Recommendations of the Wrentham Finance Committee Special Town Meeting, November 8, 2010
13
Recommendations of the Wrentham Finance Committee Special Town Meeting, November 8, 2010
Town of Wrentham, Massachusetts
Motions and Recommendations of the Finance Committee
Special Town Meeting
Monday, November 8, 2010
ARTICLE 2: Move that the Town vote to appropriate from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $59,578.34 to supplement current Fiscal Year 2011 operating budgets. Said sum to be distributed as follows:
Budget / Cost / DiscussionTo DPW Expenses / $15,000.00 / This supplements the budget line for the new cleaning contract for Town Hall and the Public Safety Building. This contract was signed after the Fiscal Year began.
To BOS Salary / $1,200.00 / This provides a contracted raise based on performance for the administrative assistant.
To Police Salary / $22,750.00 / This supports two items. The first ($20,000) is additional overtime pay required due to the shortage of two officers (one from injury and one from departure). The second is a performance based raise for the chief of police ($2,750).
To Assessors Salary / $3,600.00 / This funds additional hours required in order for the Assessor’s office to meet DOR mandated requirements for a triennial certification.
To Town Clerk Expenses / $350.00 / This buys a new combining machine that is used throughout Town Hall.
To the Reserve Fund / $16,678.34 / This replaces a Reserve Fund Transfer that was required in October in order to replace two boilers in the Library that unexpectedly became unserviceable.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 2.
ARTICLE 3: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from unappropriated funds in the treasury, the sum of $329.69 to pay for Fiscal Year 2010 unpaid bills. Said sum to be distributed as follows:
· To MHQ - $39.00
· To Municipal Management Association - $148.69
· To Milford Regional Hospital - $142.00
Discussion: Unpaid bills are bills from the previous fiscal year that did not arrive until after the fiscal year close-out.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 3.
ARTICLE 5: Move that the Town vote to amend the Personnel By-Laws and Salary Schedule for the FY2011 Salary Range as follows:
Position / Old Min / Old Max / New Min / New Max /Assistant Superintendent Public Works / $55,000 / $74,000 / $55,000 / $76,000
Administrative Assistant to the Board of Selectmen / $30,000 / $40,000 / $30,000 / $45,000
Finance Director / $70,000 / $90,000 / $70,000 / $95,000
Call Firefighters / $17.82
$18.54
$18.94
$19.34
$19.75 / $18.36
$19.10
$19.51
$19.92
$20.34
Call Fire Lieutenant / $20.89
$21.33
$21.78
$22.24 / $21.52
$21.97
$22.43
$22.91
Council on Aging Director / $35,000 / $50,000 / $40,000 / $55,000
Council on Aging Outreach Worker / $10/hr / $15/hr / $12/hr / $17/hr
Discussion: These changes were principally initiated because employees currently in the positions have reached or very nearly reached the top of the authorized salary range, either due to longevity or contract. (In the case of the Finance Director, the Old Max is below what her contract authorizes for the current fiscal year.) These recommended changes were developed by the Personnel Board via surveys with comparable surrounding communities. The salaries listed for the Call Firefighters are steps based on longevity, so there is no range within a step.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 5.
ARTICLE 6A: Move that the Town vote to appropriate from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $340,000.00 to fund FY2011 Capital Requirements. Said sum to be allocated as follows:
$44,500.00 for the Repair/ Replacement of the Wrentham Elementary Dry Sprinkler System to be expended under the direction of the Wrentham School Committee.
And the following to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmen:
Requirement / CostRepair/Replace Fire Department Ladder Truck #1 / $100,000.00
Purchase Fire Department CPR Machines / $22,000.00
Repair/Replace Department of Public Works Front Loader #5 / $160,000.00
Purchase Recreation Department Mower / $13,500.00
Discussion: The Capital Budget Planning Committee presented a prioritized listing of requirements to the Finance Committee. The above listed items represent priorities #2-5 and #9. The number 1 priority was the Library Boilers which was addressed via a Reserve Fund Transfer as discussed with Article 2.
The sprinkler system for the elementary school is a firefighting apparatus in the Delaney School that was installed during building construction in 1997. Over the past five years it has experienced three significant leaks, the most recent in January of this year. Each leak has caused damage of between $4000 and $10,000. Fortunately none of the leaks occurred during the school day. In March of this year the school began the process of inspecting and evaluating the entire system. The inspection revealed significant deficiencies that would likely lead to additional and potentially more damaging leaks. The funding requested here will be augmented by $20,000.00 from the Wrentham Elementary School Facility Use revolving account.
The next three items (ladder truck, CPR machines and front loader) all are items that were deferred from previous years due to funding constraints. The ladder truck is 13 years old and the front loader is 17 years old. Both are at the end of their service life. The CPR machines are critical life saving devices that provide consistent compression that would otherwise become less efficient the longer an EMT would have to perform CPR manually on the way to the hospital.
The Recreation Department mower was added to the recommendations even though it has a lower priority then several non-recommended requirements. Our reasoning was to add it because it is a relatively lower cost requirement that could fit into our funding constraints where no other item could.
The funding of capital requirements is a significant challenge for the Town. We have deferred many requirements particularly over the past two years. Last year, all of the funding came from our Stabilization account. The CBPC has recently re-developed a five year plan that requires on average approximately $1 million per year. This year we are able to recommend as much as described here in large part due to the tax property the Town auctioned off last year, the proceeds of which contributed approximately $320,000 this year’s free cash account (unappropriated funds in the treasury). Based on the five year plan developed by the CBPC and our current ability to support funding for capital requirements, it will be critical to develop alternative funding strategies for future years.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 6A.
ARTICLE 6B: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from Water Enterprise Retained Earnings Unreserved the sum of $120,000.00 to fund capital requirements. Said sum to be allocated for the replacement of Water Department Truck #22 and to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmen.
Discussion: This motion is separated from the primary capital requirements motion because it has a unique funding source. The Town’s recently established Water Enterprise fund includes a source as enumerated in the motion that is similar to free cash. This account exists for the funding of capital requirements directly related to the Water Department. The Water Department Truck #22 is such a requirement and is the number one capital requirement of the Water Department. It will replace a less effective truck that is 11 years old.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 6B.
ARTICLE 7: Move that the Town vote to appropriate from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $48,094.00 to fund the Wrentham Police Union Contract.
Discussion: As part of the terms of the newly negotiated Wrentham Police Union contract, the union agreed to a 0% raise for FY 2011 if the education incentive was fully funded. This article therefore is to fully fund the education incentive.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 7.
ARTICLE 8: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $68,705.00 to fund the staffing of two additional firefighters for the remaining weeks of the current fiscal year, beginning January 1, 2011. Said sum to be distributed as follows:
· To Fire Salary - $53,705.00
· To Insurance and Benefits - $15,000.00
Discussion: The Fire Department is seeking two additional firefighters to add to the current force of 18 (including the Chief and Deputy). The current size of the force means that an overtime replacement is required for every shift that becomes short due to injury, vacation or other absence. It also causes significant limitations in the ability to always man two ambulances. Adding two firefighters provides greater flexibility which in turns reduces overtime and the associated increased risk to injury. It allows better availability to man two ambulances, which benefits response time and potentially avoids the increased costs of relying on ALS from other communities. (For clarification sake, it is important to note that the addition of these two firemen does not provide staffing for the Sheldonville Station. It is also important to note that while we recognize the operational imperative for this request, the funding is provided by a non-recurring source, which is not a viable long term solution. The approval of this request, coupled with an approval of Article 9, will present significant funding challenges for next year’s operating budget if the current fiscal environment prevails.)
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 8.
Article 9: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $100,567.00 to fund the staffing of two additional police officers for the remaining weeks of the current fiscal year. Said sum to be distributed as follows:
· To Police Salary - $85,567.00
· To Insurance and Benefits - $15,000.00
Discussion: The Police Department is seeking two additional police officers to add to the current funded force of 16. The additional officers would provide increased coverage for the midnight and day shifts. It would also provide increased flexibility for any shift that becomes short due to injury or leave, which currently remains short or is filled by overtime. Most statistics cite the need for 20-22 officers for a town of our size and coverage responsibilities. The two additional officers would bring the force to 18. (As noted with Article 8, while we recognize the operational imperative for this request, the funding is provided by a non-recurring source, which is not a viable long term solution. The approval of this request, coupled with an approval of Article 8, will present significant funding challenges for next year’s operating budget if the current fiscal environment prevails.)
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 9.
Article 10: Move that the Town vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $26,000 to be allocated to Fire Department Salary to supplement injury replacement.
Discussion: This funding request is predicated on a long term injury replacement requirement that exceeds budget allocations.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 5.
Article 11: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $2,851.33 for the repayment of ALS to the Town of Norfolk.
Discussion: This is a funding requirement the Town incurs when ambulance calls must be met by a neighboring community through the mutual aid agreement.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 5.
Article 12: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $20,405.00 for repayment of foam for the HAZMAT trailer used to extinguish a junk yard fire on Route 1A in February 2010. Said sum to be paid to the Executive Office of Public Safety.
Discussion: In responding to the junk yard fire on Route 1A last February, a Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) foam trailer belonging to the Commonwealth’s Office of Public Safety was required to quell the blaze. The Town is currently obligated to reimburse for the expenditure of the foam. It is possible that reimbursement may eventually be provided, but at the current time it is not imminent.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 12.
ARTICLE 13: Move that the Town vote to appropriate by transfer from unappropriated funds in the treasury the sum of $5,400.00 to supplement the municipal buildings insurance fund as defined by M.G.L. Chapter 40, Section 13. Said sum to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmen.
Discussion: This supplements an account that the Town endeavors to maintain between $5000 and $10,000 in order to avoid incurrence of deductibles and to also lower the Town’s premiums. The current balance has dropped below $5000 and this will bring it back to $10,000.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to approve Article 13.
Article 14: Move that the Town vote to indefinitely postpone action on this article.
Discussion: The contract for the Lake Pearl weed control is up for renewal. The Finance Committee recommends indefinitely postponing this request until updated funding requirements are available. It is expected that this will be addressed at the April 2011 Town Meeting.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to indefinitely postpone Article 14.
ARTICLE 18: Move that the Town vote to indefinitely postpone action on this article.
Discussion: This article seeks to add to the Town’s Stabilization account. However, the Finance Committee does not believe that funding is available to provide for this at this time.
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to indefinitely postpone Article 18.
13