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HomeMy Public PortalAboutCommunity Preservation Committee -- 2014-04-02 Minutes Owe Oi .* ` •4.1' • Approved: 4/16/14 „e:, •- s VOTE: 8-0-0 YI s r " TOWN OF BREWSTER a 'xit „. FINANCE COMMITTEE MINUTES Location: 2198 Main Street, Brewster, MA 02631 Date: April 2, 2014 Time: 6:00 PM :T _ERN Members present: Mike Fitzgerald, Greg Levasseur, Daniel Guertin, James O'Leary, Susan $allantine, Herb Montgomery, Dennis Hanson, and Madhavi Venkatesan Attending: Brian Locke, Town Administrator Charles Sumner, DPW Superintendent Bob Bersin, and Board of Selectmen Liaison Ben deRuyter Absent: Nate Pettengill Recording or Taping Notification "As required by the Open Meeting Law we are informing you that the Town will be audio and video taping this public meeting. In addition, anyone else intends to either video or audio tape this meeting they are required to inform the chair.” The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Dennis Hanson led the Pledge of Allegiance. There was a moment of silence for Fire Fighter Kennedy and Lt. Walsh who recently lost their lives fighting a fire in Boston. Agenda: 1. Review& Vote Citizen's Petition. —Glenda Normand 2. Review& Vote Special Town Meeting Articles. — Charlie Sumner 3. Review& Vote Town Meeting Articles. —Charlie Sumner 4. Review & Vote DPW Operating Budget. —Bob Bersin 5. Review & Vote DPW Capital Articles. —Bob Bersin 6. Review&Vote Additional Town Meeting Articles. —Committee 7. Sub Committee Update. Greg Levasseur 8. Report BOS & Liaison Reports. 9. Approve Minutes March 26 Meeting. Topics the Chair did not reasonably anticipate. 1. Review & Vote Citizen's Petition.—Glenda Normand Glenda Normand was unable to attend this evening due to a prior commitment and will be rescheduled. Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page I of 8 2. review & Vote Special Town Meeting Articles. —Charlie Sumner Charlie Sumner reviewed the following Special Town Meeting Articles. Motion made by Dennis Hanson to approve STM Article 4,Item b COA interior painting project for $2,700 to come from available funds. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 The Energy Committee reviewed the heating and cooling issues at Town Hall through a$27,000 appropriation. Unfortunately, it was determined that the pay back for doing the whole building would be about 60 to 70 years and it was decided to continue with equipment there and just repair it. The balance of the money set aside for this study will be used to address the repair of the air-conditioning compressor. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve STM Article 4, Item c Town Hall Air-conditioning $22,300 to come from the existing town appropriation. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve STM Article 2, Item f Building Department Wages for $1,60 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve STM Article 2, Item a Fire Department Wages for $25,000 to come from Ambulance Receipts reserved for appropriation. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 a Legal Services: There was a brief review of several legal cases that the town has been involved. The state decides via a formula how much of the raised tax revenue needs to be placed in the Overlay Reserve Account. The town does not always spend all of this money though some reserves will need to be kept in place. After a review of what is necessary, some of these funds will be transferred to other parts of the budget such as OPEB. There is no legal retainer for the town and the fee is approximately $300/hour. There is an annual cap on a calendar year of$120,000 for town legal services except in certain circumstances such if the town must go to court. The attorney who generally oversees the legal services of the town has many clients and is an attorney in a law firm. Sometimes another attorney in the firm will handle a case based on their expertise. The actual hourly rate will be given to the Finance Committee. CPA legal fees come from the CPA funds though to date we have not gone over our$120,000. A spreadsheet has been developed listing all of the town's legal services and from where the money has come from to pay the legal fees. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve STM Article 2, Item c Legal Services for$85,237 with $13,844 from Golf Receipts reserved for appropriation and $71,393 from the Overlay Reserve Account. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve STM Article 2 Finance Committee Reserve Fund for $15,000 to come from existing budgetary surpluses. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve STM Article 2 Police Department Expenses for$10,000 to come from Police Department Wages. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 2 of 8 3. Review & Vote Town Meeting Articles.—Charlie Sumner Town Administrator Charlie Sumner and Brian Locke reviewed Article 12, the Crosby Mansion. This is a state',own property that was left in disrepair. A volunteer group saved the house and the town has a 25-year lease on the property. This was accomplished through special legislation. There is a new septic system in at the Crosby Mansion. The cottages have been restored and current revenue is $64,000 with a potential to generate revenue for the town for about $72,000. The plans for 2014 have begun booking weddings and the house will be open for Brewster in Bloom. The volunteer group maintains the house and this year helped with new windows and an outside shower. The Gift account is at $54,000 and the 53e is the revenue from the cottages and is at about $53,000. The rest room needs an additional $20,000 to finish. The operating budget for FY' 15 was distributed to the Finance Committee. The town does not pay mansion expenses. R Weddings are capped at 100 people and must take place in daytime hours. 4 Down the road, the Mansion may be offered for day seminars and conferences though currently the Mansion does not have any heat. 0 The Mansion is a great asset for the town. w It was suggested that the water usage be reviewed, as one cottage appears to be using more water than the other structures on the property. 4 Currently caterers prepare everything offsite and the State mandates three preferred caterers though prep could be done onsite. All expenses generated by the Mansion are paid for from revenues. 0 Since this is a new endeavor, several venues were reviewed to determine charges but they are still being determined. For Weddings, the charge will be $3,500. 0 Use of the property is four hours the day before the wedding, six hours the day of the wedding and two hours the following day. 0 Of six views for a wedding, four were booked. There is hope to eventually have a prep kitchen in the building. It is hoped the third cottage will be ready to rent soon increasing the revenue. 4 Since the 1950's, the building was used seasonally and the heat was removed from the building. • It is hoped to add heat and air-conditioning to the function room first and just to do this will be approximately $40,000. The heat will be installed when funds are available. Review of the FY '15 Accounts Receivable, the two weddings in 2016 should be in FY '16 though their first deposits came in at FY '14. w Brian Locke is a town employee. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to move ATM Article 12 the Crosby Mansion as presented. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Charlie Sumner reviewed Town Meeting Article 3 Town Operating Budget, Administrator Wages and Expnses. There was a reduction in hours of one administrative assistant from 40 hours to 37.5 hours per week. Expenses were also reduced through lodging and meetings. Concern was raised that reduction in hours may reduce services, but it was felt this cut can be absorbed and services will not suffer. There was discussion on giving the Town Administrator more control over the budget and the Finance Committee just voting the entire budget. This would save the Finance Committee voting to transfer monies around. It was felt that it might take special legislation to allow this to happen. There was discussion on how this might be accomplished. This will be a discussion on a future Finance Committee agenda and the MMA (Massachusetts Municipal Association) will be consulted. Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 3 of 8 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Administrator Wages for$300,954 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Administrator General expenses for FY '15 for $10,254',to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Legal Expenses for FY '15 for$160,000 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Through]the Cape Light Compact, all streetlights have been changed over to LED lights. A committee oversees the streetlights. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Street Lighting for FY '15 for$4,000 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Ladies Library for FY '15 for$543,934 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 The Building Inspector/HDC Wages and Expenses will be voted on at the next meeting. There was a discussion on the Conservation Commission money and how it will be appropriated. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Natural Resources Wages for FY `15 for$239,859 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion,made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Natural Resources Expenses for FY '15 for$31,950 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Natural Resource Shell Fish Propagation for FY '15 for$14,500 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 There was discussion on Utilities and the reductions that were made such as in the gasoline line item by $3,000 due to the newly purchased police vehicles that are more fuel-efficient. The SEMASS budget was reduced by $5,000. The Golf Course has a line item for electricity. It was suggested that money coming from NSTAR be shown as revenue in the future. Some of this revenue has been shared with the schools. There should be discussion on how to put the utility budget together. It was suggested that when the fuel station is moved that a natural as addition to the depot be considered. The town does not own the solar panels. Motion made to approve Article 3 Utilities for FY '15 for$511,535 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 4 of 8 { It was decided to vote the Article 3 Liability Insurance for FY '15 at the next meeting. } Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve Article 3 Greenhead Fly Assessment for$1,250 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: !8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve FY `15 County Historic District Assessment for$9,500 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: '8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve the FY '15 Veterans Assessment for$24,243 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve FY '15 Pleasant Bay Alliance Assessment for$11,237 to be raised and appropriated. VOTE:18-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve the FY `15 Veterans Services for $48,000 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 There was discussion on votes to be taken at the next meeting. There was discussion on the budget cuts. The $4,000 cut from the Audit line will not be required for grant audits as the town does not meet the state requirement, but with so many grants, this was originally added into the budget in case the town met the threshold. Concern was raised about the Ladies Library maintenance account'cut, but it was felt that the Ladies Library Association might contribute so that this is not actually reduced, The town administrator consults with department heads before reductions are made and they recommend where the money should come from. 4. I ,eview & Vote DPW Operating Budget.—Bob Bersin Department of Public Works Superintendent Bob Bersin reviewed the DPW FY '15 operating budget. • There was a question on the cost of the solid waste increasing and there was concern that the number is misleading as the revenue is not included in the solid waste budget. • There was a review of the pay as you throw system and the purchase of the different sized bags. It should be noted on the spreadsheet about the revenue being generated by the sale of the bags. Disposal fees are increasing but the town's tonnage is decreasing. • Hazardous Waste Disposal expense is shared with the Town of Harwich and comes from the Board of Health budget. • It was suggested that the projected tipping fees be shown separately on the spreadsheet. • It was suggested that the estimated tonnage at what cost be shown on the spreadsheet. • This needs to be clarified for the taxpayer on the website and the DPW narrative needs to be updated online. • Rebates on tipping fees were reviewed. • Trash disposal contracts will be renewed this year. • The savings in wages were reviewed. Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 5 of 8 • There was discussion on the higher fees and it was explained that we are paying for recycled glass and there was an increase in disposing of appliances. « There was a discussion on the overtime expense and this number was accomplished by eliminating overtime on Saturdays driving to SEMASS, a new hire that will work Sunday through Thursday and having custodial duties being done in-house. Summer overtime on the weekends was eliminated by fi hiring a part-time seasonal position. Concern was raised that overtime has been estimated too low. It was recommended that each line be outlined to show where money is being saved. There was discussion on the sale of recycling center stickers. This program was touted to help with the environment and concern was raised about how environmentally friendly the bags are. The environmental impact was discussed. • Following town meeting, the Pay as You Throw Committee will be asked to make a presentation to the Finance Committee. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve the DPW Wages for FY '15 for $962,997 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 7-1-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve the DPW Road Machinery for FY '15 for$60,900 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve the DPW Snow and Ice Control BY '15 budget for $129,000 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve DPW FY '15 General Expenses for$264,999 to be raised and appropriated. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 DPW FY '15 Solid Waste Disposal for$230,439 is to be discussed and voted at the next meeting. 5. Review & Vote DPW Capital Articles.—Bob Bersin Bob Bersin reviewed the DPW Capital Articles 8 Item 3 a, b, c, d, e, and f. The Selectmen voted to approve the following items. The dump truck being requested is a one-ton diesel with a dump body and plow frame. A new sign cutting machine is being requested as the current one is broken and would cost too much to fix. All materials used with the broken sign cutter can be used with the new one. The asphalt hot box keeps the asphalt hot making a better patch and it was questioned if the expense was worth the amount of time it is used and it was felt it was necessary. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Capital Article 8, Item 3a DPW Road and Drainage Repair Account for$150,000 with $140,000 to come from Free Cash and $10,000 from other available funds. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Capital Article 8,Item 3b DPW Dump Truck Replacement for$60,000 from Free Cash. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 5-3-0 Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 6 of 8 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Capital Article 8, Item 3c DPW Truck mounted asphalt hotbox equipment for$28,000 to come from Water Receipts. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 7-1-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Capital Article 8, Item 3d DPW Sign Cutting Equipment for$4,500 from Other Available funds. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Capital Article 8, Item 3e DPW Organic Turf Management Plan for$15,000 to come from Free Cash. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Capital Article 8, Item 3f DPW Irrigation Equipment Replacement for$2,500 to come from Free Cash. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 6. Review & Vote Additional Town Meeting Articles.—Committee There was discussion on conservation and restoration of beach erosion. Dunes are built and beach grass is planted to stem erosion. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve ATM Article 6, Item 4b for Breakwater Beach Restoration Project for$59,675 from CPC funds. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur for the Finance Committee to change all the following votes previously taken to reflect the new numbers presented by the Town Administration with the budget reductions implemented as outlined by the Chair and this motion all to be raised and appropriated or water expenses where appropriate. Dan Guertin seconded. • Accounting Department Expenses voted as $2,315 now $1,805 • Fringe Benefits Health Insurance voted as $2,828,767, now $2,824,159 • Water Department Wages voted as $720,577, now $689,947 • Water Department Expenses voted as $417,700, now $392,700 • Town Clerk Expenses voted as $27,280, now $26,150 • OPEB voted as $32,750, now $25,000 Recreation Expenses voted as $17,625, now $12,625 VOTE: 8-0-0 Motion made by Greg Levasseur to approve the Finance Committee to change the Council On Aging wages voted as $195,111, now $192,202. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 1-7-0 7. Sub Committee Update. Greg Levasseur Due to the hour, there was no sub committee update. Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 7 of 8 8. Report BOS & Liaison Reports. There were no BOS or Liaison Reports. 9. Approve Minutes March 26 Meeting. Due,to the hour,the minutes of March 26, 2014 were not reviewed or voted. Topics the Chair did not reasonably anticipate. There were no other topics discussed. Motion made by Greg Levasseur to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 pm. Dan Guertin seconded. VOTE: 8-0-0 Respectfully submitted, 4 �w • Donna J. Moberg, Recording ecretary Finance Committee Minutes April 2, 2014 Page 8 of 8