FINANCE COMMITTEE – PUBLIC SESSION
Town Hall – Conference Room 1
Minutes from the Meeting of Thursday, August 25, 2011
Committee Members Present: Also Present:
Christopher Avis, Chairman Joyce Mason, Town Manager
Charles Gasior, Vice Chairman Tom Mayo, Asst. Town Manager
Mark Davini, Clerk Mike Richardson, BOS Liaison
Robert Chalker
James Condon
Oskar Klenert
George Schmidt
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Christopher Avis called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM.
OPENING REMARKS
Chris Avis welcomed Tom Mayo to the meeting, introducing him as the new Assistant Town Manager. Tom Mayo stated that as of July 1, 2011, he assumed his new position as Assistant Town Manager. Tom stated that he was the Assistant Town Planner for 5 years, then moved to the GIS Administrator position for 4 years. Tom Mayo stated that he is excited about his new job and looks forward to working with the Finance Committee.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mark Davini made a motion that the minutes from the meeting of Thursday, 7/14/11 be approved as presented. Charles Gasior seconded the motion. George Schmidt abstained from the vote. The motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Mashpee Finance Committee FY 2012 Liaison Assignments
Liaison assignments with backups were designated for each member of the committee. A copy of the assignments is attached to these minutes. Chris Avis recommended that the committee members contact their assigned department heads soon to introduce themselves and inform them of their responsibility as liaison to their departments.
2. Email Town Accounts
Chris Avis asked whether it made sense for the Finance Committee to have a town email account that all town correspondence business should go through, for the purpose of maintaining transparency, in case any issues came up. Joyce Mason stated that it is no longer possible to link committee members’ personal email accounts to the town accounts, as there is a cost associated with this process. However, Joyce stated that she would speak tomorrow with the IT Department to determine whether a Finance Committee mailbox can be set up, and will follow up with Chris on the decision.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Review of Warrant Articles for the October Town Meeting.
The committee members reviewed together the Annual Town Meeting Articles outlined in Draft #2, dated 8/18/11. It was agreed that the following articles merited further clarification:
Article: “To see if the Town will vote to appropriate and transfer $50,000 from the Waterways Improvement Fund Account to the Waterways Dredging Account, or take any other action relating thereto.” (Submitted by Waterways Commission)
The committee agreed that Ken Bates, Commissioner of Waterways, should be invited to the 9/08/11 Finance Committee meeting for clarification/discussion of the proposed article.
Article: “To see if the Town will vote to appropriate and transfer from the Community Preservation Fund $64,160 for the purposes of funding Recreational Improvements to the Pickerel Cove Recreational Area, including any necessary costs and expenses related thereto as recommended by the CPC.”
The committee agreed that Catherine Laurent should be invited to the 9/08/11 Finance Committee meeting for further clarification/discussion of the proposed article.
Article: “To see if the Town will vote to appropriate and transfer from the Community Preservation Fund $357,000 for the purposes of funding the Santuit Pond Restoration Project by using an artificial aeration and circulation system, as recommended by the CPC.”
The committee agreed that Catherine Laurent should be asked to clarify/discuss this proposed article at the 9/08/11 Finance Committee meeting. George Schmidt recommended that John Kabat, from the Friends of Santuit Pond, and Allen Waxman also be invited to attend.
Article: “To see if the Town will vote to amend Article 2.1-Annual Town Meeting and Election of the Town’s By-Laws and Article 3 of the Mashpee Town Charter.”
The committee agreed that Don Myers, who submitted the Article, should be invited to the 9/08/11 Finance Committee meeting for further clarification/discussion of the proposed article.
Christopher Avis will incorporate time slots into the Finance Committee meeting agenda for 9/08/11 for each of the four invitees: Ken Bates, Catherine Laurent, John Kabat, and Don Myers.
2. Transfer Requests
There were no transfer requests. Joyce Mason stated that the town accountant will be closing the books tomorrow, August 26th.
OPEN DISCUSSION
1. Association of Town Financial Committees
George Schmidt made a motion that the Mashpee Finance Committee join the Association of Town Financial Committees for the coming year. Oskar Klenert seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
2. Letter from Michael Horne, Mashpee Athletic Director
Chris Avis reported receipt of a letter from Michael Horne thanking the committee for its continued support of Mashpee athletics over the years, and included passes to football and basketball games for the 2011-12 school year. A letter of appreciation will be sent to Mr. Horne for the free passes.
3. School Committee Liaison Report – Robert Chalker
Robert Chalker reported that at the last School Committee meeting, it was announced that school lunches would be increased by 5 cents, effective January 1, 2012, mandated by the federal government. The price for a school lunch will go from $2.25 to $2.30.
Superintendent Ann Bradshaw announced that the school budget for 2013 is going to be very tight, losing $300,000 in grant money which should not have been used for salaries. Also mentioned were added district expenses, and eight bus monitors to be added at $20 per hour for $28,800 per year, to supervise half of the school buses servicing the Quashnet and Coombs Schools. The money will come from money paid to Mashpee schools by other school districts under the School Choice Program. Six students from other school districts have opted to come to either Quashnet or Coombs Schools, meaning that Mashpee expects to receive $30,000 in funding paid by the students’ home districts.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Finance Committee is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 8th, 2011, at 6:30 PM, Mashpee Town Hall. As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Ina G.Schlobohm
Recording Secretary
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