Budget Committee Minutes 12.19.19

December 27, 2019 Laurie Colburn Budget Committee, Minutes 0

Budget Committee Draft Minutes

December 19, 2019

Members – Marlene Freyler (Chair), Mark Fournier (Vice Chair), Claire James, Justin Dohrn, Jason Allen (Select Board Rep arrived at 6:45pm), and Town Administrator Karen Hambleton were in attendance.

Selectman Michael James and John Pfeifle were present.

Cheryl Croto and Courtney Schusler were absent.

Pledge of Allegiance

The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm.

Receipt of Correspondence:

  1. The Committee reviewed the minutes from the December 5th, 2019 meeting.

Motion: Mark Fournier motioned to approve the minutes.

Second: Justin Dohrn

Decision: 4-0 in favor

Review of Budget and Expenditures:

  • Erin Reed and Beth Heyward, from the Community Action Program appeared to thank the Town for the support it provides. CAP provides 75 support programs in total with select programs supported from the Warner office. John encouraged the organization to participate in Town Meeting in some manner to let the Town know about their programs,
  • Melissa Cloutier, Town Clerk/Tax Collector appeared to discuss her budget submission:
    • Part time wages are decreasing as a result of hiring a Deputy position.
    • Training is increasing by $250 to allow Melissa to participate in a recommended training conference.
    • Audit fees are decreasing. This is driven by a bi-annual audit requirement which occurred in 2019 and will not be done again until 2021.
    • Software support costs will be verified to ensure the budget amount is accurate. It should be the same as the actuals for 2019.  
    • An increase from $1,800 to $6,000, in the Clerk Election line, was discussed, which is driven by 4 elections in 2020.
    • Equipment Purchase will be reduced from $1,900 to $800. The computer that was budgeted for replacement is part of the Administrators budget line.
  • Chief Valiquet and Lieutenant Ed Shaughnessy appeared to discuss the Police Department budget:
    • Employee related expenses were discussed. Some increases are being driven by increased vacation time due to employee longevity which drives additional part time expenses for shift coverage.
    • Karen will follow up on short term disability and life insurance costs as the numbers seem low.
    • Increases were noted in Dispatch costs driven by actual expenses. Automation will help reduce this cost in the future.
    • The Repairs Computer line will be reduced from $1,542.53 to the $500 to $750 range. Tower replacement would be covered under the Administration budget line.
    • Gasoline & Oil and Vehicle Repairs were reviewed to determine if there was any opportunity to reduce these lines as a result of the new cruiser purchase done in 2019. The Chief felt gasoline was based upon current pricing and that there hasn’t been enough history established with the hybrid cruiser to understand any decrease in gasoline usage. Vehicle Repairs are based upon specific maintenance events such as tires, oil changes, etc. with $1,450 available for miscellaneous repairs to the fleet which could be consumed with a single repair.
    • The Committee discussed various other budget lines in detail with the Department. The Chief noted that utilizing technology is the next step that will really shape the future. FirstNet, an AT&T solution, that provides a reserved frequency which allows uninterrupted communications for emergency services/first responders is planned for the future. The Department will be field testing this in 2020.
  • The budget review with the Fire & Rescue Departments will be held on January 2nd, 2020 at 6:30pm.
  • The Budget Committee will hold a Public Hearing on January 30th, 2020 to review the 2020 Budget.
  • The Committee will meet January 2nd, 9th and 23rd, 2020, to complete their budget recommendation.
  • The attendees discussed Warrant Items. This is still a work in progress. Karen did get a request from Community Mental Health/Riverbend Counseling, to request the Town authorize $3,400 in funding for 2020.

Motion: Jason Allen motioned to adjourn at 7:35pm.

Second: Justin Dohrn

Decision: 5-0 in favor

Future Business:

  • The next Budget meeting will be held January 2nd, 2020 at 6:30pm.
  • Friday February 14th, 2020 – Last date to hold Public Hearing on annual budget (must be noticed 7 days in advance) Target for early February.

Meeting minutes submitted by Laurie Colburn, Recording Secretary.