Advisory Committee Present: Robert Czekanski
December 14, 2011 Randy Dinjian
Connie Benjamin
Terry Abdalian
Mike Zelenkov
Naveen Rohatgi
The Advisory Committee met at the Public Library at 7:30 p.m.
Present: David Lindsay, Board of Selectmen
TRANSFER REQUEST – FIRE DEPARTMENT
Present: John Mentzer, Fire Chief and Don Lowe, Town Administrator
The Advisory Committee congratulated Mr. Mentzer on his appointment as Fire Chief.
Mr. Mentzer and Town Administrator Don Lowe supported a transfer request in the amount of $8,102.00 for personal protective equipment (turnout gear) per the union contract signed in 2011.
The balance of $3,521.52 in the Fire Department account (220) will be used for the purchase of any necessary equipment for the non-union firefighters. There will also be an additional cost for turnout gear for any new firefighter(s) joining the union. There are no further contractual obligations beyond FY12, but the FY13 budget will include a clothing allowance for Class B uniforms estimated at $3-4,000 per firefighter. Mr. Lindsay expressed his concern with giving special treatment to those firefighters who joined the union versus those that did not join. Mr. Mentzer would like to replace the equipment sooner rather than later because it is a safety issue.
The Advisory Committee reviewed a spreadsheet showing the condition of turnout gear for each firefighter that showed at least 50% of the equipment is beyond the maximum allowed service life or in poor condition. Mr. Dinjian reiterated his support for an article on the town meeting warrant to replace any equipment that needed to be updated.
Mr. Mentzer is working with Mr. Lowe on a policy regarding the use of personal equipment by the firefighters.
Mr. Mentzer submitted a capital request estimated at $30,000 and has also applied for a federal grant for the replacement of turnout gear.
On a motion made by Abdalian and seconded by Zelenkov, the Advisory Committee voted to approve the transfer in the amount of $8,102.00. (Czekanski – yes, Dinjian – yes, Abdalian – yes, Benjamin – yes, Zelenkov – yes, Rohatgi – yes)
CAPITAL PLANNING COMMITTEE
Present: Brad Cote, Mike Guerin and Barbara Dirsa, Capital Planning Committee members
Mr. Cote reported that the Capital Planning Committee met with each of the departments (Council on Aging, Department of Public Works, Fire Department, Nashoba Regional School District and the Police Department) to discuss the capital requests they submitted. The Committee is now in the process of compiling all the information to get a sense of the five-year plan and asked the Advisory Committee if there was any particular information that they would like to see included in the plan. The Advisory Committee would like to see the requests prioritized based on need but at the same time give consideration to how the requests can be staggered. The Advisory Committee also requested the Capital Planning Committee’s recommendation on each of the requests.
TRANSFER REQUEST – UNEMPLOYMENT
On a motion made by Dinjian and seconded by Benjamin, the Advisory Committee voted to approve the transfer request in the amount of $40.35 to pay interest due on a previous unemployment bill. (Czekanski – yes, Dinjian – yes, Abdalian – yes, Benjamin – yes, Zelenkov – yes, Rohatgi – yes)
ADVISORY COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Meetings: The Advisory Committee set their meeting schedule as follows: January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 28, and March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2012.
Tax Rate: Mr. Czekanski announced that the Board of Selectmen set the tax rate at $19.78 as recommended by the Board of Assessors.
FY13 Spreadsheets: Mr. Lindsay reviewed spreadsheets he prepared comparing revenues against last year and preliminary unallocated revenues for FY13 with the Advisory Committee.
On a motion made by Abdalian and seconded by Benjamin, the Advisory Committee voted to adjourn at 9:00 p.m. (Benjamin - yes, Czekanski - yes, Rohatgi – yes, Dinjian - yes, Zelenkov - yes, Abdalian – yes)
Respectfully submitted by Linda L. Day
| 
