Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 4/18/18
Meeting Opened at: 4pm
Select Board Members Present: Steve Weisz, Chairperson, Carol Edelman and Kenneth Basler
Also in attendance: Don Torrico, Justin Cole, BJ Johnson, Peter Chait, George Cain
Miscellaneous Items Reviewed:
- Steve reported that Vertex Towers has received a package from AT&T stating their intentions to put an antennae on the proposed new tower which Vertex Towers will soon be handling the permitting process for.
- Don Torrico noted that he has been speaking with the owner of the general store building and they have someone interested in running a mercantile business there. Steve also noted that in his day job role he is aware of multiple people that are interested in making an offer.
- The Board met with Justin Cole of Baystate Municipal Accounting Group (BMA) for the following accounting and treasurer updates:
a. Vendor account update mailing – Justin explained that our vendor list was abnormally large (a town our size should have around 300, we had 4,500). Towns are supposed to actively review vendors to make sure their tax statuses are correct. This letter was sent out to satisfy this requirement. Only 1/3 of the 4,500 letters were sent out and based on the responses received (most were residents that had received a one-time motor vehicle refund or some sort of reimbursement from the town at some point) the remaining will not be sent out and BMA will work off the vendors used over the last 9 months. Department heads will be notified that any vendors that have not been used in the last 9 months will require a W9, if it is not submitted with the bills payable it may delay
the payment by a week.
b. Free cash update –While working with the Auditor, it was found that there is a bank account that no one was aware of (no bank statements were ever received) with Easthampton Savings Bank which was used to deposit the fire truck monies into back in 2016 (no one is clear why this happened). This money was moved at some point to a completely separate bank account however was never booked in the accounting software nor is there a stitch of paperwork anywhere regarding this loan. It was also learned that several debt payments were made that were never on a payables warrant. This all will require that the year-end/free cash process be rerun and may affect the originally estimated free cash amount. We will know a firm number prior to town meeting.
c. Previous audit recommendations – The last audit pointed out areas that needed to be looked at or firmed up. The Board reviewed with Justin what has been addressed and what is being worked on:
- GASB34 will be implemented prior to this year’s audit being complete.
- GASB45 has been completed.
- Highway special revenue deficit was corrected on the FY17 state reporting.
- Procedures have been put in place for reconciling between the Accountant and Treasurer.
- The Treasurer has the required cash book that is supposed to be kept.
- Steps have been taken and put in place to correct items that were listed in the last audit management letter and from here on out audits will be performed on a yearly basis.
- Justin will provide the town will sample financial procedures that can be amended to fit Monterey and adopted.
d. FY17 unaudited annual town report – BMA can put something together but doesn’t want to prepare this until the audit is complete so that the numbers are complete. Once the audit is complete we will have a supplemental report to distribute as an addendum to what was put in the FY17 annual town report.
e. Tax rate and free cash – the goal is to get these finished and set in September and to also schedule the next audit for the fall rather than the spring.
- Justin, Kenn and Melissa met with the Tax Collector regarding her concerns with BMA and have arranged a game plan for all that needs to happen between the Treasurer and Tax Collector throughout the year – the meeting went very well.
- Justin, Kenn and Melissa also met with the Library Director to review any lingering concerns he had with regards to the new accounting and treasurer and process. Mark had only one issue concerning a personal matter (buyback for retirement); M. Noe will see if she can get the rest of the information Mark is seeking from the Fire Department. This meeting also went very well.
- Steve reported that he also met with Justin in regards to the previously misapplied monies and accounting irregularities for the Cultural Council; the meeting went very well and Justin will be working on correcting the prior officeholders mistakes.
- The Board received Cheryl Zellman’s resignation from the Cultural Council.
- Kenn will be attending the motion to dismiss hearing for the Johnson lawsuit against the town tomorrow.
- The Board met with the Finance Committee to discuss the following:
a. The internal transfer request of $500 for the Town Clerk from the elections account to the assistant town clerk account was approved unanimously.
b. It was briefly discussed that should anyone argue at town meeting that we have a “town administrator form of government” that the Board and town counsel will be ready to respond. We have a Select Board form of government and what was approved at a prior town meeting was the “right to hire and fire a town administrator”.
c. Discussion ensued about how the Board and Finance Committee’s recommendation to remove the budgeted items for the Town Administrator from the FY19 budget may be addressed. The Board maintains that with professionals now working in all departments and increased cooperation, this teamwork has eliminated the need for a Town Administrator at this time; there is no need to appropriate money that is not going to be spent.
d. It was agreed to hold an extra joint Select Board and Finance Committee meeting to review the warrant, budget and the use of free cash once more, prior to town meeting on May 2nd at 5pm.
- Administrative Assistant’s weekly report was reviewed and time off request was approved.
- The Board reviewed the benefit extension request received from the Division of Unemployment as well as counsel’s opinion; they unanimously agreed they would not be appealing it.
- M. Noe checked in with Don Clawson regarding the idea suggested last week to offer the future owners of the store a tax relief. Don has said that in order to do this a bylaw would have to be accepted at annual town meeting and there isn’t time to do that this year; and the savings (approx.. $2,400) would be less than what most homeowners pay.
- M. Noe reminded the Board to please get their summaries to her for the upcoming meeting with the Lt. Governor.
- Police Chief’s weekly report was reviewed.
- Warrants were signed.
- Minutes from 4/11/18 were approved.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 5:50pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Administrative Assistant
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
Town Clerk
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