April 18, 2019 Draft Meeting Minutes
Marlene Freyler called the meeting to order at 6:41pm
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll call
Marlene Freyler, Jason Allen, Claire James, Cheryl Croto, Mark Fournier, Justin Dohrn
Town Administrator Karen Hambleton
Introductions
- Mark Fournier – 8 year resident, background in manufacturing. Concerned about government and feels it’s important to give back to the community.
- Marlene Freyler – Marlene is on the Planning Board and Budget Committee. She runs a flower shop, is a hairstylist and has greenhouses. Marlene’s husband runs a driving school in Town and they are well established in the community.
- Jason Allen – Jason has lived in Bradford since 2010, and has had roots in Bradford since he was a small child. He has been involved in Town activity over the last 3 years in a variety of roles. Jason runs an architectural metalwork and welding business. Jason would like to help encourage engagement in the community in a productive environment.
- Claire James – moved to Bradford in 2013 and has a business background in Human Resources. She became involved in the Downtown Revitalization in Bradford, and then expanded her involvement in Town volunteering in a wide variety of roles.
- Cheryl Croto – Cheryl is a 7 year resident and works for the US Small Business Administration with a focus on marketing, advertizing and economic development. She previously worked for OSHA focused on enforcement.
- Justin Dohrn – Justin is a 3 year Bradford resident. He is self employed and runs a business focused primarily on masonry and carpentry activity. Justin volunteered to get involved in the community.
- Karen – Karen has been the Town Administrator for the last 3 years. She moved to Bradford in 2004 and has been engaged in a variety of Town activities.
Role Elections
Motion: Cheryl Croto motioned to nominate Marlene Freyler as Chair.
Second: Jason Allen
Vote: 6-0 in favor
Motion: Jason Allen motioned to nominate Mark Fournier to Vice-Chair.
Second: Claire James
Vote: 6-0 in favor
- The Committee discussed trying to recruit an additional Budget Committee member. This will be revisited at the next meeting as no immediate candidate was confirmed as available.
To Do:
- Review & Consideration of Meeting Minutes from February 7th, 2019.
Motion: Jason Allen motioned to approve the minutes.
Second: Claire James
Vote: 5-0 in favor; Justin Dohrn abstained
Review of Budget & Expenditures:
- The Budget Committee reviewed 1st quarter, 2019, expenditures.
Areas of significant discussion were:
- Some concern was identified with the Executive Budget line; The Budget requested was $185,334.44 and was approved at $177,125.00. Selectmen salaries were reduced from $3,000.00 each to $1,000.00 each and Karen is working to try and reduce spending to manage within the allocation.
- The Committee discussed whether or not there would be opportunity to restructure some of the accounting classifications to add clarity, particularly related to separating building related costs to reflect spending in specific buildings and software expenses related to specific departments. This information is available when looking at additional detail and there may be some opportunity to utilize sub-categories in a different way. Karen will explore what options may exist. The structure needs to follow reporting requirements for the Department of Revenue.
- The Committee discussed reviewing notes and minutes from the 2018 meeting to identify any areas where they would like to explore areas of spending prior to the budget season.
- There was also discussion around beginning the budget review process as well as developing the Capital Improvement Plan earlier in the year.
Future Business:
- The next Budget Committee meeting will be held May 16th at 6:30pm.
Motion: Mark Fournier motioned to adjourn at 7:54pm.
Second: Jason Allen
Vote: 6-0 in favor
Draft minutes submitted by Laurie Colburn