Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome to the finance committee meeting of Wednesday, 04/15/2020 We

to

to company's to United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Your honor of minutes that that I have. So And

I I submitted all the ones up until last meeting. I think we got them all. We can meet the last

Yeah. Yeah.

Minus last meetings. Right.

Just the just two. Yeah. So the review and discussion of the FY twenty seven budget. I'll give an update only that I received by attending,

I suppose you could watch

it, the board of select meeting Monday night with the town manager. Didn't really talk about the town council. Council. The The attorneys, attorneys, you you know, know, told told them them this is proper the process to be used. So that's basically if you watched it, it wasn't a very long update, but it was just letting the board know the select board know that there is a process.

It's being followed, we're doing it the way they need to and, stress that this is dealing with people. And and all and so on top of that, I would like to say what I see us doing is and I talked to the town manager very briefly the other night. You know, we're looking at the figures the best we can. As we go through it, I would advise that anything that comes up one way or the other, we we let the town manager know so he can add it to his I'm sure he's got a pile of my life. But, and I I feel we do that going be budget by budget when normal year, to move each budget.

So I would think that we take the as has been recommended, take the sheets that we published at the beginning and use those as our basis for the expenditures and go through it one at a time. Everybody has a way of keeping track of themselves. I just threw the items that Jessica may have passed you on to do it yourself. One is if you're into that laptop stuff, it's a it's a refillable form. I'm old school, So, you know, I've got a sheet that I would use for each department.

And some of them might just say the department name, the date, and no change. Or or it could be a discussion that takes twenty minutes. So I just that's for me. So there's no expectation. You all have your own way, but I I just needed a way to make sure that if Jessica's not there, she can know what we talked about. Any updates that you may have had? I know Nate had something he wanted to share.

Yeah. Thank you, mister chair. So I did I I went through and I watched the last school committee meeting, which was on April 9. And I was really trying to figure out what the if there's been any adjustments to the appropriation for the school department budget. And there was I watched the I watched the meeting. There was a slide that was put up there, and it was different than what was in the original budget book from Jay. So the new budget, what I have and what Joe has confirmed, it's 42,550,000. So that's $400,000 less than what was in the budget book originally.

So 42,550,000. Yep. Which is different from the original.

Yeah. The original was 42,950,000, so it's a $400,000 Mhmm. Cut. And so that's that's the number. I believe Mike understands us to the figure that he has to work with to get to. So I I just confirmed that. I went through. I watched the meeting. I saw, you know, what they have for their funding request, minus the offsets, and then I noticed that those numbers didn't match. So that prompted me to call Joe and figure out what was going on. So that was that's all I have for now.

Alright. Mister chair, I got

a question, for Nate. So that's was that voted on by school committee as a budget to go forward?

I you know, to be honest with you, I don't think they had a vote on it. Okay. Okay. But but Joe I'm not sure. I'm sorry. Mike put it together in in a PowerPoint presentation and and presented it and and and basically, from what I understand in talking to Joe and watching the meeting, Mike understands that's the number that they have to get to. So they they proposed they they had a slide presented to show how many positions that would basically eliminate to get to that. I wanna say it was, like, 23 and a

half as well as proposed. Whether or not that's,

you know, child facing positions or not, I'm not sure.

So people could watch the the Absolutely. School committee meeting just as you did to get the accurate fee?

Yes. 100%. All those numbers. No. No. No. That was just that was the slide that was on on the on the project that they showed on camera. Good. Yeah.

The schools may be looking at when the town meeting is now because they have public hearing on the figure that they want moving forward. So maybe they're wait until as close as they can because if their figures start changing, I know the town manager referred to might be getting some updated figures from the state, but he wouldn't show when. So that but it's good information. Anybody else? The Cherry Sheets probably are gonna update,

I think, this coming week.

Could be. I believe.

I checked I checked today. There wasn't any updates yet, but I've been checking every time.

Okay. Yeah. I watched the select board meeting the other night. You you were there, Bob, and I I think interim town manager said sometime this week there was supposed to be an update to the cherry sheets.

Stopped this in the right direction.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, and, mister Chair, one more thing. I did request if Joe can give us an update on a year to date for local receipts because I know in, you know, the budget book, there's a a $13,000,000 figure versus an $11.05 figure. And I just with the quarter ending on March 31, you know, we should have an update where we are to this point through the end of the third quarter We can kinda make that projection what this would be for the end of the year.

The account manager will be sending it to the finance community? Yep. Okay.

It's all about the next. So

actually, one Oh, go ahead.

We like, I'd like this to

actually see where like, I understand that I'd like to see, like, updated numbers on exactly what's coming

from every department. You know

I mean? That way, I I realized that, you know, if it's whatever the number is from, like, say, DPW, police, fire, or whatever, I'd like to just because you have a if you can get us a list of exactly what's coming from each budget, and then we can kinda decipher from decipher from there and kinda see what we're looking at to have, like, a baseline. I mean, we can speculate.

I don't disagree with him. Whatever information he may have that we should have, but he reinforced the other night that and they asked specifically, so we should take those budget pages from the pre from the original, use that as the numbers that we're looking at. I can request if he get he has anything that adds to that or detracts from that. That still doesn't give us a chance to take a look at the number they originally came in with and start looking at some of the numbers, and we may decide what you just said. We can't do anything with this budget until we know for more.

Or we could look at it and say, how low can they go? Or we start looking at, is it a department that when we talk about safety, some of the character the the criteria we're using. So I will talk I will talk to Tom manager tomorrow and ask him if he can give us the most up to date figures as he has them almost with.

Because I understand that he's got you know, he's going through the HR portion. So he's gotta know the numbers of it just coming from every department, what the revised numbers are for the budget going forward. You know?

I mean, I can

do the we can do the math on, you know what I mean, what comes from this department, that department, whatever. I was just because he's he's putting forth the budget. You know? So I just know where, like, his thoughts are so I could evaluate that way.

So I think the best way to do that is for us to all go through each budget as it stood when it was provided so we know what the areas they were looking at to do. And so when we see finally finally see see what some of the reductions may be, we can play that off the actual number. I will ask the town manager, but as he said the other night. So it's almost a deck of cards. So it's working with the unions, impact any certain positions go this way, then you gotta start talking about unemployment.

You gotta start talking about health benefits. So all those numbers now play into it. For for him to have accurate numbers at this stage with all the other dominoes as he has to play has to work through with HR, I'll ask him for the numbers that he has, but he he stated that the other night. He didn't say deck of cards falling over. He used another met metaphor.

So, I will ask him to do that, but I still think we should get the the the departments knowing that we have looked at their budget from what they were looking for to do, gives us a better understanding when we are looking at x budget and say, oh, okay. Now, jeez, what more could we add to it? So my thought was to go through each budget. If we have nothing to say or we have more questions, then we'll go through that. And we'll go as far as we can keeping notes.

And when we have the next meeting, if we have numbers from the town manager that seems to help some people more than others, then we'll we'll pick up where we left off. And if we have to retract, we go back. We'll go back. And if we don't need all four meetings that we decided to have, then we won't use them. Right? So I think we should at least give us a chance to meet and start going through the process. And I don't think there's anything wrong with looking at each department and at least them at least people know that we're we are looking into it as closely as we can with the best information that we have. So I agree with Eric, and I will ask the town manager to give us what he has. So, hopefully, I can get maybe he can hand it to us Thursday night. It'll help us as we move forward.

Understand. I just I'm I'm not trying to I'm not No. I'm agreeing with you, but I I also think we need to alright. And mister chair,

so given the that context and what the interim town manager is going through with respect to positions and things of that nature, our our focus then should be towards the expense side of the budget, I'm assuming.

Yes. So when I spoke to him at the meeting, yes, the expenditure side, he asked us to focus on the expenditures from the original budget and go through it. And whatever we have for ideas and as I said to you and I just mentioned to him, he may be getting phone calls independently, which is fine. It's fine. We'll bring it back to the table, but if something catches your you look at something, you say, I think he should know this. Well, great. Get you know, why should we wait two or three days if you've got something that might help him along the way? Mhmm. So but he was specific in focusing right now on the expenditures, but not leaving the door is not closed for anyone to do pick up as any citizen could. And he'd say, jeez, I never have you thought of this?

Mhmm. Okay. I I encourage you if that item pops into your head, give them give them a call. So, again, everybody has a way of keeping track. That was just a suggestion that I had. So I'm just gonna I don't know how you were working. I what I did I did what you did, I guess, when you said you pulled the budget pages and just going through them. First one is the finance committee. I mean, not a big item. We don't you know, the biggest expense at one time is when we send the member who wants to go to the the MMA.

Thanks. No. I'm not Glenn used to go. I'm just suggesting it's what? A $3,400 ride home. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. You know? So, you know It has to be a benefit. It could be you know, I'm not saying that's gonna make a big difference, but, you know, that's just one spot that I'm suggesting. Starting on page one, you know, or page 62, really. But

Mister Yerrick, given the size of that, don't know.

I I don't know. We I mean, if if we we've only been spending, you know, $1,200 that estimating what the what the secretary gets even if she even if it was $2,000 and we added another what was it? 5, $600 or less? It was less than

that? No. Yeah. It was like 5. It was

like $300, I think. Probably Probably 5. Yeah. So if we we have a a budget of $2,500, then that gets decreases by $2,500 almost. I haven't, you know, everything counts.

Yeah. So every

So I'll just for the sake of a number, I'm just gonna write down that we reviewed it today and a possible decrease of $2,500.

And

that's what I was hoping to do for each one of us. We may not have a number for some of these. We may need more information as suggested by both of of of of the members, but I'd like to at least

stop. Yeah.

So the next budget I see is the sled board. They have a they were looking for 72,000 on this section here.

Yeah. I mister Cherry, I think Selectboard gave up a temporary position. They did. They gave us an x. Right. Yeah. They gave up their Administrative assistant.

Administrator of the system. Right. So I'll

just note That actually occurred.

Note that they've already made some reductions. Town manager. Five one two three. It appears to be a request, original request of 440,000, if I'm reading it correctly, which is a $29,000 increase. And I would beg to hold off until they start talking about they're gonna be posting a position.

They're gonna be interviewing when they post the position. They're gonna have to put a salary range so that will kinda guide where that number should be because you have to put a salary range, and they're gonna just say, why don't you come work for us because we'd like you. So I I would put a hole in that one. Right? Anybody disagree on that one?

Mister Chad, I think that that number probably wound up being level funded, not have a $29,000 difference because of the with their limiting I don't know what that administrative assistant found, but does she fall under temporary clerical?

Or It came it was under

Select It's right here. Oh, it's select board. I'm sorry. Right. It's under Got it. So, yeah, it's not consistent to the town managers. Is there nothing

you've been showing? No. Yeah.

Got it. Okay. Yeah. I'm I'm I'm just mister Sheridan, I I just I know we're looking at expenses, I I saw the temporary clerical. I I don't know. That to me sounds like a a contracted position as opposed to a town employee. What what is What's this? It was yeah. It was for, $25,000, I think, under under a town manager's office. About 10 bill. Yeah. Looked almost like a kind of a plug number. Yeah. A holding place. So I

I don't know if it's right in turn or not.

Might be worth finding out what that is and do they really need that this coming fiscal year. So

on 01/23, we have a question regarding that one number Mhmm. Because it's temporary. Probably doesn't have to be we're through the way the town manager was talking about the impact by against it, but I'll put a note on that. The hold is based upon the temporary clerical position, which may have already been looked at.

But any

any other thing that pops up that we need more information or we have suggestion?

I I didn't see anything else, but I think as as Nate suggested, looking at the level funding funding depending on where the final Yeah. Numbers come back on

the town manager. And I don't I don't know what the town managers You will look

at receipts, if I remember correctly. That's what you you were asking earlier.

Yes. Local receipts. Yeah.

But local receipts. Those numbers you want an update on those.

Yeah. Yeah. Because it was Jay was mentioning it was in the the budget book. Was a $13,000,000 projection, and then Joe Perkins had a has it $11.05. Yeah. So there's a million and a half difference there. So it's kinda went over closer to 13, closer to so you

know exactly what your shortfall is gonna be. Yeah. Think Eric's question would be more directly than you would possibly be talking about getting as close to the figures that will exist as a new smooth process.

Through through the new on the expense side.

On the expense side. Yeah. Right. So

Mister chair. Go ahead. We have a

question from lines.

Does the grant sorry. Mexico follows. Does the grant

It it was it was for the longest. It was for a

But I'm just saying that might be

a The grant writer was yeah. The grant writer was in the town manager's office for a while. So I don't know if that's

I think it's I don't have my budget books in the car.

No. It's a Uh-huh. Grant writer projects. Yep.

Yeah. On the next page.

In July 27. That's another question.

That's for that wages part time.

Looks like Still in, town manager 01/23. Mhmm. I thought there was some move with that phone, but we'll we'll find out. So we have two we have a hold on the account manager, and the question is really about those two items, temporary clerical, and grant writers position where where it may exist someplace else. Nothing on the other expenditure, which I I I I I'm not trying I'm on town manager, Apartment 123 under expenses, and it's very important to do what this item does.

And it's an item at $7,000, which is $2,000 difference from f y twenty six. And, everyone wants to make sure their employees feel that they're appreciated. And I think that's a great thing to do, but is there other ways to do it? So I'll just leave that there. It's small numbers. It's always in the finance community. It's $2,500. Yeah. And I'm not saying that this should be put away. I think this one as we nickel and dime through it, you know, anything should be talked about.

Absolutely. If I'm I'm an if I'm I'm a taxpayer out in Cedar Street, I'm questioning everything, you know, that at least something might be questioned. So it's it's least been, mentioned mentioned at this point.

Mister Jay, I I tend to agree. I think it's a little bit bad optics to have an increase in employee appreciation with them. Also, layoff Yeah. You know, ex a lot of employees.

I'm suggesting. Not Don't do something to appreciate it. Just we just we should be looking at everything. Yep. Alright. So those are the three items right now. Doesn't mean anything else can be put on the table when we talk to the top manager with that. So those three items would be there's also we I'm gonna go back to where Alan was coming from, temporary personnel of $25,000. I suppose we're talking with the grandpa, we can sort that into the discussion or just to see, you know, as you

Yeah. Yeah. See. Might be all part of the ongoing discussions that interim town managers have. But yeah.

Well, some of them may not even be in the contract. Right. Right. Eric? Mhmm.

Alright. So I'm moving forward moving on from 01/23 to the finance department, department one thirty five. Positions are assistant town account accountant, director of finance, administrative assistant, temporary personnel, town accountant, senior clerk accountant. And for FY '27, it's a total of only three positions. Without even looking at the numbers, I keep saying to myself, what positions do we put on the table to say, you know, we need because of the nature of what they do, whatever this department is, is this a department you want to find ourselves trying to cut back back from?

And if our discussions right now is about finance, about how we're doing with finance, how it's regulated, how it's being reviewed, to even suggest suggest that we, take that department. I don't know. I'm just thinking out loud that is that an area that we feel that with with such the focus on right now? Your thoughts. That was just my thoughts when I looked at the bottom.

Yeah. Mister chair, I I thought we were gonna try to stay off the personnel stuff.

Right. That's why I said I would yeah. And I would I was just suggesting Yeah. You we we were asking to create create criteria. Alright? And I'm just saying, what are the departments that need to be in a position to help us be sure that we're not facing some of the discussions we're having now to get the so if this department has x number of dollars, is that the one that we wanna start to say we need to chip away at? And like I said, I didn't even turn the page in. Yep. You know? So I'm just looking at that department as finances is the place that we're right now, but we're being viewed.

That people are talking about how did this happen. So we're gonna take the department that's most in charge, so to speak, of the finances of the town and say, well, they shouldn't have stationary. They shouldn't have training. They shouldn't I mean yeah. I I'm just looking at that as a problem that maybe we come back to that.

Yeah. And and mister chair, think since a department like that, I can't, like, have my book in the car, but, I I did look through, and there's a lot lot of departments that have the the ratio of expense to total budget is, like, 5% or some nominal amount. So it it does become a bit of a challenge in some the of departments. And I I think finance might have been one of those. It's Mhmm. A lot of them are more, salary heavy than than expense. So there's probably not much to to carve out in terms of expense.

And so when I said I didn't overpay it, it was like anything has to do with it. K. And we're is that the place we wanna say? We can do more with less. And right now, we don't know how much more we need to do.

So I would put a just a hold on it and say that we we we're gonna approve it, but, so on January, I'm putting hold only for the sake that I'm I'm gonna hope that at some point, we're gonna have all seven of us so that we can vote as a as a committee Mhmm. On on this. So because there may be some items that we call hold and maybe the items that we had maybe there's another one that that we hadn't thought of. So so then move to assessors department one forty one. Well, expenses, get vehicle maintenance, other contracted services, they get, fees for probate, printing, postage.

If you look at the numbers Pretty level. I mean, right. And their job is to make sure they're seeing success in a way that we make sure the money is received. Mhmm. So when I'm looking at the expenses, much of what Alan just kinda described, you look at the expenses, it's I don't know what you would say. They don't need it, particularly if you want the money to be coming in. Yeah. Everything is assessed at the proper level. So I'm just gonna use 141 as, we've reviewed. No comment about hold.

Maybe hold will come up later. Treasure collector, 145. I'm seeing the numbers more from me than you, I guess, because it's gonna help me help with Jessica and how we push the minutes together. So it's 7078. 8.

Oh, Oh, 70755 and and 7078. 8. But, yeah, if you if you another one of the places where we wanna make sure that every cent that the town deserves the processes that exist is gonna be coming into the coffers. And even if you look at the the expenses, I mean, I I I suppose you someone would I've seen this in the past. I'm sure all have.

Someone will see at least copy your equipment budget and say, oh my goodness gracious. But think about what they have to put out. That requires copies of things, sending things out. It's gotta be done. We're not gonna be sending this over to everybody through an email anymore. That that that time hasn't started yet. Yeah. It's gotta be on paper. And, that's the only if you look at the expensive, that's really the only one that stands stands out. Out. Yeah.

All the rest are fairly small. You might get a couple thousand bucks here and there.

The only thing I noticed on it was that, for terms of headcount, they have one less than previous years. That's because their collection collection supervisor position is vacant. So I just made a note just to, you is the intention of the treasury department to fill that position? And what issues would they have between now and a year from now that they could foresee having if they don't fill the position?

So which one was excuse me.

It's on page 74. Okay. And you have

her down Oh, yeah. Percent. So Which one did

you say? It was a collection

this one here. Collections supervisor. Oh, okay. So So it doesn't

look like they were seeking funding for that?

Okay. Yeah. That's because that well, they have a a minus for wages full time of 67,000, so I'm I'm guessing that's because the position has yet to be filled. That's my assumption. I don't know

if we're gonna get paid or I think it goes back to the discussion about personnel. Yep. I I I went to the copy of the machine only because it's a big number, but maybe because of the way that we are still dealing with people. It's it's a big number. Yeah. As far as the, you know, what what he's doing with the impact getting may or may not affect what staffing they're

gonna have, and they don't have

to let him get to there and get to the point where he's in front of us and he's gonna allow us to talk about it. Because it's impact by getting made a decision. Mhmm. The decision's been made.

Yeah. Yeah.

It's just more out of, you know

Oh, yeah. Plan just planning ahead and seeing

if it's enough. If they're gonna still remain at that minus number, they're gonna eventually fill that. Okay. But I, can definitely fill up the part in.

So that's one forty five question mark hold. I mean Mhmm. The only if you look at the items, I mean Yeah. There's no except for that one big one, the others

they need to do. Yeah. But something would draw a difference.

Yeah. I think probably a discussion for a later date is and you look at office equipment, leasing, and maintenance and all that. Are they all kind of centralized? Is there a centralized buying for that? And that's not a discussion for today, but maybe for another budget cycle, how how that might best be accomplished if there's multiple might be able to gain, you know, some sort of efficiency by having it under one vendor or put it out in the bid or whatever.

I I do know that the the the state bid list has items like that in there, and I I don't know what they're doing now. I know I was involved with the public schools even at the town side. Using the state bid list was, if not required, it was strongly recommended. So I'm I'm I'm making assumption that but so that's you can ask we can ask that question. But

I believe I believe that's Tara from IT who's in charge of because for all the equipment. Okay? And then she has it on, like, a cycle, basically, like, x amount of new machines each year are replaced. Okay? I believe that's I believe that's what it is, but I can, you know, definitely have to list this stuff for future discussion.

So I I put an old question about using statement list or equipment. Just not just it's more of mind, it's more just a general question. Yeah. Yeah.

Why did

I put this here? January. This is just the the end of January. Okay. Where it talks about the well, as can you see, the contract work that's in here. So we'll just let you know, that's what he's working with. Mhmm. Which goes to that whole domino thing. Legal department, $1.51. Expenses. That's all this is. It's expensive.

So so mister chair, I I I know that in probably the past year or two, there was quite a bit of legal support needed, certainly around the META issue. I'm wondering if that number needs to be held or if there is the potential to take that number and reduce it. But I can't don't know what they're doing or if there's any plans for legal engagement this year, but

it's a discussion. Well, if

the expenses total are are as actual as they can be, there hasn't been much of an increase. Usually, you forecast where you're gonna need it the most, whether the contracts are coming up or but then there's the unforeseen legal opportunities that you you need legal assistance. It's it's a question. We'll just have that as a as a whole and with the potential of, can this be adjusted and wait? The answer might be yes upwards. You know? I just don't you know, we can ask that question.

Mister mister chair? That was actually

I know Nate's probably gonna hit on the same thing. No. We're probably not, but it's that's usually a retainer fee.

That's just inside. Oh, yeah. Oh. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

That's Yeah.

So it's a set retainer. Okay.

Before you walk comes. Stretching them out.

Yep. Yep. My my mister Chir, sorry.

I'm not gonna eat them. Sorry. The the actual

of this. Yeah. It's that

it's the actual. Yeah. It doesn't really float very high. No.

Go ahead. No. My my understanding is that they have it's not retained with KEP law and that they have essentially two hourly rates. One is for the more, like, you know, for lack of better term, mundane town you know, basic legal that's how they've had it for the last few years. I've asked, you know, the town in the past, and I I think when we kinda get through this and where the dust settles a little bit, I do tend to ask in the town to revisit this going back to maybe a mix between in house counsel and a KP law or something akin to that for the larger more specialized issues that you need a workforce.

Right? Because I think we have issues townwide when it comes to accessibility for town council, especially on boards and committees and stuff like that. So I think it's a discussion for another day, but but, yeah, it's a my understanding is, like, it needs to set up a retainer. So hope it stays in that. Go for

it. Alright. But still so should we just put a potential hold and have the question asked?

Yeah. I think it's worth worth

Bring it up. Discussion. Yeah.

Yeah. If 12 said $3,300,000 is a $25,000 a month retainer. So I think Yeah. I believe It may be already contracted, but

it's just I I believe, back in, like, '23 was the last year, we had a mix between the council and, you know, chief law, and it was, like, a 170,000 total. So that's Okay. You know. So I think it's worth worth looking at. It's a, you know, way we can save some money.

Alright. So $1.50. Legal is a a whole question. It's basically can that be adjusted. Human resources, relatively new department.

Been an effort for a number of years to have a human resource department to avoid problems that may arise when you don't have one. There doesn't there is not a lot in the expenses total. So where it's a new department, I don't know what the question would be, but

Just mister chair, I think, one of the positions is partly offset by the opioid one. Settlement. Right. Yes. So I just maybe getting clarification on that, but I think that's certainly a key key piece of some of the funding here.

And I don't know if that's already incorporated into these numbers or not. Well, the wages, opioid, opiate is under the salaries total Mhmm. Which is, you know, full year. Yep. Yep.

Their other budget expenses, total expenses are looking for 45,000 this year as opposed to 40 the year before. The increase seems to be in dues so that the participants, employees in the human resource will have an opportunity to, keep up to date and keep current in the in the different laws and different regulations regulations so so that that you don't have a problem that human resources would have to work on if they had already had the opportunity to learn more about them. So in my mind, it took a long time getting this department. I would simply say, review review it.

I'm not too specific. Just one one

point, mister chair, the, other contracted services, 31,000. I just when I see kind of round numbers, just having having an understanding of the basis, having done budgeting myself in the past, usually round numbers are kind of plugged. Just Right. In estimate, maybe a bit of a swag, so it might be just worth getting clarification, you know, what's what's contained in that amount. Is there anything that Alright. Could be given back? So

the question is, what can

is there a is there

way to reduce the the request of f y '27 of 31,000?

Yeah. Yep. It's under an other

contract. Other. Yeah. Alright. What I'm it not get done, but I'm gonna try to do is get these in a with Jessica's help. Get these in a a a way that you can, like, get them to the town manager. I may not get it to him. He I might end it on Thursday night with not an expectation that he's gonna have answers. Okay? Yep. Just know what's going on.

Yeah. I'm taking notes as we go along. I'm so 40. Can go off for those as well if I hope so.

Whatever. Your notes, I will tell coming as well as Yeah. How's that? Absolutely. Okay. Thank you. Mhmm. Any other questions on human resources that we have? So it is a whole. It's got a specific item under expenses that we'll move that forward with anything else that we have so far.

Information technology, one fifty five. Let's see. So expenses. Goes into the next page. So using the numbers that were in the original budget book, the projected actual '25 was $9,910,000.

Budget, without knowing exactly what had been spent out of it, which is goes to one of the questions I think Everett was asking about, was $9.66, so it's another it's another $15,000 or so. And requesting an increase of 18,000 on top of their budgeted number for FY '26. So I suppose the question question could at least be out there out of their ways, and then they may it may be occurring, but out of their ways. For us to pick one just out of the hatch, he's his training needs to be $5,000. I don't know.

Maybe it does. Maybe they're new people, maybe they're new things coming on. Are they spending too much on a computer equipment? I mean, so those we could ask a general question unless you all have some kind of a specific under expenses that you wanna focus on.

Yep. Other contracted services for 35,000.

That's on

That's that's on the first page. It's on the first page.

Other contract. Okay. So it was 57,000 projected actual in '25, went down to 35, and they're keeping it at 35. So we'll ask, is 35 a reaction to the 57,000? That's where they brought it down to? Or can it be reviewed? So that would be one aspect. Any other aspects you'd like to have questions on under the expenses under the technology department?

Mister Chair, just not really question, more of a statement. I personally value the IT department. I look at it as more like a infrastructure and certain insurance with all the cybersecurity stuff. I think there's a lot of places we can cut costs or whatever, you know, the last thing I would wanna see is, you know, advocate to eliminate some piece of software, then that ends up being a way for the, you know, the town's, you know, entire security to jeopardize from itself. But I think, overall, they're pretty well funded, which is a welcoming sight for years. It was going up each year because they were trying to get with the times and put a little bit of catch up. So so I dropped.

Yeah. And I I mister Trey, I believe they might have been one of the departments that in years prior, like, procurement was done under the capital budgeting. And I think because of the size size of those are and and how often it's repeated, I think it was brought in under their operating budget, which makes sense, but it certainly has Raised their budget. Yeah.

If if if the computers in any one of our departments not working properly, there's gonna be some work that isn't gonna get done. Yeah. I'll just need it. So Mhmm. I don't know. So right now the question is targeting not targeting. We're looking at that other contract Mhmm. Just as an as an open question. Okay. Eric, are with us? I'm I'm just taking it all. Okay. Alright. I'm good. Alright. Alright. I'm gonna move on to media department. And I guess right there, of Mhmm. Good view. Witness of of what we're trying to do for the towns to keep everyone informed of what's going on.

So if you look at the expenses that you've been asked to

Mister chair. Yep. I just I I've actually talked to a member of the community about this department in particular, and I I I think it's a little miss not the right word, but I think a a better explanation in terms of what the actual cost is to the town versus what's taken out of MCAM's budget because they're they are funded from the fees that are collected from Verizon and Comcast as the local tax fees. So I'm just curious in terms of these particular positions, how much of this is actually funded through town appropriation? How much is funded through the MCAMS on the MCAMS side?

Could the question be, the

media department has a budget total of x number of dollars. Can you can it be broken down so we know what side is coming from the town and what side is coming from the Okay. Or they're they're From the Verizon. Cable commission, I think it's called. Yeah. Exactly. I'm rephrasing it so that it's looking at the whole budget and not focusing on personnel.

Exactly. Yeah. Not not not not a personnel focus. It's just it's more of just I'll just rephrase it. Yeah. Yeah. No. I I agree.

So it got what is what is the actual cost of the town if we factor in the money that we get from the two cable companies? Mhmm. So that's $1.57. Anything else on medium? Town clerk. I'm in $1.61. Let's see.

$100 year over year.

Salaries total $2.59. Now if I'm reading this correctly, I don't if you can see it on your page. I see expenses total at $30,034.75 and 26, 18,000 to 725 for this year, fifth for '27. Like the numbers? Yep. Mhmm. So we're just focusing on expenses. Not enough to focus. Not enough to focus on. Yeah.

And mister chair, just to

add to that. I don't wanna try to add every every single one. No. No. That's what we're for.

I'm sure it varies depending on how much stuff they I mean, obviously, postage and printing. I mean, I guess it's gonna vary on excise you know, how much excise taxes bills are sending out. I guess it's gonna vary a little bit year to year. Doesn't the

don't we send our excise taxes to

the taxes office? Doc license, I guess. But I I guess that the outlook could be that's that's something I'm thinking of. Under elections in election I'm thinking elections and town clerk are still combined, but they're not. Oh, yeah. Elections are No. They have to actually list as a separate department now.

Elections are department one sixty two. Yeah. So And I'm sure that would vary from year to

year to what elections are coming up. Yeah. I was gonna make that point, but then, like, no. It's two separate part, but they were never That's fine.

Two separate parts. So I'm I'm suggesting from what our discussion was just that the town clerk's expenses are it appears to be in

order of what they need to do. Yeah. I think they're

fine. Let's call that review. Now we have our elections department. And there's a lot that goes on with this department once you get going how many people have to be part of making sure they run smoothly as you can see by the the way it's put together. And then I would, you know, look at expenses.

So expenses in FY twenty twenty five, five, the actual projected was $7,979,000. Then 2026, the budget was 58. And then in '93, they've got it as the budget being I'm sorry. It's 58 and '26, and they're looking for '93. But we have midterms that will be part of that. Yeah. Correct. So State election? So, I mean, I I don't know if we wanna have voting that get done. Depends on who you are. Oh, that's just

All this fiscal year is gonna have three elections.

Yeah. Because if you have Steve, you the you have the annual our town annual primaries in that state state.

So You don't wanna be the one asking the question. We should

take the money out of there. Yeah.

It'd be the headlines. Yep.

Yeah. I think that's pretty

level funded. Alright. So they say it's a reviewed item to you know, we reviewed it. We don't have any. Alright. We got a lot of comments. Yeah. Conservation department. Yeah. I'm gonna stop here because they said they want us out here at 07:00 because when went I to the table and and and I introduced myself, it was very clear that we're closing at seven. So, I think we should, can I, was there anything else? I'm sorry. Public comment? Thank you. I'll take a motion.

Is there any public comment from y'all said? None. Alright. I'll a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you very much. Thank you, Joe.