Advisory Committee Present: Robert Czekanski
January 24, 2012 Randy Dinjian
Connie Benjamin
Terry Abdalian
Mike Zelenkov
Naveen Rohatgi
The Advisory Committee met at the Public Library at 7:00 p.m.
Present: Curt Plante and David Lindsay, Board of Selectmen
FIRE DEPARTMENT (ACCOUNT 220) FY13 BUDGET REVIEW
Present: John Mentzer, Fire Chief
The requested budget for wages for FY13 is $91,593 and includes step increases and a 1% cost of living adjustment for firefighters. The question was raised about stipend positions receiving the cost of living adjustment. Town Administrator Don Lowe will review the situation and report back with a proposal.
The call volume for calendar year 2011 was very busy with 235 calls, 2010 was 190; 2009 was 152, and 2008 was 215.
A recommendation was made that a policy and fee be implemented for re-occurring false alarms. Chief Mentzer will provide the Advisory Committee with the statistics on the false fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
Chief Mentzer stated that currently it is a verbal commitment that new recruits dedicate a certain amount of time to Bolton but plans to draft a written policy to put in place.
The requested budget for expenses for FY13 is $27,595. The Purchase of Service line item is budgeted at $2,915 and is for a combination of testing and certifications required for the equipment. The Advisory Committee agreed to increase this line item from $2,915 to $3,165 to meet all regulations and guidelines related to the testing and certifications.
There are approximately 10 water holes and other water sources available to the Fire Department. It is the opinion of Chief Mentzer that the maintenance of the waterholes is falling behind. The estimated cost for the maintenance of one waterhole is $5,000. The frequency of maintenance of a water hole is dependent on its location. Chief Mentzer will provide the Committee with a list of the waterholes and their conditions.
The Uniforms line item is budgeted at $5,800 and will be used for the purchase of uniforms for the union firefighters. A future meeting will be scheduled for Chief Mentzer to come back and discuss the turnout gear, maintenance of waterholes and false alarms.
POLICE DEPARTMENT (ACCOUNT 210) FY13 BUDGET REVIEW
Present: Chief Alfano and Lorraine Kenney, Administrative Assistant
Ms. Kenney provided the Committee with a revised budget that increased the Expenses line item by $9,310 above expenses originally requested.
The Salary and Wages line items include contractual wages, step increases, stipends and 1% cost of living adjustments for 9 officers at 40 hours. The wages-overtime line item includes funds to cover the shifts for the officer out on injured on duty.
Due to an increase in the cost of cruisers and Chief’s recommendation to purchase an all wheel drive cruiser, the cruiser line item has increased approximately $8,000. Cycling this vehicle into the fleet will allow for two all-wheel drive cruisers to be on the road during snow storms. The Advisory Committee was favorable to the purchase of a new cruiser but had some reservation about the purchase of a “1st year” manufactured vehicle.
Chief Alfano requested a new line item in the amount of $1,600 in the Police Department budget for the purchase of bullet proof vests for the officers. There are currently 8 officers who are due to receive vests. Between the grant funds and state reimbursements, the department can only fulfill the obligation of replacing 4 vests.
The following revisions were made to the Police Department’s budget:
Lock up increased from $0 to $1,960
Dues and Subscriptions increased from $1,500 to $2,500
Cruiser Repairs increased from $16,000 to $18,150
Tires – Cruiser increased from $0 to $4,200
Bullet proof vests increased from $0 to $1,600
Because of time constraints, the public safety building and dispatch budgets along with the wages and salaries and further discussion regarding the cruiser were deferred to another meeting.
PARKS AND RECREATION (ACCOUNT 630 AND 650) FY13 BUDGET REVIEW
Present: Tom Wildman and Karen Regan, Parks and Recreation members
The wages line item showed an increase for lifeguards so that coverage could be improved by adding a lifeguard during open hours of the beach and swim lessons. The Equipment line item was reduced to accommodate this increase.
The Purchase of Service line item for the swim instructor was reduced. There will be two sessions for swim lessons and the swim instructor position is being re-evaluated to include managing the lifeguards and the schedule.
Parks and Recreation will look into the costs associated with having an emergency phone located at the beach.
The maintenance of the fields was discussed in length and the Advisory Committee will continue discussions with Mr. Brown, DPW Director. More responsibility has been placed on the soccer and baseball organizations to pick up and do more maintenance on the fields. The school district should also be involved with the maintenance of Memorial and Derby fields. The lacrosse program is growing and there will be the need for a lacrosse field soon.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Advisory Committee Analysis: The Advisory Committee reviewed the weekly analysis spreadsheet prepared by Mr. Czekanski.
Assessors: Mr. Czekanski, Mr. Lowe and Ms. Costello will attend the Board of Assessor’s meeting on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 to discuss the plans for the release of funds from the overlay account.
Athletic Field Project: The School Committee voted to delay their decision on the athletic field project to avoid the Town having to call a Special Town Meeting when the Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for May 7, 2012.
Cost of Living Adjustments: Mr. Dinjian stated that he was in complete disagreement with how the town calculates the cost of living adjustments on step increases.
On a motion made by Dinjian and seconded by Benjamin, the Advisory Committee voted to adjourn at 10:30 p.m. (Czekanski – yes, Dinjian – yes, Benjamin – yes, Abdalian – yes, Zelenkov – yes, Rohatgi – yes)
Respectfully submitted by Linda L. Day
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