FINCOM 20160229 Minutes

Source page 1

Town of Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 3/14/16
Meeting Minutes vote: to-o-o
Monday, February 29, 2016
Members Present:
Rob Barker, Jim Casamento, Gerald Dorfman, Nichols Gallagher, Dianne Gustafson, Stephanie Leach,
Tim McKenna, Barbara Saint Andre and Jim Sims.
Members Absent:
Sepp Bergschneider.
Guests Present:
Tony Braconi, Sponsor of Citizen Articles
Mike Trotta, Superintendent of Department of Public Works (DPW)
Karen Zukauskas, Assessing Director
Jim Murgia, Finance Director
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Secretary
Opening: A meeting of the Canton Finance Committee was called to order by Chair Saint Andre at
7:02 p.m. on Monday, February 29, 2016 in the Salah Meeting Room of Town Hall.
A. Approval of Agenda
Chair Saint Andre reviewed the items on the agenda.
B. Announcements
There were no announcements.
C. New Business
Assessing Department — FY17 Budget Requests — (no meeting handouts) Karen Zukauskas, the
Director of Assessing, explained the Assessing Department's FY17 budget requests as follows:
• Ms. Zukauskas has requested a $25,000 budget increase to the FY17 budget to cover the
remaining balance of the cost for appraisal services fora 3-year revaluation.
• The Assessing Department had negotiated a revaluation contract for $115,000 to be paid over
three years with the first payment of $30,000 in FY15, the second payment of $30,000 in FY16
and the final payment of $55,000 in FY17. By negotiating for the payments in this manner the
Town saved $5,000.
• The Assessing Department budget is currently carrying $30,000 and is in need of $25,000 to
cover the remaining balance for FY17.
• Mr. Murgia spoke in favor of supplementing the Assessing FY16 budget with $25,000 at Town
Meeting by a transfer from Free Cash rather than increasing the FY17 budget.
• In response to an inquiry from a Finance Committee member regarding a $4,142 contract
provision budget line item, Mr. Murgia stated that this budget line item was for unsettled contracts
costs for two AFSCME employees (American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees) for FY16 and FY17.
• Ms. Zukauskas stated that the Department of Revenue (DOR) requires valuations to be adjusted
on an ongoing basis every three years. The DOR requires revaluations of all properties every
nine years. Governor Baker's municipal reform does not address the nine-year revaluation
process but does propose changing the three-year valuations to five-year valuations.
• Mr. Murgia proposed funding the nine-year valuation for FY18, FY19 and FY20 through an article
at the 2017 Annual Town Meeting for a transfer from the Assessor's Overlay account.
• Ms. Zukauskas explained that her staff assists with the valuations during the three-year process
whereas 10-15 appraisers are hired to assist with the nine-year revaluation.
20160229 FINCOM MINUTES Page 1 of 7 03/02/2016