Shutesbury Board of Selectmen with the Finance Committee Tuesday March 24, 2009 Meeting Minutes Members present: Co-Chairmen Al Springer and Ralph Armstrong. Also present: Town Administrator David Dann and Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge, recording. Finance Committee members present: Chairman Eric Stocker and members Frederick “Rus” Wilson, Lori Tuominen, Patrick Callahan and Elaine Puleo. Meeting opened at 7:15 P.M. following the special town meeting. Appointments Police Chief Thomas “Tom” Harding requested feedback from the Finance Committee concerning the Federal COPS Hiring Recovery Program. * Questions ranged from pay during the academy training, how part time hours would be changed, are benefits included in the package, would cost of living be considered a benefit? * Timeframe to apply is mid-April. * The Finance Committee agreed it is worthwhile to try to find answers to questions including more details comparing current expenses versus expenses if the program were to be awarded. Assuming there are no surprises in the answers to questions, Tom prefers and recommends applying for the package. If answers are acceptable, apply for the benefit, and then decide whether or not to accept it. He prefers three fulltime staff as full time people are around more, become more familiar with the day to day operations, and can assume more of the administrative tasks that would then allow the Chief to also patrol, another part of his job description. Committee Reports Elaine Puleo reports on School Committee: * Summarized the previous Shutesbury Elementary School Committee meeting and distributed the final Shutesbury Elementary School FY 10 budget. * As of last night, the Amherst Regional School Committee is still staying with the Level 3 budget: Thirteen full time faculty staff will be let go this year and over the next three years a total of 18 to 20 teachers will be laid off with the current trend. * Principal Jackson doesn’t know where to go with this. Elaine explained that Shutesbury and Leverett already have the (higher) level 1 funding in their local budgets. At the last four-town meeting Pelham said that they were prepared to go to a level 1 budget. If the three towns vote for level 1, then Amherst will have to fund level 1 through other means. David states that we want to maintain the best quality of education for our children. * Because even with level 1 Shutesbury would pay a minus 1.4% increase it’s a delicate matter for Shutesbury to push for level 1. The other towns (Leverett and Pelham) would be more credible. * Shutesbury was fortunate to have passed an override last year. Eric Stocker: * There was talk at the Saturday March 21 4-Town Regionalization Study Committee meeting to ask towns to postpone voting their budgets. That was probably to wait to hear of any funds from the federal stimulus package. There will be mention of delaying votes at this Saturday’s 4-Town Select Board, School and Finance Committee meeting. Elaine: * Union 28 personnel are really anxious about this Regionalization Study Committee. * There’s no cost benefit to regionalization so the legislators have backed away from it. Eric: Sees no logic to Union 28. * Leverett and Shutesbury could consider joining Union 26 (Currently Pelham and Amherst). * Could Union 28 be included in the regionalization discussion? Elaine: In the last round they were a driving force in not developing the educational benefits because they kept talking about the costs to get out of Union 28. This time the goal is to come up with the educational benefits first and then do what it takes to make it happen. * Eric: It’s an interesting but cumbersome process. * The whole Committee will meet on June 30 after a working group develops some information. * Review of Al Beswick’s absence of findings of bylaws for Union 28. Al Springer suggests transferring as much of the money originally voted for the dam as possible back into stabilization. Lori Tuominen reports on Library Facility Needs Assessment Committee (LFNAC): * The Library Plan document is online. * They’re currently advertising for a Project Manager. o In the first phase the Project Manager will locate a library site and will also help with the development of the architectural designs. Rus Wilson reports for the Personnel Board: * Resignations: Becky Torres from the Select Board and Nick Chandler from the Police Department. * Reduction of Clerks hours ran into a “buzz saw” over-reaction. * The Board is developing the job description for the Town Administrator. * The email discussion of a ½ time Town Administrator shows no understanding of the Town Administrator’s role in gathering information so that the Select Board can make the decisions. Suggestion demeans the work that David is doing. Rus was advised not to respond to the emails. o Al: The person came to a Select Board meeting and was very civil. Al explained to her how the 40 hours are used. She was very polite, not mad. o Patrick: a lot of towns get into it. If the Board is going to make policy decisions they need the administrator to get the information. o Rus: When it is filled well, the Town Administrator makes everything work right. It’s the money position: they get the grants; they make projects move well, you have to be on top of it. They have to be on top of the school amounts. o Ralph: As the complexity of government spirals up, it seems nice to have someone in the Town Administrator position full time. As Representative to the Town Administrator Search Committee, Lori missed the first meeting and invited Town Administrator David Dann to report instead of her: * Organizational meeting. o Ralph was elected Chairman. o Reviewed the process for the ad and publications: Recorder, Gazette, MMA web page and Beacon. o Closing for applications is April 22. o On April 27 the committee will select 3 to 6 candidates to interview. o Interviews to be held on May 4 and May 6 with a final interview on May 18. o Committee members: Karen Traub – Library Trustee, Melinda LeLacheur - PTO, Gary Bernhard – Recycling, Walter Tibbetts - safety sector, Kathy Carey – Personnel Board, Ralph Armstrong – Select Board, and Lori Tuominen – Finance Committee. Elaine Puleo School Contract Negotiations Committee: * Things are moving along; won’t be done by town meeting. David Dann reviewed the 3/18 budget: * Salary range for Town Administrator will be $45,000 to $50,000 but the budget will be changed back to zero raise and the extra funds put into the health insurance line. * This draft expense budget is $3,062 less than the FY 09 expense budget. * No changes have been made to revenues while waiting for the House and Senate to prepare their budgets. (They are very late.) * The state revenues may be lower than projected in the governor’s budget. We may need to re-adjust our budget again to address lowered state revenues and lower local receipts. * The Governor’s budget could be the most optimistic of the three. * Rework of the Police Department budget on the back page. * Now we are in a “holding pattern” until we find out what happens in the House and Senate and at the regional school. * The snow and ice removal line is increased slightly. If a town has money in the budget for snow and ice removal, it won’t get money back in a state of emergency. Ralph left before review of the Expense Report so there was no longer a Select Board quorum. Expense Report: * There are three areas in the red: snow removal, heating and fuel expense. We haven’t quite used up the minimum required use of fuel. * We haven’t yet gotten back FEMA funds. We will get back between $25,000 and $50,000. The two categories of reimbursement will be funds directly related to the ice storm expenses and the second part is for the current tree and brush removal process. (The town will not chip private residence brush. People should not put brush at the side of the road.) * Insurance, unemployment, and smaller accounts will hopefully cover the accounts overspent. * A letter will be prepared instructing departments not to spend down their budgets and that they will not loose the amounts in future years if they don’t. * The budget still has the $13,600 energy line. David will meet with the Energy Committee and the Building Committee to decide what energy saving measures will produce the greatest payback. The school will also have a list of energy saving measures that will be considered. Eric will write a Finance Committee report for the April Our Town newsletter. The Finance Committee adjourned at 9:12 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Leslie Bracebridge Administrative Secretary 090324 Selectboard and Finance Commiottee 1