Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

Evening. April 26 is a meeting of the Finance Committee in the small conference room in the town hall. This is being recorded by MCAM and should be broadcast coming up soon. I'd like to begin with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to

the flag of The United States

Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Impeccable time.

I'd like as we start the meeting after allegiance, I'd like to do what I call if you if you ever used to hear it, a a materials check just to see that we have the materials that we hopefully went out to you. The agenda, you're you're here. There was three sets of meeting minutes, April 9. There was also agenda set up for tomorrow. It should have been operating budget questions that we developed the first time we started going through the budget.

The November 17 department a message to the department directors, managers, and supervisions that's dated November 17. Got that right? I copy. I think we sent this out. I hope we did. This was a letter that we received and brought to our attention by Nathan last year last week, mister McPherson. Yep. Okay. And I think this went out. We don't vote on the recording secretary. Is the copy is fine. Okay.

Thanks.

And that should have been a copy of a just a graph, just a concept of an action plan, which is on the agenda. I don't believe there was anything else that we missed, so but that helps. Approval of minutes. We could look at April 9. I wanna make a motion for discussion.

So moved. Second.

Discussion. Anybody on any of the matters in April 9 minutes? Don't think so. I think

there was one on one of these. I'm just wanna make sure if I have it correct.

Yeah. On the April 9 meeting on agenda item letter a, Just that second sentence, it just says starts with second call is made, third call made with no additional response. I think it's just the word response should be replaced with no additional nominations. Okay.

And I think that's basically it because item b as how it's kind of phrased. So just wanted to be consistent. That's all I got.

It was referenced on the fourth page under agenda item number five, and I didn't follow-up. John, I didn't I didn't I should have contacted you. We had talked about using a sex an Excel file with a projector. Is that something that we can utilize tomorrow, or you think we can work without it for now?

For now, I think we can work without it.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And just wanna reiterate, at that meeting, interim town manager Perkins says it's fine with phone calls directly to him. It would be helpful if if that's done to least give give us a heads up so we have it in the the work that we're doing, so it just matches up so somebody's not repeating it.

Mhmm. And I was gonna talk about email. They've they've given me a a new email, FinCom chair, I believe. So they did they did that and explained all kinds of things that I'll need to call them back on. So I'm working closely with Jessica to make sure that we don't miss anything that goes to you when it comes in. So we have a motion seconded for April 9. Minutes. All in favor? Aye. Approved. April 15. Do have a motion? So moved. Second. Any discussion?

So there were a couple of to dos. Some may have been done, may have not been done. We did receive some local some projections that you that was requested by mister Demers that came in late this afternoon. There was a request let's see if I can get this. I'm I'm on I'm on item agenda number four.

I'm looking at through f through k, just to make sure there were certain things that were asked for or haven't been responded yet. Is there anything looking through f to k that was re on the minutes that you can see that we still have something that is owed to us or has to still be asked for? I know I'm trying to use the minutes as I know maybe we're talking about the minutes. Mhmm. I just wanna be clear that we didn't miss something on my part or miss something another way. If not, that's fine. It'll probably come up later.

I I think with what came in this afternoon from the inter account manager, that that's gonna help a lot.

Alright. Yeah.

Don't Eric asked for I'm hearing from every department, but she sent that today.

Eric? I think, yeah, I think Eric was asking for basically the from what I gathered, he was asking for the revised budget from each department. But I think that's kinda hard to do because there's gonna be another shoe to drop, right, of what what the proposed cuts and changes to each department in terms of personnel and services that's yet to be determined. So I don't know how Yeah.

Right. So beneficial. So I just so that item's in there, but I

Yeah.

I can see the It's TBD. The lodging. And I think that was it on that page. I didn't see anything else that caused the question. Any further discussion on the April 15 minutes for the finance committee? No. All in favor? Aye. Approved. And the final set of minutes is the April 16. Minutes for the Middleborough Finance Committee.

This is a fun one to type.

Is there a motion?

So moved.

Second.

This was a lot of focus on one particular item. I don't see anything that that perspective of how we're waiting for anything, I don't see that. But if there is, you should mention it now so we can add it to the list.

Don't think I had anything other than what was in there unless I'm missing something, but I

Mister chair, I assume interim town manager will be at the meeting tomorrow?

Yes. I

believe you should. We can get an update on I think there's a lot of talk. I think it was fire. Yeah.

I don't have any I don't see anything else. Questions? No further discussion on the April 16 minutes. All in favor? Aye.

Approve. Thank you. Discussion and updates on the FY '27 budget. Will mention that believe on the twenty seventh, I think that was the date that we had heard that there was going to be some sort of presentation by the interim town manager to the Board of Selectmen. I'm suggesting that we have a meeting posted for that Monday night, minimum to it's worded different for a couple of meetings.

Either we recess to go to the hearing or the meeting or we simply so I think we we have to have it up by tomorrow anyways. Correct?

Mhmm.

Yeah. Right. So with a nod of the head, I'm not sure I can go for this, but I think it's important for us to be there. Yeah. And I'd like to add that it's a recess so that we can come back and if there's further discussion from what we hear, we can do that.

Mr. Chair, think the following Monday night, May 4, so I talked to the intern town manager at the end of last week, and he suggested that full budget redo might not be available until May 4. So it might slip a week, but I think we should probably be prepared just in case it does come up Monday night. May 4 is we should have on our radar screen as well.

Okay. Well, we have any pressure to put that on other than a dandelion, but I think

We have this room reserved. Eric reserved it February, March, April, May from Monday nights, and I kept it through the first week in May. Oh, good. So we have this space. Okay. I told when she asked to hold it, and we would tell her if we didn't need it. So I will make sure of that.

Great.

I think we already are penciled in.

Alright. So

So for both nights, actually.

So we'll set an agenda. I'm I'm I'm just asking suggesting that after whatever we hear, we at least come back in to have a dialogue about it and whether or not we it has to be all night. I guess it's really what we hear from that budget update. And just keep the May 4 date. And the town manager seems to be available Thursday nights, so we can make that decision Monday, but I think we should keep that open for ourselves.

Yes. Would you be planning to have the meeting on Monday in lieu of the one on Wednesday and then just do Monday and Thursday? Yes.

Mister Okay. Chit, the only thing I would recommend is just to check with the town manager to see if a joint meeting is necessary on the twenty seventh just to make sure he's actually gonna review anything

on

the budget on on Monday because I don't know if he is. Because from my understanding, I talked to him briefly today when he called me and followed up with that Excel sheet. He said that basically what Alan just said, they're gonna push everything back a week. So I don't know if there is anything actually gonna be worth meeting on on Monday about or not. Well,

I have to believe the work we're doing here is important enough for us to at least continue. Right now, there's only four of us. Yeah. As many possible members of the committee to have input on what we're trying to do. So I'm suggesting we have the Monday meeting. We put in recess to an anticipated update from the town manager. And if he doesn't, then we continue with the review and discussion on the

FY twenty seven budget.

Okay. That works.

So Mr. Chair, we start our Mondays at 06:45, come in, take care of whatever preliminary business, and then I think they start at seven generally?

Yes, that my would recommendation. Get here, do any business we have. Anything that has come up since our discussions tonight. And then if the anticipated budget update is gonna occur, we recess. And then which means we can come back here.

Mhmm. You catch all that, Jessica? And So, John, can I just we you know, it's all FY '27? Is there a discussion on the November 17 information that we we need to have now?

Other than, hopefully, that it's been distributed to department managers or at least to Joe and see what he was gonna do with that.

Okay. Yeah. So Thank you. Yeah. So I'm I've got the operating budget questions that we had sent out. We stopped at the fire department. On Ome because that's where it stopped. There were a couple of things that that that come up. I'm gonna so I'm operating off of this this page that was sent out.

Mhmm.

On Meteor, there was a question about does the Meteor department receive funds from MCAM? It was explained to me by the director, missus Ford, that MCAM component of what she she works on Mhmm. Is funded 70 so that's 70% of what her her duties are. The median deposit is relatively new, think the last three years. Yeah.

Three years. It is 30%. So that question came up with where does the MPM step in and where does the town side step in? So that was one piece. Didn't I just got this morning Late this afternoon.

And I can send it out to you, but I asked for a job description, and it's full I'm gonna just go through it. I'll send this out to Jessica that she sent it out. But full management responsibility for all media department functions, website, social media, community outreach, special events, manage day to day operations for the media department, directs media staff, coordinates the town department for website maintenance and social media needs, maintains technical standards and overall quality of the social media and website content, oversight of the equipment, assistance to the town management select board who works with the staff to provide technical insight. And there's a lot of social media mentions in town website, reviews and recommends amendment to policies and procedures for the media department, meets with public vendors when need be, works a lot of the, obviously, the meetings. Use of the website, social media to keep the Minnembourg community knowing what's going on.

A lot about the community, the agencies that are able to use MCAM, and any duties assigned by the town manager. So I'll send that out. It's just a it's give you overview of where where that 30% lies and what what her role is in making that happen for for MK. Well, it all it makes MKM worth it the way the funding was in question. Mhmm. So but media became a new part of her role with the PS three years ago when they created this media department. So that was just one update that I was able to get firsthand.

Don't yes. I was just gonna I I had written some notes, I think, when we were going through some of the initial budget meetings. Thought the 65% or 70% only applied to certain of the wages that might just be the department head. So I don't know if all the other wages get that same pro rata share. Think

it's just

mister, that was kinda my the page.

It's 86. Yeah.

In my book, it's 86.

And and that's that was you know, I I had the 86. I saw the questions on that because I understood that, like you were saying, that there was a there was basically a split in terms of funding between the town and MCAM. But in the budget book, it shows, you know, a $140,000 in total annual compensation. So I don't know if that was if that's what they get paid, but that's not necessarily what they're paid by the town. Or is that what they're paid by the town?

And that's why I'm trying to under understand who is paying those wages is you know, I don't I don't that's the part I was trying to see clarity on because in the in the book, it shows, yes, that's an expense. That's the total annual compensation. But what's the what's the is that with the is that the media department through the media department budget only, or is that is is carrying in you know, no. Don't say carrying, but are the employees being paid additional to that through MCAM? So, you know, that's I wanted to clarify that.

They didn't come up in that. I didn't come up with focused on her role. Yep. We can continue discussion with with that.

I'll get back to her or she'll get back

to me with that. So I need this here.

Okay. Yeah. I've I've got mister chair, just it looked like there was a sliding scale too. So, again, my notes in the book, they may not be perfect, but it was 70% in FY '25, 65% in, it might have been '26, maybe moving, or maybe next year is 60%. It seemed like it was trending downward in terms of what the share that we were getting from MCAM for that particular department,

and I thought it was just Can I just back up? The way it was described to me is that the work that she's doing under the meteor was not the same as that she was doing when she was just MCAM. Mhmm. So she had additional responsibilities and duties, then that's when that's why this department was created because certain aspects of what were the needs from the town had to be filled and the position was put in place so those that could occur. Not that she was doing the MCAM work. But the way I said it was before there was a media department. Mhmm. She was working with MCAM.

Yep.

Our manager back then, and whoever was like, decided and we needed a meeting, someone who concentrated, and as I said, there's a lot about social media, a lot about the website, and updating the website. So if someone, whoever was doing it before, maybe it was multiple people, it appeared that they wanted to have a department, so you got one place to go. That's how I understood it. Not that at some point when MCAM was just being supervised by this employee Mhmm. All of a sudden, there was other duties that had to

be Yeah.

Up. So it was a new a new job description. And in particular, they seem to be focused on the webs the town's website and

the Yeah.

The social social media aspect.

Yeah. The the podcast, the monthly town manager report. I believe a lot of that stuff was all put together by the media department. I'm I'm fine with that. I just wanted to just basically, it looks like looking at this the spreadsheet that we got today that, yeah, what what's in here is what is the town's contribution to the media department. So I just that's kind of you know, I wanted you to confirm that was that was the case. Okay. I'm good.

Anyone else have any update or questions about what we've gone through on budget where we stopped that? We had gotten as far as department one sixty two elections.

Is that where we stopped or

did you guys go through elections?

We stopped. Okay. We stopped the night that we were at the library. We came to that point and then we stopped. In this page, it was an attempt to capture some of the questions that we had. Yep. And some of them have been answered, some were still looking for some answers.

I think we're on January. Maybe I'm wrong. So you did January already? I tend to think so.

Yes. Okay. Yeah. Because once they want some conservation.

Yep. Yeah. We went to get to election one sixty two.

And

so it would be conservation. We're picking up now.

Well, I think one area for conservation, I know this is probably moot because I think everything on the capital plan is put on hold, but capital for conservation in fiscal year twenty five was 17,313. For fiscal year twenty six and twenty seven, it's 45,000. So that's a 160% increase. I would imagine if you strip that out, you'll find some on paper savings there, especially since they're not going to do anything with capital.

And then So it's a general case, I'm sorry.

Oh. '94. '94. '94. Okay.

And I'm operating on I did a breakdown of every department individually, so I've got that that I'm going off of. But I'm also using the budget and operational correction plan that is on the website. So Mhmm. I know you guys have printed copies. I don't know when those got printed. If they were after the time they printed it on the or posted it on the website, you're good.

But if it was before it,

then Yes. That's the most recent one.

Okay. Okay, cool.

My own take on conservation would be just

the

And a of capital savings. So instead of the original second 20%, And which would have been 20% of 45% is $9. But I think you're deferring all of it right now. So on paper, you'd probably be able to pick up that amount.

So we have no additional questions. Using the figures that you're saying now then?

Yeah. And I

And Nate have

Yeah. Unless Nate has any other things, I I would say I stripped out all of the salary info because I know our task was just focused on the OpEx stuff. Even though I did analysis on the salaries and everything, just stripped that out for conversation purposes, strictly focused on OpEx.

Mr. Chairman, I agree that that 45,000 jumped out at me as well, dollars 45,000. Might just ask what is that because there's that have capital listed outside of the CIPC. So I think I know that there's been discussion with the prior town manager about some small stuff being put into

the budget.

There might be something in there, but that number did jump out at me as being kind of large compared to what it was two years ago.

Okay. We want to planning community development, top in one seventy five.

And that one is operating expenses are really small since we're not looking at the salary portion. It's negligible for 3 or $4.

Any other comments? Move on to the zoning board of appeals, Apartment 176.

Yeah, that's good deal

with that one.

I didn't think we'd find much into that rock.

We go to Department 193, the administrative office buildings?

The analysis I performed was based on, I think, the older budget book. So the numbers are a little bit inconsistent that will explain it. I saw operating expenses changed from fiscal year twenty five actuals of 229,009 and 65 to a budgeted proposal of $234,949 So it was up $6,295 I looked at OpEx in potential savings in reducing building and grounds repair and maintenance. Fiscal year 'twenty six is $98,520 Fiscal year 'twenty seven, you proposed a 102,700 You could reduce that not much, dollars 2,700. That was what I came up with.

Operating expenses are basically flat for the building department. One line item was odd. It was office equipment maintenance. It went from $15.69 dollars to zero. So I mean, I guess that's a good thing, trending in a negative direction. But I didn't see too much other opportunity for that just from an OpEx point of view, whatever else you guys wanted to see, but that's kind of what I saw.

Mr. Chairman, the only question I have on this is for expenses under electricity and natural gas in water and sewer. I'd like to know what buildings those are.

Break down those buildings.

Break down the buildings on those three. Just, you know, just for our own institutional knowledge, because I'm sure there's another line item here somewhere along the ways that it's covering another sector of buildings possibly. I would assume. I mean, I can't imagine. The $64,000 covers electricity for every town building. So I'd to have that broken down.

So you want a breakdown of the bottom of one ninety three buildings? Yep. Okay.

Mister chair, noticed one thing. I see there's been a couple of departments that have had or identified temporary clerical. I don't view that as a salary, I view that as more of an expense because it sounds like an outsourced thing. I think we could just ask a question what that is because it jumped $10,500 year over year. It doesn't sound like a town employee, so it should be something that we could look at.

Description of buildings that are included and an explanation of the temporary clerical position as in the budget under salaries. Did you get John mentioned the building in grounds? A possible decrease of $10,700 Yeah. There wasn't a question there. That was just because that's where we came down to. Okay. Well, moving on to department two ten, police.

I mean, the mister Judd, the obvious one I could see is the the the jump in the clerical full time. Looks like it's going up a 110,000.

Doesn't it reduce? I don't know why now it's above it. It reduces.

Oh, okay. Maybe that's what it was.

Yeah. They they moved it from a bucket to another one.

Got it.

Okay. I think it's still an increase, but it does the

Yeah. Probably because it's a step or something or cold water.

Sorry. Please remember that one.

No thanks for that.

Yeah, Mr. Chair, this is another department with just a temporary clerical at 28550. Just an understanding of what that is. Again, it doesn't sound like a town employee, but an externally contracted situation.

Do?

Mister chair, the only other one I have is like I see as of right now is the it looks like it's, a 10% jump in overtime from fiscal year twenty six budget to fiscal year twenty seven budget, basically 10%.

Are you noting it?

I want to understand more with the rationale. Is that just tied to the wage increase from the union con from a collectively bargain contract? Or

Okay. So we're looking at what's the new number, 41,444? Yeah. Okay.

That's the increase, the 41 Right. Four forty And, Mr. Chair, the line above the education and training a big jump. I'm assuming there was reason, maybe there was some additional licensing or something that's going on, but just an explanation of that would help.

Anyone else on department two ten, police? Right now, we have description or with the temporary clerical, 28550, and we have some description of that position. And we ask for the rationale, explanation, the overtime increase and the education and training increase.

Mr. Chair, the other sizable increases noted under the expenses, building and grounds, vehicle maintenance, and software maintenance. Just an explanation as to the increase for those.

I'm looking at building and grounds. Yep. With an increase of 21,321? Yep.

It was a vehicle sorry. Building and grounds increased vehicle maintenance and Yep. With software maintenance?

Software maintenance. Yeah.

Vehicle maintenance, building and grounds, and software maintenance. You can't do the work of the year. That's the instructor. Software maintenance, twenty six thousand. Anyone else?

We may want to have the department two twenty, tight department discussions were from the last meeting. I'm suggesting we just come back to that when more information is

Probably a good idea. I don't wanna be here all night.

I'm not with a party.

One point on I noticed this I it under fire department that's fifty three weeks of payroll. Where are we? It's listed on page 110. Know there's former town manager mentioned one time it's every so many years they pick up an extra week of payroll. I can't remember, is every three years, four years or what

have you? Because the pay period falls the next Friday on term of calendar year.

Something like that. There's a cycle that happens.

It's mentioned here on the fire under the fire department, I assume that applies across all departments? That's page 110. It's just in the top line there. It says fifty three weeks.

I'll have that in mind.

Oh, I see it. That's

why it's the old one, The new Yeah. The new one doesn't have that.

Oh, does? Okay. So maybe it's an artifact from prior year.

As long as the numbers matter, matches all

it matters

to you. Yeah. That's a question we'll pull for the plaintiff. Yeah.

But but it may explain other departments in

terms of salary. Oh, I'm sorry. I was looking at please still. Yeah. I have that in my my news version as well. It's fifty three weeks.

Okay.

Oh, you said no. I you said '1 ten. I put the 01/10.

Yeah. It's

on 01/15 online.

Yep. I've got the old book still. Alright. So if I have time to hold right now, we'll come back to it. The next apartment in the sequence is the building apartment, Apartment 241. Seems pretty light. Yeah.

Missus mister chair, just as a side note

Mhmm.

On that excel sheet, I thought it was pretty one thing that was neat about it is that the revenue was broken down by it may not be in here, but maybe it's on the other one that Jessica and I were looking at. They broke down which departments in the the building department brought in revenues. If they had a breakdown for building, breakdown for electric, and a breakdown for plumbing. So I thought that was interesting as a side note. Mhmm.

No other questions on the part of

the No.

Department two forty four, sealer of waste and measures.

Clean as a whistle.

May I ask the chair? You have an amusing story about this particular. Sure. So a new high school principal came aboard, this is about a while back, from out of town bought gas a lot. You can see the name of the person, you know what we're talking about, And then it clicked about six months later, we're at a meeting because,

you're person.

I read on them all the pumps. Yeah. Just enormous.

Yeah. Know? And just but He's a funny guy too.

Yeah. He's

a really nice guy.

Those air pumps is what he needs to do. The air pump at Humvee's doesn't put air in your tires.

I did it, like, three months ago.

Let me move on to the department.

Registrarial point.

Department two ninety two, animal control.

I came up with something as an animal person without trying to affect service levels or animal welfare. A couple of observations I had were the overtime did double from $5,000 to $10,000 from fiscal year twenty twenty six to 2027. It could be completely explainable or completely needed, I don't know. An education and training line item appeared for the first time. Again, it might be totally explainable, totally defendable.

It was $0 in fiscal year 'twenty five and 'twenty six, and it went to $1,800 in 'twenty seven, very small. Disposal and care dogs jumped $3,000 to $8,000 from fiscal year twenty six to '27, so it was an increase of $5,000 The electricity line item was one that jumped off the page at me. It went from $1,000 in fiscal year 'twenty six to $4,000 in fiscal year 'twenty seven. Vehicle maintenance doubled very minimally, dollars 1,000 to $2,000 So I

had

thought perhaps in operational savings, they could reduce the electricity line item, you might say $1,500 and then maybe reducing the disposal and care of dogs from an $8,000 line item to $5,000 if it's doable. Again, I don't want to affect the care or the environment of the dogs as being a big animal person. But I tried to look at this one with the lens of, you know, you're dealing with animals and animal welfare is important to me. So those are the small ones I came up with. Don't know if anybody had anything else.

I just wanted to ask a question. So we're looking at possible decrease in electricity, an explanation of the overtime in the education and training, Some decrease in the proposed budget for the disposal and cure of dogs by $5,000 Mhmm. Explanation makes more looking for explanation right now. Yeah. Okay.

And I think it ties into and I'll you talk on it. It may have to do with things like if they had decreases in cases, it would make sense to decrease it. If they had increased cases, then maybe they should leave it the same or maybe even, dare I say, increase it. Depends on the caseload.

And I think, Mr. Chair, there was some underbudgeting from what I heard on on a couple especially the disposal and care of dogs. Mhmm. They they just didn't have the money to take care of the dogs the the way they need to. I I think the the overtime was explained to me. They they do a lot of barn inspections, which I I never realized. There's a lot of barns, I guess, so they're they're doing quite a bit. They they what they try to do is rather than hire another person, they've been trying to cover with overtime, but I can can get a little more clarity on

that.

Yeah. And, again, I think the overlap is I did my analysis before I sent you those questions.

Yeah. Because I had

done this analysis originally with the lens of when the whole teacher potential issues that have been going on there, this was the crux of that analysis was how to find the money on the municipal side. So that analysis was done early, you know, to try to head that train off with the pass. And then in the meantime, there were subsequent questions that Alan has been taken care of. So I guess we'll just wait to hear back from that. I mean the last thing I'd want to do, obviously, is expect that the resident folks in the animal care department don't have enough money to do their job.

I would venture to say we need to make sure they're funded enough so that they do have the ability to do their job.

May I ask a question?

I'm sorry. Nathan. Go ahead.

Yeah. Real quick. I I sat through the Selectmen meeting. I wanna say it was, like, three weeks ago or so. And they they they talked about this department at length.

Leanne was there, and I think it was Tracy Craig McKee that was speaking about the animal control department. It sounds like from what I gather from it, it's been underfunded for a long time. I think they added some heat in there, explains the electricity increase. But it sounds like a lot of this department, to, you know, parks as an example, is is done with a lot of volunteer hours and donations that really like, we we don't basically, what I gather is we don't have a budget that's large enough to actually do to to run this facility without supplementing it with volunteers and donations of of money and supplies and food. I think out of all of the any department in town that if there were a department, I would advocate for increase on the budget on would be animal control versus any of the other ones.

I think it's, you know, it's a minimal amount. If they said, hey. It looked like from my my understanding was the electrical budget was already was over last year almost immediately, and that's why they adjusted it. But I think that's I think they're already trying to thread the needle in what they got.

Did you want to?

I was just curious that that budget also included hiring someone part time. Is that correct? It might reduce I think I recall seeing hearing that at the presentation week, like, back in March.

Mhmm.

It might reduce overtime if they're hiring a part time person because they don't have to worry about Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

In which case, it might become a wash

in itself. Yeah.

You gonna follow-up? I'm sorry. I missed did you say you were gonna contact them?

I I I have. And I had some notes from that discussion as well as I'd gotten a budget sheet with answers to some of these. There was kinda notes in column that may be in the Dropbox, but I'll track that down. Okay. Make sure it's recirculated. Okay.

Won't duplicate it at the time. Yeah. Thank you. Anything else on animal control? The next department, department four two one DPW administration.

I came up with a few things on that one. Line by line observations, going back to electricity, 9,500 versus an actual of $4,658

That's

103% different above actuals. Natural gas was 12,592 as an actual listed as 15,000. That's a 19% increase. And then custodial services was $440 actual, and then it moved to 5,700. So I felt that those might be

$4.40?

Yeah. $440.

So 5,700?

Yeah. So I thought that might be some areas that could be looked at. And that wouldn't touch staffing services or safety, so I felt like those are probably pretty strong items to look at.

Electricity, natural gas, and custodial services.

Yeah. And then maybe they could normalize their utility. I mean, Nate made a good point about utility or electricity and animal control. I don't know if they're going through the same thing here or not. So I I have totals for you. Electricity would save you 2,500 Natural gas savings would save you $1,500 custodial savings would save you $3,200 So, you know, pick up a little bit here and there.

And that's I'm sorry.

So suggestion is electricity, a decrease of 2,500, natural gas, 1,500, and custodial services, 3,200. Mhmm. Good. Nate, sorry. I was

to kinda piggyback on what what I was saying earlier, what facility is being electrified and supplied with natural gas? Is that just the DPW Building itself?

Yeah. Good question. I think that's the only one.

I think that's the only one. Correct. And, you know, I'm sure that I heat in the salt shack or or the water tank.

Okay. So And clarify what facility is this specifically addressing? Yeah. Correct? Mhmm.

That's department, highway department, number 422.

I've got a couple of line items. Education and training in fiscal year '25, it was '2 thousand $7.68. Fiscal year '26 and '27, it went to 15,000. Road machinery maintenance, fiscal year '25, it was '19 thousand $9.21. Fiscal year '26 and '27, it was budgeted for 45,000.

Road machinery trade up against

you. Yeah. Engineering and consulting. This one actually looks like it's under budgeted relative to the actuals, but I think the town engineer salary makes that a little bit redundant. I think you're seeing expenses in the town engineer salary line that account for the shift here.

So if you were to reduce education and training, you could pick up $7,500 potentially reducing road machinery maintenance if you reduced it from 45,000. And if you reduced it to 35,000, you'd pick up 10,000. Again, I'm not the expert. I don't know what's needed and what's not. These are just things that are jumping off the page at me. I skipped over anything related to salaries or benefits or anything like that. And then I so I think that gets you close to $6 picked up off of that.

So we're suggesting

Not $6, sorry. I kicked that. I did wrong math. Sorry, I'll go and repeat it. Potentially saving $7,500 off the education and training line item. Mhmm. And then potentially saving 10,000 off the road machinery maintenance item. Okay.

So, yeah. Yeah. $17.50. Sorry. And you were just making an observation of engineering consulting in regards to the town having an engineering? Mhmm. Okay.

Yeah. And then there's a line item of general materials to add an increase. I recall interim town managers saying there was some sort of reduction already that he had talked to highway department. I don't know the details of that, but I know there was some discussion around some reduction already.

So the question is, is the 150,000? Yeah. Has that already been modified?

Yeah. Has there already been some reduction in some of these expense lines?

Updated document? Under general materials is the one you're looking at? Right. Yeah. It just shows that $1.24 $9.90 as projected actual for fiscal year twenty five, and it has a $1.50 100 BCK budget for the fiscal year twenty seven. Right.

So it's we just get a plan. Hasn't already been modified. Yeah. Move on to is there anything else in highway department?

What did I saw?

So we have the Apartment 433 Sanitation.

Mr. Chair, the budget book didn't contain the expense breakout for sanitation, water or wastewater. I did get those detailed breakouts, whatever your director, those are in the Dropbox. I think I we discussed this at a at a prior meeting, so they're they're in there, but they're not in

the book.

We do have them.

I have You

Yeah. We'll go through a couple of

them. Yeah. They should've been in a Excel spreadsheet. So

for sanitation, over time, it's 44,100. Uniforms and shoes was 6,000. Foul weather gear was 600. I came up with potentially reducing overtime and year reductions from 44,100, reduce it to 35,000, that would give you 9,100. And that's what I came up with for that department.

You have 44, John?

I I Yeah.

The like, phone I don't know wrong if sheet. Gotcha.

So suggestion, sanitation is over time reduced by 9,500. And

Mr. Chair, just a general question, and this kind of applies across the enterprises. There's there's a revenue source that goes back to the general town for insurance and so forth, workers' comp, retirement, five CA. And the numbers don't look like they changed '26 to '27. I don't know.

I suspect those numbers are produced by the finance department and still need to be trued up. So probably some clarity around those items as well as making sure we've got the right line items from maturing principal interest on debt, temporary notes, transfer to general fund. There's just a those numbers all were the same as FY '26, but I think those are adjustments that are made perhaps beyond the department.

Okay. So what do we want up to now?

I think just an explanation. Those going to change? That applies to all three.

So for clarification on the numbers for health and life insurance, workings comp, and retirement, and FICA? Yep. Okay. And down here. Oh, and yes. Yes. Okay. Maturing principal, interest on debt, interest on temporary notes, and do you want transfers to general fund or just the Yep. Yeah. Just yeah.

Okay. Alright. Jesse, I'll have to go through that. Alright. Yeah.

Sorry about

that. No? I

got most of it, but we'll have to do it tomorrow and make sure.

I'm gonna send this document out after the meeting. So if you have something that you don't catch in the minutes or in your notes, you'll have it here.

Anything

else from those departments? I'm gonna include the request that will go it's not just for sanitation, it's for water, the 440. I mean, I'm sorry, wastewater, 4440. Mister chair? Mhmm. You have something for 04:40. Okay.

If you're ready to go on that. Let me just

with those I'm sorry, John. Let me just clarify.

Yeah.

So those items that we're looking at Yeah. Includes sanitation Water. Water. And wastewater. Wastewater.

So The ones I just gave you are for sanitation only. I have I've broken down all three enterprises. So I

have But

we won't have I'm

sorry. Yeah. Just to be clear, those were the the comments. There there's some those same line items appear under each of the three enterprise Yeah. Departments. I just

want to

make sure we get it from each. Yep.

So for sanitation Yep. 443, wastewater 44 o. Mhmm. And water. 450? Yep. 450. Mhmm. The questions we just discussed, we'll ask for updated numbers from finance.

Yeah. Yeah. Alright. And then I had the breakdowns for April and April as well.

But how are we are we working on an updated from what Alan has?

I mean, I what I'm trying to say is I did the analysis on April sanitation, all inclusive. And then I did one on four forty, all inclusive. And I did one on four fifty, all inclusive. So there may be some other items in there depending on which enterprise one you're looking at. So I kind of wanted to make sure we touched on all of Because there are some different there are some different concerns in wastewater as opposed to other enterprise ones.

So in addition to asking an update on the items that we just discussed, what else are we asking? I guess that's where Yes.

So for $440,000,000 which is one of the largest enterprise funds across the DPW Cluster

Is that Waste 100?

Yes.

So basically, any dollar we trim in here directly reduces the tax supported general fund subsidy. So that absolutely counts for taking off the taxpayer burden. For

$4.40,

I I see items that I have listed out, but I'm gonna stay away from them because they're more personnel related. There's things like holiday pay, schedule overtime, standby, and stuff like that. But line items for gear, boots and uniforms, $9,250 sick leave buyback spikes, so it's one for 42,267. I would propose that they come up with a way to reduce their scheduled overtime. You could save money there.

You could potentially save $5,651 You could potentially reduce standby and save $3,000 Gear and stipend reductions. Fiscal year twenty twenty seven requested for $9,250 If you reduced it to $6,000 you'd save $3,250 There's a line item for schools and stipends, which I don't really know why that's in this department. Maybe I'm missing something, but it was there was $16,000 requested for fiscal year twenty seven. If you reduced it to $10,000 you'd pick up $6,000 and that was what I saw for 04:40.

Any questions on what we just received on wastewater 04:40? Do we need to back up to sanitation? Or we took care of that. We go to time reducing the 9,500. And we haven't addressed water yet, or we have anything to address for water.

Yeah. Whenever you guys are ready.

Should we move on to that now? Are we all set on that? Mhmm. Okay. Alright.

Fifty water department. There's a line item for $50,000 for police and flagman, 26,700 in gear, $30,000 in stipends, $15,000 in schools, and then a $145,790 in overtime. When I calculated this altogether, that's larger than the library, the COA, veterans, parks and health altogether. So it just definitely kind of looks like it needs to get looked at.

The

gear and boots and uniform line item is 26,700. That more was more than the police and fire combined. There's $30,000 in stipends. Need to get a justification on that. The $15,000 in schools, again, I don't know what that's for. I'm not sure why it's in this department. I mean, I could be completely just ignorant on that. I don't know. It's very possible. I'm going to skip over the overtime and standby reductions because I'll call it out, but I don't know if our purview is to be covering that.

But in the gear and stipends and training, if you reduce the gear, uniforms and boots from $26,700 to $18,000 you'd pick up $8,700 If you reduce stipends from $30,000 to 20,000, you pick up $10,000 and that's where I dropped off the analysis for Department four fifty.

What was the number on the overtime standby reduction?

Let me go back and look. So if you could reduce the overtime balance for fiscal year twenty seven is a $145,007.90. If you could reduce it to a 110,000, you'd pick up $35,790. If you just reduce the scheduled overtime line item by $10,000 you'd pick up $10,000 The standby is fiscal year '27 is $6,319 If you reduce it to $4, you pick up $2,319. There's some big big numbers and some smaller numbers.

But our focus was on the

Just the straight OpEx stuff. Yeah.

The 87 to 10 and nothing on schools. Right. Alright. Any questions on that? 521.

I see you're pretty flat from an OpEx point.

Yeah. I'm I'm sure. I met with I met with them, and that's basically you know, it's basic supplies they need to to do their operations at health department. So it it's mostly salary and a minimum amount of supplies and under $10,000 of expenses.

Okay. Alright. We'll move to the Council on Aging Department five forty one.

The three items I saw just for an OpEx piece was reduced miscellaneous supplies, fiscal year twenty seven request to 18,000. If they could maybe reduce it to $14,000 you'd pick up $4,000 Reduced perishables, it's $105,000 requested for $27,000 If you reduced it to $95,000 you'd pick up 10 And then reduced building and grounds repair and maintenance, a small number goes fiscal year twenty seven requested of 18,000. If we could reduce it to 16, we'd pick up two.

Maintenance ground. There's I'm missing that one. Perishables, miscellaneous supplies.

And, again, I I call Oh,

I'm sorry. So the building and ground

R and M.

R and M. That's at the top there. Yep. No suggestion there was

For buildings and grounds, R and M, 18 to 16. Okay. And again, I just wanna put this out there. You know, I did these analyses like we mentioned about with the animals. I mean, I did this analysis to try to mitigate any impact on people that utilize CUA. So I don't wanna interfere with the services that are provided. They're very valuable and people use them, which is great. So what I did was I I went in here to try to look at ways to do two things, find operational efficiencies and improvements, but most importantly, protect the seniors that use these facilities and other people that do the same thing. So just wanna make sure I put that out there.

So COA five four one, the suggestion on building rounds, reduction of 2,000. Miscellaneous supplies, reduction of 4,000. Perishables, suggestion of reduction of 10,000.

Mhmm. Alright. Just a quick question because I don't know the answer to this. Does the parks and rec department do they do the work and we sort of do like a billing or does COA have like their own outsource?

They have a maintenance person. Okay. That's the grass.

Okay.

He does the cleaning.

Gotcha. So

Okay. Yes. You'll say the name and then there's a part time person who constantly going to have meals every day. Yeah. A material thing going on.

Yeah. Okay. And we kept anything else in council on aging? Department five four three, veteran services.

That's showing up reduction in expenses year over year.

It seems like they did they did our work for us. I guess so. So we don't really have any changes or comments on this one.

No. They just didn't they worked hard to get get the number down 610 Library.

My observations were custodial costs from fiscal year twenty twenty five to fiscal year twenty twenty seven went from $27,611 to $44,677 So that's an increase of $17,066 Natural gas use went up 20%. I'm going to skip over the staffing and go straight to the savings there, which I would just kind of pinpoint in those two areas, the custodial cost and natural gas. I don't have a savings because I'm I'm unfamiliar with why it went from 27,000 to 44, but I think it would be worth at least a courtesy explanation. And then natural gas, I think they might have done some work. I don't know off the top of my head, but that seems to be like out of recollection.

I could be wrong, but

I think there's HVAC work.

Yes. I know

it's been done yet or not.

I'm not sure if it's been done yet, but I'm sure that's gonna throw that whole budget line out of whack if it's if they can if they can run fuel sources for sure, but also efficiency if the you know, the replacement is more efficient

or Yeah. Mhmm.

Or they're actually, you know, doing the entire building and not, you know, most of the rooms like we were experiencing over there. So, you know, so that can I'm sure that's gonna change next year.

Sure. So library, we're looking for just a response of why the increases in custodial and why the increases in natural gas.

Yeah. I mean, if they could do the same work, we're achieving the same clean results for less money. I don't know if that's possible, but, you know, you might be able to find some savings there.

Anything else on library? Okay. We'll move on to the heart department. Apartment 650.

It'll be flat from what I saw.

Mister Chair, I I I tend to think that this is one of one of those departments that kinda works with what they got because they do a lot of intern and part time hiring over the course of the summer months. So I'm sure that they just you know, they're they clearly work within their needs, but I didn't really notice anything, you know, on my end. I mean, obviously, with the the chlorinate polymer chem pool chemicals and stuff like that, that, you know, there's no changes on it, but that I'm I'm I understand why he has that much wiggle room in that because pool chemicals can vary year to year depending on stuff that's out

of the controlled tariffs and stuff like that. So The weather.

Yeah. Lot lot of rain, and, you know, it's an Olympic sized spoonful. So Mhmm. Mhmm. There's a lot of shock. You know? So so yeah.

I don't

in the hell?

Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, I don't see any really any need for changes on this one.

Anyone else?

Alright. Department six nine one, the historical commission.

Mister chair, just there's a comment as a former historic commission member. I don't think there's really any need to change this department. I know it fluctuates with how many items are actually being brought to the historic commission. And I believe over the last year or so, there's been an uptick. You know, basically, the commission's kind of on the ball a little bit more. And so there's been a lot more hearings and stuff like that. So I don't really see any need to to change it.

Any other suggestions? Pretty small budget. Yeah. Know. Okay. Debt service, Apartment 710.

So the debt service actually decreased 3,800,000.

Mhmm.

I think that is in part based on maturing principle, interest on long term debt, interest on temporary notes,

middle school debt.

Those are all normal organizations. Contracted services went down $30,193 dollars. It's small, but you can't really cut into debts there as it's already cut itself. So I don't see any real savings there unless the town had any money that they didn't spend on anticipated future debts that they swirled away. Maybe there's an opportunity to get money there, but I didn't see much other than that off the debt service and the debt department.

Anyone else?

Mister chair, can I make one comment?

Mhmm. Yes.

Because I wasn't here on the last meeting, so I missed the department reviews. For elections and registrations, did you guys come up with a number that was greater than, say, 18 to 20 k?

Department one sixty two. Yeah. We'll come back to transportation, department 900 then.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Missed it.

Yeah. Let's just do yeah. You got me on that one. Good job.

I missed

it.

I thought you were excited.

No. I know. I wonder. Yeah. 900. I I didn't. Alright.

Actually, there's several more before we can go back to it. Yep. Okay. Alright.

Good to go.

We have the transportation department eight nine nine.

Let me check the size of the comment. Is this is this so is this kind of fall under schools? Is this is this crossing guides for all the schools and bus drivers for all the schools? Is that what that is?

Yeah. So we've got the Auk Ed transportation and supplies. This would be the ones, I believe, that we say we run.

On the town side?

Right. We have our own bus drivers. But then you can't do it all. We've got we obviously have contracted services. Mhmm. We call it the big bus. Yep. But then you have the other transportation. You have some foster care and special needs. It's the one that can go up and down depending upon where the services have to be. You know? And that's you see, some years will be up, some years will be down. So yeah. And but schools you don't see that in their operating budget. It's over in the town side. Mhmm. Which is all the same anyway. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. But I just I guess my question is is is why? Why is it on the town side, not on the school side? If it's and I'm just and I I know it's semantical. I'm just I'm just I'm I'm trying to understand why if the school the the buses and the crossing guards are for the schools, why isn't it under, like, the school's purview? So who who hand so who handles so does does the school handle the organization hire and fire on the crossing guards, or does the town hire? I'm just I'm I'm wondering both budget budget wise and functionally. Well, how does

that with how the reporting goes for what the schools have to report to the department then and what comes under the category can be covered with checks and money. And, yes, the schools are the ones who do the bidding for the buses and who would hire crossing guards. Well, the bus drivers would be part of the contract, the big buses. So they would come with that contract. So yes, the schools, yes, the schools do they

operate it. They operate it. They just take it out of this the budget that we create for them, and they work within that.

No. They create the budget. Yeah. They they put into the into the warrant Yeah. Into the budget, and then it's either up

or down.

Okay. Okay. So we can't really do any whole lot with this.

It's just

I mean, basically, what it is it just is what it is for a line item

to be created with you. I mean, yes. I mean, the the the bike buses, I think they I think I'm I'm gonna back up. You you could go out to bid for three years, and then you can have a fourth and fifth as part of it. So I don't know if they're on going into the fourth or fifth.

Special education, I'm going back to when I did it, you know, you see where the service is gonna be going, and we do as we used to do as much as we could with our drivers. But the need is greater than that. And we would contract out and do the best we can with the bidding process that we used to do. I don't know if there's even a state bid list. I go back to 2010 and that. I don't think there's even a state bid list for that. So they can they they are they're going to operate that.

Yeah.

I'm sure they they streamline it as best they can. Mhmm. You you can have all set up in mid August, and all of a sudden, you've got freedom transportations that you have to put in before school starts because, people move in or IEPs change. So but, yes, if they shut in, the school department are the ones who operate this.

Yeah. And that's you know, I'm not trying to be too difficult. I'm just trying to understand, like, shouldn't this this whole department be 99? Shouldn't that just fall to this under the school and under the school budget when they create it? And they have because I mean, I don't I don't understand why is it separate a separate department in it, but it's it's, like, outside of the school's budget. Why is it two separate things? Why shouldn't it just be lumped together?

The school budget is regulated by the Department of Ed and have a structured way. They charge of accounts and the transportation is over here.

Okay. So it's like a bookkeeping. And and I know what you're saying. Basically, you have one sect of money going to the school, and this kinda falls outside of that pool of money. So it

it has its own department. Use the money that the state gives

us. Exactly. This is a type of appropriation.

The rate of that money might come to us as reimbursement, is minimal Mhmm. Best. Yep. So

So it's it's outside of the school department budget because of basically how it's funded.

When we vote for

it Yeah.

It's clear that this is the school department Yeah. Transportation. So it is the school department and is voted separately Mhmm. As a you you you

Supervisor. Supervisor. Got it.

You'll both of the academic and the other parts of the school department Yeah. As one budget, which only the school committee can sit down and decide what should be in it and what not in it. Mhmm. Our job is to be aware, make suggestions if they want to listen Yeah. And go on from there.

Okay. Okay. Fair enough.

Yep. You have a question, chairman. Maybe Oh, we're do transportation. Yeah. $8.99. I I see under salaries, bus drivers. But the busing was outsourced to a company.

Is this Contracted services.

This is the contracted service? I'm not sure.

Mr. Chairman's done that.

Wow. Too many meetings. Yes.

He is a compassionate chair. So on page well, I don't know what page is anymore. The department expenditure summary. Crossing are hired by the school department. Yep. And it's it's really a part time. That's a town employee. Yep. Yep. Well, it's a school employee. Right. Bus drivers, they have I don't know how many of the they have they own.

Mhmm.

And those buses are used for as much of the transportation, special needs as they can possibly do. So they're part of that budget separate from any contracted services. Which we can go down here and look at. So the bus drivers are employees of the Middleborough Public Schools, and that's where

they are

on the salaries on their schedule here. Then the expenses, it may be certain needs that that particular area needs. Obviously supplies to keep the vehicles running. So that top section is the running of the school departments and busing. Then we move down to the contracted services and the homeless contracted services.

Now that would be separate from the kindergarten contract and the elementary contract and the middle school contract and the high school contract. Normally, would go out as one big bid. Okay? Now, I don't know if they started to try to combine them because the services could be done by the same company. I would never have done it that way.

But if they're doing it that way, there's another way of doing it, I suppose, if you can't. It's all contracted services, and the salaries of those bus drivers would all come under the contracted service. Foster care transportation depends where the child is going and what what the child's needs are. Oftentimes, they they make an effort to keep the child in the school that he's primarily in, but may need to be transported to that from where they are here maybe. And it goes all the way to the other way too.

And special needs transportation on the bottom there. Again, contracted service, and you can budget the best that you think you can budget. You're setting a

budget now.

And then from it used to be the April, now the June, A lot happens June, July, and August. So you may speculate that this is what you're going need. Oftentimes, it might go the other way. You know, certain children, students may not require the transportation that they had before. Or it goes the other way, students move in and their transportation needs weigh heavily into what we have to do. So that's it.

Well, thank you.

Yes. So I have eight plus drivers. And then they have four reception slash dispatch. An aside? Yeah.

Ancient history? So scheduling of what the needs are for the clients of the COA Mhmm. And the the way the special education needs would sometimes change more rapidly than what they needed to do for the COA. It And just and I don't mean a disaster. It was an honest it was a we there was an attempt to try to save money.

It it was not helping the clients of COA, and it wasn't helping the students. It was just too much. It just didn't work. Mhmm. So it was an attempt to do it that way.

In theory, sounds good, but in practice, it's

Yeah. A lot

of things in theory. I know. That's right. Try to call the real world. Yeah. Yeah.

So we really get off track. So we'll move on from transportation eight ninety nine and transportation nine hundred. And we have department nine one nine, employee for benefits. This. I mean, paper isn't worth it. Well, anyways.

Yeah. I think it's we should just leave this one alone.

We'll move on to the next department. Unclassified department nine fifty.

Mister Jack, the only thing I asked, you know, just just one or items that really changed is the property liability insurance and the audit. And I think the town is in the midst of hiring a different firm. I don't know who's doing the the most recent audit, if it's the same company or it's a different company. It's a different different company. Yeah. Yeah. So I I mean, I'm I'm fine leaving that what it is because we don't really know what the next one's gonna be.

So Mhmm.

And the property liability insurance, I mean, that's it seems like just insurance everywhere is going up. So, I mean, it seems like that's relatively normal On a million dollars, we're going up 23,000 pretty decent.

Mhmm. Okay. That's all I got. So right now, we've gone through the budget book, all the comments. We have notes. We have questions. Some have already been some small ones have already been answered from what we did the first night. I know we wanted there was one request to go back, and we can do that now. John? Yeah. Sure.

Yeah. So I was gonna go back and just ask what the committee had come up with for potential review on elections. I won't bother to belabor the point if if the committee has already come up with some number or some numbers. But if you wanted additional thoughts,

I have them. No.

Let me just What department is that?

What number? One sixty two. One sixty two.

You're saying Elections one sixty two.

Yep. One sixty two. Yes. When we went to court the first night, we came up with I think the wrong sheet is. We just we just noted that we reviewed it. We had no at that point, we had no comments that night. Oh, okay. So go ahead.

Alright. Real quick. So observations. The leasing of flagman line item nearly doubles from fiscal year twenty six to '27. It went from 39,432 to proposed 75,000. Elections tabulation support went up a 150% from fiscal year twenty six, 12,000. Fiscal year '27, 30,000. Dollar basis, that's 18,000. Postage doubled in fiscal year twenty six to '27, 12,000 to 25,000. Actuals for printing were $20,040.

Postage twenty thousand five fifty five. Tabulation twenty nine six eighty seven, police flagrant $51,009.47, part time wages, never mind, skip over that. So I came up with some operational saving potentially, reducing postage by $3, we have to pick up three, perhaps reducing printing by 3,500, save you 3,500, potentially reducing the tabulation support. Fiscal year '27 was requested at 30,000. The actual for '25 came in at 29,687.

So I do think it was election driven. But fiscal year twenty six budget was only 12,000. So if we're in a year that would mimic fiscal year twenty six, I would posit that you would wanna reduce the number by 20,000. If not, then I would say leave it alone. And then potentially reduce computer services and pick up $3,000. So normalization for fiscal year twenty five actuals would come out to be a pickup of add those numbers up and whatever we got we got.

Both of us 3,000.

What is it? Computer services?

Yeah. Computer services. Fiscal year twenty seven was requesting $8. Fiscal year twenty six actual was 4,500. Potentially reducing it by 3,000 would reduce it, the line item to 5,000. So you could say $3.

I believe you're looking at $29.05?

Reduced computer services. Computer services was only 4,500 in fiscal year twenty six. Fiscal year twenty seven was 8,000. If you reduced it to 5,000, you'd pick up $3.

All those three combined all

those four combined should be 29,005.

And I this the sheet that I'm gonna send you will it summarizes everything. You can almost use it just like just drop it right in.

Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Uh-huh. So I'm gonna say just a couple of thoughts is I'd like to know what the rationale is for the increase. I'm I'm I'm guessing it's tied to elections. Right? So I think toward next year's midterms. So I'm I'm curious as to that. I think a good idea if you really wanna try to cut staffing and expenses maybe to a lesser degree would be to reduce the amount of polling locations.

I think there's five right now. The town has nine precincts. No. Nine precincts because you have five a and seven a. So that would you know, I mean, that's a big an idea to consider reducing the polling locations from, you know, call it five to three. I'm guessing one will be at Oak Point, one South Station, and one at the high school. And that would reduce both your temporary help, your, you know, the election workers, the amount of police details, maybe some saving some money on the tabulation support because

you you

theoretically less machines. So I think that'd be one thing to consider. You're trying to trim down cost for elections. That's a dramatic change. So

That'd be a a big change to implement before elections too.

Yeah. Yeah.

I think that's, you know, something something that's worth consider. You know?

So I'll summarize, and if I'm incorrect, do so we'll look we have one suggestion of not having as many polling areas. Yep. Okay. Which would then demonstrate less need for the workers. Yep. Details? For, you can decide if my term, machines. Yep. And police details. I just wanna Yeah.

Yes. Exactly.

No. You got it.

Alright. Anything else, John, on that?

Yeah. My last one was on for our department. Was anyone did anyone have any thoughts on our department? Because I do have a suggestion to fill out if anyone didn't cover it.

I can. May I?

Yeah. Of course. Yeah. Sure.

I had suggested a reduction of

2,500.

2,500. And that was a suggestion until I realized what is necessary to have in that budget. Mhmm. And I was gonna when we did that review, I was gonna suggest based upon this small period of time, maybe that would be too much of a reduction on the needs that I feel this committee will be operating if we are. Mhmm. To have the kind of support that we have right

now Yeah. Yeah.

2,500 would be not helpful if we intend to be more active

in our

duties. Yep. So that was my original idea.

And mine actually is slightly different. I like that. I like that you're already thinking ahead. Mine's actually looking back. And I'm wondering, is there a way that we would be able to turn back the money that we haven't used in this past year to help contribute? It's very small to the deficit.

Does that go into free cash anyways?

Yes. But I mean, I think just since we're the department that's tasked with looking to recommend cuts, I mean, it would be better than us to make it our own offering, if you will. Point just a point of doing it with saying that we're looking at us as well as everybody else.

Anyone else?

I mean I mean, it's for I mean, I I I understand it. It's it's kind of, you know yeah. If we're gonna be tasked with cutting budgets, we cut our own budget as well. Don't know, you know, for I don't know what our budget is off hand. I could I didn't have that page in my book.

I think it was $55. So yeah. I mean, you know, if we wanna reduce our own budget, I'm, you know, I'm I'm fine with that. I just my biggest concern is with the extra amount of meetings that we've been doing and and endeavor to do, you know, do we you know, it's a worse look if we go over our own we reduce our budget and then go over our own budget. You know, I know Jessica's

been doing a lot of

work in more of a clerk role as well as a recording secretary role. So I just don't wanna leave us short for next, you know, next year.

Yeah. I agree with what you're saying. I agree with what Bob is saying. My point was we should at least be able to show the town that we haven't in this fiscal year used whatever portion of money. And yes, to Bob, to the Chair's point, it would go back into free cash, but I think it's important just to say we've been living well below our means, you know, and we've done that intentionally.

So I I'm not suggesting that we don't show, and rightfully so, a reduction in the budget that is on the budget page right now. Yep. I was just forecasting based upon first of all, we were asking the secretary to have the description that the job entailed, not that it wasn't being done, but in my little time, in order for things to be done efficiently, you know we're going to get information. I just want to make sure we have the funding to allow that to continue. Sure.

We're not losing momentum because we're not able to utilize the services we should

be. Yep.

So I had suggested $2,512.50. Yeah.

We don't wanna end up like, you know

I did a short analysis with the limited Yeah. Piece I had in front of me. I believe we might be pushing the envelope to get through the year if actually, we're be talking about that in our next item. Yeah. That we may find ourselves not being able to function as efficiently to

get the work done.

Gotcha. So I was looking at, instead of $2,512.50 Right. In that range. Sure. And and and still be able to function the way I'm hoping that we can as a committee.

Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense.

So I I agree, and I think we when we first we've met, that was the first thing we did was. But and I looked at what we're asked being asked to do. Yeah.

And then we're like parks. Right? We're kinda already operating on a shoestring. I get it.

Yeah. Yeah. Right. But we wanna make sure that I wouldn't say that we take the duct tape as Frayne does. I think we've got to make sure that what we're asking gets to a place where it needs to be answered. Right. And that there's no delays. It delays are delayed, but we need to be I'm hoping that we can be efficient and demonstrate that we are trying to meet what our role is. Sure. So, yes, if somebody has a suggestion or a reduction, you know, we can that was just in the notes.

It's just

part of what we were doing just the last hour or two. Yep. So someone has a suggestion to redefine the finance committee's role as far as

budget goes. I'd be fine if we if we wanted to roll it down to to 5,000. It's only, you know, a $130 or whatever. But if we

can go more than that, I mean, I just did a quick estimate of what might might look like. I I think 1,000, We can still, you know Yeah. I work on get get our work

done. Yeah.

Anybody else? No. That's all I had. Alright. Thank you. I think we'll have to put this all together so we can see who who needs to be asked. On the elections, I I think it would be important to I think Nate mentioned it. It depends on what cycle they're on.

Mhmm.

Yeah. And it wasn't it not that long ago that we added a polling. I don't believe it was

that long. We didn't we didn't I don't think we what what we did a redistricting a a couple of years ago that the maps are redrawn because for one pre in order for the precinct, you can't have more than 2,500 people in per precinct. So that's why they they they redrew the maps, and they I think they added a couple. But I don't think they they I don't think they added a polling location. They changed polling locations because, like, I for example, me, I got re different precincts.

So I was a fourth, then I'm a seventh, So I had to go to a different spot. But I don't think they added a location. The one thing the one thing they added the the biggest expense they added for elections was all this early voting was the was the big thing. Because now they have to they had to staff that room, the select board room for all the early voting for the ten days or whatever it was and the absentee voting, all these things through mail. So I think that's that was the biggest add on over the those, you know, call it unfunded mandate. Someone in town wants to always prefer to things unfunded mandates, but that's really what it was. Know, the the cost of doing all that stuff got shifted to the towns.

Would it help us to ask for better clarification before we throw numbers at them to better understand what cycle we may be on and why why there's a

Yeah. I think that'd help.

For sure.

They said that there were three elections?

Three elections.

I think it was three. Yeah.

But is that in fiscal year twenty seven? Oh, yeah. We have our elections. Then we have primaries, then senate. Right? But wouldn't the primary yeah. I'm sure they know how many elections they have that, Sergio.

Yeah. I've I've written down three elections.

Prime.

Two two are state elections and

one Yes. Primary and then the the state election and then next year's annual Yeah. Election. I think those are the three.

Falling. Yeah.

Yeah. But then those two state elections all have early voting and absentee voting. That's right. Yeah. And then early in in person voting. I

think I'll reach out to just Definitely. Better understanding of the dynamics and the the and how many people people can go to a pool and all that might be helpful. Mhmm. Before we jump into that. Okay. Anything else? I think we've covered what we said we wanted to do. We each budget. We still have questions that we have to have answered. I don't know how many answers we're going get between now and tomorrow, but maybe we can pepper the town there.

He's not he's not busy.

Yeah. No problem. Alrighty. So if there's nothing more on the FY twenty seven budget, I'd like to move on to one last item, and I don't think it's going to take this long because there's Right now, for information, I I believe you all received a draft. It's called Middleborough Finance Committee draft, FY twenty seven action plan draft, concepts and ideas.

Mhmm. So I'm just suggesting that call an action plan, or you can call it whatever you want. But we we we look at the whole fiscal year, July 1 right through the following June 30. And our charge is to be the overseer for the taxpayers. And I believe we should take that and maximize the information that's available so that we have a better understanding and when coming together in late September and start looking at the numbers without really having a a background and asking questions early on.

Mhmm. So all I've done is put together I I call this this a tool to help you work together to create this FY '27 committee calendar or committee action plan. So I'm providing it to you. It's just I put concepts and ideas. And what I'd like to do is just give it to you all, take a look at it. We have a long I say long time. You know, July 1 is away. We've got a lot to do before. We have to be looking at FY '27 and that kind of we're already looking at it, but so I'm gonna ask you to take a look at it. I I don't think we'll even talk about it tomorrow.

I think we just look at it. Maybe in a couple of weeks, we'll bring it up on agenda, see what anybody have any thoughts, any ideas. And quite frankly, if you have them as you look for it, send them to me. And, you know, so I can, you know Mhmm. And we can get those put down if they've gone through that way. So when we start talking about it, we've got ideas that other people had.

Yeah.

I just think it's important that we have a plan and and the folks can see this is what they're doing. Mhmm. And these folks helping you, the taxpayers, understand what we're trying to do. And hopefully, they'll appreciate it, and they'll ask us questions. Right. And they'll fill the room.

Public comment.

So that's it. Just wanted to put that on the table. You all got a copy of it and it will bring up again in a week or two.

Mr. Chair, thank you for the effort and pulling that together. And I think that it's something we need. I haven't read it yet, so I can't make any comments, but thank you for starting us in that direction. Anything else?

No. That's good. I guess we have a public comment. None? She's busy.

She's trying to write.

She's running in Yes.

Just for, I guess, transparency, future agenda items between public comment and and adjourn or maybe before public comment, I would just add a a a line item for a vote to approve, you know, reimbursements, billing invoices, like, you know, just the invoice. It should be a line item on the it it should be an agenda item so we can have a

formal vote to approve it.

We don't

Members, I believe there was a decision made that if there was a certain amount of funding on the invoice that the chair had permission to move forward so there wasn't a delay in the the payment. Okay. And I believe $202.50. $2.50. Okay. 500 something. $2.50. So that's why it wasn't on. Okay. Do agree with that?

Or I would just double check to make sure that's that's okay. I guess I'm just saying from my own experience, for example, and it's it's different because, like, my experience on, for example, tourism doesn't deal with how appropriate the money deals with a revolving account. So I don't know if it the legalities are different. But basically, how that works is invoices are provided and they vote on the invoice at the meeting, the chair signs it and then gives it to the town treasurer. So whoever is owed the money gets paid through the treasurer. So I don't know if that's okay through this it this way or not. If that's how you guys have been doing it, I'm fine with it. But it's just worth double checking to make sure that's I don't know how long you guys have doing that for. Has it been a while? Or

Yes. It's Okay. It's been a while. And I would think that the the office that the invoice received. So what happens is the invoice is sent to the chair. The chair evaluates it. And then it is sent by the chair to the office of the payroll. They have questions. They ask questions, which I think that's limited. It's recognized that it's been received and also indicates what payroll that will be paid on.

We made a decision that over $2.50 would be something that we would hold, I guess, and bring it to the committee. But it was a hope that we would delay paying it. So it has worked. It was not satisfying the operations of payroll. I'm sure the previous chair would have heard from it and we would have heard from it.

No, that's fine. It just came to my mind because the first time I actually had a paper copy of an invoice in my hand. So are we voting on this? And so if that's how you guys are doing it, then I'm fine with it. I don't have a problem.

And then I break I break it down in there too. I also get paid once a month. So if you guys ever see something that clears say, for example, it clears Bob and it clears payroll, which in theory, it shouldn't clear payroll without a question. You guys have questions. There is time to change it too because I only get paid once a