Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text
April 03, 2024, Finance Committee Meeting - Virtual Meeting. Minutes
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Canton Finance Committee Minutes Voted on: 4/10/24 801 Washington Street Vote: 7-0-0 Canton, MA 02021 Meeting Minutes April 3, 2024 Finance Committee Members Present: Dave Clough, Dan Cole, Karen Foley, Emilio Mauro, Tim McKenna, Maureen Mencori, Kristin Mirliani and Cindy Thomas. Finance Committee Members absent: Reuki Schutt. Guests Present: Ellen Jones, Recording Secretary Randy Scollins, Finance Director Call Meeting to Order: Ms. Thomas called the Finance Committee virtual Zoom meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Review of the Agenda — Ms. Thomas reviewed the agenda which included voting on several Annual Town Meeting (ATM) Articles. The first item on the agenda, to hear the report of the Economic Development Committee from Gene Manning, was deferred to the meeting on April 10, 2024. Vote — Article 4 —- Act on Consent Agenda With regard to Article 12, Mr. Scollins reported that there has been discussion on whether or not the Town had to formally reaccept the Tax Abatement Program or the provision related to the Senor Work Off Program. The state increased the amount a senior may earn under the program from $1,500 to $2,000. Per Town Counsel when the state made this change they also modified the language in the law so that if a Town had already accepted the statue, the Town would not be required to reaccept the statute to accept the higher limit. It is now a local option that the Select Board can accept and implement, which they intend to do. Therefore, Article 12 could now be included in the Consent Agenda. Although Article 24 (Amend the By-Laws regarding voting and use of written ballots) has been recommended by the Finance Committee to be indefinitely postponed, Ms. Thomas suggested that it be removed from the Consent Agenda because someone may want to speak on the issue. Mr. Mauro spoke in support of removing Article 24 from the Consent Agenda. Another reason to remove Article 24 from the Consent Agenda is that the Select Board took a position to approve Article 24 prior to the proponents pulling the article. The Finance Committee removed Article 24 from the Consent Agenda because it was determined by the Committee that it may need further explanation in the discussion or at ATM. A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the following articles be disposed of in a single vote in accordance with the Finance Committee motion for Article 4 (Consent Agenda) as written in the report of the Finance Committee: Articles 5, 6, 8, 9,11, 12, 14, 16, 21 and 23 was seconded by Mr. Foley. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 15 Motions 1-20 — FY25 “Omnibus” Capital Outlay Program — Mr. Mauro stated that the Capital Planning Committee (CPC) finished their discussions for Article 15 and that he would be reviewing them over the next few days. He noted that the fencing and gate for the Police Department was not supported by the CPC 0-6-0. The vote for Town Signage was supported with a vote of 5-0-1. The CPC increased the Town Planner’s request from $40,000 to $65,000 in order to complete all the signage for the Town. The rest of the CPC votes were unanimous 6- 0-0. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 1 of 9 4/7/24
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Vote - Article 15 Motion 1 A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend the motion as written in the warrant was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Voie — Article 15 Motions 2, 4, 5.6, 7 8,9, 10,11 and 12 The Finance Committee voted the following Article 15 motions in one vote: Motion 2 - $1,046,000 — Municipal Cash Capital, Motion 4 - $1,619,700 - Municipal Debt from Free Cash for reptacement of radio equipment for the Police & Fire Department, Motion 5 - $1,090,000 — replacement of Fire Engine 6 ($838,324 from Memorial Hall Fund Project surplus), Motion 6 - $325,886 — Municipal Debt for audio video recording equipment for police cruisers, Motion 7 - $158,000 — Municipal Debt for purchasing an F550 Dump Truck, Motion 8 - $162,000 — Municipal Debt for replacing the Bolivar Street Garage 6,000 Gallon Fuel Cell, Motion 9 - $400,000 — Municipal Debt for Randolph and York Street intersection improvements ($298,000 from Randolph Mitigation), Motion 10 - $246,000 — Municipal Debt for purchasing a Dump/Sander to replace 1999 Sterling Dump/Sander Truck #15, Motion 11 - $246,000 — Municipal Debt for purchasing a Dump/Sander to replace a 1999 Sterling Dump/Sander Truck #24 and Motion 12 - $60,000 ~ Municipal Debt for replacing Unit #55 Brush Chipper (added to $48,000 under Motion 2). A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend Article 15 Motions 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 as recommended by the Capital Planning Committee and as written in the warrant was seconded by Ms. Foley. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 15 Motion 13 A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend $532,000 to be funded from Ambulance Receipts Reserved for Appropriation for the replacement of Ambulance 2 as recommended by the Capital Planning Committee and as written in the warrant was seconded by Ms. Foley. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms.Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna = Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 2 of 9 4/7124
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Vote ~— Article 25 Motions 14-18 The Finance Committee voted the following Article 15 motions in one vote: Motion 14 - $215,000 — Water Enterprise Debt for the purpose of Lead Service Line Inventory & Replacement Planning, Motion 15 - $280,000 - Water Enterprise Debt for supplementing the Water Systems Mgmt. Plan & Contract 4 Design, Motion 16 - $111,000 — Water Enterprise Retained Earnings for the purchase of various water capital purchases, Motion 17 - $1,700,000 — Sewer Enterprise Debt for Year 1 of the Sewer System Capital Improvement Plan and Motion 18 - $124,000 — Sewer Enterprise Retained Earnings — for the purchase of various sewer capital purchases. A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend Article 15 Motions 14-18 as recommended by the Capital Planning Committee and as written in the warrant was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 15 Motion 3 —- School Cash Capital A motion made by Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend $1,050,000 for the School Cash Capital as written in the warrant and as recommended by the Capital Planning Committee was seconded by Ms. Foley. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 15 Motions 19 & 20 A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend $500,000 (School Debt) for the cost of Phase 1 Core Infrastructure Switch with Transceivers and DAC cabling and $300,000 (School Debt) for the replacement of a rooftop HVAC Unit #10 and as recommended by the Capital Planning Committee was seconded by Ms. Foley. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 32 - Add Zoning By-Law Section 9.10 Canton Junction Overlay District The Finance Committee would not take action on Article 32 until after they receive the Planning Board motion. The Finance Committee plans to vote on Article 32 at their meeting on April 10. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 3 of 9 4/7/24
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Vote — Article 33 — Amend Zoning By-Law Section 4 A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend that the motion presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 33 be adopted as printed in the warrant was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 34 — Amend the Zoning Map of the Town of Canton Mr. Clough inquired if there was any revenue relief the Town receives with regard to billboard zoning. Ms. Thomas responded that no there is no revenue. A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend that the motion presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 34 be adopted as printed in the warrant was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 35 - Amend the Zoning By-Law Section 8.2 Multifamily Swellings A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend that the motion presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 35 be adopted as printed in the warrant was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms.Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 36 — Amend Zoning By-Law Section 3.1.4 Table of Use Regulations A motion made by Mr. Mauro that the Finance Committee recommend that the motion presented by the Planning Board to Town Meeting for Article 36 be adopted as printed in the warrant was seconded by Mr. Cole. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 4 of 9 4/7124
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Vote — Article 37 Motion 1 — Transfers for FY25 A motion made by Mr. McKenna that the following sums of money be transferred to the General Fund in Fiscal Year 2025 in order to fund the Town’s annual operating budget: TRANSFER FROM AMOUNT PURPOSE AMBULANCE SERVICE $1,170,080 FIRE DEPARTMENT WATER ENTERPRISE FUND 820,877 FIXED COSTS PLYMOUTH RUBBER DIF FUND 570,907 DEBT SERVICE SOLAR FACILITY 619,609 TOWN-WIDE ELECTRICITY SEWER ENTERPRISE FUND 460,925 FIXED COSTS SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE 160,500 SCHOOL COSTS AMBULANCE SERVICE 86,200 DEBT SERVICE RINK ENTERPRISE FUND 63,399 FIXED COSTS GREENLODGE STREET PARKING FEES 35,000 EXECUTIVE OFFICE SALE OF LOTS/GRAVES 10,000 CEMETERY MAINTENANCE BOND PREMIUM FUND 7,723 DEBT SERVICE CEMETERY PERPETUAL CARE (EXPENDABLE) 5,000_ CEMETERY MAINTENANCE TOTAL $4,010,220 was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms.Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 31 & 32 — The Finance Committee would vote on Articles 31 and 32 at their meeting on April 10. Vote — Article 37 Motion 2 — Operating Budgets for FY25 Mr. Clough inquired about the FY25 budget, specifically for the various Committees budget. He further inquired that the Police Audit Committee would be in need of secretarial assistance and that he does not see any allocation for the secretarial assistance in the FY25 budget. Mr. Scollins stated that it would not be funded out of the Operating Budget and that it could be funded out of the STM Article of $200,000 which was appropriated for the project. Ms. Thomas further explained that at a prior conversation with a few of the petitioners at one of the Finance Committee meetings it was explained that if the cost for secretarial assistance created a challenge within the $200,000 Police Audit Committee budget the Police Audit Committee could request from the Finance Committee a Reserve Fund Transfer Request. The majority of the Police Audit Committee, and not just one member, would have to be in favor of the Reserve Fund Transfer Request. Mr. Scollins stated that a funding shortfall would not be known until the bids have been received and the Audit Committee has made their recommendation regarding the selection of a Consultant. Mr. Clough was satisfied with the option of a Reserve Fund Transfer Request if a shortfall were to occur. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 5 of 9 4/7/24
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Vote — Article 37 Motion 2— School Department Operating Budget A motion made by Mr. McKenna to recommend an FY25 School Department Operating Budget of $56,038,598 was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 2 Motion 2 — Municipal Departments Operating Budget for F¥25 A motion made by Mr. McKenna to recommend an FY25 Municipal Departments Operating Budget of $27,940,736 was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Cail Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr. McKenna = Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote — Article 2 Motion 2 — Fixed Costs Budget for FY25 A motion made by Mr. McKenna to recommend an FY25 Fixed Costs Budget of $35,767,284 was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms.Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Vote - Article 2 Motion 2 — Enterprise Budgets for FY25 A motion made by Mr. McKenna to recommend the following Enterprise Budgets for FY25 as follows: Rink Enterprise of $495,140 Sewer Enterprise of $7,452,246 and Water Enterprise of $10,100,151 was seconded by Mr. Mauro. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms.Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 6 of 9 4/7/24
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Discuss General Business associated with Annual Town Meeting Mr. Scollins screen shared Article 20 (Establish 1860 Washington St. Redevelopment Stabilization Account) which contained a Select Board Position regarding the article. Ms. Thomas stated that the Town’s By-Laws has a provision for the Select Board to provide information regarding their deliberations regarding articles. Ms. Thomas did want to make it clear that the Annual Town Meeting Report is ultimately the Finance Committee’s Recommendations to the Voters but that there would be room in the document for the Select Board’s Positions. With regard to discussions, the Finance Committee Recording Secretary asked through the Chair if Mr. Clough would be writing minority discussions for Articles 20, 28 and 30. Mr. Clough would follow up on these discussions It was decided that all of the discussions (except the 3 Articles on the agenda for April 10'") would be due to the Finance Office by Monday, April 8h Delivery of the Special Town Meeting Recommendations in November 2023 Mr. Clough inquired about the delivery of the STM document last year because many residents did not receive the document. He stated that he had spoken with the Canton Postmaster who stated that there was confusion with the Town’s document and the Suburban Shopper. He also had concerns with the “chain of custody” for the document and recommended that there should be improvements. Ms. Thomas turned the discussion over to the Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary responded that she had visited the Canton Post Office and spoke to the Supervisor of the postal carriers and stressed to Mr. Chin that the document would be coming to their post office soon and the importance of the document being delivered to all of the residents. She plans to visit the post office again on Friday, April 12'" to inform them of the document being sent to the printers and when to expect the documents at their loading dock. As far as the chain of command, unfortunately the Town has no control on how the documents go from the printers to the loading dock and from the loading dock to the residences. The most we can do is keep checking with individuals to make sure they are meeting the deadlines. Mr. Scollins stated that the Recording Secretary has done an excellent job on this and keeps meticulous documentation including this process and that she recently had to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on how the STM mailing was handled in November 2023. After reviewing all of the records compiled it was clear to him that yes, Mr. Clough is correct. Postal workers and even residents may have confused the Suburban Shopper with the STM document. In addition to that we learned of poor performance on certain routes that also contributed to the problem. The Finance Department does everything reasonable to get documents to the Post Office, unfortunately, the Town cannot control their execution but they have been put on notice for the upcoming mailing. Because this year’s document contains numerous pages with colored printing which creates extra work for the printer, the Finance Recording Secretary emphasized the importance of meeting the deadline of Friday, April 12 to send the document to the printer. Public Informational Meeting via Zoom - The Finance Committee Recording Secretary already contacted Mr. Staiti to inquire about a date for the Zoom Pre-ATM Public Informational Meeting. A follow up call and email would be made to determine a few dates that may be convenient for some of the Finance Committee members and other individuals involved. Finance Committee Discussions/Write Ups for the ATM Document — Ms. Thomas announced that narratives/ discussions were due by Monday, April 8". The following Finance Committee members volunteered writing Discussions for the following articles: Article 28 — Cindy Thomas Article 19 — Cindy Thomas Article 22 —- Tim McKenna Article 24 — Kristin Mirliani Article 25 — Maureen Menconi Article 27 — Tim McKenna Article 29 — Maureen Menconi Article 31 — Dan Cole Discussion — Finance Committee Report — Ms. Thomas acknowledged and gave credit to Mr. Scollins for the preparation of the Finance Committee Report that will appear in the front of the Finance Committee’s Recommendations to the Voters of Town Meeting. Ms. Thomas asked if Mr. Scollins could add to the report a table of the Town’s Mitigation Funds. Ms. Thomas asked the members to review the Finance Committee Report and to forward their changes and/or comments to her by Monday, April 8". FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 7 of 9 4/7/24
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Meeting Minutes: Mr. Clough suggested that the March 20, 2024 minutes be amended to make a correction on the name of the software reference to ECode. A motion made by Mr. McKenna to approve the minutes for March 20 2024 as amended was seconded by Ms. Foley. Roll Call Vote: Ms. Mirliani Aye Mr. Cole Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Mr. Cough Aye Mr. McKenna Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Ms. Foley Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. The April 1, 2024 meeting minutes were not voted on. The minutes are still being reviewed. Next Meeting Date: The next meeting will take place on April 10, 2024 at 7:00 PM as a Zoom meeting. Meeting Adjournment: A motion made by Mr. Mauro to adjourn the meeting at approximately 8:12 p.m. was seconded by Mr. McKenna. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Cole Aye Mr. Mauro Aye Mr.McKenna Aye Ms. Menconi Aye Ms. Foley Aye Mr. Clough Aye Ms. Mirliani Aye Ms. Thomas Aye Vote: 8-0-0. Minutes reviewed by: Kristin Mirliani t Cindy Thomas Chair, Canton Fin Sub-Committee to Review Compensation of Elected Officials FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 8 of 9 4/7/24
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Finance Committee Meeting Documents April 3, 2024 Please note: Some meeting documents may be found on the Town’s website under the Posted Minutes section (Laser Fiche). Agenda — April 3, 2024. Budget documents discussed at the meeting may be found on the Town's Website under the Finance Committee section. The budget documents are subject to change as the budget process progresses. These documents may also be found at the below links: https://town.canton.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/10987/FY25-Municipal-Budget---Dept-Requests---Jan-2024---Part- 1-of-2 https://town.canton.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/10988/FY25-Municipal-Budget---Dept-Requests---Jan-2024---Part- 2-of-2 Town of Canton Budget Report for FY 2025, Dept/Finance Committee Request (8 pages). Operating Budget by Voting Category for FY 2025 (2 pages. FINCOM 20240403 Minutes KM.docx Page 9 of 9 4/7/24