FINANCE COMMITTEE – PUBLIC SESSION
Town Hall – Conference Room 1
Minutes of the Meeting of Thursday, February 23, 2012
Committee Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present:
Christopher Avis, Chairman Oskar Klenert Joyce Mason, Town
Charles Gasior, Vice Chairman James Condon Manager
Mark Davini, Clerk Mike Richardson, BOS
George Schmidt Liaison
Robert Chalker
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Christopher Avis called the meeting to order at 6:33 PM.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
None.
REVIEW OF MINUTES
George Schmidt made a motion that the minutes from the Finance Committee meeting held on Thursday, February 9, 2012 be approved as presented. Mark Davini seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
OLD BUSINESS
School Committee: George Schmidt
George Schmidt reported that since the last Finance Committee meeting, Ann Bradshaw answered some questions posed to her, but did not answer others. George Schmidt proposed that the Committee draw up a firm list of questions for Ms. Bradshaw, submit the questions to her, and request that she attend the next Finance Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 8, 2012, along with anyone else she would like invite, to provide definitive answers to the list of questions.
George Schmidt suggested two questions that should be included in the list: how many teachers have been hired in the last 5 years, and what number of those in the decrease in staff were teachers. George Schmidt elaborated on numerous other questions that needed to be addressed by Ms. Bradshaw. It was decided that Mr. Schmidt would draw
up a list of questions, with input from the Committee members, to be forwarded in a letter to Ms. Bradshaw, requesting her response in person at the next Finance Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, 3/08/12, at Mashpee Town Hall, 6:30 PM.
George Schmidt added an additional issue that continues to be problematic which is the refusal on the part of the School Committee to use the MUNIS accounting system used by all other Town departments to enter their school budget items for review by the Town Manager.
Joyce Mason presented a report on all school-related fixed costs, explaining that there are many costs that actually are not a part of the $18,000,000 school budget. A copy of her report is attached to these minutes (See Attachment A). The total school costs funded for FY 2013, or 54% of the entire town-operating budget, is $26,313,172.00.
Capital Improvements Committee: Charles Gasior
Charles Gasior presented the FY 2013 Capital Improvement budget to the Committee. The total for all departments is $686,193. A separate warrant article will be written to permit a request for $25,000 funding on the FY 2012 Special Town Meeting portion for a South Cape Multi-Use Building requested by the Recreation Department, so it can be built before the summer, if possible. Funding sources include: $468,143 from available FY 13 funds; $117,500 from Ambulance Receipts; and $87,550 minus $75,550 from Cable funds.
NEW BUSINESS
- Transfers – None
- Appropriations Report - Mark Davini reported: all set.
- Town Manager’s FY 2013 Proposed Budget
For the benefit of the television audience, Town Manager Joyce Mason read her 2/22/12 memo to the Selectmen and the Finance Committee reviewing the the proposed FY 2013 budget. The proposed budget is broken down as follows:
General Government: $16,452,963 or .89% increase
School Department Budget: $18,746,039 or 1% increase
Fixed Costs: $13,866,725 or 2.72% decrease
In summary, the overall budget recommendation for FY 2013 is $49,065,727 that reflects an overall decrease of $56,133 from FY 2012. Ms. Mason noted that the School Department detail was built by the Town Accountant using the School Department’s Excel spreadsheets, due to the fact that the School Department has not entered its budget in the MUNIS system as required.
Ms. Mason reviewed for the Committee the Projected FY 2013 Analysis of Available Revenues. The total Cherry Sheet is down .81% for the FY 2013 budget. Ms. Mason added that when we look at what we have left for revenues there is no way the Town can meet the School Committee’s request for a $1.38 million budget increase. Ms. Mason stated her hope that the School Committee will look at their numbers and come in with a realistic number that the Town can live with.
Charles Gasior explained the budget overlay, stating that it is a Board of Assessors reserve fund used for uncollected taxes, for appeals, for tax abatements. Mr. Gasior stated that the tax collection rate in Mashpee is 98%, which is quite extraordinary.
- Status Report on Warrant Articles for the Town Meeting
Ms. Mason reported that the first draft will be ready tomorrow and will be sent electronically to the Finance Committee. There are 20 articles in the Annual Report and one petition article that is 14 pages, relating to foreclosures and setting aside monies.
Joyce Mason stated that she will work up a report for the Finance Committee with a breakdown of the percentage of the tax rate that goes to each department.
- Approvals/Holds of FY 2013 Appropriations in Town Manager’s Budget
The Committee put a hold on approval of the following categories of expense:
A. General Government: Moderator
B. Maintenance of Public Property: DPW; Maintenance of Town Hall; Transfer Station
D. Public Safety/Enforce. Agencies: Police; Fire
F. Other Dept. Appropriations: School; Library
With the exception of Section G. General Expenses, all other categories were approved by the Committee. See Attachment B entitled Summary of FY 2013 Appropriations in Town Manager’s Budget.
NEXT MEETING
The following Finance Committee meetings are scheduled in March:
Thursday, March 8 6:30 PM, Mashpee Town Hall, Conference Room 1
Monday, March 12, 6:30 PM – Joint Meeting with Board of Selectmen
Thursday, March 15, 6:30 PM – Mashpee Town Hall, Conference Room 1
As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Ina G. Schlobohm
Recording Secretary
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