===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Thursday, February 24, 2022 Location: Meeting held remotely via Zoom Present: Chairperson Peter Beardmore, Chris Menard, Evan Watters, Dave Passios, Tom Balish, Jay Simeone, all via Zoom. Guests: Finance Director Karen Brochu, Council on Aging Director Susan Doherty, Library Director Muir Haman, Land Use Director Adam Burney, School Committee Chairperson Carol Archambault. 1. Call to Order Mr. 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://youtu.be/HvDze8cpyuc 2. Announcements: none 3. Public Comment: none 4. Chair’s Report: none 5. Town Manager/Finance Director’s Report: none 6. Town Meeting/Warrant Updates: none 7. Budget Presentations: Committee members have yet to receive a copy of the Town Manager’s line item budget for any department. a. Council on Aging: COA Director Ms. Doherty explained her budget plan, and has requested an $11,344.01 increase, bringing the total request to $183,629.08. She is seeking a $2,000 increase in office supplies and explained that the office supply line budget has not increased from $600 within the past twenty years. Ms. Doherty is also seeking staff changes in the kitchen at the senior center and is looking to hire a Meal Site Manager with an Assistant, which involves a change in step and grade for the current Meal Site Manager title, and creation of the assistant position. Both non- benefitted positions require a $9,344.01 increase. Committee members asked if the hourly wages for both positions were competitive. Ms. Doherty responded that she worked with Assistant Town Manager Julie Belliveau in creating the job descriptions, and also surveyed regional senior centers, and that the wages are competitive for the field. Ms. Doherty also outlined the COA income from outside sources, such as Formula Grant funding provided by the state based on Census numbers, which comes in at $25,272, and is formulated by the number of people in town age 60 and over multiplied by a dollar amount. In FY22 the amount was $12 per elder. Ms. Doherty has been informed by the Massachusetts Councils on Aging that the amount will stay at $12 per elder for FY23. The senior center is also funded by the Eagle House Supporters, which is a 501c3 fund raising group. Several other activities and projects are funded by various outside grant foundations. Ms. Doherty also highlighted capital plan requests, which include improvements to the outdoor recreation area at the senior center. A $7,500 grant to cover the cost of plans for the project has already been awarded by the ===PAGE 2=== Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts. Ms. Doherty said she is in the process of applying for additional grants to fund the project, and senior center’s 501c3 has committed to spending at least $5,000 for the project. Ms. Doherty also plans to request $100,000 in ARPA funds. DPW Director Rob Oliva put in a request for $100,000 from the FY23 Capital Plan for the senior center outdoor recreation area project. b. Library: Library Director Muir Haman originally requested $502,984 for FY23, and the Town Manager has included $492,984 in her preliminary budget, which is a $53,390 increase from FY22. Mr. Haman is looking to increase the library’s hours of operation, and will therefore need two additional non-benefitted library assistants whose salaries would amount to $30,984. Mr. Haman informed the committee that the state requires the town to contribute $428,256. Outside funding for the library comes from State Aid, The Friends of the Lunenburg Public Library, which is a 501c3, and a revolving fund made up of fines and material replacement fees. Mr. Haman explained that the library is required to spend 16 percent of its budget on library materials, which includes its full membership status with C/W Mars. Ms. Brochu discovered, by looking at ClearGov , that the Town Manager did not include Mr. Haman’s $8,000 technology request in her preliminary budget, and could not determine whether that $8,000 could come under the IT de partment budget. Mr. Menard suggested considering putting equipment on a revolving account for updating and replacing computers for public access. c. Land Use: Land Use Director Adam Burney explained that the town’s budget is mostly used for salaries of the employees who work in his department, and the supplies they need to carry out their day-to-day tasks. Mr. Burney explained the functions of each office under his charge, and informed the committee that Conservation will be seeking a new administrator as the cur rent employee is retiring. Mr. B urney is also seeking additional funds to employ a part time non-benefitted employee to handle minute taking, payment processing, and other tasks, as the new administrator will have other priorities to take on, including publicizing conservation areas and making them more accessible. Mr. Burney also talked about his Capital Plan request for $110,000 to fund the town’s Master Plan , which has not been updated for several years. Mr. Beardmore questioned whether a new Master Plan would assist in challenges the town faces with 40B development. Mr. Burney replied no. Mr. Burney did highlight the challenges the town has been facing for the past decade in dealing with municipal buildings, and suggested that since the Master Plan is built on the consen sus of the town’s citizens, knowing that consensus could guide the decision making progress, as well as identify possible grant opportunities for potential projects. 8. Committee Reports Committee members updated each other on their respective assignments. 9. Public Comment none ===PAGE 3=== 10. Items for Future Meetings Mr. Beardmore suggested inviting the Board of Health to the March 24 meeting. Mr. Watters asked if the Finance Committee has decided to meet with the Capital Planning Committee. Mr. Menard suggested discussing the option of leasing computer equipment considering the town has decided to outsource IT. 11. Next Meetings March 3, 2022 (Police and Fire Departments), March 10, 2022 (Monty Tech, DPW) 12. Adjourn At 9:52 p.m. Mr. Menard motioned to adjourn, Mr. Simeone seconded. On vote, motion carried unanimously.