Wellfleet Finance Committee
Minutes of Meeting of September 13, 2004
Senior Center, Long Pond Room
Present: Berta Bruinooge, Chair; Pat Foley, Arlene Kirsch, John Makely, Sylvia Smith
Absent: Nancy Bone, Carl Caruso, Mac Hay
Chair Berta Bruinooge called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
The committee agreed to go through the Articles again to vote on printed recommendations for the warrant for Special Town Meeting.
ARTICLE 1. TRANSFERS FROM AVAILABLE FUNDS
Town Administrator Tim Smith answered some questions about credit card service fees which weren’t budgeted and roof repair for 335 Main St., which after 2 years, is no longer considered an emergency repair. D.P.W. Director Mark Vincent explained that the bathroom cleaning services had been subcontracted to Provincetown and that the transfer of funds was repayment to the Wellfleet D.P.W. John Makely motioned to recommend Article 1. Pat Foley seconded the motion. Article 1 Vote: Recommended 5-0.
ARTICLE 2. BUY-BACKS FOR CALL FIREFIGHTERS
Chair Bruinooge asked Fire Chief Alan Hight to explain the warrant article. Hight said there is a state statue that allows 5 year buy-backs of call time for reserve and call firefighters if they become full time. This could be credited toward their retirement at no cost to the Town. John Makely questioned why this isn’t negotiated with the union. Chief Hight said this isn’t a demanded benefit by the union. Most of the call firefighters only stay for 4-5 years, so there would not be a question of any extra time they could buy back. Arlene Kirsch still wanted a clearer written explanation for the warrant and indicated she was not ready to make a decision on this Article. John Makely moved to reserve recommendation until Special Town Meeting. Berta Bruinooge
seconded. Article 2 Vote: Reserve Recommendation 4-0-1 (Arlene Kirsch abstaining).
ARTICLE 3. RECONSTRUCTION FUNDS FOR POLICE/FIRE STATION
Tim Smith distributed hand-outs that broke down the costs of using the same property vs. splitting into two different facilities and locations. Arlene Kirsch wanted to talk to the Building Needs Committee before making a recommendation. Berta Bruinooge noted that the Board of Selectmen had not yet made a recommendation but assumed they would make one before Special Town Meeting, so it’s not a big mystery to voters. Tim Smith said the architects would be present at STM. He explained the $600,000 figure as 8 % of the 7 million dollar debt. Kirsch suggested that a letter to the editor be published to let the voting public know the committee’s recommendation prior to STM. Patricia Foley motioned to reserve recommendation. Sylvia Smith seconded the motion. Article
3 Vote: Reserve Recommendation 4-0-1 (John Makely abstaining).
Arlene Kirsch made an additional motion to notify the general voting public of Wellfleet as soon as FINCOM is able to make a recommendation. Chair Bruinooge seconded. The vote carried 5-0.
ARTICLE 4 LIEUTENANT’S ISLAND BRIDGE
Tim Smith explained that this Article replaces the $1,000,000 plan that was voted down at the Annual Town Meeting. This is a 2-3 year plan for repairing the bridge. The Building Committee Feasibility Study would be ready by STM. A hand-out ( Lt. Island Bridge Rehabilitation Recommendations for 2004 and 2006, prepared for Environmental Partners Group, Inc., January 8, 2004) broke down both costs and time frames for the project. Smith said the engineers would be present at STM. John Makely made a motion to recommend the Article. Sylvia Smith seconded the motion. Article 4 Vote: Recommended 4-0-1 (Arlene Kirsch abstaining).
ARTICLE 5. COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT
Chair Bruinooge questioned why such an important Article was being brought to Special Town Meeting instead of Annual Town Meeting in spring. Tim Smith explained that if it wasn’t brought up until ATM, we wouldn’t be able to access state matching funds until July 2007 because of deadline considerations. Bruinooge expressed concern that since fewer people attend STM and since there would be no discussion of the Article at ATM, many people would not have heard of it when it appeared on a ballot in May. Smith promised lots of publicity for the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Rex Peterson, Assistant Town Administrator, is planning two information meetings for the CPA in October. The Selectmen are holding discussions. Helen Miranda Wilson stressed the importance of being ahead
of other communities seeking funds through CPA. She noted that money for fixing Uncle Tim’s Bridge could become available through CPA. Arlene Kirsch made the motion to recommend the Article. Sylvia Smith seconded. Article 5 Vote: Recommended 5-0.
ARTICLE 6. WELLFLEET WATER SYSTEM EXPANSION
Tim Smith said the Selectmen still need to discuss this. A survey of all the abutters would indicate who would want to be included, estimated cost, and a general sense of demand. Berta Bruinooge wanted to know what happened to a previous town-wide survey. Smith stated that the survey of the abutters is specifically for water. Arlene Kirsch asked about the availability of the Master Plan, which was not presented at Town Meeting. Selectman Ira Wood said it does not have to be presented at TM and that copies are available in the library and on the Web. Smith also suggested another option for funding the system through the Reserve Fund. Sylvia Smith made a motion to recommend. Berta Bruinooge seconded it. Article 6 Vote: Recommended 4-0-1 (Arlene
Kirsch abstaining).
ARTICLE 9. WELLFLEET HOUSING AUTHORITY – MAP 36/ LOT 161
Berta Bruinooge wondered if this unbuildable lot would be auctioned, sold to an abutter or to Affordable Housing. Smith felt an abutter would be the most likely buyer. John Makely motioned to recommend. Pat Foley seconded. Article 9 Vote: Recommended 5-0.
ARTILCE 10. RINZLER PROPERTY – MAP 29/ LOT 237 (portion)
Smith said this was just offered to the Conservation Trust. The Selectmen have not yet discussed the purchase. The Rinzlers would like to close on this by the end of the year. John Makely wanted to know how the $370,000 figure had been set. No one was familiar with the property and didn’t feel informed enough to make a recommendation about this Article without the Open Space Committee presenting more information. Berta Bruinooge made a motion to reserve recommendation. John Makely seconded the motion. Article 10 Vote: Reserve Recommendation 5-0.
Members of the Finance Committee made further comments on their need for additional time to prepare comments for the Town Warrant. There was general agreement that FINCOM was not ready to write any comments. Town Administrator Smith wanted to know what further information the Committee needed. Arlene Kirsch said she’d like to talk to other townspeople, the Building Needs Committee, the Open Space Committee. She would also like more time to review the Lt. Island Bridge project. Chair Bruinooge added that Article 3 still has to go before the BOS, Article 10 should be more fully presented and Article 2 is still not worded clearly. The Finance Committee is not submitting any comments for the STM Warrant. FINCOM will put out its own comments.
NEXT MEETING. The next meeting of the FINCOM will be held September 23, 2004 at the Senior Center in the Long Pond Room at 7 p.m.
NEXT BOS MEETING. The Board of Selectmen will meet with the architects at the Public Safety Facility on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
MINUTES OF SEPT. 1 MEETING. The minutes were approved 4-0 with the addition of Sylvia Smith’s name to those in attendance at that meeting.
NO MAIL
NEW BUSINESS. Chair Bruinooge called everyone’s attention to the new “Finance Committee Members” list and the liaison list that had been updated. The draft list of definitions that was included with the minutes and a mission statement, which John Makely wanted to consider, will be discussed at the next regular meeting Sept 23.
Pat Foley made the motion, John Makely seconded, and all voted to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Berta Bruinooge, Chair
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