Town of Farmington
Budget Committee Meeting
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Committee Members Present:
Neil Johnson, Chairman
Ann Titus, Vice Chairman
Jodi Connolly, Secretary
Brian St. Onge, Selectmen’s Rep.
Stan Freeda, School Board Rep.
Stephen Henry
Sylvia Arcouette
Sam Cataldo
Resta Detwiler
Others Present:
Steve Welford, Superintendent of Schools
Rick Conway, Recreation Department Director
1). Call to Order:
Chairman Johnson called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
2). Pledge of Allegiance:
All present stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.
3). Review of Minutes:
April 22, 2015- Stan Freeda and Stephen Henry noted that their names were misspelled in the list of members present and absent.
Motion: (Titus, second Connolly) to approve the minutes as amended passed 8-0-1 (Stan Freeda abstained).
Chairman Johnson welcomed Mr. Freeda as the new School Board Rep. to the Budget Committee.
4). Discussion with Rec. Dept. Director Rick Conway Regarding Rec. Dept. Trips:
Chairman Johnson said that at the previous meeting, some members had expressed concerns about attendance at some of the Rec. Dept. Senior trips and asked if there is a policy regarding the minimum number of participants to continue the activity.
Conway said it depends on the nature of the trip and if the department had to purchase tickets or place a deposit up front of the event. If tickets were purchased for the event, the trip would continue even if there are only three or four people going to recoup some of the money invested. But if there is no advance deposit required, Conway said he may give the participants a “heads up” that the trip may be canceled if not enough people sign up.
Members discussed the trip to Smitty’s Cinema. Conway said seven people signed up for the trip, but three people canceled a few days prior to the trip. He said he feels that if the dept. doesn’t take them on the scheduled trip, they may not get to leave their homes or do activities for the rest of month or until the next trip as many of them do not have families close by or friends that can pick them up. Those four people got that opportunity he said.
Sam Cataldo asked for the age range of the participants on the senior trips. Conway said most of the participants are in their 70’s and 80’s.
Jodi Connolly asked if the paid staff that attends the trips have another duty to perform and would be paid for that day anyway. Conway said two staff members would normally attend trips; one is the Assistant Director who is a full time employee of the dept. and the second is a part time employee who would not come to work and not be paid if there is no trip scheduled.
Selectman St. Onge asked about the senior meal held on April 8 where 65 people were fed at a cost of $280 and questioned why only $41 in donations was received. Conway said donations are voluntary and some attendees did not donate. He explained that the dept. used to ask everyone for a $3.00 donation and instead of staying to eat, some seniors would leave. He added he would rather eat some of the cost of the meal than to have some of the seniors not eat. Members said they did not have a problem with this and Chairman Johnson said the committee is not looking to change things, but for an explanation of the costs and how things are done.
Chairman Johnson asked if there is a way to control the costs of the trips. Conway said the dept. usually requires a $5 deposit, but if the ticket price is $7, the seniors will usually pay the full price for the ticket. If a person wishing to cancel their participation gives more than a day or two days notice, they would be credited for the next trip instead of a refund.
Sylvia Arcouette said the dept. plans the trips ahead of time and asked if the brochure advertising the activities could include a notice stating that unless at least 10 people sign up, the trip will be canceled. Conway said setting a minimum of 10 people to participate is a lot to require. Arcouette then suggested a five person minimum to make the trip more cost effective and recoup more of the costs.
Conway said that few of the senior trips will result in depositing a profit back into the revolving account. Generally speaking, these trips will show an expense to the revolving account he said. Chairman Johnson said the committee realizes this and is not looking to make money off the senior trips, but to find a way to control costs and to stretch the money that is available. Arcouette asked if there is a way to put money aside, such as from donations, to pay for some seniors who are unable to pay for a trip.
Stan Freeda said they are looking for consistency in the way the trips are run. He explained that if the dept. starts canceling trips and activities, participation will decrease further as it will be
seen as unreliable. He suggested the dept. put a little more effort into advertising the trips and getting people to sign up.
Resta Detwiler said that people notice the bottom line because the Assistant Director’s salary is factored into the cost of the trips. She suggested that if her salary wasn’t included in that line, the trip would not look like it lost so much money. She said she understood the reason for listing the costs this way, but other people would see the bottom line and think it was crazy to lose so much money on one trip. (For example- a trip lost $300, but $145 of the cost was for the staff salary). Conway said he was instructed by a previous Town Administrator to prepare his expense reports this way to show that if the Assistant Director’s salary is paid out of the revolving account, it would have to be made up by the senior programs. He said he could remove the salary from the cost if asked to do so.
Stephen Henry asked why the trips include two staff members, especially when there are only four people on one bus participating in the trip. Conway said that it is because of the responsibilities involved in first aid, CPR and other safety concerns are a lot like taking children on a trip where a trained staff is needed to handle an emergency situation. Henry then noted that seniors are adults, not children and added that other forms of public transportation such as the Coast Bus or taxis do not send two staff members when transporting senior passengers.
Ann Titus asked if two staff members were required to accompany the senior on trips due to insurance liability requirements. Conway said all other Recreation Departments he has worked with or is familiar with say this is how you run a senior trip. He added that the trips were handled this way even before he became Director because you need two people to deal with an emergency whether the participants are adults or children.
Henry then asked why the dept. is spending hundreds of dollars for an event where the tickets are $40 each. Spending hundreds to not lose $40 seems rather foolish he said. He said he felt the Assistant Director’s salary should be included in the expense report for trip because she would be paid for doing something else maybe more productive if she were not on the trip. Henry also questioned traveling long distances to eat out, which results in larger fuel costs. Conway said he would rather take the seniors to some place they might not get to on their own rather than a local restaurant they might already patronize. Henry said the bulk of a long trip is just riding around in a van.
Selectman St. Onge said these trips are not a business where you might expect to make a fortune, but rather it is a community service. Henry replied it is a community service the town is spending hundreds of dollars on.
Henry then asked if there was something missing or wrong in the expense report for the PTA fundraiser held on April 17. The expense report shows $49.50 was deposited to the revolving account, but $126.53 in expenses was paid from the operating budget. Conway said the dept. paid for the food sold at the concessions stands ($71.46) and made $121 from the sales. The difference is the $49.54 deposited in the account. He said the Assistant Director worked the concession stand during the fundraiser. Henry said this amounts to paying someone $126.53 to raise $49.54. Conway said the Rec. Dept. was also used for a community event and the PTA did not charge admission.
Selectman St. Onge asked who drives the bus for trips. Conway said it is usually the Assistant Director. St. Onge said if one staff member is needed to drive the bus and no other staff member accompanies them on the trip, there is no one to help someone choking in row seven. Henry again asked what the Coast Bus Company would do in such a situation. Conway said the difference is the bus company is providing transportation from point A to point B, but the Rec. Dept. is providing a service and building a rapport with people.
Henry then asked where the senior trip participants are picked up. Conway said trip attendees are asked to meet at the Fire Station parking lot. They would be picked up at home if they were unable to get a ride there or were immobile he said.
Chairman Johnson then thanked Conway for attending the meeting and providing the information requested.
5). Public Comment: None
6). Discuss Answers to Questions Previously Posed to School Board Representative:
There were no questions.
7). Review School District and SAU Budget and Revenue Reports:
Superintendent Steve Welford came before the committee to answer questions on the following reports:
A). School District All Funds Revenue Report-
There were no questions about this report.
B). Year to Date Expenditure Report- Grants and Special Revenue Funds-
Members had no questions about this report.
C). Year to Date Expenditure Report- General Fund-
Supplies, Computer Science- Page 3, Line 76 (10-1100-56111-30-83). The line was budgeted for $7,000. Henry noted that not much ($299.91) has been spent from this line. Welford said an encumbrance for supplies for the 3-D printer will be coming out of this line very shortly. He added that the district plans to mitigate the expected budget reduction for next year by purchasing supplies this year.
Salaries, Special Ed.-Tutors Henry Wilson- Page 4, Line 114 (10-1200-51130-12-20) and Special Ed- Tutors-FHS- Line 115 (10-1200-51130-30-20). Both lines were budgeted at $1 but the Henry Wilson line was overspent by $1,897.50 for two students and the high school line was overspent by $1,701.50 for three students. Jodi Connolly asked if these were unanticipated expenses. Welford said the cost was not anticipated as these are students who left school and are not coming back. He said the students involved have IEP’s and the costs represent the district’s efforts to keep them on track with their education, complete the work they started this year and help them move forward.
Sam Cataldo asked how the increase in insurance costs is affecting the school district. Welford said the district hired IPG Consultants to take a look at the life, health and dental insurance coverage costs. The $1.5 million budget reduction needs to be addressed for next year and administrators are trying to find non-instructional areas for those cuts. The increases in insurance costs are due to a rise in premiums for employee plans and the “Cadillac Tax” which is in excess of $200,000 that will be levied on the district as part of the Affordable Care Act. The consultants are looking for ways to save with the current plans and avoid as much of the Cadillac tax as possible. The company will make a presentation to the School Board on June 1 to discuss their findings. He added that the
district entered into a $20,000 contract with the consulting firm which may turn into a $350,000 savings for the district. They are also looking into potential savings by consolidating insurance coverage for SAU and School District employees in the future he said.
Salaries, Principal Henry Wilson- Page 19, Line 497(10-2400-51110-12-00). This line item was budgeted at $71,709 and will be overspent by $6,721. Connolly asked if this is because the Principal received a raise in salary this year. Welford said the district hired a new Principal there last August and his salary is significantly different than the person he replaced.
Staff Development, Course Reimbursement-Page 16, Lines 416-418. Henry asked Welford if he is expecting more requests for course reimbursements to come in. Approximately 82% of funds budgeted for Valley View staff, 45% of funds budgeted for Henry Wilson staff and 29% of funds budgeted for FHS staff remains in those lines. Welford said he does not expect many more reimbursement requests as the semester is pretty much over. He said he did not know how many staff members are taking advantage of development courses and noted that the line may not close out until the end of June as some participants wait until after they receive their grades to apply for reimbursement of those costs. The contract agreement allows for 100% reimbursement for the first course and 50% reimbursement for the
second course he said.
Telephone-VVCS, HW and FHS- Page 21, Lines 546-548. All three line items are over expended; VVCS by $733.36 ($5,233 budgeted), Henry Wilson by $1,520.63 ($6,500 budgeted), and FHS by $10,000 ($5,068 budgeted). Connolly asked why the phone expenses are so high. Welford said the district put in a new phone system last summer from G-4, a voice over internet system, with assurances that the bill would decrease. The cost has not decreased and the company has not provided a reason why. He said he has no idea why the high school bill is so excessive but will get an answer for the committee for the next meeting.
Cataldo asked about the status of the updates to the laptops in the schools. Welford said that not all of them are the “latest and greatest” but the district has made a significant investment in new laptops and new computers at all three schools. The purchase includes “All- In-One’s”, Smart Boards and Dell laptops with Windows version 8.1 installed. There are now about 125 laptops in each building he said.
Utilities, Electricity Annex- Page 26, Line 678 (10-2620-56220-00-66). This line was budgeted at $2,300 and is over spent by $3,143.30. Connolly asked where the annex is located and why is the electricity cost so high. Welford said the annex is where the Technologies and Facilities Departments are located, which is to the right of the Henry Wilson School when facing the building. He said he did not know why the line is over spent. He said the building has not been updated and speculated the high electricity use may be due to repairs that require some computer equipment to be left running for long periods of time to test repairs or to recharge them. He said he provide answer for the committee.
Attorney/Legal- Page 19, Line 486 (10-2300-53800-00-90). This line was budgeted at $49,000 and was over spent by $9,720.54. Henry asked what the attorney’s fees were for. Welford said the bulk of the expense was for negotiations of the Paraprofessional contract and continuation of a teacher dismissal case now going before the state Supreme Court.
Workman’s Comp-Henry said he was not addressing any specific line, but noticed there are a lot of Workman’s Comp lines that are overspent. Welford said this is due to a rate increase that was changed after the budget was completed. He said the rates are based on salary levels and experience and are usually set about six months ahead of time. He said the new rate becomes effective July 1 and added the district is probably going to change companies because of the increase.
Return of Unspent Funds-Chairman Johnson asked if the district will be returning any unspent funds to the town as they have in recent years. Welford said he expects there will be some funds returned but said he does not know the total amount at this point. He directed the committee to page 7, Lines 181-183 –Tuition Spec Ed Private to compare what is remaining in the those lines to what the district has traditionally seen, which shows they are much more closely budgeted this time. Previously, the out of district tuition budget was so large that it was the lion’s share of the money returned to the town. Administrators did a better job of budgeting this year and expects it will be even tighter next year Welford said.
Welford said the district is also going to have to provide a $40,000 subsidy to the Food Service Department. Those employees who were employed by the private food service company have returned to being Farmington School District employees. The district must now pay their salaries and benefits. The district also had to pay them for the sick days they did not receive last year as a result of a decision of the state Labor Relations Board. The employees did not want to remain employees of the food service company and the district was forced to take them back as a result of the LRB ruling Welford said. He added there is better pricing for the program and
participation has increased. Chairman Johnson said this is an improvement over previous budget overages.
High School Field Restoration Project- Welford said the construction company started laying the pipes for the sprinkler system under the field today. He said he plans to go before Selectmen to seek approval to have the Town Water Department dig a trench for the water line from the main feed to the sprinklers instead of contracting the work out to another company. If Selectmen give their approval and the work is completed within the next 10 days, the field will be sodded and complete in time for graduation. Next week the new goal posts will be installed. There were a few cost over runs with the project such as the addition of a step up pump ($3,000) as there is not enough water pressure coming from the street, installation of wireless cameras and a new drainage receptacle which will empty
into the existing drainage system under Thayer Drive to keep any run off from accessing the neighbors’ properties. The funding for the unanticipated costs (approx. $10,000) will come from the maintenance account he said. Welford said he would send the answers to the committee’s questions to the Chairman. The committee thanked him for attending the meeting.
8). Discuss Answers to Questions Previously Posed to the Board of Selectmen’s Representative:
St. Onge suggested the members tie in their questions from last month’s meeting to the review of the monthly report.
9). Review of the Town Budget and Revenue Reports:
A). Actual and Budgeted Expenses and Encumbrances Report-
Administrative Support-Secretary –Page 1, Line 01-4130-60-110. The line was budgeted for $2,000 but was over spent by $1,790. St. Onge said this is due to additional coverage provided by a part time secretary when the Selectmen’s Secretary was out of work due to an injury.
Fire Dept.-Per Diem Fire Day Coverage- Page 5, Line 01-4220-10-112- This line was budgeted for $43,680 and was over spent by $84,282.44. St. Onge said this covers two day time per diem employees.
Fire Dept.-EMS Coverage Per Diem- Page 5, Line 01-4220-10-113- $262,080 was budgeted and remains in the line. St. Onge said the Financial Administrator is trying to sort out the lines and get everything recorded in the correct line so these line items may change.
Code Enforcement Mileage- Page 7, Line 01-4241-20-290. This line contained no funds as the Code Enforcement Officer uses a town vehicle for town business. The line was over expended by $263.26 because the CEO was paid mileage for using his own car while the town vehicle was being repaired St. Onge said.
Outside Services- Page 7, Line 01-4311-10-146. This line item is budgeted at $3,500 and was over spent by $3,223.67. This line, along with Line 01-4311-10-440, Rental Highway Equipment which was budgeted at $2,500 but over spent by $861.25, represents snow removal conducted by an outside private company St. Onge said.
Highway New Equipment- Page 8, Line 01-4312-20-740. This contains no funding, but $2,287.99 has been spent. This expense was for the purchase of an extension chute for the sidewalk snow blower.
Parks & Recreation- Page 11, Line 01-4520-95-210 (Health Insurance) and Line 211(Dental). Line 210 was budgeted at $45,706 and $26,673.02 of it has been spent. On Line 211, $1,405 was budgeted and $705 was spent. St. Onge said this is due to an employee changing their coverage to a family plan.
B). Remittance Report- Year to Date (01/01/2015-04/30/2015)
Connolly asked if the town only receives money from recycling scrap metal ($427.20). Selectman St. Onge said we pay to have the trash removed from the transfer station but the town does receive money for the single stream recyclables we collect. He said money collected from recycling scrap metal is separate item from the other recycling materials and speculated they make be included in another landfill line item. He said he will get an answer for the committee.
C). Actual and Budgeted Expenses and Encumbrances-
Elevator Phone- Page 3, Line 01-4194-10-341. This line was budgeted at $450 and was over spent by $222.78. Chairman Johnson said this item has been a thorn in his side for the last five years as it continues to be over expended. He said the committee has discussed the matter before and he has asked for an answer and has got “20 different answers”. He asked Selectman St. Onge to find out why the budgeted amount is so high and why the line is continually over spent.
10). Any Other Business to Come Before the Committee: None.
11). Next Regular Meeting: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at 7 p.m.
12). Adjournment:
Motion: (Connolly, second Titus) to adjourn the meeting passed 9-0 at 8:05 p.m.
Respectively submitted,
Kathleen Magoon
Recording Secretary
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