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Christopher Menard
David Passios
Jay Simeone
Evan Watters
unenburg Finance Committer
anuary 21, 202:
Location:
Present:
Zoom Virtual Meeting
Terrri Burchfield, Peter Beardmore Dave Passios, Jay Simeone, Chris
Menard, Evan Watters, Heather Sroka
Absent:
1. Call to Order
Terri Burchfield, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and read the
COVID-19 / Zoom meeting advisory statement.
This meeting was recorded and is viewable on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSOVTrqv66U6:30
2. Chair Report
There will be a Community Outreach Meeting in regard to the Adult Use
Marijuana Facility at 7:00 p.m. on February 4th. The zoom link can be found on
the Town Website.
3. Public Comment
None
4. Capital Plan Project Presentation (Attached)
Presented by Town Manager Heather L.
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Infrastructure - the Town will be applying for a Small Bridge Grant funding -
this repair has been mandated by the state and will cost $400,000 plus.
Town Facilities - Ritter Building Envelope Repairs $120,000 increase to
$200,000 the 2nd estimate came back much higher than original.
Capital Planning Prioritized the Projects
Questions/Comments -
Chris - Should some of these items be in the operating budget? Police Officer
Gear/Turnout Gear and bulletproof vests?
The Brooks House - does the Schools Facility Director still have an officer there?
Anyone else?
Peter - Capital Planning Requests - noted the School Department was tunded
significantly less than their total requests. Their total request amount was for
$357,000 and they only received $67,000 to fund the THES Envelope Project
leaving the $290,000 for the LPS Air Conditioning Project unfunded.
The Brooks House has historical and architectural significance in Town. He
believed he recalled a TM Article to sell the house and retain the land
Is there a possibility some of these buildings in town qualify for Demolition by
Neglect?
5. Five Year Forecast Presentation (Attached)
Presented by Town Manager Heather L.
Peter - Current Budget year assuming the Governor doesn't substantially
underfund Chapter 70 - it doesn't look terrible.
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The 2% increases - were those included on that slide? He thinks we should take
a look at both the town and school sides and compare apples to apples. He
believes the school side includes a salary reserve fund and the Town side does
not.
If we're looking at the effects of projected salaries and one side is including it in
their budget and the other is not than it's not apples to apples.
Heather - the school scenario as a base includes the previous year plus 21/2%
and adding in each year of the five year plan rolling all that forward. How they
fund their salary reserve fund would be within their budget. The Town side has
historically had a salary reserve fund of $64,000. So the COLA impact if you look
at that slide are covered by the first year costs.
Terri - Are you talking about the school slide with the COLA Adjustment on the
bottom? Is that the slide you're talking about or are you talking about positions?
Peter - I'm just talking about the costs. Slide 36 - shortfall after that? There is
no equivalent to that on slide 39.
Heather - offset that salary increases on the Town side from the salary reserve
funds. Add COLA increases and subtract the $64,000.
Chris - Back on slide 36 - Does this reflect the total wants of the Schools in their
5 year plan? Or for next year just recommending some of the positions in that
number?
Heather - Slide 36 shows the total staffing plan.
Chris - Long term totals. One slide 12 you mentioned the Bright Farms being
rolled in.
Heather - It's calculated in the levy limit - for fiscal years 23-26.
Chris - on the salary front - has the town looked at other compensation plans
other than pension plans? Alternative ways of compensating to meet our needs?
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necessarily better.
Terri - the largest portion of salaries in Town is probably the teachers.
Chris - on slide 26 you said a 10% increase on retirement assessments. What
does that mean then?
Heather - Annually Worcester Country sends us what the assessment is.
Terri - This is the Town side of employee and would be the equivalent of a FICA.
That's why I was asking if the 10% included any new positions. We can take a
deeper look into what 10% equates to.
Chris - The whatif analysis for a new THES? We could get a ballpark figure.
Peter - Worked with Mr. Cassidy and the Superintendent on what THES cost
was. Ran it for 2026. Doesn't believe we have a figure for TCP yet which I
becoming an issue of serious concern.
Heather L. - that number should be out on the 26th.
Evan - the increases for the school personnel based on the current collective
bargaining contracts?
Heather - All those questions be directed to the Superintendent.
Dr. Burnham - asked Mr. Cassidy if it is or is not in the information provided.
Mr. Cassidy - can you repeat the question.
Evan - for the five-year forecast are the collective bargaining increases included
in that?
Mr. Cassidy - there are annual COLAs that are associated with the positions as
they move through the five-year cycle.
Evan - when does the current collective bargaining agreement expire?
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We anticipate meeting with all these groups to get a contract settled.
Evan - is there historical evidence for how much has changed - all of these
predictions could be very far off or close.
Mr. Cassidy - the projections provide a modest increase annually using historical
data. No zeros no 5%s but something in between. Those positions were
developed with the leadership team for student needs. The forecasting tool came
in very helpful for the use of Covid relief funds.
Terri - the School Budget is not as detailed as the other budget. They will
reassess and move monies from line one line item to another based on student
needs.
Heather S. - What is the salary reserve for the next five years? I heard a figure
last night but wanted to know if that was going to be the same for the next five
years or if it would increase or decrease
Mr. Cassidy - can only speak to the one-year salary reserve presented at last
night's School Committee meeting - $282,000. They're hoping once contracts
are negotiated they won't need the salary reserve going forward they're hoping
the salaries will be embedded in the line items. Asked if the Town Manager
projected any salary reserve annually for the School Department.
Heather L. - Her projection was the prior year's base with 2 1/2% added and the
long-term staffing plan incremental years carrying that whole plan forward.
Peter - I'm sorry the COLA slide with the line on the bottom?
Heather L. - Those are the COLAs for the Town Side.
Peter - There was one for the School side as well - Slide 36?
Heather S. - This is why I'm so confused.
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Peter - I didn't understand that.
Heather S. - Do you have a salary reserve in your forecast for the Town side?
Heather L. - Yes - $64,000.
Peter - I do think this needs a second look so we can see this apples to apples
with regard to salaries. Because he doesn't think this is well reflected in the
current slide for the 5 year forecast - in terms of how we're dealing with salary
increases as a portion of the five year forecast. It's confusing to me so I suspect
it's confusing to Chris and Heather as well as Evan.
Heather L. - The school would have to run that scenario for me to plug that in. I
don't have all that data.
Chris - So Slide 36 the numbers are on the order of $46M that's for the entire
Town inclusive of the Schools. So the assumption from the perspective of the
school increases is that the entire ask in the 5 year forecast.
Heather L. - So Slide 36 reflects the long term staffing plan of the school adding
in all the previous assumptions I talked about. For the School it includes their
base plus 2 2% on top of that the long term staffing plan - so that Grand Total
Expenditure includes all of that.
Chris - Again the long term expenditure is when they asked for end number per
year. That's all in?
Heather L.- That's all in.
Peter - Theoretically including COLAs?
Heather L. - Everything that she was provided for the long-term staffing plans
and their totals is included.
Chris - There is about 8 or more contracts to be negotiated this year - on both
sides?
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Heather L. - A 3 year contract — so we would probably go back to staggered
terms. The one's that had 1 year agreements we would look to have 2 year
agreements to get them back on the regular schedule.
Evan - Is that going to be reasonable coming off of a Covid year? Realistically?
Heather L. - The budget is still developing the big indicator for us will be the Aid
number and we use the Governor's budget. They have $350M more the same
quarter last year. Receipts are trending higher.
Dave - Certain sectors are doing quite well - having banner years.
Peter - I'm in one of those sectors and I don't understand it.
Dave - the old adage of taxachusetts.
Peter - I'm glad to hear it this year.
Terri - no further questions - we can let the schools go home.
6. Minutes
None
7. Reports
Dave - No meeting since the last week.
Discussion around Capital Planning Policy and the role Capital Planning will play
in creating with Fin Com.
Terri - thinks the Capital Planning Committee should take a shot at it and bring
it forward to Fin Com.
More discussions around Capital Planning Policies. Cap Planning vs. Operating
Budget. Facilities Department - not properly funded.
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Presentation around the transition around the synchronized instruction.
Gigantic focus. As if Hybrid Learning wasn't big enough now this transition that
will likely last until the end of the year.
Terri - this is what's stirring the discussions around the cost of the internet.
Which is a whole can of worms for perhaps another committee.
Terri- things to be working on in terms of the budget season - there are a lot of
historical documents to review. What do you need that might help you go
through the process of hearing from the different departments and make
financial recommendation. We could discuss this next week.
Evan - was trying to understand how the budget process kicked off and Heather
L's presentation answered many of his questions.
Terri - At Town Meeting - the first 5-7 warrant articles are all related to the
budget. Hearing other warrant articles that may come up that we would or would
not and why. Financial Impact of warrant articles. Trying to remember her first
year - and she can't. Sometimes she's comfortable asking questions. She went
through a time where she didn't ask questions because she knew the answers.
She suggests ask enough questions to make a recommendation and help the
people paying attention.
Next week - a meeting. Unsure of the agenda.
Peter - He thinks the threshold for debt spending - we haven't had the financial
consultants at a meeting. Maybe we should have them - look at two numbers for
TCP and THES and are we being realistic.
Terri - Doesn't know if it makes sense to bring them in for next week.
TCP $ - February 26th,
Dave - the TCP Committee will have that information on the 27th and then he can
bring that to FinCom on the 28th. Won't really have a chance to digest any
information in 24 hours.
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Heather L. - might want to do that sooner. Debt aiscussion Is late in the buager.
Peter - Debt Exclusion - considered on May 1st at TM and then to the Ballot on
May 15th for a Town vote. We're only a few months out. Worried we aren't giving
the town adequate time to absorb the case for the building.
Chris - what is the last date for the ballot deadline?
Heather L. - The end of February.
Jay - Does the Ballot have to have a figure on it?
Heather L. - not for a debt exclusion.
Terri - number has to be for the warrant and Town Meeting - but not the ballot.
Dave - Big issue is anything going on the ballot has to be printed on the warrant.
Deadline is relatively early.
Chris - When do the names go on the ballot?
Heather L. - Caucus date is March 8th tentatively.
Dave - usually a few weeks after caucus ballots close.
Terri - email her with anything for the agenda.
Heather L.
Tentative department dates have been set up and will be forwarded
to the committee. The timing of the School Committee meeting - they're aware
of the Finance Committee recommendation. School is scheduled for the 3/18
meeting with Fin Com and the School Committee will vote 3/17.
Chris - Still requesting 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Peter - historically it hasn't happened prior to this year.
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8. Public Comment -
Heather L. Announcement - There is a Water District Special Meeting 1/27 on
expansion of the district on the O'Brien Homes on Howard St.
Jay - Is that being held at the Water District or on Zoom?
Dave - At the new office on Mass Ave in person. Interesting ramification if it's
extended
9. Adjournment
Motion - Chris Seconded - Jay
Unanimous - 9:24