# finance-committee — 22 documents, concatenated for reading and search # # This is a CONVENIENCE BUNDLE, not a source. Every document below is # published separately and byte-identically; cite the individual file, # whose path is given in each header, rather than this bundle. # Index of all boards: https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/minutes/INDEX.txt # The town's own scanned original is linked per document. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-01-09-agenda-6944.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-01-09 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-01-09-agenda-6944.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01092025-6944 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Vacant Vacant Thursday, Jan 9, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Scheduled Meetings 6. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 7. New Business a. Review Budget Season Schedule b. FY26 Budget Discussions 8. Old Business a. Town Manager Search Committee Update b. School Funding Formula for Hold Harmless Communities c. Grant Writing Services d. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates 13. Upcoming Meetings a. 1/23/2025 b. 2/13/2025 Budget Season begins 14. Public Comment 15. Adjourn ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-01-09-minutes-6944.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-01-09 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-01-09-minutes-6944.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01092025-6944 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall January 9, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell (Zoom), Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Clerk Tom Gray Agenda 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:31 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard states that the Superintendent announced to the town and the School Committee that she is retiring at the end of this year. 4. Public Comment John Bowen, 162 Highland Street, reiterates a previous comment related to the Cemetery Commission. There has been a misuse of $6,000 over an 18-month period by the Cemetery Commission through the sale of lot funds. This morning there was an open meeting about law violations. This was in regard to a vital records program that is under the purview of the Town Clerk, Kathy Herrick. John Bowen doesn’t believe the Cemetery Commission has any reason to access it and anticipates proposing a warrant article to rein in spending. 5. Scheduled Meetings There are no meetings. 6. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports The Town Manager and Finance Director have conflicts and will not be presenting any reports. 7. New Business a. Review Budget Season Schedule Chris Menard has emailed an outline with deadlines provided by the interim town manager with key dates. The Finance Committee report is due to the Town Manager on Monday March 31 st. The public hearing for the Finance Committee is scheduled for March 13th. There will be a notice in the ledger 10 days prior to the public hearing. ===PAGE 2=== Chris Menard provided a proposed schedule for department hearings and other monied article reports. The suggested school department report is March 6th. There was a motion by Jay Simeone, seconded by Tanya Dall to relay to Carter Terenzi that the Committee is all in agreement with his suggested timeline and the individual topics by date. Jean Russell aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. b. FY26 Budget Discussions Chris Menard provided a note from Carter Terenzini stating currently there are no estimates for health insurance rates but did say that market trends are running %12 to 15%. 8. Old Business a. Town Manager Search Committee Update Chris Menard confirms that next Tuesday there will be a marathon session at the library where the 3 candidates will be interviewed. 2 candidates were former Town Managers, and the other is currently a DPW Director. The Select Board will provide their recommendations on Wednesday. b. School Funding Formula for Hold Harmless Communities The town is no longer in the hold harmless category. c. Grant Writing Services Chris Menard reiterates that there needs to be procedures and policies created. Chris Menard will inquire with Caesar Nuzzolo and the Select Board and ask them to bring this up at their next meeting. d. Budget Task Force Recommendations There were no discussions. 9. Minutes Jay Simeone had 1 minor correction on the minutes from December 19th. There was a motion to approve the minutes from December 19th by Jay Simeone, seconded by Tanya Dall. Jean Russell aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. Chris Menard confirmed that the formatting on the web is diƯerent than in the actual app where the documents are in proper order. Chris Menard will change the documents to PDF before sending them to the Clerk’s OƯice. 10. Committee Reports Jean Russell states that the School Committee had a meeting last night. ===PAGE 3=== Arrangements have been made to have the security company replace the fire alarms at Turkey Hill. The schools have ordered a new truck and plow that will be available next summer. A former Lunenburg student awarded a 15,000 dollars scholarship to the athletics department. There were no committee reports from Chris Menard, Jay Simeone, Tanya Dall. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional topics to add to future agendas. 12. Important Dates There are no additional important dates. 13. Upcoming Meetings a. 1/23/2025 – tentatively scheduled b. 2/13/2025 Budget Season begins 14. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. Jay Simeone reiterates that there are 2 vacancies on the Board. 15. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Jay Simeone, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Jean Russell aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. The meeting closed at 8:00 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-13-agenda-6995.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-13 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-13-agenda-6995.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02132025-6995 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Vacant Vacant Thursday, February 13, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Agenda - UPDATE In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Reserve Account Transfer Request by School Dept for 911 Cabling Costs b. Preliminary Budget c. FY26 Capital d. Information Technology Department 7. New Business 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 2/20/2025 b. Tuesday 2/25/2025 c. Thursday 2/27/2025 d. Thursday 3/6/2025 e. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing), f. Thursday 3/20/2025 g. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-13-minutes-6995.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-13 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-13-minutes-6995.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02132025-6995 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall February 13, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Clerk Tom Gray 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard states there are 4 candidates who are interested in being on the Finance Committee. The 2 open seats are anticipated to be filed at the Finance Appointing Committee meeting on February 18th. Additionally, Chris Menard confirms its budget season. All 8 budget hearings are scheduled, and the agendas are posted online. 4. Public Comment There are no comments from the public. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports from the Town Manager or the Finance Director. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Reserve Account Transfer Request by School Department for 911 Cabling Costs Susan Gilson, Director of Administration and Finance, was present to discuss the 911 cabling costs. This is a requirement to have the school system in compliance with state and federal regulations. The total cost for the system is $65,574. Dr. Kate Burnham confirmed this system was budgeted for. When the technicians came to start the project, they were intending to use the cabling to the PA boxes in each of the classrooms but upon further inspection it was determined that the existing cabling was not adequate. The entire building needs to be re-cabled to have a drop line in every single classroom for the connection. The additional cost of $60,000 was not in the original budget. Jay Simeone asks if the job was re-quoted after learning there would need to be additional work. Dr. Kate Burham states the original quote from the ===PAGE 2=== company was $106,000. After receiving that quote, they reviewed the state bid list and received an additional quote that came in at $65,000. Additionally, Dr Burnham investigated ARPA funds but that wasn’t an option. The work was completed early in the budget year when there were extra funds. Those funds have since been expended due to unexpected unbudgeted costs throughout the year. There was a memo from the Interim Town Manager, Carter Terenzini, with his approval and support for this request. Ezequiel Ayala confirmed there is currently $200,000 in the reserve fund. $15,000 was expended on the town manager search and $65,000 was for the cabling compliance. This leaves $120,000 in the reserve fund for the rest of the year. There was a motion to transfer $58,320 from the reserve fund to the school department contracted services and $7,254.65 from the reserve fund to the school department computers purchase and lease line items by Tanya Dall, seconded by Jay Simeone. Roll call vote. Jean Russell aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. b. Preliminary Budget Jennifer Warren-Dyment, Town Manager, was present and states she has been on board for a little over a week. At this time, she will not be presenting a budget. She can confirm that work has been ongoing since early fall. Prior to the Interim Town Managers’ departure there was communication with all department heads, committees, commissions and boards of what the financial situation was at that time. In order to prepare a budget, there needs to be a review of the revenue estimates. There was a mathematical error and the allowed prop 2 ½ total was not applied to the full levy from last year. Additionally, the calculation of local receipts was calculated based on an average. The Town Manager would like to do a deeper dive into the local receipts. Jennifer Warren-Dyment anticipates presenting the full budget at the next Finance Committee meeting on February 27th. c. FY26 Capital This agenda topic will be discussed at the February 27th meeting. d. Information Technology Department The presentation was provided by the Director of IT, Casey Chisholm ===PAGE 3=== Completed FY 25 initiatives include: -Public safety phone upgrade - Computer upgrades - Increased roles and responsibilities for the admin assistant Ongoing FY 25 projects include: - Townwide cell phone replacement - Library camera upgrade Initiatives for FY26 include: - Software maintenance - Hardware maintenance - Town Clerk software system - Internet speed for DPW. In order to increase their megabyte connection, it would cost an additional $1,000 per year. Jay Simeone questions how often the IT staƯ are on site. Casey Chisholm states that Mason is on site every day and the other employees’ schedules vary if they are part time. Jay Simeone asks what the fees are from Comcast versus a fiber network. Casey Chisholm confirms there are grant funding options that could be investigated, and more cost analysis would be needed. Chris Menard inquiries if all the MUNIS issues have subsided. Casey Chisholm confirms they are getting better and anticipates significant reduction in issues after the next jump in the cloud. Ezequiel Ayala is currently testing the SAS cloud, and the environment has been built. The testing will continue through March and anticipate going live the second week of April. The company who owns MUNIS has been very responsive and helpful. Chris Menard asks if there is municipal software available for tasks such as scheduling rooms for zoom, workflow management, and taking minutes. Casey Chisholm states there are some features in OƯice 365 for scheduling rooms but there will need to be more collaborations and discussions for anything additional. Chris Menard suggests the schools and the town be in the same system. This has been a prior fiscal year budget request. 7. New Business There is no new business. ===PAGE 4=== 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes There was a motion to approve the minutes from January 9th by Jay Simeone, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Jean Russell aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. 10. Committee Reports Chris Menard states that currently there is no representative from the Finance Committee on the Master Plan Steering Committee. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional topics or actions for future meetings. 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 2/20/2025– Presentation by the Council on Aging, Public Access, Library b. Tuesday 2/25/2025- Presentations by the Police, Fire, Land Use Department c. Thursday 2/27/2025– Presentations by the DPW, Facilities and Sewer d. Thursday 3/6/2025- Presentations by the Schools and Monty Tech e. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing) f. Thursday 3/20/2025 g. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Jay Simeone, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Jean Russell aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. The meeting closed at 7:50 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-20-agenda-6992.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-20 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-20-agenda-6992.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02202025-6992 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Vacant Vacant Thursday, February 20, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Veteran Services b. Council on Aging c. Public Access d. Library 7. New Business 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Tuesday 2/25/2025 b. Thursday 2/27/2025 c. Thursday 3/6/2025 d. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing), e. Thursday 3/20/2025 f. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-20-minutes-6992.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-20 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-20-minutes-6992.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02202025-6992 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall February 20, 2025 Present Members: Vice Chair Jean Russell, Clerk Tom Gray Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Chair Chris Menard 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements The Committee welcomed the new members Ana Lockwood and Mike Rupp. 4. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports Jennifer Warren-Dyment has no reports to present. Ezequiel Ayala states there was a request at the last Finance Committee meeting for the budget versus actuals for the last 10 years. Those documents have been emailed to the Committee. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Veteran Services The Veterans Service Agent, Michelle Durkee, provided the presentation. Michelle Durkee has been in her position since 2023 and workings in 3 other towns. The oƯice provides services to veterans and their families. This includes helping with VA claims for benefits and filing chapter 115 benefits for veterans, helping veterans obtain VA cards and reconcile between the state and town. The FY26 veterans’ benefits are being reduced from 97,000 to 77,000 because there are fewer people who are receiving these benefits. Jay Simeone questions what happens if a veteran is added to receive benefits. Michelle Durkee confirms there is money in the budget for coverage. ===PAGE 2=== Michelle Durkees current hours in Lunenburg are on Thursdays from 8AM- 12PM in the Ritter Memorial Building. b. Council on Aging This presentation has been re-scheduled. c. Public Access The Chair of the Public Access Cable Committee, Steve Walker, provided the presentation. The mission of PACC is to establish, develop, modernize, and operate the Town of Lunenburg’s public educational, and government access channels to reflect Lunenburg. The franchise fee from Comcast is the principal source of the PACC income. There is an enterprise fund being held in reserve for the new studio. These funds have been invested and are a large portion of the operating budget. ARPA funds of $50,700 have been spent on video graph kits, studio and broadcast audio. Below is the anticipated income for FY 26: - Comcast income: $146,226 - Town interest: $13,000 - Investment interest: $35,430 Total income: $194,656 Below is a summary budget for FY 26: - Salaries: $140,600 - Indirect costs: $30,622 - Operations: $23,650 Total expenses: $194,872 Tom Gray questions what the indirect costs are. Steve Walker confirms this would be healthcare for employees. Rhonda Lisio,181 Reservoir Road, questions if the employees are hired by the town or on SAP . There is concern that when the studio is built and the money is spent, they will no longer be collecting the interest that is a large part of the operating budget. d. Library The Director of the Lunenburg Public Library, Muir Haman, provided the presentation. ===PAGE 3=== FY 25 Projects: - The expansion of the teen room and renovation is ongoing. This was funded with $119,000 of ARPA money. - The programming floor area of the children’s room has been completed. The state requirement for appropriation for FY 26: $549,755 Budget request for FY26: $646,617 The recommended FY 26 budget from the Interim Town Manager: $625,000 Goals for FY 26: - Use the library as a community hub - Maintain staƯing - Provide services to new and underserved populations Budget requests include: - Maintain staƯing - There are 13 employees, 3 are high school age working 3 hours a night, 10 other adults who work between 19 and 40 hours a week. The budget request for staƯing is $446,000. - Fill the vacant library assistant position. This is a 19-hour per week position. - Technology - The library anticipates a request from the IT Department for $13,500 for IT-related replacements. - Utilities - CW Mars Assessment - Library materials - Library programming Tom Gray questions if Muir Haman is aware of what state funding will be available. Muir Haman is unsure but confirms he has been looking into grants. Additionally, he believes nonprofits will be impacted. Ana Lockwood questions the number of staƯ working at any given time. Muir Haman states there are 6 employees working at any given time. Additionally, there are times when the library is closed and there are employees working. There is a policy for the library to have 3 employees at any given time. Tom Gray inquires if there are budget shortfalls this year how Muir Haman would make those cuts. Muir Haman states there are a number of resources that are considered underutilized, but he believes they are a valuable asset ===PAGE 4=== to the community. 70% of the budget is staƯ salary but reducing staƯ would be a last option. 7. New Business There is no new business. 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes There were no minutes to review. 10. Committee Reports Tom Gray states that the Municipal Building Design Committee met and discussed renovations in town. The proposal was around 22 million dollars for renovations of the Ritter Building and the Town Hall. There have been a lot of meetings recently that are all available to watch on Facebook. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional actions or topics to add to future agendas. 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Tuesday 2/25/2025 b. Thursday 2/27/2025 c. Thursday 3/6/2025 d. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing) e. Thursday 3/20/2025 f. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Tom Gray, seconded by Ana Lockwood. All in favor. The meeting closed at 9:23 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-25-agenda-7007.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-25 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-25-agenda-7007.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02252025-7007 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Revised Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7927370353?omn=81969176799 From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 792 737 0353. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Police Department b. Fire Department c. Land Use Department 7. New Business 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 2/27/2025 b. Thursday 3/6/2025 c. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing), d. Thursday 3/20/2025 e. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-25-minutes-7007.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-25 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-25-minutes-7007.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02252025-7007 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall February 25, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Clerk Tom Gray Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard welcomed Anna Lockwood and Mike Rupp to the Committee. 4. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Police Department Chief JeƯrey Thibideau provided the presentation. The department runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including nights and holidays. Currently the staƯ consists of 18 full-time oƯicers, 3 civilian oƯicers, 2 reserve oƯicers, 1 animal control, 8 civilian traƯic oƯicers. There are 2 unfunded vacancies due to retirements. Capital plan updates - The K9 cruiser and traƯic cruiser are currently in production. Capital funding was used, totaling $147,254. - There are currently 30 body worn cameras in service. This was purchased though ARPA funds totaling $44,722. - The Milo Training System is in service. This was purchased through state earmark funds, totaling $33,910. Future goals include: - Filling the staƯ vacancies and maintaining accreditation standards. - MPTC state mandated training. Each oƯicer completes 40 hours in service training, 16 hours of firearm training, 16 hours of taser/less ===PAGE 2=== lethal/handcuƯing, 16 hours of professional development. - Community policing - Employee evaluations FY2025 budget is $2,848,314  80% of the budget is personnel: $2,331,947 - 58% funds the salary totaling $1,672,862 - 9% funds the incentives totaling $265,787. This includes the K9 2026 request for comfort dog program (Canine Cody and Comfort Dog Hank). - 10% funds overtime totaling $294,389  Training is 3% of the budget totaling $98,909  Purchase of services is 1% of the budget totaling $23,450  Police supplies are 1% of the budget totaling $35,015  Other expenses are 1% of the budget totaling $37,238  Animal control is 2% of the budget totaling $46,125  Lockup is 1% of the budget totaling $20,600  Regional dispatch is 8% of the budget totaling $216,098  Vehicle maintenance is 2% of the budget totaling $67,000 Chris Menard inquires when the union negotiated contracts are up. Chief Thibideau states the contracts are up this year. Jay Simeone questions why 30 body warn cameras are needed. Chief Thibideau states there needs to be a spare in case 1 breaks and needs to be sent to the company for repairs. Each oƯicer gets their own body camera as it creates a personal file for every video Chris Menard inquires when a Chief will be hired. Jennifer Warren-Dyment confirms there is a screening committee meeting starting tomorrow. The interview will be in the next 2 weeks, and we are hopeful of having it filled by April. Chris Menard asks about the previous mental health co-responder that was hired in prior years. Chief Thibideau states we have lost the funding as it was pulled back from the state, so it no longer exists. Rhonda Lizio, 181 Reservoir Road, inquires as to why the town switched to a drug sniƯing dog as opposed to a tactical dog. Chief Thibideau states that K9 Cody is a tracking and narcotics dog. Comfort dogs and patrol dogs have completely diƯerent training. ===PAGE 3=== b. Fire Department Chief Patrick Sullivan provided the presentation. The fire department consists of 1 Chief, 1 Administrative Assistant/EMT, 3 career OƯicers/EMTs, 5 Call Fire OƯicers (4 EMT’s), 6 Career Firefighter/Paramedics, 27 call Firefighters/EMTS/Paramedics. The fleet consists of 3 engines/pumpers, 1 ladder, 2 forestry, 2 ambulances, 1 water rescue unit, and 3 support vehicles. The proposed budget is generally level funded. It includes 100% paramedic coverage. The above target requestions include EMS supplies, IT related software and hardware, radio maintenance. EMS supplies are an additional $5,000 for stocking and state regulation. IT software is an additional $1,000 for maintenance and licensing. Radio maintenance is an additional $10,000. Chief Sullivan is proposing a 4th shift. It’s estimated to cost $464,369.26. This estimate includes the cost of new staƯ, expected increased in OT/Holiday, and 1 promotion for a new shift. This would provide better coverage for the Town and the department would no longer have to rely solely on per diem coverage on Sundays. Capital Plan FY25 update  Phase 1 & 2 of radio infrastructure replacement is underway. The upgrade is estimated to start in the summer of 2025.  Replacement of Rescue 1. This vehicle is expected to be delivered within a week. An FY 2026 proposed capital plan includes the replacement of car 2 totaling $75,000. Car 2 is a vehicle for the Duty OƯicer/Fire Prevention Vehicle. The replacement will be a ½ ton 4x4 pickup chassis with cap. Use of ARPA funding includes:  New ambulance and associated equipment: $506,000  Power stretcher and autoload system for other ambulances: $73,000  2 ambulance IV pumps: $7,500  Power stair chair: $23,000  15 fireground portable radios: $50,000  Replacement of furniture in station: $20,000 ===PAGE 4=== Grant Funding for FY 2025  State grant for firefighting equipment totaling $18,960. These funds will be used to replace protective clothing dryer, 3 thermal imaging cameras, forest fire helmet, and extrication gloves.  EMPG Grant totaling $3,750 will be used as a training aid for “Stop the Bleed” program.  S.A.F .E/Senior Safe Grant totaling $7,430. This is used to fund the Fire Safety Education Awareness for grades K-3, Senior Safety program, and the Smoke Detector Project. Ana Lockwood questions when the full-time paramedic program started in Lunenburg. Chief Sullivan stated the schooling and training started back in 2020. A paramedic was on 24/7 starting April 1, 2024. Tom Gray questions if the fire fighters and EMTs departments should be separated. Chief Sullivan states for a small community he would never advocate for separate services. It serves a dual purpose and saves the town money. In the past the town tried a 3rd party service private ambulance for ALS and there were challenges including staƯing and billing. Ana Lockwood inquiries about an enterprise fund for ambulances. Ezequiel Ayala will look into this further. Glenn Mcleod, 436 Reservoir Road, thanked both Chiefs for their service and work provided to the town. Glenn Mcleod encourages the Committee to look further into the 4th shift proposal. Mike Rupp inquires if there is a staged plan related to the 4th shift proposal. Chief Sullivan states a plan could be implemented quickly and would be staged. c. Land Use Department The Land Use Director, Chris Reilly, provided the presentation. The Land Use Director oversees planning, conservation, buildings and ZBA. The fees required for all applications oƯset a lot of the expense for staƯing. The staƯ provides expertise through recommendations not decisions. The FY 2026 budget is generally level funded, and the budget request is as follows: - Planning: $163,595 - Conservation: $90,080 ===PAGE 5=== - Building: $181,722 - ZBA: $4,500 7. New Business There was no new business. 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions Chris Menard confirms a drafted warrant article has been uploaded to the SharePoint. b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes There were no minutes to review. 10. Committee Reports Chris Menard wants to review now that there is a full board. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings The Committee wants to look further into a possible ambulance revolving fund. 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 2/27/2025 b. Thursday 3/6/2025 c. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing) d. Thursday 3/20/2025 e. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment Glenn Mcleod,436 Reservoir Road, thanked the Fire Chief for his honest and straight forward answer regarding overtime. Ana Lockwood requests a breakdown of the sources of free cash certified from the Town Manager. Jennifer Warren-Dyment will provide those documents in a week but confirms we are in the right place according to the Department of Revenue suggestions. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tom Gray. The meeting closed at 9:34 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-27-agenda-6991.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-27 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-27-agenda-6991.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02272025-6991 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Thursday, February 27, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Revised - Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. FY26 Preliminary Budget b. Department of Public Works c. Facilities Department d. Sewer Department 7. New Business 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/6/2025 b. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing), c. Thursday 3/20/2025 d. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-02-27-minutes-6991.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-02-27 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-02-27-minutes-6991.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02272025-6991 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall February 27, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Clerk Tom Gray Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard shares that the Town Caucus is on March 10th. Chris Menard learned from the last School Committee meeting that Peter Beardmore will be stepping down leaving 3 openings on the School Committee. Michael-Ray JeƯreys and Tom Alonzo will not be returning when their term runs out on the Select Board 4. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports The FY26 revenues totaled $48,594,145 There are 4 sources of revenue: 1. 72% of revenue comes from local taxpayers in the form of property tax totaling $35,005,838. 2. Net State Aid is 20% of the revenue totaling $9,803,871. 3. Local receipts are 7% of the revenue totaling $3,360,524. 4. Other funds are 1% of the revenue totaling $423,900. FY 26 Property Tax FY25 Levy Limit: $31,602,108 Prop 2 1/2: $790,052.70 Estimated new growth: $400,000 Excluded Debt: $2,213,677 Maximum allowable levy: $35,005,838 FY 2026 capital program $615,588 Debt service total: actual figure is $2,547,440.36 ===PAGE 2=== Town Manager proposed budgets: - Maturing Debt: $2,547,440.36 - General Government Unclassified: $4,646,870.10 - General Government: $2,529,486.74 - Central Purchasing: $84,500 - Police: $2,456,249.51 - Fire: $1,724,599.37 - Radio Watch: $310,763.90 - Other Protection: $56,425 - Health and Sanitation: $126,996.30 - DPW: $1,777,638.01 - Facilities and Buildings: $1,040,396.30 - Solid Waste and Recycling: $470,000 - Council on Aging: $252,267.42 - Veterans: $90,699 - Schools: $27,121,995 - Library: $650,518.04 - Tax Title: $30,500 - Worcester Regional Retirement: $2,392,572 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Department of Public Works The DPW Director, Bill Bernard, provided the presentation. In general, he is asking for a level funded budget with the exception of the union negotiated pay raises. Chris Menard asks Bill Bernard if someone has been hired to complete the comprehensive plan for trees. Bill Bernard states he hasn’t had one completed since 2015. Mike Rupp inquires if Bill Bernard has created a capital plan, and Bill Bernard has completed a 10-year plan at the request of the Capital Planning Committee. Mike Rupp asks if he is aware of the true budget for snow removal for next year. Bill Bernard is currently asking for $363,000. Jennifer Warren-Dyment, Town Manager, states snow removal is one of the few items that Mass General Law allows the town to spend in a deficit position. However, if we do not spend the full amount of the budget in 1 year then the following year, we would not be allowed to deficit spend. The Town Manager has recommended an increase of $110,000 to close the gap. ===PAGE 3=== Ana Lockwood inquires if the truck with the liquid icing solution can only be used for that 1 purpose. Bill Bernard believes it can be added to a 1-ton dump truck or added as a tank to the spreader. Chris Menard asks if Bill Bernard is aware of how much Chapter 90 funding he will receive this year. Bill Bernard states the funding will be $418,000 as it has been for the past 12 years. Jay Simeone suggests hiring a mechanical assistant due to the number of vehicles in the fleet and there being only 1 mechanic. Chris Menard questions if the DPW is in alignment with the cemetery on their policy requirements. Bill Bernard states their bar is high and they will come close. b. Facilities Department The facilities Director, Chris Ruth, provided the presentation. The facilities department is in charge of maintenance of 11 town buildings, grounds, parks and the town beach. Updates on previous capital projects: - Senior center generator project is complete - Re-roofed newer portion of the senior center - Re- roofed oƯice portion of DPW building with the use of ARPA funds - Epoxy floor for DPW garage with the use of ARPA funds - Memorial waterfall fountain is up and working - Roof and chimney repair at the Town Hall Upcoming goals include: - Create and implement a comprehensive building maintenance plan - Better utilize building management software - Catch up on capital projects - Prepare for future needs of town facilities, grounds and parks Ana Lockwood asks if there has been discussion about the recreation director moving from part time to full time. Chris Ruth confirms this is a constant conversation and hopes will come to fruition. Karin Menard, 672 Page Street, member of the Parks Commission, states the grants received for Marshall Park have been returned to the state. Any money being spent on the design process is coming out of ARPA funds, capital expense, and a town meeting vote. ===PAGE 4=== Tanya Dall inquires if the Parks Department has any summer camps or after school programs that generate revenue. Chris Ruth states there is some revenue but most of the revenue comes from the town beach. Jay Simeone asks if they are still working with the vertex reports. Chris Ruth confirms most of what is being worked on is triage as the buildings weren’t well maintained. Jay Simeone questions if there are any energy eƯicient updates. Chris Ruth states they are working on upgrading the control system for the public safety building and the library. Jay Simeone requests regular reports and updates from the department. Chris Menard is supportive of increasing the hours for the recreation director. The Committee discussed the TC Passios building. Chris Ruth states the plans are for the school to move out of the building by the end of the school year. 2/3 of the building will then be closed oƯ. Chris Ruth is hopeful that the closed section will be demolished. Greg Roy, 105 Chestnut Street, thanks Chris Ruth for his work. Also, he agrees that a facilities director working for the town and the school would be ideal. Dave Passios, formally 56 Whiting Street, says when he was on the Finance Committee, they were approached about releasing some funds from the reserve account to deal with the possible increase in hours for the recreation director. There is a change coming in the type of revolving account that money will move through to be accessible. Jennifer Warren-Dyment says this was approved this week. c. Sewer Department The DPW Director, Bill Bernard, provided the presentation. Bill Bernard reiterates that there will be no rate increase this year. There is a 27% delinquency rate (approximately $400,000 of revenue). The FY26 estimated revenue for the sewer department is 1.58 million. The Fy26 estimated expense is 1.88 million. The diƯerence will be coming out of retained earnings. Jay Simeone questions what the operation and maintenance contract costs yearly. Bill Bernard states it’s a little over $100,000. ===PAGE 5=== Chris Menard questions if there are any potential problems related to the retained earnings. Bill Bernard states there is a graph that shows the earnings going in the opposite direction and doesn’t foresee an issue. Jean Russell inquiries about what percentage of the town is a part of the sewer. Bill Bernard states it’s about a quarter of the town Tom Gray asks how the privilege fee rate is determined. Bill Bernard says the privilege fee is based on the last contract that added the new sewer. Chris Menard inquiries about the delinquency fees and how they apply if you live in an apartment. Bill Bernard states the bills go to a third party and it gets attached to the rent bill of whoever is residing there. Greg Roy, 105 Chestnut Street, thanks Bill Bernard and his staƯ for both of his presentations and their continued work. Dave Rogers, 82 Highland Street, spoke to a previous committee member years ago and was informed that there are generators that need to be replaced. Bill Bernard confirms they are getting older but some of them barely run during the year. He doesn’t believe we are in any danger of them failing. 7. New Business There is no new business. 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes The Committee did not review any minutes. 10. Committee Reports There are no Committee reports. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional topics or actions for future meetings. 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/6/2025 b. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing) c. Thursday 3/20/2025 ===PAGE 6=== d. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment Dave Passios, formally 56 Whiting Street, agrees with cutting down the pavement management plan and relying on Chapter 90 funds. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Jay Simeone. The meeting closed at 12:08 AM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-06-agenda-7008.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-06 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-06-agenda-7008.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03062025-7008 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Thursday, March 6, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Revised Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Council on Aging b. School Department c. Montachusett Regional High School d. Capital Plan 7. New Business 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing) b. Thursday 3/20/2025 c. Thursday 3/27/2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-06-minutes-7008.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-06 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-06-minutes-7008.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03062025-7008 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall March 6, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Clerk Tom Gray Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp Absent Member: Committee Member Jay Simeone 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard states the Town Caucus is meeting at 7PM on Monday at the High School. There are multiple open seats that are important to fill, and the Town Caucus is the easiest way to get on the town ballot. 4. Public Comment John Bowen, 162 Highland Street, has come before the Committee to discuss the Cemetery Commission and their frivolous spending. At the last Cemetery Commission meeting a few weeks ago they decided not to take any money out of the sale of lots funds despite their $94,000 balance. Additionally, John Bowen provided a PowerPoint to the Committee regarding the handling of funds. Chris Menard states he reached out to Representative Scarsdale regarding the budget. Project 211 invited Chris Menard to a webinar. This project could be helpful to resolve the problem related to the formula that isn’t working for a lot of communities. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports from the Town Manager or the Finance Director. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Council on Aging The Director, Debra Goodsell, provided the presentation. About 32% of the town’s population are seniors and that number continues to grow. In 2024, 255 seniors in town participated in meals at the center and 264 individuals participated in a fitness class. In total, 1,275 seniors participated in at least 1 activity provided by the Council on Aging. ===PAGE 2=== The Council on Aging is requesting to raise the meal site manager from 19 ½ to 36 hours per week. These additional hours would supply seniors’ food services 5 days a week. The meals on wheels program are only available on Monday through Thursday. Chris Menard states this request came before the Committee last year and they did not go forward. Ana Lockwood inquiries about what programs are available. Debra Goodsell states programming includes entertainment like fitness and crafts. Additionally, it promotes socialization and education. Rhonda Lizio, 181 Reservoir Road, questions how many of the seniors come from other towns. Debra Goodsell states that the majority are from Lunenburg. b. School Department The presentation was provided by: Kate Burnham – Superintendent of Schools Julianna Hanscom – Director of Special Services Susan Gilson – Director of Administration and Finance Deborah Bookis – Director of Teacher and Learning The total adjusted budget for FY 2025 is $24,883,376. The Town Managers budget includes a 904,098-increase bringing the total to $25,787,474. There is a $949,900 increase in the salary line to create a level service budget. Other increases include: 14.8% increase in health insurance 7.6% increase in Dee Bus services 7% increase in vanpool for special education transportation Mike Rupp inquires what the override amount was last year. Dr. Kate Burnham states the override amount was $948,000. Chris Menard asks how much is in the salary reserve. Susan Gilson says the salary reserve is projected to have $90,769 for paraprofessional, administrator, and superintendent salary negotiations. Ana Lockwood believes that school bus fees should be initiated to help with the cost. Additionally, she doesn’t understand why the budget comes in so late. ===PAGE 3=== Tanya Dall doesn’t believe there should be cuts in sports. Majority of the Committee agrees that athletics should not be cut. Chris Menard asks when a decision needs to be made regarding a potential override. Brian Lehtinen confirms this will be a discussion at the meeting with the School and Select Board on Tuesday. Chris Menards states that there are smaller departments that are looking for funding and hopes those departments don’t get lost in the shuƯle because of the school department money issues. Chris Menard confirms it has been mentioned to Representative Margaret Scarsdale concerning all the eƯorts that are put towards reporting and audits. Julianna Hanscom confirms there are audits for the EL program. There are multiple agencies that reach out with the same deadlines. Kate Burnham states there are audits for food services that require many hours of work. John Bowen, 162 Highland Street, states that all audits come from the Department of Education in Washington. Mandates are given to the state to then be provided to the federal government for compliance. John Bowen states cutting mental health professionals and teachers should be a last resort. Laura Veran, 389 Mulpus Road, requests the actual to budget information. Dr. Kate Burnham confirms that the School Committee completes quarterly budget reports. c. Montachusett Regional High School Superintendent, Tom Brown, and Business Manager for the school district, Tammy Crockett, provided the presentation. In FY 25 Monty Tech was awarded $1,062,891 in state and federal entitlement grants. To date, $2,711,900 have been awarded for competitive grants. Lunenburg is the 4th largest enrollment out of the 18 towns. The foundational budget per pupil spent is $20,827. Monty tech represents 8% of Lunenburg’s total foundation budget. The above net school spending increased $872,000 from FY 2025 to FY 2026. The total FY 2026 budget is $34,641,344. Increases in FY 2025 to FY 2026 include: ===PAGE 4=== Salaries increased $580,731 Fringe benefit increased $438,000 Utilities and insurance increased $96,000 Academic and vocational program equipment/supplies increased $103,000 The total contribution needed from Lunenburg is $1,270,711. Tanya Dall questions what expenses in the budget are state mandated. Tammy Crockett confirms that the above net school spending and capital are not mandated. Chris Menard inquiries into who the school uses for busing. Tammy Crockett states the contracts are bid per town and they are with AA, Dee, and McCarthy. Chris Menard asks if the school is looking to add any additional trades. Tammy Crockett states they are not adding any additional trades. Currently, there is no room for expansion or funding to build a new school. d. Capital Plan This topic was not discussed. 7. New Business There was no new business. 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes There was a motion to approve the minutes from February 14, 2025, by Tom Gray, seconded by Jean Russell. The vote was 5-0-1. 10. Committee Reports This topic was not discussed. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional actions or topics for future meetings. 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/13/2025 (Public Hearing) b. Thursday 3/20/2025 c. Thursday 3/27/2025 ===PAGE 5=== 13. Public Comment There were no public comments. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tom Gray. The meeting closed at 10:53 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-13-agenda-7009.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-13 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-13-agenda-7009.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03132025-7009 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Vacant Vacant Thursday, March 13, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Municipal Building Design Committee b. Parks Commission c. Other Monied Articles d. Administrative, Unclassified and Debt 7. Public Hearing 8. New Business a. Outline Finance Committee Annual Report 9. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 10. Minutes 11. Committee Reports 12. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 13. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/20/2025 b. Thursday 3/27/2025 14. Public Comment 15. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-13-minutes-7009.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-13 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-13-minutes-7009.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03132025-7009 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall March 13, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Clerk Tom Gray 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements There were no announcements. 4. Public Comment Rhonda Liscio, 181 Reservoir Road, inquires if there is a direct impact on the town’s bond rating if the town does not contribute to OPEB. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports from the Town Manager or the Finance Director. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Municipal Building Design Committee Michael Ray JeƯreys, 1170 Mass Ave., provided the Municipal Building Design Committee presentation. The biggest problem the Committee is facing is the TC Passios building. TC Passios school was transferred from the school dept to the Select Board. This triggered TC Passios Design Committee to see if that building could be repurposed to be used as a municipal building. The building is roughly 55,000 square feet. An architectural firm conducted analysis of the building and met with a variety of community stakeholders. The cost estimation was 23 million then the pandemic hit and supplies skyrocketed. Before the meeting in May the price rose to 29 million. It could cost 14 to 15 million just to get the building up to the current code. At the town meeting it was decided not to move forward for a vote. The Committee then changed back to being a Municipal Building Design Committee in order to look at all municipal buildings and not just at TC Passios. They determined that Town Hall and the Ritter building needs to be modernized and ADA accessible. ===PAGE 2=== ARPA funding was used to bring in an architectural firm, structural engineers, mechanical engineers to create a plan. The trade cost of each building is below: Meeting House and renovation: $2,624,843 Ritter Memorial renovation: $2,068,279 Town Hall: $6,937,520 Sitework: $1,657,520 Subtotal trade costs $13,288,086 Subtotal with contingencies and escalation: $15,281,299 Total construction cost with GC OH&P: $17,840,917 There are 2 options for payment. A 30-year bond would be an average cost per household of $300 for a 30-year bond or $400 per household for a 20-year bond. Mike Rupp inquires what the cost would be to take care of the buildings. Michael Ray JeƯreys is unsure and would be diƯicult to estimate. Ana Lockwood questions how much of the new space will be meeting space versus oƯice space Michael Ray JeƯreys states there would be 6,500 square feet that can be used for meeting space. b. Parks Commission Anita Scheipers, Chair of the Parks Commission, and Karin Menard, Clerk of the Parks Commission, provided the presentation. There has been a new updated design for Marshall Park. The project has been scaled back and will only be built on already developed areas. The dog park, wetland trails, and other improvements are no longer included in the new design. The new design consists of 3 phases. Phase 1: Construction of the driveway including parking spaces, playground, sports courts, and walking trail. A total of 120 parking spaces will be added. Phase 2: Construction of the men’s baseball field, ladies’ softball field, and parking oƯ of Chestnut Street. Phase 3: Constructions of buildings including large pavilion with restroom facilities, concession stand, and picnic area. The timeline is as follows: -Design package and permitting will start in May and conclude in September. -Bid process preparation will start in October and be awarded in ===PAGE 3=== December. -Sitework construction will start March of 2026 and conclude by May of 2027. The Commission intends to re-apply for the previously awarded grants. Regarding future park maintenance, the Facilities Director is in the process of getting maintenance scheduled for the various park components. Mike Rupp questioned if the fields are ever rented, and Anita Scheipers confirms that is an option and the fees are used to pay for expenses. Tanya Dall asks if there are any plans to implement any summer school programs at that location. Karin Menard hopes that the town will get behind the mission of having the recreation director become full-time and she would be able to run programming. This would be a prime location for outdoor activities. Jay Simeone shares his concern regarding maintenance and operational costs. Rhonda Lizio, 181 Reservoir Road, questions how much money has already been spent on the project. Karin Menard confirms that $50,000 from capital plan has been approved. At the special town meeting $184,000 was allocated. Lastly, $250,000 of ARPA funds have been used. c. Other Monied Articles The Town Manager confirmed that other monied articles would be all free cash transfers and those are up in the air until Tuesday. d. Administrative, Unclassified and Debt There is $393,881.14 in the reduced debt services this year. $284,412 of that total is being used to oƯset the capital program. The remaining $109,469 will be used to balance the budget. 7. Public Hearing There was a motion to open public meeting by Jay Simeone, seconded by Ana Lockwood. John Bowen,162 Highland Street, states that the Committee is tasked with making a budget as an advisory committee for the citizens and shouldn’t be by what everyone department wants. Glenn Mcleod, 436 Reservoir Road, disagrees with the building plan proposal. There has been a lot of talk about aƯordable housing and the housing crisis. The real conversation should be aƯordable living. It is becoming very unaƯordable to live in ===PAGE 4=== Massachusetts. There are so many demands on individual budgets as it is. His primary concern is to make the municipal employees feel appreciated and that they receive fair pay. Dave Passios, a former Lunenburg resident, former member of the finance committee, presently located in JeƯerson, New Hampshire, questioned if there is another public hearing date scheduled. Chris Menard confirms there will be another public hearing scheduled for March 27th or April 3rd. There was a motion to close public hearing by Jay Simeone, seconded by Ana Lockwood. 8. New Business a. Outline Finance Committee Annual Report Chris Menard confirms there needs to be a decision about prop 2½, levy limits, excluded debt and policies. If any Committee member has ideas, they should email them to Chris Menard. 9. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 10. Minutes There was a motion to approve the minutes from February 20, 2025, by Jay Simeone, seconded by Jean Russell. 11. Committee Reports Chris Menard suggest that the Committee watch the joint meeting with the School Committee and the Select Board. 12. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings The school department will be returning on March 20, 2025. There was a vote last night and the final decision about the allocation of money will be presented to the Committee. 13. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/20/2025 b. Thursday 3/27/2025 14. Public Comment Karin Menard, 672 Page Street, encourages departments to apply for grants. The mass oƯice on disability oƯers an ADA improvement grant that can be applied to planning and projects. In FY 2024, $3,932,321 were allocated to communities. For FY 2025 the ADA improvement grant totaled $4,910,668. This consisted of 59 grants, ===PAGE 5=== 25 for planning and 34 for projects. Karin Menard agrees with Michael Ray JeƯreys that all town buildings need to be accessible to residents. Additionally, she would like to see more space for meetings. Jay Simeone references the availability for grant writing services. That money was to be used to contact consulting companies that write grants with the expertise to make it easier to get the grants. 15. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Jay Simeone, seconded by Tanya Dall. All in favor. The meeting closed at 10:34 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-20-agenda-7010.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-20 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-20-agenda-7010.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03202025-7010 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Thursday, March 20, 2025 6:00 PM 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Revised Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings a. School Committee Approved Budget b. Town Manager Final Budget Material 7. New Business a. V ote on Articles b. Review Finance Committee Draft Report 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/27/2025 b. Thursday 4/3/2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-20-minutes-7010.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-20 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-20-minutes-7010.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03202025-7010 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall March 20, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell (Zoom), Clerk Tom Gray (Zoom), Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Committee Member Tanya Dall 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 6:02 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements There were no announcements. 4. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports from the Town Manager or the Finance Director. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. School Committee Approved Budget Superintendent Dr. Kate Burnham provided the approved budget. The School Committee increased the legal expense line. There was some funding restored for band transportation. The middle school received an additional $1,000 and the high school received $3,000. At the school committee meeting on March 12th there was a vote to implement a bus transportation fee at 1 dollar per day. The fee for 1 child is $180 and the family cap is $270 for the year. The students eligible for free lunch will have that fee waived. Any student eligible for a reduced lunch will pay a reduced fee of $50. The implementation of transportation fee reduced the student transportation line by $11,000. The athletic transportation line was reduced to $102,555. The School Committee approved to have the athletics department run summer camps to generate revenue. ===PAGE 2=== Chris Menard firmly disagrees with running summer camps that will compete with the recreation department. Dr. Kate Burnham states the programs run by the recreation department should not conflict with the athletics summer camps. Chris Menard is requesting all the details associated with the summer camps, revenue projections, and comparisons to the recreation department. Ana Lockwood inquires about the hours of the camp. Dr. Kate Burnham states majority are from 9-3. Ana Lockwood suggests creating tutoring programs to provide extra support and also create revenue. Due to the restructuring the business oƯice salaries have changed to $90,000. The School Committee voted to eliminate 1 of the specialist coach positions that was previously grant funded. That grant money will be applied to an intervention teacher at the elementary school. Ana Lockwood states that the DESI website states there were 110 full time teachers back in 2019. After the proposed cuts in FY26 according to the presentation there will be 111 full-time teachers. Chris Menard made an executive decision to not allow public comment due to the Capital Planning Committee meeting that was scheduled to start in 3 minutes. 7. New Business There was no new business to discuss. 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes There were no minutes to approve. 10. Committee Reports There were no Committee reports. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional actions or topics to add to future meetings. ===PAGE 3=== 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday 3/27/2025 b. Thursday 4/3/2025 13. Public Comment There were no comments from the public. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tom Gray. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Jean Russell aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Jay Simeone aye, Chris Menard aye. The meeting closed at 7:29 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-27-agenda-7011.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-27 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-27-agenda-7011.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03272025-7011 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Thursday, March 27, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Revised Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Scheduled Meetings 7. Public Hearing a. Town Manager Final Budget Material b. Capital Items and other monied articles c. Warrant Articles d. Citizens Petition – Proposition 2 ½ Override 8. New Business a. Finalize Finance Committee Annual Report 9. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. FY26 Warrant Articles c. Budget Task Force Recommendations 10. Minutes 11. Committee Reports 12. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 13. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday, April 3 (Public Hearing and V otes) b. Thursday, April 10 – Fincom Meeting c. Town Meeting, May 3, 2025 14. Public Comment 15. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-03-27-minutes-7011.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-03-27 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-03-27-minutes-7011.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03272025-7011 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall March 27, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Clerk Tom Gray 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard stated that public hearing is scheduled for next week. The focus will be on reviewing the finance committee report and voting. 4. Public Comment John Bowen, 162 Highland Street, inquired whether or not public comment will happen after each topic. Chris Menard states there is an error in the agenda, and he will follow each topic with public comment. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports from the Town Manager or the Finance Director. 6. Scheduled Meetings a. Town Manager Final Budget Material Jennifer Warren-Dyment provided presented the following changes in the budget: - $10,000 increases to the legal line - $50,000 grant writer position has been eliminated to restore some of the pavement management program Chris Menard is not in favor of getting rid of the grant writer position. - $15,000 decrease to the reserve fund bringing the total to $210,000. - $104,089 increase to the IT department. 7. Public Hearing a. Town Manager Final Budget Material Town Manager, Jennifer Warren-Dyment, will present any changes that have taken place since the last presentation. ===PAGE 2=== FY 2027 starting free cash $219,576 FY 2026 Town Manager proposed General Government budget: $2,962,263.14 FY 2026 Town Manager proposed budgets: Police: $2,434,77.42 Fire: $1,744,587.91 Other public safety: $368,488.90 Education: $27,121,995 Monty Tech: $1,334,521 DPW: $2,476,953.29 Facilities and Buildings: $1,067,396.30 Human Services (consolidated): $478,242.76 Culture and Recreation (consolidated): $639,036.70 Maturing Debt: $2,547,440.36 Intergovernmental Assessments: $3,425,578.98 General Government Unclassified: $ 4,107,709.13 Jay Simeone questions why the compensated absence fund isn’t taken out of the salary reserve fund. Jennifer Warren-Dyment states they are 2 diƯerent funds. The salary reserve fund is for collective bargaining agreements, raises, and new positions. The compensated absence funds are for vacation and any other time that is owed. Ana Lockwood questions if there is a maximum amount of vacation time that can be transferred from year to year. Jennifer Warren-Dyment states it varies depending on the bargaining unit as they have diƯerent maximums. John Bowen,162 Highland Street, is upset that the grant writer program has been eliminated. He is also unhappy with the Cemetery Commission requesting money even though they have funds in their omnibus budget. Also, he doesn’t agree with the $50,000 crack seal and believes the roads residents utilize daily should be a higher priority. Glenn Mcleod, 436 Reservoir Road, shares that the discussions about healthcare costs also eƯects retirees. b. Capital Items and other monied articles FY 2026 Capital program totals $655,424 c. Warrant article The assessor’s overlay was originally budgeted for $250,000 but that decreased to $175,000. ===PAGE 3=== There have been changes to free cash due to the diƯicult financial year. There is a transfer of $500,000 of certified free cash to support the public schools. The general stabilization account has been reduced to $0. There are now no transfers into the special purpose stabilization funds which was originally budgeted at $250,000. There are 3 special projects warrant articles totaling $152,500. - Decommissioning portion of TC Passios $75,000 -Board of Assessors – Phase 1 DOR directives $27,500 -Cemetery Road network repair and crack seal $50,000 FY 25 transfers totaling $465,000 - Snow and ice deficit transfer of $415,000 (may be reduced at town meeting) - School special education move in transfer of $50,000 (may be reduced at town meeting) d. Citizens Petition – Proposition 2 ½ Override The 2-million-dollar override was brought forward by TJ Loughlin. The proposed override subtracts the diƯerence of the level services budget from the town managers approved budget. Next week this article will go before the Select Board for approval. Ana Lockwood is requesting specific line items that would only be appropriate for the School Department to address. The Committee agrees to defer their vote awaiting additional information. 8. New Business a. Finance Committee Annual Report Chris Menard states there are 3 options to address the Finance Committees opinions at the town meeting. Option 1: Provide information that is approved by the Committee despite the Committee still having questions. The information would highlight the critical items for the voters. Option 2: Provide no opinion ===PAGE 4=== Option 3: Provide a small sample and then provide an update at town meeting. The Committee agrees with option 1. Ana Lockwood states there need to be a dollar amount impact provided. Tom Gray wants to mention the future expectations regarding Turkey Hill renovations versus replacement. There should also be discussion about providing the facts about why the town is where it is. This includes revenue, expenses, insurance etc. Chris Menard wants to also highlight the reduction in state aid. 9. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* Ana Lockwood provided a detailed presentation that reviewed the school department budget. Ana Lockwood is looking for clarity on the below topics. - School department headcount - Health insurance cost increases that aren’t in alignment with the other town department increases - Financial impact of teacher headcount reduction and other staƯ - Breakdown of increases and comparisons between FY25 and FY 26 Jay Simeone suggests having an outside source complete a deep dive of their budget for accuracy. b. FY26 Warrant Articles Below are some warrant articles - Authorization for the town to enter into an agreement with the bank. - Expend Chapter 90 funds in advance of reimbursement from the state. - Authorization to set spending limits for various revolving funds including the new meal site program and parks programming. - Authorization to pay expenses from prior fiscal year - Marshall Park and Building Design debt exclusion - Omnibus budget - Free cash transfer to Lunenburg public schools - Addressing positions and COLA for the salary administrative plan - Allowing holiday pay for on call firefighters - OPEB transfers - Establish the compensated absence fund - FY 25 budget adjustments ===PAGE 5=== - Fiscal 2025 closeouts - FY 2026 sewer enterprise - Pay as you throw program - Repeal and replace the entire flood plain map - Accessory dwelling unit updates - FY 2026 Capital program - totaling: $1,225,000 - Decommission a portion of TPC: $75,000 - BOA to update neighborhood code required by DOR - Citizens’ petition related to the cemetery commission and changing of their powers and duties. There will be presentations from the Stormwater Task Force and the Budget Task Force Committee. Votes will be taken at the next meeting. The options for voting are recommending approval, recommending disapproval, or finding no financial impact. c. Budget Task Force Recommendations The Budget task force recommendations include standardizing the workflow for town finances, implementing standardized department reporting and consolidate chart of accounts. 10. Minutes Minutes will be reviewed at the next meeting. 11. Committee Reports There were no Committee reports. 12. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional actions or topics to add to future agendas. 13. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday, April 3 (Public Hearing and Votes) b. Thursday, April 10 – Fincom meeting c. Town Meeting - May 3, 2025 14. Public Comment TJ Loughlin, 207 Rolling Acres Road, addressed some of the questions posed by Ana Lockwood regarding the school department. The questions were unrelated to the override itself. If there were errors in the presentation TJ would like that information to update the override. ===PAGE 6=== Ana Lockwood responds that she didn’t call into question the school budget or its truthfulness. There are discrepancies in the documents and supporting documents. Dave Passios, JeƯerson NH, suggests creating a link or QR code that will bring up additional information that can be retrieved up until town meeting. John Bowen, 162 Highland Street, states the citizen petition, warrant article 4, does have some financial impact. Additionally, the cemetery commission has not submitted an actual plan. Glenn Mcleod, 436 Reservoir Road, encourages the Committee to reflect on narratives throughout town from Boards and committee. There has been a lot of discussion about petitions, Marshall Park, Town Hall project, TC Passios, Turkey Hill, Brooke’s House, and the trash and recycle program. These will all impact residents, businesses, and the community. 15. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Tom Gray, seconded by Jean Russell. The meeting closed at 11:29 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-04-03-agenda-7134.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-04-03 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-04-03-agenda-7134.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04032025-7134 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Thursday, April 3, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. Public Hearing a. Discuss and V ote on Articles 7. New Business a. Reserve Account Transfer Request – Unanticipated Fire Vehicle Maintenance b. Workshop - Review and Modify Finance Committee Annual Report c. V ote on Finance Committee Annual Report 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. Budget Task Force Recommendations 9. Minutes 10. Committee Reports 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday, April 10 – Fincom Meeting b. Town Meeting, May 3, 2025 13. Public Comment 14. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-04-03-minutes-7134.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-04-03 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-04-03-minutes-7134.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04032025-7134 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall April 3, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Vice Chair Jean Russell, Clerk Tom Gray (Zoom), Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp Absent Member: Committee Member Jay Simeone 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Town meeting is scheduled for May 3, 2025. 4. Public Comment John Bowen, 162 Highland Street, spoke about the DPW request for $50,000 to complete road expansion in the North Cemetery. Currently, he is unaware of a plan for this project. The Select Board opted not to go forward with crack sealing proposal. John Bowen suggests applying electricity in both cemeteries for the same cost. Dave Passios, JeƯerson NH formally Lunenburg resident, cautions the Committee about the reserve account request. This account is strictly intended to cover emergencies and should not be treated like a piggy bank. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports There were no reports from the Town Manager or the Finance Director. 6. Public Hearing There was a motion by Chris Menard to enter into public hearing, seconded by Ana Lockwood. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. a. Discuss and Vote on Articles Article 1. Authorization to hear and/or accept oral reports from the Stormwater Task Force and the Budget Task Force. ===PAGE 2=== There was a motion that Article 1 has no financial impact by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 2. Authorization to borrow in anticipation of revenue should there be a revenue shortfall for any reason There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 2 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 3. Authorization to expend Chapter 90 funds in anticipation of the reimbursement by the state. There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 3 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 4. Vote to set the spending limits on various revolving funds There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 4 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 5. Authorization to pay expenses from a prior fiscal year There was a motion to recommend deferral on Article 5 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 6. Fiscal year 2025 budget adjustments within budget lines There was a motion to recommend deferral on Article 6 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 7. Fiscal year 2025 closeouts ===PAGE 3=== There was a motion to recommend deferral on Article 7 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 8. Fiscal Year 2026 capital program totaling $1,225,000 There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 8 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 9. Authorization to fund special projects There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 9 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 10. Fiscal year 2026 omnibus budget totaling $49,374,465 There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 10 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 11. Citizen petition for Proposition 2 ½ override of $2,099,337 There was a motion to recommend disapproval of Article 11 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 12. Transfer of $500,000 in certified free cash to the Lunenburg Public Schools for FY 2026 There was a motion to recommend deferral on Article 12 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 13. Amendments to the salary administrative plan position titles/grades ===PAGE 4=== There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 13 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 14. Salary administrative plan adjustments for FY 2026 There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 14 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 15. Holiday pay for on-call firefighters There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 15 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 16. Appropriate free cash to the stabilization fund There was a motion to take no action on Article 16 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 17. Appropriate free cash to the special purpose stabilization fund There was a motion to take no action on Article 17 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 18. Appropriate free cash to the OPEB trust fund totaling $222,500 There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 18 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 19. Establish a reserve fund for future payment of accrued liabilities for compensated absences ===PAGE 5=== There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 19 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 20. Appropriation to the compensated absence reserve fund There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 20 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 21. Transfer of funds to the OPEB sewer trust fund There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 21 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 22. FY 2026 sewer enterprise transfer There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 22 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 23. Sewer inflow/infiltration stabilization fund There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 23 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 24. Sewer reserve capacity stabilization fund There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 24 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 25. Solid waste disposal program enterprise fund ===PAGE 6=== There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 25 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 26. Water enterprise fund transfer of $45,000 There was a motion to recommend approval of Article26 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 27. Public educational government access enterprise fund appropriation and transfer There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 27 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 28. Floodplain map update There was a motion to find that there is no financial impact associated with Article 28 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 29. Accessory dwelling unit bylaw update There was a motion to find that there is no financial impact associated with Article 29 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 30. Amending Clause 17D, 17E, and 17F relative to tax exemptions There was a motion to recommend deferral on Article 30 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 31. Amending Clause 41C and 41D relative to tax exemptions ===PAGE 7=== There was a motion to recommend deferral on Article 31 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 32. Citizen petition There was a motion to find that there is no financial impact associated with Article 32 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 33. Marshall Park design debt exclusion There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 33 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The vote was unanimous 6-0. Article 34. Municipal Building Design debt exclusion There was a motion to recommend approval of Article 34 by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell no, Chris Menard aye. The vote was 6-1 for approval. There was a motion to close public hearing by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell no, Chris Menard aye. 7. New Business a. Reserve Account Transfer Request – Unanticipated Fire Vehicle Maintenance Chief Patrick Sullivan states there have been significant repairs needed for the primary ambulance. The estimated cost to repair the diesel particulate filter and possibly the exhaust gas recirculating valve is $10,000. Currently there is $7,900 in the vehicle maintenance line that should cover fuel for the rest of the year. Chief Patrick Sullivan confirms there have been multiple significant repairs needed throughout the year. ===PAGE 8=== Ana Lockwood questions how much is in the expense line for equipment repairs or vehicle repair. Chief Patrick Sullivan states the purchase of parts line and the purchase of services lines total $32,000. Mike Rupp inquiries about the lifespan of an ambulance. Chief Patrick Sullivan says it’s estimated to be 12 years. The ambulance is from 2019 so there are roughly 6 years remaining. There was a motion to request a reserve fund transfer of $12,000 to cover unanticipated coverages in the fire department vehicle maintenance budget by Chris Menard, seconded by Ana Lockwood. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. b. Workshop - Review and Modify Finance Committee Annual Report The Committee reviewed and edited the Lunenburg finance annual report document. c. Vote on Finance Committee Annual Report There was a motion to approve the finance committee annual report while allowing the Chair to make editorial comments and corrections by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. 8. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* Ana Lockwood reviewed the numbers that were presented by the school department related to their budget. She noted a 17.21% budget increase from FY 25 to FY 26. Ana Lockwood is requesting all budget information and a headcount from the school department. b. Budget Task Force Recommendations There was no discussion about budget task force recommendations. 9. Minutes The minutes will be reviewed at the next meeting. Tanya Dall suggested looking into a transcription service through Zoom as a possibility of creating minutes. There is concern that not everything is being documented in previously provided minutes. ===PAGE 9=== 10. Committee Reports There were no Committee reports. 11. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings There are no additional actions or topics to add to future meetings. 12. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Thursday, April 10 – Fincom Meeting b. Town Meeting, May 3, 2025 13. Public Comment Glenn Mcleod, 436 Reservoir Road, thanked Jean Russell for dissenting the vote related to town hall. He also thanked the members on the Committee for their work. 14. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tanya Dall. Roll call vote. Tom Gray aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Jean Russell aye, Chris Menard aye. The meeting closed at 11:07 PM. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-04-24-agenda-7185.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-04-24 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-04-24-agenda-7185.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04242025-7185 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Chris Menard, Chair Jean Russell, Vice-Chair Tom Gray, Clerk Jay Simeone Tanya Dall Ana Lockwood Mike Rupp Thursday, April 24, 2025 7:00 PM Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall Town of Lunenburg 17 Main Street, P.O. Box 135 Lunenburg, MA 01462-0135 978.582.4139 978.582.4148 Agenda In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel and on Facebook Live on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access- Cable-157427270975305) and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg Access YouTube channel after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while the option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82195029392. From a telephone, dial the toll-free number (888) 475-4499, enter Webinar ID: 821 9502 9392. If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e- mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. This agenda lists all topics which may be discussed at the meeting and those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. V otes may be taken because of these discussions. Not all items listed may be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent allowed by Open Meeting Law. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements 4. Public Comment 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports 6. New Business a. Final Annual Town Meeting Discussions b. 2026 Budget Task Force Recommendations c. Committee Assignments 7. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* b. 2025 Budget Task Force Recommendations 8. Minutes 9. Committee Reports 10. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings 11. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Town Meeting, May 3, 2025 b. Fincom Meeting, May 8 12. Public Comment 13. Adjourn * Budget Discussions may include Revenue, Capital, Department Requests, Monied articles, Proposition 2 ½, Borrowing, Finance Committee recommendations, requests and information from other Boards and Commissions, and any other budget related items ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2025-04-24-minutes-7185.txt BOARD : finance-committee DATE : 2025-04-24 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/finance-committee/2025-04-24-minutes-7185.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04242025-7185 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Bilotta Meeting Room Lunenburg Town Hall April 24, 2025 Present Members: Chair Chris Menard, Clerk Tom Gray, Committee Member Tanya Dall, Committee Member Ana Lockwood, Committee Member Mike Rupp, Committee Member Jay Simeone Absent Member: Vice Chair Jean Russell 1. Call to Order The meeting opened at 7:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Announcements Chris Menard confirms this is the last Finance Committee meeting before the town meeting. The Teen Center has asked if the Committee would field a team to compete at Are You Smarter than a 6th Grader. The team currently consists of Jean Russell and Tom Gray. 1 additional member is needed. Tom Gray states there was supposed to be a Municipal Building Design Committee meeting yesterday but there was no quorum. The meeting will now take place on Monday at 5:30 or 6 via Zoom. 4. Public Comment Jennifer DuƯy, 684 Flat Hill Road, inquired about the town band warrant article. Chris Menard suggests reaching out to Mrs. Archambault. The Committee will investigate this further. Dave Rodgers, 82 Highland Street, is concerned about the town taking money from free cash and from Chapter 70 to maintain roads. Dave Rodgers is looking for the town to provide some guidance about the school department budget situation. Tanya Dall confirms that they have hired a finance person for the schools. Ana Lockwood confirms there is no misappropriation of funds but feels the budget practices are very unclear and not transparent. Mike Rupp agrees and feels the town and school finances need to be looked into further. John Bowen,162 Highland Street, states that the Cemetery Commission had a meeting this morning. John Bowen feels that the Cemetery Commission has no idea ===PAGE 2=== about any costs related to the cemeteries. He feels the Committee should be able to explain and show the needs of cemeteries, but they are unable. 5. Town Manager & Finance Director Reports Chris Menard states that booklets have been mailed to residents for the upcoming town meeting. There are several hundred extras that will be available at the meeting. The School Department will be selling a limited number of pre-bagged lunches at the town meeting. 6. New Business a. Final Annual Town Meeting Discussions Chris Menard was provided with the consent calendar from the Town Manager. There was a motion to approve the consent calendar by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tom Gray. Jay Simeone aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Tom Gray aye, Chris Menard aye. Chris Menard created an interchangeable document with projections that has been saved on the SharePoint. There was discussion about Article 8 and Article 9 on the capital plan. Article 8 was the originally presented article. Article 9 is from the schools withdrawing the original capital plan and adding the primary school heat pump system with the remainder of money to come from other sources. The Committee previously voted on the article, but Chris Menard requested the Town Manager change the Finance Committees vote to deferred. b. 2026 Budget Task Force Recommendations The Select Board is looking to recharge the Budget Task Force over the summer to restart some work. Ana Lockwood reviewed Budget Task Forces in other towns. They were very public, eƯective, and transparent. There was discussion about having employees assigned to the Budget Task Force as well as the pros and cons. Tom Gray volunteers to be a liaison if nobody else is available. c. Committee Assignments The Chair of the Master Plan Steering Committee inquired about having a ===PAGE 3=== liaison with the Finance Committee. Mike Rupp has expressed interest and will reach out to the Chair, Tim Willsmer. Tom Gray will continue to be the liaison with the Municipal Design Committee and Chris Menard will continue to be the liaison with the Capital Planning Committee. 7. Old Business a. FY26 Budget Discussions* There was no discussion about this topic. b. 2025 Budget Task Force Recommendations The recommendations are in the SharePoint file. Some of the recommendations have already been completed. Chris Menard wants the Committee to review for discussion at upcoming meetings. 8. Minutes There was a motion to approve the minutes of February 25, 2025, February 27. 2025, March 6, 2025, March 13, 2025, and March 20, 2025, by Tom Gray, seconded by Mike Rupp. Roll call vote. Jay Simeone aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall no, Tom Gray aye, Chris Menard aye. Tanya Dall feels the minutes are not adequate and are missing information. The Committee is in agreement that they don’t want a transcript of the meeting. 9. Committee Reports Ana Lockwood has reached out to the school committee inquiring about obtaining specific information. After 10 days she didn’t receive a response but later received a memo via email from Brian Lehtinen with none of the requested information. Ana Lockwood has again requested the data but feels as though the School Committee is not meeting their obligations under the charter as to their budget. Chris Menard agrees there should be full transparency associated with the funding source not just raised and appropriated to the Finance Committee. Tanya Dall wants to use a budget tool or a template for all departments to use for standardization. Under Mass General Law the Committee is entitled to ask for and obtain information from departments. 10. Actions and Topics for Future Meetings Chris Menard suggests that members brainstorm possible actions or topics to tackle over the summer. ===PAGE 4=== The Committee anticipates completing a full year budget cycle going forward where budget requests are received much earlier. 11. Important Dates & Upcoming Meetings a. Town Meeting, May 3, 2025 b. Fincom Meeting, May 8 12. Public Comment Dave Passios, JeƯerson NH, a former resident in Lunenburg, commented about the annual audit and the need to sort out some of the questionable practices. He disagrees with the annual audit that is required by statue that costs $60,000. In the past it previously hasn’t been eƯective in finding issues. There were no comments from the Committee. 13. Adjourn There was a motion to adjourn by Ana Lockwood, seconded by Tom Gray. Roll call vote. Jay Simeone aye, Mike Rupp aye, Ana Lockwood aye, Tanya Dall aye, Tom Gray aye, Chris Menard aye. The meeting closed at 9:09 PM.