I want to see them in the budget.
$595,404 Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
423: Snow and Ice Budget: Actual year to date is $470K . Asking for $260K for FY2018. Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
(424:credits received will not cover all the light costs. Level cost of $150,000
JA: Would be nice if a summary could be done of the credits the town receives and how and why we can or cannot use them. )
425: Parts: no salaries, just cost for equipment parts and services we cannot do in house. Level funded. $122K. Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
426: Gas and Diesel: Gas is cheap and we could cut this a bit. $130K. Pays for school vehicles, DPW, Police and Fire, inspection vehicles. Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
433: Municipal share of waste disposal budget: $150,000 looking to see if we can lower this budget.
491 Cemetery: Level budget $7,900 Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
Water Enterprise: Directed by Dept. Rev. We need to show that we have revenue equal to expenditures. This year there is a line item for capital improvements. Budget and estimated revenue is very conservative. Total projected water receipts for the year are $3mil .
JA: We need the balance sheets for the Water enterprise.
Don has projects (Well Replacements) that he will be looking to fund in October.
Looking to fund one position - Facilities Foreman. 75% of salary is covered under budget account 450 and 25% is covered under Sewer Fund.
$3,260,002 KK, KC, 7-0
460: Biggest increase is in salaries, a $73K increase. Surplus still standing on the book for $220K.
JA: Was it last year that the Woonsocket treatment plant was late in providing a final invoice?
DD: They have gotten better at their billing but they don’t send us that final bill until they close out the city’s books. If nothing crazy happens we will have sufficient encumbered funds.
$1,374,106 JC, KC 7-0
CL Debt services for water facilities is split between two budgets. The way it’s funded in Dons budgets will not change.
490 Storm Water: New account. A portion of salaries will come through this account. In couple of years we won’t need someone with an EPA stamp to do this work.
Storm Water education is a big part of the spending as well as Street Sweeping, Leaf collection, etc. Line item also for Storm Water professional services. All these line items give us an idea about what Storm Water includes. This is preparing for our plan for what we will need to do over the next 5 years. In the future we may not need engineers to assist but we would need more managers. DPW is also working on a catch basin analysis.
$502,882 Motion made by JC, Second by KC, recommended 7-0
JA how much of this budget has been transferred from other budgets?
DD: The entire budget had been previously allotted in other DPW budget line items.
Activities that we do as a DPW (cleaning basins, street sweeping etc.) falls under storm water management. We can consider creating a Storm Water Enterprise fund.
(Capital Requests: New Equipment/Truck Lift. Current lift is old and potentially unsafe. Under $50,000.
Replace Generator at Well 12, which has failed.
From Sewer Surplus: Mechanic Street pump station odor control. Requesting $81,000 from Sewer Surplus. To be discussed at a future CIC meeting prior to Fin Comm Vote.
Trash Enterprise budget is straight forward. $1, 613, 216 MF motion, KK Second. 7-0
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- Continuation of the January 23 discussion with the TA and CFO regarding funding the Group Insurance Trust Fund, the Towns expense for self-insured Medical/Health insurance for Town employees. Discussion postponed to a future meeting.
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- New Business, Correspondence, Bills: Mr. Soter let us know that they will be seeking to move Town Meeting to June 14, 2017..
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- Approval of Meeting Minutes from February 27, 2017 meeting (JC, KK, 7-0)
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