TranscriptBudget Committee Meeting ~ February 24, 2025

on it's it's the initial page if you just go under the tax valuation 32 million yeah usually every year that goes up because of the valuation of primarily of new homes or if anybody's doing any substantial renovation to their home the tax assess will have gone to their home and their evaluation would have gone

were given I I I totally understand but I'm just saying that that is something that I would imagine once the select board determines what the new maill rate will be they should be adjusting that if I recall correctly they said earlier in one of our meetings that they weren't going to touch that because the assessing gets done after the town meeting or gets done so late that they won't have the figures in

that anybody else all right then we will start with uh General government which is Page ready to make a motion what is your pleasure I make a motion okay uh I move that we use the for General government use the numbers that is in the select board uh budget and the reason for that is I think we're looking at an 18-month budget with a lot of uncertainty and um I know some f folks did some work on pairing it down I appreciate that I think we're looking at the a budget that has some uncertainty and um I guess that's where I am on that one so I move we accept it U so I need a a number figure with with thaton MO

it is total General government is 1,1 143,000 $60 page bottom of page 11 in your handout so there has been a motion is there a second a second for discussion second Jill is a second so there's been a motion made uh to accept the select board's recommendation of 1,143 60 for the total General

government in first and second it I'll open it up for discussion Mr chairman yes sir so I went through the budget um last week and I did send out a spreadsheet as as a food foot thought to everyone I don't know if anyone looked at it or not and I tried to look at the three departments that I knew we'd be voting I thought we'd be voting I govern government public safety Public Works and I I kind of adopted a hybrid

approach to to try to reduce the the spending the budget so what I did was I went to the because we're going to be voting on this if we don't um if we don't accept the select boards as is we're going to be voting on this as um total Administration

and planning en code is that correct yes yeah okay um so what I did was to multiply the larger of the budget or actual from last year times 1.03 for a 3% increase and in this case it was actual was budget of 742 031 for administration for

assessing and uh left that as is because it was down obviously I went information technology something about technology to 986 and I reduced planning and codes to 19204 which which was um last year's budget times 1.03 government General government of 1065

increase excuse me the 6.4 increase versus the proposed 14.1 increase yes for General government discussion um so when I had chatted about it I said um increase by 3.5% being consistent with New England's CPI is there a reason why youed it to three because we're paying the 5% the half percent of the U Family Leave Act

okay government is the fact that it is growing so greatly and there seems to be a lot of programs and services that have been initiated without Town's people approval you know when the fire department wanted to add an extra shift for night per DM they waited until they got the town's permission to do it and my concern is that the general government isn't doing

that um and from what I can understand all the new things that they want to do were already locked into a contract to do it our fund balance especially General government increased by 10% last year it's increasing by 14% this year if it continues on that trajectory how are we going to be able to afford it when we don't have the fund balance to offset

recommended this was I think in rly so that we should look at what the cost is going to be but I think we also need to look at the services that are going to be provided and we look at the employees that we have and what kind of pay raises we're going to give them and I'm not sure that the an Neil I know did a great job on it U if that was taken into consideration we're just sort of we're cutting 8,000 which is not a big deal out of the the tex.gov or whatever it may be but that's a new program that's getting used by 900 some people myself included um so I think it's premature to cut that and I think that um the $7,500

for it equipment was a reasonable 18mon budget and there's so much uncertainty on what we're going to do over the next 18 months people Wise Equipment wise so on and so forth so I I guess the problem sorry am I allowed to speak I guess the problem I see with that is that once it tends to get in the budget then next year we're just extrapolating off of that versus line by line line by line seems to be going away um and so that makes me nervous that it's it's automatically in there and then we just keep adding or yeah building from

there the other part of it is the people are looking at 18 mil they didn't really expect to have this dumped on them it's going to really confuse escrow it's going to add to it no matter what and it's going to confuse the banks and everything we just know they're going to um so it makes it really hard the people cannot there's a lot out here still that are on fixed budgets that cannot just keep going up and up and up and I know last year you said well they've got to expect to pay and even though the government did the the school does so no matter what they're paying more and more and more and I think if we could hold the line as close as we can on this one and knock it down some that it would be better for the people and then the following budget we'll have some good figures for a change because all we've had a figures that they keep throwing out and what they think and what they feel well the

the feel and all that is not we need solid figures and we as the last budget meeting that I was at I was told that we would get nice good solid oneyear figures not go 18 months so now that they chose to do that I think we should help the people get through the 18

answer to speak to James which is um I hear what you're say but this doesn't all we're doing on this one is other than cutting tex.gov we're really not doing a line by one line uh uh budget cut but we're doing it in my mind you know that we have great employees so I think we need to make sure that we're able to to reward them and opposite of what you said Don I think the fact that it is 18 months is all the more reason to not cut it down to Bare Bones I mean last year's budget was 1% uh above

whatever a 1% margin is in my mind not a lot to run this town for 18 months and those people who are and I get it I mean you know that nobody likes to have their taxes go up but we have a tremendous amount of services that we're providing that cost money and it that's not going down the cost of the services is not going down so Jan so correct me if I'm

wrong I know we're doing a budget for 18 months but we're not getting build for 18 months we're going to get build I'm thinking um I thought twice yeah be we'll have two nine Monon bills but I mean we don't really they haven't announced how they're splitting it up except that we're going to get two

on the yeah it was one 1% increase in the overall tax rate because we used savings it the budget for General government last year went up 10% and now it's going up another I you done I have to keep yeah I mean I don't mind the back and forth through John yeah my 1% comment was not about the taxes it was when the auditor gave their presentation on 20 24 or whatever year it was we had had

and somebody correct me if I'm wrong we had um spent less around 1% less than what we had budgeted which is a you know a real narrow margin and they said you should be trying to be 2 to 3% so does that make sense okay so it's not the fact how much taxes went up down or otherwise it was that after 12 months we only had 1% to spare if you will on the budget and 18 months with a lot of unknowns in there um and I guess my last comment would be trying to get down less than this is we're taking it out of town services so that the school doesn't have to do that I mean they're coming in at 7.2 the county came in at 9.6 it's extremely hard to get down to two and a half three three and a half even when everybody else school being the biggest chunck of the budget keeps going up I don't think it's fair to cut our services because they won't cut so Mr chairman yes I I

don't see us cutting any Services they're getting a 6.4% increase in general government so I don't think there's any Services being cut was being cut possibly we we're so limited in the tools we have um you know they want they want more legal fees they want to hire an a h HR person I think it's very reasonable to expect the Tom manager to do HR other towns do I I don't get that so there's a lot more money in here than just services there's an expansion of of uh the town

be the town's people deciding what services to get added not oh by the way I added this service now you got to suck it up and deal I don't like that approach that has been generated over the past couple of years but the the town's people will be determining that at the town meeting only if they have two different different

select board are exactly the same amount the town's people are just going to look at the bottom line and say it's only a 3% increase so Mr chair I think that we should vote on the motion that's on the floor because there's a lot of discussion here that it appears to me that uh that motion is not going to pass so I think that we should be uh pursuing that motion then go on forther there cuz we're spinning spinning on Wheels right at the moment I just want to make sure everyone's had a chance to add to the discussion is there anyone else who would like to add their thoughts I'll make one General comment which is I disagree that you know we have a professional staff they should be making changes based on what they think they need not every change needs to go to the town meeting with that um I'm done I even call the motion if need be anybody else end my pain all right there's a motion on the floor uh for the town to raise it's been

moved and seconded for the town to raise government um budget all those in favor all those opposed so fails 2 to chairman I move can I do these by no just give the total it'll be broken I mean he's what you're welcome to because it it will be broken down in if they do the article the same as they did it last year will be broken down by um Administration municipal buildings and grounds assessing Information Technology planning and code enforcement so if you want to break it down you're welcome to we'll be but we'll be voting on The the motion will be on the the total amount I think we should break it down because it'll be it'll be shown that way I guess uh so I move that we that we approve uh $742,000 31 for administration $32,500 for assessing 9 I can't write that

fast 32,700 for okay 98,6 for information for planning and code for a total General government of 1 million 65,0 375 the whole breakdown everyone everyone have the the figures yep yes okay everyone but me um so the it's been moved

by thank you it's been moved by nail and seconded by Allen that the town raise 1 million budget which includes Administration assessing it planning and codes planning and code discussion one of the yeah if I may yes sir I believe on the original budget that was submitted to us uh the fund balance that was recommended by the select board is 49 annualized at 493

333 and the recommendation from their financial advisor was that unbalanced numbers to be safe would to be used for the next year would be between 350,000 and 600,000 so there's another close to uh $107,000 that is available there to be used in the fund balance and if

anybody's overly concerned about cutting positions or adjusting positions that could be uh offset by increasing the amount of fund balance without jeopardizing the overall the floor or are you suggesting here no what I'm saying when if you get into a debate as to budget committee versus select board and there is additional fund balance funds available that they could utilize uh to offset some of those adjustments that we're

I would have to say I I think that's a great idea but I think also we're not firm on what the school's going to come in at so we need to have some fluff there that's not a good word to use sorry I couldn't hear that it's almost likeing like to have some wiggle room there for if the school budget comes in higher than what we're anticipating which I believe it probably will

part of the budget that I think we need to leave funds for that just in case well okay but we'll have those numbers at that time no we won't or we won't not in April no right Mr chairman yes sir so the school budget numbers I think are fairly close one the ones that're in this current budget they're based on what the school committee um what the school committee I think is looking at for real numbers I think it might be under under budget a little bit but not much it could go down I don't think I don't think there's a problem myself but um I just want to also say um I I made two other changes to the budget a after we done with General government to Public Safety which I think are samean reductions but um if if that if we adopt what the general government number I used and a couple of small reductions in public safety and we keep everything else the same as a select board as far as use of fund balance and so forth the the uh M

rate increas is town manager have the ability to move things where they need to move them yeah within within within their category Department yeah right here John I just to follow up on what Neil said that um and the select board discussion they built in uh what the school is now saying so the number that we have is 7.6% which is more than the school board started with actually as a uh recommended budget increases I think almost close to a percent higher than what they said and I think also they they Rec they raised the fluff or whatever we want to call it Alan to uh to cover any Miss is on that one so I think that's kind of built into the school board budget get the school board later what was the percent you just quoted uh 7.6 I have on my report that it's now 9.7 that's annual months that's oh 7.6

yeah aniz annualized okay thank the room think I mean I I know through past meetings one of the things that has been stated is the concern about the bottom line and what the bottom line percentage is and to um Allan's point you can get

there by using more of our savings or by Neil's point you can get there by cutting spending nobody's really answered the question is what happens when our fund balance drives up um I know that some Debt Service is coming off and I believe the assumption is being made that the town is going to vote to just roll all that money back into the town budget um but I I still personally have some concerns that we're masking very large growth of our town by using a savings account so I I would just say

um from my experience um I wouldn't even in my own household I wouldn't be digging into my savings all the time just to cover a new service growth stuff because I I not that I want well I do want but you know there's got to be balance there so and that's my concern we're not dipping into savings for a oneand done we're dipping into savings for an increase in services that are going to be forever I I honestly don't believe that fund balance is ever going to dry up because we're at the point now where we have we're in an adjustment phase here now and I believe there is a reasonable control over what is going on but next time we the budget committee meets we will have a even a better control and feel much better about how the spending is going and how the revenues are coming in so I don't think the funding balance will ever dry up it's just as long as we don't overutilize it and we're not over utilizing it we're

going based on what is being recommended to us from our financial adviser and I would say there some of it may there's a lot of things that are one andone in this in the use of the U um Capital fund I mean bucket loaders dump trucks remember we're funding those we're talking General government but we don't know what those are so sorry we do we do was there do that but I get it for but it's what the use

of capital is more than just general fund and we're not taking all 500 something thousand and putting it against the general fund mean that's what the that's what the recommendation is going 590 or some 100, that's the whole budget yeah yeah the that yeah the the use of fund balance happens to match what we put we've been putting into capital funds Capital reserves it h it matched last year more or less it's matching this year more or less and what's going to happen is when we the fund's never going to go away because Mark's not going to let it go away Mark you want to talk no this is a budget committee Mark's not going to go away the the funds never going to go away we can't let it go away I agree it's not possible because if they won't let it the town will let it go away I don't think it' be nice but um but when that but when the general fund gets spent down to the point where we can't spend it down anymore the money

we're sending for Capital reserves is going to have to come out of taxes right so it's 500,000 that's a lot of money yeah I agree it's going to happen soon or later yeah yeah John look we did at last year's town meeting and the discussion was we felt that the town felt because that's how they voted that it was better to invest bank now so that we didn't have two dump trucks a loader and a fire truck that we have to borrow on down the road so taking it out now and paying it

uh is to me a better use than than getting into another debt to capital reserve we're talking about General government and how that is growing and how we want to deal with that budget it's the amount of money we're using from fund balance yes part of it is investing in our capital reserve but the other part of it is to make all of these Department increases look much

concern I have voiced it at our previous meetings that that's the emergency fund if something comes up or we need something now you have that that fund balance from from my point of view to keep using that fund balance to pay for increases in spending doesn't make sense if there's Revenue coming in that offsets the increase in spending well again the way I run a household that that's what I

I decide make decisions on spending based on what income is coming in um on the on the other side of the coin we've hired a financial advisor um who is who is is looking further down the road than just year upon year and and is good at forecasting revenues has a experience in doing that um he's he's

heard our concerns about spending down the fund balance to the point that we can't use it and according to his strategy based on the forecast of revenues we won't do that so um even though I'm extremely conservative about using the fund balance when he gives okay that you can go up to this amount of money to spend out of a fund balance um it gives me a

little increased level of comfort and I the the discussion on fund balance is going to come up later in the meeting so I don't want to get too deep in that yep based on body language I'd like to request that Mark's allowed to speak uh do I have a motion you want to make that a motion motion I would like to make a motion that our accountant is allowed to speak is there a second any discussion been moved and seconded that our accountant Mark be allowed to uh respond to some of the remarks that have just been made all those in favor all those oppose

wanted to help inform the discussion so that everybody understands what everybody's arguments are at least I don't want I don't want there to be any misunderstanding about what we're talking about so Allen's point is saying look my recommendation was I I would be uncomfortable with the

town using too much fund balance to offset taxes because the long-term strategy is that right now the town's unassigned fund balance is what we would consider too large essentially it's not the same as a personal savings account it's your neighbors's savings account right and so essentially you're sitting on un on taxed money that you don't really want to sit on because people could be using it so the the idea is that you don't want to you need to have an unassigned fund balance and you need to slowly uh reduce that right meaning

you don't want a fiscal cliff where you've reduced it too fast and now you come into another year where yes oh gez well we still have to fund The Debt Service or we still have to fund the capital um uh transfers the transfers to the capital reserves and now we don't have sufficient fund balance to do that so what this long-term strategy is look yeah you you still can use some because you need to use some right you really should be planning to have a deficit really eat into your fund balance but you need to slow that down year after year so that while by the time you get to an ideal fund balance you're you've attenuated how much you you've needed in your fund requirements so Jill's argument is valid right Jill's argument is look by using fund balance it looks like we're not spending as much because as far as the taxpayer is concerned the amount that the amount that they're being raised is very

minimal right it's a 3% increase as opposed to what she sees as as overly large in her opinion increases in governmental um expenditures that's a valid point and you should consider that the idea of the long-term strategy is that because each successive year you're going to be budgeting to use less and less fund balance then that will force that force you to really consider okay what additional services do we really need because the overall strategy is to say well we generally want to raise taxes the tax levy at a certain amount and by if we keep that steady and every year we're using less and less we're budgeting to use less and less fund balance than the only other place that we would have we would be able to adjust that is through looking at how much we're spending in holding that line okay so all of the arguments are make sense

it's just you want to kind of combine them or at least from my perspective I'm trying to combine them into a long-term strategy which is additionally why the capital reserves comes into question because then the capital reserves is also trying to factor in a steady increase or even even amount that you're raising every year right to to be put into capital reserve that if that's even and the amount that you're levying is even again and then and the amount that you're using for fund balance or budgeting to use for fund balance shrinks then the only other place in order to allow that to shrink slowly is

to pay attention to what your expenditures are does that make sense yeah so so if to use your word argument yeah um you're saying that um our fund balance really is too high and should be spent down a little bit what about the augment of what what it's earning if if we don't spend it down and and interest rates for current interest rates we're making quite a bit of money on that money so that that becomes revenue and that Revenue can be used to offset some of the expenses without hurting the fund balance at all so you get a way paying it down mhm because it's too large versing using the money that it earns mhm to offset expenses that's correct and that's why that's why the we factor in interest income and investment income as part of the revenue so for example the original um the original uh budget included only I think it was $100,000 for um for uh interest income and then the idea as a result of these conversations

the budget committee's conversations was yeah that that's probably a bit too conservative right and so we bumped it up to $100,000 and that does that does say okay well we're getting more Revenue in which means that we're accounting for that we're accounting for exactly what you're talking about and still trying to figure out okay well what's the given all of the moving pieces what's the long-term strategy so does that did that answer your question again before we get we're going to have a discussion on fund balance later on this evening so I just don't want to go too deep into this and um I saw um I just want to ask a

question based on watching the select board meeting from the day after ours um I believe it was Heather you were U we wanted to keep the attention to the budget committee unless you have a question for Mark well it will be for Mark okay so Heather commented that she she was concerned with the fund balance and they were going up up and down and whatever and I think what she had commented is at the rate we're going the fund balance will be gone in five years so I guess I'm going to ask Mark how do you feel about that is that is that what you're planning in a fiveyear period to be at that break even point where we have to either raise or or not increase no it it no that the intent is my advice

will be every year you budgeted to raise a me budgeted to use x amount of fund balance the actuals are this so for example last year or the last fiscal year we budgeted to use 668,000 we ended up only using what 400 and some odd thousand right so now again my my recommendation to the select board was okay given the long-term strategy of slowly reducing the amount that you're budgeting to use that you should be within 300 to 600,000 of budgeted use of fund balance this budget but even right now the way that the budget is is at 740,000 there are constant plls for okay

well we need you know we want to you know we have these funding requirements or we adjusted these funding sources or we don't want to raise taxes uh more than 2% or 3% or 5% whatever right we don't want that tax levy to increase those are all those things that everyone is considering and everyone every all the stakeholders are trying to make sure that they they get what they think is most important uh agreed to so that now even my recommendation of really I I wouldn't I'm not a big fan of it going above 600,000 but I recognize that all right well 740,000 budgeted use of fund balance over eight 18 months that's probably not going to be that bad but I'm still concerned that that might still be too quick of a reduction of the

fund balance so next year when we're going through budget season for FY 27 I will be taking a look at okay well where's the fund balance what did we budget to use how much did we actually use and now what's my recommendation going to be with the thought of okay what's the long-term strategy right yeah so at what point do we start looking at

expenditures no I I definitely I definitely agree with that that increase rate is so high for the past two years I I definitely agree with your argument that it can make it it can it can mask how much your your government is growing right uh and that's what these conversations are for is to say okay well um uh you know department heads and town manager and select boards have you really looked at how much you're growing and how much the services are but you do need to take into account actual you know costs of things going up right so for example I'm not a big fan of the of your suggested um uh methodology of simply saying well what was the actual amount then let's raise that by 3 and 12% and the only reason not because I don't think that that's a reasonable not that I don't think that that's unreasonable I think that okay that that generally makes sense but it ignores some real new costs that haven't aren

aren't fully incorporated into this year's actuals that will have to be incorporated into next year's actuals that you can't multiply three and 3 and half% just to Simply arrive at it and the prime example is having one full-time staff member that had no retirement um employer portion retirement expenditures or or employer portion of health insurance expenditures being replaced with you know working for the town for nine months being replaced with two full-time employees that have health insurance expenditures right and so now the actuals only only show or only reflect months of that real increase in cost that you're definitely going to have next year or for the next 18 months that if you just take the actuals and you apply the 3% to uh 3 and a half% you're kind of understating or underestimating um what your 3% is but I understand the methodology which is why I'm not I I don't say it's unreasonable

I just say I think it it does need to be tweaked and needs needs to have a little bit of um you know specification to it which is basically what the department department heads and the and the town manager have done or attempted to do and then you know your job is you can either look at it as Neil has and says well you know I'm not a big fan of or or you I'm not a big fan of hiring an HR person right uh and so we just want to pick pick and choose individual things that are we're going to reduce I'm not a big fan of that from a long-term perspective of how the the budget should be presented if you you want to I mean you can if you want to reduce it you have to recognize you're reducing an entire department so yeah you can red you can go to the town's people and say the town recommends 1.4 million we recommend 1.2 million let the town vote on it um but you know the town manager and the department heads are going to deliver

the services that they think are necessary or needed um but yeah I mean the only way that you get to reducing that expenditure growth over time the actual expenditure growth over time is having disc right and having your department head to really look at it and then taking into real consideration my recommendations where I'm thinking about I have a goal of where the fund balance should be and how we slowly eat into that to get it down to where we need to be so that when we get it to where it needs to be you're not budgeting to use any fund balance really ever you know year after year you're really just budgeting for what your expenditures are and that's when the the unmasking if you will will of okay well what's the what's the real cost increase from one year to the next does that make yeah that makes sense so just to restate what was been stated to the select board we're not reducing anything we're increasing General

government by 6.4% and administration we use the administration's overspent actuals from last year to get there are there any other questions for Mark before we I turn this back to budget committee thank you MK thank you all right I'm sorry I thought it was time I just we're not reducing anything we're getting a 6.4%

there should be used in cases of this seems to be an exceptional case going to 18 months which we not constantly do it I also feel like as long as the fund balance is there they're going to keep adding stuff to it because it's sort of like my kids oh there's credit there mama can I have it mama can I have it mama can I have it cuz they focused on that credit balance being there and they add things like you said they don't ask first they just add it and and I feel that this is a time

though and we actually need it for the people for 18 months cuz they are going to be getting a 18 month bill that has to be paid in 12 months correct no no no no they going to get the town will be getting two bills we don't know exactly how it's going to be divvied up but the 18th month the

amount due for over 18 months will be collected in two payments other so I guess what I would just like to add to that is that I know the fund balance is there and I get what Jill's saying that if if we're pulling from the fund balance it does mask what we're what we're adding

addings all these next say even maybe five years while we're expending out the the fund balance to a acceptable amount we're still increasing year after year after year and by the time we get to that point we we've eaten all those additions

so that's the norm so so are we expending at the same rate that we're gaining in the in the in the fund balance I guess we're not gaining a fund balance diminishing fund balance right well okay I probably asked that wrong then I'm looking at the percent so are we even right now the amount of money that our town government is spending is more than the amount of money that the town is bringing in for

revenue and that deficit is a combination of using our fund balance and increasing the the town makes is never going to be equal to or greater than what the town is spending especially if we continue to increase by 10 to 15% every year

yep any further discussion seeing none we have a motion on the floor it's been seconded to uh raise se5 for the general government budget all those in favor please indicate some and all those opposed it is 7-2 passes now for the same reason the other one okay I'll make a note of that please all right all right the next article would

to the last year's article anyways includes the fire department budget and animal has recommended a total Public Safety budget of sure same 1, 55,000 $920 which would be 79 73 close to $74,000 annualized yes I would like to make a motion that we um except the select board's amount of 1, 55,940

it was 1 if I did my math correctly is what the town already approved last year by having the additional per DM shift so once you factor that in um if my numbers are correct Public Safety is only requesting a 5% increase in their budget which considering CPI and medical

cost I personally think is would like to add that uh a couple of things one is that there's has been or will will continue to be minimum wage increases and that's a big chunk of the the fire department's budget um and then the second thing is I think the town to the staff did took a look at it but in the uh in the news frequently is OSHA is dumped all these requirements on fire departments which are extremely expensive you have to get rid of equipment faster buy new stuff buy more expensive stuff and so over 18 months I think it's been pretty hard to to figure out what that all is going to be so I'm very supportive of of this

going to be to to look at the um part-time staff wages which was 458 850 so what I did was um he was missing three months of nighttime pums in his actuals last year which I estimated to be $10,000 a month I'm sorry to interrupt you but I have the number someplace it was 20 it was closer to

a month is $33,000 oh my apologies okay I was thinking totals go ahead so um so he he he was he was approved for the third the whole year only spent nine months of that money no he only got approval for 9 months he only ined his budget last year for the N months okay so so so the he was for this

year he need $30,000 I I assume $120,000 a year for nighttime prdm seemed like a lot to me so I added $30,000 to his actuals up with 262,000 I I used actually his budget last year which was 262 and I multiplied it times 1.1 so the tricky part there is minimum wage went up 2.5 % yeah well I gave a 10% increase over over last year okay so anyway I came up with um

43266 for a budget for that number which was a reduction of um 25,000 or something like that 26 184 which seemed reasonable to me in the potential increase in uh cost of living and it questions how much is it going to go up over 18 months versus a year and also there was a 10 10% last year increase in calls so to just raise salary 10% that covers calls doesn't necessarily cover uh the minimum wage or other wages for that matter so I'm not sure we want to start start cutting wages and Mark um I I would just

I would add to this discussion that your nighttime per deum um on an ambulance is probably going to be a little bit more than minimum wage um I can't verify that but I'm thinking if they're EMT they're probably going to make a little bit more um so you you would want to factor that in and then I would also argue that that's probably one of the more important services that our town offers um other than PL on the roads I don't personally see a lot of services from the town um so I I would argue that I I

think the chief is is pretty close on his budget here um if anything I I think we should keep it the way it is but I would almost argue it should probably be a little bit more because I don't know that he really budgeted enough for equipment for the same reasons that John state

calculation okay $120,000 a year for it's not that's not minimum wage just so you know probably lot of work has gone in by the staff on all of these and we're sitting here trying to predict 18 months and uh We've added the nighttime service which I think town is fully supportive of you know significantly reduced the the call times and everything else so you're going to have to pay good people if you want to keep DMT coming here instead of Auburn or here you know whatever uh it's

the pay for those folks I mean to run to the fire to me probably don't pay them enough minimum wage or anything hearing none seeing none uh it's been uh moved and seconded that the town raise 1, 55,940 for the total Public Safety

budget all those in favor one two three four all those opposed one two I abstain that's not coming out right no somebody's not so I not get someone's vote do the fours again those those in favor one two three one two three five those opposed one two no three okay so the it passes five

to three 53 with one okay moving on to Public Safety no Public Works I mean public sorry Public Works which according to last year's article we have not been given articles yet for this year which is why I'm referring to last year's articles the public safety article would include I mean Public Works article would include Public Works Solid Waste tags

and bulky waste day it is the select board's recommendation that the town raise 2, think that's accurate I think you're on the wrong hand out it's 2, 880,000 550 right what on their last Public Works I'm looking at the handout that I picked up today right here public works 2,

88,500 that's under the summary and yet under the Public Works page 14 I'm showing 2 Milli 102 public works department is a category within the Public Works category which is includes municipal buildings and solid was yeah to page 15 go to page I'm going by last year's article go to page

totals there's your total public works right there okay all right so the select board recommendation on second so as last year's article did not include M municipal buildings right in the article which is article number eight I'm not sure where it shows up right off hand municipal buildings and ground it showed up under article six which was Administration I think it's safe to assume they're changing it this year based on how they're presenting the budget to us the next have articles in advance like all right so once again the select board is recommend 2, 88,500 2 200 2, 880,000

550 for the total Public Works budget do I have a motion John I will make that motion that it we recommend approval for 2, 880,000 first and phis second bulky waste every other year it's a lot of money if we took 12,800 out of

that we get 20,000 for the bulky waste and we just do it every other year I know the argument is the mattresses this and that but one year we didn't have it and they kind of threw a fit but if we had the following year I seen it kind of went down but if we do it the waste the tonage sheet here somewhere but I think if we did it every other year I mean the people can take this stuff to Free Port I do and they can do it

um so I was thinking that would be one place that we could actually cut cuz I don't think it's quite fair that everybody has to pay this tax when there's not you know not even half the town uses it but every other year would clean it up and we can also put it towards the um

on the following year like not only have one taken out for 18 months and then you've got the other following year that if we had to do it in September October we could put it in the next budget John um I think it's heavily used and the year we didn't do it there were lots of stuff along the road at least along stackpole Road um and the other thing is not everybody uses all the things we have I mean uh I don't think we expect 100% participation on Bulky Trash day but I think the town bothing gets its money's worth on that that endeavor in the year we didn't do it I think there was great regret that we didn't do it and if you ask somebody to go to we weac or whatever it is or free report is a lot more expensive than their share of that

discussion i' be all four every other year you what I'm sorry I said i' be all four every other year it's not a service I use it every other year and I've got a bar that I can throw all kind I spent four years getting CRA out of my bar dumpster yeah yeah I looked into a dumpster at one time it's a whole lot more expensive than to driv to uh to public works so I think it is a so so I'm paying for you to empty your B really any other com what about the argument that you could put the other six months into the following budget in the following year I mean am I thinking something totally off there oh so You' be having a different time frame yeah so we don't have to take it out John to me we're just kicking that expense down the road and it's probably going to go up so thean spring times when people clean out their Barns and other things I have I have to admit that right now I'm a little concerned with what the

27 year budget's going to be with the conversation of possibly you know paying for composting or cassella there's a lot of ch B rate now in regards to what we're going to do with trash management that it might be a better argument for 2027 if we do see that there's an increase in waste management for other

lot to to have it again by the town's people that attended so I realize that's only .3% of the town that number anybody who listening to any other and seconded that the town raised 2 million $88,500 for the total Public Works

budget all those in favor all those opposed uh so six to three to Community really go by Community Services of last year's article because there are several things in last year's article arle which we know are not included this year all I'm seeing for community service currently is general assistance y that's all there is that's all there is yeah and

that's yeah go for it John wait for the chair yes sir uh Mr chairman I make a motion that we recommend approval of $1,000 uh for gener for I guess it's other community services is there a second second second I heard Alan first it's been moved and seconded that

we uh go along with the select board's recommendation of raising $1,000 for Community Services which right now includes only general assistance ,000 for general assistance discussion if I remember correctly it's mandated by the state so there not really a whole lot I think that we can

discuss was it mandated or they just raised the amount they mandated I think it's one in the same yeah I guess I missed the Mandate F I just heard that they had raised it so oh they raised it and I don't think we're allowed to declined in uh previous meeting I know that there was um I don't know if it was a request or desire that other another organization or two be added to this funding organizations had been part of community services previously does that person want to address that or is that a moot point we were told it's not going to be on the in the warrant so it is m point

discussion seeing none uh there's a motion on the floor it's been seconded to raise $11,000 to go along with the select board's recommendation $1,000 for Community Services all those in favor all those opposed that's a vote

other Financial uses we we have several capital reserve accounts that were voted on last year um there's nothing to vote on this year there's nothing so none of the capital reserve funds need our sir concern I have the budget committee voting on articles which we don't have any articles that have even been presented to select board correct which is like I said concerning and I don't understand why uh these are one of the things that we have always asked for when we have had these in the past we've asked for these things as articles Financial articles are being presented to the town's people and need to be presented to the the budget committee prior to that so we're just shooting from my hip at times here and I don't understand why it's happening I can answer that if that's a question for the select board it is to me if you is there a motion motion to have the select board select chair respond to that question motion seconded

all those in favor yeah it's pretty simple answer you all scheduled your meeting before we voted on the warrant language which I told you we're going to vote on tomorrow night's meeting so if you schedule a meeting before we vote on them you there's not available for you to vote on so if you were to have scheduled your meeting for Wednesday of this week you would have them like I indicated in the last meeting so if you're shooting yourself in the foot with scheduling a meeting before it's even made available you can't really be upset at us for nothing to Allan you've been a you're a 30-year member of the 30 plus maybe of the budget committee so in the past nothing has changed in my 20 five years four years we always had the Articles we had to have our budget recommendations to the select board before their final meeting right

so what how would you respond then to um the select board chair saying you're shooting yourself in the foot I guess well that me I believe that is asking is without having a vote from the total select board articles so we're voting on our articles tomorrow night and I don't want to speak on behalf of the board on what they may or may not vote for in here if I had to guess I don't think we would move from any of our recommendations Bas because we're based off of actual figures and not just percentages being added so these are this is the cost of doing business next year so I don't think we'll be changing it well I just want to that's that's not what I I guess I asked incorrectly I want to make sure that as a budget committee we're addressing articles that you're going to be presenting to the town and we're voting on those tomorrow night so that means the articles are are already printed and stated so you have

our budget tomorrow is when we vote on our articles so we you can take a look at our publicly Avail what I Joe is what are your articles we don't we are are there articles that are typed and printed that you're going to go through article one two Etc or you going to go by Department by department and and if you look at our agenda packet that's available on the website for our meeting tomorrow night which was made available last week it has that information in there and that's why at our last meeting joint meeting I said we would be voting on that on the the second our February 26 meeting and then they would be available for you all after someone on this committee made the suggestion that you might meet after that to vote on those warrant articles and then tonight you're saying you wanted to vote on them tonight so based off of the conversation we had I was under the impression there would be another meeting from this

committee after we vote on our Warren AR permission from the committee to address the town manager I make a motion second all those in favor Jerry am I incorrect in saying when we review the the the schedule because I believe we're using the same schedule as last year the schedule that was given to me was that we needed to vote you you gave me a deadline of when this committee needed to have its recommendations forwarded to the select board have I have I done something incorrectly with the dates was I supposed to wait till March as opposed to scheduling this meeting on tonight are you talking about the actual town meeting warrant article I think I'm being clear but I know sometimes I can confuse myself but I can be clear on this we have never shared that town meeting warrant article during this budget understood but you've given me dat been budget sheets you've given me dates that on this date the

select board would be making their recommendation and forwarding it to the budget committee on this date the select board needed the budget committee's final recommendations in order for them to make their final vote have I not followed that the calendar that you presented to me I haven't given you a calendar this year so you're saying you have not you have made no statement to me that said we need the budget committee's recommendations by by a certain date in order for the process to continue in order for you to have to get the select board's recommendations in order for this to go to the printer in time this year whether this year and last year I'll put them both together cuz we had this this year no you never gave me those dates no and I vocalized that last meeting we were voting on that this our at our February 26 meeting well it's so from that just means from this point on I I have to do everything in

writing that I can't I can't communicate to this group something that was said to me uh just uh uh person to person you go ahead are you suggesting that the select board's having a meeting tomorrow night and you really didn't give a damn about what was coming from the budget committee no at our last meeting I made very clear to you all that we would be setting our warrant language on the 26 of February and then it would be made available the chairman of your board then said well we might have to have another meeting after that totally fine you set your own meetings and if you want to know if we care about what you all are saying part of the reason we're in this situation is we adjusted our budget halfway through from your really positive feedback on revenues and things like that so we certainly care about what this board committee says but when we present a budget that is the cost of doing business based off of actual

expectations of cost if the bu if this committee comes in and says I want to cut that it's just not it's not the real cost of doing business and so we do care but if you're saying we want you to spend $100 on something that cost $120 we can't change that so we do care you

stated that um the articles that you will be voting on is in your agenda for tomorrow agenda packet correct do you mind coming over here and showing I because I don't see it in the agenda packet so do you mind coming over and clicking on it there's a budget but there's no articles there's no articles it's just a copy of this budget well not the warrant article language no that's not there I miss on the war language so could you please assist the budet articles are there the budget articles are there and I know you don't have a crystal ball but you're going to have some categories that you're creating more War articles on do you plan on creating warrant articles on capital reserve yes yeah I said that at this last meeting with this committee I said we were going to follow the same protocol for articles as last year okay now there we have moved municipal buildings into a their their department

so that's the slight change that you're seeing here okay but the intent is to do it the same as as last year okay and I know that people have been on the board for 20 30 years I haven't on in this position no one in the seat behind me has been in this position for 20 30 years I'm I'm sure there's been changes in that time timeline on how it's been presented so we're just going what we did last year when does this need to go to the printers um this needs to go to the printers I need to have everything ready by March 15th okay and Joe do you have another select board meeting we moved our meeting tomorrow and March 15th we moved our meeting to March 4th to give the printer ample time so we'll have a meeting tomorrow and then we'll have a meeting a week from tomorrow okay thank you and um last year there was there was an was there was an article 19 on the fund balance uh regarding the

fund balance use do do you anticipate that there will be a similar article this year I don't have that article in front of me so I'm not sure I have the will be yes yes so we would need to make a vote on that but but that's in your it's all in the bud budget yeah yeah and last year there was an article 18 to see if the town would vote to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in taxes will that be an article by itself yes okay because last year it states that we recommended approval and this this board did not make a vote on that last year so we got to pay attention I know I need to know whether we have to have vote on it this year so why don't we change up our discussion a little bit we've gotten information from them stating that we after their vote tomorrow there will be warrant articles so if the budget committee budget articles sorry point of clarification budget the warrant articles for the budget yes thank you

okay so there will be warrant articles created tomorrow so do we want to plan a meeting between tomorrow and March 4th and therefore we can be working on or voting on the budget warrant articles I would say yes I am notavailable after tonight does that make tonight's vote move not necessarily but it would allow

verify the additional votes I mean we know for sure that there's going to be a fund balance vote so if Jan's not available we could do a vote now and just resolidify our vote once we have the actual warrant articles um Mr chairman I'm not quite clear though what what are we going to know after tomorrow if there's not going to be an article three four five six that we're going to go right down the line and that's what we that's from what they told us we will have after tomorrow that's not what I'm hearing I'm hearing they're going going to hear what we've been hearing that by departments no they will have the budget warrant article after tomorrow's meeting but for the budget including the capital reserve and the finance yes should be everything that's in this packet which capital reserve so as a as a tomorrow night they will be assigning each of these Department budgets to an to an article

number to an article yes I'm she's correct okay I'm sorry Neil well I'm not I'm not sure how many articles we we get that we haven't already voted on article 18 that we we agree to that anyway I don't see why we wouldn't and Article 19 is uh the transfer use of fund balance we can vote on that yeah cuz actually because last year we um had we had recommended a different amount right I'm what about the reserve accounts that that's how this whole thing conversation started here I mean how was it last year but do we vote or do we not vote we will need to vote

John may I ask the question is the concern if you look at the articles in the book and we have the the dollar amounts and we're voting on those this evening so if the concern or the issue is for instance article six to see if the town this is last year to see if the town will vote to raise an appropriate 69,99 for General government that's what we don't know is that sentence right there right because we don't we haven't got so if we want to vote on that as a board and then add to it whatever we agree to this evening and if they're going to get it to if that's what we want to vote on those that those verbi that verbiage that we probably need to have another meeting to vote on that verbiage we as a budget committee we have a responsibility to respond to any article that has a financial impact I'm okay with it I just saying what I'm saying is I'm not looking at the dollar mount it whatever the verbes on these

articles and there is a financial amount associated with it we need to be voting on yes that's and I don't have that in front of me I agree so the question is if we want to vote on that which I the answer seems to be yes then we need to schedule another meeting I agree take after we get the the verbiage from the

select board so correct me if I'm wrong those that have have been doing this when we have gotten the warrant articles if if correctly we voted on budget amounts or we gave recommendations to the select board on budget amounts and then the warrant articles were generated to have the select board amount and the budget committee amount and that's what we voted on because it would be either the same or it' be different right so we can still utilize Jane this evening and go through Capital reserves go through fund balance she just won't be here for the final approval of Warrant

you're not here all week yes next week after tonight we're on a public thing I don't want to discuss you're not Avail you're just saying you're not what the hell whatever next Wednesday is there's three of us who will not be available for planning board we will be at the planning board March 5th well we have to have it done before the 4th so you're fine I'm good damn what's the availability of people on uh Wednesday of this week not available okay that's true Thursday I'm available Thursday anybody else available Thursday to yeah we lose we lose the room on Thursdays it doesn't need to be recorded SCH for this Thursday on the calendar there's no nothing for the fire department scheduled for the oh it's is it the off week for [Music] meetings well they fire the fire train fire training was moved up to last oh so if it's been moved then I don't think that this space might be available then this I don't know if someone wants to

check with the fighter Chief before house thday anybody what day this Thursday this Thursday 27 2 just going to say I don't know if there's any public notice required for this but if we don't close the meeting today we just continue it we don't have to worry about that so we don't have to worry about they're done that going to do that next week all right so we'll put that on pause till we know that this room would be available on the 27th do we want to goad so uh thank you gentlemen uh so we left off uh the the the discussion was whether or not we need to vote on capital reserve accounts and the answer was yes yes we just do we know do we have amounts that we know yes it's on page 19 page 19 I don't know townwide

they emailed to us second last page I don't have that only go up to page is oh are you sure know about and we only need to vote on whether there's transfers in or out correct off I turn off um the budget so my assumption is we only need to vote onlines if money is either transferred in or transferred out and we've already voted on the telecommunication Reserve we did that last week okay we voted no nothing no transfer well they're not they're showing no transfer anyways M there yeah when when would they have done that I don't know it's zero now uh just real quick point of information we just heard Thursday is not available for meetings here it's not okay but we don't need to have the meeting here can we just it has to well it has to be taped no I guess it doesn't doesn't it doesn't need our meetings don't need to be taped um do we know if eure is available why don't they why need to be take we're not a decision-making body

right what are you doing minutes we don't need minutes so now we need to know we you don't remember the taking a boat last week on Telecommunications there was a there was a we had a discussion about it but as the select board stated they had not received any votes from us yet so they don't believe they don't believe they've received any votes from us so we need V we we took a vote so the vote

[Music] was I could take a v 7 to two I you you made the motion I'm just saying that the the I don't believe the select board processed that because they stated when they were going over the budget that they hadn't received any recommendations from the budget committee and according to their hand out they're not doing anything with telecommunications Reserve so there is so when did if you don't mind when did that get changed cuz I haven't had a meeting since then so yeah we we watched your meeting what's your question mark yeah we watched your meeting because we were all here and we saw that you voted against that but you have no one sent us an official email or anything like that saying here's our position statement but we know where you stand on it um so I never said we didn't get your information why would it reflect it on the most recent budget sheets be because we haven't written the warrant language

articles yet and we haven't changed the um we haven't changed our recommendation even though we have heard your we're going to do votes this evening it has to be based on what is being presented to us by the select board and the select board is not presenting any transfer transfer they're not they're not recommending based on the budget they gave us they're not recommending any transfers out of the tel Communications reserve the vote that they the vote that they took in a in in an official select Bo meeting which was to transfer 30,000 or something what happened to that vote they they that was a vote it was an official vote I don't know we did not receive it so that's interesting because they're saying that they haven't received numbers from us and now we're saying well we didn't receive numbers from them but this is kind of a we voted to make the recommendation for the transfer and you all voted against

that recommendation we haven't changed our mind you haven't changed your mind and that's where it stands so that it's fine we can have difference of opinion on that transfer amount we're planning on asking the community for that transfer with and it will say budget committee recommends against it the select board recommends for the transfer and then we have our a live can I have a motion to recognize Mark our accountant please I move second all in favor thank you m I just want I think you guys are talking about a couple of different things your cross communication if I remember the if I remember the conversation from the budget committees last week or two weeks ago it was about uh transferring amounts for the baseball right the're yeah this is something different it's something different is it we asked to transfer from telecommunication into emergency Reserve to bring that balance up to $70,000 and that's

something oh I see that that has that has not been voted on I'm sorry I thought I'm sorry I I I was unaware about our crossed wires so we and looking at this is actually page 18 Mark has nothing to do with the 2026 budget does no 20 page 18 the last page that says fund balances those aren't any any V what your what the what the committee is voting on in I mean what the select board is voting on for the budget for transfers out is on the townwide page that says transfers up it's page those are transfers up now the select board may also be voting on something to transfer from the from the Telecommunications Reserve to another Reserve that has nothing to do with the with the budget that's just a just that has no effect on the dollar amounts are we're supposed to it doesn't have a fiscal amount it's just it's a transfer from one one Reserve account to a different Reserve account so it doesn't raise or

appropriate right there's no there's no dispersements of town funds it's simply a Rec but you're moving it so that you can use it for a different manner right and that's what we're asking for at the town meeting but it doesn't raise or appropriate it just transfers so the transfers that the in the budget are the the total transfers out there in the notes is a combination of three different transfers okay so why is the transfer into public works capital reserve requiring or listed here and requiring our vote but another transfer isn't because uh for the budget it's about what is being raised and appropriated from taxes right what is being raised and appropriated so uh in order to the transfers out to go to fire department reserve the Public Works Reserve reserve and the municipal buildings Reserve which those are the three capital project reserves that Capital plan uh uses those need to actually be raised in

taxes from people so that we can take it and put it into those reserves there are existing reserves right the the Telecommunications reserve the recreation reserve the emergency Reserve those have existing balances those have already been raised and appropriated to those reserves and now the the select board apparently is going to be voting on whether not there it's going to be a warn article to move an amount from the Telecommunications Reserve to some other Reserve right yeah so that is not money that is being raised in taxes that's existing money it's like moving it from one Savings bank account to another Savings bank account that's all it is with different T and that's correct so that's correct existing funds yes both of them have different reasons for use but that's what the towns people are proving and our discussion last time was about the the money building up in the telecommunication account and not being

utilized and the select board feeling like it would better serve if it was in a emergency Reserve I think that the confusion here is the word transfer out versus transfer from one account to the other right Mark remind us certain words have accounting me if we're going to vote on Capital reserves then that is Page 17 line 9985

recommending the transfer of $37,500 for the public works yeah reserve and $270,000 for fire department $115,000 to buildings $6,000 to Grants for a total of$ 598 chairman is uh last year excuse me last year we voted on fire Public Works Municipal Eureka anyway we vot on a bunch of them as separate articles right is it the intent of the select board to make make that one article at 595 or should we vote on whatever numbers left there goes for five we'll know in 28

me can we move it both ways yeah I mean I think perhaps there should be conversation if there if if people in our committee feel each amount should be a little different then we can break it down but if it if we don't and it's just the total amount then we can vote on that I can wait till tomorrow I don't think I can wait till tomorrow D

so I let's move and vote on them individually and then it can be combined as a whole it's only one article yes all right so we'll start with Public Works do I hear a motion you do I I move that we uh recommend approval of a trans uh transfer of transfer out of three $37,500

Work Work sorry the the numbers I'm reading off of are on page 17 of today seconded that the budget committee approved the select board's recommendation of transferring $37,500 to the public works Reserve account discussion okay I'm just discussion yes sir yeah we're not to throw a a ratchet in there we're talking about transferring out and we don't know this till tomorrow but uh or Thursday um but

the article sent to see if they will raise and appropriate that money rather than transfer you know transferred out so we can figure we can vote on the actual verbiage on Thursday if we're happy with the 237 500 screw things up I think that's what we have to worry about today is the Thursday we'll worry about the article because we'll have the right are we choosing between whether to raise this amount or to transfer this amount is that what waiting for when you say raise an appropriate then it means that we're utilizing the money we have and what money we don't have we raise

say raise and appropriate the $37,500 that we are voting to transfer to Public Works accounts are we raising that money or are we transferring that line we're doing a little bit of both the answer is yes yeah but but what the article said last year was rate vote to raise and appropriate the amount correct and then there's another article that says to see if the town will authorize the select board to appropriate uh from the general funds existing fund balance to reduce the amounts to be raised in articles 6 through 17 right so basically we say we want to raise and appropriate and then on Article 19 that you mentioned we say but take it out of the general fund okay so it's a little bit little bit of both so the language we need to use right now is to raise an appropriate correct all right so that's what the that's what the current motion is I believe that is what it is all right any further discussion yes I want

to know what are we buying I heard a friend and loader not buying anything we're not buying anything this is just transferring into the long-term capital correct which I would love to see the 10e rolling thing but you I get it to you should have been coming from there so I don't know what John just said excuse yes what we're raising an appropriating money for the for the reserve fund that's all we're doing so we're now transferring funds to spend the funds out of the reserve raise appropriate and transfer once once it's in is that right Mark once it's in their capital reserve fund then the select board has the ability to spend that money when the department head comes to them and says it's time to spend that money okay I totally get that okay so in one point in the budget we're spending money to buy whatever we need based coming out of the capital reserve which we've been putting into all along to try to make it an even

flow so it's not like oh my God we have to spend this much money um I get that I just think we should be aware of this 307 we're adding to the capital reserve in order to keep this 10year plan going I want to know what's on the 10-year plan and is it being updated every year because nobody seems to bring that out we because we know some of us know well I don't know I I'll inform you when over well I've been asking to be informed for the whole time sorry but Neil's got it but I I think you know we don't do the CIP anymore so I think the question is before us is do we want to raise and raise and whatever it is appropriate and then we'll get to another article that says we're going to take it out of reserves instead of rais it you know whatever right okay so I am not a budget Committee Member I am Jane rice that pain in the rear amp person at the town meeting okay I I want to know

where what is being what is being bought with my tax dollars okay we'll have that answer on Thursday oh my goodness can you bring it up on your computer right now Neil nothing's being B with it well I would just caution we have a program but it's not necessarily going to be spent yeah do you have it under yeah that's not the time do right now I don't think yes no well I think it's affecting so we have a 10e rolling plan from three

different departments yes I'm assuming yes nowadays okay that's fine so right now we are just trying to add to that okay so as a taxpayer I think it's my right to know why how we came up with that number our illustrious accountant came up with that number this is discussion not now this is a long time but how do we vote on that if we don't have that information we did it we do have the information we do have it exactly just vote against if you're un with the motion vote against it but I mean I want to be an educated voter but if you if you don't have the information you need to be confident in your vote then vote against it I know but that's kind of counterintuitive like you still have this all this is is recommendations you have a town meeting to make your final decision and if you want to influence other people's decision you'll do it at town meeting so this this is you know we often use the word dress

rehearsal this is this is a chance for a small group of us and anyone is watching on TV to gather information so that they go to the town meeting as an educated voter so you have between now and then to get whatever information you need if right now you are uncomfortable making the vote then vote against the motion is my recommendation not is my suggestion to you I just I find it very frustrating that I've asked for two meetings prior to have this information I don't know what the big deal is to have so stated you're you know you you're other your other course of venue would have been as a individual taxpayer to go and either

to the town office and request information or to ask for time with the select board um to get yourself on the on a meeting agenda to get that information and have a discussion with them I just find that that's going above and beyond on my part so stated and understood John I was just going to say I think it's time to move on yeah was there any other discussion regarding the motion on the on the floor I have one question for Mark Mark the wording in this in this from last year's warrant article to see if the town will vote raise and appropriate $180,000 for fire department capital reserve that is putting money in capital reserve M correct that's correct that's not there's no other there's no other article required to put money in the capital reserve fund no well there's going to be there's individual ones right one for the fire department capital reserve one for the municipal buildings capital reserve one for the

so that was misstated I believe there's only this when we vote for this we're putting money in the capital reserve fund that's correct correct I understand that but we should still understand the wording is correct but it's not to spend it this year it's just to ra appropriate any other discussion seeing none the motion it's been it's been motioned and seconded that the town rais an appropriate 300 $7,500 for the public works res capital reserve account all those in favor all opposed so 7 to

third okay sorry 63 miss one second please thank you um yes sir if we're ready I'll make a motion on fire department or Public Safety which is whatever what it is okay uh again off of page 17 of the whatever Mr chairman I

will make a motion that uh to see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate $270,000 for the fire department capital reserve is there a second John and that we raise an appropriate $270,000 for the fire department capital reserve any discussion do we have any information no it's the same thing same

future at least that creates Revenue I'm not against like not doing this it's just the lack of transparency just pisses me off big time okay any other discussion seeing none it's been moved and seconded that the town raised an appropriate $270,000 for the fire it's actually called fire rescue capital reserve all those in favor all those opposed and the fire department why are you were you oppos or in favor why are you oppos a 63 did you abstain no no I vote so six to three

and somebody want to make a motion regarding Municipal Building Jill Jill's died to make no I was just going to tease you and say you got to let somebody else do it once I'll sit here quiet do your hand was up yeah go for it John I was up first all right um Mr chairman I make a motion to see if the town will vote to raise an approximately 15,000 for the municipal buildings capital reserve and did you mean to say appropriate not approximately yeah just I will rephrase it to see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate $115,000 for the municipal buildings capital reserve thank you ma'am is there a second I'll second it has been moved and seconded that the town rais an appropriate $115,000 for the the municipal buildings capital reserve account

information right okay just want it noted seeing none uh it's been moved and seconded that the town raised an appropriate $155,000 for the municipal buildings capital reserve account all those in favor all those opposed one no this is getting closer 5 to four for

go I'll make a motion to see if the town will vote to raise an appropriate $6,000 for the grants Reserve account so that's different what's on the report here right I have 6,000 6,000 I got 3,152 I got 3152 I got 6,000 6000 wait

that's two4 on the latest on the latest sheet latest one it is 3,152 right Grant's M Reserve back up to again no cuz I don't have that number so I'll just withdraw my motion and somebody has the number in front of them cuz I don't have that paperwork Mr chairman I move that we raise $3,152 for Grants Reserve

seconded at the Town raise and appropriate $3,152 for the grants match capital reserve vote it's been moved and seconded that the town raised an appropriate $3,152 for the grants ma matching grants capital reserve all those in favor all those opposed 8

595,000 reserve accounts second who was the second John John okay that the town raise and appropriate a total amount of5 includes the Public Works capital reserve the fire and rescue capital reserve municipal buildings capital reserve and matching grants fund capital

reserve discussion been moved and seconded that the town rais in appropriate supposedly that we voted or at least it was said that we approved article 18 article 18 was I don't think we have a dollar mon this so I'm not sure how we're going to vote on it we do have a dollar amount we do okay uh to see the town will vote to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in

you ready for the number the hold on funding seconded that the budget committee recommends amounts authorized to be raised in now spending articles by 3, Municipal revenues this discussions F I'm all those in favor all is opposed one two three four five to four

passes how what I'm just curious why you don't want to use the money that we right now okay all right lash's Article the select board to appropriate up to and I believe this figure we know to be 740,000 from the general fund's existing fund balance to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in the spending

motion Mr there's going to be discussion before there's any motions uh I move we um authorized $740,000 use the fund balance that's coming from the fund balance all right so it's been moved and seconded ni that we authorize that that our recommendation is that the town authorizes the select board to appropriate up to $740,000 from the general fund's existing fund balance to reduce the amounts authorized to be raised in the spending articles discussion this chy beat are good goad

if we do that um does anybody know where the final figure is going to come out like the the mill rate or percentage or anything 2.9% be 2.9% yeah but what's the so you got to add 2.9% to the 21.75 is that what you're saying yes right it's going to the mill rate will be about

it may not matter at this point but have we voted on debt service and assessments and the school and County tax did we vote on that last time do we really have to cuz well yes I think I think we have to vote on debt service but not school and County School's not the budget school's not oh to

County school yeah all right that'll be article 10 I'll come back to that so we're still on on um the fund balance any further discussion on that um I'll ask one question any money that is not spent goes back on the fund balance correct correct okay it has been moved and seconded

that we recommend the town authorized select board to appropriate up to 740,000 from the general fund's existing fund balance to reduce the amounts authorized for ra spending taxes all those in favor all those opposed I'm

but oh well yeah are you yay nay or stain I'll oppose so 8 Service which was last year's article 10 and which was to see if the town will vote to raise an appropriate and then I'll need a number for Debt Service 8 38 eight where is it I will make a

motion trying to is gu it's in multiple places service and this was of a motion Mr chairman that uh we recommend approval for total debt service of 85,3 188 is there a second I second budget committee recommend the town vote raise and appropriate $85,100

discussion I think we should pay our bills a choice seeing none it's been moved and seconded that the town that the budget committee recommend the town rais an appropriate $85,100 whether or not the Eureka sener is available for Thursday it is I do not see anything on the town

need a motion to let's see to um continue John Mr chairman I make a motion that we continue this meeting till 6:30 p.m on Thursday the 27th okay the year of Our Lord 20 do I hear a second second so are we going to have hard copies of the results of the select board meeting yes that's what you said we'll have hot cop said we would or Joe said we would we would have warrant articles in our hands um motion to okay that's be approv

to motion to continue the meeting on Thursday February 27th 6:30 at the Eureka Community Center all those in favor all those opposed and now I need a motion to adjourn no a motion to continue motion to continue thank you [Music]

everyone what do you