===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Thursday, December 9, 2021 Location: In-person at Lunenburg Town Hall and broadcast on Zoom Present: Chairperson Peter Beardmore, Chris Menard, Thomas Gray, Ethan Watters, Jay Simeone via Zoom Guests: Town Manager Heather Lemieux, Town Accountant Karen Brochu 1. Call to Order Peter Beardmore called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and read a statement concerning the Open Meeting Law, and how all public meetings are legally being held remotely. This meeting was recorded and is viewable on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMBbwgHWYMA&ab_channel=LunenburgAccess 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements: none 4. Public Comment: Lunenburg resident Rhonda Lissio informed the committee that she attended a Capital Planning meeting, 3 days earlier, where she learned of a $755,500 hazardous abatement project requested by the DPW. Ms. Lissio expressed her concern over one Finance Committee member who serves on the Capital Planning Committee, and the T.C. Passios Building Design Committee, and suggested that member’s duties have been spread too thin, as it hadn’t been brought up to the Finance Committee. Ms. Lissio opined that delaying the demolition of the building, and including the cost of demolition in the debt exclusion to pass on to the tax payer, would cost the same as paying for the demolition outright. Members of the committee pointed out that this was the first meeting of the Finance Committee since Special Town Meeting, and they weren’t aware of items presented in the capital plan. 5. Town Manager/Finance Director Report: Ms. Brochu informed the committee that the tax rate for FY22 has been certified at $17.19, down from $17.74 in FY21. Ms. Lemieux updated the committee on Select Board agenda items such as the Green Communities Committee Spring 2022 competitive grant, ARPA funding, and consulting with Capital Strategic Solutions on how to properly allocate those funds, as well as a tax lien sale to occur on February 16, 2022. Ms. Lemieux also informed the committee that the Small Bridge Grant Program is opening in the first quarter of FY23, and Flat Hill Rd Culvert project will hopefully begin construction in the Fall of 2022, as the project is an ideal candidate to be awarded the grant funds. Mr. Beardmore asked if the decision on the award would be given before town meeting. Ms. Lemieux only knew the decision would be made sometime in the Spring. About $428,000 has already been appropriated for the project. Ms. Lemieux assured the board she’d discuss the cost with the engineer in order to be prepared to fund the project going into Annual Town Meeting if the grant decision has not been made clear by then. Ms. Lemieux also updated the committee on grants, such as a recycling dividend grant in the amount of $6,000, as well as a $50,000 grant for hazardous material abatement for the Old Primary School, as well as a MIIA Risk Management grant for $10,000 to purchase licenses for Microsoft 365. File ===PAGE 2=== migration has begun at DPW. The town has been denied the community compact IT grant, and the town will have to pay $52,000 to purchase infrastructure. 6. Budget Calendar: Ms. Lemieux has a tentative schedule for department heads to meet with the Finance Committee to present their budgets. The five-year forecast is scheduled for January 20, 2022. Mr. Menard inquired whether there is an interdepartmental ledger for when monies are exchanged between departments, and provided the example of when the parks department has to pay to use the schools for town recreational programs. Ms. Brochu said she was not aware of seeing funds transferred via the warrant process, but that there is an account for custodians who need to be paid for their time in the buildings during those programs. 7. Special Town Meeting: TC Passios building: Mr. Beardmore pointed out that there was a lack of financial guardrails when it came to defining the tasks of the TC Passios Design Committee, and that reprioritizing the needs the project will serve will lead to the next proposal. Mr. Beardmore explained that the committee has a role in the project concerning the town’s borrowing capacity, credit rating, as well as considering the burden to the tax payers. 8. Chapter 70: Mr. Beardmore hopes to have state legislative representatives at the January 13, 2022 meeting to talk more about Chapter 70 funds. Mr. Beardmore said he had a follow-up meeting with the Superintendent, Business Manager and School Committee Chair, and found that looking more in depth into the calculation of how Chapter 70 funds are obtained, that there is not much the town can do to receive an increase in those funds. Mr. Menard suggested considering other charges for the town’s legislative representatives. Mr. Beardmore pointed out that as costs continue to rise, the challenge to afford those costs will also grow. Committee members agreed that discussing other topics with representatives should include: police reform training costs, prevailing wage, records management, grants for preserving historical buildings. 9. Committee Reports Committee members updated each other on their respective liaison assignments. 10. Minutes To be discussed at next meeting. 11. Public Comment none 12. Items for Future Meetings Green Communities Committee 13. Next Meetings Jan. 13, 2022, Jan. 20, 2022 (Five-Year Forecast) Jan. 27, 2022 14. Adjourn At 8:09 p.m., Mr. Menard motioned to adjourn. Mr. Watters seconded. On vote, motion carried unanimously.