HomeMy Public PortalAbout03.30.22 FinCom PacketTown of Brewster Finance Committee
2198 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631
fincommeeting@brewster-ma.gov
(508) 896-3701
MEETING AGENDA
Remote Participation Only
March 30, 2022 at 6:00 PM
This meeting will be conducted by remote participation pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021,. No in-person meeting
attendance will be permitted. If the Town is unable to live broadcast this meeting, a record of the proceedings will be provided on
the Town website as soon as possible.
The meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brewster-
ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov).
Meetings may be joined by:
1. Phone: Call (929) 436-2866 or (301) 715-8592. Webinar ID: 862 2956 9696 Passcode: 565167
To request to speak: Press *9 and wait to be recognized.
2. Zoom Webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86229569696?pwd=MUhJNGpoU3VocTZ0cTU0VGpYcWdVQT09
Passcode: 565167
To request to speak: Tap Zoom “Raise Hand” button or type “Chat” comment with your name and address, then
wait to be recognized.
Finance
Committee
Harvey (Pete) Dahl
Chair
Frank Bridges
Vice Chair
William Meehan
Clerk
Andrew Evans
William Henchy
Alex Hopper
Honey Pivirotto
Robert Tobias
Robert Young
Town
Administrator
Peter Lombardi
Finance Director
Mimi Bernardo
1.Call to Order
2.Declaration of a Quorum
3.Meeting Participation Statement
4.Recording Statement
5.Public Announcements and Comment: Members of the public may address the Finance Committee on
matters not on the meeting’s agenda for a maximum 3-5 minutes at the Chair’s discretion. Under the Open Meeting
Law, the Finance Committee is unable to reply but may add items presented to a future agenda.
6.Town Administrator/Finance Director Report
7.Town Meeting Warrant Articles – Discussion and Vote
a.ATM Article 2 Elementary Operating Budget
b.ATM Article 3 Brewster Elementary School Spec. Ed Stabilization Fund
c.ATM Article 4 Nauset Regional Schools Operating Budget
d.ATM Aricle 16 Lease of Town Property – Antenna
e.ATM Article 6 Water Enterprise Fund Operating Budget – Revote
f.ATM Article 8 Golf Enterprise Fund Operating Budget – Revote
g.ATM Article 10 Capital and Special Projects Expenditures – Revote
8.Nauset Regional Public Schools Budget Amendment - Discussion and Vote
9.Budget Calendar – Update
10.Liaison Reports
11.Review and Approval of Minutes
12.Request for agenda items for future meetings
13.Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair
14.Next Finance Committee Meeting
15.Adjournment
Date Posted:Date Revised:Received by Town Clerk:
3/28/22
Nauset Public Schools
78 Eldredge Park Way, Orleans, Massachusetts 02653
Phone: 508-255-8800 ● Fax: 508-240-2351 ● http://nausetschools.org
Brooke A. Clenchy
Superintendent of Schools
Robin A. Millen Ed.D. Mary Buchanan
Director of Curriculum Director of Student Services
Giovanna B. Venditti Eileen Belastock
Director of Finance and Operations Director of Technology
March 24, 2022
To: Town Administrators
From: Brooke A. Clenchy, Superintendent
Date: March 24, 2022
Re: Nauset Regional Schools Budget Information
At their meeting on March 10, 2022, the Nauset Regional School Committee voted to approve the FY23 operating
budget, debt, and capital budget for the Regional Schools totaling $26,649,063 and to certify the assessments
for each member town. I have attached the Budget Summary Sheets that detail these amounts.
The total operating budget for FY23 is $34,017,151 (after applying $2,433,600 of expenses directly to various
revolving accounts per DESE). The Net Operating Budget after applying $8,235,062 of revenue (in addition,
$2,433,600 has been utilized directly from various revolving accounts per DESE) is $25,782,089 which is an
increase of $1,400,367 representing a 5.74% increase over the FY22 Net Operating budget.
The Budget Summary Sheet also contains the debt service figures for FY23. The net cost of the bonding for the
debt for the High School Green Repair Project, the Middle School Roof Project, the renewal of the Bond
Anticipation Note ($6 million dollars) and new Bond Anticipation Note ($6 million dollars) for the High School
MSBA Renovation/Building Project in the amount of $295,813.
The total assessment to be apportioned based on enrollment is $26,649,063 an increase of $1,343,375 or a
5.31% increase.
BREWSTER $12,633,629
EASTHAM $ 5,220,146
ORLEANS $ 5,614,947
WELLFLEET $ 3,180,341
I have attached the Final approved line item budgets and descriptive materials for review by the Selectmen or
Finance Committee. I have already attended meetings with the boards in some towns so this material may not
be necessary.
Town Administrators
March 24, 2022
Page 2
The budget for the annual Capital Repair & Maintenance account is $573,290 which represents an increase of
2.50% over the FY22 funding. A final copy is attached along with a summary for use in your Town’s Warrant if
applicable.
BREWSTER $271,782
EASTHAM $112,299
ORLEANS $120,792
WELLFLEET $ 68,417
In summation, the FY23 Final approved operating budget for the Regional Schools totaling $26,649,063
which is an increase of $1,343,375 representing a 5.31% increase over the FY22 total budget inclusive
of the operating budget, debt, and capital allocated as follows:
BREWSTER $12,633,629
EASTHAM $ 5,220,146
ORLEANS $ 5,614,947
WELLFLEET $ 3,180,341
I have also included wording below for the annual article for the Region Assessment Formula. As has been past
practice, please place the following article on the Town Warrant:
To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Massachusetts General Law chapter 71, & 16B,
which would reallocate the sum of the member Towns’ contribution to the Nauset Regional School
District in accordance with the Regional Agreement rather than the Education reform Formula, so-
called, or to take any other action relative thereto. (Nauset Regional School Committee)
Summary
This article will apportion the Nauset Regional School Assessments for FY24 to the four member towns based
on their proportionate enrollment within the school district. This is the method provided within the inter-municipal
agreement approved by the four towns establishing the Nauset Regional School District, and has been applie d
in each of the last seventeen years by town meeting vote. NAUSET REGIONAL SCHOOLS
Town Administrators
March 24, 2022
Page 3
FY23 CAPITAL REPAIR & MAINTENANCE PLAN SUMMARY (for warrants as needed)
The Nauset Regional School District is req uesting funds for the annual capital repair and maintenance portion
of their budget. Funds are used to implement repairs to the school facilities and grounds and to purchase
necessary capital equipment. In FY23 funds will be used as follows:
Middle School:
General repairs
Replace fire alarm system
High School:
General repairs
General plumbing repairs
General HVAC repairs
Central Office:
No funds are being requested in FY23.
Please let me know if you need any further information.
Sincerely,
Brooke A. Clenchy
Brooke A. Clenchy
Superintendent of Schools
Attachments
NAUSET REGIONAL SCHOOLS
CONSTRUCTION DEBT ANALYSIS
VER 2 COMPARED TO VER 3 FINAL
29-Mar-22
INCREASE
VERSION 2 VERSION 3 FINAL (DECREASE)
Construction Debt Service 442,429 295,813 (146,616)
Transfer from E&D 2,129 2,129 -
SBAB Reimbursement - - -
DEBT TO BE FUNDED 440,300 293,684 (146,616)
ANALYSIS:
Prior Debt HS and MS 235,813 235,813 -
Interest on BANs (Estimated)206,616 60,000 (146,616)
Transfer from E&D 2,129 2,129 -
-
DEBT TO BE FUNDED 440,300 293,684 (146,616)
Brewster's Allocation of Debt 208,735 139,228 (69,507)
Difference is the reduction in the BANs interest as estimated prior to meeting with Lynne Welsh.
C:\Users\vendittig\Desktop\FY23 BUDGET\Debt Analysis Brewster March 29 2022
Nauset Regional Assessments based on Ver 3, 3.10.2022 Budget
Town Assessment %Variance Assessment % Total Assessment
Brewster 48.16670%12,188,914.82 47.40740%12,633,627.89
Eastham 19.83330%5,018,953.02 19.58850%5,220,151.71
Orleans 19.08330%4,829,160.36 21.07000%5,614,957.57
Wellfleet 12.91670%3,268,659.80 11.93420%3,180,352.48
1 25,305,688.00 100.00010%26,649,089.65
Total Assesment 25,305,688.00 26,649,063.00
1.0531
Nauset Regional Assessments - Operating ONLY
Town Assessment %Variance Assessment %Total Assessment
Brewster 48.16670%11,743,870.89 47.40740%12,222,618.06
Eastham 19.83330%4,835,700.07 19.58850%5,050,324.50
Orleans 19.08330%4,652,837.15 21.07000%5,432,286.15
Wellfleet 12.91670%3,149,313.89 11.93420%3,076,886.07
1 24,381,722.00 100.00010%25,782,114.78
Total Assesment 24,381,722.00 25,782,089.00
1.0574
FY 22 FY 23 @ 5.9%
FY 22 FY 23 @ 5.9%
Variance Assessment % Total Assessment Variance from FY22 Savings
444,713.07 47.40740%12,296,687.95 107,773.13 336,939.94
201,198.69 19.58850%5,080,929.81 61,976.79 139,221.89
785,797.22 21.07000%5,465,206.17 636,045.82 149,751.40
(88,307.33)11.93420%3,095,532.20 (173,127.60)84,820.27
1,343,401.65 100.00010%25,938,356.14 632,668.14 710,733.51
25,938,330.20
1.025
Variance Assessment %Total Assessment Variance from FY22 Savings
478,747.17 47.40740%11,847,708.99 103,838.10 374,909.07
214,624.43 19.58850%4,895,413.95 59,713.88 154,910.55
779,449.00 21.07000%5,265,659.55 612,822.39 166,626.61
(72,427.82)11.93420%2,982,507.55 (166,806.33)94,378.51
1,400,392.78 100.00010%24,991,290.04 609,568.04 790,824.74
24,991,265.05
1.025
FY 23 at 2.5% increase (if assessments only rose 2.5%)
FY 23 at 2.5% increase (if assessments only rose 2.5%)
OPERATING EXPENSE ONLY % increase
FY22 Actual (OpX + Revolving Funds)34,474,602$
FY23 Proposed (OpX + Revolving Funds)36,464,667$ 5.8%
FY23 if 2.5% increase 35,336,467$ 2.5%
Savings v. Proposed - District Total 1,128,200$
Brewster Orleans Eastham Wellfleet
FY23 Assessment %47.41%21.07%19.59%11.93%
Savings 534,850$ 237,712$ 220,997$ 134,642$
Savings on FY23 Assessment if OpX increase capped at 2.5%
NAUSET REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT - SAVINGS WITH 2.5% OpX BUDGET CAP
Town Meeting
May 14, 2022
Amendment to Article 4
Nauset Regional Schools Operating Budget Ver 3 ( 3.10.22)
Move to amend Article 4 by reducing the budget line item by
$374,909.07. Requested Nauset Assessment for FY23 line item will
now read $11,847,709.
This effectively moves the budget increase to $2.5%. Given declining
enrollments, costs of subsidizing School Choice Students and lack of
transparency in budget preparations an increase of 2.5% is
reasonable.
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 1 of 8
TOWN OF BREWSTER
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Date: March 2, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM
VIRTUAL MEETING MINUTES
Present: Chair Pete Dahl, Vice Chair Frank Bridges, Clerk Bill Meehan, Robert Tobias, Alex Hopper,
William Henchy, Andy Evans
Also present: Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator; Donna Kalinick, Assistant Town Administrator; Betsy
Smith, Citizens Petition; Joseph Breda, Citizens Petition
Absent: Mimi Bernardo, Finance Director; Honey Pivirotto; Bob Young
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:01 pm and announced a quorum.
This meeting will be conducted by remote participation pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021. No in-person meeting attendance will be permitted. If the Town
is unable to live broadcast this meeting, a record of the proceedings will be provided on the Town website as soon as possible.
The meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brerwster-ma.gov), or Video
recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov).
1.Public Announcements and Comment- none
2.Town Administrator/Finance Director Report
Peter Lombardi said he knew he’d be speaking a lot throughout the meeting, so not much to report otherwise.
He did want to mention that they have been providing updates on ARPA funds and did hear from the county
that there is a proposal at the county level to allocate $10M directly to the towns through a grant process. If you
follow that forward, and the funds are allocated by population, we will receive just under $500,000 as our share
of the county allocation. We have identified several major Capital needs that would be helped with those funds.
Donna Kalinick said she wanted to follow up on a question from the last meeting regarding our insurance
coverage for Civil Rights claims, and we do have Civil Rights Violation/Town Liability limits of $1M/$3M.
She also wanted to mention that they are working on an update to the Town’s Housing Production Plan. There
are small group interviews happening, and if you missed those, they will be launching a survey next week, and
we will send out a link to the Committee Chairs for their input.
3.Town Meeting Warrant Articles – Discussion and Vote
a.Citizen’s Petition – Punkhorn Hunting Ban
b.Citizen’s Petition – Punkhorn Hunting Restrictions
c.STM Article 2 – Transition Golf Department to Enterprise Fund
d.ATM Article 5 - Nauset Regional Assessment Formula
e.ATM Article 8 – Creation of New Golf Stabilization Fund
Approved:
VOTE:
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 2 of 8
f.ATM Article 12 – Bond Premium Appropriation
g.ATM Article 13 – Special Revenue Fund: Cable Franchise Fee
h.ATM Article 14 – Acceptance of Grants and Gifts
i.ATM Article 15 – Repair & Resurface of Town roads – Chapter 90 Funds
a.Citizen’s Petition, Punkhorn Hunting Ban – Betsy Smith
Betsy Smith said she was here because the language used last time the petition went in front of Town
Meeting was deemed inappropriate for a bylaw by Town Counsel. This new petition has the correct
language according to Town Counsel. Other than that, there is nothing new in the petition. She will take
questions if there are any.
Pete said this article did come by us in the past and opened the floor up for questions. Frank asked if the
Attorney General’s Office approved the petition with different language, does it have to go back to the Attorney
General again now? Betsy Smith believed that was true. Peter Lombardi answered that all zoning and general
bylaws approved by Town Meeting have to go through the Attorney General’s Office and felt this would need
to go back to them for approval again. It took nearly 5 months to hear back from them the last time. We don’t
believe there will be an issue this time, but it does have to go through that process. It will take effect after the
approval is given.
Pete said these articles are very similar, but one counters the other. He doesn’t see that they both could pass, and
he wants to be fair to both.
Bill Meehan said he understands that absent such a bylaw, there is a committee that regulates hunting on town
lands. Peter Lombardi said there are multiple town-owned parcels in the Punkhorn. Most are under the care,
custody, and control of the Conservation Commission. Some are under the care, custody, and control of the
Water Commission. And some are municipal property and under the care, custody, and control of the Select
Board. The Conservation Commission has a hunting policy that they annually review, update, and approve.
Through that process, hunting has never been allowed in the Punkhorn. That’s where this petition stands to keep
that policy memorialized in a bylaw where Town Meeting would have to approve any changes to that. Betsy
Smith said she has already presented to the Select Board and has other presentations scheduled with the Water
Commission and with the Conservation Commission. Bill Meehan said he does not think this committee should
vote on this before those other committees give their input. Peter Lombardi said the Select Board vote was 3-2
in favor of this petition. If he remembers correctly, he believes the Water Commission also voted in favor last
year.
Bill Henchy found this issue very interesting from a professional point of view. He asked Peter Lombardi to
confirm, if he understands the default position is that hunting is not allowed on public lands absent a vote of the
controlling body to allow it, correct? Peter Lombardi answered yes. Bill Henchy asked secondly, the town has
the authority under general laws to prohibit the discharge of firearms on town owned land, however, towns
cannot regulate hunting except as provided by Fish and Wildlife. The Punkhorn is under the authority of three
governing bodies – Select Board, Water Department, and the Conservation Commission. Until one of those
entities takes a vote to permit hunting on that land, it is prohibited as a matter of general law. It is true that is a
Board-by-Board decision that could be changed at any time, hence the request for a bylaw change. Town
Meeting vote would essentially be effective to take that decision out of the hands of those individual governing
bodies. He would like to hear from the bodies with statutory authority and what their views would be before
taking a position.
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 3 of 8
b.Citizen’s Petition, Punkhorn Hunting Restrictions – Joe Breda
Joe Breda has been in town since 1999 and is very familiar with the area. When this came to a vote at
Town Meeting last year, he was unaware. He can understand where people might be concerned for
safety with firearms, where there could be issues. He has literature that one person has died in the last 4
years. One too many, he understands. He thought that 3 weeks in December, the archery season, to allow
hunting would be more appropriate. There’s no hunting on Saturday, it is a busy time of the year with
Christmas shopping, etc. He thinks archery is very safe. He walked up there last week and there were
very few people during the week there. He feels at that time of the year, all the beaches are open for
walking, you have Drummer Boy, the dog park, and the Sea Camps (shortly.) It will only be about 18
days to allow some hunting. Brewster has a $5 pass for in-town hunting. Looking at the last 10 years, the
Town Clerk has said there were 10-15 people who purchased that pass to hunt in-town. It is a small
population; we are a minority. He has never shot a deer in his life and that is all they are looking for –
there is plenty of deer there, maybe too many.
Bill Henchy asked about banning hunting in all forms except bow hunting for deer in bow hunting season. He
wondered what the substantive objection is to bow hunting in bow hunting season. Betsy Smith said the people
she has worked with on this have lots of anecdotes about running into hunters in the Punkhorn and having very
negative conversations with those hunters. If it is banned, there is less room for people to get a “toe in the door”
to do much more there than allowed. Since there are other places in Brewster where there is hunting, we wanted
to make this clearer and more direct. Pete said he’s tried to look at this from many different perspectives. He
hates to have the Finance Committee weigh in on articles that do not have a financial component. Because of
certain language changes, this must come around again. Pete believes the vote at Town Meeting was to accept
this article and believes that is the outcome FinCom voted for last year. He wants to respect prior Town Meeting
judgement.
Joe Breda said that during the Town Meeting when they had the vote, he had to leave, and he heard they had to
have a re-count. People, like him, were not there for the second count. He feels that makes the vote mute. Pete
said that once the meeting has been announced as having a quorum, it is difficult to know if people have left or
not. Peter Lombardi said that included in the packet for tonight’s meeting, there is a certified copy of the vote
that was submitted to the Attorney General’s Office. That was ultimately the vote that was recorded.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve of Article 22 as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – no, Bill Meehan – no, Robert Tobias – no, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – no, Bill Henchy – no, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 2-yes 5-no
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve of Article 23 as printed in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – no, Bill Meehan – no, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – no, Alex
Hopper – no, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– no
The Committee voted: 2-yes 5-no
c.STM Article 3 – Transition Golf Department to Enterprise Fund
Peter Lombardi said we have talked about this a lot over the past two+ years. We are prepared to do this in the
next FY. One key element has been the work done by the National Golf Foundation in their report. In terms of
their finances, we have drilled down into greater detail both the operating budget side and in terms of their
capital needs and how those would be financed. This is one of the recommendations from the MA DOR when
they conducted their financial management review back in 2019. By the letter of the law, the statute we are
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 4 of 8
operating under now, the next year’s golf expenditures should be covered by revenues raised in this fiscal year.
That is not our current practice, so we want to make this change official.
Bill Meehan said he believes that the organization at Captain’s, including management and the board that
directs them, is more than capable of managing an enterprise fund. He thinks this was a long time coming and
he heartily endorses it.
Pete said the article references the Water Dept. Reserve Fund. Peter Lombardi said that is a typo and will be
corrected. Pete said we have wanted to treat the golf program like a business, and we should approve an
Enterprise Fund. It makes sense.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve of STM Article 3 as discussed (Pete read the full corrected Article to the
Committee) in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
d.ATM Article 5 - Nauset Regional Assessment Formula
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 5 referencing the apportionment of funds towards the
NRSC as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
e.ATM Article 8 – Creation of New Golf Stabilization Fund
Peter Lombardi said this was something that developed out of our budget and capital meetings this winter, and
with the new deferred capital at the Captain’s, due to the debt payments still on the books at the time. With the
rates approved for calendar 2022, there is some additional capacity in the Golf Dept. Operating Budget. We are
proposing to create a new stabilization fund specific to capital which will require a 2/3 vote from Town Meeting
once that fund is approved, and funding allocated. It is intended to cover larger capital costs to avoid or reduce a
need to issue debt to cover them.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve of ATM Article 8 as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges
second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
f.ATM Article 12 – Bond Premium Appropriation
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve of ATM Article 12 as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges
second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
g.ATM Article 13 – Special Revenue Fund: Cable Franchise Fee
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 5 of 8
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 13 as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges
second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
h.ATM Article 14 – Acceptance of Grants and Gifts
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve of ATM Article 14 as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges
second.
Robert asked if this article covers the BAHT as a separate entity. Peter Lombardi said that is not in the article,
so he would need to check. Frank said it is in the comment, saying, within any given year, town boards,
committees, and departments. Is the BAHT considered a committee? The BAHT is not but has its own bylaw.
Peter Lombardi said he will check with Town Counsel.
Vote deferred for clarification. Bill Meehan withdrew the motion. Frank Bridges as well.
i.ATM Article 15 – Repair & Resurface of Town roads – Chapter 90 Funds
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 15 as presented in the draft Warrant. Frank Bridges
second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
4.Update on Water Quality Project Funding Options and Continued Brewster
Participation in Cape Cod and the Islands Water Protection Fund
Peter Lombardi said this will have bearing on this Warrant as well. This is a follow-up to the joint Select Board
and BOH meeting of January 27th where we got an update from our consultant Horsley Witten on our Water
Resource Management Plan. The report talked about what upcoming projects are anticipated on the horizon
which total a little over $30M based on what we know today and talked about how we might finance those
projects. As we discussed, the Town is a member of the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund. We have
some challenges relative to accessing the subsidies through that fund based on what our projects have been and
what is anticipated. This is not a new conversation; it was started last May. This has been a goal to work
through for the Select Board to work with their strategic plan for this Fiscal Year. One of the follow-up items
was for Peter Lombardi to meet with our legislative delegation and understand where they stood on this issue
relative to some potential solutions. One idea was to opt out of the Water Protection Fund and replace it with
special legislation to bring to Town Meeting - which would mirror the 2.75% tax on short term rentals, and this
would go directly to Brewster. On that front, the delegation said that was a non-starter because of the potential
precedent it would set for cities and towns wanting to impose local taxes on whatever industry and for whatever
purpose that was important to them. Instead, they suggested alternatives –
1.Adopting a 3% Community Impact Fee imposed on short term rentals, requiring simple majority of
Town Meeting to adopt only. This would be a two-step process, first option pertaining to professionally
managed rental units and the second would be for all short-term rentals. The fee would be imposed and
collected by the state. We are currently bringing in about $1M/year in that fund. At the same time, the
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 6 of 8
6% tax on traditional lodging and short-term rentals that Brewster collects and go to our General Fund.
Those total about $2.3M/year, where a little over half is from short term rental. If we did adopt this, we
would bring in close to $600,000-$700,000 a year. We would have to spend at least 35% of this on
either affordable housing or local infrastructure projects. We need to create a Water Stabilization Fund;
the Community Impact Fee would go directly to this water quality stabilization fund. This would require
2/3 vote of Town Meeting to appropriate out from the new fund.
2.The delegation worked hard to develop this legislation to get passed at the state level and see it as an
important regional resource to solve a significant regional problem. They are hoping Brewster will stay
in the fund and make it work for them. They offered to broker a meeting between relative state officials
to see if they would take a different approach at the State level. This is a regional problem. If the state
says this is the program, and they do not see making changes, our delegation offers to go back to the
Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund Boards to see about making changes to how they determine
eligibility for the subsidies they provide for these projects. It’s a 2/3rds vote to opt out and the plan
would be to substitute it with something else. We could opt back in, if necessary, by another Town
Meeting vote. If we do that, you cannot receive funding for the first two years back in. The board
approved a short-term revenue allocation policy last spring. It says that 50% of those revenues are
directed to the Affordable Housing Trust; at least 25% to , Capital Stabilization, and up to 10% to
operating expenses directly related goals in the Select Board’s strategic plan. For FY23, we assumed the
share to Capital Stabilization would be 40%. The Board supported creating a new Water Stabilization
Fund at Town Meeting and appropriating 15% of the projected revenues totaling $112,500 to that
account to cover some of the near-term water quality projects which for next year is about $175,000.
The Select Board decided to opt out of the Cape and Islands Water Protection Fund and opting in to the
Community Impact fee on the Warrant for STM next fall. Effectively saying they are looking at us to work with
our legislative delegation to see if we can find a solution that works better for us over the next several months.
Failing some resolution, they will bring forward those two Warrant Articles to Town Meeting in the fall.
Pete said basically we are spending $1M that we are not allowed to get any money back. Peter Lombardi said
we are collecting $1M/year that is going to the regional fund. Because of what our projects are and the way the
state program is structured and the bylaws of the Water Protection Fund and the way those were adopted, we are
seeing less than our share of those funds. Best case scenario, we are going to receive about $4M in subsidy out
of our $31M of Capital Projects for water quality. This is our planning for the next 20-30 years. Over that time,
we will roughly contribute $30M and we will see about $4M of return from that fund.
Peter Lombardi said the intent is not to layer on additional taxes, but to replace one with the other.
5.Nauset Regional Public Schools Budget – Discussion and Strategic Direction
Pete said the Nauset Public Schools pulled out of our scheduled meeting and decided they would not meet with
any entities until they vote on and certify their own budget. Peter Lombardi said they voted last week, there is
another this week, and another on the 17th. We don’t have a date as to when they will be presenting their FY23
budgets. Pete said there has been a series of emails back and forth between Peter Lombardi and the School
Superintendent. Peter Lombardi said we built our meetings schedule out with this budget meeting in mind, after
the school budgets have been presented to the school committee but before a vote. Cape Cod Tech came in and
presented their budget on Monday night. They plan on having each of the School Committees vote on their
budgets before presenting to any of the towns. Partly because of the Orleans request for them to present. They
know they are looking at a significant override relative to increase in terms of the Nauset assessment. Peter
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 7 of 8
Lombardi thinks it is important they present soon because we are looking at sending the warrant to the printer
by the end of this month.
Pete sent out the assessments as to how they affect the different towns. It shows that if they adhered to a 2.5%
increase, we would be saving $413,000 on our assessment. This is serious money from an organization that
doesn’t seem to want our input. We know they have challenges. Enrollments are down and their assessments are
way up. Pete finds this untenable. His plan would be to bring to this committee, after their budget is certified, an
amendment to reduce their budget by the amount of the savings of $413,049. He would like FinCom to take a
leadership role in pushing this forward. He is putting this out there tonight for everyone to think it through and
understand where we are with the school committee. We need two towns to object to the budget. An
amendment is an objection.
Andy asked if there was any reason they gave for the change? Peter Lombardi said he didn’t want to speak for
the superintendent or school committee chairs, but it is their position that the school committees have statutory
authority in developing and approving a budget and wanted to complete their process before presenting to the
towns. Robert asked if two towns object, what happens? It gets sent back to the school committee for re-
evaluation. Peter Lombardi said it is pretty involved procedurally. He will send a link to the DESE website
where the statute details are provided. If the proposed budget is not approved by 2/3rds vote, the school
committee has to reconsider; they could bring it back as is or make changes – within 45 days. Then we would
have to reconvene a Special Town Meeting. If that were to fail, there would be a super-regional town meeting to
act on the 3rd iteration of the school budget.
Bill Meehan said it seems to him that in this case, the Finance Committee has an obligation not just to vote and
consider, but to speak out. We have been placed in a very difficult position by a body that has been granted
statutory authority and someone needs to call attention to that fact. He supports the Chairman.
Bill Henchy asked about Orleans and their levy limit. Peter Lombardi answered they are looking at a perhaps
significant operating override. They are doing what they can to potentially minimize the extent of that override
that is caused by a combination of the almost 6% operating increase and a significant increase in their student
enrollment. He doesn’t think there’s any possibility for them to avoid an operating override, and they were
seeking to have some dialogue with the school administration or the school committee to see if there would be
some ability to reduce the extent of their operating budget increase to reduce or eliminate the need for an
operating override. The response was that they would not meet with the towns until they certified their budget.
Bill Henchy went on to say that given the position that Orleans has been placed in, he supports the Chair as
well.
Peter Lombardi wanted to remind everyone that as we were finalizing our budget, when we received the Nauset
Budgets at a 6% increase, we were well over our levy limit - $200,000+. It wasn’t until the next day that we
learned that our Chapter 70 State Aid for Brewster Elementary Schools was set to increase by 32%, over
$300,000, that we had sufficient capacity to absorb the operating increase. The way it worked out; we were able
to increase our levy limit. This was a one-time outlier and luck the way it timed out. Pete will bring this forward
at a future meeting to determine our direction then.
6.Budget Calendar – Update - none
7.Liaison Reports
Robert Tobias spoke about the Brewster School Committee - there was a presentation on February 17th, there
was a brief presentation by the Superintendent on the Budget Process. They described the staffing changes in
Finance Committee Minutes
March 2, 2022 Page 8 of 8
the district since the start of the school year. There was also a very good presentation of Stony Brook and Eddy.
In about ½ hour, you will get a good sense of those two topics. Pete said it might be worthwhile to go back and
listen to that.
8. Review and Approval of Minutes – 2/2/22, 2/7/22, 2/9/22
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve the 2/2/22 Minutes as presented. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve the 2/7/22 Minutes as presented. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– abstain.
The Committee voted: 6-yes 0-no 1-abstain
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve the 2/9/22 Minutes as presented. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex
Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– abstain.
The Committee voted: 6-yes 0-no 1-abstain
9. Request for agenda items for future meetings – please email Pete
10. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair- none
11. Next Finance Committee Meetings- March 9, 2022
12. Adjournment
Bill Meehan MOVED to adjourn the meeting at 8:18 PM. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Andy Evans – yes, Alex Hopper –
yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no
Respectfully submitted, Beth Devine
Packet of supporting materials on the website for public review.
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 1 of 8
TOWN OF BREWSTER
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Date: March 16, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM
VIRTUAL MEETING MINUTES
Present: Chair Pete Dahl, Vice Chair Frank Bridges, Clerk Bill Meehan, Robert Tobias, Alex Hopper,
William Henchy, Honey Pivirotto, Bob Young
Also present: Peter Lombardi, Town Administrator; Mimi Bernardo, Finance Director; Donna Kalinick,
Assistant Town Administrator; Chief Moran, Brewster Fire Department; Matthew DiSanto, Pennrose LLC;
Faythe Ellis, CPC Chair; Sarah Robinson, CPC Vice Chair
Absent: Andy Evans
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:04 pm and announced a quorum.
This meeting will be conducted by remote participation pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021. No in-person meeting attendance will be permitted. If the Town
is unable to live broadcast this meeting, a record of the proceedings will be provided on the Town website as soon as possible.
The meeting may be viewed by: Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brerwster-ma.gov), or Video
recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov).
1.Public Announcements and Comment- none
2.Town Administrator/Finance Director Report
Peter Lombardi said a topic discussed at the Select Board Meeting last week on the Sea Camps – moving
forward using a portion of Brewster’s ARPA funds to repurpose the existing tennis courts on the Bay Property
to construct parking for resident beach access for this summer. Our plan is to notify the Conservation
Committee next week, then go forward with a proposal for short-term parking for the property. We hope to
complete the permitting process by the beginning of May and have several weeks to complete the work by July
1 – 7 days/week, 8am-8pm July and August. We are also planning to do 4-5 one-time family events in July and
August. We are also in the process of hiring a few seasonal Recreation Department staff to man the gate house
and run the summer program.
Frank wondered what they might be taking down. Peter said there is a new boathouse, but there is an old
boathouse structure with a shed off to the right and those would be the only two structures coming down. There
are two tennis courts that are most northward adjacent to the dune, and we would need to remove those to
protect the coastal dune and provide some buffer. Frank said the 50 parking spots will take the two courts that
run east/west. Peter Lombardi said we will only allow 50 cars into the lot, once that is full, we will close the lot
to decrease liability.
3.Town Meeting Warrant Articles – Discussion and Vote
ATM Article 9 - Community Preservation Act Funding (Faythe Ellis presenting)
Approved:
VOTE:
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 2 of 8
ATM Article 14 - Town Code Amendment to Community Preservation Bylaw
STM Article 1 - Outstanding Obligations
STM Article 2 - Budgetary Transfers
ATM Article 5 - Town Budget (Re-vote Fire Dept due to OT increase)
ATM Article 6 - Water Enterprise Fund Budget
ATM Article 8 - Golf Enterprise Fund Budget
ATM Article 10 – Capital & Special Projects – (Re-vote due to change)
ATM Article 11 - Water Quality Stabilization
ATM Article 15 - Yankee Drive Transfer
ATM Article 9 – Community Preservation Act Funding, Faythe Ellis presenting
Faythe Ellis presented to the Finance Committee. She started by giving a brief overview of the Community
Preservation Committee and its work. She then went through the Article itself and gave a summary of each
project and how the CPC voted.
Frank said under 1A – that is a fantastic idea and exactly what we need to be doing in Brewster. He is also
happy about the Pennrose project. What happens after the initial lease-up? This will attract people to our high
school and allow Brewster residents to enjoy this. These are all rental units, after the initial lease up, what
happens to the local preference? Donna Kalinick answered after the initial lease up, the local preference goes
away. With her experience with local lotteries, in Eastham, there were approximately 300 applicants, and they
were all from the surrounding towns. It is very rare that we have applicants from off-Cape. Yarmouth Gardens
with 45 rental units, recently received 600 applicants and over 550 were deemed qualified. We are waiting on
that data to have a better idea for our next couple of lotteries we have coming up.
Bill Henchy is familiar with Pennrose, and they do great work. He sits as a member of the Brewster Finance
Committee where we have a very admirable project in Brewster Woods, and he hopes the town seeks the
maximum local preference that is available. Bill Henchy hopes the CPC will provide for that project. When
town funds are being utilized for affordable housing developments, the bulk of funds should go toward the
initial lease-ups that will provide the maximum local preference to Brewster residents. He is not in favor of that
particular application. He is a proponent of local housing but cannot support sending Brewster money to
Orleans that will largely benefit Orleans residents on the initial lease-up. Everything else he is fully supportive
of, particularly the digitization project.
Bob Young asked what the downside is for Brewster residents if we do not provide this funding? Donna
Kalinick answered that, other than having a share of the regional/local preference, you would have to ask Matt
DiSanto from Pennrose. If you don’t receive the local CPC funding, how would you make up those funds? Matt
DiSanto addressed the Committee and thanked Faythe Ellis for describing the project. He answered that you
will lose out on the local preference and if we don’t receive this funding, the project will continue forward. It
might reduce the quality somewhat somewhere and if more towns did not help to support this project, we would
have issues. The housing crisis is acute on the Cape and Islands, where the regional housing as a benefit to all
the area’s communities. He thinks it is important and necessary to show local support when applying for
local/state/federal funding. Peter Lombardi was curious as to what is typical around the turnover from the initial
lease-up. How long do typical residents stay before it’s opened up for others in the area? Matt DiSanto said he
would have to find out and get back to him. Bob Young asked for clarification of the preference so he could
analyze quantitatively. Matt DiSanto said there is a 65% local preference and then a 10% regional preference -
people who live/work/students who go to school in that area. 10% regional is 6 units, the 65% local is 40 units.
Brewster would be in the regional preference.
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 3 of 8
Sarah Robinson said housing in Brewster is at crisis level. So, the opportunity to get 3 or 4 units might not
matter in the aggregate, but it matters for those 4 families. Brewster then, if breaking that goodwill with other
towns, it will be very difficult for us to go to other towns asking for support as well. The regional collaboration
to help with our housing crisis is critical to battle against it.
Pete looks at this as, housing is definitely a crisis, and he has seen it up close and personal with people he works
with – this is a very challenging time to buy a home in Brewster. We need to develop these types of projects.
The location is an excellent location. There is a shared responsibility of all the towns on the Cape and is critical
to try to solve this problem.
Robert Tobias asked if a Brewster resident has a child at Nauset Middle School would they qualify for local
preference? Donna Kalinick, Faythe Ellis, and Matthew DiSanto said yes. Bill Henchy said that really affects
his thinking on this project.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 9, Section 1 Historic Preservation, $143,070 to be funded
from CPA revenues. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob Young – yes, Robert
Tobias – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 9, Section 2 Community Housing, $143,070 as printed in
the Warrant to be funded from CPA estimated annual revenues. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob Young – yes, Robert
Tobias – yes, Alex Hopper – abstain, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no 1-abstain
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 9, Section 3 Open Space, $715,349 to be sourced from
FY23 CPA revenues. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob Young – yes, Robert
Tobias – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 9, Section 4 Budgeted Reserve, $429,209 to be funded from
CPA estimated annual revenues. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob Young – yes, Robert
Tobias – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
ATM Article 14 – Town Code Amendment to Community Preservation Bylaw
Faythe Ellis presented on the CPA in general and CPA in Brewster and what it means. 187 MA Communities
participate in CPA including all the Cape & Islands. In Brewster, we adopted other minimums over the statutory
minimums. 50% for Open Space, 10% Community Housing, 10% Historic Preservation, and the remaining 30%
is for Community Housing/Historic Preservation/or Recreation. This is highly unusual to have this customized
funding bylaw. Some other communities have target allocations, but they are not codified. The town of Eastham
is a nearby town who has this.
Why develop a 5 Year CPA Plan? Last year, in reviewing the potential pipeline of potential projects, in
comparison to estimated revenues, it was clear that the funding future was not rosy. In the near term, the
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 4 of 8
committee will be placed in the position of deciding between eligible projects with no strategy as to approach.
They hired Jenn Goldson as the consultant to help develop a plan. We are expecting the CPC to vote on the Plan
on March 21st. We are recommending removal of our current allocation formula. The plan will establish a target
allocation policy. This would be a guideline for the CPC for recommendations for a multi-year period.
Targets – 30% Open Space, 30% Community Housing, 10% Historic Preservation, 10% Outdoor Recreation,
5% CPC Admin Costs, with the remaining 15% undesignated and can be used in any category. The other policy
decisions in the plan relate to adopting overall CPA goals that align with the target allocation policy. The goals
we identified – prioritize the allocation of CPA funding to create and support community housing and preserve
open space/natural resources, including multi-purpose projects that address both housing and open space needs.
Secondarily, support eligible outdoor recreation and historic preservation projects. Support eligible projects that
demonstrate compatibility with the Community Vision and other relevant community initiatives and goals such
as at the Pond Parcel and/or Bay Parcel at the Cape Cod Sea Camps property. Encourage leveraging of CPA
funds with other public and private funding as well as donation, bargain sales, and the like. Allocate funding for
regional projects that demonstrate clear community benefit and contributions from other communities in the
region. Then we identified goals in each funding area. Earlier this month, Peter Lombardi attended our meeting
to discuss the 5-year capital improvement process and CPA eligible projects on that plan. Faythe Ellis combined
that information and information we learned from our public hearing. The goal was to get a baseline estimate of
projects. She went through each of those. There are gaps in this, we know there will be more requests, we just
don’t know what they will be.
Faythe Ellis then went through the eligible project/funding availability look ahead with the current formula. She
did a similar process as above but using what we are proposing with the CPA Plan to show the difference. Then
she said the CPC is asking for Select Board support to adopt the statutory formula to be effective FY24.
Peter Lombardi wanted to clarify that the vote tonight will be to amend the CPC bylaw to go to the statutory
formula. It is not to weigh in on the 5-year plan and the target allocations in that plan. That is a CPC decision.
Bill Meehan asked how much Open Space is enough? He doesn’t expect an informed answer but thinks this
needs to be asked.
Frank said under the proposed formula, we aren’t changing any of the gross funds in any of our reserves. We
are amending the way we use those funds so that we can allocate those funds to projects we anticipate we are
going to need those funds. Faythe Ellis answered that is the benefit of the statutory formula, the flexibility.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve Article 14 as printed in the Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bob Young – yes, Honey
Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
STM Article 1 – Outstanding Obligations
Peter Lombardi said we had 4 unpaid bills from FY21 totaling just over $4300. All these invoices were received
after the end of the fiscal year. The last 3 are from the golf course.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve STM Article 1, Outstanding Obligations, $4,337.78 to be raised and
appropriated as printed in the Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bob Young – yes, Honey
Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 5 of 8
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
STM Article 2 – Budgetary Transfers
Peter Lombardi said the first two are – anticipating closing out a healthy balance in our health insurance lines.
We are very strategic in developing our health insurance budgets. All our employees with their various plans,
we factor in a handful of plans in case someone new takes the plan or transitions to a different plan, we
generally don’t have this much to turn back. You will recall this year there was a one-month premium holiday
that the town was eligible for through the Municipal Health Group. we applied half of it to this line, so, we have
some capacity in the town and school insurance line. On the short-term debt, we have obligations on a couple
projects -the fuel depot and a larger vehicle that has been in our Operating Budget the past several years. With
the purchase of the Sea Camps, we are bringing on about $650,000 in short term debt. We have $300,000 for
that short term debt in the next FY budget. This means we will be able to pay off the Long Pond acquisition in
the remaining 3 years without impacting the tax levy. 3rd is a transfer of $150,000 in ambulance receipts to the
Fire Department overtime budget. Chief Moran provided a memo detailing why there are increases in the OT
line items. Some of which can be covered by the Fire Department Operating Budget, but not all. We typically
go to a 5-man minimum in the high summer months but instituted that on a year-round basis. We now know
what the costs of that change in our staffing model is. We are still projecting in FY22 and FY23 of a $2M
balance in the ambulance receipts line item. We believe this is sustainable ongoing.
Chief Moran said the housing issue is across the board. The three fire departments in the memo have staffing at
what we are at now, and their OT is much higher than ours. We have historically been able to operate with
$300,000-$325,000 worth of OT funds; that just isn’t the case anymore. We have to be able to answer more
than one call at a time. Our calls have gone up approximately 13.4% in 2021 compared to 2020. We are already
running above where we were last year now. We have a strategic plan which you will receive shortly. One of
the items will be a staffing study to provide the town with some backup information as to exactly where we
need to be with staffing. We look forward to working with the Finance Committee to move that through when
the time comes.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve STM Article 2, Budgetary Transfers, Line A- transfer from Town
Health Insurance to short-term debt in the amount of $300,000; Line B- transfer from School Health
Insurance to short-term debt in the amount of $100,000; and Line C- transfer from ambulance receipts to
Fire Department Overtime in the amount of $150,000 as printed in the Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bob Young – yes, Honey
Pivirotto – yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
ATM Article 5 – Town Budget (Re-vote Fire Department due to OT increase)
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve revote and alteration of the bottom-line Town Operating Budget of
$24,215,992. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bob Young – yes, Honey
Pivirotto - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 6 of 8
ATM Article 6 – Water Enterprise Fund Budget
Peter Lombardi said this article is in line with what the Water Superintendent presented in February with one
exception – it has been increased by $130,000 to account for the year one payment on short-term ban for the
generator project that was previously authorized by Town Meeting and that will be completed this year.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve Article 6; Water Department Enterprise Fund Operating Budget in the
amount of $2,961,199 to be funded by Water Department receipts. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob
Young - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
ATM Article 8 – Golf Enterprise Fund Budget
Peter Lombardi said the only change is the $15,000 for the repair and maintenance line item. The equipment is
showing its age. We also have a new custodial facilities position coming on line, and we want to make sure that
individual has enough funding to do what needs to be done.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 8 – Golf Enterprise Fund Operating Budget, the sum of
$4,254,134 for FY23 to be funded from Golf Department revenues. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Bob Young – yes, Honey
Pivirotto - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
ATM Article 10 – Capital & Special Projects (Re-vote due to change)
Peter Lombardi said this was another Fire Department related change – we missed including a $60,000
appropriation to replace the Deputy Chief response vehicle. To be appropriated from $45,000 from ambulance
receipts, $15,000 from a reappropriation from an old Fire Capital Article that is no longer needed.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 10, Line 10A, Deputy Chief Fire Response Vehicle as
printed in the Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob
Young - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve $1,680,282 as printed in the Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob
Young - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
ATM Article 11 – Water Quality Stabilization
Peter Lombardi said we talked about this, and it is now $112,500 allocated in the FY23 Operating Budget to be
transferred to the new Water Quality Stabilization Fund to be directed from proceeds from 15% of our
anticipated revenues from the short-term rental tax. We have proportionally decreased our transfer to Capital
Stabilization down to $187,500. This will help cover some of our smaller water quality related initiatives in a
way that won’t impact Free Cash. We will set those funds aside for that purpose. This is essentially creating the
fund and any future appropriations from the fund will require a 2/3 vote at Town Meeting.
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 7 of 8
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 11 - Water Quality Stabilization Fund as printed in the
Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob
Young - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
ATM Article 15 – Yankee Drive Transfer
Donna Kalinick addressed the Committee. She said this property is one of several properties that the Housing
Coordinator and herself have been working on. Properties that are currently on our subsidized housing
inventory and have become vacant or there has been a change in the situation. We have been working on this
property for approximately four years. Through the process, it was determined, in working with a conservator of
the property, the Department of Housing, and our legal counsel, that the best course of action was to do a
tax/title taking. We are in the final leg of that process. We hope to have a settlement from the court within four
to six weeks. We have put forth this article to transfer the custody of the property to the Affordable Housing
Trust for the purpose of making needed repairs, and through an affordable housing lottery, getting a new
resident in to that property. It is important to us that when we have homes that are already deed restricted, we
make sure we get those back in use. We cannot afford to lose any of those deed restricted properties. We hope
once the tax taking is complete, within 6 months to a year to complete repairs, to get a new affordable buyer in
residence. It is important to the neighbors there that this house is not vacant any longer.
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve ATM Article 15- transfer of tax/title/property at 212 Yankee Drive as
printed in the Warrant. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob
Young - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
4.Nauset Regional Public Schools Budget – Discussion and Strategic Direction – defer
5.Budget Calendar Updates - none
6.Liaison Reports - defer
7. Review and Approval of Minutes – 2/16/22 & 3/9/22
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve the Minutes of 2/16/22 as presented. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – yes, Bob
Young - yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– abstain
The Committee voted: 7-yes 0-no 1-abstain
Bill Meehan MOVED to approve the Minutes of 3/9/22 as presented. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto – abstain,
Bob Young - abstain, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes
The Committee voted: 6-yes 0-no 2-abstain
8. Request for agenda items for future meetings – please email Pete
Finance Committee Minutes
March 16, 2022 Page 8 of 8
9. Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair- none
10. Next Finance Committee Meetings- March 23, 2022 at 7PM
11. Adjournment
Bill Meehan MOVED to adjourn the meeting at 8:14 PM. Frank Bridges second.
Roll Call Vote: Frank Bridges – yes, Bill Meehan – yes, Bob Young – yes, Robert Tobias – yes, Honey Pivirotto
- yes, Alex Hopper – yes, Bill Henchy – yes, Chair Pete Dahl– yes.
The Committee voted: 8-yes 0-no
Respectfully submitted, Beth Devine
Packet of supporting materials on website for public review.