Wellfleet Finance Committee
Minutes of Meeting of November 17, 2005
Senior Center Duck Pond Room, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Carl Caruso, Chair; Berta Bruinooge, Pat Foley, Arlene Kirsch, John Makely and Sylvia Smith
Excused: Nancy Bone, William Carlson, Mac Hay
Chairman Carl Caruso called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
New Business:
FY07 Budget & Reserve Fund
The Town Administrator had asked for the requests for the Finance Committee Budget and the amount for the Reserve Fund for Fiscal Year 2005. The Budget will remain the same at $250. FinCom debated raising the amount of money in the Reserve Fund but most felt that if all departments were being asked to level fund, the Reserve Fund should stay at $50,000. Carl Caruso made a motion that the Reserve Fund remain at $50,000. Berta Bruinooge seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-1.
Liaisons
The Committee went through the liaison list, keeping or reassigning liaisons to other boards and committees. Berta Bruinooge said that liaisons should get the minutes when they are unable to attend meetings. The liaison assignments will be completed at the next meeting when the other members are present.
Hamill Report
FinCom considered Local Communities at Risk, known as the Hamill Report. This revisiting of the fiscal partnership between the Commonwealth and cities and towns was published by the Municipal Finance Task Force in September, 2005. Carl Caruso summed it up by saying that the state is in trouble and that Wellfleet can anticipate getting less money from them. This is basically the same thing said at the Mass Municipal Association’s Forum that was held in Worcester last month.
Berta Bruinooge will invite Roger Putnam, delegate to the County’s Assembly of Delegates to the December meeting to discuss the cherry sheet assessments and Education Reform school funding, which does not work well for Lower Cape towns.
Old Business:
Charter Review regarding FinCom
Carl Caruso distributed copies of the draft changes to Chapters 7 & 8 of the Charter. The draft showed the additions and deletions regarding Finance Committee. Caruso promised to get the revision to everyone after the Charter Review Committee finalized the changes. The Charter Review Committee did not accept the suggestion for a Capital Improvement Plan Committee because they did not want to create a new committee, Caruso said. It can be accomplished, however, through a subcommittee of FinCom.
Computer Survey
John Makely handed out a spreadsheet showing results from FinCom’s computer survey. The November edition included the Police Department. He corrected a $300,000 figure he had previously quoted. Spending per year is approximately $100,000, he said. This figure concerned FinCom, who would like to know how much is spent on repair, software and hardware. Although a repair schedule is a management issue, FinCom would like to know if there is a plan in place for this. The Committee was also curious about the disposal of old equipment, another management matter that was not clarified by the survey. FinCom will seek more information on these matters before they support the FY07 Computer Budget line. John Makely will prepare his survey conclusions for the next meeting.
LCPC 20/20 Survey
Arlene Kirsch, who had the electronic results of the July 26, 2005 Local Comprehensive Planning Committee’s Survey prepared by Information Services Section of the Barnstable County Department of Human Services, had not had the time to manipulate the information to give her findings. John Makely handed out selections from the Findings Report which he had studied. Kirsch asked that the survey results be carried to the next meeting, at which time she hoped to have analyzed the data in more depth.
National Seashore Report
Bill Carlson will make his report at the next meeting. However, Carl Caruso said Carlson found that Truro gets the same amount of money in lieu of taxes from the Seashore as Wellfleet does. Also the Seashore directs home owners in need of snow plowing to the Town.
Benchmark Audit of Departments
Berta Bruinooge said that there had been Performance Audits of the DPW and the Fire Department in the past. She will bring the audit results of to another meeting for the Committee to examine what has happened since then.
Cable Company Franchise Fees
Carl Caruso wondered if Wellfleet could get a larger franchise fee. Arlene Kirsch said she would invite Tom Cole, who does the negotiating with the cable company, to speak to FinCom at the December meeting.
Management Letter
Sylvia Smith will report on the unresolved issues from the Management Letter at the next meeting.
Correspondence
Included in the mail were:
1.) A letter from Ginny’s Place about use of Town owned vehicles
2.) Sylvia Smith’s memo reporting on schools
3.) A notice from Nauset’s Together We Can
4.) The request for the Annual Town Report (Berta Bruinooge will prepare this and submit it for FinCom approval at the December meeting)
Minutes
Berta Bruinooge made a motion to approve the October 20, 2005 minutes as amended. Arlene Kirsch seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0-1.
Other Business
Town Accountant Marilyn Crary came forward to relate a discrepancy discovered in the Department of Revenue’s review of the balance sheets by the Town Treasurer and Accountant. There was an irreconcilable difference of $10,000 that will decrease the amount of Free Cash. She is still trying to reconcile the difference.
After having chaired three meetings, Carl Caruso invited comments on his performance as FinCom Chairman. He received nothing but commendations for his efforts.
Chairman Caruso adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________ ___________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Carl Caruso, Chairman
___________________________(Date)
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