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March 22, 2023, Finance Committee Meeting - Virtual Meeting. Minutes
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Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 4/3/23
801 Washington Street Vote: 7-0-0
Canton, MA 02021
Meeting Minutes
March 22, 2023
Finance Committee Members Present: Dan Cole, Karen Foley, Emilio Mauro, Tim McKenna, Maureen Menconi,
Reuki Schutt and Cindy Thomas.
Finance Committee Members Absent: Dave Clough.
Guests Present:
Charlie Doody, Town Administrator
Dave Emhardt, Chair, Capital Planning Committee (CPC)
Derek Folan, Superintendent of Schools
Ellen Jones, Finance Committee Recording Secretary
Stephen Marshall, Director of Finance & Operations, School Department
Maureen Moran, Clerk to the School Committee, School Finance Subcommittee
Randy Scollins, Finance Director/Treasurer/Collector
Call Meeting to Order: Ms. Thomas called the virtual meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Announcement: Ms. Thomas thanked the Canton Citizen, Community Cable TV and Jay Turner for the great job
they are doing with providing information and cable programming to the public regarding the upcoming Town Election
on April 4th especially with several candidates running for Select Board, School Committee and Library Board of
Trustees.
Ms. Thomas reviewed the Finance Committee’s agenda for the meeting and stated the Committee would be hearing
about the FY24 School Department Budget Requests and the FY24 Capital Planning Committee Requests and voting
various Town Meeting articles.
Discussion – FY24 School Operating Budget Requests
The School Department provided a Proposed Budget booklet that contains a Message from the Superintendent (see
meeting documents). Mr. Folan felt that it was important to acknowledge the excellent financial stability of the Town
and the sharing of funding that is continually provided to the School Department. He further stated that often times
budgets are an reflection of numbers and finance but they are really foundational as to their values and beliefs of
where the School Department wants to go. The School Department performs a thorough process of looking at data
and student needs to build their budget to have the highest quality for learning, for the educators, for the parents and
most importantly the students. He stated that the Schools are in a transition and transformation period. Some of the
budget requests are to continue target needs and to address the social and emotional needs of students coming out
of COVID so they can get back to the 2019 level of achievement. They are continuing to do strategic planning and
have a great vision going forward and many of the enhancements are part of that plan. An equity audit was recently
done which will be a key part of their strategic plan. An agreement was reached with the Canton Teachers
Association and in the end the administration was happy with where it landed and it made a statement that they value
their educators and it is a high priority that Canton continues to attract the very best. The elements of that contract
are embedded within the budget. Mr. Folan appreciates the support of the Finance Committee.
Mr. Folan reviewed the District Budget Priorities. Over the summer the School Department engaged strategic
planners to go over their strategic goals. District Goals include 1) achieving education excellence and equity for
every student, 2) cultivating climate, culture and community engagement, 3) achieving education excellence through
effective teaching, learning and leading and 4) management operation. The Superintendent’s goals are 1) to
increase the percentage of students scoring in the MCAS Math Meeting or Exceeding achievement range by 5
percent and 2) conduct an analysis of its organizational structure, specifically around Human Resources and develop
a plan for restructuring and improvement. Mr. Folan turned the meeting over to Mr. Marshall.
Mr. Marshall thanked the full School Committee for their support, in particular their budget and finance members
Maureen Moran and Nichola Gallagher for their support through the process. He also thanked his business team.
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Mr. Marshall stated that they scaled down their budget requests from the 7.3% increase in the original requests. The
following are the approved budget requests along with Mr. Marshall’s comments:
District Contractual Salary Obligations – $1,857,859 – Negotiations were successful with all five of the
district’s bargaining units. This salary request includes increases for all school personnel including personal
contracts as well as stipends, step increases, lane changes and longevity.
CHS Wellness Teacher (1.0 FTE) – $75,032 – This position is for the High School and will “unlock” some
constraints around scheduling and will minimize number of studies a student is scheduled for per semester.
GMS Special Education Teacher (1.0 FTE) – $75,032 – This new position is for the GMS Therapeutic
Program to meet the increase in the number of students in need of separate programming.
GMS World Language Teacher (.2 FTE) – $15,006 – World language has been implemented at the 6th
grade. There is currently an .8 FTE teacher. The .2 FTE will be added to that position.
Elementary Assistant Principals (3.0 FTE) - $345,000 – This has been one of the biggest priorities for the
School Department. Currently there are Team Chairs at the elementary schools who are serving as both
assistant principal roles along with special education supervision roles. This request is for one Assistant
Principal at each of the Elementary schools. This will free up the Student Services Department to do some
reorganization of their supervisory makeup. This will help to separate the elementary and secondary
programming of special education, provide more support to the principals and to students, help with
discipline and allow the separation of special education and operational management.
District Yellow School Bus Contractual Increase – $45,000 – This increase was expected. The School
Department went out to bid for school transportation/yellow bus transportation which was the first time in
over 20 years that there was competition through the procurement process. First Student was awarded the
three-year contract with two potential add-on years.
Elementary Bus Monitors – $30,387 – The word “Elementary” will be removed from this request. There
has been a considerable amount of concern around the yellow bus transportation and behavior of students.
It has been difficult for the School Department to hire bus monitors and to utilize them on a regular basis.
Mr. Marshall is hopeful that they will be able to partner with the bus contractor who employs bus drivers as
well as bus monitors. This would be an add-on service but would allow administration to work with the bus
company to determine where the bus monitors would be riding both morning and afternoon on all of the bus
routes, not specifically the elementary bus routes. The monitors would be riding in an entire route for all
three tiers of middle schools, high school and elementary schools as well as any routes for the St. John
students. Mr. Marshall stated that this request is a starting point but the School Department would like to
see this request every year in the future to have these bus monitors on every route to monitor the behavior
of students on the buses to and from school.
Out-of-District Tuition – $300,000 – This past fall or winter the Operational Services Division (OSD)
approved a 14% tuition increase for private special education tuitions. These are students that the School
District is tuitioning out of the district for special education purposes. The School Department has seen 2-
3% increases yearly for the out-of-district tuitions. The 14% increase has caught school districts off guard.
The estimate is that it will cost the district $800,000 per year. The School Department is requesting only
$300,000 because of the $1,000,000 request under Article 18 to increase the Special Education Reserve
Fund and the continued support of the Town over the past few years to fund this account. The School
Department will be taking in a phased-in approach for FY24 to make that amount whole as they do not
expect additional increases for at least for next year. There could be potential support coming from the
State (additional post budgets) from the Governor to support. It is uncertain at this time how that funding
might make it to Canton.
District Supplies and Materials - $88,822 – This request is for multiple lines across all of the schools. The
School Department is working hard to improve their line item budget accuracy and to reflect the real
spending. Mr. Marshall stated that the nurses supply budget line items have not been increased in over 10
years. Rapid COVID tests could become a requirement of the nursing offices.
The School Department recently adopted cost centers (for operating budget only) as follows: Salaries 82%, Out-
of-District Tuition 6%, Transportation 5%, Supplies 3%, Contractual Services 2%, Utilities 2% and Other 0%. Out-of-
District is being funded from a variety of other mechanisms. The School Department budget is increasing 5.59%
from $50,658,405 for FY23 to the targeted budget number set by the Finance Committee for FY24 of $53,490,543.
The School Department’s budget is coming from multiple sources of funding. Their foundation budget is made
up of Chapter 70 Aid (14% operating budget), Required Local Contribution (56% operating budget) and Additional
Local Contribution (16% operating budget). The Chapter 70 Aid and Required Local Contribution is the amount the
school has to spend. The additional local contribution is the amount the Town contributes above and beyond what
the School District is required to spend. Other sources of funding to operate the district come from Circuit Breaker
(6%), Grants (3%), Cash Capital (2%), Revolving Accounts (1%), Special Education Reserve (1%), Debt Capital (1%)
and Community Preservation (0% for FY24 but will increase for FY25).
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Mr. Marshall provided statistics regarding enrollment, enrollment by race/ethnicity and various selected populations. Enrollment over the last 15 years is relatively flat. The School District does not expect any major changes to enrollment. Ms. Thomas inquired about the selected populations enrollment data. The increase in Chapter 70 Aid is relative to the various populations: First Language not English, English Language Learner, Low-Income, Students with Disabilities and High Needs. The district is seeing large increases in the low-income population (over 20%) and English Language Learner. Ms. Thomas inquired about the difference between First Language not English and English Language Learner. Mr. Marshall responded that the district has students that their first language is not English but they are proficient in reading and writing English. An English Language Learner is a student who is still learning the reading and writing of English Language. High Needs are those students that are inclusive of the three categories of English Language Learner, Low-Income and Students with Disabilities. The Staffing Summary that Mr. Marshall provided was “the number of bodies” and not FTE equivalents. Some teachers may be working as .2 or .4 FTE. These teachers are counted as “1”. The School district is working on a new student information system. It has been challenging for them to pull together the historical data that compares well to prior years based on how things were recorded. COVID made it even more difficult to track depending on how teachers were being categorized. The Salary Budget Historical Comparison data provided in the budget package are actuals. The total salaries and wages data may be greater in a given year because many of the teachers work through the school year but elect to be paid through the summer. The School District accrues for these salaries causing the actuals to be higher. Mr. Marshall called the Committee attention to the additional information provided in the budget presentation booklet: FY24 Capital Funding, Chapter 70 Funding, Medicaid Reimbursement and Special Education Circuit Breaker Reimbursement. Ms. Thomas acknowledged and thanked the School Department for coming in with the FY24 budget target number. Typically the School Department has appeared before the Finance Committee much earlier in the process with “aspirational” budget numbers. Coming in a little later has made it an easier process with a thanks to Mr. Scollins for this. Vote - Article 18 – Appropriation to Increase Special Education Reserve Account - $1,000,000 Mr. Marshall explained that it has been 5-6 years since the Special Education Reserve Account was brought to Canton. This was due to the fact that the increase in Special Education costs in a specific year that were not able to be covered. The fund was created to be used within that same year. Over the last number of years through Town Meeting the School Department has requested additional funding in that account. Mr. Marshall stated the current balance in that account is approximately $1.2 million and they are expecting to request $800,000 of that balance for this fiscal year to help offset out-of-district tuition and special education costs in order to meet the 14% increases that were set by OSD in the next few years without being able to have any additional adds to the operating budget. Working with Mr. Scollins and Mr. Doody to request the $1,000,000 this would help the School Department to phase in the 14% increase over the next two years. Mr. Folan added that in his experience of meeting with his peers in other districts there is “angst” with regard to trying to absorb a 14% increase. Canton is projecting a $780,000 to $800,000 increase. Special Education costs are such a variable. This opportunity and good partnership with the Town have afforded them the ability to phase in these costs over a couple of years. Mr. Folan expressed his and the School Committee’s gratitude with the budgeting team of Town officials to be able to phase this in and still have some level of enhancement in the budget. Mr. Folan gave credit to Mr. Scollins, Mr. Doody and Mr. Marshall for thinking on how the School District can work within this unforeseen increase. Ms. Moran provided information that the 14% increase breaks down to a 5.18% of OSD cost of living adjustment and an 8.82% workforce stability factor. She truly thanked the Finance Committee for their support for this unforeseen increase. A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend that a sum of $1,000,000 be appropriated to the Special Education Reserve Account (#250) and to meet this appropriation, $1,000,000 be transferred from Free Cash (Undesignated Fund Balance) in the Treasury of the Town was seconded by Ms. Schutt. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenena Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Ms. Foley Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0. The motion for the Finance Committee to recommend to Town Meeting Article 18 to transfer $1,000,000 from Free Cash to the Special Education Reserve Account passed. Discussion – Article 15 “Omnibus” Capital Outlay Program – FY24 Capital Requests – Dave Emhardt Ms. Thomas welcome the Chair of the Capital Planning Committee (CPC) Dave Emhardt and acknowledged and thanked Mr. Mauro as the Finance Committee’s liaison to the CPC. Mr. Scollins screen shared draft motions for the FINCOM 20230322 Minutes WRS DNC.docx Page 3 of 8 3/25/23
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CPC Article. Mr. Emhardt thanked all of the departments that came to their meetings to discuss their requests. The
CPC voted to accept almost all of the Department FY24 requests leaving only a few items that were not acted upon.
The following is a summary of Mr. Erhardt’s discussion with the Finance Committee:
Motion #2 – Municipal Cash Capital Requests
Elder and Human Services (EAHS) - $133,000 Debt Item – The CPC voted to recommend $43,000 for the
replacement of the 2003 Crown Vic car with a 2023 Ford Edge (one model down from their initial request).
The CPC voted 0-4 not to recommend $133,000 for the replacement of the 2012 Van/Bus #4. The CPC felt
the bus only had 75,000 miles on it and to their knowledge that although there are comfort issues with the van
there is no safety issue with the bus. They suggested getting more detailed information on the cost to
repair/refurbish the bus. Also there was a new van recently donated to Elder and Human Services from
Point32Health. The CPC would consider the request for a new van next year.
Ms. Tynan realizes that the CPC has a tough job of reviewing all of the capital requests but felt it necessary to explain
the circumstances for replacing the bus. They have been looking to replace this 20-passenger bus. The department
only has two buses in its fleet. The other vehicles are vans. The van that Point32Health donated to the EAHS is
beautiful but it is not designed to do the larger shopping trips, food pantry drop offs, and programs EAHS does on a
weekly basis. Ms. Tynan did look into the cost of repairing the van and it would cost approximately $32,000 for
suspension, to recover the seats and to replace the panels on the outskirts of the bus. In her opinion Ms. Tynan did
not think that this was a wise use of funds considering the year and condition of the vehicle. The van does a
tremendous amount of stop and go. The van also has a wheelchair lift which puts more strain on the vehicle. If the
new van were to be ordered now the EAHS may not be able to get delivery of the van for at least two years due to
supply chain issues. The life expectancy on these vans is 12-15 years and the Town van is at 11 years old now.
Waiting another two years would bring the van to the “breaking point”. She further stated that this would be a
disservice to the seniors not to have one of these buses in service. Since July they have transported 8,800 people
with 6,900 of that count with the EAHS buses. She stated that there are approximately 190 seniors and disabled
folks in town that rely on this service.
Ms. Thomas inquired of Mr. Scollins regarding the payment arrangement for a vehicle that is ordered with an
expectancy of two years out for delivery. Mr. Scollins stated that funds would have to be appropriated in order to sign
a contract to commit to the order. This particular item was slated as a debt capital item. The way that would work is
the Town would not borrow for that item until the item had been received so the Town probably would not start paying
debt service on it for 2-3 years. Mr. Mauro clarified that the bus is $133,000 given that it was not on the list that was
being screen shared with the Committee. Because the van is a debt item it would be a separate motion within the
capital article.
Fire Department – Fire Chief Vehicle - $68,000 Cash Capital - Mr. Emhardt stated that the CPC had many
discussions about this item. The issue that the CPC had was that last year they were asked to recommend to
the Finance Committee the replacement of the Deputy Chief’s vehicle which was a 2015 vehicle. CPC
supported this replacement as well as the Finance Committee and Town Meeting. The vehicle was purchased.
The former Fire Chief moved to the Town Administrator’s position and the vehicle that the Fire Chief was driving
was negotiated in his new contract and was removed from the fleet of the Fire Department. The result was the
Fire Department lost a vehicle that went to the Town Administrator. The CPC felt the request for this year should
not have been a new vehicle to add back to the fleet that was taken away when the Select Board negotiated that
as part of the Town Administrator’s contract. The CPC wanted to bring this to the attention of the Finance
Committee that the CPC was being asked to support the replacement of a vehicle that was already replaced last
year. The CPC was not in favor of having an item replaced in multiple years and passed along and essentially
replacing the same item. The CPC understands this is a unique situation as the new Fire Chief did not want to
take the Deputy Chief’s brand new vehicle. The Fire Chief did agree to use this vehicle until his could be
replaced. The CPC voted 3-1-0 to support the vehicle request because they felt the new Fire Chief should have
a new vehicle and that it was not his fault for this situation but simply the vehicle was removed from the Fire
Department fleet. The CPC will have a discussion for this request in the Finance Committee’s
Recommendations to the Voters.
Police Department - 4 Cruiser Replacements $234,000 Cash Capital – The CPC is grateful that the Police
Department has purchased two hybrid cruisers already and is requesting to purchase two more hybrid cruisers
out of the total of four cruisers being requested for FY24. The CPC is hopeful that there may be savings in the
operating budget with the purchase of these hybrid vehicles.
Revere & Son Heritage Trust Corporation (RSHTS) $20,000 Cash Capital – Mr. Emhardt reported that the
CPC had quite a bit of discussion with regard to the $20,000 request for Website Redesign for the Paul Revere
Museum. The CPC questioned that this was a website that the Town was going to pay from cash capital but that
the Town would not own or control the website. Although the CPC had some concern that the RSHTS would
have full control of the website, they did see that the website would benefit the Town and be a potential
generator of revenue for the Town. The CPC did vote unanimously 4-0-0 to support this request from cash
capital. RSHTC Storage Shed for Museum - Reimbursement of Fund 142 - $24,746 Cash Capital –
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Ms. Thomas asked for an explanation of the Fund 142 included with this capital request. Mr. Emhardt explained that
the RSHTC needed to have a storage shed as they were storing items under a stairwell that did not meet code as per
the Building Commissioner. As a matter of timing and in order to get the shed in place to solve the code violation and
receive a discount for the shed, the shed had to be delivered under a certain timeframe. Funds were borrowed from
Fund 142 (under the control of the Select Board). This request is to replace those funds.
Mr. McKenna inquired as to the Police Department’s request for replacement of Tasers and Radar Guns and if they
were traded in. Mr. Emhardt was unsure of what happened with the old equipment but they did inquire as to why the
Police Department would do all of these replacements all at once and not on a rotating basis. The Police Department
is replacing their 45 caliber firearms with 9mm firearms. This will save the Department on the cost of range
requirements for training because the cost of the ammunition for the 9mm is much cheaper than the 45 caliber
ammunition. They could save approximately $2,000 on ammunition alone for each range requirement. The 9mm
have better technology, better optics and allow the officers to shoot with both eyes open and does not require as
much technique to aim and are better at night. Stationary radar guns are mounted on dashboards providing better
details if the violations are challenged. Mr. Emhardt was unsure of what happens with the old radar guns. Mr.
Scollins stated that as the Chief Procurement Officer for the Town he works closely with the Police Chief to ensure
that items are part of a trade in if they have value or that they are disposed of in an appropriate and legal manner.
Mr. Cole inquired if the Town has a policy for contingency or is it included within each project. Mr. Scollins replied
that he has worked with the Town Administrator and they have now developed and included a new motion in the
Capital Article for a $250,000 Contingency Fund to be used for all of the Town’s capital items to cover shortfalls
due to price escalations that they are recently seeing with purchases. Mr. Scollins also explained that the language
included in the cash capital Article Motion 2 and Motion 3 provide some flexibility in that if there are savings on one
line those funds can be used for an overage on another line. It is clear that all of the lines need to be acquired and
nothing additional can be added to the lines.
Ms. Foley inquired if the Town had a policy with regard to the purchase of vehicles and if a certain number of vehicles
have to be hybrid or is it up to the discretion of each department. She commented that last year the Town had
installed a number of charging stations and that it does not appear they are frequently being used. The CPC had
concerns last year about the cost and the ability to do maintenance on the hybrid vehicles and if there were any
safety concerns for the employees to perform their jobs (as police officers). The CPC is in favor of slowly replacing
vehicles with hybrid vehicles so the Town can see how the hybrid vehicles might affect operating costs, if there are
fuel savings and if the Town is able to perform maintenance on the vehicles. Vehicles purchased by the Town also
have to be on the State’s bid list.
Library – Book Drop Replacement - $5,000 Cash Capital - Mr. Emhardt explained that the initial request of
$13,000 was not supported by the CPC because there were many questions about the cost of the new book drop
and the CPC felt that it was just too much for that particular item. CPC voted unanimously to recommend
$5,000. The CPC did not support the request of carpet replacement at the Library. Even though the roof and
HVAC improvements would be in another part of the Library the CPC felt it was not prudent to replace carpet
until after the roof work was completed. There could be heavy traffic while the work was being done.
Article 15 Motion 3 – School Cash Capital – The one item the CPC wanted to bring to the attention of the
Finance Committee was the $65,000 request for HVAC Districtwide. The CPC does not want to see a
maintenance item such as labor. This should be included in the School Department’s operating budget. This
item will be for purchasing coils for the heating unit ventilators. These units are located outside with exposure to
weather elements. He stated that this request was not for labor anymore and it was to purchase coils.
Article 15 Motion 4 – Police Department 50 Tasers - $102,500 Debt - These tasers need replacement. There
is difficulty obtaining parts for the current tasers as well as the items are no longer covered by warranty.
Article 15 Motion 5 – DPW Truck with Plow - $90,000 Debt – This is an addition to the DPW fleet.
Article 15 Motion 6 – 6-Wheel Dump Truck - $324,000 Debt – This item was not approved last year. Instead
the 10-wheel truck was approved last year. The CPC supports the $324,000 request.
Article 15 Motion 7 – F350 Super Duty 4WD Pickup Truck with Plow - $324,000 Debt – This is for a
replacement of Truck #14 which was an F250.
Article 15 Motion 8 – Pleasant Circle Storm Drain Improvements - $270,000 Debt – The CPC did not take a
vote on Motion 8 because they had concerns with this request. The property had recently changed owners and
the CPC had a concern if the buyer should have known about this drainage issue. The CPC was also concerned
about the water runoff going into streets and eventually into the Reservoir. Stormwater runoff must be filtered or
contained and not directly flow into a waterway or a body of water. Ms. Thomas suggested that given the CPC
had not taken a vote on Motion 8 that the motion be tabled for discussion at a future meeting.
Article 15 Motion 9 – Replace Ambulance - $505,000 Debt from Ambulance Receipts - The Town currently
runs two ambulances with the newest ambulance being kept in reserve as a third ambulance. The oldest of the
ambulances will be traded in for the new purchase.
Article 15 Motion 10 – Supplementing Water System Improvement Construction Contract 3 - $600,000
Debt – This is to supplement the $3,100,000 approved at last year’s Town Meeting. This is for the Randolph
Street, Randolph Terrace, Old Randolph and Bolivar Street.
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Article 15 Motion 11 – Revere Court 6” Water Main Replacement with 8” Water Main - $420,000 – Debt –
This will be paid out of water receipts.
Article 15 Motion 12 – Phase 1 Sewer Inflow / Infiltration Rehabilitation - $400,000 – Debt – This will be paid
out of sewer receipts. Groundwater that leaks into the Town’s sewer drains affects the charge the Town is being
charged by MWRA. MWRA charges the Town for sewer based on a formula, with limits on how much water the
MWRA allows the Town for leakage. When the major leaks are fixed this should save the Town on sewer
charges.
Article 15 Motion 13 – Library Roof & HVAC Replacements - $1,271,210 from three funding sources – The
CPC has not voted on Motion 13. This would be discussed at a future Finance Committee meeting.
Article 15 Motion 14 – Kubota RTV Utility Vehicle for Pequitside Farm - $19,661 from surplus funds in the
Pequitside Farm Parking Reconstruction Project Fund – This is for a tractor and will supplement the $1,339
being requested under Article15 Motion 2.
Article 15 Motion 15 – Ford Explorer Hybrid Vehicle - $55,000 Debt – This vehicle is for the newly hired
Stormwater Manager.
Article 15 Motion 16 – Unit Ventilators – JFK School - $270,000 Debt – The School Department’s requests
for FY24 are below their available FY24 debt capacity. The available debt capacity will be used in a future year
for a roof replacement at the Luce School. This is one of two debt requests the School Department has for
FY24.
Article 15 Motion 17 – Designer Services for Masonry Repairs at the Rodman Building - $275,000 Debt –
This is the School Department’s second debt request for FY24.
Article 15 Motion 18 – Replacement of 2008 Ford F150 Truck ($43,000) and Replacement of 2002 Truck
#38 ($40,000) Water Retained Earnings – The DPW had requested an electric F150 Truck to replace the 2008
Truck but the cost was substantially higher and research indicated that there are issues associated with the
electric F150s. The CPC felt it was prudent to go with the gas F150 model. The Town has not yet purchased
fully electric vehicles yet. Truck #38 is not a vehicle replacement but is for an air compressor trailer and is used
for water projects.
Article 15 Motion 19 – Capital Contingency Fund - $250,000 from Free Cash – This contingency fund will
help to cover unexpected shortfalls for capital items caused by supply-chain issues. Mr. Scollins stated that any
funds remaining at the end of fiscal year would fall out to free cash.
Mr. Mauro, the Finance Committee liaison to the CPC, acknowledged the great job they do and effort the CPC
makes on getting information and as well as vetting all the information they receive in their CPC binders. He spoke
in support of Motion 19 due to inflationary demands placed on the purchasing smaller items.
Mr. Mauro inquired how the Elder and Human Services department would be affected and if the long term debt
capacity may be affected by not purchasing the $133,000 bus. Would this cause difficulties with long-term planning
for Elder and Human Services for not having the bus if it were delayed by two years. Ms. Tynan deferred to Mr.
Doody. Mr. Doody stated that while Ms. Tynan’s argument for investing $30,000 for an initial fix for the van was not
ideal and the fact that the price of the van will continue to rise, however, if the CPC would consider the
request/purchase next year, he would likely not put the $30,000 into the van and let it run for another year with the
strategy/plan to replace it next year. This is a technique Mr. Doody has used in the Fire Department for many years.
With Mr. Walsh’s good mechanics in the DPW the vehicle could be nursed along for another year. Ms. Tynan stated
it was not her preferred option but that she agreed with Mr. Doody that they could wait until next year. Her only
concern is having to wait beyond that period of time.
Mr. Emhardt stated that the CPC did not recommend two items for the Water Department, after first conferring with
Mr. Trotta, DPW Superintendent. One item the CPC did not recommend was for an Asphalt Infrared Reclaimer. The
CPC is concerned that the water rates will be increasing. Mr. Emhardt is on the Water and Sewer Rate Setting Policy
Committee. The CPC looked at which capital water requests could be delayed to help cushion what is expected to
be a substantial increase in water rates. The other item the CPC did not recommend and felt could be delayed until
next year was the next contract for the Water System Management Plan #4 for $280,000.
Mr. Doody supported Mr. Emhardt’s explanations and stated that it is very difficult decisions especially with regard to
roads. Road conditions is one of the biggest complaints they receive in the Executive Office but Mr. Doody was of
the opinion that the CPC “struck the best balance that they could” especially given the concerns with potential water
rate increases.
Ms. Thomas thanked Mr. Emhardt and the Capital Planning Committee for all the work they do in vetting these
requests and the Finance Committee appreciates the seriousness with the CPC’s level of care.
Mr. Scollins stated that of 19 motions under Article 15 there are two motions (Library roof and HVAC improvements
and Pleasant Circle drainage improvements) that are deferred to next week. The Finance Committee decided to
defer voting on Article 15 until their next meeting.
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ARPA Update – Mr. Scollins gave a brief ARPA update. The Town has already received just under $2.5 million in ARPA Fund allocations which the Select Board has voted on its usage. Approximately $4.5 million was sent directly to Norfolk County Commissioners for allocation to Canton, which they are allocating the funds to Canton on a project- by-project basis. In total of the $7 million in ARPA funds the Town is using approximately $3 million for revenue replacement projects. In summary the Select Board voted $1,019,516 of directly allocated ARPA Funds for the Washington Street Renewal Project (paving Walnut to Stoughton Town Line) with $480,483.94 submitted to and pending under the Norfolk County allocations. The Town also received $400,000 of State funding earmarked for this project. Initially the Select Board voted funds to pay for a portion of the Pickle Ball court project. The bidding process for this project came in at exorbitant amounts and everyone agreed to table this project. CPA was providing significant funds for this project which he believes has been pulled back. This request will be revisited and either the Select Board will go forward with funding or the funding could be repurposed for something else. Mr. Scollins screen shared an exhibit of Norfolk County approved items, pending submissions, in que and new requests. Approved projects include the following: $1,100,000 Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Facility at the Moran Water Treatment Plan, $400,500 for Lost Restaurant Revenue Income and escalation of Museum Design Capital Costs and $350,000 for Sewer Pump Station Remote Monitoring Equipment. Three projects are pending: $625,000 for Hansen School & JFK School Unit ventilators, $480,484 for the Washington Street Renewal Project and $157,872 for Four Standby Electric Generator upgrades. Projects in que include $270,000 Elm Street Culvert, $140,000 Hemenway School walkway and parking, $556,100 for premium pay for municipal and school employees that worked live and in person during COVID (Norfolk County has limited experience vetting this), $50,000 for a Emergency Housing Assistance Program and $25,000 for Shared Marketing for Regional Restaurant Week. With regard to the Premium Pay request, Norfolk County requires detailed payroll records for employees that worked during COVID and what they were doing during that time. The Select Board is committed to proceed with the Premium Pay request because this was requested and the Select Board voted to approve the request. New ARPA items that the Select Board voted to approve for ARPA funding include: $85,000 to replace 30 Defibrillators, $204,000 for GAC Filter Replacements and $22,000 for Emergency Generator for Vaccine Refrigerator. These items were originally capital requests and were removed and will be able to be funded through ARPA. Mr. Emhardt stated that these items were originally requested through the CPC process and that his committee had vetted all of these items. The original request for the Emergency Generator was higher but it was determined that the gas and electric could be routed to the side of the building therefore reducing the cost of the item. A total of $4,465,956 funds is requested from Norfolk County. There is $19,272 not yet requested. The Select Board has voted substantially all of the ARPA funds. Next Meeting Date: The next Finance Committee meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at which time the Committee will hear from the Town Administrator regarding the FY24 Municipal Operating Budget Recommendations, Vote Town Meeting Articles 27, 28, 29, 3, 4, 7 Mot. 2 and 15. Special Town Meeting – Mr. Scollins informed the Committee that over the last 24 hours there has been discussion about a Special Town Meeting within the Annual Town Meeting to address two real estate related articles. The articles do not have any financial impact to the Town. The Town Administrator, Town Counsel and Executive Assistant would present information to the Select Board at their Meeting on Tuesday, March 28. The Select Board would take a vote at their meeting to decide whether or not to call for a Special Town Meeting. Approval of Minutes - Due to the lateness of the evening the minutes for February 22, March 1, March 6 and March 15 were not acted upon and would be taken up at another next meeting. A motion made by Mr. McKenna to adjourn the meeting at 9:11 p.m. was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Schutt Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Roll Call Vote: 7-0-0 The meeting adjourned at 9:11 p.m. Minutes reviewed by: Dan Cole Respectfully submitted, Cindy Thomas Chair, Canton Finance Committee and Sub-Committee to Review Compensation of Elected Officials FINCOM 20230322 Minutes WRS DNC.docx Page 7 of 8 3/25/23
Source page 8
Finance Committee
Meeting Documents
March 22, 2023
Please note: Some meeting documents may be found on the Town’s website under the Posted Minutes
section (Laser Fiche).
Agenda for March 22, 2023.
Canton Public Schools – 2024 Proposed Budget (17 pages).
Municipal Capital Requested for Fiscal 2024 ver. 3/22/23 #10, prepared by Randy Scollins, Finance Director
(1 page).
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) – Summary of Project Requests as of March 21, 2023, prepared by Randy
Scollins (1 page).
American Rescue Plan Act – List of Project Requests (2 pages).
FY 2024 Municipal General Fund Operating Budget Request Highlights, prepared by Randy Scollins (1 page).
Finance Summary of FY 2024 Municipal Operating Budget Requests (3 pages).
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