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April 03, 2023, Finance Committee Meeting - Virtual Meeting. Minutes
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Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 5/1/23
801 Washington Street Vote: 5-0-0
Canton, MA 02021
Meeting Minutes
April 3, 2023
Finance Committee Members Present: Dave Clough, Dan Cole, Emilio Mauro, Tim McKenna, Maureen Menconi,
Reuki Schutt and Cindy Thomas.
Finance Committee Members Absent: Karen Foley.
Guests Present:
Charlie Doody, Town Administrator
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Recording Secretary
Randy Scollins, Finance Director/Treasurer/Collector
Call Meeting to Order: Ms. Thomas called the virtual meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. and stated that the Finance
Committee will wrap up their final votes and discussions for Annual Town Meeting.
Article 9 – Reconsideration – Adjust Fiscal ’23 Accounts – Mr. Scollins stated that the Finance Committee had
already voted on Article 9 to fund a deficit in the Compensated Absences fund from three different funding sources.
Mr. Scollins has been monitoring the Snow and Ice budget to confirm that the Town could afford to fund the
Compensated Absences deficit with $150,000, however Mr. Scollins suggested reducing that amount to $140,000
and shift the $10,000 from the Health Insurance budget surplus.
A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee reconsider their previous vote for Article 9 was
seconded by Mr. McKenna.
Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye
Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye
Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0.
The motion for the Finance Committee to reconsider Article 9 passed.
A motion made by Mr. Mauro that Article 9 be recommended the motion as rewritten that $250,000 be
transferred to fund the Compensated Absences fund deficit and additional anticipated expenses in said Fund
864, and to meet said appropriation with transfers from the following three sources: 1) $140,000 from unused
Fiscal Year 2023 funds in the Snow and Ice budget, Department 423; 2) $32,500 from surplus in the Fiscal
Year 2023 Blue Hills Regional Technical School budget, Department 840; and 3) $77,500 from Surplus in the
Fiscal Year 2023 Health Insurance budget, Department 914 was seconded by Ms. Schutt.
Roll Call Vote:
Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye
Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye
Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0.
The revised motion for Article 9 passed. The discussion for Article 9 did not need amending.
Article 23 – Reconsideration – Appropriation of Proceeds from the TNC Per Ride Assessment Funds
Mr. Scollins reported that initially the Town was provided with an amount that equaled the total of what is available
($13,436.90) to fund the Royal Street Shuttle Bus Service but have received an updated invoice from the state on the
Town’s share for the current year which is less (the new share is $9,409). In discussion with the interim Town
Planner, Mr. Manning, he has received direction from the Planning Board that the balance ($4,027.90) be
appropriated for trail signage and road sharrows to mark bike lanes in designated areas. There are now two
purposes instead of one purpose.
A motion made by Mr. McKenna that the Finance Committee reconsider their previous vote for Article 23 was
seconded by Ms. Schutt. Mr. Scollins confirmed for Mr. Cole that the same amount of money was being proposed
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but for two purposes instead of one. The Town had initially been presented with an invoice that would have used all of the funds that are available ($13,436.90) but the Town received a revised bill from the State recalculating the Town’s share of the program to be $9,409. The interim Town Planner checked with the Planning Board who determined that the balance of the funds were to be used for signage and road sharrows. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion for the Finance Committee to reconsider Article 23 passed. A motion made by Mr. McKenna to recommend that the motion for Article 23 be moved that $9,409 be appropriated to be spent by the Interim Town Planner with approval of the Planning Board for the cost of the Royal Street shuttle bus service and program management, and that the sum of $4,027.90 be appropriated to be spent for the cost of Trail signage and Road Sharrows to mark bike lanes in designated areas and to meet said appropriation $13,436.90 be transferred from TNC Funds received on deposit in a Reserved for Appropriation account with the intent that said funds shall be available in FY23 was seconded by Ms. Schutt. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The revised motion for Article 23 passed. The discussion for Article 23 would need to be updated to reference the funds being used for two purposes. Article 3 – Hear Reports of Committees Appointed at Prior Town Meetings The Finance Committee had previously voted at a prior meeting to hear the reports at Annual Town Meeting (ATM). Since that vote took place the Finance Committee received the report from the Economic Development Committee (EDC). Mr. Scollins screen shared the EDC report. Ms. Thomas inquired if the Finance Committee was required to accept the reports or to just vote to hear the reports. Mr. Scollins stated that the Finance Committee had already voted that the reports be heard at Annual Town Meeting. Ms. Schutt appreciated that the Finance Committee received the one report in advance to review but stated that she did not want the Committee to appear that they supported one committee and not the other two. Mr. Scollins would forward the Revere & Son Heritage Trust Corporation (RSHTC) report to the Finance Committee once he received the report. Mr. Clough complimented the EDC report and had no questions about the report. He did inquire when the Finance Committee would receive the other two reports. Mr. Scollins stated that it was his understanding that the Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) report would not be available because CAASA did not have a Program Manager for most of the fiscal year but that the other report, RSHTC, should be available in the near future. Vote FY24 School / Municipal / Operating Budgets – Mr. Scollins screened shared a Summary of Revenues and Expenditures for the Committee. He also screen shared the Operating Budget by Voting Category as well as the Departmental Budget Report showing salaries and expenses. Ms. Thomas suggested that the Committee take a similar approach on voting the budgets as Town Meeting votes the budgets. Ms. Thomas stated that if any Committee member had a question about a particular budget that it would be an appropriate time to discuss the budgets. Mr. McKenna volunteered to read the budget numbers. Ms. Schutt inquired about the funds being requested for the Paul Revere Museum and if those funds were included in the budget. Mr. Scollins stated that the Revere & Son Heritage Trust has a committee line item within the budget. The RSHTC has a net budget increase of $24,496 primarily to fund the two positions that provide administrative support to the Trust. Ms. Schutt stated that she had been approached by a resident that wanted to understand where the income that the RSHTC receives and she questioned if that information was presented to the Committee. Mr. Scollins stated that the Trust is in the business of generating revenue from multiple sources. They are allowed by the enabling legislation to approach local, state and federal governments for funding as well as to solicit private donations for the purposes of this corporation. The corporation has millions of dollars of expenses that it needs to raise funds for. Currently, the Trust’s focus is on raising funds for the museum construction of the interior. The funding was recently completed for the museum design work for approximately $600,000. Those funds have already been raised and committed but the Trust now needs to generate $3-3.5 million for the interior construction. The revenue sources that the Trust is currently receiving that would be identified for the interior construction include rental income from the restaurant, Northern Spy, on the first floor of the Rolling Mill building but larger amounts will need to FINCOM 20230403 - WRS.docx Page 2 of 6 4/29/23
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be raised privately. The Trust is “socking away” all of the funds that are being made available to it so that a) current expenses can be funded and b) it can fund the design and construction of the museum interior. Mr. Clough inquired about the $5,000 fee that the Town is paying to the Trust for the Heritage Day event. Mr. Scollins stated that the Trust had made a request for it but it was not funded and that the Heritage Day would cost approximately $15,000 and through efforts of the Trust, the RSHT Board Members and employees and volunteers the Trust has raised more than $15,000. The Heritage Day is fully-funded privately. Mr. Scollins confirmed that the Trust, not the Town, has paid $5,000 in the past for the Heritage Day and that it would not be a part of the Town’s budget. It was a budget request but was not supported through the budget process. Mr. Scollins provided information regarding the enabling statute that formed the RSHTC. The Trust can raise funds from Federal, State and Local governments in addition to raise funds privately by requesting charitable donations. The Town is not allowed to raise funds through charitable donations. Mr. Scollins stated that information about the Trust would be provided at Annual Town Meeting. Mr. Clough emphasized that the Trust provide receipts and expenditures as required by the statute. Mr. Clough stated that it would be great for the Finance Committee to see the report prior to ATM. Mr. Scollins will pass along the RSHTC report to the Finance Committee as soon as he receives it. Mr. Clough thanked Mr. Scollins. Ms. Thomas stated that it is a confusing and complex arrangement as it is a quasi-trust that has a relationship with the Town’s government as well as a private component and is a complex area for the Finance Committee to understand what belongs where. Mr. Mauro inquired if in the budget book if there would be information or a definition of how these types of trusts work that might help Town Meeting voters understand trusts. Mr. Scollins stated that the enabling legislation is the authoritative document on how the Corporation works and that Mr. DelVecchhio and Mr. Hines are working on a presentation that they are allowed by the enabling legislation to present at Town Meeting and have the intention of doing that. They will walk through the complex nuances that are difficult to understand. Mr. Mauro inquired if all trusts worked similarly or does a trust operate individually. Mr. Scollins stated that the RSHTC is a “very unique animal” in the state of Massachusetts and is the only one of its kind and does operate differently. It is a non-profit corporation and is allowed to seek charitable contributions (commonalities to other trusts) but the laws that apply to the Trust are specifically stated in the enabling legislation and they are quite unique in what laws apply and by omission what laws do not apply. Mr. Scollins encouraged Committee members to read the enabling legislation. In response to Mr. Mauro’s inquiry if a definition of a trust would be put in the ATM report and of how the trust works, Mr. Scollins replied that there is “no short, simplistic, soundbite” that could be placed in the definitions of the Finance Committee’s report to ATM that would cover all of the important basics of the Trust. Ms. Schutt stated that one of the concerns is to be able to see the income into the Trust and to be able to look at the entire budget so that when the Finance Committee is voting on the $66,200 budget for the RSHTC that it is appropriately needed because they do not know of what income is brought in by the Trust. Ms. Schutt commented that the Committee should have the Trust report prior to ATM on May 8th if the Committee is being asked to vote on the budget now. Mr. Scollins ensured that the Committee would receive the report “sooner than later”. Ms. Schutt thanked Mr. Scollins. Mr. Scollins confirmed for Mr. Clough that the Committee was being asked to vote on the $66,200 in the FINCOM column and not the $76,200 figure that had been requested by the Trust. Ms. Thomas stated that the “transparency factor” would be critical to the community. Typically there are not a lot of holds placed on the budget when voting it at Town Meeting and that there is a lot of vulnerability for it. Personally the Chair did not state her support or non-support for the RSHTC budget but is of the opinion that it is vulnerable because it is hard to understand the revenue side of the Trust and where those revenues are going and where they are being applied to will be important. Ms. Thomas provided the link to the enabling legislation in the Chat portion of the meeting (https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2020/Chapter150) and suggested Committee members review the legislation after their Finance Committee meeting concluded. Mr. McKenna stated that to the extent that the Trust accumulates income from whatever source, it is not that it is being accumulated and not being spent but that it will ultimately be spent in various manners to benefit the property and the museum and events that happen at the site and that ultimately is working to the same purpose that the Town is and that there is not an accumulation of income that is not going to be used for the benefit of that property. Mr. Scollins responded that the Trust still has a very large “bogey” to fund the construction of the interior of the museum which is millions of dollars and the Trust currently does not have the funds so the Trust does need to raise funds. Vote - FY24 School Operating Budget A motion made by Ms. Schutt to recommend an FY24 School Operating Budget of $53,490,543 was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion to recommend an FY24 School Operating Budget of $53,490,543 passed. FINCOM 20230403 - WRS.docx Page 3 of 6 4/29/23
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Vote - FY24 Municipal Budget A motion made by Ms. Schutt to recommend an FY24 School Operating Budget of $26,621,741 was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion to recommend an FY24 Municipal Operating Budget of $26,621,741 passed. FY24 – Fixed Costs – The Finance Committee had already discussed and voted the FY24 Fixed Costs budget of $34,443,957 at a previous Finance Committee meeting. Vote – FY24 Enterprise Budgets (Water, Sewer and Rink) A motion made by Ms. Schutt to recommend an FY24 budget for the Rink Enterprise (700) of $433,494 an FY24 budget for Sewer Enterprise (600-602) of $7,121,476 and an FY24 budget for Water Enterprise (640-642) of $9,818,663 was seconded by Mr. Clough. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion to recommend the FY24 budgets for the three Enterprise Funds passed. Discussion of Finance Committee Report and Discussions – The Finance Committee did not review the 15-page Finance Committee Report but Ms. Thomas spoke very highly about the report and thanked Mr. Scollins for his work on writing the Finance Committee report. Mr. Scollins called to attention the section “On the Horizon” which addresses Roads, School Space Needs, Municipal Central Maintenance Division, OPEB and Storm water Management. Mr. McKenna brought to the attention of the newer Committee members the summaries of the past few fiscal years. Mr. Mauro wrote a few discussions where the Finance Committee had a differing vote from the Capital Planning Committee (CPC). The Finance Committee is still waiting for many discussions from the CPC. The ATM document will be going to the printer on Monday, April 10. Public Informational Meeting via Zoom – Mr. Scollins has discussed with Mr. Hines earlier in the day and that Mr. Hines will be reaching out to Ms. Thomas and Mr. Connelly on the logistics of the meeting so that the Finance Committee will be able to publish the date on the Annual Town Meeting document. Discussion – Special Town Meeting – Mr. Doody explained that the Select Board had received two real estate articles after the warrant for Annual Town Meeting had closed. On the advice of Town Counsel it was suggested the Town have a Special Town Meeting to address these two articles. STM Article 1 is to Acquire and Extinguish Permanent and Temporary Easements Over 293 York Street for Construction and Maintenance of a Drainage System. 293 York Street is a location that has been subject to flooding and the Town undertook some drainage facilities to alleviate the floodin. Part of that work had to be done in a resident’s yard for which easements had to be done in order for the Town to do the work. One portion of the pipe had to be moved to a location that had not been anticipated. The pipe came out of an easement that it had been originally designed to go in. The Town has to correct the paperwork and update the as built plan. This article will correct the easements and will depict the actual work that was done on the property. There is no cost involved except legal fees. STM Article 2 is a Home Rule Petition: Disposition of Town of Canton Land in Stoughton for Route 138 Roadway Improvements and is a MASS DOT project for improvements to the Route 138 corridor. This phase of the project is going to be done in the Town of Stoughton. According to Mr. Doody, Canton owns quite a bit of property in Stoughton that is conservation wetlands that falls under certain projections and restrictions. In order for MASS DOT to do the project they need permission from Canton for temporary and permanent easements to go onto Canton property. The Town found out that much of the land is under the control of Conservation. There is an article in the Massachusetts Constitution called Article 97 that requires any time land is taken out of conservation the land has to be replicated with the same amount of land or it has to be paid for. The Town is figuring out if the State is going to be able to replace the land that the Town would be giving up. All of the parcels of land referenced in Article 2 are Town-owned land. The majority of the parcels are under the control of the Conservation Commission which makes it land that falls under Article 97. The total square footage of all the parcels listed in Article 2 combined is about 22,000 square feet or almost half an acre of land the Town would be looking for the state to replace. FINCOM 20230403 - WRS.docx Page 4 of 6 4/29/23
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Vote – Special Town Meeting Article 1 Acquire and Extinguish Permanent and Temporary Easements Over 293 York Street for Construction and Maintenance of a Drainage System A motion made by Mr. McKenna that the Finance Committee recommend Special Town Meeting Article 1 as written was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion to recommend Special Town Meeting Article 1 as written passed. Mr. Mauro volunteered to write the discussion for this article. Vote - Home Rule Petition: Disposition of Town of Canton Land in Stoughton for Route 138 Roadway Improvements A motion made by Mr. McKenna that the Finance Committee recommend Special Town Meeting Article 2 as written was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion to recommend Special Town Meeting Article 1 as written passed. Mr. Mauro volunteered to write the discussion for this article. Discussion – Article 20 – Neponset Street Land Acquisition - Ms. Thomas stated that a question had come up at a previous Finance Committee meeting as to the cost of creating a parking lot at that location and what the funding source will be. Mr. Doody stated that if the purchase of the land is successful the first phase would be the design and engineering of the parking lot. After conversation with the Select Board Chair it has been suggested the funding would come from mitigation funds (which the Select Board controls) to fund the design phase. After that phase there would be another conversation as to whether the construction should be financed through a free cash transfer or another method. Mr. Doody stated that his office would be responsible for the printing of the Special Town Meeting articles and that they would have 300 copies available for the voters at Annual Town Meeting. Next Meeting Date: There is no Finance Committee meeting scheduled before their next meeting which will take place on May 8, 2023 from 6-7:00 p.m. just prior to the Annual Town Meeting. Approval of Minutes - A motion made by Ms. Schutt to approve the March 22, 2023 minutes as written was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The March 22, 2023 minutes were approved. The March 29th minutes were not ready for approval. A motion made by Ms. Schutt to adjourn the meeting at 8:08 p.m. was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Mr. McKenna Aye Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Mauro Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Clough Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0 The meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m. Minutes reviewed by: Tim McKenna Respectfully submitted, Cindy Thomas Chair, Canton Finance Committee Sub-Committee to Review Compensation of Elected Officials FINCOM 20230403 - WRS.docx Page 5 of 6 4/29/23
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Finance Committee
Meeting Documents
April 3, 2023
Please note: Some meeting documents may be found on the Town’s website under the Posted Minutes
section (Laser Fiche).
Agenda for April 3, 2023.
Economic Development Committee Update provided by Gene Manning dated May 8, 2023.
Summary of Revenue and Expeditures, provided by Mr. Scollins (1 page).
Revere & Son Heritage Trust Corporation (Ch. 150 of the Acts of 2020 per Governor on 8/7/20).
Operating Budget By Voting Category (2 pages).
Town of Canton Budget Report for FY 24, Department/Finance Committee Request (8 pages).
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