Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

09:38AM on 04/06/2026. At this time, I'll take a roll call. Alderman Thorpe? Present. Alderman O'Neill?

Present.

And is there a motion to approve the agenda as amended to add a proposed closed session pursuant to the annotated code of Maryland general revision section three three zero five b ten and fifteen.

So moved. Second.

All those in favor please say aye. Aye. Motion carries. We need to approve our minutes from the last meeting. Is there a motion to do so? So moved.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Excellent. The next item on the agenda is a proposed closed session pursuant to the annotated code of Maryland general provisions section three dash three zero five b ten and fifteen. The topics for this closed session are budget discussions regarding cybersecurity and public security. At this time oh, I think our attorney was supposed to read that. At this time, I entertain a motion to move pursuant to annotated code of Maryland general provision article three dash three zero five b ten and fifteen to go into closed session. So moved. Second. Alder Roman O'Neill has made the motion.

Alderman Thorpe has seconded. Is there any discussion? There's discussion by Ms. Jackson. Okay.

That was the discussion. At this time, I will call for a vote. Madam city clerk acting, would you please call the roll? You might need a mic. Me just lean that over to Kayla.

Aye. Huntley. Aye. Doord. Aye. The

motion passes. The council is now in closed session. Alright. I think the only other thing on our agenda for today, unless you guys have deliberations that you want to go over, is just breaking up who's doing what in the finance committee report. So I was thinking we would just go through department by department, and, folks, we can just kinda call it out and each one of us can take some.

I know we already said, Alderman O'Neill is gonna do public safety. I think Alderman Thorpe, you wanted public works. Right? So we'll just write those down as we get to them. Let's see. How many departments do we have? Is it 12? Miss Buckland, how many departments do we have? 12?

That sounds about right. There's 15 department budgets, but there's a couple of duplicate budgets.

Yeah. Once you start adding mayor and city manager, then 14?

Yeah, 14.

Cool. So, but each one of us should have about five ish. And then I'm happy to take the interregnum, the intro and the other stuff on this that's not in budget in the department. So, anybody particularly wants city council and mayor? Second. Alright. Alderman Thorpe. Office of law. That should be a pretty easy one. I can do office of law.

Next up. Oh, we can just start freaking to go here rather than flip the whole darn thing. Second page. Yeah. Thank you. So city council and office of the mayor was Frank. I'm doing law. City manager. Oh,

I was gonna say, if you wanted me to do it, I would do that because I was doing community grants or you wanna pull

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. It's up to you.

I think community grants should be its own section. And then if you're doing mayor, why don't you do city manager also? Yeah.

I'm doing Frank Stone, city manager. Old woman O'Neil is doing community grants.

I had said yesterday that I would do central services, but you were expressing some concern about that. Do you want central services, Alderman Thorpe?

I'm meeting with him this afternoon. Sure. I'll take it. Okay. Yep.

I'll take HR. That should be pretty easy. I'd like to do IT also. Finance. Is there anything interesting going on in finance? I think that's pretty straightforward also. Let's see. So we got I'm at three so far. Auto Roman O'Neill's got three.

Can I pause for a second?

Yeah.

Are we are we gonna assume you want all the public safety ones?

Yeah. Yeah. I was counting that when I said choose a three.

I'm just debating how aggressively to volunteer here because I'm realizing that they're all coming down here and you're gonna go, I'll take it. I'll take it. I'll take it. So I wanna be less hesitant now. Yep.

Frank is public works.

So where are you? Finance?

So we're yeah. We're at finance. I've got three. You've got four. Karma has three.

I have four.

Yeah. Okay. Right. Four.

I'll take plain image only.

Okay. I'll do finance, I guess. Nobody has rec in parks or transportation yet. Transportation. Okay. So, car was transportation. So how are we doing? I've got one, two, three, I've got four. So I could take it or because we said there were 14, but then we added in community grants as a separate one. So everybody should have five.

So I'll do record parks. Frank has city council office mayor, city manager, central services, planning and zoning, and public works. Harry has office of law, central services, HR, IT. Oh, wait. I'm sorry. I just repeated central services. That's actually you.

Law, HR, IT, finance.

Yeah. Finance. And wrecking parks. And then Karma has police, fire, OEM, transportation, and community grants.

We want to just go through each one and because part of our deliberations needs to be what's going into the report. Go through each one

Talk about high level things. Talk about

the high level.

Sure. Yeah.

Today? We have to. We don't have another schedule. It'll be deliberation.

So I wouldn't be necessarily opposed to that. I mean I haven't really thought about it. Another idea would be everybody go take a first draft and then send it around when it's knowingly it's a first draft and but I could go either way, whichever you guys you guys have done it before. I haven't.

That's not allowed though, right? Don't we have to deliberate on what's going into the report?

Yeah. I mean, I think to some extent that was what we did yesterday. It was as I saw, it was us trying to kind of figure out what the what the big takeaways from the budget are. We didn't necessarily do it in terms of this part is going into, this department. This is going to that department. But and and I do think it's important to note that we send out that first draft to each other, we can't all then be on an email thread and be back and forth. Right? That would constitute a meeting if we're doing it in real time. But we could send out an email old draft. Frank can send it out. I can make edits. I can send it back as long as we're not crossing the line into having a meeting. It's my understanding. You look like maybe you wanna weigh in or we could get a lawyer to come up and talk about it.

It has to do with how they have done it in the past. So my,

Alderman O'Neill has the most experience in the down and dirty. My observations in the past is that everybody has sort of crafted their own, section and then you have gotten together talk about that. I think that there's probably a fine line between let me read your sections and I might have some clarifying minor questions versus like actually deliberating for decision making. And you might I would recommend doing that latter piece of let's make sure we're all of one mind and talk about any outstanding questions or opinions. I would do that probably as a group in more of an open meeting.

Well, that's do you think we can write these drafts tonight? We could also have it we could also have time on Monday to work through any of those last things. I don't know. I I feel like it's better to put something down on paper, have something to react to, get it. And then if there are things that we still need to hash out, if if Frank's saying, boy, we should open the hockey pool and Harry says, no, we shouldn't open the hockey pool in writing wrecks and parks and we need to argue over that. We should come back and argue over it on Monday.

Today's Wednesday.

The report is due on Monday. I'm also out of town on Friday. What I'm suggesting is if we needed I think what we should do is go out, draft it, send it for edits. If there are points of contention, we should find a time on Monday that we can come back and work out those points of contention.

So you're you're planning on doing a lot of writing over the weekend is?

I'm not yes. To some extent. But I'm just saying I don't think I can write all of my sections tonight and meet tomorrow. And I'm unfortunately gonna be out of town on Friday.

What is the definition of due Monday?

You have to be able to present at Monday's council meeting the finalized report that the finance committee is giving to the rest of

that is in Sydney Monday, then just walk down that scenario for a minute. We're probably meeting first thing Monday morning.

I'm actually tied up until 1PM. Actually 01:30.

And just walking down that scenario a bit, what I hear is the the possible scenario is I finish the office of the mayor, and I send it to you to tonight, and you can ask questions. Frank, don't you think we need to clarify this? Frank, this is a point I'd like to talk about on Monday. Frank, perhaps another sentence that are you know, about this or whatever. Those kind of edits, but no policy decision. So so we're going check no. Okay. Number one's out. You know, maybe I send it out again. Hey.

Good points. I cleared up. I I did all everything except for these three things for Monday's discussion. And then, so we get the bulk of the work and we walk in Monday at 01:30 and go, alright. First day up is officer of mayor. Here are the three questions. Boom.

Yeah. And then hopefully at that point there's not a lot of writing left to do. It's just a matter of we have three options for that one question. Alright, let's work out which of those options are we going to recommend and then bam, you put that into that little slot.

And then how much time do we need between when we finish our efforts in formatting or copying or anything like that? I mean we've got the council meetings at six?

If we're able to meet on Monday and do it and if we're all okay with using the format of the report that we used last year for FY twenty six, if you're putting your comments into that report, it should just be a matter of final formatting for Kaylin. So you'll be able to, whatever time we finish on Monday, then be able to do he checks through final formatting to make sure that all the pages are formatted the same if you're using 12 font and you're using nine point font. She goes through and makes cohesive. Will we do a printed copy of that report, Kalin?

Yeah. But I I mean, I think what you're asking is what is the deadline by which we need to have it, and that's 07:00 on Monday,

which means that no council member will have read it at the meeting. And I think

That's what the point of the meeting is for. Present the the Monday night meeting. To present the report so that they can then have the opportunity to read it prior to our next full council meeting on June.

Yeah. I I think so so

there's no discussion on Monday night. It's literally now you've got it. End of conversation. Everybody so we don't make a verbal presentation on the written presentation or anything like that? Do.

Highlights. Last year we walked through highlights. We didn't read it to them, but we walked through highlights of the presentation. Ben to take that back.

Yeah. As I remember, it was there's sort of a so the whole thing is structured as like challenges, what do we call it? Not good things. Positives, challenges, something like that, and then recommended changes. And what I think we did last year was just there's there's that for each department.

Then there's one part that's sort of overall positives, challenges, recommended changes. And what I think, correct me if you're remembering differently, Karma, I did at the last council meeting was just literally just read through those bullets from the overall, not for every single department, but take a couple minutes and just say, these are like the top things you the public might want to know. But realistically, we're not expecting everybody to have read this report before the meeting to be able to discuss it at Monday's meeting.

At the end of the report are any finance committee amendments that we have discussed and that are coming from finance departments so that then the council that's part of the reason why this year's schedule is a little bit awkward because in prior years we were able to give a report with our amendments but amendments are due on Monday. And so there might be people that have amendments that are going to be copies of finance committee amendments.

Yeah. But that's why, I mean, you just have to have your amendments submitted by Monday. And I think even taking the finance committee out of it, people are going to submit duplicative amendments. And then part of what we'll do what the staff will do is work through to say, alright. Alderman Smith Brown submitted this and Alderman Huntley submitted this. You guys should probably just join forces and have it be one thing rather than two separate. So, yeah, I agree the timing's a little bit awkward, but I think that it's not a bad thing by any means if somebody submits an amendment on Friday saying we should fund the hockey pool and then the finance committee also recommends we should fund the hockey pool. Just using that as an example.

So on Monday night, do each of us brief the bullets of the department we wrote? Is that what you just said?

We've done that in the past, but we don't have to. We could just have Harry brief the bullet points of the overall budget.

Yeah, yeah. So my suggestion just because I hate reading things out loud that people can just read on their own is we just read those very top line ones. The sort of summary of the whole budget. We read those at Monday's meeting or even skip that rather than we each go through all the departments because we're not gonna be saying anything people can't read. Now you could take the Amazon meeting approach if we all have to be together to read it or people aren't going to but I have hope in our colleagues that they will read the report even if we don't make them do it at the council meeting.

So like,

for so instance, is

this was what was read out. Basically no property tax increase, the value of the assessed property, the challenges that we found, these are all gonna change. These were from last

year, Sort

of the overall feeling of what's what we've gone through for hearings. Really nice graph. And then it we talked through, you know, stabilization, all that. And then down below, you start seeing departments.

Yep. Yep.

And I don't necessarily think that we need to read through all of these. Let the council read through it. Let any it becomes a public document. It goes on the website, right, Kayla? Kayla? I don't know why I called you Kayla. Can

we arrange that it go on the website at 07:00 so that Harry can say it is on the

website? Especially

if we're in a city council meeting, we're briefing brief it. Everybody's gonna have a copy of it in front of them. I presume you'll you'll have hard copies of for everybody. Mhmm. K? And so it'd be great if you could say and and it's online, the city's website at blah blah blah.

Yep. I don't see any reason why we couldn't make that happen. And, I think the there's two different ways we could do that. We could have it be with the meeting agenda, right, like in Legisar. That might be harder because I know we I don't know. Caitlin, tell me if I'm wrong. But that might be harder because we posted those in advance. But on the actual website, like, we have the budgets adopted and where the other reports live, finance committee reports live. At

one page. Yeah. Which should be good to drive residents. That's the page for the budget. That'd be great.

I think there's no reason that can't get updated in close to real time. But that's gonna take

Take some prep with IT because you're gonna have to add another button to the page and all that. Yeah.

I mean, but I think I could talk to Anna about that before.

Yeah. Great.

That'd be great. And are you comfortable with that time if we meet at 01:30, 02:00 and we're finished by hopefully 03:30, 04:30?

I hope we're finished by 04:30. If we meet at 01:30, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah. I need to move some things around, but I can

do it.

Can you imagine? Meeting at two only because I have something that goes till 01:30 Sure. That I'll have to then drive.

And I have had it beaten into me appropriately that we should never schedule a meeting without asking the broadcast people whether they can support it.

That's a good point.

Let me make sure.

We'll tentatively say 02:00, but, yes, we should check with the broadcast folks.

Somebody ought to before 01:30.

What's that? 01:30 or 2PM? 2PM, please.

Somebody should probably take the task of making sure that the office of law knows we're doing that.

Yeah. I'll let them know.

All right, so just to get in the weeds really deep, I'm gonna do mine in Word and send it to each of you would the would the officer law prefer me to send it to you and to you or to both of you at the same time? What's the

think the the issue is not whether you send it to both of us. The issue would be if I start replying all and having a whole conversation.

Yeah. So if we could make sure the officer law is fine that so I'm gonna send it to both of you at the same time with that criteria that we talked

reply all.

Yeah. And you'll and you'll you will reply all or what?

No. We will not.

Don't reply all with questions, comments, recommended edits, and all that. And then if it warrants it, I'll go, hey. Here's b two. And, you know, we might have seven versions. But but and I'll send it to both of you at the same time and then you reply to me direct. Okay.

Could I ask that you write it in the report but just change the color of your font?

As long as there's track changes and all that in there. Can you track changes and write comments and all that in that format?

Would you like me to change your font?

Is the document as it is now in Word?

No, that's Google Docs.

Are you guys comfortable editing in Google Docs?

That's not fully my preference.

Is? Okay. I'll do it.

And that way the report's almost already written.

Right. Right.

And then you don't have to transfer and risk.

And I don't know if okay. Got it. I'll I'll do that. In that document that you sent around, that exact document. So okay. And then graphs

Kielan sent it. Sent it.

Right.

Yesterday.

Yep. Yep. And then graphs and all that. How do

we That's a good question. Was that I guess it was the budget team did that last year. Right? Yeah. Caprice like, oh.

No. It's what? I mean, I'm

So maybe she said. The finance committee report, there are a handful of graphs. It's like general fund expenditure projections. There's a couple different ones. It's pretty much all I think it's mostly pie charts. But if you could produce those in the same way that it was done last year, that would be wonderful. If you start to do it and you're like, my god, this is gonna take all my time, call me and let's see if we can figure out a faster way to do it.

But I think Jake did it, previously because the document was shared with him. Can you share it with me? Sure. Thank you.

Yeah.

Also, I think Mitchell had a hand in this as well. So I'll ask Mitchell what she has, and then we can go from there. And I'll connect with Capri as well.

Because we're tight on time, can I just drill down one step farther what you just said? It would be great if if you just replace the current graphs in there with the new new ones. And so that's just an assumption that's gonna happen. And then if if I'm like, oh, there's this other graph I wanna put in there, then it's on me. But if it's a copy of a graph, then that's just what check. One less person working it.

Yes. Exactly. The same thing is is currently in there. Or yeah. Joel, did you wanna say something?

Well, I'm I'm just assuming that it should be existing data that's in OpenGov. So if there's an existing new OpenGov pie chart, we'll copy and paste that in.

Yeah. Perfect. I I'm not worried about the formatting. It only except in so far as doing it with the same formatting makes it easier for you guys.

And I I again, getting in the weeds one more time. So today's Wednesday. Mhmm. It might make sense to ask Kalen to look at it. You're not here Friday, you said? Mm-mm. You're here tomorrow? Mhmm. Could you just, at the end of the day tomorrow, look at it and go, yep. Tracking. When I get back on Monday, I'm not gonna go, So just let Harry know that we're we're tracking. You're tracking. Absolutely. Mean, we're we're on a super tight timeline. So

Right.

Yeah. So if if any one of us hiccup.

Yeah. We wanna make sure we got it all right.

Okay.

I think that's all of it. I feel like we're pretty well set. Everybody knows their sections. Everybody knows their responsibility. Office budget team knows what they're supposed to do. Kayla knows what she's supposed to do.

Kayla has added us to our section.

Oh, wonderful.

Thanks. Put your names next to

your section. You are on top of it. That's great. And just one last reminder, I said this yesterday, but, you know, the point of each one of the us writing these is not to put our own spin on it as so much as to reflect what we think all three of us think. Or at the very least the majority of us. So just a reminder. With that, is there a motion to adjourn?

So moved. Second.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Motion carries.

I forgot in the back and forth who was.