Advisory Committee Present: Christopher Slade
March 13, 2005 Wendy Rogers
Panny Gerken
Scott Powell
David Bosselait
David Lindsay
The Advisory Committee met at the Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. Board of Selectmen Dick Heaton was also present.
BUDGET REVIEW
The Committee reviewed the projected revenue and expenditures.
FY2004 encumbrances, borrowings and articles were reviewed: At present an estimated $9,000 can be released from the articles. An estimated $26,000 can be released from the borrowings.
$40,000 found in the dog found; $20,000 found in the Parks/Recreation.
If Moen property sells the options could include drawing down the free cash level.
Budgets:
Advisory Committee recommends that the engineering account of Selectmen be reduced; Mr. Heaton’s personal suggestion was to reduce to $12,000 but would like Advisory to hold off on any reduction until the entire budget was reviewed. WHEAT will be reduced to $4,000.
The Advisory Committee reviewed the budgets and the Advisory Committee is considering the following cuts:
Audit from $15,000 to $12,500
Selectmen Engineering Services from $24,000 to 12,000; WHEAT from $5,000 to $4,000
Town Administrator Miscellaneous from $5,000 to $4,000
Advisory Committee Reserve fund from $140,000 to $125,000
Legal Purchase of Service from $100,000 to $70,000
Personnel Committee Educational Assistance from $10,000 to $5,000
Town Clerk wages from $36,000 to $28,250
Conservation Commission conservation fund from $10,000 to $5,000
Affordable Housing Partnership purchase of service from $13,700 to $3,700
Board of Appeals 40B permitting from $20,000 to $10,000
Buildings repairs from $50,000 to $28,000
Police Department – Mr. Heaton stated that the Selectmen recommended that Chief Hyde come back with a 5% increase over last year’s budget. Check on balance of $6,000 for cruiser purchase for purchasing generator.
Building Inspector wages reduced from $24,000 to $23,175; wages for assistant increased from $1,500 to $1,545
Communications level funded miscellaneous at $13,774
The Advisory Committee reviewed the budgets of the Police Department, DPW and Library and decided that instead of making the cuts for them they would ask each department to cut 5% of their budget, leaving the areas to be cut up to the department head.
Ms. Ross indicated that if all the towns were favorable to the regionalization the Veterans budget would increase from $1,562 to $4,000.
Housing Authority budget was reduced from $500 to $250.
The Parks Equipment line item was reduced to $0 from $800 as this $800 is in DPW’s budget.
Ms. Ross and Mr. Bosselait provided information on research they did related to the police/fire accident insurance from VFIS. If the Committee approves the proposed options from VFIS the budget should be increased to $29,015 from $20,000.
The deductions made this evening totaled approximately $207,225. Mr. Bosselait will make these revisions to the spreadsheet and distribute to the Advisory Committee and Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Heaton referred to the recent budget and comparison to similar towns with a budget the same size as Bolton that he had prepared and distributed to the Advisory Committee and other members of the Board of Selectmen. Bolton was 5th among the 62 towns in the survey with one of the most expensive school systems. Mr. Heaton felt it was important to send a message to the school administration. The Advisory Committee tabled the educational discussion to their meeting on Tuesday, March 15th.
Town Secretary Linda Day stated that from July 7, 2004 to December 31, 2004 there were 11 new dwellings permitted; from January 1, 2005 to March 2, 2005 there were 5 new dwellings permitted.
Meeting adjourned.
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