Minutes approved by Bristol Budget Committee 10/26/2009
BRISTOL BUDGET COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 19, 2009
PRESENT:
Andrew Hemingway- Chairman, Dan Bouchard- Vice Chair, Barbara Greenwood, Dave Carr, Dorcas Gordon, Wendy Costigan, Ashley Dolloff, John Thouin, Shaun Lagueux, Jeff Shackett
ABSENT:
Andrew Williamson, Paul Simard, Ron Preble
OTHERS PRESENT:
Paul Weston, Town Manager; Raymah Simpson, Town Clerk/Tax Collector; Steve Yannuzzi, Fire Chief; Joe Denning, Selectman
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairman Hemingway called the meeting to order at 7:00pm.
REVIEW OF MINUTES:
The meeting began with a review of the minutes from October 5, 2009; Dorcas Gordon made a motion to accept the minutes as written and was seconded by Dan Bouchard followed by a unanimous vote in favor.
NEW BUSINESS:
Jeff Shackett, the Board of Selectmen representative, was welcomed to the committee by Chairman Hemingway.
TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTOR:
Raymah Simpson from the Town Clerk/Tax Collector office came to present the 2010 budget for the two departments.
Discussion concerning Line 01-4140-342, TC Computer Support followed. BMSI is the software company that provides the software Clerkworks. The Tech support company, Certified Computers, is working under contract with the town and is a labor only contract. They are also licensed to work on the software in the Police Department. The contract amount is $6600 and is split between the departments. When asked by Chairman Hemingway if the tech support contract had been put out to bid as required by the town, the Town Administrator, Mr. Weston, stated that it has not been put out to bid and will look into it when this contract is due for renewal.
Mr. Thouin asked if the ballot machine was worth the investment and was it going well? Ms. Simpson was very pleased with the machine and commented on it being a huge time-saver and help with the voting process. There are no problems with it so far.
Ms. Simpson also requested that the Committee consider the purchase of a new software program called Avatar. It would cost about $17,000. This new program is user-friendly; several towns are successfully using this software. The current BMSI program has some programming problems that the company is unwilling to fix. This results in double entry between the departments. Mr. Weston stated that this expense could be divided over two years and would be in place for the next town assessment. Ms. Gordon asked if this program allows for on-line access to assessment data, tax maps, and tax cards. Mr. Shackett asked if this on-line access is included or if it is an additional cost. Mr. Bouchard asked if BMSI provided over the phone support along with upgrades. Ms. Simpson replied that they were supposed to, but they were not very reliable with returning calls and getting updates sent out. Mr. Bouchard asked if the town has a qualified person to research this information so they know and understand what is being offered. Mr. Weston stated that at this time no one like that is available. Mr. Bouchard went on to emphasize that this is an important area and could save the town from wasting money on unnecessary purchases. Chairman Hemingway asked the Selectmen to consider a computer consultant.
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION:
Mr. Weston commented on the good accounting reporting and the process as a whole. The line item 01-4150-110, FA Accountant was the only line item discussed. The current accountant has left leaving an opening for a Part-time, BMSI trained employee. Mr. Weston stated that it is very difficult to find such a person who would agree to approximately $30,000 annual salary. It was suggested and agreed that the title be changed from accountant to bookkeeper. Mr. Joe Denning, Selectman gave the history of accounting process and how in the past the assessors did not give the town a satisfactory grade. However, with a change in software and personnel the grade has greatly improved. He cautioned that this position is very important and the right person must be hired to maintain this good standing, stating that it can easily fade back to the lower standard. Mr. Weston is advertising for this part-time position now and realizes that it may need to be advertised as a full-time position to attract the experienced help we are looking for.
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
Fire Chief, Steve Yannuzzi was welcomed to the meeting. Rather than go line by line Chief Yannuzzi was asked to speak about the items he felt needed further explanation.
Chairman Hemingway asked Mr. Weston and Chief Yannuzzi to make it clearly understood that no one will receive a pay raise explaining this will be an area of concern when presented to the public. The men agreed to have an explanation ready, if needed.
Chief Yannuzzi explained line 01-4220-192, Part Time Shift Coverage, and why it seems to be over budget. He will be starting a new way of providing the coverage needed without the strain on the budget. Having 3 people on duty in the summer makes everything run smoother, but it increases expenses.
Line 01-4220-195, Part Time Administrative Assistant was explained that this 24 hour a week position did not include any benefits. She is doing a great job, stated Chief Yannuzzi, and is able to do payroll, ambulance billing and other clerical duties at the fire station. She is also an EMT and is able to go out on a call when needed.
Line 01-4220-210, Health Insurance was an estimated increase amount. The actual increase has not been determined. Mr. Weston said that they are looking at some options regarding health insurance and will be discussing this with the Selectmen.
Chief Yannuzzi spent a little time discussing the uniform line item 01-4220-293. He stated that this is an area of wants vs. needs. Therefore, he only put the needs into the budget.
A brief comment on the Ambulance billing resulted in Mr. Weston saying he will see how other towns are being billed for ambulance use.
Mr. Carr asked about the necessity of three telephone lines and a fax line. (Line 01-4220-341) Chief Yannuzzi stated that all lines are in use and the fax line is used to receive the reports from dispatch. Email is not an option for this transfer of information and using another town fax line could result in privacy violations.
Mr. Thouin inquired about line 01-4220-410, Electric. The station seems to be over-lit and there are times it could have less lighting. Chief Yannuzzi said that this has been brought to his attention and they are looking into some alterations and possibly motion detectors.
Mr. Bouchard wanted to know why line 01-4220-390 was dropping the $5500. The Chief explained that was included in the 2009 budget to allow for the installation of a call box into the elderly housing location. That amount is not needed in the 2010 budget. Mr. Shackett questioned the spending of $7000 for this project and not receiving anything in return. Chief Yannuzzi explained that the elderly housing project will pay for installation of this call box and the department will have paid out almost nothing. He went on to say that this call box system is a low cost system that is well-worth maintaining.
There is an increase in line 01-4220-434, SCBA Maintenance & Repair to retrofit for amplifiers.
Mr. Carr asked if a cost analysis on equipment and vehicles is done. Chief Yannuzzi stated that maintenance fees are logged but an analysis is not done. Mr. Weston stated that a study was done to determine if an in-house mechanic should be hired. Currently no new position will be created but if an opening comes up this may be considered. Another option is to have an exclusive mechanic’s agreement with an outside garage. Mr. Carr stated that having an in-house mechanic needs to be carefully considered before agreeing to it. It is an area where immediate added expenses arise.
Ms. Costigan questioned line 01-4220-680, Disposable Medical Supplies. The increase, explained Chief Yannuzzi, is due to the requirement that each ambulance service purchase and stock supplies. In the past they could replenish the used supplies from the hospital but they are not allowed to continue that process. These items are billed to the patient and all costs are reimbursed under patient receipts.
Chief Yannuzzi stated that on the 2009 budget line 01-4902-776 was a $25,000 open equipment upgrade budget item. He is replacing that single line by creating lines 01-4220-810 to 01-4220-817 showing specifically how he would spend the $25,000, preventing any questions of his spending practices and allowing for exact accounting of his expenses.
Line 816-Breathing Apparatus – new purchase: He will begin a cycle of replacing the out-dated equipment with new compliant equipment. The new items cost $5000 each and Chief Yannuzzi stated that it is cost effective to purchase new rather than repair/upgrade the old ones. This purchase has been applied for under a grant but nothing has been heard regarding this application. Ms. Gordon asked how often they are used. Chief Yannuzzi stated that it is not a matter of how often but rather are they ready for use when needed. The old ones are not ready.
Line 817-Radio Equipment: The department has 6 pagers but needs to purchase chargers to make them usable.
Mr. Thouin asked about the boat. (Line item 01-4220-669) Chief Yannuzzi said it is old and every time it is used it needs repair and it is inadequate for this type of use. They are currently looking into replacing it with a Rescue One Connector Boat, which would cost about $23,000. Mr. Bouchard said he saw the boat in use this summer and agreed that the current boat is inadequate and a change in type of boat is needed.
Ms. Gordon stated that she would like to see the Fire Station get some curb appeal and maybe a Smokey The Bear. The Chief said they have been looking for one but it is very difficult to find one for purchase.
Mr. Carr asked about fire betterment. The chief said they have a standing offer to help whenever needed. Ms. Greenwood mentioned the exhaust system and the chief replied that the cost of maintaining is in the budget.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:
Chief Yannuzzi said there are no changes.
FORESTRY:
The cost of maintaining the Jeep is the only area of concern in this department.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 9:05 pm upon a motion by Ms. Greenwood and seconded by Mr. Bouchard.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Hemingway
Recording Secretary |