TranscriptBudget Committee Meeting ~ February 2, 2023

[Music] good evening everyone uh it is 6 33 we are Tom's budget committee meeting for the second evening so we deliberate the 2023 Town budget um we'll go around the room and introduce ourselves my name is Milt Simon chair of the committee I've been on the budget committee for 24 years God bless you Jane rice Bowie Hill Road Heather Roy Hollowell Road Neil Berry stack Bowl Road John Talbot stackpole Road broad Stimson Emerson Road and for the record I live on the stackpole road as well all right so um on Tuesday nights this committee met and we voted on the administration budget and we voted on the fire department budget tonight um on tonight's menu is to uh just to

make a recommendation regarding the public works department and then all the remaining items uh before we do so Mr Town manager Jerry I see you have passed out some additional paperwork if you want to explain any of this um I can do it now or I can wait until we get up and okay yep we bring you back on okay um then uh because uh no commissioner with us this evening uh so if you'd like to join the meetings Calvin we'd love to have you have a discussion

peace give me back thank you yesterday gasoline line because it should be fuel line Mr chairman yes sir I have a question is it appropriate to make a motion I would like to make a motion that we accept the budget is presented Public Works and then obviously the discussion to follow would you rather not do that or um typically we let you know we let we go I it if the seven seconds of motion then it's going to happen so if you're making that motion typically we you know do some give and take with the department head so okay questions can be answered um or you know whatever but I can't stop the motion if you get a second I'll wait that's fine I mean maybe Russia's things that moves things along a little faster but at any point you or anybody wishes to interrupt or cease to or you know enter emotion you are every right to do so and if it's

seconded then it moves things along um just to let you know the select board has reviewed I'm already reviewed the Public Works uh budget and what has been proposed they felt the request was reasonable so they made no changes

Calvin yeah already yep I still have that thing I'll take it good thank you going I got it somewhere in jail foreign because we already have the guys there would be a matter of just going around so sorry I it has its own

tab it's not part of the public works so Animal Control assessing and Cemetery lives in its own category but it's been talk of it coming into the world public works so if it does I'm just curious as to how many cemeteries and what that what the costs coming before Harmony Excel because it looks like we have 14 15 cemeteries somewhere yeah the public

work is going to consume it we're gonna have to buy some more stuff because they don't have one push mower maybe a couple weed workers so they're going to have to at least buy one or two more of each because cemeteries are labor attention I'm not opposed to it I'm just saying I want to make sure that if that's what's going to happen with you it's not going to absorb something that really isn't funded properly for what we might have to do I don't know how many we've been mowing in the past I don't know if we've been mowing all 14 or I I I still have to go and identify I started looking for them before the snow haven't found them all but my understanding is a lot of them are our Woods they're mowed four times a year or weed whacked or mowed and so I would have to finish uh

locating the rest of them okay I mean I don't care which way we go but I just want to make sure that because it just seems like forty five hundred dollars is pretty cheap money uh us taking something like that on that's got a lot more cemeteries than what everybody seems to think and on the Masonic Lodge was the one on route nine and it takes it's an average of four guys sometimes more sometimes last because of the night of the day and it takes them roughly two and a half hours to do it so that's ten million dollars for one Cemetery once and we do it four times a year so that's 40 hours so you figure out the math of whatever you're paying the guys and their benefits I'm just not sure how this adds in I just want to make sure that if we take it there's enough there and a surprise yeah I don't have enough information to know that but I would assume if a contractor bid 4 500 that he

must have done the math and if they can do it for 45 minutes I would think we could I can't imagine that the contractor would lose money are Woods don't need to be mowed so do we have enough money in here to buy another couple mowers I just don't want to have it throughout we say oh no we're gonna have to buy some stuff because we don't have that because it sounds to me like you're going to have a at least a part-time guy I mean a lot of those older cemeteries the stones were put together in a way that they weren't meant to be mowed and you basically just weed whack it uh three or four times you can't get them or between the stones right so a more modern cemetery is you know you'd be able to get through with a walk a mower and writing more but so I I

can't answer that completely I think we thought well we'll try it for one year and see how it goes and if we don't think it's working out or beneficial or cost effective and we could switch gears that's all the information I have is that we would have to go out and try it at least or wait till next year until we can locate him well maybe this is a question for Jared since Jerry says you suggested that maybe the town crew take it over have you do you have anything no I don't I when I looked at the lineup

for 4500 to my mind am I that can't be a whole lot of work for 4 500 cat in the public works I have been 15 000. I never even wanted about five months right and so trying to be a little more efficient looking at the the budget I asked could they absorb it I asked Colin he wasn't sure and I'm like well let's try it I mean if they can absorb it I mean they they mow up here and take care of grounds I just thought it was worth worth a try to I know there's two on that list that of that private people do so that might ain't on the list so that would probably narrow it down but I I just didn't know if we were doing all the rest of them for that or not I mean that's a pretty good deal yeah I just don't think that we can do it for that but everybody else that's just my thoughts on it I just want to make sure that we ain't uh I mean you might only be talking a difference of five or six thousand dollars but I think that the

cost is really unless there's more than what I know or what we're thinking I appreciate you bringing that list you know I was under the stand there was a handful of them and you know there's a pretty good crew at Public Works so it was more of just the time to do it you know if they've got an extra half hour an hour to go bang out some a couple small cemeteries that just got a few stones in them maybe that's a good way to kill time to get up there and do it um it's a town swim to take it on and I mean I'm not I'm not opposed to it I just want to make sure that the money was there foreign

um some are small amounts some are a little bit larger just one clarifications it helps me make an educated decision um I'll just go down where I had some questions around when there's a lot uh item Department four zero zero six tree cutting um in our joint meeting you explained that the reason why you're budgeting four thousand dollars is that you have a project in mind for next year that you'll use all of this money I found something interesting when I was looking over the notes that uh you gave us this

year I happened to look at last year's notes and they're identical in both cases under that item 4006 tree work increase the verbiage is exactly the same I am adding fifteen hundred dollars for this year for more aggressive vegetation management plan so when it happens two years when it happens one year they take you at your work but it happens two years in a row I have to question it you said this you've now said the same thing two years in a row and you've doubled the budget and we have yet to see any money spent for tree cutting so it was supposed to be undone and I was assured it was going to get done and then contractor had some issues that came up and couldn't get to it so uh and in fact I'm going to work on getting that lined up to get it started as soon as we can so that would chew up all of that money it should have gotten done last year it was going to get done in December and we

thought for sure it was going to happen we had the flaggers lined up we were set to go and it didn't happen so is it double the amount of tree cutting you're playing this year than last year because last year you proposed you had you had a project in mind and added 1500 to the budget and now this year yes the verbiage is the same you're adding fifteen hundred dollars to the budget so is it three thousand dollars additional work than what was stated two years ago no no the other work didn't get done no the other work didn't get done so last year was budgeted do I want the budget then remain the same if because we already the budget had already been increased by fifteen hundred dollars to come up with the twenty five hundred dollars that was budgeted for 2022. let me see so let me get to the line here

uh where is it territory cutting what was the number again looking to get fifteen hundred dollars added to that for a total of four thousand dollars you you've worked it out that the amount of work that's going to get done this year will cost four thousand dollars

but just didn't get done so you shouldn't add because that makes me ask the question again last year the work that you were planning to get done was supposed to cost twenty five hundred dollars it didn't get done so you had the work that was supposed to have been done last year that's now being planned for this year last year's cost was twenty five hundred dollars and make sure you're saying it's gonna cost four thousand well it wasn't wouldn't it be it would have been we would have overspent that long because what happened is after the budget was done is we had an area that trees died and we we

can't ditch it without ripping out the stumps and the trees and they've got to go so so we're going to need four thousand to do the job four five one two I don't know if you set the price or Jerry did the research because the price has already changed we initially got um uh a budget that showed the request was going to be forty thousand dollars and then on January 27th we got a revised uh

proposal for fifty six thousand dollars um I have some questions about the amounts and the first one would be how did that amount get derived so I made a mistake when I was putting uh the budget together I was looking at a spreadsheet I was looking at the wrong spreadsheet that as I was working through last week I said something's not driving here with the numbers and realized that I was working off a spreadsheet I had put together late last summer was a projection of what I was going to need to finish the year and not what I used for total gallons so that was the wrong spreadsheet and um so I when I used the the accurate number of gallons I realized I was off by quite a substantial amount so was there a particular dollar amount you know for per gallon that you were basing this on uh yeah in your in in your summary to us you stated that um you gave us both gas price and Visa price uh you said fuel price you're

currently paying 267 for gasoline and 397 for diesel to be saying the your your prices off of that your projected pricing uh yeah that 397 is is not a good number it's more like 467s what I looked at today okay and and uh uh 271 for gas so that's four cents high

but so I just did a little just [Music] that great with figures but I just was fooling around and because I was if if I took the amount of four dollars per gallon which would be about which right now you're paying for diesel but it would be high for gasoline and I if I took thirty six thousand eight hundred dollars which was the actual for 2022. they took the 36 800 and I divided it by

four dollars a gallon it gave me it that you use 9 200 gallons if you do it backwards if let's say we guess that you use 9 200 gallons and paid four dollars a gallon which would be slightly higher than you actually did that would come out to the thirty six thousand eight hundred that is last year's actual if we let if let's say Prices rose an entire dollar so we've got you're going to be paying five dollars a gallon and we use that 9 200 gallon figure the total will come up to 46 000. or or ten thousand dollars less than what's being asked for let's say the price Rose two dollars a gallon that means we know the flex is going to fluctuate I really don't think we're gonna see a two dollar gallon increase but we could so if you take so now we were up to six dollars a gallon times ninety two thousand ninety two hundred gallons that would be fifty five thousand two hundred dollars and be very close to the actual

I just I guess I have a I I I'm not comfortable with it because I as much as gas is fluctuating I don't see it settling and staying at an increase of two dollars per gallon and again this is all based on the high set of the diesel price we know that the gasoline price will be somewhat lower than that well then I can explain okay the actual number of gallons is 12 000 gallons of diesel and 1750 gallons of gasoline using today's price what happened last year was I had a contract through GP Cog that was giving us the fuel very very cheap um until April and then that lasted us once we stopped buying once our contract ran out and then we we uh ran into almost June before we had to buy uh before we had to refill a lot of the tanks and that's when we started paying an astronomical amount of money so we had very low um prices for the first half of the year and then that was offset by high prices the second half of the year but the

actual numbers uh are 12 000 of diesel at today's current price of 436 per gallon and uh 1750 gallons of gasoline at 271 per gallon those are both the latest bills that just paid uh brings me to 57 116 dollars uh uh I'm just going to go with 56. uh I think my numbers I had were low was when I came up with this number 56 the first time and that's not building in any cushion so I almost guarantee it we're going to go over on this line but and you'll have another truck yeah what do you have for the for the proposed budget proposed is 56 000. I

have 40 000. oh well that's why I'm gonna give you this you guys we're giving everybody on that sheet so 56 000 yep and that's when I realized last week that I made a mistake and I know that the uh it was after the selectman looked at it but something wasn't adding up I'd like to know we've already spent way more than this isn't going to last me a year so that's when I realized I used the wrong spreadsheet and I had to go back and get the right number of gallons so Jerry do you go over this with Calvin or does Calvin just do this on his own and present to you and you forwarded to us he takes care of his own project

and then when there are changes he comes and sees me and says babysitter okay I mean you look at the Historical you look at I mean it's just fuel obviously everyone knows the cost per gallon is just skyrocketed so I mean those are those are fixed costs that I have no control over I understand I I um the thought that back in my eyes just you might have over um you know yeah it's a crap shot no it's going to be right on if we're not just a little over budget we're going to go try to keep it at 56 and use some bus idling time and try to keep our dump sites closer we're working I did that actually last year I knocked on a lot of doors to find dump sites that were right where we were working so I didn't have to transport that was one way I actually uh cut fuel costs and to even get through I think that that's something that you could uh like I mean I did right you we tons of

that that was available in town I think there are more residents that would gladly you know do that to help save not only save you from having to do that but also save them the cost of having to pay for Phil so if there's a way when that's available to people to get that out like on the website that's what we did we put it out last year on the Facebook page and the News blast and we got quite a few calls yeah between that knocking on doors being like hey you got a big hole licking yeah no it was great it was great I thought that was a win-win for everybody so did the select board approve the budget at 56 000 or 40 000 uh at the 40. so they're gonna have to come back and revisit this after you guys go over well actually they they approved the bottom line yep but his bottom line when they went it was about 40 instead of the 56. I said yes too fast yeah so they approved it at the lower number so

they'll have it'll have to go back to the board after well that I believe they were looking at the same with the revised sheet because it was given to me at that meeting No I gave 127 revision was given to me at the meeting that the select board this is 127. no

after the selection the plain and simple end of story it was handed to me the night that I came from me okay yeah that's just just not the right date but anyway it was after that okay the Swagman approved 16 000 less than what's now on there which is I guess your price increase yeah well it was me using the wrong spreadsheets what it was I'm sorry it's an error on my part so I just want to check if there's another error under um uniform and clothing um what was proposed was two thousand dollars at our joint meeting yeah that you had told us at that you were keeping that flat and there's even a note on our notes that you're going to change the spreadsheet I'm still showing two thousand dollars apparently I just noticed that again uh so we take the 200 off that and make it 18 and take that off for sixteen thousand I need for the fuel yeah that was that that that's on me I should have uh made

that change at the same time yeah um and I think my last question it's not in your uh summary report um you may have talked to us about it at the Joint meeting um I know that uh last year proposed the budgets to it last year you requested Seventeen hundred dollars and the budget committee recommended that it be reduced to fifteen hundred um now you're at and you spent a thousand forty four um you're requesting 1500 again um we've never spent that we never needed to spend that much money for janitorial wages why the request for 1500 well there was a lot of uh a lot of time off for personal medical reasons uh personal reasons that uh um a person wasn't there and I'm assuming we have a you know we have a new cleaning person but I'm going to assume that even if it was the same cleaning person that they would have less this year and I I can't assume that they're still going to have the same issues again so we have a new person

that's taken over and I'm just going to say if they were there every week that's what it would cost so that makes sense anybody else I'm done I had a couple of questions um to go back to the tree cutting line I'm I'm wondering if public works so I

know when we had talked about um Eureka before there were trees that needed to be cut down in order for the sight line to be able to run a signal or you know that's not the other thing is that type of tree cutting included in this tree cutting line that would just fall somewhere else okay does Public Works do it or is that contract we wouldn't we would do it if we needed to yeah okay um and then I had asked about the insurance line the 25 our previous meeting and I think Jerry you had said that that was our Casualty Insurance um and so we budgeted you know 91 and then

the actual was 78 and then this year we're budgeting 95. um employees why why are those numbers so different where does why why is there such a discrepancy there you called and got an estimate from the insurance company and you know I don't know I don't even trust the numbers that were in this stuff before I even got here so I I we just call it a name

um budget so oh never mind it's not this budget as capital I'm ready to make a motion I have one quick question I I didn't analyze this too closely you you were over budgeted by 90 grand that number is actually not accurate now all because of the because we just that didn't that's supposed to Auto populate and or it's supposed to be formulated and that it doesn't work didn't work so that's true if you click on that that on it expected number that number click on it what do you get up here for I can do them I can do that on this I know how to do that so hopefully but that whole that whole row should has to um should be 76 now

[Music] I have 90 000. so in in the proposed column down below where it totals click in that and see if uh what comes up in the formula A5 it's the case it's oh j4 yeah j4 is we took 16 we added 16 too and then that number didn't change I noticed that and I took Jerry today said hey you know that number didn't change so well this is versus last year this is last year's budget versus expended I thought you were looking at the unexpended I am yeah I know so it's not it I did it on the it's 90 if that number's right that number's right yeah well but it's the same number we had in there before that didn't change because that's your next oh oh oh oh oh okay this is what was budget 22 and you did not spend 90 000 right so

some of that was the roads I guess I admit yeah Public Works in the decades past has always been over budgeted and it went to Capital and I think everyone's kind of worked to try and squeeze you a little bit on your budgeting but now it seems to be back up to a fairly High Surplus if you will and that would not have happened I had uh that was due to the current labor market and issues that were beyond our control again that that should have been done but there were projects that the contractor couldn't get to yeah had they gotten to we would have that would have been more like forty thousand okay I'm just making an observation that you know and no that's you know it's never going to be zero because I I wouldn't be doing a very good job if I came out of jail that would either mean I'm not doing well a good job up front or I'm trying to overspend at the end

my motion is that we approve or whatever the correct term is the Public Works budget at 1.338 nine two zero one million three hundred thirty eight thousand nine hundred and twenty dollars you haven't taken the two hundred I don't think that's to be honest with you I don't think 200 bucks is not worth making changes is there a second

seconded by Rod that the town raises and appropriates 1 million three hundred and thirty eight thousand nine hundred and twenty dollars for the public works operations budget discussion simply based on history um and and again I think Calvin does a great job

the Numbers just try to do my job representing the town I'm just trying to raise the same questions that are going to be raised at on the floor if people do their homework if we go back just three years the the 220 budget versus the 2020 actual we

were under spent by twenty nine thousand five hundred and two dollars you all have these figures under the custom budget report in 2021 the difference between what was budgeted and what was actual was 48 362 dollars this past year what was budgeted and what was actual was a difference on paper it says ninety thousand and fifty Seven dollars I would like to be influenced by Calvin's and and that maybe was closer to 40. and so I'll use that so over the past three years we've under spent twenty nine thousand five hundred and two dollars then forty eight thousand three hundred and sixty two dollars and then forty thousand and change with that in mind I would vote against the budget and um would make do a follow-up motion reducing all right the the the present

budget somewhat of a reduction just based on history I guess my response to that is that is you're talking about one percent a year why math is correct that that he's missing the budget by which which I don't and I like the fact it's under yeah I I don't know that we can get down to zero so I mean a one percent Miss is on a one point two last year 1.3 this year I could not stand up in front of the Town residence and say it's just a 90 000

um and and and and and and feel that I would get reelected to my position again you saw one percent it's closer to ten percent year there again that was that was unique but I'm saying it had the paving crew been able to pull through and do what they were supposed to do we would have been at the 40 again which the average would be about 35 37 000. and and so that and and so I'm recognizing that I'm not I'm not holding you against a 90 000. I'm just forty thousand is more realistic but it also fits the trend right but I'm never going to spend every penny I wouldn't dare to wouldn't it as I get closer I start throttling and I'm reading I'm reading the amounts and I've never I'm never going to go over budget so if that means I'm going to start cutting back so there's always going to be money left on the table which the taxpayers always get back it goes right back to the taxpayers I no argument on that I'm just if we if

there's a if there was a chance of reducing it somewhat I you know as far as remember what we do if if we present a different figure to the town that if it's different from the select board then we're simply giving the town an option they get to choose which they can choose anyways I mean something from the floor could you know and to to could uh make you know motion their own amount yeah I mean I just think that if he's managing to within four percent of his budget that's actually pretty damn good so I hear what you're saying bill but I mean I think it's that's still pretty good management of the budget and I guess I'd have to disagree with it I think that I think that well not you sorry

do that for them so they don't have to uh do that themselves at the Town floor or they wouldn't need a budget committee so that's just I think one way of looking at it so I know that people have an opinion of me but I do look at my role of not I'm not here with an agenda if you cut I don't represent my personal views I try to represent the views of what of some people who live in our town I can tell you that uh I have cut this Jerry drove a hard bargain he wanted it he wanted it flat and I did as best as I could I thought Jerry didn't have any part of this well well he had a part of saying bring me flat numbers and so I tried I tried and I just this is this is the best I could do with no meat left on the boat

first so I this this conversation is interesting to me my point of reference when we do this is only last year and this year and last year we did the opposite of this um for Calvin the select board gave him a number and didn't help try to figure out how to arrive at that number and I remember that we complimented Calvin and and actually um voted to approve the higher number because we felt like he was always the one who was just getting the carpet pulled out from underneath him so to speak because he has the biggest budget that's where they could cut the most amount of dollars off to be able to stay under the levy limit which is always what the goal has been since that whole Fiasco happened um and so I I find it interesting that you know now we're talking about going the opposite way

um you know and and I agree with what you're saying you know and I think that that's why we're here I also really really appreciate the fact that there is that money you didn't just spend the money because you had it and that you are putting the governor on you know closer to running out than than overspending I I do appreciate that that doesn't mean that I necessarily want to you know had or inflate or any or you know anything like that but you know I I definitely appreciate that there is money there that didn't get spent and and just to start out the labor for example um if we had a bad bad winter I mean that could be chewed up in in I mean I could be over fifty thousand dollars on that line like that if so if if I mean with significant plowing and we've had Winters in the past that has done that where we've worked 105 hours a week and so I look at that increase of 88 Grand

um it's a lot of it is sort of wages it's got fixed equipment and uh 25 Grand and Paving and the gasoline some of it's kind of out of his control is kind of how I'm looking at most of that 88 Grand increase so the fixed cost I have no like the salt it's 20 000 bucks they just said this is what it's going to cost you more and and uh

and those are uh those are significant increases I mean the fuel alone is 55 higher than it was and the uh salt is 21.85 higher so most of that is just you know it's beyond my control the fixed cost that I I just have to respond to [Music] Mark um I I said something about this at the time meeting last year because I remember there was some debate on because of the fuel and stuff and I said last year I said you know everybody thinks the fuel is going to stabilize it it's already started going up well just because it went down for a month or so before Christmas doesn't mean it's going to stay down and guess what it's going back up in my little world of diesel and K1 that I've been buying recently I'm paying two dollars more a gallon and I was a month and a half ago and I didn't like it but I had to have it um I don't like I always like to keep the tax base down especially because we got a lot of older people in town but

I uh I think I think fuel prices are going to go outside again and unfortunately anything that has dual fuel up top labor Trucking anything to do with fuel it's coming a lot so [Music] I like the cut but I I feel more comfortable not just like that thing we talked to you earlier we don't even know if that's going to be in here yet or not so right because the numbers I put on that fuel are today's prices if they go up again they've already gone up I've seen them go up 20 cents the last week and a half

fully staffed currently at public works okay Joe will let you go ahead it's we're in the discussion pot of emotion but you're welcome now to ask any questions I'm still absorbing I apologize for being late but I was emotional thought to um accept the budget as proposed I voice my opinion based on history and think thinking that it could be cut a bit I haven't I haven't stated how much the cut is and I voiced my opinion that to come within three percent four percent of a budget in any given year is pretty pretty darn good so this is seven yeah but I'm usually and I gave you the reason for that this year usually I'm about one percent so so normally this is you know there's like 30 to 40 left on the table at the end of the year and this is because the painting didn't get right that was supposed to get done right because they had maintenance issues right yeah the machines broken they couldn't get the laborers they

couldn't get the I was 20 years did you have anything on you had you know pre pre you thought of that you wanted to ask to help you make that decision not with Calvin's budget no okay any other discussion seeing none uh there's um the mode uh it's been motioned and seconded that the town raised and appropriate 1 million three hundred and thirty eight thousand nine hundred and twenty dollars towards the Public Works Administration operation budget all those in favor all those opposed it's a vote one two three four five six to one okay

another one us we'll move back to we do this Capital yes oh we gave your capital thank you thank you all right [Music] um in no particular order the town appropriates and transfers fifty thousand dollars from the public works Capital reserves fund for stream Crossing slash Culvert replacements

foreign have been ranked number one uh yes because of the fund sharing [Music] price went up you didn't do it last year because the Corps of Engineers and others told you you had to spend more money and change the whole permitting process and design process

yes how time around well these are Engineers estimated numbers based on the new design and I mean I the reason it was so far up last time was because Army court changed the permitting process which the design criteria which significantly changed the price it turned them into just about bridges one of them it did turn into a bridge so um that's what happened this time we've designed it according to the new criteria and it's been permitted approved by the Army Corps of Engineers so now we have a for accurate group number so the the first time it was designed based on the criteria at the time right and then between the time it was designed in our town meeting they changed their criteria how frequently do they change their criteria don't see that happening what they did was they reclassified the streams both of them is it critical habitat for Atlantic salmon

I I put jelly or Heavens in a salmon over on run around over on uh on a quick meeting house or Swamp Road but it's to be in that criteria it just has to be sometimes it's not that they're there but it's water that contributes to critical habitat I've seen streams up on the side of a mountain that were critical salmon habitat and you would look at that and say but it goes into a stream that is critical salmon habitat so so this the re we went from a closed

bottom Culvert to an open bottom Culvert no no originally they were open oh they were yeah but they want it much bigger and much wider and much they want all kinds of 20 extra volume for we had to survey the stream bed Downstream a thousand feet Upstream a thousand feet and bring it up and balance those two together because they were too deep before so that's everything that was that took a lot of time and energy and effort so that's been done

estimates tend to be on the high side not a lot but right now they're all just going we would have never dreamed if you would have told us three years ago uh we would have said no way uh but they're as shocked as we are I think what's happening in the labor market and so [Music] another question just um so the budget is three hundred thousand to get the project done yep so we're transferring the hundred and one thousand or using the hundred and one thousand that was raised last year and then we're getting a hundred and fifty thousand grants in the grants and

then the forty nine thousand but they're making it fifty thousand right should we have yeah we have the 101 plus the 50 and then the 150 for the dep would be 300 right now and I well I hope it comes in at 250. you're never that's a budget number right and if the funding if if the invoice comes in at 250 the unspent money goes back into Capital public works out never comes out of capital so it would just be it would be in the capital reserves though we're in the balance okay okay all right to 150 000 great that's a fixed that's not a relational non-matching it's not a matching right foreign

transfer fifty thousand dollars from Public Works Capital funds for the stream Crossing storm water project a second okay it's been moved by Jill and seconded by Neil that um that the town appropriates and transfers fifty thousand dollars from the public works Capital reserves fund for stream Crossing and Culvert Replacements all those in favor can we discuss oh I'm sorry um so one of the one of the things that I had a question about was

when I'm looking at the balance in the public works Capital fund and I'm looking at the projects that we have on this list now I'm second guessing my oh no yeah capital reserve so there's 50 000 that's going to get transferred out of capital reserve and then there's another Public

Works capital expenditure for 105 but that is slated to come out of arpa and then there's no no oh the one ton truck is not arpa federal funds and properties I'm sorry I guess it was one of them oh okay originally I had the stream Crossing an opera and was told that that can't happen because it can't have a grant attached to it so okay I'm sorry you're right okay okay so and then there's a hundred where proposing to raise a hundred thousand dollars to put into um capital reserve and when I filtered all of that out I show the capital Reserve balance at zero if we don't put

that hundred thousand dollars in and so that makes me nervous I I feel like we need some clarity around that because if um we don't approve the hundred thousand dollars to go into the capital reserve account we're at zero what's that got to do with this

thousand dollars out of it know if that's accurate if if what I'm stating is true that's that's been a very fluid situation I mean until Jerry just met with the auditor we haven't really known what the balances are and they're pretty close though with the sheet that you got okay

was saying was that a sheet that got handed out last at the last week okay because I when I had asked if we knew the balance is in the account and someone said we have it but I didn't have it and so I didn't know if I missed it or 218.

if this is right yeah I definitely I want to do this I do want to do this I just don't want I just want to make sure that we're all really accurate you know about um was it that I oh maybe it was before they were going to use the arpa money for the truck okay if all of that was coming out that was gonna get us okay okay so if we're gonna use arpa for the truck then we'll be not starting okay yeah okay thank you the other sorry discussion

that the town appropriates and transfer is 50 000 from the public works capital reserve fund the stream Crossing and Culvert Replacements all those in favor and iTunes [Music] okay moving on to this is uh the select board has recommended that

the town appropriates 105 000 from the American Rescue plan known as the Opera funds which were received by the town from the federal government for the following project uh the purchase of a one-ton plow truck for Public Works

little confused this is not your truck that you're driving right we're not trading it in we're going to run the 2008 truck into the ground we're going to run it to exhaust we're going to run it until it's done whatever it just keeps there but is it a replacement of the 2008 truck when the 2008 truck is done are you going to ask for that was what the CIP committee wanted me to make clear is that it's not going on a replacement schedule I'm just going to run it to exhaust so this is the replacement truck we just keep it a little bit longer okay all right we got that on video you know I know [Laughter] not adding it

anybody welcome a motion are we not are we keeping the 2008 versus it's not at a it it's in a situation where we don't want to try to trade it in or sell it outright or anything like that because it's already beyond that there's really no value maybe a few thousand bucks but it has more value for us to keep it okay since it's a good welded frame you're not going to trade it in for much if they put it on the left okay where does the price come from the 105. the dealership quote

okay oh you're gonna ask about leasing I always ask about Lisa to be made to it like we can't we talked about leasing potentially the fire department but he's got to put lights and all that jazz on there whenever you buy just a chassis then you have to buy you have to have it outfitted for the special bodies and Sanders and the plow gear and so I don't know if that can be at least I don't know if they can add that in there well I know you can at least like plow trucks so that's but that's all so the cost of the truck usually is about half the cost of the the whole package so I don't know if the leasing company's going to want to go and pay the company to outfit it well I guess that's my concern I mean but in this case they offered me 85 000 for my Mall Terrain to trade it in so I guess I'm I'm a little surprised that you're able to get a plow truck even though it's a small plow truck that you're able to get a

plow truck for 105 000. so what am I missing it's just a plow truck it's not it's not a luxury vehicle by any means it's just a utility work truck just so it comes with all the equipment you need we're not getting a request to

about 105 yeah but that's not really a plow truck I think of what you're thinking of right the plow truck that plows the roads no I know it's like a miniature just a small it's a small dog it's like a small right one ton dump trucks

everything already on it for 105 000 with a plow yeah yeah okay all right Mr chairman yes sir I move that the we vote to appropriate 105 000 from the Opera funds received by the town from the generous people in Washington

all right it has been moved and seconded that the town appropriates 105 000 from the Opera funds received by our town from the federal government for the purchase of a one-ton plow truck for Public Works is there any further discussion

been moved and seconded that the town appropriates 105 000 from the Opera funds received by our town from the federal government on the purchase of a one-ton plow truck full of Public Works all those in favor all those hoes

here because um let's just replenish the reason you want to witness it we're not buying anything with it it's just yeah just to maintaining the balance in the funds so the select board has recommended that the town raised and appropriate a hundred thousand dollars for Public Works reserve and the we're requesting our recommendation so we had 218 we took out 50 and now

we're going to add 100. is that it did I miss other monies coming out of that so far it's around 268 when we're done so I have a comment Mr chairman yes John has some perspective on this too but um unless we take some money from the undesignated fund to do it um so that's my take so my understanding is we're not saying any money's going any which way it doesn't I assume we're going to vote I guess that's a question Joe I assume we're going to vote on how much money gets moved from the undesignated fund that'll be a warrant article so we can make a recommendation on that we love it and uh so that would be my recommendation if they want the whole hundred thousand I guess that whole undesignated fund Reserve level needs to be discussed a little bit maybe but I think you kind of have a policy on that we've done at the moment would you like to reverse the order and talk about your recommendation that we talk about

the funding for the end designated fund before we address Public Works Reserve yeah I think it'd be good to have an understanding that we're all on the same page about what that money is and how much it should be and how much it is right now it's it's a little unclear I guess yeah we should probably wait on that until I get up there because to pay for Calvin's uptick in his gas

all of that well that's I saw you I saw the paperwork which one reason why I think I don't want 100 grand for Public Works Capital because Solid Waste is up 50 Grand yeah so the recommendation is going to be a law that I'll make to you is use undesignated funds to take care of those two items so instead of 200 in

front of me 261 I could talk amount it's not for a specific thing so if Calvin doesn't want to sit through us trying to hash out the undesignated I think it's fine for him to not have to do that that's just my opinion yeah so unless you have a particular Quest we're gonna put hold on oh off on that one you're free to go we're gonna show all the Chuck he just work that's all plugged in thank you Calvin thank you

on Tuesday we had finished the administration budget and we're going to finish all the other articles but I'm noticing that I'm Jerry passed out revised Administration and I don't know what we do do we since we've already taken a vote on it

clarify some stuff that we talked about on Tuesday maybe you can go to new admin budgets yeah yeah it says uh two two seven about two you know two two twenty two we did something yeah [Music] that was hidden that was everything I mean I spend a lot of time

you happy Joe yes I do so I just want to um tonight and it was with this and and basically the difference is that there was an oversight in the codes enforcement line and I do give him those degrees that's really all it is

officer no that wasn't oversight I didn't give him his I didn't add his fight [Music] and 18. when was he hired and was it may was it March May [Music] salary his salary was budgeted last year at 46 592. no no it was an awesome thing

it wasn't him and that's what makes it that's what throws everything were you able to get the basics yet you you have that there too which is shows this should be another sheet foreign in the personnel which is 12. so this is what this is the fixed 20 2022 is the fixed rate going into 23. yes thank you okay so that's kind of what that looks like all right um but let's before we get into that I just kind of want to like clear some air on because I think there was some confusion between what you've been hearing about you know the article versus the the lines and charging um invoices to different lines because you can I I think that was what was we were talking about last time right

you can't you can't charge any invoice to any line like so if you have an electricity you you just but you can go over in your electricity line correct you can go over in your training line you just can't pay your electricity line to the training line right or to to that sort of thing so when you're over in one line you hope that you're under in another line so it washes out and you don't go over your article number okay so that is your your philosophy oh absolutely you that's that's why you have lines I mean if you could apply any invoice to any line you wanted what's the point of having the lines right think of it that way but again we want to talking about accounting procedures my question to you was if you do find that you have underspent a line do you then feel you can overspend another line because the bottom lines wash out no because you're getting the invoices and you're just charging them

to the invoices if if you have a training line and there's no training you don't hit the training line because you didn't send anyone to training so all of the lines you get paid towards whatever it is you can't but that's not right I don't think we're on the same page um

it this way you have half a million dollars to spend on the town administrative budget and somebody quits in October and you foreseeing for the last quarter it looks like you're gonna have twenty five thousand dollars unspent in what line in

the in that 500 000. you're gonna have twenty five thousand unspent in the article line or in whatever line in your budget do you then feel when you are for lack of a better term shopping for a new employee that you have twenty five thousand dollar buffer where you can offer them more than what the last employee was making not necessarily it depends on the employee it depends on what their experience is oh you've got the creme de La Creme employee with all the experience in the world no kids no family no distractions they can be here 24 7 365 days a year and they clean the toilet too yeah so I can offer them what we can afford to pay them and if they don't like what we're affording they can turn down the job but if if the last employee was making thirty thousand in your bottom line budget appears it's going to be underspent by 25 000 do you feel you can offer them up to fifty five thousand well no because I want to know

what I have in that labor line to be able to pay them I can't pay the label line with something if I don't have it left well you can overspend the labor line well you inherited that because they overspent the label line to pay you yeah well that was my negotiating skills well it might be yeah that's what we're trying to determine right is that like if you like Calvin knew he wasn't getting the paving done he knew he was going to have that money left over in the budget he could have gone and spent it on something else or giving everybody in the department a raise or whatever because as long as he's not over the bottom number right so he knew he wasn't spending that money on Paving but he didn't go spend it somewhere else he left it there unspent to go back into undesignated so what we're trying to figure out is where you stand on that practice because we're in a situation now where and I understand the labor

market went crazy right and we all can see through this process that you have a lot more experience in this role than the person who sat here before you right we're not disputing the reasons why but we want to know going forward where you stand and how you're going to operate in that because part of the reason why the administrative budget is so much higher of a percentage is because of you your

salary code enforcement salary and another one and so we're we're trying to to look at it in terms of a year to year like how Jane asked I don't remember who you asked oh the chief that if he what this thing that he was doing was it gonna incur a yearly fee with it we're trying to figure out if we're going to incur an additional yearly fee for these

things the way that we have based on what happened last year does that make sense sort of so we have an addition we were you are an additional expense that we weren't expecting this year okay because the select board decided to pay you more than was budgeted okay so it's just we there's a budget committee or me what we're not expecting that in the budget for this year right but it's there now it's because they didn't overspend the administrative budget but there's now another 10 or 15 or 20 grand there for you so that there was money in the budget wasn't in the line wasn't in the line was it just at the total grand total you know what it is so that's right so that's what they did to be able to get me what it's not just you it's something the question I think some of us I have is is it legal to spend a lot more than what the line says you can spend and it is as near as I can tell there's my

research as you can step whatever you want you can pay anybody whatever you want might not have a job next year yeah but you could pay anybody what you want to pay them just like the slipboard can pay anything they want to pay you Mark I I think and and it has been that

is right I mean and and I know we've talked about this in the in the years past it really didn't matter what happened up here as long as it was okay down here right but what I think I'm hearing you say is that's not really how it should be and that's not what you want to do so if if your label line goes over for whatever the reason your label line is going to go it's going to come out of somewhere but it's not going to come out of the telephone line because you can't take it out there it's not going to come out of the shovel in line because it can but it's got to come out of a line somewhere and in your case what we did the other night we took away that line that probably is where you always talking it from if you had to the contingency no I just thought that you were thinking that like if if the electricity line was already at a hundred percent in October and we still had a thousand left that you don't put it towards the

electricity line you put it towards another line I see what he's saying you can't do that no we understand that okay so that's what I thought you were I thought that's where we where you you if you shouldn't do that because that doesn't help you move forward with your actuals for the next year so that's what I thought you were no so that's good that's good to have that clear with I think all of us are on the same page with that we all understand that like that's and that's great good because that's kind of not what has happened right like all of the chief stuff went into labor so we all get that now we want to know if you so when you go into the whole label line and you only have so much in your label line but you've got enough in that in your article line and you need to hire somebody if you can't get them with what's left in your label line you don't really have an another choice to go to

if you can offer them what you have left in that labor line but if they don't take it or you can't find them you've got to get it somewhere so it's not necessarily black and white you've got to have some wiggle room in your budget to be able to run the run the town you know I mean and that's a decision that department heads have to make and of course it has to go through the board and everything as well so we'll have a sit on the board but they're in circumstances that are not like I said black and white but you know especially when you're talking about hiring and getting people getting people on because anytime somebody leaves and somebody comes on it usually costs you more money so it has to come from somewhere in that regard I gotta bring this back in why are we talking about this because I thought it was because we're now re-voting on the administrative budget you know

you're at 100 in your line and you're still getting a bill that you can just apply it to another no but the select board and the two Town managers that we had last year because those were the three bodies in charge of the administrative budget overspent the labor line by 13 okay did they overspend the article line

though that's the whole point right now it doesn't matter but they overspent it because they needed to they could have but it now is what's leading to a 23 increase in the administrative budget this year which is a hard number to stomach yeah I think though isn't it 12 though that I showed you from like now 12 just for labor but a

total of 23.61 from last year to this year in that same in that same Personnel line but that still gives the residents so you are you looking at the increasing decrease of the percent just in I did I just did a calculator I just took my calculator from the sheet you gave us and I divided 332 842.27 by what was budgeted in 2022 which was 294 757 and I got 1.3 which is 13 increase

up to 22 budget today isn't the same because you we hired exactly because three people three bodies before you hired folks didn't pay attention to the labor line they just made sure they didn't overspend the article line which is

steamrolling us this year into a fixed 13 increase in the administrative budget and I think part of that though was to be able to get them I understand you know if you don't if you don't Pam what they're worth or what their experienced I understand the town isn't going to continue to improve to approve a 23 increase in the administrative budget and you're going to have to come home and fire somebody well or me um you know the labor market is the labor market if you if you don't want to pay them then I don't know what the question is not necessarily of not wanting to pay them it's how you're paying them is it from where is the money coming from to pay them well if you don't have the money you're not going to hire we're not saying that we're saying that if where is the money the money is in the oh in the total right that's where you're getting the money we understand that but it has to be we have to be able to follow the uh well

it's in the budget now but is this is that the I mean we're not talking policy is that the purpose versus the budget I understand the frustration I've heard it since watching it on TV last year but I mean we've kind of maybe is it time to kind of move on and talk about you know there's a change in one line is is my thought and then having just said that I'll violate what I said and say but the town has accomplished is you know we had a good code enforcement guy he inspected my house and all that stuff but the guy we've got they went out and got a very qualified very good person who raises the code enforcement thing a level of 10 above what we had uh and what was being done so the question is if we now bought that capability with code enforcement question about the town manager but the town manager and we've added some clerks and I I think have we improved the town's ability to to do its job

but I do think we've in myself included have wandered off the reason we're here tonight right I just I think the question that I keep hearing isn't so much Jerry can do you can spend to the bottom line as long as you come in on the bottom line there's nothing that prevents you but the question is should you do that right and what is your philosophy your ethical now if if my car runs out of gas and I I

don't have money for gas I'm going to take it out of my groceries because I gotta have gas but if I've got some money left over from groceries and I want to go to the movies I probably could shift that money but I wouldn't do it because that's not what that money was in my for right and I think that's the question that that we're trying to get here is people are taking money and spending it kind of arbitrarily because it's available instead of really weighing the ethical

your cell phone plan because that's a reoccurring Bill do you see what I'm saying so instead of using it to spend money on something that's a one-time thing you they they took that money and they spent it on something that's a reoccurring fee now every single year and so that that's what it's try we're trying to get shaken out is where you stand on that and none of this is you this all happened before you got here that's why we're asking right people are gonna ask this question we're trying to help you right so if if I have a vacancy and I have a candidate and that candidate's a good candidate and I want to hire them and I look at my label line and I say look I can only pay you this much do you still want the job no that's not enough okay I can't spend any more out of my label line so good see you bye good chance I'll try to find somebody else maybe a little less qualified to pay out of that label line I don't think you

want to do that I mean your philosophy may be different but if you want to get good people and there's not enough in the label line to hire them you pass them up and then we're now we're now we might not have that good Coach Guy well the alternative is to go to the select board and ask them for some more money right you can do but what we we can but you but because of the town meeting and the legislation the voters you really got to go ask the voters for that extra money no there's emergency fund you can ask yourself and we can approve I haven't seen the emergency fund it's in there 16 Grand is it well it's in the restricted

but do you kind of see where I'm kind of going with the labor I mean if you want to stick to the label line and try to hire somebody and you don't have enough to get them in there yeah this is all irrelevant you can do this and you guys can be moaning grown all you want you can do whatever he wants and I think he's answered the question Mr chairman I mean I think you know I think it's time to move on right and so they don't like the answer but right and so another thing that I want to bring up too is that when we have these meetings you know the respectful thing that I try to do and the professional thing I try to do is give you the material ahead of time so you have it that wasn't afforded to me on Tuesday by the chair in his contingency brand all of us I didn't see it coming all of a sudden he's into his contingency thing gives me a piece of paper and I'm like I mean it was a beautiful Blind Side

it really was but I wouldn't wear that like a badge of honor you know because it was to me it was unprofessional and disrespectful Mr chairman I think now we started to cross the line a little bit I think we need to get there's a question about I I hear what you're saying but I think we really need now we're getting into personal views and other comments let's get to the purpose we're here but it was it was pointed at me you know it

was not pointed at you and I agree with John so I'd like to get this back on tracks it was my argument uh to the to the budget committee it was a budget committee uh just if I'm sharing information with the budget committee I gave you the courtesy to see the same information it wasn't it had nothing to do with you said you sure have more contingency than you think you do

we're going to just stick with the vote that was passed on Tuesday whether we won to revisit and I can't think of a word um retract everyone's retracted as if can you just amending it so what increased the CEO yeah his uh

because um I didn't put it through his raise in there all the Joe you asked about um the benefits of the clerk and why is it 3 13 47. yeah somebody did but it wasn't me that that's fine it was me oh it was you sorry no it's all right um this is a kind of a weird thing because I I ran the report and if you don't take insurance you get that 1200 but MMA charges like 990 or 15 and it got charged to that

line but the CEO is not taking insurance but nothing got charged to his line so I think we got some internal payroll type things going on there that is and I tried to dig into it but I don't know why that happens I I we are kind of looking we call them Ma they're supposed to call you those three things it's very little bit money but it's just odd that it hits one line but it doesn't hit the other right and I can't I can't answer that I knew somebody had asked me at 3000 thank you for looking into it I wondered if it was uh if there was if it was supposed to be just that flat rate why it wasn't the flat rate even though it is just a very little bit of money and then also if they're or if there were other some other benefit that we don't know about paid that got put there and it's great question because I asked the same thing because when I see the CEO's benefit and he's got 1200 but I look at the clerks and it's more I'm

like why is this yeah you know I ask the same questions and what I'm trying to dig into it and find out why so Mr chairman yes the new Total the the commenters asking is 553 665 is that right but wait no I didn't I didn't take out the 15 so you got to take that off 15 000. the fifteen thousand yeah right you gotta take that out so I do think because the bottom number changes we do need to amend our vote because the um if if if I remember correctly what was

the philosophy behind the budget committee's recommended amount was removal of the contingency line of fifteen thousand but now currently because the new budget presented to us went up by a little over three thousand twenty seven a little under three thousand um the line that the budget committee recommended is now greater than fifteen thousand or less yeah so so if we're going to move forward I would first need a motion to rescind the

vote that we took on Tuesday don't you first have to have a motion to go back to look at that yeah to revisit the contingency fund and then everybody has to agree or just put a whole bunch of vote right okay I'll second that all right so it's been moved and moved by Mark seconded by Jill to revisit the budget committee recommended recommend recommendations um recommended amount we voted on last year's budget is there any discussion all those in favor all right so that's a vote now now you can discuss the amount okay motion take a motion yep hi um so let me first state though if the the new number is 55-3624

five thirty eight six two four okay so I move that we appropriate 538 624 for administration okay so it's been moved by Neil and seconded by John that the town uh races and appropriates 538 624 dollars towards the administrative operational fund discussion

and I am now here and I don't want to put us in a situation where we're at an even number so I'm going to abstain from this vote were you able to even vote on it the last time or was that after you got cut out of them no no the vote happened after I got cut and I and you put me down as abstaining right so you'll stay upset that makes sense all right any other discussion

it up about taking that and cutting that 15 000 in half so I guess if you're gonna make this vote here you've either got to vote it up or down and then revisit whether you wanted to take and I didn't hear that discussion it made that made that recommendation it was mentioned the other night something about maybe splitting it from 15 to 75. I don't remember that I heard it from somebody so why are you bringing it on huh are you in favor of that I think he's trying to get us to a number right no no no we gotta vote this one up or down and thanks voted down then you can bring in another motion to add 75 if you wish to that's what I'm saying I don't know who said it but it was mentioned the other night somewhere something about it wasn't discussed but somebody said well I'd be in favor of cutting it half any other discussion seeing that I'll move the vote it's been um the motion that has been seconded

that the town raises and appropriates 538 624 dollars for this coming years administrative operational budget all those in favor raise your hand one two three four all those opposed one two three the vote passes four three and one [Music] what would have happened if it would have been even we'd have to chat it out and break the time

had to try and find your number Stephen Stephen loved time I think what happens it basically that's the end of it right all right you gotta talk again about a new number yeah but I just remember you know one of the solutions that could have happened was instead of calling it legal fees we could have called it professional service fees and that way you know what a common legal in the accountant I needed to hire that I didn't really have a line before so and technically our

conversation here we we as the budget committee at least in the past really all we're saying to you is your bottom line is cut by 15 000. we're trying to give you our thought process behind it you can come back next year and say I decided not to take a raise for myself since I was just hired in the fall and I decided that I kept the contingency line and put my that amount

in the contingency line we're not telling you you can't have a contingency line that's not what this vote did what this vote did was dropped your bottom line budget by 15 000 if that that's what gets approved at town meeting does that make sense and I think you have the ability to change all the wordings of all these lines yeah I will see this budget really here should look very similar to the public works and fire budget but it's so chopped up and I think we need to have an Administration line and just sort of clean it up a little bit so we don't have Department four and I mean I've never heard of the pop Department of office expenses right so there's office

expenses in every Department yep um 127.23 shown on on the page but that's the heading is Animal Control Dash assessing Dash cemeteries so there's gonna be three different votes right corner it should say revise 127. but the ACO amount is still the same at the 18 six and 127 is still the same oh yeah eight well that's the new amount

difference I believe all of the accounts that we're going to be discussing have all been approved by the selector of any changes in our book it's 18 6. pardon yeah things change because what happened when I put that book together I got a bill after I put the book together

that we allocate 18 600 for animal control services second sorry would you like a second any discussion John that we raised eighteen thousand six hundred dollars for animal control um all those in favor it's a vote I will put a pip in the town manager's ear that um the fees of other towns to

bail your pet out of jail have gone up so the town may want to look at the bail your pet out of jail fees there you think they're low if you if you look at surrounding towns so the prices have changed okay I think both of those I think are quotes given to me no no this is the price we pay for the Animal control officer but can the greater Andrews Garden Humane Society and the coastal Humane Society depending on who gets our dog up charges a fee for the owner to bail the dog out of jail bail the dog out of the shelter and part of the total of that fee comes from what the town charges so I think there's probably like

five years ago we never had a fee and Durham started charging fifty dollars to get the pet out of jail okay but I think if you investigate that price has gone up in neighboring towns I think when I look at when I looked at historical of those two they were pretty close in line all the way across the producers no again this is

fifty dollars that I'm talking about is kind of like a permit fee you know it helps to offset the charges that we're charged to have animal control in our town and to have a shelter that will take Strays and and things like that um and the town also has to have funds for

emergency care of said pets because legally if a hit by car goes to an emergency clinic the veterinarian is required by law to stabilize that pet and the bill goes to the town [Music] [Applause] all right so moving on to

um assessing the select board has approved the town raising 21 thousand dollars [Music] Twenty One what do you get oh right here okay got it under department 19 middle of the page I'll make a motion that we approve eight twenty one thousand dollars for assessing oh second it's been moved by John and seconded by Heather that the town raises twenty one thousand dollars for assessing any discussions ah I keep I the mapping thing I keep

I'm trying to bring up what I had last year so what is the mapping under assessing that's when the assessor updates the tax maps per cost to do that because she has to do a step before it goes to the gis yes yes she has to put the data in there and then it goes there okay nothing when I asked her about you know her bills and whatnot she said just keep it flat next year she's going to want a little bit more I'm I I mean as much as we like scrutinize over this we've been paying her the same amount of money for a very very long time so and I and I did ask I said are you okay and she said yeah this year but next year expect a little bit house any idea why the why last year there weren't any um costs for transfers and supplies and this year we need to budget for it it's just poor allocating yeah it was all put under labor right yeah oh I see yeah okay

seeing that it's been moved and seconded that the town raises twenty one thousand dollars for assessing all those in favor I'll get to vote moving on to cemeteries department cemeteries that the Town race is 450 for the cemeteries account

Works picked up right versus having that being paid for by a outside contractor correct yes okay pretty beat up I mean I've seen it that not by the time they're done and we cut grass at what the cemeteries at Bowie Hill and they're pretty beat the hell of back by the time they they're not real expensive ones anyways because 450 is yeah probably less than a pocket product and I think they do get reused for a couple of years because I feel like this year when you drove down the road some of right in the beginning of like them being hung up some of them were definitely more sun faded than others so this is I think these are the little Flags

tidy stick and I think you know it's got a little flies on its crazy saw in town that it was new that I thought was pretty cool I went to donate bottles at the AmVets and now they have a box stuck to that thing that you can put old Flags in yes I saw that too wonderful yeah to be able to retire there was one of them Aubuchon still is but yeah and this used to do it like temporarily like it's like they kind of it's good good that is good any further discussion on the motion nope sorry none it's been moved and seconded that the town raised 450 towards the cemetery account all those in favor

Recreation again you want to check your the bottom right hand corner that I do not have no one you have the revised 127 copy nope [Music] that hasn't changed since this email though right since the electronic correct who knows

which one Parks and Recreation will be the first vote I don't it's not the way that it is they're all put together under conservation Parks and Recreation okay so last year I think it was like six thousand six thousand yeah yep it's now seven thousand eighteen okay I'm sorry now go ahead um the original request the beginning of January had the uh historic preservation commission request in there which has been removed part of that was moved to the planning board and I guess there's still some left in there I'm a little I guess confused about what the historic preservation commission is going to get out of this budget if anything so they they had

they requested 3200. they had money left over 1200 bucks something like that so I took I used that and then gave them to 2 000 for that request if we apprec yeah so if you approve it yeah numbers until like we I got the audit numbers that they actually had some money so is there fun for them yeah there is

so rather than look then rather than going with their full request because they had like 1200 left over I I just made it two thousand so to equal to 32. but that's now in planning yeah I think that's something that's where it always yeah I went back and found where it was last year [Music]

uh Mr chairman I make a motion that we approve or appropriate 1700 70 880 for conservation products and Recreation the second second the move by Neil and seconded by John that's a town raised 7 880 for the conservation pox and

Recreation accounts for the discussion yeah so the River Park maintenance says they need a new sign but they have no money budgeted no they they actually the record um I I took that out because there's actually another fund for them

okay so I'm just going to use the money out of that fund I might be uh um like there's a recreation fund of twenty thousand one there you go it's on that list list yeah so that Recreation for covers any to this tab that we're looking at you could I think yeah if I remember some discussion we could pay the whole thing out of that twenty thousand is that snowmobile fees and yeah snowmobils in the youth baseball was looking for some money um they're looking for like 2500 and the snowmobile fees is like 1100. no you're fine um well that yeah but the snowmobile phase go into the recreational fund and the club wants correct they want to have money to right from the Grant from the town I think that's what I remember reading okay so then for clarification because I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole we're not saying where it's raised and distributed from and things like that is this

conservation Parks and Recreation the 7 880 coming from Recreation Reserve fund balances I'm not sure if that's restricted for some sort of thing but I was gonna I removed the 1500 because they had that money in there I would like to remove the 7800 because they have that money in there great Point Joe yeah and again that sheet that you're looking at this the one with the reserved from yeah and that really just got put together last week because they came in so yeah I mean if that's what if that's where you want to go I'm going there okay so if I was to make a motion you'd like me to add in 1500 for the sign well will the sign cover I I don't have that it's on there charge maintenance 15 is that not the same thing it's not on here anymore it's zero right you don't have anything because I took it because I took it off because we had that money in the recreation fund okay so you were 93. oh oh

so if I was if I'm understanding correctly if I was to make a motion to use the reserve the Recreation Reserve fund balance and to cover this I would need to increase it by 1500 to cover the sign so I where it's a reserve fund I you you folks might know better than me can you take it out of there so that's what I was just going to say is that what we've been asked to do is just put a number in so if we don't want to put a number in there because we have a different plan of where we want that to come from but the number is sitting here but there's a number in there for Public Works yes their Reserve fund but this isn't a reserve I mean I know it says Reserve fund balance is this a are these Reserve fund balances because down here there's the little asterisk that says held in separate bank accounts yeah because some of those have their own bank account and our bank that we use so it seems to me in the past we've always

used registrations and things like that that's always been used to pay right I just remember we've never raised money for it I remember him specifically saying that all of the revenues we're gonna get listed and then well there are some that are like telecommunication is dedicated and I think in the impact spreadsheet that you have and you bring it up do you have it up John the impact I did somewhere and then go to revenues Hey Joe do you know of any reason why we couldn't transfer from the recreation

this year we're trying to go along with it with what the selector wants to do is rather than us saying where the monies are going to be transferred from we're going to just vote later on on a total amount that's going to be transferred from the like undesignated funds or from these different Reserve funds and the select board will or town manager

existing need to get empty so we need it we either need to request an article that we transfer These funds to a designated fund or we spend them separately on an article like this you see what I'm saying otherwise I'll never get screened right we've always used the snowmobile revenues both yeah whatever I know

that I found a very significantly reprimanded for continuing to do it that way so I think I mean Joe's sitting here though hearing like what right Joe this is something that you would go back and report to this left board that this is if we say zero to this so can I I hate to interrupt no I want to interrupt because the revenues tab of

Kevin's email that is a spreadsheet titled 2023 budget impact SB Rec 12723.xlsx that assign fund transfers Conservation Park and Recreation is going to transfer oh okay okay you're right 7 880 which then messes up the sign fifteen hundred side

thousand was last year you should look at that it's already done you've already got it already planned for it so right that's why that's why I said I hate to interrupt but I'm forcing but it doesn't help understand but that number doesn't account for this right okay so we could amend instead of 78.80 we could ask for 93.80 or whatever that number to add your 1500 for the sign we could tonight just say we want to do where were you pulling the 1500 I'm making a motion oh no we have two four already we have to uh I like to withdraw my motions okay okay I didn't understand this idea but we can like we can we can request that that number gets bumped up because it's in there yeah from seven to eight to whatever when we get to that conversation I know I just wanted to hear where he where he was going to pull the 1500 from he was going to pull the 1500 for the same funds that they're pulling the 78.80 from

bear with me apparently there are some funds that you have to put towards something and thanks to that number he wrote that on that number and I'm not even that in Telecom right and I'm and I'm not even really sure why it can't be listed with all the revenue I I don't know it is listed with all the revenue okay it is in his okay thingama Bob that's what most towns do is they just list the revenue because I mean what if you're going to fund an article on what difference does it make if you take it out of your lap pocket of your right pocket right right well I mean we definitely would rather transfer this money than sitting in that account and raise the taxes well that's right and that's why I took signed money out because the question is do you need that signed money back in yes or not because we would raise that to the 93.80 right nobody does need it back in right okay so I'll make a motion

for the what's the What's the title of this one conservation Parks and Recreation conservation Parks and Recreation um to fund this line 9 380 dollars where is the sign going on the what line line 2102 Park maintenance for the River Park a science boat radio and that so that number is now going to be 50. oh yeah 1500 1500.

not 1600 not zero no under Park maintenance it would be 1500 electricity is 200 so it's 1700. total this is run around Park no no I'm sorry River Park River Park 2102 oh so it should be 1700 correct but it was Zero no the 1500 was Zero but the 200 was for electricity not 1500 oh so River Park total is 1700 yes okay

um raised no no that we transfer or allocate I think the allocate is the fancy where we're supposed to be using this year no I I don't appropriate as well appropriate okay sorry wrong a something to say um that we appropriate

no it's not the same chance no we're not talking about transferring anything here we're talking about appropriate appropriating okay so we don't transfer we don't raise we appropriate right nine thousand three hundred and eighty dollars for the conservation parks recreation fund um discussion can do we if it's a reserve fund which is what you're listening at do we have to vote to treat to do they look like they're going to take it out of what you live is that the twenty thousand dollar correct Reserve fund or is there another that fund they're going to take it out of that that's my only question I mean I'm all in favor of doing this yeah we don't want it to turn into a situation where we're raising that because if we were raising that we wouldn't be raising that if we're transferring it we want to transfer it we can make that recommendation but the selector gave us is assigned fund transfers so it looks like they weren't

planning on raising it they were planning on transferring it so that's what I want to clarify and I don't have this picture in front of me is that are they indicating that yes under sign fund transfers on the budget impact spreadsheet they have trends for 700 from conservation Parks and Recreation okay and so we've we've added an additional 1500 so we would increase that and so we know that that's in the fund that extra 1500 isn't that fund yeah yeah it's got 23 000 or so okay so one of the disadvantages we have is that the slick board isn't really providing us what we're under our Trotter supposed to have which is one articles and I assume it's going to be a one article to transfer money from that fund so I don't know how he wrote on it but we should vote on it somehow we should make our recommendation known that's what we're doing right well we don't have foreign

assume that's where we would do it when we would do it later tonight like but we don't have a quick article that's the point that he said like if we're if we're trying to like do things by the book they haven't given us recommendations warrant articles for us to make our recommendations they have anyone given us one articles for any of this right they told us that they told us they wouldn't have that probably so so I say we just go to the revenue tab and discuss it so yeah to clarify Jerry is is somebody taking notes or summarizing this to share this information

really yeah all right so we have to notify them that in this case we'd be appropriating yes I'm is there any further discussion I can't remember what I had for breakfast [Music] uh CNN it's been um motioned by Heather and seconded by

Jill that we appropriate 9380 dollars because I have to say where it's being appropriated from no we don't do that apparently okay uh we that we appropriate that amount 9 380 to the conservation Parks and Recreation accounts all those in favor

it's a vote revised no it might have been revised the change is just notation was made what was on unspent Ed so the select board I'm just assuming that all these Mains are being raised the select board is recommended that out of town raised six thousand 535 dollars for the Eureka account right

appropriate OMG again raise and appropriate we don't we don't have one articles so we're just I mean this is a little we're not saying raise we're saying we authorize the appropriation of the money I understand that's the legal language in an article we appropriate it it can be raised or transferred but we don't make that decision okay we make a recommendation I guess so Jerry remember how I mentioned to you the door still hasn't been replaced did you ever have time to ask if that yeah because it seems like the budget's the same as last year which means the door is in there again I don't know what the amount for the door was like 15 apparently apparently it was raised twice I I don't know the full other than what I heard yeah from use right we tried to to use undesignated funds at one point to not try and raise it twice so do you remember what the cost was for the door when they I'd have to look and pass I want to guess 1500

yeah because they had to replace the frame and it was not just I haven't replaced it no they haven't I wouldn't surprise yeah so this this thing says that Eureka is another one that has money in an account it says Eureka capital 1719.

door so and I don't see that in the revenues like 50 bucks to use it so there's a little bit of you know money coming in that goes right yeah but I mentioned that's where it's going is the money it's like the dog your boat license other stuff they don't get much but turning it out to rent it out it's 50 bucks or it's a good deal

already had one we haven't had a motion yet make a motion that we appropriate you approve the budget approve the budget of six thousand three six thousand five hundred thirty five dollars for the Eureka Center [Music] I seconded it so it's a move by John and seconded by Neil that we appropriate six thousand five hundred and thirty five dollars for the Eureka account

just for my memory we these janitorial funds they were in another place where they were in the admin budget and they got moved here or no they've been there I don't know why the 200 for 22. um the 1060 and the reason why I bumped it up is because

more so that we need to be cleaned more I don't know if that's gonna you know that's the direction we all want to move in I think so that was the reason for the small buffing band I think it's already being used more I mean writing boards used it we're going to use it two more times in the next couple of months if I just I didn't even covet being over hopefully people will rent it more too so look at my butt chewed because I cut in on a part a wedding one time with a planning board sauce being used just looking at the size of the increase I was wondering if this was one of those administrative things we were trying to offset from somewhere else and this is not this is just increase based on WE anticipated additional usage I think you got this increase is based on this though

hundred dollars for janitorial wages last year I think that blank comma 200 I think the one got loaded wrong I think that I think that number was twelve hundred dollars last year if I remember correctly very close yeah I'm not objection here just yeah yeah I know with these numbers very confusing with the way

so it has been uh moved motioned and seconded and seconded that uh the town appropriates 6535 dollars for the Durham Eureka Center account all those in favor of the suppose both passes seven to one we need to find out the door yeah that door is bugging me man I know I know last year it was bugging Neal um I remember the janitorial thing because I was sure I was trying to find all these places where we could take some money um and I suggested asking um either the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts or something like that to be able to do about her their community service or whatever but you know if this um say 1700 in capital you know I can go through the bullet if a duel is going to cost 1700 and we get paid for that I'll get it done

I'm surprised that yeah it's not that big jobs be here for that Landing well we've passed on that for a moment remind me to revisit it next up would be um Solid Waste everybody's saddle including me folks she always has gotten any updates yeah you have one there so just a little

history Kevin up until probably I don't know the solid least contract stood so I took it off and lo and behold it ends on June 30th now I was like wow I'm kind of happy that I took a new initiative to look because I didn't know so with that knowing that

to get a budget number in the budget because we're in budget season right so the question is you know do you go out to bed it's a good idea to go out to bed but giving the timing of everything in this budget because we're right in the middle of it to go up to bed and have other contractors investigate the town driving rooms the sea and all that we met with Casella to see if we could well they when we when we contacted them to say we were going out to bed they wanted to talk to us so they came in and we talked um and given all of the changes in the trash especially the Recycled commodity Market where China's not taking it got to remember that your your contract that you got into was three years ago previous pre-pandemic and we overspent that line because of the East cost and that sort of stuff so in talking with them we felt it was better to get a year extension see what that's going to look like to get a budget

number in in here because we we need one I just got the budget The Proposal from them today and this is and this is what it looks like um so what is it it's three well the solid waste so the you know you have you don't have it I put it I cut it off

only is 279.49 449 so it cost 90.99 a ton plus to dispose of the solid waste it's 177 a ton to do the recycle geez it's crazy so let's just put it all in the trash then hmm I think that's where it's going after they pick it up to be honest with it no but really this is telling people I don't have anything he's I'm just reporting the numbers okay

what we're chatting about we're only responsible for half of this because it goes June to June no it's a year extension this is right now this is from June yeah June to June right so we're responsible for half of this in the 2023 budget no you're still under the same contract that you were sold so their extension didn't increase at all they didn't increase their price for that one year extension this is the one-year extension right so what was it previously called the year well you can look at what this is what I'm trying 322 yeah Street 22 was the actual in the in the recycle commodity Market changes all the time so this really truly is

throwing a dart can with it um because of that because you're throwing in the recycle right now Market is really high so when I talked to the guy at Casella it could come down so I would propose throwing 395 at it um and then you've got your bulky waist that they're doing by the hour now and it's anybody's guess I don't know how long it's going to take them to go around for the day if it's eight hours nine hours

the hours yeah and it's usually but [ __ ] eight hours right so I didn't know that this is what the proposal so do they know that or were you having a conversation about them going house to house picking up both things well they did it last year or whenever they did it right so there this is based off what they're historically because what we've always done is set it up at Public Works and everybody brings their own stuff they did it before Casella right yes right so yeah so it's the same thing right I assume and they're just doing it by the house so they got to haul it off so they had like five tracks and and they didn't want that but oh no just a haul you know yeah just to haul it so but this is how the estimate came in just 17 an hour I don't know what how many hours we want our doors typically I think was kind of thinking eight but I think it was cut shorter last year it was two years I just got

zero last year huh yeah last year but I mean the last time we did it so I I was so I just figured an eight-hour day and night now and I don't know what what you wanna I 15 grand would that cover it I mean this this truly is uh so I think they're two separate votes yeah so I want to go back and focus on Solid Waste for a second can you explain to me how you came up with the 395 yeah it's right it's written right in the in your this thing here but again we're only responsible well for half of this this year the other half is the prior contract the contract doesn't expire until 30 June so January to June could be the old half the Year we're working right so this one starts right so we're only responsible for half of this for this year which is 198 700.

next year we vote on the other half plus whatever new contract has gone together if you want to this is one of them yeah if that's right and so last year's actual if it's correct well it's what the invoice right that's what I'm saying if it's correct because you know like you said invoices are still coming in and this one is just when you feel is pretty good okay so half of of last year's actual is 161 82.97 so that would total 359 794.97

[Music] go ahead 359. tell me the 161. 161.082 97 cents 198 7 12 0 cents and that first number is for January through June of this year first number is January to June right and that was out of last year's budget that's half of last year's actual right and then the other one is half of the contract

that Jerry just got I wrote the wrong dates and all of that um tell me the total again 359 359 794 and 97 cents but I'm a 94 97 97 cents so but it's it's based on weight and tonnage right so it's not a set fee it fluctuates and that's why like we budgeted for 307

821 and it came in at 322 so we weigh under budgeted last year for it um I don't think I'm comfortable budgeting 400 an extra 35 000. for it I don't think that when the select board or Jerry did this in the six month split I think they took no no a new price and Jerry just said he would recommend budgeting 3.95. oh sorry I was right that's why I was I was earlier only because I was like I've got my fingers crossed at the Kimani Michael will help us a little bit because it is based on tonnage it was kind of interesting because when you when you looked at the 21 the 21

because people stayed home from yeah so there was a lot more garbage so in talking to the person at Casella he said I wouldn't go with those numbers go with your 22 tonnage because that's probably going to be more combined with it so that's why I went with a 270 um five and the 700 tons because that's basically what the tons were for 2022. okay and so this this it was a year extension and for a whole year even if you're going to split up six months but this was oh yeah so I'm I'm hoping it can be a little bit less than this you can you can go with the three if you're more comfortable with that is from January 30th till next January 3rd this goes from July 1st to June 30th of last year so here's what I come up with 322 165 actual divided by 12 is 26 847 a month times five is 134 thousand dollars five times it'd be 16th January through may be January through June June said the start's in June it's not July 1st

July right who's the number who they no they're they're doing they're under contract with us until June right so you already have them January 30th June 30. all right now yes that's what I got three 359 794 97. 80 so that's why I mean I think we got to put a little bit of a buffer in we don't know what kind of 365. yeah that's that's yeah that's why I said I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the a thirty thousand dollar buffer but for 35. 365. so um a good point is you know you have no no everyone in the town is going to say shame on you but reality that's 21 600 bucks you could save if we didn't recycle it it's terrible I mean we were all programmed but but honestly um my business is in mechanic calls and

they're still not accepting some recyclable items because they have no place to bring them it just goes in the hopper when you bring it in again so to to Jane's Point why pay the extra our poor grandkids the extra dollars for recycled tonnage and something to educate the town about a town meeting you'd have to give more tags out yes you would which would a lot more tags but they generate money to offset that because people would have to no see now you're asking people to buy their taxes this way you want to give them the tax but didn't we see this here manager proposes what's the 2540 to buy Newark we're going to buy tags every other year I thought you're gonna make us buy the taxes oh that's not going to fly I think the scientific as you get us so this is something I feel like we really need to like have a huge discussion on not necessarily at the budget committee level but at the Town level it's like if you're paying for

someone to clean your house and all of a sudden the price has just gotten too expensive to pay that person to clean your house you start cleaning your own house again right I wish I had a house cleaner anyway um you know we talked about this a little bit the town that I grew up in Topsham and there you have a transfer station and we bought our trash bags and my dad

and I went to the dump every single Saturday and I am very curious to know what the cost of a pay to play if we paid a town that has a transfer station um or a dump a fee what that fee would look like um for us to know there it's my understanding that a lot of towns no longer offer curbside pickup and this is this is quickly approaching the cost of the administrative budget and the fire department's budget and is this a service that the town still wants to continue and I think there's a good discussion you know a recommendation to be get through the town budget come up with a number and then have a you know a garbage committee or something because even if you stick with Casella who they're not talking about picking up my garbage bag and throw it in the truck anymore potentially they're talking about the mechanical arm that grabs it which for some residents are going to be interested in that I've got a thousand

foot long driveway I'm like huh how am I going to get that done to figure this out for this budget for this year but I this is this is a conversation that needs to be had yeah not the household coverage yeah yeah so are we comfortable the recommendation of 365 or 370 or what what are you supposedly well I would look at what they went over last year was over ten thousand dollars yeah so right yes

was also saying look more when you're figuring out next when you're figuring out this contract base it on your 2022. right well that is 2022. so that's why I that's why I when I did the budget when I did my calculations I based it on actual not on budget [Music] I'd use 370 maybe because you're adding I think I'd agree not even 11 000 you're really only adding ten thousand and you're gonna have more homes you're gonna have other stuff so I do idea this one I you know again I just like to throw extra money but I would go a little bit higher than that

everyone a chance people are scribbling really fast right now we're at 370 000 370. yeah and so do we need to add to that 2540 for the tag purchase yes plus maybe 72.54 now what did I just say 25.40 yeah purchase that's gonna need more that's the two five are you giving them the other 26 tags what do you mean no no we're not talking about us

you pay previous yeah right and then we can have a conversation if we think that that's if a resident wants to go up and explain that recycling costs more that hurts my soul to say that out loud me too but me too well I agree but that's you know I had the same thought you did I'm glad you said it out loud

time it's 372 540. I will make a motion that we appropriate 372 540 for solid waste executive seconded moved by John seconded by nail that the town appropriate 372 540 for the solid waste account thanks for the discussion

just figuring out that's why I wanted to give you a moment because we got to talk about undesignated and how we pay for this because it's um so I just I'm just figuring out are you good with the 372 whatever it was yes I got it and then I'm subtracting that from what was in the budget um it's 20 000 more than what you were had originally right right but then I gotta add Calvin's gas thing to it because you know there's different ways we can pay for it so right now we're taking 200 000 in undesignated funds so

the question is with these new amounts do we want to use on designated funds a little bit more a little bit more and I'm just trying to figure it out did we ever determine if undesignated as the one nine or the two no no no okay okay

we don't have to continue it's just a quick question okay CNN it has been uh moved and seconded that the town appropriate 372 540 uh for the solid waste account all those in favor and some vote when does the select board meet next Joe 14th yeah so it's not this Tuesday okay good I got time to make my notes you might also know that that mean I believe that we entire culture that we're gonna hit the proposal for the the payroll company is going to do a presentation there yeah he's gonna come talk some members might find that interesting so we don't need to make a recommendation about bulky waste that's just its own Warren article yeah I think so that's I think that's the way that it's next there is a line we get a chat about it oh but are we gonna are we gonna make a recognition for which one of the Arts I guess so we need to come up with a is it eight hours six hours um where were you saying I don't see uh

uh a line for that well 919 on the 2023 budget impact SB record 1-27-23 she's looking at that Kevin's little cheat sheet good joke you know is a select board asking us to make recommendations on this tax impact tab of figures everything out right that's just kind of figures out the what the taxes impact is going to be what the mill rate goes up and it all kind of changes when you add in that that green cell when put the undesignated so it's so again our Charter is to make Financial recommendations to the town so we can make recommendations on this whether they want us to or not and they don't present it to the town we can present it to the top of the time meeting right

launched that I'm just I'm talking about the the final transfers and all that yeah so bulky waste day the select board without having this piece of paper recommended twelve thousand dollars but Jerry got if it's an eight-hour day it would be 13 600 I've never participated in bulky waste day I um the last one we had I believe was four we did it in four hours or six or seven yeah I'm gonna bet you since it was two years of covert and we didn't have one all right you're gonna take it you're gonna easily get eight hours so damn close to it especially because like I said some of the bulky ways has been ended up on the side of the stackable you got to quit taking it across the road um [Music] yeah so I guess I'm curious who's participated in bulky waste in the past in the shrimp how long have you waited in line uh I don't go first thing in the morning if you go later in the day but you go at eight o'clock to probably 10

or 11 you're waiting and you're waiting in line if you and it goes and sometimes you'll have 20 30 cows in line and all of a sudden you don't have any and then all of a sudden there's a short wall then they show up again that's because of all things darn well I don't know what works but I think if you have a hope of getting this passed at the time meeting you want to go with the eight hours yeah well I'm curious were they saying the minimum they'll do is eight hours or you just randomly did eight nine and ten hours Jerry oh sorry I'm sorry I should have said Jerry first what's up are they saying is Casella saying if they do bulky waste it's a minimum of eight hours no no no they're 17. all they gave me was 1700 an hour and I'm not sure how long it would take but I don't think people would participate much Beyond one two o'clock which is only that would be six hours if it's eight to two it has started wind it

down about that time the last time that we did it but before that I don't know where some of the stuff come from but I can't imagine that the same trucks every year show up four times they may not want to haul a whole bunch of trucks and people over there for less than eight hours that's why I asked if you get family in Palo and Freeport and my night it's free in Durham so how they do it it's usually somebody at the front row out down the road and they got to try to make sure they don't park in the driveways it signs up and it's somebody making sure that they are from Durham and then they they actually move through fairly standards I mean it's really well done right how you know because then you go in and there's you know some here for like chess or whatever and then it goes to the metal pot and then they have each one of the Bays where the trucks are out back they're six men they have them there

then they have somebody inside the tires and somebody inside there's probably close to 10 trucks and their Crews do we really need to be talking about what do we do so the budget that's currently in the line the twelve thousand dollars covers seven hours because seven hours is eleven thousand nine hundred dollars 12

gonna put words in their mouth probably randomly put in because they didn't have this so they were working on past pricing and probably um yeah do you know Joe was the select four thinking of an eight-hour day or something oh

was a length of time either and you open it by three yeah that's what the times used today eight to three yeah that's 11 000 900 and they recommend 12. I think it has cost us ten thousand dollars in the past and I think they just upped it because the price of everything has gone up that's what my recollection so I make a motion to appropriate twelve thousand

dollars for bulky waste day second all right so it's been uh moved by Jill and seconded by Heather that the town appropriate twelve thousand dollars for a bulky waste day yeah any further discussion I don't and I guess I want to be on record I'm not saying that by me saying this that I advocate we have a bulky Ace or that we don't but I think we give the 130 people that show up at town hall meeting the right to vote whether they want both uas or not [Music] is that how you did it last time yeah because I think that's appropriate yeah we haven't done it we because we gave it out as the option and then people advocated for the cost savings we separated it out from Solid Waste last year and that's the way the bullet is yeah so that we can ask if they want it or not any further discussion CNN it has been moved and seconded that the town appropriate twelve thousand dollars towards a bulky waste day all in

favor all as opposed go to the seven to one change well it doesn't count I'm still six two sorry about that so now we gotta go back to planning all right and again there was a revised budgets uh passed out uh days 127. town to appropriate 46 420 for planning

is that is it sure okay um so on 1016 Town planner line the percentage um is 7.28 and I'm wondering why that's more than the five percent why is that I'm out it's probably based on the 22 budget you have to click and then see what sells it is but it's probably the difference between the uh proposed and 23 budget and the 30 in the 22 budget just the way it come up so why did you increase the proposed to 33.28 this is actually what he makes that I took what he makes and at times to buy 20 got that number and times it by 52. oh because it was a split year because we get the town voted for more hours for him last year yeah it was the split yeah it was he didn't really start working right in the middle of the Year April May something like that yeah he was okay he did a little bit of Consulting is about all yeah well he's paid by the hour right yeah yeah okay so it's it's based that increase is

based on the budget last year not on actual right wait a minute I will speak if we have gotten our money's worth with the town planner so um legal this has its own legal line but we have a legal line in the administrative budget does I'm I'm just curious about that yeah

I just carried it over it was in the line I I just carried it yeah we we get quite the planning board the chair of the planning board we get questions about can you do this what's the rules we're going through it now with the affordable housing is an example we've gotten legal opinions on you know what do we need to do with that so that's the difference is we use we use I think probably the same town attorney but we use it and work against that budget okay so it's so that you have the ability to

see where the legal is getting spent out of planning if it's planning it would hit here and you'd be able to I'm assuming that's why they had it in that okay um again if I sorry no if we if this Administration budget make it look like Public Works where there's legal it'll all be combined and illegal do you know what I mean that won't be legal in this department it'll be legal that's right Administration so um what is our arrangement with legal do we pay by the hour do we have a contract with someone yeah yeah I'm pretty sure he's on retainer so he's available to us to call and then depending on the time that he has to spend doing what he does to resolve or give us advice or whatever he charges and it's the same person that we've been using all along yes so we didn't get a new person last year what's his name Jack uh oh it's Jack something give me time I've got paperwork yes that's something I can't remember he

actually works for the same firm or at least he did yeah so we did get a new lawyer Joe well it's the same firm I think the other guy retire I think the other guy retired that we used to deal with that's why and then maybe somebody who does console excuse me selectment stuff versus this person may be more of a planner yeah you know right I don't think they're a big firm but they probably have a couple of different different people um what are admin select these dues what what is things like yeah mm we have an MMA it's

a professional planner um registration I don't know what is you know whatever it is a professional um dues are I don't know what his title is but CIP maybe there we go thank you certified plan is okay thanks I might have more hold on let me look at my notes so I'm wondering about this two thousand dollars for the historical preservation request that's like just a slush button for these guys or where's they requested it they've requested money before to do um Outreach

um education they with mailings or secretary help um or stats or training so I don't know and I didn't know what they did in the past but I know Lois come in and was was asking and typically I guess they do ask for those those funds so she was asking for 3 200 because they have money left in the Reserve account I think it was or maybe it's every I can just deducted the 32 input um so that at the beginning of the word talking about drafting a new historic

ordinance and potentially removing the historic district the way things are now and they've decided to table that for this year because we have all the southern land use stuff that's happening um and they're gonna have to pick that up again next year might that be the planning board not well it's in fees and or historical yeah they're a separate entity so so like this year for the resource protection Conservation Commission kind of took the lead on you know drafting some stuff off they did the information meeting and stuff like that I think that's what the historical commission and I'm not speaking in favor of this but that's what they would like I think the other thing is they want to do more Outreach this is these are the historical buildings in Durham you know this is I think as we go into potentially changing the historic ordinance they want to have the ability to be able to do Outreach and educate

and then that type this is more money than they typically ask for my guess is that knowing that that's what's coming next year that's why they're asking for it you know they may want to bring in a speaker a tutor educate people and have money to pay them well and to her Point hire Consultants I

think maybe and I don't want to this is going to come out all wrong but you know they've got the new leadership it is more a little more active in that that thing and so I think they're we want to do more foreign might even be a thing where they really want to be able to like because they they don't have any budget for like mailing or anything like that so if they wanted to be able to you know send a postcard to everybody that's got to come out of somewhere so where is that twelve hundred dollars you're planning to get to them historical conservation is it in this one so there's there's another there's like a restricted funds restoration no it's a historic um

it needs to be appropriated I don't think it's been touched for a long time here's well down here it says Union Church roof 16. saving money for the for the roof and they have 21 000 left he's talking about no no he said that's not it

3200 but you know if he's got twelve hundred dollars to transfer to them and there is no other appropriation of that twelve hundred dollars I would vote for this as long as we appropriate the 1200 from the fund that's let me give them 800 so they have two thousand dollars to to use this year [Music]

uh budget line for the 1200 he's talking about I don't think you'd have to plan to get it to him some other way I see what you're saying there's a lot of funds that don't show up in here there's the Vicki somebody other scholarship fund that has 150 bucks in it and yeah there's a whole bunch of other funds that uh that exist out there Mickey Colville fund what's that is that the Mickey Colville fund thank you sir anyway I think that would be a bit of a compromise from my perspective and they get two grand and 1200 of what would come from this fund he's talking about [Music]

wow maybe I have to wait for the select board meeting to ask about it but so here's where you'll find in here where there's like there's some restricted fund balances but I guess only restricted to those funds and you'll see this is where the River Park project and I don't even know what the River Park project was um then you know you have these ovens but you can see the um historic district commission has that 13 30. so that's why I reduced it thank you so Neil do you want to just speak to what you were just saying so what what I was asking and stating I guess was uh Jerry that there is as far as I know there's no line item for that 1330 you're one you want to give them in the budget yeah and right because so I'm saying let's take that 1330 and apply it towards the 2000 in this planning time okay and we're getting a total of 2 000. that's that's what I want to do 70 bucks so we raised 670.

foreign this planning budget line so we give them 670. okay race Etc right in fact and that's fine if that's what you're doing just knowing that they requested 32. yeah I know okay all right that's fine yeah So based on that there is and so just there is no other line for the 1330 in the budget no an appropriation okay no so Mr Mr chairman yes sir I make a motion that we raise that we appropriate 4 600 forty six thousand four hundred twenty dollars for the planning board can you say that number again forty six thousand four hundred twenty which is the amount of six months

anything based on what your conversation with Jerry they're not asking for us but I think we should give it we're our Charter says we recommendation Financial stuff so I think we should come up with own recommendations on transfers right so does the motion need to include that recommendation no no because we can't make it when we get to revenues after we go through everything there and there's no there's no warrant article that we're voting on there's no warrant article we're voting on for this so okay so is there a second oh I'm sorry

for the planning budget any further discussion I don't know if this is appropriate or not so I don't mean it to be rude or disrespectful but were you planning on voting on this one to ensure the planning board chair or do you feel you should you know I think I should I know I should not because I do get a stipend so you're right yes I will abstain thank you [Music] Rocky Road absolutely appropriate thank you it's absolutely appropriate ready for the discussion well it depends how vocals right right you can be the tiebreaker seeing none um probably somebody else probably needs a second then oh you did yeah [Laughter] that we appropriate footage six thousand four hundred and twenty dollars for the planning budget all those in favor so it's one two three four five six seven

either way but what they want to do a solid waste again uh Telecom telecommunications the select board has approved appropriating the requested amount of 52 000. if we get a new one on that or are we going off the old it was a revised on 127 I believe that what the only thing that changed was he they reported what was unexpended okay I have some comments or questions I guess um they're twofold one is I think this Labor budget here is going to cover the I.T folks covering the counter so because Devin and Kim are going to cover the counter so that twenty five thousand dollars yeah they get basically 10 a week

each yeah so 20 hours they're like the question is so they might you know that's really what they're scheduled to work but there are times when they're needed more than that and uh so there's a little bit of a cushion there for that for like for like meetings that go over in other meetings it's hard to determine really how much they're really gonna be so I just made them a part-time 20 hours I'm good with that I just want to make sure that covering the meetings like tonight or planning board are a priority or over the counter I get yeah we start running out of time it's a question for you Jared right right so like updating web

pages and that stuff doesn't really take all that long um so when they're not doing that if you if you're comfortable I just want them to um give the ladies uh their lunch break so the car is still yeah from like ten to two they like to eat yeah take their break so they hear from like 10 to 10. but like when Devin Devin is here for the most part you know he won't come in during those days but like your meeting is once a month select what meetings are I wish it was once a month but yes don't you meet on the first we do but we've got you know two public hearings that were you know kind of new you know and that's and that's and see that's really where it gets hard to kind of estimate how much they can do because hopefully we're gonna have before more of those hearings than you've had in the past and that sort of thing so

they were they covered constantly yeah that was a question here comfortable you covered I'm good well I you know what it's hard if I had to increase this I would uh I probably would have are you increasing it by almost ten thousand dollars well no no the budget of last year well then

he pulled the moving Secretary of like planning it's not there anymore actually reduced it actually actually okay all right and don't we have to be if they're at the desk don't or at the window don't we have to pay their FICA Medicare workers comp that was one of my questions you gotta make it part-time do you have to pay the TBD you said yeah we yeah and

um I believe that's absorbed in the other because it's not it's not going to be that much because they're not they don't make a lot of money so I think we're gonna I think we're gonna be okay in the fiker and all that stuff because that really is estimated based on what they're all kind of making so I think we'll I think we'll be okay I wouldn't be overly concerned with that so I have a question about I'm sorry were you done yeah okay um the access Channel I've I've been asking I I know you haven't been here I've been asking for three years um if someone wants to give me the phone number I would be happy to take it on to call and find out what we're legally bound to do you know I I feel like this is something that we just keep kicking the can down the road and I really want to know what the deal is I thought we were under contract like a 10-year contract so we really but someone said the contract was up this is the thing

this is like and then it just continues to get not addressed to stop sending them a check they'll let us know really know the legalities of it either I mean we're streaming of we're streaming the meetings now and uh I know there's a lot of towns that don't have an access channel so I don't I would assume there's not only have a retirement we can get your number or you know we can take care of we just get so much going in here that's why I'm offering so that's awesome phone call needs to happen I'm more than happy all right sorry you're not an administrator on the account we can't speak exactly I suppose we could

if he says no let's just get rid of it watching on TV I mean I did but now I go to YouTube I do because it's a lot more comfortable in my recliner with a cocktail than it is sitting in those chairs listening so you know I'm really you can't speak so might as well become I think it's a thing that would be a really great poll question like to put it out as a poll like how many people are still at using the access Channel I think as more people switch to YouTube well 5 A.M

should be made yeah yeah we know how many ads of the townspeople have been putting on there I know some of the non-profits put stuff on there it's really boring when there's not a meeting going on yeah I I just want to know if we are under a contractual obligation to keep it and if it's contractual if it's legality we'll look into it okay absolutely okay Mr chairman yes sir I move we uh appropriate fifty two thousand dollars for Telecommunications second

by John that appropriates fifty two thousand dollars towards the Telecom account any further discussion clarification question so the 11.27 increase is mostly because you moved all the secretarial from other departments into this line pretty much is that yeah there are not a lot of big increases in too many of the lines no and I and again um five band is is labor the line one 108. yeah but again it's not it came out of planning secretary and I just wanted to ask yeah I'm sure I understood correctly okay [Music] any other discussion CNN it has been moved and seconded uh

that the town appropriates fifty two thousand dollars towards the Telecom account all those in favor and support 701 milk I'm sorry is that seven zero one is that where we are uh do we need to vote general assistance oh do we yeah oh we do I've got a sheet so yeah general assistance I make a motion that we appropriate six hundred dollars for general assistance second it has been motion by Jill and

seconded by Neil that's John John sorry um the town appropriate 600 for the general assistance account so you were saying so no I just are we discussing just very quickly um there is a fund that has a balance of 11 245 dollars in it for this so

Durham heating fund is different yeah yeah Durham heating fund is Derm heating fund general assistance is for anything if you fill out enough of the red tape paperwork okay yeah yeah so and we're kind of where's that now required what happens with general assistance is if somebody actually applied and got approved and let's say they got approved for ten thousand dollars the state reimburses us so the 600 is just kind of there as a placeholder perfect okay and so is it getting spent or does it it goes into undesignated what happens to it

uh so it's been moved and seconded that the town appropriates 600. general assistance all those in favor [Music] all right so that service 958 394 dollars 394 dollars towards our debt moved by Jill seconded by nil that we appropriate 980 862 dollars towards our debt payment schedule any discussions 958 394.

394 dollars any discussion seeing none it's been moved and seconded that the town appropriates 958 394 dollars towards the debt payment schedule all those in favor default can we just look at that um items under capital and now we have um a

few other funding articles we have to vote on we let's see the select board has recommended that the town raise and appropriate for future assessing amount of sixty thousand dollars I have a question January 1st of 2022 was 97 632 and then

it says there's a sixty thousand dollar appropriation in 2022. and the amount about 71 7120 that was spent on The copier um leaving a balance of 30 512 dollars in that account um my question is we didn't do the assessment so where's that money now

Warren article out of the um and they put they actually put it in to the expense account never got done so it's really shouldn't it be put back then exactly so it's it's we'll put it back but what we're trying to do here is

Market which is going to be dawn of the assessor says it's going to be some way between 150 and 200. right so I understand I'm on board I just want to know where it is right now well what I got put into undesignated we're gonna have to take it back out and put it back in okay so when you if that's if that's sorry that's truly what the policy is which it is right when it's when it gets put into an expense account we don't spend it it goes back into undesignated so we just have the guy taken out of the capital reserve is supposed to yeah right well that's the thing is that I if it did did it in fact because this is this page right here is what you show for balances in this earmarked account as capital reserve for the municipal account right right because they because in 2022 last year that's what that's what people voted on right was to take it out right and that work didn't happen so so what I what what I'm

getting at is I'm just gonna say what I'm just going to say is that that money got put in and didn't get used for what it was supposed to get used for so I'm wondering if that is how these labor lying pink that the fact that the labor line was so overspent in the administrative budget if that is how that was covered I don't I don't think because it wouldn't be able to go into administrative budget went into that so so all of these these revenue and this and this see a place where that money is

I don't see where that sixty thousand dollars you know what I mean when I'm looking at you never get taken out of fun well he's yeah but they're saying no that shows the balance and the auditor did this it's missing it's not there that's what so I'm if I just want that money that number just to say what fun did it come from here the municipal Capital account on January 1st was 97 632 and then we appropriated sixty thousand dollars out of it and now the balance is 30 512 but

that assessing work didn't get done so that sixty thousand dollars needs to go back in there and that balance should say 90. and that money should not now be used from that rather than raising it again no no no it's going to cost them more so we just need to make sure that we put that sixty thousand dollars back in and keeping the track and if you do and if you in this Capital want to do another 60 now you're going to have 120 right now to to do that market right which I'm not I'm if if that's what we decide to do I'm on board with that I just don't want to I just don't want that sixty thousand dollars to just yeah have not stayed earmarked for that if that's what the goal is and what we're working towards yeah and just keep in mind too talking to Donna to get a market rebound we really have to commit to it if that's what we're going to do and go up the bid because it takes a while to get these folks on board to

commit because they're busy doing rear valves for other cities right so it's really just a commitment to the town to her so she can do that work to put the rfpl and hopefully so is that the plan to have a one article this year um well just just to take it out of right but if we got to get the ball rolling is it the plan in the town to say do you vote for us to get the ball rolling I don't think so I think we're a couple of years away yeah so the idea is to try to get it done in 2025. so we so

in 2024 we're gonna ask for another 60. so that's going to get us 180. that hopefully will be enough to do the full Market reval so what's how does the homestead I I guess that you know last year it was presented to us that if we didn't do the mini reval that we weren't really going to get any Homestead exemption and I understand prices skyrocketed and things like that but are we is the taxpayer not going to see um the full value of the homestead exemption right it goes to the the lowest amount

right so what we we get is that I guess I'm just trying to find out what it is the higher your evaluation the more you get which is why they wanted it up well and because we aren't at market value we get a percentage so like if we're at 80 or 75 of what another town that's

getting their full Homestead you know they would be getting 100 we we may only be getting 75 or 80. I knew it was 80 yeah question it can and we're getting close well it wouldn't surprise me the way the market changed if we're already below 70 percent and and I think in talking with Don one of the reasons why she was hesitant to do it was because the market was so unstable I think she was really kind of waiting for hopefully it to settle down and I kind of like field prices doesn't mention that this is to enable us for a full evaluation in another year or two then we should say that from the on the top floor somebody will ask I'm sure yeah we have emotion so okay so the municipal Capital right now there's 30 000 in there it's just saying you're going to put another 60 back in that gets us to 90. why are we raising 60 if we get 90 why are we raising 60 to get to 120. shouldn't we raise 30.

was just the 65 this year right when they say the account balance of 120 the account balance will be 150 if we put 60 more into it correct so what do we want do we want the account balance to be 120 do we want the account balance be 150. so the market revalue set is being

estimated at 150 to 200 000. right is what we're thinking it's going to cost us 20 25. so to Rod's point if we find that sixty thousand dollars and get it back in there then not if when I know then that fund will be a balance of 90. we have 102 368 dollars that we have to raise before 2025 to get to to do the high end

the 200 000. so technically we only need to do 50 000 this year and 50 000 next year and we'll be fine we don't need to do six seasons each year basically that 60s we did 60 last year we do 60 this year 60 next year that gives us 180 but we

have 97. it's 97 includes at 60 from last year idea but don't you need something you also need a balance to cover the roof collapsing or something else so it it I agree we should set aside that 60 find it put it back increase six days that's what we agreed to add another 60 down the road but you still need a municipal Capital balance for other issues that may come up you don't want to drain that down to zero yeah that's right much better so thank you Mark okay well okay so it's verbiage I'm just I'm reading off in this saying the account balance right and the account balance isn't Jive them so that account needs money more than just for this assessment before it it was under capital and

vendor capital budget of Kevin's spreadsheet the 2023 budget impact this is what's interesting is it's in line assessing Market reevaluation Reserve but then in line 52 it says Market reevaluation project negative sixty thousand but I don't understand well they did that though for everything that we look see breathing apparatus Cloud cup that was last year's stuff so so they zeroed it out from last year's stuff oh last year's budget okay first is last year's budget yep I'm touching on now all right so I forgot about this tab and I so I have to sort of correct myself they are asking us to vote on transferring Quantum amounts in this tab I guess and

uh well for the Capital One Capital ones yeah and so there is a transfer request in there it out it's underfunding articles there's a there's a transfer request of two hundred thousand dollars [Music] I asked if we were being absolutely what line is that say 200 200 000 remember it's coming up when we talk about undesignated funds right yeah we're not there yet I know I I just think it's there you must be on a different spreadsheet yeah all right what are we doing right now I don't know if I've gotten a motion yet that the stock board has recommended that the town the appropriates and transfers know that they raise and appropriate uh sixty thousand dollars for a future assessing lack of evaluation Reserves I'll make that motion if Neil let me borrow the verbiage

read you can say so much oh yeah let's see what the yeah yeah thank you all right welcome to my John seconded by Rod that the town raises and appropriates sixty thousand dollars for our future assessing slash Market revaluation Reserves

all right so we put it to a vote um it's been moved and seconded that the town raises and appropriates sixty thousand dollars for future assessing slash Market revaluation reserves all those in favor all right so it's a vote

[Music] um now we have to the select board has recommended that the town raise and appropriate one hundred thousand dollars for Public Works Reserves foreign earlier um is it possible we have 1.92 million minus whatever we you know 200 000 whatever we come up with we're gonna end up the day with like 1.6 million dollars give or take in general Reserve at least is it possible to transfer that out of the general fund over to public a hundred thousand of that to Public Works Reserve fund rather than ready to tax it well we need to be careful about is that we don't go below a certain threshold we're now at a point that I believe we don't need to borrow for that CIP or that loan that we have to take out to The Tam to get through those few months wow I don't know we have to do that cash flow as you as you get going it's going to be close because Calvin's truck is coming in and it's probably going to come in before we get

to June and that's kind of pulled about 250 000 but but out of his I guess my question is that follow-up question and I don't know the rules what is that tan loan based upon general fund and Public Works Reserve fund so is it just total Reserve funds the the tan is based on how much money we have in the bank to pay for the operating of the town to pay for everything prescription right so we have just a little under 4 million right now and so we're about 800 000 a month so if you do the math it's gonna it's gonna be tight no I got that but the question is is if 1.5 million just to pick up a number is in general and you at 1.6 now plus whatever is in

kelvins now and Fire Chiefs and everybody else is that's going to come up to a number so all I'm asking is can we take instead of having 105 in general 1.5 in general we now have an extra 100 in calvins you still have a total the total of the reserves hasn't changed there

I know it's hard for me I'm toast but is the TANF based just on undesignated funds or is it based on what Androscoggin Banks says we have right it's whatever we have in the bank if we we can't really go below like 168 000 in the bank we go below that

well we can't even really go below 800 000 in a month because that's what we have going out so it's all just now it's in the bank then it's what's in the book what's on the paper it's no it's the cash in the bank it's right the payment goes off of what right so if because when you sorry to interrupt go ahead finish what you're saying so if we don't have the money in the bank to pay our expenses we have to get a tan correct but the tan what you had said at the select board meeting was undesignated funds the government says we have to have at least 16 to 17 percent of budget or two months of expenditures right and two months of expenditures was roughly 1.5 million yeah 17 was

1.36 Million that's an undesignated funds right so it has to be undesignated the only on designated funds yeah if it's sitting over in reserve then it doesn't count because you can't find it right we can't spend undesignated without a vote by the town right or like somebody if it's once is in the capital fund it can't be spent on anything but that capital unless the time unless Tom goes to let's just say the 1.6 there's a boat six one I get it yeah okay so but and what the select board was saying is let's not get too close to that 1.5 million because the select board didn't say this this is Jill's words the books are so screwed up right now we're not really sure what's what so we don't want to get too close to that and then find out that the books weren't accurate so it's let's just sort of the books just haven't been reconciled in a long time so it's hard to know exactly right you know right because when you

say they're so screwed up okay the books aren't balanced yet right there I withdraw my question we can move on observation the law doesn't require us to have that fund that's just a recommendation from the accountants I think that's no there's no legal requirement to have that I might have mistyped right now so I'm I don't want to give them a hundred thousand dollars what is his what is his balance is is

that what his balance is though yes yeah yeah 218 after the truck gets paid for but I think the truck costs more than what this number is it is but last year you've raised a certain amount too to help pay for it but there are surcharges that are going to be on that truck because that's the way the market is so we have to when the final bill about 200 yeah well so I would say we get 50 Grand and to John's point we got a big undesignated fund if he needs Capital money for something we can move from the mwj fund to his fund so unfortunately I'd say let's Let's uh raise 50 Grand that's what I my recommendation so Mr chairman I I make a motion that we um vote to raise and appropriate for Public Works reserves fifty thousand dollars second [Music]

so it's been moved by Neil and seconded by John that the town raises and appropriates fifty thousand dollars for the public works can I serve account discussion I just wanted to ask um Neil a question so if we were sticking to the like Capital Improvement plan if you're looking out further than just this year would your like thought process to be able to pay for things going forward on the capital Improvement plan you know if putting in a hundred they're doing this to be able to stick to that plan it would you would want to supplement that with undesignated versus raising if we had to Yeah okay or maybe maybe we bonded you know we Bond all kinds of things around the town yeah I just wanted to make sure that it it was like you still want to stick to the capital Improvement plan you just want to fund it in a different way is it well it was going to come out of taxes one way or the other but yeah okay

thank you tax exempt leasing is we should be looking at saying it for years any further discussion all right seeing none it has been moved and seconded that the town raises and appropriates fifty thousand dollars for the public works in favor

three everyone was in favor and I'm against seven to one okay um so speaking of undesignated it is the select board's recommendation to appropriate two hundred thousand dollars from the undesignated fund balance to be used towards the 2023 budget appropriation

there by decreasing the amounts we raise from property taxes and just just to let you know they're hold on there he needs to change that number right so they did that before they heard um Calvin 16 000. and what we're now allocating for solid waste so the solid waste number is 250.

and Calvin's gas was 1600 less so we need to add that their recommendation is now not the 200. whatever that money for the 16 and whatever was above the 250 that they had and I think 50. 200 I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm tired so I I think it goes from 200 to 238

540. but but help me with my math is what I get 25 209 is because so far the budget committee either said yes to the select boards number or raised a couple of items because of gas expenses and things like that until we got to the public works capital reserve and that's a difference of twenty five thousand two hundred and nine dollars there's a difference in the in the solid waste contract number so what's that so look at I don't know why I did because you're assuming that they're not going to change anything other than those two things correct you're assuming this left board is only going to change their 16 000 and they're solid base yeah exactly which is 25 200.

yeah Solid Waste we we passed 372.5 which is 20 000 more than what yeah less it doesn't less than Jerry is believing that that select board is going to add 21 200 to their undesignated right now that's currently at 200. so he thinks the select board will want to transfer that amount from undesignated to cover the operating budget that has been proposed along with their um where did that 25 2 come from this is because the solid waste contract costs more money than what they had originally so if you look at this number this is 20 000 off right here yeah that's what we voted that's what his was this is what he but this is what he's thinking the select board is going to do the year price which is the 397. why would they do that it's just they just they don't split the number they just take the number of the contract and they go this that 397 all happened around three o'clock so they really don't think they're having fun they

haven't even seen it they they got the proposal and everything but they and all the meetings that I've ever watched they never do the July to June they just take the price for that year and go with it like it's the price for the right am I correct I've never seen you guys split the trash contract

you're either voting for to me you're voting for the whole thing for a year and then we re-negotiate the contract and that comes before the town next year or else you're doing something mid-year that is out of process for what we would normally do that's just my view of it I'm not sure what they've done in the past right but I mean this goes back to the whole bit about having the budget the way and the town meeting the way we do it today and it's kind of it's after we're already right right yeah right it's [Music] if you may not want to begin yeah so but we're transferring money that we already have so just to give you some background the the the actual money that we raised last year that went unspent and got returned to undesignated was a hundred and thirty seven thousand two hundred and eighty and then the the select board chose to bump it up to 200

000. so it was sort of arbitrary they just felt that the 200 000 um based on the amounts available was was it was a was a comfortable amount to take out of but there wasn't really any you know they didn't there wasn't any discussion on where the additional sixty thousand dollars came from uncomfortable number in without editorializing if we do 200 225 000 were limited we're not

that's all money we already have and we're just moving it right we're not raising it we're not raising it so there's a that actually helps the tax impact the more we move out of undesignated the less money we have to raise so that two hundred thousand dollars could could remain and and maybe you know we don't know what the select what's going to discuss but they I mean they could say no we're comfortable with two hundred thousand dollars we're going to need to raise the additional um 21 to most you're thinking they most likely won't right because I I talked to them so they're they're they're they're their their recommendation is going to be not the 200 000 whatever the difference is with Calvin's gas and the price between the 350 that was estimated in that the point that I'm making is that they came they arbitrarily came up with two hundred thousand dollars it wasn't really a rhyme of reason that that we

have to you know be concerned about yeah I I don't know if that's the case I think they look at the tax impact and that's what they determine goes into the undesignated to help keep the the mill Raider I mean Kevin had some had some he was the one that I believe that that um made the motion for that amount um you know and obviously he gave it some thought I'm not just saying he pulled it out of a hat but there wasn't really a whole lot of discussion you know like we discussed you know how it broke down it just he just got he he said 200 000 was kept us below and as a reasonable amount that not to not um I undermine the goal that we we sort of have set up

explained it he did make a point that by like doing that he was keeping the tax Burden rate during not raising the mill rate man 200 000 helps that yeah and I have his nope say something though yes [Music] um one of the things that I haven't heard discussed at all listening to CIP select board meetings and even our meetings unless you guys discussed it before I got here tonight we have it's not three hundred thousand I think it's 275 000 of arpa funds that we're using this year to prevent the taxes from going up

what happens next year they're not going to get all these new toys because we're not going to have the arpa funds to offset things if we dip too deep into undesignated we're not going to have undesignated to offset things are we is anyone that knows anything

I've thought about it Beyond me have an idea of how much because it's great if our taxes are Level this year or you know five percent and we've got to see how things come out but if all of a sudden next year we're looking at 10 percent tax increases we're gonna have a really hard time selling that ticket to the town my understanding was the opera funds were being used for for costs that were one time correct and I know that um many public statements were made at public meetings regarding Opera funds that the funds be used that way and not put towards items

um that would cost more right you know but if we're also lower the amount that we're spending this year if we end up you know if the town votes for all the lower amounts so we're only putting 50 000 into public works like does that affect even our basic operating budget next year when it comes to the levy limit and things like that like I I'm not smart enough in the accounting world to know any of those answers one of the things

the levy limit by 300 000 AKA are for spending exactly yeah if they if they didn't have those arpa funds to kick in they're really really close to the living limit right we probably would make be making some of the purchases right which is fine but again I'm just kind of curious and maybe there is no effect to next year but I feel like I would love to have somebody who knows something I did think about that okay if you look at Kevin and spreadsheet where she did a really good job on it the budget impact the budget impact spreadsheet yeah under the tax impact tab he has this is where he has that 200 000 undesignated fund okay being assigned yeah um I guess it's it's Revenue really but um 2022 they they use 76 76 000 from undesignated funds and that led to a [Music]

this year is 12 uh 12 Levy increase the municipal assessments going up 12 percent if you use the same number that he used last year it would be 22 percent they just picked those numbers because they were there in the spreadsheet okay so in other words we're not going to continue to take 200 Grand from the undesignated we can only do it for so many years right so well remember

137 of that we would have we would have authorized that if we did the old way we would have seen that those were monies that were raised yes no I'm not criticizing the method at all I think the method's fine right but but we can't keep doing it no matter unless you know unless we continue to overtax the people in my opinion of tax people but the thing that offsets it is Bond payments are going down so 160 grand less next year more the year after so that's going to offset some of that need um but yeah it's a worry I mean we're building in [Music] mandates and and tax impact now all the time right right I don't know whether it's exceeding what the what the growth is or not you know the tax growth is but taxes are going to grow obviously a little bit people moving in

so are we at a place where we can vote on something got somebody motioned 50. you did no no because that was previously so I do I have a quick question how much before we before we settle on this number here it does not include the admin the administration budget increase the three thousand dollars so is the is the undesignated fund 2.4

2.5 and I share with you it says 1.9 but trios is 2.4 I go with the lower just to cover your ass so this would take it down to this is that whole so I wonder if I wonder if the difference is the 300 000 arpa funds because it don't I didn't see that anywhere oh you did say that that went into a different account yeah that actually won it's 500.

when I shared the uh yeah you'll see it in there and when I look at Trio and see two people I don't know [Music] doesn't have to be you know we are generous right 230 000 from whatever it was to operating budget or whatever please fill in the records

[Music] second all right so John you better second nail Israel is moved by John and seconded by Neil that the what a select that that the town appropriates no that'll that we allow the board of Selectmen to appropriate the amount of 230 000

from undesignate from the undesignated fund balance to be used toward the 2023 budget appropriation thereby decreasing the amount to be raised from property taxes so any further discussion seeing none uh to review the motion

and second is that the Town allows the boat of Selectmen to appropriate two hundred and thirty thousand dollars from undesignated fund balance to be used toward the 2023 budget appropriation thereby decreasing the amount to be raised from property all those all those improved all those opposed vote is one two three four five six to two what would you have done I think it's too much [Music] um I'm gonna attempt this just to make the wording less I'm making motion to see if the town will vote to appropriate all General and intergovernmental revenues receive that are not dedicated or otherwise appropriated for other expenses to reduce the tax in commitment parentheses amounts listed on revenues tab will be listed on the warrant end of parentheses I'll second there you go discussion didn't we just vote no no this is this is like your your auto excise tax your building permits your electrical permits oh time for bed that

sort of thing okay a second okay will withdraw by second if you want to be the one but if Bill wrote down my name so it's tired any discussion seeing none let's go to vote I make a motion to see if the town will vote to allow the board of Selectmen to transfer up to hitting pause seven thousand eight

hundred years that's not my motion like that I apologize I apologize um 9 380 dollars from the recreation assigned fund Telecommunications assigned fund to be used towards the 2023 appropriation for the conservation Parks and Recreation and Telecommunications budget thereby decreasing the amount to be raised by property taxes wow I'll vote for that a second uh I second it yes there we go that's what we do every year right [Music] for the discussion uh it's been moved and seconded that the town votes to allow the board of selectment to transfer up to nine thousand three hundred and eighty dollars from the recreation assigned funded up to 52 000 from the Telecommunications assigned fund to be used toward the 2023 appropriation for the conservation Parks and Recreation and telecommunication budgets that by decreasing the amount to be raised by property taxes all those in favor vote now I got three more to go we already

did Debt Service right [Music] the select board recommends that you can't appropriate 14 000 this is additional monies that we've already voted on that the town votes to appropriate 14 344.90 from undesignated fund balance to

cover Solid Waste expenditures above the approved 2022 Solid Waste budget does it didn't we already do that that we get paid on over so now you're at 2 30. you're going to bring up to 247 and there's another one yeah we didn't have this this wasn't in my tab you have this information where did that come from

yo it's in the the thing that Kevin sent us this could be changed on the top floor this isn't a done deal yeah I'm confused so that 230 that 16 000 to 25 200 wasn't that to cover like uh that's the difference between the older girls but they only overspent so we have to improve it I will make a motion to do what you just said wait for a second my second all right so it was moved by John and seconded by Jill that the town allows uh that the town appropriates 14

344.90 from the undesignated fund balance to cover Solid Waste expenditures above the approved 2022 Solid Waste budget all those and any further discussions so I guess my concern would be when we're all said and done how far up are we going to be on these Sundays that new funds are we going to be above that percentage that we need to be at [Music] um

and it should be is like 16 15 to 17 so I think not much is in the fund so um 1.7 million just missing a half mil we'll find it right discussion seeing none it has been moved and seconded that the town appropriates 14 344.90 from the undesignated fund balance to cover Solid Waste expenditures above the approved 2022 Solid Waste budget all those in favor anyone opposed yes or no

then we go into whatever the word is that the accountants use if anything you have to ask to revisit the what was the vote I'm waiting to find out how you voted for it so that you're going against no I voted for it I don't I mean I'm gonna vote for this I just wish that we would just because before we got respect the article um the board has recommended that the town votes to appropriate 8 638.71 cents from undesignated fund balance to cover a fire department expenditures above the approved 2022 fire department budget chairman yes sir I've only accepted select boys recommendation you moved my second it was moved by Neil and seconded by Jill

um that the town 638.71 cents from the undesignated fund balance to cover fire department expenditures which are above the approved 2022 fire department budget any further discussion seeing none uh it's been moved and seconded that the town votes to appropriate that approves to appropriate eight thousand six hundred thirty eight dollars and seventy one cents from the undesignated fund balance to cover fire department expenditures which are above the improved 2022 fire department budget all those in favor [Music] vote let me just make sure I cover all this all filled in so last year we moved 76

000 this year we're going to move 252 weeks or or raise taxes remember before we did that we all voted on those numbers I mean if we want to go back and lower the administration of the fire department and some other stuff all we're all we did was it 230 was help people with their taxes we don't know what's going to happen anyone can change the numbers

think of anything else we got to do so I had sent out we're not doing this tonight I had sent out an email about you know having a discussion about ideas and you know places where remember that email that is sent out a long time ago um and we talked about doing it after this that's obviously not gonna happen um I would really love and at some point we

could do that I know we said that last year too and it didn't happen and um you know I I would really love for that to happen the other thing is that um and I don't know if there's time but I the way that the planning board has the informational hearings about the land use stuff and the conservation I I think there's no opportunity I think

there's no opportunity for residents that don't understand the budget process or can't sit through four hour long meetings they don't get any chance to have public input in this process or even ask questions to have them get answered um and I'd love for the budget committee to to do one of those kind of question and answers about the budget before we get to town meeting I'm more than happy to be one of the people from the budget committee participating I I don't know how everybody feels about that and also that I can bring it up so I'm bringing it up it's a it's a good idea and a hard idea and I say it's a hard idea because [Music] just like everyone's like well the budget committee has say on how much is spent we really don't I mean I think that a lot of people in town have no idea how this process even works exactly yeah yeah and that's my concern is that well that's what Milt said he didn't

know how many people would actually actually show us questions I don't I don't mind giving it a whirl you know experiment see what happens I don't think we necessarily need a full Quorum for it no no so no discussion