(4-8-25 Document #6) FinCom Minutes 3-11-26 (RW)

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Canton Finance Committee Meeting
Wednesday, March 11th, 2026, 7pm
Virtual Meeting


In Attendance: Emilio Mauro, Nicholas Corkery, , Evan Patton, Helen Mancuso, Kristin Mirliani, Cindy Thomas, Reuki Schutt, and Ronald Wilson.
William Scollins – Finance Director
Absent: John Leonetti
CCTV Recording
Recording Secretary: Allison Neff

Chairperson Mauro called the meeting to order at 7:01pm.

BLUE HILLS REGIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL BUDGET – DEPT 840
Superintendent Jill Rossetti, SBA Dr. Elvio Ferreira, & School Committee Chairperson Mark Driscoll 
Mr. Driscoll introduced himself and noted that they have been working hard, as there has been a big shift in the approach to enrollment this year, which was mandated by the State. He then introduced Ms. Rossetti and Dr. Ferreira.
Ms. Rossetti began by reading the Blue Hill Regional Technical School mission statement, vision statement, and core values to the Committee. Dr. Ferreira stated that the FY27 operating budget total is $28,782,432, which is a 3.8% increase over the FY26 budget. He explained that the increase is mostly driven by fixed costs such as salaries, benefits, transportation, and debt service to their MSBA renovation project. He noted that this does not reflect program expansion, but rather maintains current services. He explained that they have been watching the budget carefully, but do not feel they can make further cuts.  Ms. Rossetti followed with a review of the school’s budget timeline throughout the year.
The representatives presented the cherry sheet for state aid which showed $8,798,355 of state aid in total, which is 3.9% over last year, noting that the $851,041 provided for transportation only covers about 75% of the school’s transportation costs for the year. Dr. Ferreira went on to display the Preliminary Budgets for FY27 vs. FY26, showing that the increases have been modest.
Revenue sources were reviewed, with excess and deficiency funding used to offset costs to the sending communities. The State determines local contributions with a formula, and then costs are divided evenly among the sending communities based on enrollment. The representatives noted that everything is kept transparent and equitable, and Ms. Rossetti explained the State’s Chapter 70 formula for calculating the contributions from sending towns. 
Dr. Ferreira moved to speaking about enrollment, saying that as of October 1, 2025, there were 924 enrolled students. He compared the enrollment numbers from various sending towns, the foundation (required funding from sending towns + Chapter 70 state aid), and the required spending. He noted that the increases for Canton are due to cost increases, as there is not a significant change in enrollment numbers from Canton, and that the Town’s contribution is mainly due to the required spending mandated by the State, rather than excessive spending by the school.
Dr. Ferreira laid out the full request for Canton in FY27 with enrollment moving from 90 to 91 students. Canton’s State-required contribution is $1,761,641, along with $273,561 for the Blue Hill Regional’s Operating Budget Assessment, $222,755 for the Renovation Assessment, and $27,970 for STC, bringing the total of the FY27 Requested Assessment to $2,285,927.

Mr. Mauro acknowledged the new lottery-based enrollment process, and asked how it will potentially affect
town contributions as enrollment moves to the new format instead of using direct selection. Ms. Rossetti replied that they are not sure yet, as this is the first year of the lottery. They are keeping a close watch on it and expect it to be very dynamic through October. She went on to explain that when students are awarded a lottery spot they have 7 days to respond, and the school moves down the wait list as some families decline the spot. She is not sure how it will play out over next few years, but recommended that the Finance Committee ask for the October 1 numbers once everything is certified and set, in order to help with their planning for next year. Mr. Scollins noted that Superintendent Folan receives and reviews the Blue Hills enrollment numbers every year.
Mr. Mauro asked if the stabilization funding being decreased would allow for the school to still have enough reserves to handle any emergency situations. Dr. Ferreira replied that the administrators felt it was the appropriate action based on the financial struggles towns across the Commonwealth are facing, and they are satisfied with this number for the next coming year. Mr. Mauro followed up by remarking on the general inflation of costs including transportation, and noted that the school, since it is a regional school, has a different form of transportation than most municipalities. He asked how the school is managing this, with Dr. Ferreira stating that they were able to extend their contract with the current provider for two more years. The companies 3.5% increase in each of next two years was found to be reasonable, especially compared to what other school districts are paying for third-party transportation services. He noted that the school did the same thing with their utility companies to try and keep costs at bay as much as possible.
Mr. Mauro noted concerns in Canton about the final amount of aid not being represented accurately on the cherry sheets from the State and asked how that applies to regional schools. Dr. Ferreira stated that they are given numbers by the State at the same time as the municipal school districts throughout the State’s legislative cycle. He confirmed that $2,285,927 is the total assessment for Canton, and that transportation costs are charged per student, rather than for the distance traveled. Mr. Scollins pointed out that for the last 2 years (and expected to continue) the Governor’s budget has been underestimated, with increases seen once the budget is finally signed. He asked if this is something that Blue Hills has experienced as well, with Dr. Ferreira agreeing this has been the case across the Commonwealth, with an increase in transportation reimbursement having been added later when this had occurred. Mr. Scollins noted that the Governor has offered $75 per student as minimum aid, and the expectation is this will rise to $150 once the legislative process is completed; he asked if the assessments will go down for each sending town if the amount coming from the State is adjusted. Dr. Ferreira stated that once the budget is finalized it becomes fixed, but in normal practice they would lower the assessments to each sending town based on the increased funding from State. Mr. Scollins noted to the Committee the context of his question, which was that this assessment is $12,900 higher than what was put forward for FY27, and he does not intend to reduce what was put forward in the budget as he is anticipating more relief from a revised Chapter 70 figure.

Chairperson Mauro expressed his belief that the Blue Hills school does a great deal to provide alternative education options to students, and it is appreciated. He thanked the representatives for attending the meeting and sharing this important information.

ARTICLE 29 AMEND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS – PENALTY & FEES, ARTICLE 30 AMEND POLICE REGULATIONS – WATER WELLS, & ARTICLE 31 AMEND MISCELLANEOUS BYLAW – REGULATING SMOKING
Meg Goldstein, Public Health Director
Ms. Goldstein noted that all of the content for these Articles is concerning amendments to wording as a matter of housekeeping, along with making sure the Town bylaws agree with Board of Health (BoH) regulations and state regulations, as the BoH regulations have gone through several iterations since the Town bylaws were set.

Article 29 Amend Hazardous Materials - Penalty & Fees
The purpose of this Article is to remove the old fee amount for hazardous materials and change the wording to read “set by the Board of Health”. The fee schedule was updated, making the originally listed amount incorrect.
Ms. Goldstein clarified that the annual registration fee is changing, not the fine amount, with the idea being to simplify the wording and remove any amounts that may become incorrect in the future, along with including references to Board of Health regulations where appropriate, instead of putting a specific number in the Town bylaws.
Mr. Mauro agreed that it makes better sense to have the mechanism referenced, rather than a specific price. Mr. Wilson asked who sets the BoH fees, and Ms. Goldstein answered that the BoH sets their own fees, which are not meant to recoup costs, but are rather based on the effort that the Department puts into permitting and the inspection process. She clarified that it had been set many years ago at $30, but the BoH recently went through all the fees and found this was much too low; it was raised to $100 to be comparable with other towns. Mr. Mauro asked how often fees or penalties are actioned, and Ms. Goldstein explained that the fees are for yearly permits, but when it comes to penalties the department’s goal is compliance, with the department imposing fines rarely.

Ms. Thomas made a motion to recommend Article 29 (To see if the Town will vote to amend the General Bylaw Article XVII Section 1 Subsection 16 and Subsection 17 to provide consistency between the General Bylaws and the Board of Health Policies) to Town Meeting as written and presented. Mr. Patton seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 7-0-1 (Ms. Schutt abstained).
Mr. Patton volunteered to write the discussion for this motion.

Article 30 Amend Police Regulations – Water Wells
Ms. Goldstein informed the Committee that well permits come from the Select Board, but state regulations give boards of health jurisdiction over private wells, and that is how it has been in practice, with the BoH managing private wells. This Article will change the wording to reflect the current practice and legislation. It also changes the penalty to $300. There are additional penalties set by the BoH because water wells can be a public nuisance, and they can be fined up to $1,000/day. She noted that this is a standard penalty for Canton and throughout other similar municipalities.

Mr. Patton made a motion to recommend Article 30 (To see if the Town will vote to amend the General Bylaw Article XIV Section 41 to provide consistency between the General Bylaws and the Board of Health Policies by amending the language) to Town Meeting as written and presented. Ms. Mirliani seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 7-0-1 (Ms. Schutt abstained).
Ms. Mirliani volunteered to write the discussion for this motion.


Article 31 Amend Miscellaneous Bylaw - Regulating Smoking
This Article is in regard to tobacco and tobacco regulations. Ms. Goldstein explained that in 2017 the BoH passed a regulation changing the legal age of smoking to 21. Later, the State changed to that as well, but this town bylaw had not been updated to match, and this Article will correct that age requirement language. There is also a significant amount of state law regarding signage; the Canton BoH chose not to add too much more wording to the bylaw, but rather add a reference that penalties are per the Canton BoH along with local and state regulations.
Ms. Goldstein went on to say that the department is going to take out the entire penalties section and refer instead to Canton’s BoH regulations. She also noted that the State has very specific penalties for tobacco when it comes to signage, placement of products, and the sale of products, with a much higher penalty than many other infractions. As these penalties change from time to time, the department felt this was the best way to proceed with a change of wording.
Mr. Patton asked where one could find those regulations, with Ms. Goldstein announcing that they are all posted on the BoH’s town website. She also noted that all tobacco permit holders must, when they apply each year, attest that they have reviewed all state and local regulations to sell tobacco products, with the Canton BoH historically being very strict. 

Ms. Thomas made a motion to recommend Article 31 (To see if the Town will vote to amend General Bylaw Article XVI Section 9 D through I to provide consistency between the General Bylaws and the Board of Health Policies by amending the language) Mr. Patton seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 7-0-1 (Ms. Schutt abstained).
Mr. Patton volunteered to write the Discussion.

Chairperson Mauro thanked Ms. Goldstein for meeting with the Committee and for everything the BoH does for public health and safety.


CENTRAL MAINTENANCE - DEPARTMENTS 192 & 632
Rob Martin, Central Maintenance Supervisor
Mr. Martin presented the additional requests for the Central Maintenance Department budget in FY27. The requests fall primarily in 2 areas, with one being adjustments for utility increases. Based on last year’s usage, the department has requested an additional $66,800 for utilities in town-owned buildings, including oil, gas, and electricity. This projection represents an increase of approximately 15%. The other aspect is the $60,000 request to take on 50% of the share of gas and electric costs of the historic Rolling Mill building at the Paul Revere Heritage Site. He noted that taking this on removes an undue burden on the tenant as they only use 50% of the space. The total utility costs are estimated to increase by $126,800.

Pequitside Farm (Department 632) is requesting a $2,100 increase, which reflects the same 15% increase in utility costs projected.

The other category is for custodial salaries. The Department has taken on 2 staff members; both were positions moved from Library custodians to Central Maintenance workers. The cost increase of $112,000 is offset substantially from the Library’s budget for custodians, so there is a net increase of approximately $6,000. Mr. Martin also noted a $3,200 increase requested for the night differential for two staff members who were moved to second shift (3pm-midnight) to better cover night meetings and later needs in the Town. The net total ask for these two departments is offset by the $118,900 transfer from the Library, making it $132,033.
Ms. Thomas noted that the Committee spoke to the Library last week and they mentioned needing to retain some custodial support; she asked if there is a net zero increase between what they are retaining and what has been moved over. Mr. Martin responded that he believes the Library has a non-union part-time staff member whose hours increased to 24 hours/week, and was already employed by the library, while the 2 property maintenance employees coming in to Central Maintenance will be at a level almost identical to the custodial positions that were vacant, meaning, overall, they are not adding any staff, but instead adding 4 or 5 hours a week for their part time person. He stated that he would defer to the Library Board of Trustees when it comes to having to raise custodial hours once the Library begins being open on Sundays. 
Mr. Mauro pointed out the Central Maintenance is a relatively new department, and asked how Mr. Martin sees the process of bringing more property issues under Central Maintenance going forward. Mr. Martin responded that it is a learning curve, but the department has been able to provide better service and a more thorough evaluation of the needs of various departments and buildings over the past year. He noted that when he began working for the Town as part of Property Maintenance 8 years ago it was a staff of only 3 people, but now consists of an HVAC tradesperson, 4 daytime custodians, and 3 nighttime custodians, so the department is able to do much more work in-house. Mr. Mauro agreed that the idea of creating Central Maintenance helps realize efficiency and streamlines the maintenance that used to be done by each Department, which took longer and was more cost-prohibitive.

PUBLIC WORKS (DEPARTMENTS 400, 410, 420, 425, 426, 427, 491, 492) AND WATER (DEPARTMENTS 640-642) & SEWER (DEPARTMENTS 600-602) ENTERPRISES
Mike Trotta, DPW Superintendent
Mr. Trotta explained that the Public Works budget request is approximately $110,000 less than the original base budget. This is mostly due to moving laborers’ salaries from Public Works to the Storm Water Enterprise Department. Currently, the Storm Water budget is rolled into the Sewer Enterprise fund, which reduces payroll by about $250,000. $38,000 is being requested to cover summer help, which was left out of last year’s operating budget, along with a small increase for software maintenance (as licenses must be renewed). The Highway Equipment Maintenance line item includes a request for a $76,000 increase because a new mechanic position was added so that the Department can do more repairs in-house, and this in-house work leads to needing more money for parts and tools for those positions. The net overall change is a reduction of $109,789 from the budget request total of $3,125,930.

Water & Sewer Enterprises:
Mr. Trotta explained that these two budgets are jointly handled between him and Mr. Scollins. He expressed his deep gratitude and admiration for the Finance Director and expressed how much he will be missed and how much effort he has put in to improve the Town, along with the Public Works Department specifically. Mr. Scollins expressed mutual admiration for Mr. Trotta. 
There is essentially no change to the Water Enterprise base budget for salaries, wages, and other expenses. The Enterprise budgets are made up of salary and wages along with other expenses, but there are also the MWRA assessment and chargeback to the General Fund, along with debt service, that are paid for using the fund.
The major change for Sewer Enterprise is the approximately $244,000 in salaries (representing 6,600-man power hours) coming out of Public Works and being put under the Storm Water budget (which is currently part of the Sewer Enterprise), due to catch basin repairs and cleaning, street sweeping, and other related tasks falling under the category of Storm Water, rather than Public Works. Other than that, there is no change to the Sewer Enterprise base budget for salaries and expenses.
Mr. Mauro asked how Storm Water fees will be represented in the Sewer Enterprise Fund going forward, with Mr. Trotta responding that the Town receives Storm Water fees for surfaces that are not permeable, which is billed under Storm Water. Mr. Scollins noted that this is the first fiscal year the Town is collecting Storm Water revenues, along with being the first year the Town is starting to isolate more expenses that are Storm Water-related. Managing Storm Water expenses under the Sewer Enterprise is legally allowed, and Storm Water revenues have their own project codes and can be reported separately, along with the expenses. The figures have not been broken out for reporting yet as it is still so new, but next year accounting will be able to show the figures separately, since there will have been a year of revenue and expenses to report from. Currently, the Storm Water revenue appears to be exceeding expenses, which is a good thing, because the Town has a lot of Storm Water expenses expected soon. Mr. Mauro clarified that there are two types of Sewer measurements and expenses: plumbing (wastewater) and storm water run-off, which is the reasoning behind the Storm Water department running as part of the Sewer Enterprise.

Mr. Mauro thanked Mr. Trotta for everything he and his departments do for the Town, noting that their accomplishments are often unacknowledged, as residents do not notice infrastructural things like this unless something is not working.

ARTICLE 14 - APPROPRIATION TO SUPPLEMENT CH. 90 ROADS PROGRAM
Mike Trotta, DPW Superintendent
Mr. Trotta noted that the Finance Committee has supported this supplemental appropriation for several years running. This article transfers $600,000 from Free Cash to be added to the funds provided by the State’s Chapter 90 Roads Program to cover approximately $1,750,000 worth of road repair currently planned for the next fiscal year. The State allotment was increased; originally set at $780,000, the State is now pledging $1,125,000 for the coming fiscal year, but these funds are not available until the budget is passed by the State Legislature, which is often too late for the Town as the construction season begins in just 3 or 4 weeks. This article allows the DPW to use these funds right away. The funding from Chapter 90 added to the $600,000 from Article 14 will come close to covering all the road work planned for this year and into next spring. There is also a balance of funds remaining from last year, which Mr. Trotta believes is approximately $200,000. 
Mr. Mauro noted that there was a proposal last year at the State level for extra funding toward road repair and he asked if that materialized, to which Mr. Trotta responded that $300,000 of the extra funds the Town will receive are due to those discussions. He also noted that the remaining balance in the account is a result of the DPW being unable to complete all road work planned for 2025 due to the large amount of extra work required during the Republic Services trash strike.
Ms. Thomas acknowledged that the Department has a road plan and system for prioritizing roads, but noted that she has heard from many community members that some roads have become significantly damaged due to recent severe winter weather, and those roads may not have been part of the plan. She asked if the department will be able to deal with significant problems that have cropped up over past month, or if only patching will be done. Mr. Trotta explained that some of those roads and others that were already in disrepair may only be patched because there are needed MBTA discussions for crossing the tracks, water/sewer capital plans, or other line work planned, making it unwise to do major repairs until after those hurdles or work is completed. He mentioned a few specific streets, including Pine St. and Sherman St., noting that the Department hopes to be able to do significant work on them by the end of the year. He explained that some others are scheduled to be re-done in the Spring when the road plan is redone, as it is every other year, but will be dependent on next winter’s weather and what new priority issues may arise. 
Ms. Mancuso asked if the plan for which roads will be repaired will be published on the Town website or anywhere else accessible to residents, with Mr. Trotta responding that he believes the road plan is already on the website, but if it is not he believes it will be posted shortly. 

Ms. Mancuso made a motion to recommend to Town Meeting the $600,000 appropriation to supplement Chapter 90 funding as outlined in Article 14. Ms. Thomas seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 8-0-0.
The Committee agreed that the motion discussion should be drafted based on last year’s motion discussion for this Article. Mr. Patton suggested adding a sentence regarding the DPW being unable to spend the full allotment last year, which has left additional monies to be spent in FY27. Ms. Thomas agreed, suggesting it be emphasized that the road work delays were due to the redeployment of personnel during the trash strike. Mr. Scollins agreed to add this information to the motion discussion, noting that he hopes to have a current draft of the Finance Committee report distributed to the Committee by next week’s meeting, so that members may begin sending feedback.

Chairperson Mauro thanked Mr. Trotta again for his service to the Town and for attending the meeting.


ARTICLE 33 AMEND GENERAL BYLAW: STRETCH SPECIALIZED ENERGY CODE - SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE ACTION PLAN COMMITTEE (SCAP)
Tom Birmingham (SCAP Chairperson), Jen Wexler (SCAP Vice Chairperson), and Consultant Craig Altemose
This agenda item was rescheduled for the March 16th Finance Committee meeting.

NEXT MEETING DATES
The agenda for the March 16th meeting will include the rescheduled Sustainability & Climate Action Plan Committee presentation and voting on the recommendations of the Community Preservation Committee.

Mr. Mauro reminded the Committee that there will be a Finance Committee meeting on Monday (3/16) and Wednesday (3/18) of the following week. 

VOTE MINUTES

Mr. Patton made a motion to accept the minutes of the February 4th Finance Committee meeting as written and distributed. Ms. Thomas seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 8-0-0.

Ms. Thomas made a motion to accept the minutes of the February 11th Finance Committee meeting as written and distributed. Ms. Mancuso seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 8-0-0.

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
Ms. Mancuso noted that few of the budgets discussed during tonight’s meeting included an increase for gas and oil costs despite those prices rising rapidly at this time. She asked what will happen if any departments go over the budget amounts requested. Mr. Scollins answered that the department heads are well-versed at managing their budgets, and if gas/oil prices become an issue (despite being a relatively small line item for most departments), they will cut back in other places as needed. He also explained that the Town pays special rates for utility costs that are lower than the costs for private citizens. Mr. Mauro asked if there was any built-in contingency for volatile fuel prices or if the line items for those costs were based on previous years’ usage. Mr. Scollins responded saying departments that use significant amounts of fuels tend to look at past trends, and typically absorb fluctuations in costs by making cuts to other line items. Mr. Mauro noted that if a department has gone over budget at the end of the year they have the option of coming before the Select Board and Finance Committee to request coverage from Cash Reserves. Mr. Scollins agreed, adding that larger department budgets are consolidated and voted as a single line item at Town Meeting, so there are typically offsets within the department budgets, and all department heads spend funds carefully and economically, with Mr. Mauro agreeing that the departments work diligently to fit their costs into the budgets recommended by the Finance Committee.

Mr. Mauro stated that the Committee will be voting on the Operating Budget and it will need to make significant cuts, and he asked if, between now and then, the Committee may expect more cuts from the departments, which will bring the Committee closer to its target budget goal. Mr. Scollins answered affirmatively, stating that the Town Administrator and Accounting have been working with him to refine the municipal budget to close the $400,000 funding gap for FY27 incremental requests. The Town Administrator is prepared to make a recommendation to the Select Board on Tuesday, followed by bringing it to the Finance Committee on March 18th, with a similar process happening for the School Department.

Mr. Patton asked for confirmation that Committee members’ discussions should be sent to Mr. Scollins, Chairperson Mauro, and Recording Secretary Neff. Mr. Scollins confirmed this, noting the importance of receiving the discussions as soon as possible, so they can be added to the Warrant draft document with enough time provided for the Committee to review and refine them. The key targeting date to get all Warrant motions to Town Counsel for legal review and feedback is March 27th; the motions will then come back before the Finance Committee for review before being sent to the printer. Mr. Scollins explained that it would be helpful to have most, if not all, the discussions submitted by the 27th as well so that Town Counsel may reference them as needed during their review of the motions for legality. 

ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Schutt made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:31pm. Ms. Thomas seconded the motion.
Discussion: There was no further discussion.
The motion passed with a vote of 8-0-0.

Minutes reviewed by: Ronald Wilson

Respectfully submitted,

Emilio E. Mauro, Jr.
Chair, Canton Finance Committee

REFERENCED DOCUMENTS:
FINCOM March 11th 2026 Agenda
BHRTC Final 27 Budget Book updated 3-3-26
Preliminary FY27 Blue Hills Regional Assessment
ARTICLES 29, 30 & 31
DPW Water & Sewer Budgets
ARTICLE 14
Blue Hills 2027 Budget Presentation
Draft Finance Committee Meeting Minutes – February 4, 2026
Draft Finance Committee Meeting Minutes – February 11, 2026