Shutesbury Board of Selectmen
With Finance and Energy Committee
September 9, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Select Board Members present:  Chairman Rebecca Torres, Ralph Armstrong and Al Springer.
Finance Committee Members present:  Chairman Eric Stocker, and members Mark Pocsik, Patrick Callahan, William “Bill” Wells, Lori Tuominen, and Elaine Puleo.
Also Present: Town Administrator David C. Dann and Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge.

Meeting opened at 7:10 P.M. 

Topics
1.  Finance Committee members re-elected Eric Stocker as Chairman and Patrick Callahan as Secretary.
2.  Finance Committee representatives to other committees will remain the same.  
3.  Elaine reported that she missed the August School Committee meeting.  Random reports are that the new school cook is on-board, but that the after school person left as of today.
4.  Discussion of Leverett Road being “too narrow” for bicycles and pedestrians, but better drainage and safer for various forms of travel overall.
5.  The dam is being drawn down and the construction crew will begin site preparation soon.  The hope is that they will not be doing more work than the town has funds to pay for, until the state funds are available.  Al has talked with the contractor brothers who seem to know exactly what is required.  David summarized the pre-construction meeting and agrees that everyone is impressed with the contractor.
6.  Discussion of Governor’s vetoes of earmarks.
7.  Eric would like to have Finance Committee guidance on what guide lines to give departments for developing their budgets.
8.  Energy discussion:
* David:  The Energy Committee evaluated that small wind turbines are not living up to the expectations of installers and manufacturers.  Wind being marginal behind town hall, the Energy Committee is not looking to place a wind turbine there until there are improvements to turbines.
* Both for town and residents the Energy Committee feels the cheapest way to save money is to conserve energy.  The Energy Committee will have a fall workshop on homeowner conservation measures.  We’re on the list for a municipal energy audit.  The Energy Committee would like to look at the audit results and then meet with the Finance and Capital Plan Committees.  Chris Vreeland, who assisted the town with the school solar panels, will do the energy audits. 
* The wording of the town meeting vote of $15,000 for the wind turbine will be reviewed to see if the funds can be used for other energy saving measures.
* Large wind turbines are meeting manufacturer expectations.
* The Energy Committee promotes energy conservation measures for the town and home-owners and car-pooling to reduce energy usage for transportation activity.
* A water turbine at the dam has been closely studied and is not viable because of fish protection measures.
Becky:
* Would like to set a goal to reduce the budget by 2% through energy saving measures.
* Voiced disappointment in the absence of Energy Committee members at tonight’s meeting and praised the Shutesbury Market as an offshoot of Energy Committee discussions.
* Cited a private family which is “off the grid” and wants to learn practical measures from that family.  “It isn’t going to cut it to talk about putting plastic on our windows.”
* Feels we’ve had 2 big financial breaks:  the dam $150,000 and the school renovations reimbursement costs.  Becky wants to see those funds used for energy savings.
* At the school we have two 850,000 BTU heating systems.  The bio-energy system looked into had a 1.5 million BTU lower limit.  If we expand and put a second story on the school, we could put in a bio-mass heating system.
* Becky promotes well-justified projects that could make the town energy-free in the future.
* A new library should be 100% off the grid as a policy going into the library planning.  Any new vehicles for the town have to be electric; the highway garage has to have solar panels.  We have to imagine it so we can create it.
* Ralph agreed with Becky and volunteered to do research on break-through solar energy panels on the Internet.
* When Becky lived in New Mexico, her husband set up mirrors outside to heat their living room just by moving tiles around 4 times per day.

Elaine:
* We’re in a valley with educational facilities that need test sites.
* Federal granting agencies push for community based projects.
* We need to tie in with the University, share costs, and we get the energy.

Bill and Ralph
* New solar panels will be less expensive, smaller and more efficient.
* Ralph totally agrees with Becky that if we do the research now we will be ready in 4 to 5 years.
* In New Mexico, test facilities get temperatures so high, a special is used rather than water.
Al:
* Wants further research into the “locked-in” fuel prices from Shutesbury’s participation in the FRCOG group bidding.  He cites instances where private buyers are given breaks.
Eric:
* Doesn’t hear anything economically feasible for the coming budget year.
Becky:
* The energy audit will bring out basics that we could do.
* This year monitor the energy efficiencies report it and track it.
* Put together a list of questions and possibilities to bring to the departments and multiply it out.
* Fund the budgets at 2% and use the savings for energy efficiency tools.
Elaine:
* Give incentives to the departments that cut energy costs. 
Eric:
* Asks if the goal of the Finance Committee for this year is to find energy efficiencies in the budget to invest into new energy efficient methods.
Patrick
* Follows-up on Elaine’s incentives suggestion to departments that they keep ½ of what they save.
Becky:
* Stick with 2% budget increases by department with the caveat that anything above a 2% increase will have to be clearly justified.
* Personnel costs on the town side are limited savings and the schools have contractual agreements.
* The Capital Planning Committee should be told that expenditures should go first toward energy savings measures.

Eric summarized the concepts of the guidance letter that he will write to departments:
* Budgets should not lead to future overrides as the public appetite for overrides is getting smaller all the time, so we need to keep the budget down.  The total budget will not exceed 3%.
* In the long run, to keep control of budgets we must invest in energy efficiency. So we will ask for budgets to come in at 2.75% so that funds saved can be put aside for energy saving measures.
* Funds saved will be used for what is most cost efficient.

New Topics
1. Soil Contamination at the Fire Station:
* Attached sheet shows known costs accrued so far.
* Mapping is being developed by the consultant right now for future monitoring wells. 
* If the new soil placed in the liner in the hole becomes contaminated, it will also have to be trucked away. 
* We do not know if any costs will be covered by insurance.
* Because the municipality has used the property Shutesbury is not eligible for EPA Brownfields funds.
* Right now costs are up in the air.  A special Town Meeting is scheduled for the end of October.  An emergency meeting of the Finance Committee will be called if invoices come in before the Special Town Meeting. 
2. Review of Free Cash:
* Attached sheet shows the Accountant’s estimate of Free Cash.
* The revenues came in almost exactly as estimated; there were no extra revenues.
3. Review of FY 09 Expense Report:
* David will track the actual amounts of fuel used by each department.
* A request for room expenses on behalf of Officer Wall attending the Police Academy:
o Concern was raised for paying a benefit for a male officer after not paying the benefit for a female officer at an earlier date.
o The benefit should have been discussed ahead of time when the contract was written.
4. Future Finance Committee meetings:
* September 23 will be posted as a Finance Committee meeting in case there is a need to vote on reserve fund usage.
* October 15 will be at the elementary school.  School Committee Chairman Michael DeChiara reported to David that the Committee will be beginning budgetary discussions.
5. Town Departments will be asked to prepare their FY 10 budgets by the middle of November.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,


Leslie Bracebridge
Administrative Secretary
080909 Selectboard and Fin. Comm. 1