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Finance Committee Meeting Minutes
January 10, 2013
10 – 11:15am
Present: Michael Storch and Stanley Ross
Also in attendance for parts of the meeting: Deborah Mielke, Linda Thorpe, Mary Makuc and Melissa Noe
The Finance Committee discussed/reviewed the following:
- Setting up remote meetings while M. Storch is out of Town.
- Updated FY14 budget requests received to date:
- Assessors: level funding requested for Asst. Assessor (which is now the Principal Assessor based on the additional schooling and certification he has had), Assessor Clerk and Assessors Elected. Increases requested: $750 more ($15,725) for Assessor Expenses and $400 more ($6,600) for Assessors Software.
- Treasurer: The Treasurer has requested to be given an increase in salary equal to what everyone else is getting (which has not been discussed yet), a $4,775 increase ($7,030) to Treasurer Expenses to cover $4,500 proposed to pay an Assistant and the rest of the increase is to cover rising expenses. The Committee discussed that currently the Assistant Treasurer is being paid from the Treasurer’s salary when she is used and that the new proposal would mean that the Treasurer would be paid when not working in addition to the Assistant being paid. The Finance Committee is not in favor of this and will discuss it further with the Select Board. It was also noted that if Pat was not going to run again when her term expires this year that the salary should be lowered to reflect the change in experience of the new
person as was done in the past for the Town Clerk and Accountant positions.
- The Conservation Commission has requested level funding.
- The Committee was notified that the Board of Health will have their request in after Feb 15th which is the deadline for the needs assessment survey which will be going out to determine if a town nurse is needed which would be a new line item.
- The Committee asked Deb Mielke, Town Clerk in to discuss the following:
- Her budget requests aren’t finished yet but she doesn’t anticipate any increases.
- The Committee asked if Debbie still felt an assistant was needed; she felt there is still a place for one to cover during absences but that it wasn’t needed on a regular basis. The Committee suggested doing it on a per diem basis. Another suggestion made later in the meeting was to pay this position through the Senior Tax Work Off Abatement Program. Also noted later in the meeting was that when the Select Board agreed to offer insurance to the Clerk position and that the office must be posted open 20 hours weekly that the need for an assistant was questioned. The Committee will check with the Select Board on this line item.
- The Committee also stated that the position of Accountant should also have a backup person to cover when absent to allow bills and such to be paid when requested.
- Highway: Level funding was requested for Salt & Sand, Supplies & Fuel, Winter OT, Public Lighting, Town Garage, Dam Maintenance, So. Berk Waste Dist., Household Hazardous Waste and Group Purchasing. An increase of $2,580 ($145,943) was requested for Highway Maintenance, $2,000 ($34,000) for Machinery & Tools, $5,000 ($75,000) for Highway Capital and $2,000 ($104,000) for the Transfer Station. They are also requesting a special article of $275,000 for a new grader. Stan recommends paying for the grader with $75,000 from free cash and then financing the rest.
- MIIA should have our insurance increases after their meeting on the 24th of this month.
- Mary Makuc came in to ask how the Wilson McLaughlin House should go about requesting another $10,000 to continue with the project proposing a Community Center. The Finance Committee stated that the request needs to go to the Select Board. They inquired as to why more money wasn’t requested last year if more was needed.
- The Cemetery Committee requested level funding for FY14.
- The Committee is waiting on recommendations from the Employee Compensation Advisory Committee prior to making any decisions on wages.
Submitted by,
Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
Via audio recording
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