Wellfleet Board of Selectmen/Finance Committee
Minutes of Joint Budget Meeting
January 29, 2008
Wellfleet Library Meeting Room
Present:
Board of Selectmen – Jacqueline Wildes-Beebe, Chair; Dale Donovan, Jerry Houk, Michael May, Ira Wood
Finance Committee – Nancy Bone, Macgregor Hay, Arlene Kirsch, John Makely, Dennis Murphy, Sylvia Smith
Absent: Berta Bruinooge, Patricia Foley
Also attending: Paul Sieloff, Town Administrator; Marilyn Crary, Town Accountant; Rex Peterson, Assistant Town Administrator
Board of Selectman Chair Jacqueline Wildes-Beebe called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Dale Donovan moved to go into executive session. May seconded. May, Wood, Donovan, Beebe and Houk each said yes, and the Selectmen moved to the Little Meeting Room at 7:02 p.m.
The Budget meeting reconvened at 7:23 p.m.
#241 Building Department
Building Inspector Paul Murphy said salaries had not changed. He reviewed expenditures for contract services, training, supplies, travel, membership and dues. All was level funded. He discussed expectations for permitting revenue. Donovan asked about creating a spreadsheet that showed fee revenues and Building Department expenses. Murphy said he would compare fees with the other Cape towns, but Donovan wondered if fees could cover costs. Kirsch said that she would like to see benchmarking with other Cape towns.
DPW Director Mark Vincent came forward to present fourteen different budgets.
#140 Beach Facilities
Vincent began with #140 Beach Facilities, which is level funded. The Selectmen wanted to discuss staffing for cleaning the bathrooms at the beaches while considering the facilities. Contract service was an option that was considered.
# 240 Forestry is level funded for $4,000, Vincent said.
#299 Traffic Control & Street Signs is also level funded.
#417 DPW Facilities has a decrease, Vincent said. There was a reduction in contract services, but he said he had budgeted more money ($45,000) for heating fuel.
#420 DPW Operating DPW
There is a 3% increase built into DPW salaries. The money for additional seasonal help for the bathrooms is also included at a 3.2% increase, Vincent said. Sylvia Smith asked if the mechanic still goes to SeMass or stays in Wellfleet working on equipment. Vincent said the mechanic is doing both.
#422 General Highways is level funded at $42,000. Kirsch had a general question on Chapter 90 funds. She asked if the State was keeping up with the costs of road paving. Vincent anticipates an increase in cost of paving materials and does not believe that the State will be supplementing the cost in the future.
#423 Snow Removal was the next item which Vincent covered. He distributed an information sheet on the number of roads and lane miles for dirt and paved roads which the Town plows. Using the lane count, the total mileage for one trip around town plowing covers 160 miles, Vincent said. There was discussion of fees for plowing private roads, the number of vehicles used for plowing, the length of time for a complete pass, sanding, overspending or deficits in #423.
#424 Street Lights reflected a reduction in electricity costs.
#425 Dikes, Bridges & Parking Lots is level funded.
#426 Survey & Engineering costs are level funded at $5,000
#433 Transfer Station had an increase of 11.7%. Last year contract services did not accurately reflect the $22,000 for the Landfill monitoring. Vehicle repairs will come out of #433. There evidently is a typo for 542-00 Office Supplies which Marilyn Crary will correct. Crary said that recycling revenue goes into the General Fund. Gatehouse receipts also go into Receipts Reserved, Crary explained.
#442 Municipal Water System has an increase due to electricity.
#443 Wesley Swamp Pump decreased by $200.
#692 Holidays is level funded, Vincent said at the conclusion of his presentations.
#220 Fire Department
Fire Chief Daniel Silverman came forward to present the Fire Department Budget Request and review the packet which he had submitted. The salaries are level funded, Silverman said, pending contract negotiations. The big increases are in Overtime, which he tried to project realistically. Contract Services has an additional $10,000 for IT consulting expenses. He has looked into obtaining software tailored to fire departments. Kelly asked about Wellfleet’s 2005 Benchmark Study of the Fire Department Budget in comparison with other towns. Silverman explained that the Rescue costs for ambulance transporting to Cape Cod Hospital account for the difference. He also explained the per capita discrepancy in actual population and census population that the Benchmark Study reported. There are
other differences between Wellfleet and the other Lower Cape towns’ fire and rescue departments, which Silverman noted. Kirsch asked about Fire having a separate IT budget. Paul Sieloff addressed her question regarding IT budgeting.
Silverman distributed a worksheet on Contract Services for the Fire Department, which totaled $10,676.66. He reviewed each item and handed out another sheet on the FY 09 Overtime Budget. Silverman explained that he tried to make realistic estimates.
He said the Repairs and Maintenance Line was also likely to go up, but he hoped it could be covered by savings elsewhere in the Fire Budget.
Moving to the Capital Budget, Silverman said the replacement of Ambulance 99 was the biggest increase requested. Ambulance 99 now has mileage of 116,198. Silverman proposed that Ambulance 99’s replacement be funded by the Capital Fund. Crary said it could also be presented as a Warrant Article. Silverman had anticipated funding for the water suppression tank installation at the new fire station. This had been cut from the Capital Budget. Silverman wanted the continuation of the Fire Suppression line in the Capital Budget.
Silverman discussed ambulance replacement on a 6-year basis. He now has a 9-year life cycle plan he would like to implement. Answering FinCom questions, Silverman discussed state inspections of fire vehicles. Marilyn Crary reported on figures in the Ambulance Fund. She said the Town has spent conservatively with Receipts Reserved in the past. Silverman elaborated on his plan for replacement of the ambulances.
Silverman explained the new position for a Deputy Fire Chief. He cited the Jacob’s Report’s findings on establishing a full-time Deputy Chief. He reviewed the Alarm Time Analysis worksheet to support the creation of the position. The Deputy Chief would be a response person as well as deputy. The additional position would provide scheduling solutions and continuity of inspections, Silverman said. Wood suggested regionalization for inspection services. Silverman suggested that the Deputy Chief position be presented as a Warrant Article.
#300 Wellfleet Elementary School
Nauset Superintendent of Schools Michael Gradone, Wellfleet Elementary School Principal Teecia Kent and School Committee Chair Jan Plaue came forward to present #300 Wellfleet Elementary School Budget. Teecia Kent said they were able to save some money in Special Needs costs. The number of teachers is the same as last year. Special Needs assistants have been reduced in number. She said they had added money back into the line for supplies. There is new software library system similar to CLAMS that costs $4,600, Kent said. The total figure for the Elementary School is $2,176,269. Kent said the anticipated number of students had increased. Gradone discussed increases in salaries for teachers and secretaries. Gradone also explained representation at contract negotiations. There was a
discussion of bringing the 6th grade back to Wellfleet Elementary School. Gradone cautioned that it would increase costs. Cost-per-pupil expenditures were also discussed. Gradone also answered some questions on school buses.
#301 Nauset Regional Schools
John Porteus Regional School Committee Representative and Superintendent Michael Gradone presented #301 Nauset Regional Schools Budget. Gradone reviewed figures and percentages in the Operating Budget. The total Operating Budget is up 6%. Debt service was also listed on the worksheet he had distributed. He reviewed the FY09 Assessment Analysis spreadsheet. There are three components to the assessment increase, Gradone said. Gradone explained cuts that the school system had made. He addressed a question about administrative cuts. School enrollment and its relationship to good education was a topic Donovan elaborated on. Mr. Porteus commented on the excellent MCAS scores of the Nauset Regional Schools. Teacher-pupil ratios were also considered. Tracking of students’
schooling after high school was another topic discussed.
# 541 Council of Aging
COA Director Suzanne Grout Thomas said # 541 was level funded. She responded to questions on wages.
# 520 Human Services
Thomas also presented Human Services. Thomas asked that a requested increase of 3% that had been eliminated be reinstated. Thomas answered questions on the non profit status and services of the Mustard Seed Kitchen; Gosnold’s services; and the Juice Bar. The Flex Bus service and its future were also discussed.
There was agreement that, in recompense for patiently waiting their turns to present until 10:30 p.m., Suzanne Thomas and Elaine McIlroy should be scheduled first in next year’s Budget sessions.
# 610 Library
Library Director Elaine McIlroy gave an overview of expenditures for #610 Library. There is an increase of $2,000 in Contract Services for the CLAMS system, she said. There is also an $2,000 increase budgeted for the temporary salary and wages line, McIlroy said. She distributed a handout of other sources of Library money from trusts, endowments, state aid, and Friends of the Library.
Ira Wood commented favorably on the Library services and space made available to so many diverse groups in Wellfleet.
Final Budget Steps
Arlene Kirsch asked what further steps needed to be taken to complete the FY09 Budget. She outlined areas where more information needed to be examined. These included: proposed Warrant Articles, DPW’s Capital Budget, the Fire Deputy position, Health Insurance, and a raise for the Town Clerk/Treasurer.
Town Administrator Paul Sieloff said he would examine the overall FY09 Budget with Town Accountant Marilyn Crary to find ways to reduce the figures. Dale Donovan suggested removing items from the Budget and introducing them as Warrant Articles at Town Meeting. Donovan moved to reduce the Budget by 2%, but his motion was not addressed.
Next Meeting
The Budget discussion will be continued at the next BOS meeting, Tuesday, February 12, 2008. The agenda item of “Town Administrator Goals” will be continued to this meeting.
Adjournment of the meeting was by consensus at 11:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary
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John Makely, Vice -Chair Jacqueline Wildes-Beebe
Finance Committee Chair, Board of Selectmen
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Dale Donovan
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Jerry Houk
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Michael May
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Ira Wood
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Date
Finance Committee approved these minutes at the meeting held 2/14/08.
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