Board of Selectmen Meeting, date, December 12, 2005
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
TOWN OF MOUNT DESERT, MAINE
Monday, December 12, 2005
A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held this date in the Somesville Fire Station, Somesville, Maine.
Those present included: Chairman Rick Savage, Selectmen Kathy Branch, Ernest Coombs, Patrick Smallidge, Jeffrey Smith; Town Manager Michael MacDonald; Public Works Director Tony Smith; Police Chief James Willis, Assessor John Brushwein, Harbor Master Shawn Murphy, Finance Director Brent Hamor, Fire Chief Mike Bender, Recording Secretary Ellen Kappes and members of the public.
Call to order.
Chairman Savage called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Town Manager MacDonald said a representative from Senator Michaud’s office will be in the Town Office on December 15 from 3:00 to 4:00 to meet with anyone interested.
V. Old Business
A.~~~~~~Budget Discussion with Department Heads
Selectmen reviewed budget requests before sending their recommendations to the Warrant Committee.
#0400: MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $8,700 for Elected Officials, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0403: Town Manager MacDonald adjusted #2701 for legal expenses, increasing it by $5,000 to $40,000 because of union contracts and personnel policy negations.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $286,433 for Administration, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0404: Assessor Brushwein changed #2709 to $1,100 for TRIO.
MOTION: Selectman Coombs moved to approve $70,790 for Assessor, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0405: Town Manager MacDonald noted the major increase was for computer upgrades for the whole office.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $65,807 for Tax Collector/Treasurer Expenses, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0406: MOTION: Selectman Smith moved to approve $78,878 for Code Enforcement, seconded by Selectman Smallidge. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0407: Town Manager MacDonald pointed to #4301 for possible air conditioning, front steps and roofing work on the municipal building. Chairman Savage did not like having expenses lumped together. Town Manager MacDonald said money could be shifted from #2500 maintenance reserves to 4301. Public Works Director Smith gave a breakdown on the other expenses. Selectman Smallidge questioned putting money into reserves and then not using it when there were two building projects needing it. Chairman Savage agreed to the idea of using reserves. Town Manager MacDonald verified that line 4301 would be reduced.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $143,107 for #0407 Buildings & Grounds, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0409: MOTION: Selectman Coombs moved to approve $52,958 for Town Clerk, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0421: Police Chief Willis said the biggest part of the increase is for bringing wages up to snuff and for the speed trailer. Town Manager MacDonald recommended using excess credit reserves to fund the trailer. Selectman Smallidge reviewed the amount in credit reserves with him.
Discussion followed about the value of having the speed trailer for data gathering and for meeting requests from people about speeders. Chairman Savage and Selectman Coombs agreed
the $10,000 expense should be funded from reserves.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $390,929 for #0421 Police Department, seconded by Selectman Branch. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0422: Fire Chief Bender confirmed the reduction this year is because of a $50,000 donation for a fire truck.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $295,420 for #0422 Fire Department, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
# 0423: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $177,289 for Communications, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0431: Town Manager MacDonald said a couple of the items – sidewalks and Ripples Road work – are in the reserve list. Line 4303 could be reduced to $15,000 if money were used from the reserve account. The Board agreed to fund Seal Harbor sidewalks, Ripples Road and Long Pond projects.
MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $1,047,826 for #0431 Highway, Streets & Roads, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0433: MOTION: Selectman Coombs moved to approve $420,531 for Waste Collection/Disposal, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0435: MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $40,171 for Parks & Cemeteries, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0440: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $356,830 for Compliance/Mandates, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0442: Selectmen put Other Services off to a future meeting until after they receive Warrant Committee recommendations. Town Manager MacDonald noted no new requests had been included. Selectman Smallidge agreed with George Peckham that it is not the Town’s place to make charitable donations. Individuals could make that choice. Chairman Savage said he would be comfortable recommending the same amount as in previous years.
#0466: Selectman Smith moved to approve $43,700 for Village Associations, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0450: Town Manager MacDonald said the MDES principal put $7,500 in the school budget to cover half the basketball court expenses. Selectman Coombs thought the whole cost should be in the school budget.
MOTION: Selectman Coombs moved to eliminate $15,000 from the town’s budget and recommended that the basketball court repairs become part of the school budget, reducing the amount that he moved to approve for #0450 Recreation to $90,747, seconded by Chairman Savage. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0453: MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $150,000 for Rural WW Support, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0454: Responding to Chairman Savage, Town Manager MacDonald said the Town’s total indebtedness is about 12 million dollars.
Town Manager MacDonald said approval of the requested amounts would obligate the Town to do a bond for the Summit and Sinclair Road projects. Public Works Director Smith said he was not sold on the idea of doing Sinclair Road. The budgeted amount is for Summit Road. If the request is approved, Summit Road will be done in 2006. A DEP inspection showed a satisfactory/marginal score on the flows getting into the NEH plant as a result of inflow and infiltration. Chairman Savage responded to Mr. Peckham, saying that if Selectmen do bond the Summit Road project, it would be put before the voters causing the user fee topic to be raised again. Selectman Smith suggested reducing the $50,000 in capital improvement reserves to $30,000.
MOTION: Selectman Coombs moved to approve $1,349,977 for #0454 Sewer Capital and Debt, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0455: Public Works Director Smith said Outside Lab Tests #2910 would be reduced by $5,000.
MOTION: Selectman Smith moved to approve $350,084 for #0455 Sewer Treatment, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0456, 0457, 0458 and 0459. Public Works Director Smith suggested considering all four plants at the same time. The wild card for them all is the electricity cost.
MOTION: Selectman Smith moved to approve the requested budgets for the above treatment plant departments, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
Town Manager MacDonald said he wanted to keep the Otter Creek pump station separate for purposes of tracking costs for Acadia National Park. Responding to Mr. Peckham, he said the total sewer cost is $1,942,436.
#0461: Harbormaster Murphy said work on the building roof would be done by his department because the estimate for replacing it was too high. He still has no estimate for the restrooms.
Selectman Branch said she was still not sold on purchase of a pick-up truck because harbormaster is supposed to be a water related position. She thought harbor employees should share other departments’ vehicles. Chairman Savage said the Town locked itself into the need for a truck because of the type of boat purchased. It needs to be towed by trailer. It would not be cost effective to take a boat around to Bartlett’s Island because of fuel costs. Selectman Coombs said the harbor needs a vehicle. Those employees should be able to call Public Works to get lobster gear and trash removed from marinas. Selectman Smallidge was opposed to the truck but suggested treating funding it as a one time expense by taking it out of reserves. That would give Harbor Master Murphy a
chance to establish a pick-up truck reserve. Selectman Smith was uncomfortable with a truck purchase but said since the harbor is a moneymaker, the Town should put its money where it makes money. He thought it was a necessary expense.
MOTION: Selectman Smith moved to approve $299,857 for #0461 Northeast Harbor Marina, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was 3 – 2. Chairman Savage and Selectmen Coombs and Smith voted in favor of the motion; Selectmen Branch and Smallidge voted against it. The motion carried.
#0462: MOTION: Selectman Smallidge moved to approve $11,200 for the Seal Harbor Marina, seconded by Selectman Smith. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0464: MOTION: Selectman Coombs, moved to approve $6,550 for Bartlett Narrows Harbor, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0466: MOTION: Selectman Coombs, moved to approve $500 for Somes Harbor, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0471: Selectman Smith moved to approve $16,500 for Finance, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
#0474 Town Manager MacDonald said the amount needed for insurance would be less because one employee changed from married to single.
MOTION: Selectman Smith moved to approve $766,194 for #0474 Personnel, seconded by Selectman Coombs. The vote was unanimous in favor.
Town Manager MacDonald said, with the adjusted numbers, the total amount to be raised would decrease by about $400,000, possibly reducing the mil rate by 55 cents. He wanted more time to verify the figures.
Chairman Savage thanked the department chairs for helping to get the budget review done early.
X Executive Session
Executive Session – Pursuant to 1 MRSA §405.6.A reconsideration of wastewater position.
At 8:08, Selectman Branch moved to go into Executive Session for the above, seconded by Selectman Smallidge. The vote was unanimous in favor.
At moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by The vote was unanimous in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeffrey Smith
Secretary
Adjournment. ~The next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, December 19, 2005 at 6:30 P.M. in the Meeting Room, Town Office, Northeast Harbor.
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