FINANCE COMMITTEE - PUBLIC SESSION
Town Hall – Conference Room 1
Minutes from the Meeting of Thursday, January 26, 2012
Committee Members Present: Member Absent: Also Present:
Christopher Avis, Chairman James Condon Joyce Mason, Town Manager
Charles Gasior, Vice Chairman Tom Mayo, Asst. Town Manager
Mark Davini, Clerk Mike Richardson, BOS Liaison
George Schmidt
Oskar Klenert
Robert Chalker
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Christopher Avis called the meeting to order at 6:36 PM.
REVIEW OF MINUTES
George Schmidt made a motion to accept as presented the minutes from the Finance Committee meeting of 1/12/12. Charles Gasior seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Transfers - None.
2. Appropriations Report – Mark Davini distributed to the committee members the monthly Appropriations Report. The Finance Committee available budget as of 12/28/11: $130,659.50.
3. Town Manager’s Report – Town Manager Joyce Mason reported that she is still working on the budget for FY2013 and will have it ready for review by the Finance Committee at the 2/09/12 meeting.
4. Finance Committee Budget Review Standards
Charles Gasior suggested that when the Town Manager presents her budget to the Finance Committee, and there are some departments that are requesting significant increases, a representative from those departments should come before the Finance Committee with a rationalization for the increase request. Town Manager Joyce Mason stated that all the committees and departments had turned in level-funded budgets for the FY 2013 budget with the exception of the School Committee. School Superintendent Ann Bradshaw has requested a $1.38 million increase from last year’s budget. According to information provided by Ann Bradshaw, nearly 63% of the budget increase, or $870,473, is due to staff salaries. That figure is 5. 9% higher than the salary line item in last year’s school budget request.
(FinCom Budget Review Standards, cont’d)
George Schmidt stated that there are two approaches to the proposed School Committee budget: one is a spreadsheet being completed by Dawn Thayer. Ms. Thayer is attempting to reconcile the school department budget request and what we might expect the numbers to look like in MUNIS. Mr. Schmidt stated that he is expecting a large discrepancy between the two sets of numbers.
The second approach is to ask a rhetorical question: why are all other departments able to submit level funded budgets, when the School Committee is egregiously not able to comply? George Schmidt stated that the individual departments should be examined as individual businesses; if all other town departments can manage their departments on a level funded basis why is the School Department unable to do so? And while we are at it – are the taxpayers getting value for the amounts the town is spending? Mark Davini stated that the $1.38 million increase in the school department budget request requires justification and validation.
Charles Gasior made a motion that the Finance Committee invite the president of the School Committee and the Superintendent of Schools to attend the next Finance Committee meeting on February 9th, 2012, to justify the School Committee request for a $1.38 million increase in their FY 2013 budget. Oskar Klenert seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
Christopher Avis summarized the Finance Committee’s budget review standards as follows: compare the Town Manager’s recommended budget with each department’s budget request, then meet with all department heads whose budget increases are in excess of the requested level-budgeting.
ADDITIONAL TOPICS
1. Mailing Costs for the Town Meeting Warrant Articles
Oskar Klenert stated his concern over the cost to the town of mailing the Town Meeting Articles to the town residents, a significant amount of which winds up in the trash. Joyce Mason stated that the mailing of the Town Meeting warrants to all residents is a Town Charter requirement. Suggestions as to improving the interest level of town residents in reading the town Warrant report included introducing a glossy cover to the booklet, perhaps adding phone numbers to call below warrants that may raise questions, and publishing a Letter to the Editor in the Mashpee Enterprise encouraging people to take an interest in reading the report. Christopher Avis asked that committee members come to the next meeting with suggestions for increasing the readership of the report, and improving the attendance at the Town
Meeting.
OLD BUSINESS
Liaison Reports.
1. Capital Improvements Committee – Charles Gasior
Charles Gasior reported that the Capital Improvements Committee (CIC) members have met with the various department heads that have submitted capital improvement budget items, including the head of the School IT department. The CIC plans to meet again on Thursday, Feb. 2, to prioritize the projects that are being considered for funding.
2. Maintenance of Public Properties Committee – Charles Gasior
Mr. Gasior reported on his attendance at a meeting with the Recycling Committee and DPW. Don Meyers attended the meeting and discussed a petition article he is submitting for the consideration of making the transfer station an enterprise fund.
The committee also discussed the sale of public property, and reviewed again the potential properties eligible for public auction. The idea was raised about having from two to four separate articles on the different types of properties, i.e., commercial, large, and smaller properties. The committee also discussed the fact that the Housing Assistance Corp. is looking at some property to be donated by the town for future public housing, and looked at some alternative locations that they might want to consider.
3. 2011 Report of the Finance Committee
Christopher Avis distributed a draft of the Finance Committee Report, which will be included in the Town Annual Report for 2011. Mr. Avis requested that the committee members submit any additions or corrections to the draft report to him no later than Monday, January 30th. Mr. Avis will forward the revised draft to the committee members for approval, then will forward to Kathleen Moore.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Finance Committee was scheduled for Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 6:30 PM, Mashpee Town Hall, Selectmen’s Conference Room 1.
ADJOURNMENT
As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Ina G. Schlobohm
Recording Secretary
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