FINCOM 03-04-2013

Source page 1

Town of Canton Finance Committee
Meeting Minutes
Monday, March 4, 2013
Members Present:
Rob Barker, Sarah Calabria, Pat Johnson, Mark Porter, Barbara Saint Andrd, Jim Sims and Eric Zine.
Members Absent:
Diane Wolff.
Guests Present:
Susan Cogliano, Canton Trustee to Norfolk County Agricultural School
Suzanne M. Green, Superintendent- Director, Norfolk County Agricultural School
Richard Fitzpatrick, Business Manager, Norfolk County Agricultural School
Jim Murgia, Finance Director
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Secretary
Opening:
A meeting of the Canton Finance Committee was called to order at approximately 7:02 p.m. on Monday, March 4,
2013 in the Community Meeting Room of the Canton Public Library.
A. Approval of Agenda
Chairman Porter stated the purpose of the meeting was to discuss student tuition and the FY14 budget for the
Norfolk County Agricultural School, to review boilerplate motions for Annual Town Meeting (ATM) articles and to
discuss FY14 Budgets.
Announcements
There were no announcements made.
B. Approval of Minutes
There were no meeting minutes submitted for approval.
C. New Business
Norfolk County Agricultural School (Norfolk Aggie) FY14 Budget — (handout) Suzanne Green, the
Superintendent - Director of Norfolk Aggie, opened up the discussion with the Finance Committee. She thanked the
FINCOM for inviting them to their meeting. Ms. Green presented basic facts about the Norfolk Aggie such as the
successful 100% student graduation rate and the 84% rate for those students going on to high learning/college at the
end of the 2012 school year.
Rick Fitzpatrick, the Business Manager of Norfolk Aggie, presented the FY14 budget information but stated that
their Budget Sub - Committee was still in the process of deliberating on the budget and had not taken their final votes.
Some of the Finance Committee members had specific questions and concerns with the high percentage increases
from FY13 to FY14 for budget line items such as the district wide professional salaries /permanent. Mr. Fitzpatrick
stated that the budget figures included an approximately 1.5% salary increase along with a 1.5% increase for steps
and columns. He also clarified that some of these line items include costs for stipends and coaching advisors and
that these were being budgeted for a 1.5% increase as well. Norfolk Aggie does not anticipate any retirements in
FY14. They are also budgeting for one additional maintenance staff person due to the recent addition of 75,000 sq.
$. of educational space.
Mr. Fitzpatrick anticipates meeting with the department heads over the next few weeks and has targeted the end of
May for completion of the budget process. Any follow -up questions that the FINCOM has for Norfolk Aggie will
be sent through Chairman Porter.
Nofolk County Agricultural School (Norfolk Aggie) FY14 Student Tuition — (handout) Mr. Murgia continued
the discussion with Norfolk Aggie with regard to student tuition. He referenced a letter the Town had recently
received with regard to the number of Canton students attending Norfolk Aggie. Currently, there are three students
attending Norfolk Aggie with one in Grade 9, one in Grade 10 and one in Grade 11. To date, Norfolk Aggie has
received three applications for admissions from Canton students for attendance in the fall. The FYI tuition rate of
FINCOM 03042013_EZ MINUTES.doc Page 1 of 5 3/6/2013