Board of Selectmen, September 19, 2016 5:30 p.m.
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
FY 18 GOAL SETTING
September 19, 2016
5:30PM Senior Center
Present: Chairman Anthony Renzoni, Jeremy Kurtz, Geri Herlihy, Tim Ethier, Eric Scheinfeldt
Others Present: Jacquelyn Kelly, Town Manager
Peter Lukes, Assistant Town Manager (5:46PM)
Liz Fotos, Town Recorder
Chairman Renzoni called the meeting to order at 5:36PM.
Fiscal Year 18 Goals Discussion
Chairman Renzoni had compiled a list of draft FY 2018 Goals from himself, and Selectmen Ethier, Herlihy, and Kurtz.
DPW Project and Property
Ms. Kelly stated that the DPW project was mentioned and she believes it is going to be the biggest project that the Town will undertake in FY 18. She stated she was happy that the property was spoken about but she feels as thought the DPW itself will be the biggest project.
Chairman Renzoni agreed and stated that he thought it should go on the FY 18 Goals, it is a priority now for funding, and it should be on the front burner as it will be one of the largest projects the Town will do.
Sel. Ethier stated he felt it should be the number one priority for FY 18. He stated that there will be a lot of work to get the public on board and the project will need to be looked at in detail.
Ms. Kelly told Sel. Scheinfeldt about 18 Industrial Drive. She stated the owners were willing to convey it to the Town under very favorable terms. She stated that there were three small hazardous waste areas that have been under abatement for about ten years. She stated it is an opportunity but that the Town wants to go into it with its eyes wide open.
Sel. Scheinfeldt asked if it would be on the Town to complete the remediation of the hazardous areas.
Ms. Kelly confirmed it would be.
Chairman Renzoni stated that he felt the first goal should be to acquire the property at 18 Industrial Drive.
Sel. Kurtz stated that regardless as to whether he supported it or not he did not feel it would be an appropriate FY 18 goal. He stated it was something that would need to happen today and would be completed by the time the FY 18 goals were in effect.
Chairman Renzoni agreed.
Ms. Kelly agreed and stated that the whole project, the acquisition and the facility itself, would be FY 18. She stated that the Committee wanted to come before the Board soon and ask that the Selectmen set a Special Town meeting to acquire the property.
The Board agreed that a FY18 priority was to fund a DPW facility regardless of location.
Sel. Herlihy told the Board that she has a binder of information pertaining to the project for their review.
Sel. Scheinfeldt stated he was hesitant to support 18 Industrial Drive today. He asked about the environmental report.
Chairman Renzoni stated if any of the Board members had any questions for the DPW Building Committee they should forward them to the Town Manager so that they can be answered when the Committee comes into a Selectboard meeting. He stated that there would be concern with the property but with regards to goal setting even if you don’t support 18 Industrial Drive, the whole Board supports the project.
Mr. Lukes entered the meeting at 5:46PM.
Sel. Kurtz stated that he thinks his first three goals listed are some that the Board should look at:
-Develop a plan to outsource noncritical town services
-$150K Capital improvements at the three elementary schools
-Limit department budget increases to less than 2.5%
Sel. Kurtz stated that he thinks that they should look to develop a plan to outsource noncritical town services. He stated that there may be some opportunity to cut cost or have a better standard of job. He stated that instead of hiring town employees to cover work they should look at other avenues.
Ms. Kelly stated that often Town forces are able to complete work at a lot lower cost than bidding it out. She stated that the Town has recently outsourced cleaning but it is not necessarily any less expensive. She stated that the Town cannot eliminate jobs because many of the workers are union workers. Ms. Kelly stated that she does look at it from time-to-time when an opportunity arises, but she does not want to get into developing a plan to down-size town services and she does not want issues with the Town’s unions.
Ms. Kelly stated she did not agree with this goal and she thinks the town employees are often more efficient and better. She stated there is a good crew in place that is trained and committed to the Town.
Sel. Ethier stated he agreed with Ms. Kelly and he did not agree with this goal.
Sel. Kurtz stated he did not want to take jobs away from the town employees he just wanted to look at options instead of adding personnel. He stated that they need to be fiscally responsible and while he does not want to get rid of anyone he wants to look at the jobs and see if the people are right.
Ms. Kelly stated that she runs the Town and when opportunities come up she looks at other ways to provide town services. She stated that over the years the Town has not added many people; two police officers and one water sewer person and maybe one fire officer. She stated they are not adding to staff but pressure for town services has increased.
Sel. Ethier stated that this is the job of the Town Manager, to manage the town.
Sel. Kurtz stated that he would pull the goal for now but he asked Ms. Kelly to look at every opportunity.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the next goal that was suggested was to limit department budget growth to 3%. He stated in the past they had set an overall budget goal that require less than a 2.5% increase this was just a different way to do it.
Sel. Kurtz stated he was not trying to limit each department he was looking at the overall spending or growth of the Town. He stated he was looking at this as a way to control government spending to 2.5%
Ms. Kelly stated that it is the Town Manager’s job to prepare the budget and the way that she has done it for the last 17 years is to go to the department heads and ask them to give her a budget that reflects their best estimate that will provide expected services to the Town. That allows department heads the flexibility to be creative and run their departments the best way they see fit. She puts the budget together and makes needed reductions. She stated that to limit each department to a 2.5% increase is too simplistic an approach to a budget of this Town’s size.
Chairman Renzoni stated that he didn’t disagree with the Town Manager and he appreciated how she did the budget but he sat through budget hearings and some departments had a hard time explaining what their needs were when it was presented as a want.
Chairman Renzoni stated that it was a goal that the Board was looking at and what the Town Manager should shoot for.
Ms. Kelly stated that the goal should be based on policy. She stated that the Town Manager developed the budget and sent it to Fin Com where it is presented and vetted. She stated that in the past few years, they have used very little of the levy capacity and kept taxes to minimum increases. She stated that she could accept the goal of developing a budget that requires each department to specific percentage increase.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the Board looks at the process and they want to slow the rate at which government grows. He stated that the Town Manager did run the Town but that the Board of Selectmen helped by providing broad stokes of where the government goes.
Ms. Kelly stated she was not in agreement of this goal and it was not based on policy. She stated the budget was her job and if they want to set a goal for taxing less than the allowed 2.5% limit, they can do that similar to how they did it in the past.
Chairman Renzoni stated that he wants to slow down the growth of government. He said that when he came here seven years ago the budget was $28 million and now the Town was at $50 million.
Ms. Kelly stated that the school assessment is over one half of the Town’s budget. The price of doing business had gone up and she does not buy into the idea that government is too big. She stated it sounded good politically but in practice she thinks Holden has provided a good model of budgeting and fiscal responsibility. She stated that the Town is in the best financial shape it has ever been in and that is an indicator that the budget is fiscally responsible and responsive to the community’s need for town services. The Town provides services in a reasonable and efficient manner.
Sel. Scheinfeldt agreed with the Town Manager and stated that he thought it would be hard to put a percentage on that. He stated that the Town Manager does not have much control over some of these expenses. He stated he felt it would be tough to limit it to a percentage.
Sel. Kurtz stated that he felt Ms. Kelly had done a great job managing the budget and he was not trying to take that away. He stated that they are trying to put the DPW facility on and as elected officials they have to help control the spending where possible to make sure that we don’t price ourselves right out of the local economy.
Ms. Kelly stated she does not think that is where we are going as a Town. She stated she puts the budget together and she does what is best for the Town being mindful of the size of government. She stated that she is not going to agree to limit each department to an arbitrary percentage increase.
Sel. Ethier stated that Ms. Kelly is not just spending; she is under a big cap. He stated that he thinks it is the schools and health care costs that push it over.
Chairman Renzoni stated that looking at the residents he does not want people to not be able to buy in town because they cannot afford the taxes.
Sel. Ethier stated he did not feel as though they were close to that point.
Chairman Renzoni suggested dropping this goal for now and coming back in order to move forward on the remaining goals.
Conduct a Population and Growth Study
Chairman Renzoni stated that looking at population and growth he would say it is important to set a goal to understand where we are going as a Town.
Ms. Kelly asked if this was linked to a request from the superintendent to do a pupil population study aimed at redistricting students within Holden.
Ms. Kelly stated if that there was a population study done as part of the Town’s master plan and that those projections were accurate. The master plan is supposed to be revisited every ten years. She stated that it is not due until 2019 or 2020. She stated that it is time to update the Town’s housing and economic development plan which should have been done in 2014.
Sel. Herlihy asked if the Town’s master plan forecast adding to elementary schools.
Ms. Kelly stated that the population study that was part of the master plan would not show that.
Chairman Renzoni stated he did not know the name of the study but that he wished to conduct a study to show where the Town would be in 2025 with demographics, ages, housing stock, etc. He stated that he felt we needed to know where we would be so we can plan how to get there.
Sel. Scheinfeldt stated that the schools would be the first area impacted and then other things. He stated that redistricting is not easy.
Ms. Kelly stated that the Town could do a study of pupil population but she felt to only do a study for the benefit of school redistricting would not serve the Town. Ms. Kelly stated that they can certainly look at it but it is really a school goal.
Mr. Madaus entered the meeting at 6:30PM.
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOSLY VOTED TO TABLE THE DISCUSSION OF FY 18 GOAL UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING.
APPROVED: ____October 3, 2016 (as amended)_____________