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Town of Bristol Budget Committee Minutes January 26, 2009
APPROVED ON:
ATTENDED: Andrew Hemingway (Chairman), Dan Bouchard (Vice Chairman), Ron Preble , Richard Walenda, David Carr, Jon Thouin, Paul Simard, Ashley Dolloff, Tom Winn, Andrew Williamson, Brenda Fritz, Dorcas Gordon, Diane Marden (Secretary), and Bruce Van Derven (Selectmen).
ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Paul Weston (Town Manager), Joe Denning (Selectmen), Don Milbrand (Selectmen), various Department Heads, and members of the public.
The Chairman, Andrew Hemingway called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., at the Bristol Town Hall, and the meeting was video taped for Bristol Public Access.
Minutes of December 15, 2008
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept the minutes of December 15, 2008. Andrew Williamson seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no further discussion was made, and the Chairman at this time called for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 12/0 (Brenda Fritz not present for vote.)
Minutes of January 12, 2009
Andrew Williamson made the motion to accept the minutes of January 12, 2009. Dan Bouchard seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion. Mr. Preble stated that on page 7 it should read “cold” Elementary School rather than “cole” elementary school. Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the amended minutes of January 12, 2009. MOTION CARRIED 12/0 (Brenda Fritz not present for vote.)
Minutes of January 19, 2009
Andrew Williamson made the motion to accept the minutes of January 19, 2009. Dan Bouchard seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion. Mr. Hemingway stated he would like the form on the back of the minutes removed.
Minutes of January 19, 2009 Continued
Paul Simard stated Mr. Hemingway asked at the meeting to give the form to the secretary to include in the minutes. Mr. Hemingway stated no problem leave them as part of the minutes. Dorcas Gordon stated that on page 30 she would like her comment to read to “make” Bristol a great place to live. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no further discussion was made, he then asked for a vote on the amended minutes. MOTION CARRIED 12/0 (Brenda Fritz not present for vote.)
Conservation Commission
Ron Preble made the motion to accept the Conservation Commission budget line items 01-4511-390 through 690 in the amount of $496. Ashley Dolloff seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion on the Conservation Commission Budget, no discussion was made. The Chairman then asked for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 12/0/1 abstention
Historic District Commission
Dorcas Gordon made the motion to accept the Historic District Commissions Budget line items 01-4612-120 through 625 in the amount of $1,965. Bruce Van Derven seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no discussion was made, the Chairman then asked for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 13/0
Social Services
Andrew Williamson made the motion to accept the Social Services Budget line items 01-4652-570 through 578 in the amount of $14,000. Dan Bouchard seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion.
Dorcas Gordon made the motion to amend line item 01-4652-577 entitled CADy to $500. Ashley Dolloff seconded the motion. Ms. Gordon stated she was actually impressed by the presentation by the Director of CADY. Ms. Gordon stated she thought that if the intervention with juveniles was effective it would have an impact our need to use the prosecutor. Ms. Gordon stated in effect it could give some cost savings. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no additional discussion was made, he then asked for a vote on the amendment increasing the bottom line of the Social Services Budget to $14,500. MOTION ON AMENDMENT CARRIES 9/3/1 abstention
Social Services Continued
Ron Preble made the motion to amend line item 01-4652-575 entitled Genesis to $1,500 reducing this line item by $500 bringing the bottom line back to $14,000. Dan Bouchard seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no further discussion was made, the Chairman asked for a vote on the amendment. MOTION CARRIED 11/1/1-abstention
Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the original motion made by Andrew Williamson to accept the Social Services Budget line items 01-4652-570 through 578 in the amount of $14,000. Dan Bouchard had seconded the motion at that time. MOTION CARRIED 13/0
Principle L/T Debt
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept line items 01-4711- 731 through 992 under Principal L/T Debt in the amount of $235,683. Chairman Hemingway asked Town Manager Weston if he would like to speak to this budget. Mr. Weston stated we have learned there is no payment on a bond that we are about to take out, and we have learned there will no payment this year on the Waste Water Treatment Plan so the Principle is some $51,000 less on line item 01-4711-990. Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the bottom line of $174,348. MOTION CARRIED 12/0/1-abstention
Interest L/T Debt
Jon Thouin made the motion to accept the bottom line of the Interest L/T Debt in the amount of $54,498 line items 01-4712-731 through 992. Ron Preble seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no discussion, then he asked for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 13/0
Tax
Andrew Williamson made the motion to accept all line item under the Tax accounts. Dan Bouchard seconded the motion. No discussion was made and the Chairman asked for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 12/0/1-abstention
Capital Projects
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept line items 01-4901-720 through 774 under Capital Projects in the amount of $700,002. Ron Preble seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion.
Capital Projects Continued
Town Manager Weston explained the Borough Road Bridge is a repeat warrant article from last year. Mr. Weston stated the number should be $683,500 rather than the 700,000. Mr. Weston stated the Town voted on the Town Office Roof line item 01-4901-774 which was appropriated through the improvements to the Police Department. Mr. Weston stated the auditor feels it is a stretch to take the roof out of these encumbered funds, and therefore we need to appropriate the $24,945 for the roof which is needed badly. Dave Carr asked if the Board of Selectmen have voted to do this project. Mr. Weston stated the Board of Selectmen voted to encumber the funds. Bruce Van Derven commented that the wording was designed to possibly accomplish a number of things at the time it was drawn up. Mr. Van Derven stated he does not feel it is too much of a stretch and feels we are on safe ground to use the encumbered the funds.
Ashley Dolloff made the motion to amend the bottom line to $682,502. Bruce Van Derven seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion. Tom Winn commented if the funds are there, and the roof needs to be repaired then repair it. Paul Simard stated he agrees, but can the Budget Committee have something showing how those funds will be used. Richard Welanda stated he understood the roof is needed, but that the rafters have not rotted in one year. Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the amendment changing the bottom line of Capital Projects to $682,502. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIED 12/0/1-abstention
Jon Thouin made the motion to amend line item 01-4901-772 entitled Library Building Improvements to $50,000. Paul Simard seconded the motion. Mr. Thouin stated we put $30,000 in there last year, and the CIP did say it was an important project. Mr. Thouin stated we need to get moving on the project. Bruce Van Derven stated we now have a grant writer in this budget, and maybe this should be factored into the amendment. Dorcas Gordon asked why $50,000 when we are trying to keep this budget low? Jon Thouin stated that is half the money requested last year. Ms. Gordon stated she could support $25,000 in retrospect to what is being done with Kelley Park, but could not support $50,000 this year. Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the amendment. MOTION TO AMEND FAILS 2/10/1-abstention
Jon Thouin makes the amendment to change the number to $25,000 under line item 01-4901-772 entitled Library Building Improvements. Ron Preble seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no discussion, he then called for the vote. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIES 8/5/0
Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the original motion made by Dan Bouchard to accept line items 01-4901-720 through 774 under Capital Projects in the amount of $700,002, and amended to $707,502 Ron Preble had seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIED 10/3/0
Capital Equipment
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept line items 01-4902-750 through 777 under Capital Equipment in the amount of $103,601. Bruce Van Derven seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion. Bruce Van Derven stated this reflects at least three (3) of the four (4) recommendations by the CIP committee are fully funded.
Richard Walenda made the motion to amend line item 01-4902-700 entitled Police Cruiser and 01-4902-771 Dump Truck to $0 (zero). Bruce Van Derven seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion Mr. Walenda stated the economy is not there, and there are many retired people out there. Maybe next year would be better, and maybe the president will give us some money. This year is not the year to do this. Bruce Van Derven stated the CIP is to stabilize taxes, and he believes when someone is in need of emergency services they will be grateful to have it. Chairman Hemingway stated he believes the CIP is important for stabilizing taxes, but he does not see how these two items are necessary this year. Mr. Hemingway stated he is in support of this amendment because the SUV can be parked when there is no snow. Jon Thouin asked if the newer Dump Truck was being replaced instead of the older? Highway Superintendent Mark Bucklin stated the newer truck is in worse condition than the older one. Andrew Williamson stated he does not know about the condition of the Dump Truck but does know the condition of the SUV is in very poor shape. Mr. Williamson stated he does not believe it will make it another year, and if we try to nurse it more than likely it will cost us more in the long run.
Tom Winn stated the best deals are on now on vehicles because of the economy. Dorcas Gordon asked if it is possible to get vehicles cheaper than what it is currently budget for. Chief Clark stated now is the time to purchase, as next year two (2) will need to be purchased. Dorcas Gordon stated in light of the economy, and along with the pay increase this year, is it at all possible to decrease each of these vehicles by $5,000? Highway Superintendent Mark Bucklin stated he would be very hesitate to reduce the vehicle by $5,000 due to the plow equipment that comes with the vehicle. Police Chief Clark stated with a reduction of $5,000 it would be difficult to purchase the necessary radio equipment for the vehicle.
Chairman Hemingway stated he had spoken to his father relative to police vehicles as he has purchased and sold police vehicles for the State for a number of years. Mr. Hemingway stated the State Police have no issues getting someplace, and there answer to the problem is snow tires. Mr. Hemingway stated he does not believe an SUV is needed at this time. Dan Bouchard asked if there is a trade in value for either of these vehicles? Chief Clark stated there is a trade in value, and that local police duties are very different from those of the State Police. Dan Bouchard stated the trade in values should be shown in the revenues, and they do not appear in the revenues. Mr. Bouchard stated his opinion is we can lower the line items, or we need to show the trade in values of the revenue. Ron Preble stated if the vehicles are so bad that they need to be traded, then why would we keep the vehicle for another department?
Capital Equipment Continued
Bruce Van Derven stated if it would have little to no use, another department may be able to get by with the vehicle. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no discussion was made, and he then asked for a vote on the original motion made by Richard Walenda to amend line item 01-4902-700 entitled Police Cruiser and 01-4902-771 Dump Truck to $0 (zero) changing the bottom line to $25,001. Bruce Van Derven had seconded the motion. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIES 7/6/0
Ron Preble asked what the Fire Equipment Upgrade consisted of? Town Manager Weston stated read from the CIP the 2006/2007 Warrant Article to Mr. Preble which consisted of a number of equipment replacement costs. Mr. Preble stated these items should not be grouped together, but should be separated and placed in the Fire Department’s operating budget.
Bruce Van Derven made a motion to amend the bottom line of Capital Equipment to $1,101,000. Andrew Williamson seconded the motion. Mr. Van Derven stated he put the Police Cruiser (01-4902-760) in for $32,600, the Dump Truck (01-4902-761) at $45,000, and the Fire Equipment (01-4902-776) at $22,500. Mr. Van Derven stated Mr. Bouchard is correct about the way the Town records its revenues. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no further discussion, the Chairman asked for a vote at this time. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIES 7/5/1-abstention
Dave Carr stated last week the Chairman stated we would not reconsider anything, and we just reconsidered the bottom line of Capital Equipment. Chairman Hemingway stated what we had done last week was to no reconsider anything we had approved last week, and to move forward this week with where the committee had left off.
Dan Bouchard stated he would like to make it clear that we should be getting the additional revenues on the vehicles if traded in. Bruce Van Derven stated he believes management has heard his concerns on the issue.
Chairman Hemingway calls for a vote on the original motion made by Dan Bouchard to accept line items 01-4902-750 through 777 under Capital Equipment in the amount of $103,601, which was amended to $100,101 by Mr. Van Derven’s motion to amend, and seconded by Mr. Williamson. Bruce Van Derven had seconded the original motion. MOTION CARRIES 7/6
Ashley Dolloff stated at this time per request of the Chairman the general fund is at $4,750,607 with an approximate tax rate of $5.02.
Other Capital Outlay/Capital Reserves
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept line items 01-4909-720-through 731 under Other Capital Outlay and line items 01-4915-700 through 710 under the Capital Reserve accounts. Jon Thouin seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no discussion was made, and he then asked for a vote. MOTION CARRIES 11/1/1-abstention
Sewer Accounts
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept all of the Sewer accounts in the amount of $347,745. Bruce Van Derven seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion.
Jon Thouin made the motion to amend by putting $1 in line item 05-4324-900 entitled Surplus Transfer to Capital Reserve. Dave Carr seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no additional discussion was made, he then called for a vote. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIED 12/0/1-abstention
Superintendent Jeff Chartier stated he needed at least $1,000 in line item 05-4326-342 entitled Sewer Computer as it is based around a contract. Jon Thouin made the motion to amend line the Water and Sewer accounts bottom line from $347,745 to $352,245. Dan Bouchard seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no discussion was made, he then called for a vote on the amendment. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIED 11/1/1-abstention
Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the original motion made by Dan Bouchard to accept all of the Sewer accounts in the amount of $353,245. Bruce Van Derven had seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no additional discussion, he then asked for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 11/1/1-abstention
Water Accounts
Andrew Williamson made the motion to accept the Water accounts in the amount of $345,132. Ron Preble seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion on the Water accounts.
Superintendent Jeff Chartier spoke about a number of the Water accounts. Mr Chartier stated under the Capital Projects the Storm Center Upgrade of $41,600 (07-4332-908), and Booster Station of $62,400 (07-4332-910) are based on contracts. The Garage of $7,000 (07-4332-918) is 70% of the cost of completing of the Garage. Mr. Chartier stated he would appreciate it if the Budget Committee could make these changes.
Water Accounts Continued
Superintendent Chairtier continued to explain that line item 07-4331-199 for $1,300 entitled Wage Adjustments-Certification is based on an employee becoming certified, and he would like to be able to increase the wage accordingly. The Water Computer (07-4331-342) is the cost for upgrades in the amount of $1,000. Mr. Chartier continued saying line items 07-4331-390 Water Lab Services & 680 Water Chemicals are based on actual costs.
Dan Bouchard made the motion to amend these line items as presented by Mr. Chartier changing the bottom line of the budget to $325,440. Brenda Fritz seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion, no additional discussion was made, he then asked for a vote on the amendment. MOTION TO AMEND CARRIES 12/1/0
Bruce Van Derven made the motion to amend line item 07-4331-199 entitled Wage Adjustments-Certification to zero, reducing the overall water budget by $1,300. Brenda Fritz seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion. Mr. Van Derven stated there is $480 in the Sewer Certification that should cover this. Mr. Van Derven also feels this should be covered in the implementation of the Wage Classification Study. Dorcas Gordon asked if there is room to do that with these dedicated funds? Mr. Van Derven stated the Town Manager can find these funds in the general fund. Mr. Chartier stated all salaries in the 25 years I have been here they come directly out of the Water/Sewer accounts, not the general fund. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion, no further discussion was made, he then asked for a vote. MOTION TO AMEND FAILED 3/9/1
Chairman Hemingway asked for a vote on the original motion made by Andrew Williamson made the motion to accept the Water accounts in the amended amount of $325,440. Ron Preble seconded the original motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for additional discussion on the Water accounts, no additional discussion was made, he then called for a vote. MOTION CARRIED 12/0/1-abstention
Entire Budget
Dan Bouchard made the motion to accept the entire Budget for the Town of Bristol in the amount of $5,429,292. Brenda Fritz seconded the motion. Chairman Hemingway asked for discussion. Bruce Van Derven requested a roll call vote to hold budget committee members accountable for their actions. Dorcas Gordon stated each Budget Committee member voted differently on a number of issues throughout the Budget, and it does not seem to make a difference either way.
Voted Yes Jon Thouin, Ashley Dolloff, Dan Bouchard, Andrew Williamson, Thomas Winn, Brenda Fritz, Bruce Van Derven, Andrew Hemingway Entire Budget Continued
Voted No Dorcas Gordon, Dave Carr, Paul Simard, Rich Walenda, Ron Preble MOTION CARRIED 8/5/0
Bruce Van Derven stated this proposed budget has one of the lowest tax rates in the past 5 years. Joe Denning stated currently we do not know what the revenue will be or the overlay, and that is not taking in account the school’s portion of the tax rate or the county. Town Manager Weston stated currently no Warrant Articles have come in. Chairman Hemingway explained he does not want to hear anyone wishing to make any comments this evening, but would rather they hold off until the public hearing.
Adjournment
Dan Bouchard made the motion to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. Ashley Dolloff seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIED 13/0
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