Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
January 29, 2025, Finance Committee Meeting - Virtual Meeting. Minutes
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Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 2/5/25 801 Washington Street Vote: 7-0-1 Canton, MA 02021 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes January 29, 2025 Virtual Meeting Finance Committee Members Present: Dan Cole, John Leonetti, Emilio Mauro, Maureen Menconi, Kristin Mirliani, Reuki Schutt and Cindy Thomas. Finance Committee Members absent: Dave Clough. Guests Present: Steve Choiniere, Supervisor, Central Maintenance Ellen Jones, Recording Secretary Louis Jutras, Manager of Information Systems Brian Lynch, Director of Central Maintenance Tyler Radicioni, Recreation Director Randy Scollins Ill, Finance Director Ed Walsh, Building Commissioner Call Meeting to Order: Mr. Mauro called the virtual meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Mauro introduced the Finance Committee members and the guests that were present at the virtual meeting. New Business: Resignation of Finance Committee Member — Mr. Mauro announced that Anne Lang had submitted her resignation from the Finance Committee due to time commitments. He thanked Anne for being part of the Committee and wished her well. Discussion - 155 — Information Systems — FY26 Budget Request Total request for the Information Systems FY26 operating budget is an approximately 4.7% increase. An approximately 1.4% increase is for contractual items in the salaries section and the remaining 3.3% increase is for the expense side of the budget. The expense section of the Information Systems budget covers a variety of software and hardware that is used by various Town departments. With the variety of applications that the Town has, most of those on a year to year basis change their pricing anywhere between 5% and 10-12%. Mr. Jutras stated that he tries to obtain as much information on the cost increases for the applications. Mr. Jutras provided the Finance Committee members a detailed spreadsheet that detail the various packages used by the Town with information regarding the names of the products that corresponds to the expense line items in the Information Systems FY26 budget requests. The total increase for the expense side is $23,800 and the total increase for the salary side $10,200. Mr. Jutras stated that he has one new item request for $1,200 coming from a recommendation by the By-Law Modernization Committee (established at 2024 ATM). The By-Law Modernization Committee (BLMC) is close to signing a contract with a vendor to codify the By-Laws, in digital format, with better website access etc. During the By- Law Modernization Committee discussions it was mentioned that many cities and Towns that use a similar software have the cost for this type of software in the Information Systems budgets. The amount in subsequent years would be the same cost of $1,200 per year for annual maintenance for the next three years. Mr. Scollins and Mr. Jutras are both members of the By-Law Modernization Committee. The BLMC had a demonstration of the software (for both By-Laws and Zoning By-Laws) with the BLMC focusing only on the General By-Laws software. The completion time will be anywhere from 18-24 months with the end result of a standardized set of By-Laws. Within Norfolk County less than eight towns are not using the product with three or four towns in discussion with the software company. Ms. Thomas spoke in support of this By-Law software expense. FINCOM 20250129 Minutes Signed RBS WRS 2.3.25.docx Page 1 of 6 4/31125
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Discussion - Article 14 — July 4° Community Celebration Mr. Radicioni explained that there will be a request for $50,000 from free cash for the annual 4" of July Celebration. This is an incfease from the usual $35,000 that is requested due to an increase in the cost of everything associated with the celebration: cost of fireworks, cost of vendors, cost of maintenance staff for set up and clean up. The celebration is typically held on the Sunday before the 4" of July instead of on July 4". Mr. Radicioni further explained that obtaining police details on the 4" of July is challenging, vendors can be more expensive on the 4" of July and can be difficult to obtain a contract for the 4" of July. Discussion - 542 —- Youth Services — FY26 Budget Request This budget covers the annual Halloween Parade and the Easter Egg Hunt. There is no budget increase being requested for this budget. Discussion - 630 — Parks & Recreation — FY26 Budget Request Mr. Radicioni created a full-time position (Recreation Supervisor) last year. He stated that the Recreation Department has grown almost 100% in participation rates. More programs are being offered, with more-affordable programs being offered to the residents of Canton. The Recreation Supervisor position is being pulled out of the Recreation Revolving Fund and moved to the Recreation operating budget. Mr. Radicioni considers the Revolving Fund as a “safety blanket” oO offset the cost of the programs thereby keeping them at lower prices. Because Recreation is offering Increased hours at the pool the FY26 budget request for the lifeguards salaries is $95,000 or a $15,000 increase. His department is offering to pay for lifeguard certifications (cost of $350) as long as he lifeguard commits to the entire summer. Mr. Radicioni is proud that approximately 80% of the lifeguards will be returning for the summer. Overtime — An increase of $3,000 from $7,000 to $10,000 is being requested for FY26 due to additional programming being offered and the need for maintenance staff to clean up after programs. Cell phone stipend — A increase of $1,500 rom $2,100 to $3,600 is being requested for Cell Phone Stipends. . Software for MyRec — An increase of $3,000 from $5,000 to $8,000 is being requested for FY26. The more programs the Recreation Department offers the more fees the Town collects. The MyRec software cost is based on the amount the Town collects for fees on their software.. Fertilizer — A $2,000 increase is being requested due to the rising cost for chalk and fertilizer. Mr. Scollins stated that in his review with Mr. Radicioni earlier in the day it was determined that there were salaries under the Groundskeeper Salary Maintenance Line in which a portion was already covered in the Rink Enterprise budget. There was $70,000 that was reduced from the budget requests because the $70,000 is already funded in the Rink Enterprise budget. The end result is instead of a $83,442 FY26 budget increase for the #630 Recreation budget, it is a net increase of $13,442. The $469,373 will be reduced by $70,000 to $399,373. Dan inquired about the Recreation Revolving Fund. Mr. Scollins explained that revolving Funds are not budgeted. The Funds are dependent upon the activities (fees collected) that are run through the revolving fund The Recreation Revolving Fund is established through the Town Warrant process with a spending limit of $650,000. Revolving Funds bring in revenue through program fees and payout expenses for programs and maintenance costs. The Recreation Revolving Fund covers 95% of the seasonal salaries and is also utilized for other expenses that might come up throughout the year. Monthly Year to Date budget reports are distributed to all Town Departments to help them track incoming revenue and expenses being paid out of the budget. Mr. Radicioni explained that the annual Billy Armando Recreation Golf Outing generates revenue which helps defray the cost of the summer concert series and free financial aid for programs. The net proceeds are allocated to the Revolving Fund and all expenses are paid out of the Revolving Fund. Discussion - 650 — Parks Department (Revere Heritage Site) - FY26 Budget Request This budget is for the maintenance of the Park located at the Paul Revere Heritage Site. Mr. Radicioni oversees the maintenance for the park. No additional funds are being requested for this budget for FY26. FINCOM 20250129 Minutes Signed RBS WRS 2.3.25.docx Page 2 of 6 11311125
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Discussion - 700 — Rink Enterprise (Metro Skating Rink) —- FY26 Budget Request An increase of $1,600 is being requested to the Night Differential salary line item due to additional staff working at the rink on weekends. Discussion - 192 — Central Maintenance (aka Public Buildings/Property Maintenance - FY26 Budget Request Brian Lynch thanked the Finance Committee for having him at the meeting. Steve Choiniere, Supervisor of Maintenance, was also in attendance at the meeting. Mr. Lynch explained that an HVAC position was approved in FY25. The HVAC employee began working for the Town on January 2, 2025. The HVAC position will save the Town from having to call private service companies. For FY26 Mr. Lynch is requesting a new Maintenance Staff position at an annual salary of $61,541. The Central Maintenance Department covers 28 Town-owned buildings in Canton. The department is responsible for cleaning the Police Station, Memorial Hall, Pequitside Tavern etc. and has a maintenance employee that works the evening shift from 7 PM to 12 AM every day. His department is also responsible for checking fire suppression systems, ADA handicap accessibility along with making sure there are safe conditions for all of the municipal buildings the Town owns. Mr. Choiniere reviewed the expense line item budgets. Electricity — $33,000 increase requested. The line item has been overspent in prior years. Vehicle Maintenance - $3,000 increase requested. Generator Maintenance - $8,000 increase requested. Maintenance Supplies - $15,000 increase requested. Telephone/Communications - $5,000 increased requested. Uniforms - $1,300 increase requested. More uniforms due to staff increase. Gas & Oil - $6,000 increase requested. Diesel - $2,000 increase requested. Work Shoes - $800 increase requested. More reimbursement for work shoes due to staff increase. In response to a question regarding the American Legion (listed on the Buildings owned by the Town) Mr. Choiniere stated that Central Maintenance recently took over responsibility for the building. There was major leak and rot. The air conditioning system is lacking and not working properly. The refrigeration system is an older system. The hot water in the building goes out when the fan system is on for cooking purposes. Ms. Thomas recalled that there were recent changes in the commitment to the Legion. She did not recall having this much responsibility in the past for this building. Mr. Scollins explained that the Legion is a Town-owned building and that the American Legion has been struggling since COVID with a lost revenue stream to cover basic expenses. The American Legion had asked through the Town Meeting process if the Town would help defray some of their basic expenses. The initial request had been capped at $25,000 with a budget of $17,000 now for on-going expenses. Mr. Mauro inquired if there was anything that had not been anticipated when the department was originally created. Mr. Scollins stated that FY24 was the first full year for Central Maintenance for consolidation of utility costs. Utility costs and building maintenance costs were “harvested” from other departmental budgets. When the FY24 budget was put together there was no definitive amount of funding that was needed to cover the list of 28 Town owned Canton Municipal Buildings. Mr. Scollins further explained that the department is still growing and the needs of the extensive list of buildings he anticipates the need for the Central Maintenance department to grow and that this is not a department where you can expect to see the budget decrease due to the Town buildings being a major asset of the Town. Discussion - 632 — Pequitside Farm — FY26 Budget Request Mr. Choiniere stated that the building on this property has been neglected for a few years. Windows and trim will need to be replaced. Discussion - 241 — Building Department — FY26 Budget Request Mr. Walsh is requesting a 25-hour Part-Time Local Inspector, benefits eligible, along with expenses for additional education for an increase of $48,7111 for a salary plus $500 for education required by the state. Most items in comparable towns have one Full-Time Inspector and one Part-Time Inspector. He stated that his budget has been only over once in 22 years due to an extended sick leave for one employee. The Building Department is now conducting sprinkler reviews, sheet metal permits, certificate of assembly inspections for buildings. They review Zoning-By-Laws, are involved in Town planning and responding to emergency calls. FINCOM 20250129 Minutes Signed RBS WRS 2.3.25.docx Page 3 of 6 1/31/25
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Mr. Mauro inquired if public safety is at risk if the position is not filled and the impact to community. Mr. Walsh stated that public safety could be an issue and that issues would be handled in a reactive manner instead of a proactive manner to prevent issues. Discussion - 176 — Zoning Board — FY26 Budget Request There is no budget increase being requested for FY26. Discussion - 710 — Principal Payments and 751 — Long Term Interest Payments (Debt in the Pipeline)d Mr. Scollins reviewed these budgets at the Finance Committee’s last virtual meeting on January 22, 2025. The FY26 budget request for the #710 budget is $3,286,617. This includes $289,977 of principal expenses and $81,525 of interest payments for new issues in FY25. This includes 9 projects (total amount to be bonded is $2,037,886). These inside the inside the levy projects authorized in May of 2023 and May of 2024 and Mr. Scollins stated he will go out for the borrowing in May of 2025. The term of the bonds range from five years to 20 years and assume a 4% interest rate. In five years the Galvin Middle School project will be added to the excluded debt schedule. There are four Water Enterprise projects totaling $1,515,000, which will be borrowed for in May 2025. The principal amount is $150,000 with the interest payment of $60,600 in FY26. With regard to the Paul Revere Heritage Site (Museum Improvements), $1,500,000 will also be borrowed for in May 2025 with an estimated principal cost of $75,000 and an estimated interest cost of $60,000 in FY26. Mr. Scollins is hoping that he will receive good news that the Town’s legislative delegation and the Paul Revere Heritage Trust Board will secure funding of $500,000 from the state to reduce the borrowing from $2,000,000 to $1,500,000. The $75,000 principal payment and interest payment of $60,000 will be paid out of the District Improvement Fund #116. Mr. Scollins may know about the state funds that have been earmarked by June. Mr. Scollins is not concerned about only borrowing $1.5 million if the Town does not receive the $500,000 grant, as the Town can borrow the remaining $500K in its next bond offering. Also, if definitive word is received that the Town is not receiving the $500,000 prior to the Town going to the bond market it could be adjusted up to the full amount of $2,000,000. The replacement of Ambulance 1 (approved at ATM 2023 to bond $505,000) will also be included in the borrowing in May 2025. The Town just took delivery of the ambulance (almost 2 years lag time to be delivered). The principal payment is estimated at $101,000 with the interest payment of $20,200 to be paid out of the ambulance receipts. Even with the FY25 new issues long-term interest payments cost of $81,515 the Long-Term Interest Payments budget will decrease by approximately 4% due to bonds being amortized. The Department of Public Works Assistant Superintendent, Billy Walsh, provided an update at a recent department head meeting. Delivery of certain vehicles are back logged. There is a potential requirement to have all new DPW vehicles purchased this year to be energy efficient. Mr. Walsh explained that the purchase of energy efficient vehicles is not practical in certain cases. The vehicles will not charge for long, are more expensive and are not as available. Charging networks do not exist in sufficient capacity to support the vehicles. Mr. Walsh is hoping that there will be some reasoning with the EPA and the agencies requiring these energy efficient vehicles. Discussion - Water Sewer Rink Enterprise Fund Operating Budgets — Debt Service The Sewer Enterprise Debt Service budget for FY26 is decreasing by $77,334. There are new projects in the FY26 Capital Plan that will increase the budget for FY27. The Water Enterprise Debt Service budget for FY26 is increasing by $110,248. The bond for the Rink Enterprise budget was structured like a mortgage payment with relatively even principal and interest payments. The Rink Enterprise revenue is not as “robust” as the Water and Sewer Enterprise revenue. There is no significant change to the Rink Enterprise budget. The Rink Enterprise debt service budget is increasing by only $250. Approval of Minutes Mr. Mauro had a correction to amend the minutes with “Town Planner and Mr. Mauro have reached out to Horsley Witten Group”. FINCOM 20250129 Minutes Signed RBS WRS 2.3.25.docx Page 4 of 6 11311125
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A motion made by Ms. Schutt to approve the January 22, 2025 meeting minutes as amended was seconded by Ms. Thomas. Roll Call Vote: Cindy Thomas Aye Dan Cole Aye Reuki Schutt Aye Kristin Mirliani Aye Maureen Menconi Aye EmilioMauro Aye John Leonetti Abstained Vote: 6-0-1. The January 22, 2025 minutes were approved as amended. Finance Committee Liaison List Mr. Mauro announced that there were three openings on the Finance Committee Liaison List: Human Resources Department, Department of Public Works and the Board of Health and that there were also openings for alternate liaisons. Finance Committee Contact Information Mr. Mauro announced that the Finance Committee Recording Secretary would reach out to the Finance Committee Members for updated phone numbers to be used for future emergency purposes only and not for distribution. Next Meeting Date The next Finance Committee virtual meeting will be on February 5, 2025. Most of the guests have been confirmed for the meeting. Adjournment A motion made by Ms. Schutt to adjourn the meeting at approximately 8:38 p.m. was seconded by Ms. Thomas. Roll Call Vote: Dan Cole Aye John Leonetti Aye Emilio Mauro Aye Kristin Mirliani Aye Maureen Menconi Aye Cindy Thomas Aye Reuki Schutt Aye Vote: 7-0-0. Minutes reviewed by: Reuki Schutt Respectfully submitted, . Emlur € Mawes, f Emilio E. Mauro, Jr. Chair, Canton Finance Committee FINCOM 20250129 Minutes Signed RBS WRS 2.3.25.docx Page 5 of 6 1/31/25
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Finance Committee Meeting Documents January 29, 2025 Please note: Some meeting documents may be found on the Town’s website under the Posted Minutes section (Laser Fiche). Agenda — January 29, 2025. 155 — Information Systems — FY26 Budget Request (3 pages). 542 - Youth Services) — FY26 Budget Request (1 page). 630 — Parks & Recreation — FY26 Budget Request (2 pages). 650 — Parks Department (Revere Heritage Site) - FY26 Budget Request (1 page). 700 — Rink Enterprise (Metro Skating Rink) —- FY26 Budget Request (1 page). 192 — Public Buildings (Central Maintenance) — FY26 Budget Request (2 pages). Central Maintenance Department — Building Maintenance Worker (Job Description) (3 pages). 632 — Pequitside Farm — FY26 Budget Request (1 page). Town of Canton Buildings (1 page). Town of Canton Municipal Buildings (1 page). 241 — Building Department —- FY26 Budget Request (2 pages). 176 — Zoning Board — FY26 Budget Request (1 page). Memorandum to The Finance Committee from Ed Walsh, Building Commissioner — regarding Part-Time Local Building Inspector dated 1/29/25 (1 page). FINCOM 20250129 Minutes Signed RBS WRS 2.3.25.docx Page 6 of 6 1/31/25