##VIDEO ID:tmx09zNw0zA## okay um good afternoon this is the town pance committee um call the meeting to order at 4:00 for August 5th 2024 as we have remote member to um voice roll call Andrea wood here here I don't know h okay thank you and Don ha's here um that is four members so we are good to go with a quorum um let me just get get shared and we'll bring up the agenda and S try this again so going to minimize the um attendance window just to make it easier I gu I didn't print up the latest one okay um so the this meeting is being recorded um and it will be played back on Channel 9 it will be available also on YouTube item four on the preliminaries um at this time I have no additions or deletions to to the agenda well um I apologize I um I did not print the minutes to have them here but everybody had them and and read them I can I can call them up and we can look at them and we'll start with July 23rd was [Music] they take know what they say and of course you think I could find it I have the agenda is not many minutes um Andrea had you read the minutes previously or would you I didn't see them previously okay um I have um I am displaying the oh I I see them now yeah okay so if you want to read through them so that we can see that we've captured everything and if if you want them little little lar you'll let me know and I can B them up a little bit on the attendance didn't um Sam Grant come in late on the 23rd or was at the 30th oh maybe that was the 30th um no you're hang on I think let me let me double check they're they're beginning to blend into one long meeting yeah yes they they do it's kind of like week after week yeah like laundry yeah never okay so let me open again see see what we have on the 30th gr remot um so I think Sam was with us on the 30 30th so um so it could be that he joined about 10 minutes late I think on the 23rd and we may have that so that would be a CH okay so what would that be just but late um yeah yep that's that's all he he was um join late remotely yeah yeah okay yeah yeah and thank you Andre are there okay I can fix that pick up on that um okay so that um any other changes that we can see um do we want to make a motion to approve the minutes with the change make a motion to approve the minutes with the change and I'll second um we have a motion in a second to approve the meeting minutes with the change of adding the attendance of um Sam grant for the July 23rd minutes um roll call vote is here Andre wood yes Don hay yes one little change and we can submit those okay those and to you thank you and the meeting minute for July 30th I thought that was the one that needed to be changed now F Brant is showing in on on the 30th oh okay so I just had to put okay so this does go there y he's joined okay okay okay and the meeting minutes for July 30th um make a motion to approve the minutes of July 30 2025 um Andrea have you chance had the chance to read I'm still reading okay Y and if anybody in the room wants it BL up I can I can blow it up on the screen as best we can I I'm all set with them okay um so we we did little we have a um motion to approve the meeting minutes for July 30th do we have a second I'll make a motion to approve the minutes for July 30th okay okay second second thank you um and a roll call vote to accept the meeting minutes is yes yes and wood yes Don Hayes yes I thank you car for taking care of that for those okay I don't that any more we get back to the agenda all right so after those minutes we have update on the FY 25 budget thought I heard some foot tips in join you if you want if you prefer thank you I I didn't realize you had a meeting tonight and then guys was here okay no sry I didn't copy you I had subina R we were just trying to get this in beforeand because I know you we were looking to try to get recommendations prior and thoughts prior to um so I sent everybody an email this afternoon with the okay with another new another new on this is going to I start tracking these by minutes because they change on a regular basis not to excl public um article one is pretty straightforward that's a prior year Bill the water department conect from FY 23 um and that's just we're going to raise an appropriate I looked into taking out out of the Enterprise water Enterprise fund and Katie said it doesn't work no because usually we have to transfer that money at the at the annual It's Kind like so they transfer the money they transferred from the um Enterprise fund during special Town meetings in the past yes but Katie had some other accounting reason why we couldn't take it out of it and I figured for $600 I wasn't going to go to the mat and fight that battle um but anyway what's a b meter well I had to find out the water meters communicate through a cellular type system back to the department so I believe they don't have to send someone to everybody's house they can read the radio waves and the meter is read remotely this way I heard a side benefit is the water department can actually track someone's usage and they had they've had cases where somebody's usage went over the top and they said we think maybe you have a leak yes I did they did have a leak and they did tell me they did call me okay so I heard that story I didn't know it was ATT tribute to you but multiple people I'm sure it's multiple people but yes it does work and they did call me and tell me my to was leaky probably my and it was so that's what this article's about it's an old one so it's going to take a nine10 vote can the public ask a question please and okay yeah it raise an appropriate that's not from the general fund that's from the water fund right no it'll be the no the account said there was reasons why it couldn't be from the water and this is but that means that not water takers but I believe what we're doing is we're paying a prior year bill which was FY 24 which we did the transfer at the annual town meeting from water Enterprise and we transferred that money oh you already did that we we did it last year we just paying the bill on the on the older one oh gotta yeah so and again I think that's why we're not talking about doing an additional transfer for fy2 we even we we did the transfer at annual town meeting also so I think that that that's why we're going from from the the general f rather rather than going back to water department and asking them time any other questions on that one do you have do you plan to make a recommendation as we go or all or later on or I had thought we we would try to try to make the recommendation um as we go but that would delay you if you've got other things to do we can go through and then we can go back and for except if you'd like me get it the warrant I need to know tonight y so no I'm G to wrap it up with the board and then print it and post it tomorrow so it's your call how you want to do this a straightforward thing this this one is stra forward so we can it entertain the motion to recommend article one I'll recommend to vote article one good I'll second it okay any additional discussion on pay on paying the prior year Bill none being heard a roll call vote in the vote in the affirmative is to recommend paying is yes car say yes Andrea wood no joh yes so one um article two is to transfer an additional $100,000 from the Ann receipts account into the to be used to operate the EMS which will essentially reduce funds that have to come elsewhere but it goes from a receipts to the EMS account I talked to the chief a couple times and he's agreeable to this change is this something that is also going G to going to move forward into next year and year over year we'll be trying to transfer the 800,000 to because we're we're covering a budget increase so um I guess that was that was something I I started we we're doing article by article but as I read this we we're adding almost $1.1 million to the budget and now we're coming up with the ways that we're going to pay that budget and this FY 25's budget would be our Baseline going into FY 26 which means we're going to have to everything we we take and do this year we have to do next year um unless we're expecting this 100,000 to come from somewhere else and I'd like to identify that if we could if if it's not going to be another 800,000 from EM1 receipts next year the short answer is I can't forecast what the plans would be for next year um but I believe that this is a number that still leaves money in the ambulance receipts account and there 95 in there already as the end of June so that they're they have some basis for going forward this and some other things you'll see are attempts to use available funds to make the budget work and that's to get a balanced budget for this year but if this is now if we do this this is 100,000 that we have to look at for FY 26 that we have to come up with um and make sure it's it's available to us so um if we're that's why I'm asking is that the target going to be 800,000 again next year and if not then we're going to be I guess I'm going to say I can't answer that okay that's I mean without one I don't I'm not going to be here so you can't hold me to whatever I said but but and I don't want to Prejudice the next Administration with commitments that I can't follow through right but that that would be our recommendation going in that this this remains our base base number um plus isn't this idea of finding out that answer that particular answer kind of in a part of this ongoing fiveyear plan we're supposed to have it if if if would be for me it's kind of like because it it's the not only the expenses but it's the revenues coming in absolutely how will we going to maintain them so if this is this is coming from a um revolving fund and so if we're taking 800 this year we're expecting that it's going to be the 800 next year to support the um and operate EMS same same as this and this is going to be the common theme as we go through here um how how we're doing it so we could recommend this but um prob it's going to be in our recommend commendations if we do recomend it that it needs to be um any again we're supposed to base operating budget on recurring funds which is generally your tax tax revenue and fees that were we coming in so we're we would be counting on this going into next year if not we identify it as a potential $100,000 hole going into FY 26's budget so I can answer half of that question is the chief very confident that these funds will continue to be generated M whether they should be continually to be allocated back into operations versus left in stabilization is one that I'm I can't answer for right but I think the ambulance will continue to generate this volume of funds as I said they're already 900,000 and we only take 800 out this year yeah so Mr chair yes is your is your concern that the base that you would be starting with for 26 not increase this is almost like using free cash from from the ambulance fund to help deficit that's that's where we are is kind of like we if if we look at the debits and the credits this would be a credit coming in and it's 800,000 this year a one time credit it's a one it's a one-time credit um yeah and next year if we're counting on these one-time credits how do we know we can right yeah well F the fund has been increasing the ambulance is continuing to be busy and I don't know that we can suggests there'll be less amulance runs so um what I'm trying to do throughout this whole budget is to put to work available funds and they're coming from different sources but it's money that we've collected from one reason or another and I'm trying to put it to work to to me having a balance in in in any account looks good but it's money that the town taxpayers have somehow funded in this case it's patients and hospitals put the money to work and use it you know keep operations going and that'll be the theme sort of through the the rest yeah so okay so and we we have the fy2 the discussion and we have the future discussion if we're try I have one more thing Don yeah yeah I know that we're putting this money into the ambulance department so to to fund their budget so the money that was there now can go to offsetting our deficit but how about next year I mean I understand what you're saying about this but will we I I I'm sorry I I don't know how to express what I'm worried about we're worried about how how to fund the budget for next year if the budget for next year would would be the same as we had for May of this year and it's only 700,000 coming from ambulance receipts there's $100,000 that we have to come up with in other revenue and I believe that using those funds Selectmen or us or anyone else can't force it Chief has to agree to do it right so is it a one-time agreement this this would be a one-time agreement um so we have to come back next year and ask him for the same yes yeah look at the look at the receipts and see if it's available um and if it's available he could still say no right you may have another use whether it's a new ambulance it's kind of like if it's to be used for capital projects is yeah well the new new fire trucks have been approved and so it's just a matter of when they they haven't come in yet they paid for no so how are you going to pay for them well that's that's I mean Artic pass I can't speak so those articles were passed and they said they would be that's why I'm so confused you pass articles that you have no money for year we did yeah yeah it's kind of but this year the Articles passed we didn't have the money but we said Bond and and we were taking out bond to pay for them so we'd have to go back yeah we'd have to go back to whatever year they pass other words there 23 you pay interest on the bond yeah you would pay interest on the bond we're not paying interest until we actually until actually borrow the money but bonding was approved if that's how the funding was okay so you have like a line of credit and it's doesn't charge until you actually use the money okay you want to move on do recommendation um let's um I I think we can I'd like to move on I don't I don't know if we're going to be able to take it to a recommendation on on this one we again if it's if it's this year talking this year it's it's 100,000 it's in the fund and the chief has has agreed to it but it still comes to the overall what's what's the plan past fy2 and how how are we going to get there how we going if if we take this 100,000 and say it might not be here next year and put it in a pile and then we're going to keep on going down we're going to have about $400,000 of this that we have to figure out how it's coming from it's kind of like I don't think the the rest of the taxpayers are going to be looking forward to a a budget that's a $500,000 deficit budget overall even though we're doing these things this year with expected onetime funds another another nice thing to know would be though the ambulance receipt are good the non-collectible are they on the rise are they on the fall are they maintaining an equal you know kind of an equal you know the same amount right yeah you want you you'd like to know the the Aging report versus the right off yeah because if if non- Collectibles are increasing or are extremely large that's not a good for voting so you say non- Collectibles like theone service can collect their fee for whatever reason yeah and a lot of them are legitimate reasons like the person who did it died or whatever they they have the ambulance department has a collection agency that does it and they give us a report once a year I think this will have been write it off yeah we should be probably looking at it more okay more regularly that yeah you would think you know at least if there's a trend of Collectibles going upward non Collectibles going up and down and the receipts so it's almost like we should be SE that's true they you can have have better picture you have a better picture of it going in you're not going to be surprised in in March when you try to up with the number and hit it um so to Russ's question do we want to make a motion on this or do we need to have discussion and in order to to get Russ moving so that he hits his next meeting which is 5:30 that he can do that when we just keep moving so um yeah it we can always come back if they if they seem clean we we can we can we can we can take it and and we can go through um so would you send me note after the meeting as which ones you recommend um and whether your option would be to recommend on Tom meum floor but it would be nice to know right yeah where you are before we get there yep yep so I try to um catch catch it here so okay article three article three is to reduce four line items that were voted in May the total is $13,800 reduction in the municipal side of the budget um I told you we're adjusting the line item for the town administrated salary because they negotiate a lower number than was budgeted same with the um automobile allowance yeah and then Mis has been Mis yeah Mis has been putting in uh fiber cables between buildings which will reduce individual Comcast bills and reduce the cost we pay each month for um antivirus type screening so we've calculated this to be a $10,000 savings which is why I put that in there the big item the big contributor is police had asked for and been approved back in May a $95,000 annual lease for four cruises M the intent was to get the money go ahead on July 1 and give the notice to the vendor and it would take them yeah multiple months to build the cars Chief is okay with holding this back until December time frame the assumption is that there will be a special T me at that point the town will have established will have certified free cash from fy4 that free cash is anticipated to get a bmk which was the sale of couple properties last year so I feel confident that the free the free cash will be there you could take out the 95,000 and I'll spoil alert I'll talk about stabilization later on okay yeah but we could replenish those amounts from free cash and still have sort of the normal annual ual free cash to work with for Apple items or whatever you want to do in May snow but but that 95,000 we're going in we we're just hiding hiding 95,000 for now say delaying versus hiding but wa it's coming to zero on on the budget now again my question was how does the chief handle the time frame between now and when the new lease is there and is there any cost that he's going to have to pay to keep those the existing four vehicles going good question and I asked him and the the on the lease of the current Vehicles is in his his budget already as a line item it's buried under a cost item there why why is it increase to cover four leases when last year it was only three why is he doing four cars this year versus three that any question yeah shorter answerers I can't answer that but I would say it's because he's got four cars that you think have hit maximum you know or preferred maximum mileage which means of the fleet that they have theyve used one car more times than the other cars I think that is true sort of as normal operations and I I think they also rotate cars that get high usage and as they start to go end of life they move them to be the the court car the one you know they drive to court versus on regular patrols yeah well that's always been the case but we've never um answered it by getting another car last year it was three I even remember not that long ago it was only two I think it was three last year it it was three last here how many cars do they have total sorry answer that but this would have been talked about in all of your budget sessions already yeah this this yeah so this why can't is this money why can't we use Opa money on this well it's a lease and it's ongoing um and we wouldn't it it's going to be a multiple year lease and so oper money would not be able to fund it I oper money seemed to to fund some positions at at the time not not necessarily the equipment this is this ongoing equipment that um is required um and again if we we taking this $95,000 going to zero for now and then in the fall we're coming back and doing it with onetime funds which is free cash this is another one of those that $95,000 is going to hit the budget next year so now we're at $195,000 that we're looking for have a question too about the one the the Mis one before the the bill for that last time we discussed this it was it would save approximately $10,000 well when they get the fibers all con connected and put in I mean $10,000 and they get it all in and it only say saves $5,000 what do we do then we have to go to a special town meeting to raise the money to to put the um Mis budget to where it should be um it seems to me you're jumping the gun you you've not you've not got the the $110,000 in hand or yeah $10,000 in hand you only anticipate that that will be the amount save but you don't know it doesn't seem like uh I don't I'm not positive it's not a good reason to lower a budget well the savings was going to be on monthly bills so we don't have it in hand but it's we're not going to be paying each month once the fiber is going when I added it up I was getting 11,000 and change but I put in 10,000 just to be sure we didn't get stuck with a month or two in between when we hadn't had the savings well that was a good idea right but the rest of the Mis budget and again we're only into the First full months so I haven't I haven't seen um the bva yet to see um the we did increase the actual big budget for Mis so let me see if I can clear filters and and get the budget up am I and let's see if we can boil it up a little bit for fols I you go into why how I got that 10,000 or um you can do that um I I was just going back up for the we had we had increased the regular Mis budget for um to 160,000 this year um my my expectation would be this budget is for the um the monthly bill for the contract the licenses and it is also project time built into that so every every month we have a certain number of hours with the it group to to do project projects if if we start falling low on the communications it could be coming coming from the from there or the other purchase Services went up to 15,000 this year so we do have another line that item that was in there for the first time this this year line 109 in the budget so there would be a couple of places that if we don't hit the target at 10,000 then we we look at it and then the other potential is is replacement equipment if they don't use that or if they you know if if if we're not getting the savings on on the Mis Communications we hit that um but then again my next question for the budget and going in probably more for the selectman we have a selectman that's really the it lead what do we do when that selectman is no longer a selectman what's the time going to do for the it lead and interface there another position that we're GNA we've been using um another employee to help with immediate desktop issues where he can go out and look and see if if there's something I me I have personally seen it where in another town someone said my computer's not working instead of calling the IT professional send this person in who happens to be someone in this case and he finds it's unplugged I mean that's pretty simple but that saved you a twoh hour call minimum call on on the contract so the hours the hours aren't so this person in in town has been helping with moving equipment and and things that maybe a a technical eye can review and reduce having to call the profession right and that that stien is listed on line 105 in this hour so they it's um and it was negotiated with with the Union that he was able to do I think we did that few years ago and I was here 3 324 yep it went the 4% this year this hour so I I think this place is it understanding that we replace the fiber and it's trying to drive down the monthly cost yeah the monthly cost we can I I think we can understand that but we're hope you know again we'll be watching the bva to see where that yes yeah that fibers forther long now I think it's actually in um and being and starting up so that really longer than it was back in April May when they work on this budget right yeah n that's the piece it's kind of like we had to do the budget starting in December have it and try to get in in Grant so so that that 10,000 is reasonable it's the the 95,000 that I that I that I look at I don't I don't thinkc because of the F in that I don't think the 10,000 my concern is is on this line is the 95,000 well I was hoping that spending something later than sooner was stepp in the right direction so it's again we have the cash this year but and we're going to use free cash we get the FY 26 and that's $95,000 more dollars that we have to come up with or no no no it's well it's 195 if we if we take the the article two so it it's grow it's the list can grow and and again that's just looking at these articles we have the oper funded positions that we also have to figure in um into where this difference is going to G going to be where are we actually in in the budget and where do where do we sit they have to be allocated by December of this year and then run out December 31st of 26 which is in the FY 27 budget so so they they've gone halfway through the FY 27 budget Mr chair yes I understood it but now I'm confused I thought what Ross was saying on the cruiser thing was basically you're going to take the budget that now shows the 95 thou you know 95,000 and you're going to zero that out so it's negating the original vote if you will okay so you're reducing your budget but come the fall town meeting you may be able to add that back in as a new article paid for by Free Cash correct but if the intent of the original 95 was to go forward with that to the next year then if if the net is the same correct the net on on 25 on 26 is the same it it is and that's that's why I my my little keeping on the side was $100,000 from Article 2 and article 3 is potentially another $95,000 that we would be looking for an FY 26 no you're not going to be looking for it any more than you would have anyway right it if we take the fy2 budget that we voted in May it would be there and and that would be our base for FY 26 if we take it out now and go to zero and then try to do an FY 26 bu then it's going to go in it looks like zero it's going to go in as 95 again so lines that we're delaying putting to zero and then bringing back are going to be there looking for the full looking for the full funding in FY 26 so that's except that this is a recurring thing anyway it's usually in his it's usually in his his budget this is this is this was just a delay to try to get us to a balanced budget presenting at the at the special town meeting a lot of towns do their place cruises as a capital expense yeah we went back and I understand if it's going to be a recurring lease put it in your operating budget and move on um this is just trying to delay a cost so that the budget works and the amance receipts and other things are attempt to use every little bit of Revenue I mean the the budget the town's budget is funded by more than just property taxes there other there's other revenues right like six million or so dollars in revenues that we get sources this is just trying to use some of these sources and delaying things right yeah and again it we get the free cash free cash may not be the fund the leases next year so it's kind of know presumably if you delay your your police cruises by six or seven months then that that delays the next purchase by six or seven months right so this yeah yeah this this would take it to for FY 25 we' probably be looking for um half of that 95 so we' be looking at 4750 47500 when we get to the fall but um and and the other the other pieces that we're reducing the only one that looks like it would be ongoing is the reduction of the Mis communication um the other two revert to um would revert to the contract for the New Town Administrator yes but that's theoretically is set for three years it's set for three years and we can we can put those numbers in the in the budget it's kind of and and I would anticipate that we're there and with the two the prop two and a half and the increase in in recurring Revenue that we would be able to um cover that along with the other the other increase Alliance that would increase year will be here my concern is that the where does the 95,000 come from in FY 26 so um again understand what we're trying to do I think we have to present it as a whole thing to the town that says this is what we're trying to do for FY 25 it does nothing for FY 26 and these are the cautionary tales that we have if they're going to vote for it it's kind of like because we we're vote and again I I think it comes to the schools and their budget because we we voted a level funded budget for the schools going in that's those are the main pieces those are some of the main pieces we're talking about here well I I didn't think that proposing Cuts would be controversial but first three are not the first three cuts are not controversial in my opinion and and again I'm doing all the Talking 95 is not really a cut it's just the delay so it's not really it's not a cut it's just a delay yes but it's also not coming from tax dollar but coming from onetime fun and again it's kind of like when we say tax revenue we're we're talking re recurring Revenue sources it it could be cherry sheet it could be excise tax it could be the the real estate tax it's kind of like all of the revenue sources bundled in are are recurring part of limit um there the Ling it the leving limit is what it is and we voted not to override two and a half so um we had the two and a half incre you're gonna be like I gotta get out of here Bott pH you're gonna be running for the door because by the time your term is up okay I'm sorry it's not the text payers problem it will be but it's you you can kind of move I'm sorry it's kind of like I'm see really um could I ask your name that we recogniz yeah and your last name k um and and again when I'm sharing I I apologize it's kind of like know anybody else to come in um you can interrupt because when I'm sharing I don't see the audio screen or or the the screen of um guest so you you can you can break in and has to be heard appreciate it um so um I guess back to article 3 I reductions are good it's just the the reduction for ab and C are straightforward they're going to be a reduction they come back in with the normal increases based on the contract next year um and we continue to hope that the reduced line on Mis is there because fiber is is installed it's the the one that goes away and comes back that we that is raising the grief on that one so we'll we'll come back and visit article three that's kind of like give you the opportunity to um article four is the big hitter that shows up as an increase this is for North Middle sex Regional School District it shows an assessment increase of 69128 and that's because what was in the the May budget level funded or showed zero increase this number is not what they've asked for their assessment is is much higher than this what I AR well with some thought I provided them with a I estimated a 6% increase and that's what this 691 284 represents because well it's certainly higher than the municipal increase and it's a number that if actually approved and filtered through would balance the budget or would have we would have a balanced budget so if the town meeting agrees to take this number 691 284 it's still essentially voting no on the assessment that the school sent us on July 10th so if councils a no vote on their assessment if Ashby also votes no then their number has been rejected and they have to come back with a new number they apparently have a school committee meeting scheduled for two days after our time meeting on August 22nd what was the percentage they were asking for 7.4 is what I had on my sheets thank you um I suggested the school that if they accepted this number and we wouldn't they wouldn't have to live with a 112th budget for another couple months they would we wouldn't have to come back to another town meeting if they came up with another higher number and we could move on the school is not obligated to accept the number that that I put in the warrant or the voters approv but the thought was instead of saying zero come back with another number I would give them a hint on what number I thought might work um so that's how I came across that number their their July 10th um revised assessment reduced their earlier April assessment by 629000 so they made a cut from April it's not enough for us to get the balance the budget to balance so that's how I came across this number is your number is that number no is is a balanced budget dependent upon the things that were previous those all being passed or is this just if we just passed this we'd be in Fat City good question I I think it's somewhere in between I don't know I don't know we have to leave down meeting with the balanced budget yeah so Andrew if if they came back with the 691 284 number I would oppose that we still continue with the cuts that we planned you know I think oh yes I I just I was just curious if they all went together to balance it or if the balance was just dependent on the school that's all we might not we might not not have to cut as much but at this point I would recommend we continue with the budget and hope the scho the school help what we'll get to the last article the last article I'm proposing to use some stabilization to balance the budget if the school makes this number we won't need any stabilization to balance the budget [Music] and that makes me happy I did this with your thought with your thoughts in mind Andrea and I but believe me I I understand the finance committee's position and probably the voters and that when I mention using stabilization I expect to hear all the moans and groans and why we shouldn't do that I'll save the rest of that discussion when we get to there so anyway this is I'm proposing a 691 284 for the school so that line item used to be zero it was as an increase it it yeah it was increasing zero so if we look at the f24 number and it's up to see up there um we had pass the at town meeting it was 12 12, 33547 and so the increase in the change is going up to 13, 26761 and that's the increase of the 691 um Article Five is the other that's show the um vocational this is sort of a similar situation I'm proposing well actually I'll take that back the increase I'm using is the assessment they sent us back before town meeting um and this is based upon it's already been approved by their member towns so I don't think we have any room to to vote no because the other towns have already approved it yeah it's that's that's a required number that's that's in there so that's the increase of 3345236901 when we look at what we were assessed in FY 24 it was 79,000 in in the budget that we put together in P in April it was only about 38,000 um and so that's why it's such it looks like such a significant increase it was 47385 so um that was what we had put in in in that March time frame so that's the assessment and and so that's another 30 38929 article 6 is to actually add a line on the solid waste for 25,000 this is to account for the fact that when we go to a fee collection process for the trash to offset the cost of that trash it will in fact cost us something it'll cost us 8440 estimated on increased time for staff no additional people but additional hours and it will cost us 16,560 for invoicing software mailing software and that type of process so that the revenue that we collect from the trash fees is offset by the 25,000 okay I was payroll is that it's payroll and and say software down under the descrip it breaks it out as to application invoicing you pay in processing do you know what kind of do you already have an idea what kind of software application you buy um and you'll hear more tomorrow when you meet with the um trash collection team but Melissa Melissa has gone through and using VR that we use for our property taxes to also do the trash fees so she's reusing or expanding the use of some of our software but we sometimes we have to get another module to do yeah sometimes you have to buy that exra um I initially estimated 50,000 but after talking to Melissa and telling her you know she's done a lot of work and and Carol you'll hear more about it tomorrow to discuss how it's going to work okay purpose of tomorrow's meeting is to flush out all the questions what are you g to do if someone doesn't pay what do you do if they don't want it and then when we have the questions the answers will when is that meeting um I don't know it's 1 o'clock tomorrow upstairs and this is between whom it's myself Carol is representative from the clients committee I don't know who's representing the selectman it's the treasure collector and I think the accountant um I've asked Board of Health to do this is that an open meeting or is that your Finance team it's a working group under the Town Administrator okay so that's your Finance team yeah so it's not it's not a public meeting it's not a posted public meeting it's a it's the financial team meeting okay did it that will be something that lots of us will want to understand a lot of us want to understand how we're going to do it too when I have a proposal on how we're going to do it the details it'll be I'll bring it up meeting so but I don't think it'll be easier for us to scratch through different what ifs if we're doing it as a working group I do have one question um and again I the question I had and it's we're going to take it roll with in that that line roll it into the pick up and it'll be one total de for the two it that will be yes yeah so it won't be it because that was that was the question is it going to be you know 25,000 year year over year what's the reduction on the 25 budget if we do this what's the net reduction on the budget there's a revenue line item that we put into our recap sheet you can we're we're I'm anticipating $550,000 in revenue from the fee structure that's to counter the $822,000 trash contract 822 is the trash contract which the vendor was gracious enough to extend last year's rate to this year and avoid an increase I'm estimating will collect only 550,000 out of that because it will take us a while to system going um there may be some uncollectibles we had a a very informative discussion with the Department of Revenue representative that's been working with Townsen and she said when they close out the books the end of this year they're going to want to see proof that we're going to get that 550 so so they will look at potentially the first period of collections amortize it over the year and say yeah we think you'll hit 550 by the end of the year or you won't I picked 550 because it's well less than the 822 if you amortize 822 Over N months October through June comes out to like 618,000 so I'm just putting in a number that potentially yeah hopefully one that I feel confident enough to to put forward U just a followup question Mr chair to that um or or to this in general um have any other scenarios been discussed besides this one as an alternative to the trash pickup we have now um it has not to this point um it's kind of um so so the Tak on life of it it's it has it's kind of like trying to um I or let's put it this I have not been in any other discussions I I suspect it's because there are other Alternatives and I'm just curious as to why some of those haven't been discussed by now when there's roughly a $900,000 shortfall you look I look at the biggest ticket which is 822 out of that my understanding is before I arrived here but there was a lot of discussion about prop two and a half to pay for the schools the counter being if we don't get that it'll be some sort of a trash fre thing so this is has anybody mentioned anything at all about a pay as you throw like Lunenburg does because it doesn't require all that bookkeeping in extra hours or anything like that um I've actually thought about that and I think it short answer to that I really need to get moving here is it's very complicated and I think that may be the answer for subsequent years but the simplest thing to set up is it'll go out as part of the tax bill and people will get build according is it legal to put that on the tax bill unfortunately yep it it's been done many places um and it has been checked out with um the Town Council okay a question for later for whoever wants to answer it at some point in time if there were a group of us who would like to see options for pay as you throw going forward perhaps for 26 um what would be the best way for us to go about doing that okay don't need to answer written now but no I would suggest talking to the New Town Administrator and the Board of Health and he the New Town Administrator has experience with uh trash collection and he may have be a good resource to get that going um I think there's a better way to do anything for and again this is a one-year contract and we have to sign a longer contract if we're going to continue it so I I think that those conversations that's a it's just a shame from my point of view because it's like we're going to invest in software and training and all kinds of you know extra hours and it's all going to be new when we need it right um it's kind of that's kind of it there there's cost associated with bags and sickers can I move on with this real Quicky yeah um I'm kind of curious this you I just walked in I apologize but this is the article that's that 22,000 or something 25,000 how much 25,000,000 for the trash Fe thing yeah so you're putting an article on or the board of Select is putting an article on asking us to pay $25,000 to um to pay for the cost associated with adding an additional two to 400,000 no two $2 to $400 per household extra fee next or sometime in the next few months um so this yeah it I just don't see the taxpayers having a sense of humor I I don't either it's kind of like this yeah this this is a it's it's a tough situation we in um okay so that was our seven the um caterpillar lease I think is Caterpillar lease this is a this was a this IS300 $13,200 it was a number that was mistakenly overlooked and not brought forward as a capital request following up on a previous Arrangement it should have been in the budget already they found out that it wasn't um and this should be I think the question last week this should be the last year's least payment on this cator right and then the other thing is we when Capital planning meets we should make sure that is going to fall through the cracks like this in on the next section so we we need to look at how they right you yeah it was agreed to long ago and and somehow it fell off the it didn't make the list this year I don't remember see so it's kind of like so we have to make sure that things don't fall off the wayist um article eight is returning money to the general fund 18,750 when I went through with the help of all department heads probably 25 articles or blind items from previous town meeting articles and these are ones that the project was complete there's no need to have ongoing funds and we can return 18,750 to the general fund that will flow Sally to the bottom and reduce the deficit by that amount okay this is something that to me should be done every year because every year you have articles that are closing up and the one that had been for the the associated with the charter review dropped off the list this week is that yes because the work with the charter itself is done but town clerk informed me that in order to put it through the general code and all the other places where it needs to be posted was going thought something so I had my hand slapped trying to take that money back that's good but that's why we go through the process and and everybody gets the work yes but I hate to see money that's been allocated and taken out of a taxpayer is not made available it's not being used so this is yeah no this that was something we brought up in lastu budet press we want to know what article n um that's now are we putting the line in with a zero doll this year under article n article article n no we're putting it no because this is just to give the town permission to to pay it's not since it's not a cost issue because she hasn't finished the the training it will be a cost for FY 26 so it should show up as either item or be included in her salary next year this is just authorization go M item definitely will line it because if the next a placeholder it this is a place this is to say we agree Master the follow ma General law much like we did with pound cor and then it goes in the budget for 426 so the line that we have to make sure is added in Cy 26 and we'll have the ,000 assciated with it that article 10 is to se eement off um across 94 Pittsburg Street this was to correct a drainage problem that the town had um I guess the road had actually been I don't know flooding is the right term but ponding they opened up the drainage and took care of the ponding problem but it turns out it's discharging on private land which and the developer there was gracious enough to agree that he would run the um drainage pipe across his property but we needed easan to do that and to offset his cost a little bit they had previous they before I got here they' negotiate they'd pay $4,000 for that for obtaining the easement um and that's all this does is is authorize the town to accept the easement and to pay $4,000 this is the one that could be fun article 11 last but not least for the night is to balance the budget the the actual number will depend upon What flows through from the previous articles at this point right now I believe the deficit is 2 3,265 so I'm proposing to take that number out of stabilization to balance the budget again please 123 123 265 thank you I'm proposing to take that out of um stabilization I proposing we can't really bind a future town meeting but that they the how me they have this winner after free cash has been certified the plan would be to put that back as well as pay for the Cruisers I believe between the two the stabilization replenishment and the cruises there will still be sort of the normal amount of preach that town been working pre cash last year um I think of the numbers it's kind of like we did about 200 we did 200,000 for snow and ice and we had I think was another 276 which we then allocated In Articles and I think it was about 150,000 or 125,000 um no once once we take snow and ice out of the out of the 300,000 so I don you can pull up I sent you a spreadsheet with the um stabilization account balances going back to 2015 and graphing of it so it's been I mean it peaked in 2020 I think that's when they took out some money to pay for all the salary adjustments um and it's inching back up so I don't think there's a a trend that you can say is no but if we terribly bad but if we put that money back in it's then right the other piece is comparing this to the percentage of the annual budget that goes with it you know what's what's that percentage it's kind of like and that's why we were I think it was at 8% when they did the fy22 audit just recently and that put us in the tier two um for for this so it's kind of like so I think it's critical that if if we do you know if we do vote that we move money out that it it's moved back in too um it it's like everything else it's delaying it we're borrowing it in until we have the three Cash start well I think putting it back is I believe is feasible what right it's decided back then I mean in December that's when the meeting is I can't I can't predict that and we can't it would be improper to make condition of this vote that they voted back in December because you can't tie the hands of a future town meeting so but but the wherewithal to do that is there yes if you would to sum this up does this mean I mean all of this would end up balancing the budget this this would balance balance the budget by reducing the line items by um taking the cruises going to zero um so this whole packet it the the whole packet plus the the trash fees okay so it's kind of so so the that means that there were no Cuts made anywhere that's that's exactly it the selectman um stated that there'd be no cuts the general rule for this year is expenses were not increased so they're level funded except for a few exceptions um that cost did go and and we proven mainly in the paper and salaries aren't level funded um the the salaries were not level funded the salaries were paid based on the contract with the Union that's my point and that's more than two and a half that was more than two and a half that was a 4% yeah so we're balancing the budget primarily on well somewhat on the school and the rest of it on stabilization and and yeah so they from my perspective being a business person one of the in in the town's biggest share of cost is employees it's it's staff right um to say that we're going to use stabilization money and hope that we have the free cash to cover it it it just doesn't I mean it was very loud I think the the no override thing right it it was and and that's why the line for the school is is the place we our hands are tied with with nooba Valley I understand so we we have to that one we have to and I think and I think what Ross offered to the school is it's very reasonable right it's very reasonable if that had been offered at the beginning maybe we wouldn't have had to go through all of this however yeah if 60% of our budget is people and the benefits might just be people are you talking about the town 40 you H hit for your meeting I think we're we're good we'll look at it yes you'll see in a moment so 60% of our budget roughly is the school is the schools so of the remaining 40% is is the town's salary salary and expense structure okay salary and expense and benefits and bet that's that's an expense yeah all right because um that's the portion that's probably the biggest that we have and what the town is telling me is we need absolutely everything that we have now right understood including the trash I mean and when you look at the biggest line item that's where the trash has come in it and it's it when you look at it's closing in on a million dollar I I get you on that and I'm all for coming out with some kind of a solution maybe better than the one that we have for the in yeah I think we all have a on it yeah like an opportunity at some point for a real discussion on that subject period right because I think there's a lot of people in town that would like to be in on that discussion it it is it's kind of like it's difficult because when I I honestly so much appreciate that I can talk with you and and let you know what I'm thinking and hear what you're thinking what that's what open meeting well it is but that is isn't always the case in our in the meetings that that are held in town okay I can't ask questions at the selectman meeting which doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever okay so it's very frustrating when you want to work with people and you want to understand it so you can explain it to your next door neighbor right when it's a one-sided discussion right okay so I I really do appreciate your now it's kind of like and I mean especially when it comes to trash it's kind of I look at if everybody's getting the same bill it's kind of like we have people that will put out two gallons worth of trash in a week and then we have the other people that are going to put on 64 gallons of trash it's ludicrous the whole thing I don't even want to get into and that's why I I did some evaluations I went online to see and depending on the size of your container your price goes up depend you know so are we talking about as we do trash that it's going to be size dependent it's kind of like we're going to have if somebody has a 32 gallon can I I had I had done some research online and found certain towns but one of the towns that I found from 22 the information I went back I found it just Googling but when I went back to the actual town offal website for today looking for the the updated fees there were no fees to be posted and I think they did away with the fees exactly it's kind of like so we're coming quickly to this with with trash would it have been better to and it's more difficult and it would cost more money because we'd have to have an election but to look for an override for trash so that your trash is in with your tax bill and we don't have to have the extra software well the extra software the extra hours the extra hours potentially an extra negotiation with the Union that right so with with this it could be that it's it's a one-year piece until we determine what's going forward well hopefully but um so yeah like I said everybody has an opinion and that's just my opinion so so all of our all of the way that we administer everything in the town is absolutely necessary all of the positions at the hours that they are now are absolutely necessary that's debatable my point okay so I I hear a lot I hear a lot about positions in town so no it's kind of it's going to be hard for people to swallow taking that kind of money out of stabilization and not cutting anything right that's just you know and just for were you going to be talking you said about arpa position um that's part of the bigger we want to see the whole budget we want to see what it is this year what it is next year and what's what it is in FY 27 and Beyond oper the oper funds we we took the positions and added in another $10,000 this year but we're not even halfway to what their salaries are it's kind of like so that's going to that's going to be more money that we have to get on the recurring basis um we have to talk about funding a fire chief position at half a normal fire chief salary today it's kind of like that why do we need one and a half Fire Chiefs we so we have to have that's that's why that in order to have a balanced budget the conversation needs to be about what does it look like today and what's it going to look like and that's why I've been trying to push that we we talk don't just talk about trying to balance the budget do that you need to do that look ahead right yeah and it's in it's it's in the budget procedure or policy that it be presented and it hasn't been presented we have had somebody ending a term we had an interim we had somebody brand new somebody that was only one year in and now we're in an interim again and so there has been a lot of firefighting for one year budgets at a time and and you can't see the big picture and we can't see the big picture it's kind of like and we'll we'll see where you know where it goes from here but that's okay it's yeah there's a big picture to be had it's kind of like and we have to keep pushing for it and we have to see it and maybe that's you know that's the peaceful well I think I think that um I think that's where you guys come in is is you know pushing for those kinds of things and those kinds of views and not being shy about recommending no to something things right yep read it's kind of like and that's I mean that's what I Look to You guys yeah you know so um are you gonna be talking about the ARA positions tonight um probably not it it's just it it should be three positions but I only found two highlighted in the budget with notes said they were oper funed um but my understanding it say it's three so I got to go back and and dig here and one at the police station uh police station was brought in to the budget this year and the fire has so it was Council on Aging I think is where oh so and not the shared position kind of like there was there was the Outreach coordinator HR and and the Council on Aging I think that are that are positions that are um and again we've been trying to trying to bring it in but it's got to got to escalate up to full you know if if we can handle it well the thing is that you can make recommendations on those line numbers as well right and and that's the piece it's kind of like we're also in in a bylaw Review Committee so we're we're looking at our bylaws to see if we want to see because right now when you read the way budgets are presented it's a selectman's budget and we you know and and we only have recommendation capability we can't present well I think that has to do with perception okay um years ago years ago um the finance committee in this town had so much influence it was incredible yeah I mean nothing got passed at town meeting without somebody from Finance talking about yes no maybe and why right um and and the state law for finance committees is to represent us that don't go to all of the meetings that you do yeah you know and and to truly tell us what right long picture big picture what what should we be doing because the Selectmen aren't always going to be right y you know y you're you're the you're the people you're the sa guard for us yes um you're the you're our you're our safe guards if we don't have you y when we're trying to you know trying to reinforce okay well thank you very much thank you I'm going to um I okay YouTube okay so you you need to head oh what well if we haven't voted on on recommending things it's kind like so do we if you need to get upstairs then we won't have a quum i w't no okay okay and all going upstairs oh they're GNA talk about the budget but we we have to Bro our recommendations we have to have okay recommendations to we we only really sort of voted on the first first one and what are we do the first one okay there was three to one yeah three to one that was just the old bill that old bill yeah I mean that was pretty an easy one the second one is does the second one it starts starts where we have the questions the question okay so this is where I'm a little bit confused $100,000 um deficit here so is it to take okay is it to take the $100,000 out of their budget oh their receipts okay so we're going to increase increase the transfer from ambulance receipts from 700,000 to 800,000 so we're taking an extra 100,000 from ambulance receipts so what is the total ambulance receipts right now now he said it was 9,5 okay so the receipts the current balance in the receipts is 9,000 900,000 900,000 900 okay 900k that's say yeah so then okay so then he wants to take $100,000 from the receipts an additional so in may we voted to take 700 of the 900 now this article is saying change it to 800,000 of the 900,000 oh so that's something I'm going to leave it leaves leaves the receipts only $100,000 in the receipts and maybe even a little less than that yeah what we should have asked is um I think that 800,000 there include what they already have been using the receipt four so that's like the total receipt number not just for the one thing you know what I mean they you they have some money out for um operating their budget and I think they have one for a truck that they put money toward and some for the department and um that's the totally usage of that would be the eight um not Ved eight on top of all those other right so there there were other special town meeting articles that allocated other funds for that so so of the 900,000 the 800,000 is to support the em within the operating budget it's kind of like anything else that's coming out of there was was approved on special town meeting articles so theak 100,000 yeah so they're they're increasing what we voted in May and they want to increase it by 100,000 so then it just leaves 100,000 left in the receipts which is an ongoing bills are constantly going could go up yeah it it goes up well yeah as they as receipts come in come um but as Andre said this a some R collected so you know whatever that number is so yeah so so it would be higher if everybody if all the bills were paid it's kind of like but um the Auditors came in and saw last year that there was a lot of Aging money in in that account and so that's been on ongoing conversations with the chief and border of selectman to try to minimize the amount that ages ages out and then has to get it in oh okay so they're they're trying to get better with it so that they're not and that's the piece if you if you watch your aging you can really try to maybe put pressure on on it to try to collect it sooner rather than let it get to wrer the the stage where it's being written off need a recommendation um yeah do we do we we don't really have to go through every one of us we have to go through but should we it would be easy to do recommendations at one at a time or or all once oh I think one at a time it probably be well unless we're going to I mean I think one at a time yeah I think one at a time is that one okay okay so on article two do we have a motion I'll make a motion to recommend article two one second okay so we have a motion to recommend article two increasing the ambulance receipts amounts transfer to 800,000 um any further discussion questions nothing being heard aoll call vote is yes says yes yes and Don Hayes said sorry no it's kind of like I'm gonna um I still have my concerns so say no I'm gonna say no I'm okay well you know if if we're doing that and I know what you said before but that's how I feel about article one the as far as I know the town cannot pay for water expenses water expenses have to come from the Enterprise fund and um it I realize that Katie does a wonderful job and she does but she's a traine perhaps they should have talked to the firm we hired to be our accountant and second he said oh was only $600,000 I or $600 they didn't want to bother to run it down don't like that attitude at all no but do they pay it out of the water Enterprise fund or isn't isn't that part of our responsibility that we pay as the town and that's why they transfer no the Enterprise fund is made up from water receipt right and they come in and it has to be voted out at a town meeting for them to use but they can vot it out as easily as this SPM as anywhere else do we should we go back bu that um well I I thought because they had this was a prior year bill and we had already done the transfer a town meeting to to support them it's just a matter of what what we you what so we we voted it three to one um maybe it needs that that validation of um which butts it's going to come out of um well that's if it's um yeah it does it um come out of water or is that part of our support and some money they've already transferred to us at at prior prior Town meetings so that I'm not sure it's kind of like but Andrea you you think that all all bills associated with the water department like get any I um anything they use if they buy tools um and things I thought it was all part of I thought it was all part of the the amount that was transferred in and that was done with the purchasing here and we purchase it but if they're purchasing their own and paying the bills out of the Enterprise fund right then the whole department runs everything there salaries everything comes out of the Enterprise fund except for this may be where you got confused we pay for their insurance right and we pay for some other things but then they have them an amount that they have to pay yearly to pay us back for those Services should we go back one we can we can certainly go back to one you want to go back to one and not recommend not recommend make a motion to reconsider I make a motion to reconsider number one thank and I'll second okay so so then we vote to yeah so we're back on article one we we we need to vote to reopen and we consider article one so we had the motion and the second so are we voting to reopen and then are we vot take so taking two vot we're going to take two votes one first is to reconsider it and then make a motion to reconsider Jas car second okay sorry I thought we yeah we did that weot on now we'll vote to this is the reconsider reconsider this is voting to reconsider it so yes will we'll reconsider and and okay yes we will reconsider J okay ter say yes and there would yes Don Hayes yes we will reconsider okay now you want to what a motion to reopen it um do we do we want I hate to we have a meeting next week we have to vote on this again we we have to vote on this again but we have more questions before we vote we want to know he have to have like something to post tomorrow he he has to post it but and he wants our recommendation but again we have more questions so we can't okay it's kind of like so I'm thinking we need to we need to see if Oh I thought he needed a recommendation before like it he would like that he can post it without oh okay and we have a meeting next week so if what day not you're you're not coming I won't be there you won't be there on the warrant he has our recommendation but in the past we always put in our recommendations on a separate sheet going back to that system shouldn't be hard right yep Noe it it's not hard um and I'm trying to work work on the on it is as we speak here so um so right now we have a question to see if this bill should be paid by water water Enterprise fund or um or or towns and general fund okay okay and then we can take it next we can vot it's kind to okay because we won't we won't have it in time for for them tonight okay so where we're looking to get um so we have voted on article two go three okay article three so I'm just going to share my computer with youal for now okay what I've been doing is I captured the Articles just a real brief description um what the amount of the article is the date and then the vote okay and then try to capture any questions so I can you can capture the Motions I'll get them these kinds of details to you or El said you buy things you can f in the thing and then we'll create the recommendation sheet the blank for on article three I I'm just concerned about kicking that $95,000 down to December MH I'm like you know that it's if if you separate this and make it two articles AB a well a through C I guess is okay right yep but it's number D if we took D out I wouldn't have a problem with article so our our recommendation to them will be to change the article because three are permanently coming down and one is this and I'm not 100% sure on see that Communications I mean he was cling sorry to say yeah no no no it's kind of like it's technology words you haven't haven't heard yeah and it's and I know I'm technology challenge that's that's okay but what he kept saying talking about the we it's like well do really know that this fiber optic Cable's really going to reduce well oh have a technology background so yes you would know better than and so the answer the answer is going to be yes okay what in in the old structure you had it it's like your home okay you had a cable coming in y and you had a cable box so that and or a modem so you could get the internet than the house and that's what we had at every building okay in in here uh and that had to run into what they call a firewall which is a p this W to share it out it's kind so now by doing this fiber connection you don't have to have a motor a firewall in every location it's all done centrally and so now you don't have okay all of those separate invoices and and support something you do have the savings we we do have a savings It's Kind right so it made sense to me and no yep no that makes sense now that you explained it that way I get that I do get that yeah so have yeah not not having that background and okay so I'm good with A and C if it's D I just mean that's a bill that needs to be paid and kicking the can down the string talking to the other well yeah because what are they going to what's going to happen they kick this down on the street they don't get the revenue receipts or whatever and then and they still have to pay this bill delay delay delay delay delay is not good right and and again my question is okay so you have the leases usually when you hold on to a piece of equipment after the lease you still have to pay something well yes you still have to pay so Le I mean as long as they're leasing they still have to pay something to it's a leas for their right and and oh they got to give the car back right and it's kind of like and we can't give three cars back on the car at least to it's kind of like so I I guess we're looking at this and saying it should be two it it should be broken into two they they only did one article and yeah it's kind of like we would recommend two articles to be voted voted independently because if we don't we're not I what I'm hearing we we think we would recommend AB andc but D we have a we we have more heartburn yeah and I I don't like the the word reduce for the because we're not really reducing it we're delaying delaying it because to me when you look at reducing it looks like you got you got a $95,000 savings and that's not really true it's still a bill it has to be paid it's going to yeah because the equipment that is being purchased on that lease has to be bought for the police to become efficient it's like and to be able to to do it so so yes it's kind of like and that's the piece it's kind of like this gets into the balancing balancing a budget presenting a balanced budget um we don't we don't think this item should be totally released if you're going to kick it down again and it's going to be six it should be reduced from 95 to 475 for this year go up to 95,000 next year that's so that's that's what we see Andrea does that make sense that this should actually if if we're delaying it should actually remain in the budget if but if it's going to be delayed for six months it should just be half the value on the line I had never thought about it that way but yes I agree would be have because they said they're going to still going to do the lease but they're going to do it in December yeah and so you have half a year January through June in Ju 26 okay yeah okay because of fisal years that okay good all right I have but that doesn't Del that doesn't take the 95 away it it doesn't take the 95 but it reduces it by 50% because we didn't start the lease at the be in July this year oh Jo I yeah yeah so you're only you're only halfway into you the fac halfway over what right and he's he's the what's trying to happen and again it's it's kind of like I that's probably the way to go so I kind of like do we want to make a motion to recommend separating article three into two articles yeah I I think so I think and and we on on the second article we recommend that it be reduced by by half because again you're you're you're taking it out just to add it back in it's kind of like and what happens if you if the town doesn't vote it back in in December you say let's let's let's let's use the past couple years we couldn't get a quarum for special town meeting in the fall if you don't do special town meeting and vote it vote the least how is the police going to get the lease in the second half of the year and there've been a number of years when we've not been able to H handle that um uh B town meeting because people didn't attend I can think why what quite recent yeah yeah so I um yeah so I don't think we don't recommend article three as is we recommend rewriting it and breaking it into two articles and then the second article should be the cruiser Standalone and it should listed as 475 um and that changes his whole unless he just throws it on the end okay well me yeah add it at and as article 12 or just before the stabilization one just remember the last two okay do we um what do we want to do I guess do we want a motion to not recommend article three as written and and then make the recommendation to Town Administrator to make it to lines I'll make a motion to make article three and two separate lines first one containing a b and c second half B okay down and on the uh on D to 47,000 5 47500 47500 yeah and I'll second okay so we have a motion to recommend a change to article three changing a and C to Standalone and or a and C still move and moving D to a separate article um any further questions on that and we'll vote them as if we're doing an extra article so okay um so we'll start with voting that we're going to recommend breaking it into two so we've had the motion we've had the second and so um a yes vote now will will have us make make that recommendation to him to change to make the change General bikas yes yes Andre wood yes Don Hayes yes um I'm just gonna do you realize you're recording all these votes for the minute I'm trying to oh no I I that no you just you know take the the piece of paper that they're on yeah r that vote Yes or No but no I just didn't know I wasn't sure if you knew that was a requirement or minutes that's sorry that's okay no problem okay so we'll see if I'm accurate and Capt and everything oh nobody will remember anyway and and again by making this recommendation on the change okaying it's sorry makeing change police new equipment reducing this line to zero is then that's just all the questions we have so here we're saying you prevent reduce and our reasoning is it eliminates the need which has failed give give a little back of try try to do that okay okay sorry I'm kind of um that was article three oh here's a big one the big one the North Middle sex assessment [Music] you know I understand or I understood what he said yeah and what I read in the article but I I don't like it when we go to town meeting with these sort of tricky articles I don't think it's fair to the public yeah yeah right it's kind of like it needs to sorry I'm the article for the assessment um I just wanted to read what the what the description was [Music] fine yeah so he's he's not saying he he there's only a part partial description on here talks about line 500 amount voted at May ATM which the same number is 24 so we level funded this was not the school's budget request to submitted on April 30th the new amount represents a decrease from the April reent however this amount is higher than the May annual and it's reported this the amount that they recommended right and this is yeah this is lower it it's kind of like his whole the the description we had was this was lower so the description needs to State more than than it does it needs to include this is lower than than the schools latest July 10th assessment and if we if we vote this amount it's still re it's still not approving the school budget as as fully funded that's kind of little a little bit bigger yeah um to do you want just the amounts you looking to see the numbers or okay this okay so this is the recommendation sheet with the with the increase are are you looking for the whole budget so what is the um difference between the number they wanted in this one here difference let's see let's see if we can find it than that an assessment okay so okay so that should be opened things everywhere okay so the de Deb assessment we can we can pull out so let me that again too so so I'll have to do the math which we can do because the amount that they want is the operating assessment plus the transportation assessment we want those two numbers added together the debt assessment is separate a separate line item and I can't copy so 117 assessment um that's like the the building the pay for the school building that we had built oh oh okay ready [Music] think I can remember 78255 1244 706 24476 I backwards 244,000 no no no I I did I I reversed the the numbers so equals okay I'll pull it up again and then you can you can check we'll check the man okay can you see that okay no I yeah sorry it's kind of like going from one to the other so the first one is the assessment 11 million 78255 okay and so if I go to their letter 11 78255 sorry it's kind of like it didn't stay B um so then the transport assessment 24476 1 24476 so the total that they were looking for is is 1,300 no 13 million 26 26761 what do they show at yeah that's what he's showing on the article that's what he shows here now that bus transportation line that's the lot that's the money that they talk about that the state had refused to come up with the money and they actually it looks like they lowered it again the percentage they lowered this year it's kind of what the transportation they lower I think yeah if I if I I heard they lower the state lowered it the state lowered the reimbursement for transportation I heard that they lowered their money to all the Regional Schools too um theyve they've come they they've done other of different things you if you if you haven't seen it let's let's go but what was the what was the answer to my question so the question you had asked um what was a short um you were wondering what what the number was that was on so look looking at this and looking at what they had sent in the letter um it looks looks like this is matching it because the number in the letter said they wanted 13, 26761 and if we look at the Omnibus that they put together they're working 3267 61 with the that exempt you're looking for what 13 13 million 26,00 $761 they short no no no no that's why we have to come up with the six that's why we have to come up with 691 the 691 284 oh okay to meet all right to meet the to meet that that's what article four is saying okay in order to come up with that 133 million we got to come up with 691 more bucks okay so the 691 is that just for Townson or is at the three towns that's just Town that's just Town's assess yeah just our assessment and what happens if that gets V voted no if that gets voted no then we don't change that amount in in the budget they they could could get recommended on Town 4 that they change the amount on that line kind of to something forward it's kind of like um which is what happened on well must have been town meeting in in May somebody somebody made a recommendation to change change the number but it didn't pass FL um but yeah so it's kind of like this this this this is the list of the warrant and this is what we get the the day um on the FL is actually the motion called the motion and what's on the warrant is generally the gist of it when you get the actual motion it it may have something a little little different than than what's in the warrant General they try they try to stick to it the best they can like the last one where they're estimating a number and everything may have to go that that's why that number may be different in the end it's kind of like stabiliz does the town give you the total revenue receipts we have to ask for them they then it's it's not something that's been supplied um in the past but it it should should be available to us it was in one of the documents Ross had provided earlier so we we can see some of them I mean but I mean do you get like the total receipts from the town so you know what all the expenditures are and where the shfs are um we have we we haven't seen it but we show you know it's kind of like because how how else if you don't know what the total receips are and they not that they would ever do this but but but they fudge things that they shouldn't fudge things and and that's why the the comment um sounds like they were talking to Bobby Joe um about um the validating of the number they we have to show proof that we're going to get that 500 he talked about 550,000 for the trash pickup oh yeah yeah he was talking about that why if I still don't get that if the trash is 800 something thousand why are they only looking to get 550 would they wouldn't be getting cover the whole 800,000 because then you would have to have a larger bill when we start implementing this if it's say October you it's only three4 of a year so it's 34 of the 832 we're going to yeah okay I get that the town's going to pay the other I get it I get it so so that that's the piece of that one it's kind of like saying we didn't start it in July so we're not going to get the whole amount and so that's why the the team tomorrow is is going to start talking about it there's going to be a deadline of when they want to start collecting having a place and start collecting so yeah I have no F October 1 is going to be achievable no but and and that maybe why I think he he did even December to get seven seven month seven 712s of that of that matter Don yes I I understand what you just said but yeah the money from say the beginning of the fiscal year until October 1st that would come from the money that we voted a town meeting for trash pickup that we don't have well I um we we would have it and that's I started to understand a little better when when he spoke about that so it sounds as though everything it and the the little bits of the money the 100 th000 the extra 100,000 from the the ambulance and then the $95,000 that were from the police from the police cruisers when if if we're only expecting say 550 out of the 800 this year for trash next year those two numbers are going to get replaced by the full Year's worth of trash pickup okay well I have a question now then yeah where is they picked up my trash Thursday where did that money come from um it it it will have come from the tax receipts from um the August 1 tax receipts um okay so so it I mean you could you could think of it working on a on a three-month budget when when we start the year we we can start paying the bills when we we then we get our first quarter tax bills and we pay that in August and so now there's a bucket of money in there to start paying the first parts of the budget well do you know well because I I done some when I was doing trasy research and stuff but um even going through some of the other kind websites um do we ever take advantage of like paying bills early to get like a discount you know sometimes sometimes you know if you pay it um earli you get you get a right pay pay instead of instead of 30 days it's like you do it in I don't know 10 15 days they give you a two or three or four% discount right there's those and then sometimes billing monthly versus quarterly versus semiannually you can get a discount by paying a bigger the only one that I know that we do that on is that um on I think it's workman comp we get um so much it it's one price if you at if you respond immediately and it can a little bit more more quite a lot more considering every dollar count um if you pay on the date that's really due well sometimes comes to the treasurer right okay yeah there there have been different discounts depending yeah yeah yeah I I've been in on the bilding side because more frequently if you're generating more bills frequent more frequently you're handling the money yeah just like if pay my car insurance if I pay it all up front right you don't get a monthly bill and I get a discount for paying it all up front or if you pay twice a year versus monthly you get a little bit less you know all those little discounts y y okay so so what are we going to do with article four now we recommending it or what are we doing with it oh skipping well um he he said that this number did not match what they had requested in July but this 13 but the 13 2676 was in the letter so right yeah so looks like looks like they are paying it it's kind of like so we still have a question okay on that it's kind of like because you know it um let we we do the ma okay let's I'd like to ask a question can you hear mumbling in your background yes yeah I think it's in another room I think it's picking up the select's meeting yeah oh I oh oh it is it's the monitor yeah it's the monitor next door in the it room oh okay because it's not loud enough for you not to hear but I was curious on why it was doing that that's all thank [Music] you I gotta get the right number okay so okay so I I just did the percentage so so the increase of the 691 is a 5.6 increase over last year's school budget okay he said a six 6% increase over maybe he just rounded I think he did yeah yeah yeah if I take the decimal points down it'll round to six okay the other way six yes okay but still it looks like if we approve that amount it is approving the the school budget as as assessed in July and he said the school may not accept it right so if the school doesn't accept it then what happens they one they're still on the 112 budg yeah and then you'd have to go back for another increase so the saying we want it it may get to the point that the um state state comes in and assigns the value yeah and tells you how much the school budget be could be better B depending could be bad yeah could be bad espe they're not funding the r yeah yeah but but again we're according to their formulas it's kind of like Town town is is above for how much per student we're what we're above the formula so they they they have a formula that says you should spend this much money on a student okay and we're above that amount at the at in an nor middle sex District the high school level all of it kind of so they don't break it out they haven't broken it out it's kind of like and I don't know if so you can't touch Elementary programs Elementary programs they say you can't cut Elementary progams right so if they have a formula that says you should be spending so much per student and we're spending more right where are the differences what's the difference where is it what what's the difference what are they spending money on that we shouldn't be spending money well and again it is kind of don't know I don't know the formulas I we we would have to run and have a side by side comparison of what the for the Chapter 70 money in Formula is and and how it compares to how North Middle sex is spending it I don't know if they have calculations for how many are special needs and need one on one could but I thought the state mandated we you had a spend on special needs so they they they mandate the they probably do the Manpower they they mandate the Manpower they don't necessarily mandate the price it's kind of like so well because I know like I think my daughter's on the PT middle school PTO she because I asked her what a par professional was because he was talking about all the par and she saids oh those are the ones that help the special needs and I have a daughter my other daughter was special and she goes mom I never had anybody I mean she says I never had anybody that was like assigned to me to help me with anything I you know that there are that there are kids that do have um one vers and that that becomes and then SEC English is a second language requirements what's the what's the formula that they have and how many are there it's kind of like so we may get in we may end up finding that the formula the state uses is is one to come up with the number but it doesn't really fit fit our scho system the profile right yeah it's kind of like and that's that's the P that's a piece that we have to understand um Margaret scars deel did have the Gathering of uh desie and all this the school systems Board of Select finance committee so she said she's going to have another session trying to work all this out but those are the questions that I started to come out with after after this meeting is how do how do we sit down oneon-one with dessie and and see their formulas versus North menal sex and then is it something that they have to go back and I totally understand it it was like a six-year program in the state to get us where we're going it's kind of like and this is probably the third version of this six and we're only 3 years into it so to try to get them to change a program that's 50% in could be could be difficult but they need to also understand that how difficult it is on the towns I mean practically every town in the area was trying to do 20 only half to to make school pay school budgets this year I think our problem was we never stick to the two and a half and I think this coming year I think we should make them you know well realize that we don't have the money to spend and and that's the piece it's kind of like if we if we do this amount now what's next year's budget well because I know on the first override for the school when the superintendent got out because I was sitting there and he gave his little spiel about you know how much money he needs and I'm thinking but he he say I don't think people are listening to him because he's this is not the end of it cuz he's basically said he's coming back next year looking for more yeah I'm like wait a minute you got to stop at some point you got to stop and the the conversation that I heard and I got validate was that they were trying to work where schools were going to be 55% of the town's budget it's kind of like but but that would be improv for us that would be no I know that's what that's what I'm laughing because it's more than 55 we're more than 55% 60 and they we're real close it's of% would be a cut yeah and and then we would have more money for police cruises police exactly exactly you know so it's kind of like so okay so we want to recommend 47,000 gages that were hired for money see they shouldn't they shouldn't I know I know but because because single no I'm I'm just saying all opper because if when you hire and you have no if they had a plan do they have a contract I what's your contract ends isn't it over or oper they weren't hired by contract they were hired as employees into the town and the OPA money funded them but just because you have Opa money doesn't mean you go hire all these people without having a a source of pay them to pay them once the have of funds because it's not just the op I mean now you've got benefits and you got you know and equipment and computers I mean everything that comes into place and you can't you when when you're well you don't have a lot of money to begin with and you don't and you're rubbing your pushing to pay the bills then you shouldn't be hiring people with oper funds that particularly you shouldn't be um hiring people you couldn't afford without arpa fund absolutely absolutely and right which yeah you're right it it shouldn't that's that was the other way to different way trying to say if you couldn't afford if you can't afford them and remember we have those two major positions but we also have some Personnel that went to the uh fire department and a certain amount of officers that went to the police department that's why I wondered about the fourth car um if it was because they had increased their population of officers they fired another car for you know right yeah right because the the other part of it was um that um sorry it's kind of they they they for a lot of years they weren't fully stapped and now they they were fully stapped maybe there's one position open again and like although I think one thing they never negotiate on on the police department when I was a SLU we we argue this in negotiations the number of times they're on a a 4 on three off schedule which is the most expensive way to do it it's very good for the police officer is as such because then every year a different officer gets uh you know has to work on Christmas or Thanksgiving or whatever it doesn't always fall to the same person but whether we can afford this schedule anymore to me it's becoming a real question right could that arer money have gone all towards roads could it could it all gone towards roads it it should have gone through infrastructure because it was over so many years I think sakman didn't think of it as one-time monies but in reality it's still one-time monies and it should have gone to one-time purchases like all freecast good actually I went on site to read up on it it's the only thing it said you could use it to hire emergency Personnel emergency and but it was supply for like construction jobs um Road repairs Bridge repairs so so it was a higher Council on Aging people CU that's not an emergency position but it it was at the time they they they had more more demand there was there was you handing it is kind of like that but anyway I'm with the you shouldn't have hired people he couldn't in the first place so now but anyways we're okay y we're we're slow on it but um on Article 4 I'm thinking it's additional question because the 691 seems to match what they what they had so we don't understand the statement okay oh what not what the school wants represent the the school like it's not yeah but that 13 26 was in that letter that you that you showed so so we don't understand the statement that we received earlier yeah um okay can't type anyway number five it's just kind of oh that's a nobraino yeah because that one just that's it that's it so we can we can we can make a motion for that I'll make a motion that we pass Article Five and I'll siphon it this sorry being Stone they going access ass sorry okay so I heard that we had a motion to approve Article 5 which is both North nber Valley Technical High School lines it yeah and we had a second um any other questions on Article Five as you said it really makes no we we have to pay it so um if there's nothing further a roll call vote um a yes vote is going to that we recommend Article Five I recommend Article Five JN bikas yes terl hus yes Andrea wood yes Don Hayes yes one oh okay yep more discussion but is it up to us to discuss it at this point or is it up to him because we don't have the answer to we're supposed to be I'm not even sure why they have this on here when they don't even have a process for Collective the Fe I well that's why I said it should come under payroll because I mean why are we putting this article about trash because right now nobody even not nobody but a lot of people don't know that this be a feet right so to put this up there I could just see a Tom meeting it's going to like we'll be be we'll be there till like midnight talking about trash right yeah now when they say bag pickup or um well how did that work well all I know is years I'm talking like 30 years ago when I lived in chesford they went to a fee like you know her bank and what you had to do you had to go down and buy at that time cuz this is like the 70s 80s it was a dollar a bag you could still have your trash can but you had to have it had to be in the in the bag and you know how long that lasted it lasted maybe a year maybe a year and a half and they went back to pay for trash again yeah that would cost my household unfortunately because I know they're not a dollar a bagging right well no but the other thing is you know I don't even know why because it might not it might be more it might be less because I don't think we should I don't even think it should be there until they think about the process because it's going to be an if it could become an County Nightmare how do you tell sh who I guess it's going to be sha how do you tell sha which house Pi pick up their but don't pick up their I mean really right this this one didn't sign up for the program don't pick up now you put it say you put it on your property tax bill which is f which is fine i' rather have it on there it goes into my you know tax deduction and it'll probably be because I paid the CPA tax in west but it was always a separate line on my thing but so you have a trash line and it's I don't know 40 bucks a say 200 bucks a quarter whatever it is so now I'm pissed I'm not going to pay for your trash and so I'm going to pay my property tax commission but I'm not going to send you the money for the 200 bucks so now what do you do are you and how do you make sure that it's not that that part you're not paying doesn't get applied and you then yeah I yeah I see what you say you're not buing it's in a real estate tax it's kind of like so that somebody doesn't make any counting error and so I don't pay the 20 bucks I pay the Thousand for my taxes M but then somebody's up and post it as 800 for my taxes and 200 on my taxes I mean this is like a it it can be a freaking night Weare like my daughter's my daughter I shouldn't say where she lives but she lives in town and her husband's a general contractor she goes that pain any she says Chris will take the trash tool he's got Thum all over the sudden because he does a lot of remod not very she said he's got he's got DSes everywhere she says I'll just load up his Tri the vul it it around dump it in the I think we should can I think it's premature until they figure out a process of how they want to do this because once until they figure out the process they don't really know what this is in in order to try it out they have to spend some money to turn on the options so it's kind of like yeah so yeah I guess no you're right there you are right to do it they do have to spend some money but right and and how do you how do you how do you spend a piece of money it's kind of like and you know do it with an evaluation software and try it out but you're right it's kind of like until they have a process but in in this case um in this is is Town meetings on the 20th town meeting is on the 20th this this this article just be hours I can see just days oh when this schol was we didn't get out of there till midnight one of those yeah okay I guess no you're right do they have to have some money they have to have some money and and it's kind of like so so this is this is a new one new new l to to do it but but again the questions are going to come up we're going to we're going to vote it I would rather see the plan I mean much to um suo comment we we're now spending money to try to figure out something that we we're trying to trying to fix a problem that wasn't broken it's it's not broken until broken kind of like because um you know we haven't so there's still that $800,000 line in there um but they're going to start building a lot of money for invoicing mailing and software I don't know whatever but well and it yeah but whatever so do we just recommend they put it in there and guess we got I mean well what are we going to do with this like I said they do need to have some money to do something right they trial and error and and come up with the plan it's kind of like so this this this more than anything funds the ability to to test things out and it gives the ability to bring it into the room and have have a demonstration of what it is how it's going to work so what when the team gets together they can they can take a look at it okay and so we're going to recommend this article I don't I don't think people want to I don't think people want to spend money for trash or I think this is this is going to be their big way if we don't if we don't fund the software they can't bu for trash and they can it's kind of like you just have to do it on it and spreadsheets and Word Documents on um but we we we can make a motion to recommend it and we vote as we vote I mean you throw it out there they do need some money to do something to manage this program whatever this program is I mean it probably will get voted down I know I don't understand how they came up with money to fund this program when they don't have the program yet they don't even have the committee formed yet no I know that's the thing but right but you're not going to have a special town meeting after after you've had them a month to to work out how you're going to implement the program so okay so in the we raises 25,000 and the selectman appoint themselves and some of their friends and we have a qualified committee to pay for to pay $25,000 to no I well no no no this I mean they're they're very specific that they're going to use it to evaluate software but the rest of it would be in there um they but they've never do you realize in the last three years or so the number of personnel that we have hired that have not been qualified for the jobs they were hired for well yeah including our new Town Administrator yeah um yes I so you're you're placing a lot of golden hopes on they will do this right right and I I've run out of golden hopes oh no I don't I don't have any hopes that this will be done right right no but does does it we recommend the 16 16560 for the software yeah I think well it's it's a combination of the invoicing mailing and software all right but so it's seems kind of high it seems high well mailing is very although it goes through our machines it's still very expensive well yeah I mean it's like six well it's kind of like 7 maybe 65 so postcard do they do it like on a postcard no it' be an envelope with a return all right so 60 cents no no no closer to a dollar when we send out the the um the um B ballot it's almost a dollar envelope I wish they would mail out ballots well that's not our choice I know but I wish they didn't but maybe I'll meil in a ballot and go down the P count you count but I won't know um okay so all right so what do we want to do we want to change it to half 15,000 I don't know it seems like a big number it just seems 8,000 for staff salaries and then we may not use it it's kind why does it cost a well see I'm just thinking I mean I've done I've had so many different jobs in my career I've done like inputting data yeah and okay so however many households how many tax bills say whatever the tax bill somebody say about 3100 like and we said you're paying them a couple couple a dollar two doesn't it go when you're billing doesn't it just go through with the you're not like to type in the name in goes through yeah but this going to be managing people that dropped dropped off dealing dealing with the well you have to keep up with you somebody's going to be able to go into um change names or for the propless property turns over and stuff you got to change names you know like like the sucky new town website that I hate but sometimes even the old website had outdated names that somebody didn't go in yeah it didn't go in so some is going to have to go in once it's established and periodically update property transer a question for you though I don't know if that happens because you got to do it with the property tax so that would be kind of automatic to that address you got set into it the program gets and the property so so it should be the The Upfront cost should be yes a little more but once it's all the data is all input it should relatively easy however they manage property tax receipts would be same there would be no difference so it should be minimal minimal um Staffing after it's up and running whatever it is that they're doing right so maybe this is the the initial Staffing to to get it but still seems excessive but that's just me where do we go for another number um I'd like to see 15 and then if they if if they need more come back at the special yeah because I'm afraid again this I my personal is at this point I would have probably preferred free cash to use it because it's not in the budget yet we we don't know that it's going to be useful enough and put in the budget it's kind of like they're estimating it do free cash now and then and pay the actual bill at the end pay the actual bill the the actuals at the end round that that I suppose free free cash makes it tough difficult to divide L Andrea I'm more of a cynic that if you give him 25,000 they're GNA want 30 next year well they're GNA spend the whole 25,000 whether they need to or not and then they'll yeah you're right so I'd rather give them 15,000 figure it out they let them figure it out and if it's more then it's if it's more than okay then you got to come back and tell us why it's more but I'm afraid I just want to give them the 25,000 because you'll spend it yeah am I don't exactly understand I mean we've been talking and you brought up points I did I hadn't even thought about I thought that money was to hire experts or whatever to form a plan to work with the treasurer and several other people to form plan for collection no no no I don't think so there's a there's a little bit of that it's working working with the software company to get get the software set up um buy a license and so and support for for getting it set up so so this isn't going to why do we need two people one person well it it depends I I I just did some estimates um I did the the number here was 8 8440 and I said for a year and then I said okay at say $22 an hour I'm probably low that's 383 hours and seven hours a week okay so what's that come well that's your 8,440 for paying a staff member 7 hours hours a day I don't seven 7 hours a week a week if we want to go to days oh no no it's kind of like I mean we we're talking I mean if it's seven a week we're talking about an hour and a quarter a day okay all right I okay all right then and that comes up to 22 bucks an hour yeah why be seven seven um days a week instead of five work days usually Define a week yeah oh five a week yeah well they be saying an hour and a half or an hour and a quarter so seven hours a week and thinking the five days is kind of oh okay yeah I mean that's probably not unreasonable yeah to do that kind of monitoring once it's set up that's probably that's probably reason theable okay that's that's that's why I mean it it may be bigger chunks some days than others but just but yeah I don't I an hour and a quarter for doing that should be um me if you get somebody with half a brain but then some days if we hired somebody here this would just be um a consultant no we're not going to get involved in hiring a person with benefits and all that stuff are we no no no no this this is additional hours for existing people yeah somebody who's already working in the treasure in the treasuries department yeah yeah so whoever's doing the the property taxes maybe they just need to work in extra put aside an hour a day to just monitor or update or or even when they're inputting whatever they do with a property taxes because if this is going to be on the a line on the property tax I mean it's whatever they do that would be the accessors then they they would just do another an extra line it would just be typing go right bring an extra line on the tax spell and kid me that H yeah no I think it's it's on the on the transactional side so this it's the treasurer's office that is going to be taking that taking the payments I mean that's a piece people come in and pay it too it's kind of like this oh yeah some people come in and pay their why would that be any different than any of the payments that they take it now it's not but they it could be additional to what what they do yeah I mean well we yes but that's departments are supposed to grow that salaries grow every year I mean it's it's probably another five minutes really when you think about it because you take get payment but right and multiply it by the 3100 homes it's kind of like yeah so I'll go with the okay since you calculated out that okay I'm good with that but I still don't want to give them 25,000 I 15 that's so yeah so we would recommend to change to to 15 from the 25 and if if they come back and need more yeah think um but but like said they give you give them 25 they're going to spend 25 right no matter what no matter what yeah and and we don't know you know again we don't know we're going to implement it but if the I'm thinking I'm thinking 20 now because if the software itself sell um estimates orary in 165 for the invoicing mailing and software but I don't know why the invoicing cost that would have that much of a cost if you pay property tax bills it's going to be a lineing your property tax bill I mean how much it's on a separate invo yeah the programming and we talked about the Consultants paying for the licenses getting somebody to program it in and I and identify it dividing out the numbers it's kind of like it's kind of like we don't know the again it's kind of like we don't we don't have any idea what the what what is needed to support the program that's going to be implemented because we don't have the program yes don't know what program is but so so B do you know if they could set this up as an Enterprise fund so the money that came in for trash pickup you know would Mount and then then um because I forget the difference it was just a dollar or two but he quoted us one figure for what it costs now and he he ped another figure for what it would cost um with us if we did it our way and that it it was a little bit higher which would be reasonable to cover extra costs through the year and stuff but if you send it up as an Enterprise fund then it would go in there and be Ed out a town meeting for a Year's worth of of um business and it would seem to me that that would be a very simple way to do that not unlike the way the water department does it we can think about that I don't think that would be a bad thing no I don't think it would be a bad thing either the money gets gets put in there and and used by the Board of Health to pay the want to convin authorized on war good good for conversation for tomorrow I guess that meting on process okay okay is it cheaper to you know how right now we were doing um you know we we after we do we separate recycle oh yeah but sometimes the trash comes by everything just goes in the back of the trash TR so it get so what why are we if they're doing that why are we paying for that why would it be cheaper just to throw everything in and that there there needs um it wouldn't wouldn't necessarily be cheaper but it it would be the same price as what the service Services we're getting um justify that though I mean well it it comes from how recyclables are um handled in town in that we contaminate we we contaminate all our recycles so they can't they can't bring to recycle them so they have to go to trash so they just tip the whole the whole and then they go through it recycle it no they it just goes it just it goes incinerated or something no it goes and it Go landfill we even have incinerators anymore we there are there are different oh is there still in I think so there are there are some incinerators around okay I thought they were all I guess I thought they were all outlawed should some but um but it's it's because the the recycles are mainly contaminated students they really separa up it's kind of like we do the single single source recycling so everything's you telling me I got to stop washing my cans I hate to say but I do the same thing cans bottles jar I want well it's you stuff in my recycling so I mean anything that's in my recycling I wash y it's all yeah it keeps the buckets clean there's no sticky this it's everything's CLE you can use by the kids but and that becomes the issue is you know is is there something more to be done with with training and and all that maybe maybe there needs to be more education on contaminating recyclables because I bet a lot of people don't even have a CO no but it on it on a day when it snows or rains my cardboards out my paper's out mix in with everything else the the wet see I don't if if it's if it's raining or anything and it's um I well and and that becomes part of is that training and things that Westford the trash nais told me if I didn't have my recycling out do matter whether it's raining or icing they were going to pick up we should we recommend the um go back and recommend this for 15,000 but if the Soft is if the software is 16 it's like like oh so 16 yeah you think so well it says invoicing all right all right so you said how many houses that you'd have to mail to um households are what it's 3100 3450 3450 3450 so at the most you said it would be like a bu at the most all right so all right so in sof with s invoicing I don't know how much that would cost right and the invoicing probably another so a breakdown we we're looking for a breakdown more detail yeah in there yeah like and then we how much is the we would recommend the the number match the the software and for now use use existing salaries and and it's kind of like until we have a point where we're actually implementing it the salary shouldn't matter no right that's right you're right but yeah I'd like to see the invoicing mailing and software broken out yeah into the actual cost so we're just holding up I think so we more more information okay yeah yeah yeah we have the actual cost of those items okay well let's see now number seven well that that sounds like there something that has to be paid well it does doesn't it yeah but um I got to tell you though it did not come up again plan but I understand it has to be paid but whoever takes care of that portion they need to take care of that portion well and again we I I know we have to pay it there's no doubt in my mind yeah yeah it but the other thing is you want something with a correc with a corrective preventive action I in my notes I just say any any changes to Capital planning procedures to prevent similar occurrences in the yeah and the answer is probably going to be yes because we got to figure out how to pass the information year over year into a spreadsheet where is it located how do we make sure something doesn't fall away that that kind of that that kind of so should we just vote on this article I think so with it yeah well we need to make a motion approve Rec make a motion to recommend article second I'll second it okay so we have a motion in a second to recommend article 7 which is paying $13,200 for the C lease the last isn't that the last um I think it's the last payment it said that was the last payment that's good yes right so so we have, next year right yeah all right so I'll second second okay we voting no um if there's no other questions we will vote and the es is recommending yes H yes Andre wood yes yes Don I have a question okay he said that if School accepted that one amount that the B the budget would be balance right for the schools yeah yeah well are we we also on on this warrant have increased will those increases put us out of the balance budget uh I haven't seen the final numbers but it's the answer is supposed to be no no it won't put us out of balance the the main reason it's not putting us out of balance is the estimate of the additional 500,000 dollars that are coming from the um trash collection oh okay so I I think that's that's the main piece that we're we really haven't hit yet is that that's that's that's where we come back into balance is that there's an additional Revenue source which is trash trash feed and I think really that's that's really part of the presentation is and it needs to be we're trying to balance a budget we're trying to do it by the by the Fall with the following changes um because that that's really really what the picture is and and how we're trying to balance the budget is we're increasing things and now how did you increase the revenue so the the revenue was increased by 500,000 for um for the trash fees it was increased by 100,000 for um the ambulance money um and all the different changes that we've made um and then the last item which is trying to borrow from Reserve fund to balance it so um you know in the 22 thou or now it's about what was it about 15,000 of the articles that were closed out that are coming back so there's little bits of money here and there the the reductions in the salary paid to the Town Administrator in the auto auto Fe all those little deductions are added added to the 500,000 and the other the other pieces is what's trying to bring back into balance but it's a it's a onetime balance and we're throwing couple of curve balls at him with re you know recommending to break out the cruises from the others and and make it should we vote on article eight um that's just it's just reducing that we should accept it those those are pieces yeah so article article 8 is recovering and re reallocating These funds where there there was a little bit of money left over after some of the um after it was after the purposes were used so these are the balances remaining so it's going to be 18,750 transferred back into the general fund and that was the number I was actually looking for I'll make a motion to accept the um 18,750 is the reduction from the above yeah to qu back okay I'll second okay so we have a motion to um close these accounts and bring or the department heads had been had discussed with the town admin administrator and they say return return the funds so a yes vote will recommend um the finance committee will recommend article eight roll call vote is yes yes Andrea wood yes and Don Hayes yes number nine it's pretty oh um right now would you finish yeah so again yeah I mean it's it's keeping up with Mass General there no money in fy2 which I think gets into our recommendation sheet that we say there's no fy2 um but we're following that in it's not type in it's the line Y if certification is passed and she has this certificate um again similar to other other departments that have the same um just so that you know it and it doesn't um it won't make a difference but a long time ago that's why on the budget when you see longevity M long longevity to employees was originally established to accomplish what this article does not that they shouldn't get it as well as an extra thing because there are a lot of people that you know have a job but you don't get a a certification for that job you know you're not a uh but um so you do know I just thought you'd like to know that this is an issue that has been addressed before I'll make a motion you want a motion yeah make a motion to pass to approve article number nine okay sorry and I'll second it okay so we're gonna recommend article 9 to to pass um any further questions on it or discussion we call vote J yes yes and realwood yes and Don Hayes yes that's the East the $4,000 that's a $4,000 easement to weren't we told originally that that would be no cost to the town at all I know we were because I I I that was one of the things I started because I didn't see how it could be no cost to it have right yeah I think the I think the it was originally presented as as no cost and it was started in the just taking a look at old copies that he 2019 no this um it definitely um in the um update that was sent last week the $4,000 started to be mentioned at that point so I'm sure I'm sure Russ mentioned that last week in in the update yeah yeah it was July the 30th Tuesday almost a week ago is there any reason why this couldn't wait until um the 26 budget person wants his money right yeah I think I think I think the work's been done and so they're looking to they did the work without the money to do the work well it was it was pulling and so he wanted I think the owner property owner wanted some compensation for the discharging whatever soaring his property so it's well you want avoid any at any rate what whether whatever the property owner wanted or anybody else it's a potential flooding issue and that's always a problem for everybody yeah so and the 4,000 I don't think it's unreasonable so right is that a motion oh so should we make a motion to recommend article 10 we can yeah we we'll accept that motion okay second okay so so we have a motion to accept article or recommend article 10 any further discussion yes yes Andre wood yes Don Hayes yes is this okay maybe May it's kind of like because this is where we get asked them to do okay a new article oh yeah before we get to article so we wanted to put the article about the police cruises in before the stabilization article right yeah and again this is this is a request coming in and I'll get it up to R is it coming stabilization not yet okay so we we had discussed earlier in article three they had four items oh yes and so the Cruisers was the last item and so we talked about creating a new article just before the stabilization article and so this would be um changing the um I think we just do like what article was that was the number three three couldn't we keep it together and do um article 3A and 3B I don't know if I don't know if we've done that before yeah I did it on tell meeting FL window day okay I mean that because they made it they did it a um they put two articles number 21 ah okay so you made it A and B right okay so you do this article a and then go article B and just go article 3 B 3 B and then you can just you just keep them together that way and then then there's not a real question about where did this come from why did it get separated because it's the same and then you take the d off right because it'll be its own it'll be it'll be its own right so you can take the DF okay that works for me okay okay and then you don't have to remember well that's it that you don't have to read yeah course okay and then the description stays the same so yeah that right in keeps it in order yeah that are reduced together like that okay thank you so we we have an and we're asking it to be 475 yes correct yes good brought it in new equipment reduced to 475 eliminates the need for a fall right fail to meet quum it's kind of like we're trying to look out for the better that's a lot cheaper too have another meeting it it is but this will increase the ask on the stabilization fund but he was the the plan was to use free cash for this so now the the free cash instead of going to two lines we only have one article to replace stabilization [Music] okay okay so we're we're changing things on the do you know how much they they're getting for the sale of those to properties they were do different prices okay there were there were three different prices there were three properties there was 97 Main Street there was um a road and there was one of the condos on Pitsburg Road um I think one would the the condo was about 71 and the other two were about 170,000 a piece around the house yeah so that's 340 plus 70 about 410 just on a curiosity do we have any more any more properties coming up like that similar simar we had the properties committee had recommended um to sell 182 Warren Road um and that had been presented to the board of Selectmen they were trying to work something the backside touch um touch property that they got um Massachusetts Wildlife was not and so they were trying to work whether they were going to split it up but that seems to and the other one that was voted is when the water department moves totally into the new harer Station Main Street will become available to be sold so they'll be two properties so is this gross this 410 is that what they're netting or is there expenses coming out of that there would be I think the expenses were paid above that paid above that yeah I mean you know that those those are rough numbers I mean yeah but I so the town could be netting 10 out of this and and that's why we're talking about free cash being higher than normal next year it's because of these these three properties being in the in the free cash calculation excuse me one of I don't I don't depend on the um water department building because I I seem to remember in my mind that they bought it out of their Enterprise but that the town didn't buy it for them ah okay just just keep it in mind yeah up yep we'll we'll go back I I thought I remember that that water department had transferred it back to the town or there's going to be a transfer back to the town when water department back to the town but I expect that they would expect some remuneration for what they paid out of their Enterprise fund as well yeah I don't know I'm sorry I just don't know yeah no no no um that that um could be good um good to know it's kind of like um I'll go back and and visit the property committee minutes and see see what was there one of the bad things we do is so often we depend on something and then when it falls through we're all a sea again it the I'm glad you're going to check on it because that way if we if we can't do it m or they get the the money and then just give the building to the town well then they're going to be extra expenses and maintenance to us and we will know what the the intent them giving us the building is nice but they may want the money that they and maybe the town did buy it I I don't know but I seem to remember that they took it out of there the Enterprise okay now yeah I'll go back and get hit that and again those properties aren't probably going to be sold into into um next year into calendar year 25 it so it would be um either fy2 free cash validated in December of 25 or it would be FY 26 before we'd see any of that so um the the money I'm talking about that is going to be certified with the FY 24 free cash is the three properties that were sold last November so not not counting on on that money other than I know what was sold and that and the um parties did pay and and the money was deposited so this the free cash should uh should should certify it rather high and be able to pay us back so now now we come to the big one the stabilization transfer um if um the number was around 121 last let me I think 123 let me let me update that 12 12 65 so I'm just do my formula okay and I'm adding in the 475 that we just added back in Cruisers so the stabilization transfer would be 17076 170,000 65 765 7 yeah 75 one of the things that Ross said that bothered me I I just not that he said it but it it changed my line of thinking is that if we vote this out they said that it would be replaced with free cash but we use free cash for so many other things either we wouldn't put it back or we just have to vote out another amount to to um pay for the things that we couldn't afford from free cash that we put into the stabilization fund right it it so many of these are getting to be vicious circle so what's the difference between free cash and stabilization okay um free free cash is the money that was available after you paid all your bills on your budget so you started with you your budget from May it's kind of like and it started in in July of the year you got to the end of the year you had paid all the bills based on the budget numbers and it turns out you didn't have to pay as much on some of the lines so free cash is that money that was was collected above and beyond um your expenses your expenses and and sometimes if you know if there's an increase in Revenue that you weren't expecting people bought all new cars and so xise tax was a lot higher because of what price of cars these days yeah it kind of so there might have been a bump in Revenue so you got more Revenue than you anticipated so it's a combination of some of the bills didn't come in as high and maybe there was some Revenue um at the end of the at the end of it the information is fed to um Department of Revenue and they certify what our free cash available is for the for the year usually do that in in November you know how much but that is um it's typically around around 300,000 itself and now if we add this other value to it it it's going to going to be double what we usually get okay so now what's the stabilization F stabilization fund is money that's that's put away to um man to manage um some some very large break down like a furnace break down the roof we need a new roof on on Town Hall um un unanticipated that we were going to need it um or you know so where does that stabilization money come from that stabilization money comes from over time we move money from free cash into stabilization so it comes from free cash it will generally come from free cash we don't it come from somewhere else so just Bly from free cash um I I'd say mainly from free cash might have okay so yeah I think we always raise it from available funds okay all right yeah so if you're robbing free cash and you're robing stabilization funds what are you going to do with you well that's the thing it's kind of like we're saying we we we don't have enough free cash certified to use right now so we're talking about using stabilization money the deficit to cover the deficit in the in our anticipation that we're going to have a large enough windfall of free cash this year because of the sold properties that first we pay back stabilization and and bring that and then additionally we'll use the remainder for the other things we use free cash for whether it's a capital project whether it's um um some other project that that come up some something else around town okay so we get about 411 10,000 whatever from the property so y so that would actually cover the 170 plus deficit right okay now is there a requirement that if you can take the free cash and put it in pay pay the stabilization back that that was what Russ Russ was explaining that you we can't put an article in here or like an a section B that says the first payment has to come to stabilization you can't tie future Town meetings to something we're doing here we we can only count on people being in place and following what wouldve been told it's kind of and I will say when it says the plan is to replace well what if the plan falls through the plan has always been to replace we just have not done it right so there's no there's no anything that says you have to replenish it right there there there is there's no payback requirement there is no no no absolute payback requirement yeah so like so if we're doing this we we we would be doing it on um on the hopes that the ne the the next warrant the next special town meeting whether it's in the fall or whether it's in um in the annual that the first thing we do in three Cash is to pay back the stabilization so oh so just by saying yes this article so the time V thetical and it says right here the plan is to replace you mean you got to go back and have another article we have to have a warrant article that says move move from free cash even though we basically said that's what we're GNA do that seems dumb but all right right okay yeah it those are words they're not in the motion okay those those are just a description that says we're going to pay it back okay all right I get it like it but it no it's kind of like and that that's the whole thing with with this stabilization money it's kind of like yeah because then then you're not then something else comes up and you're not paying it back and then right and so you have less less percentage of your you your budget is so if we're you know we were about 8% of our budget is in stabilization taking 200,000 or 170,000 out of it we're now going to be down to about 6% of our budget is in stabilization and it just hope the roof doesn't blow off or you know something you know you did out of luck then what do you do yeah right so it's a it's a this this is the hard this is the hardest one I think to get through kind of and so so if this gets voted down then what happens um just just say it gets voted down right then we have to start looking at Cuts or change changes back on the other so so it's kind of unless Ross said that unless they voted this um the school voted the sum that we right that they put in there then we would wouldn't have to take anything from stabilization didn't he say that yeah so if so if we take the 170 off of the school and offer them 500 500,000 instead of 691 you kind of we don't need the stabilization transfer so don't think that'll happen I don't think that'll happen no I don't either I don't think it'll happen but P happen yeah sometimes so do we need to make motion to recommend this article or this just goes on no matter what no um I think it's it's up to us that we need to we need to recommend but we we we also recognize what dire STS that could this can put us in if we don't rep punish it it's kind of like so that you know it it's up to the town to to vote and balance the budget um it and it will be our go too um this to say um you know we can we can either recommend or not recommend um in order to balance the budget I guess we we sort of have to recommend but it balances the budget but we doesn't seem to be any other way yeah right yeah yeah if there's no other way then I guess you're suck with right but in in our recommendation sheet we will put um that that how torn we are about moving money from stabilization without a guarantee that it's going to be yeah and it is kind of like and ask the town to support us at the next special town meeting whatever it is whether it's fall or if that we rep punish the stabilization fund to proper spe up and maybe even more it's kind like maybe we want to get to 10% of our budget in stabilization and that would be helpful so we can ask for their help in in the recommendation sheet I kind of like that yeah that sounds good as I as we back along okay um okay so um after all that discussion um do we are additional questions on it or are we ready to make a motion ready to make a motion for article 11 recommend recommend stabilization and okay I make a motion to recommend article 11 thank you do we have a second second thank you um any further questions or have we talked it out talk it out okay okay um okay then I guess we are at the vote voting time is yes Carol Hof says yes Andrea wood yeah and Don Hayes no um I think it it's very just very apprehensive but it motion carries 3 to one well I I don't see any way out but I'll go have these with you I'd rather vote no than yes I just didn't see anything else to do I don't see I don't see anything else either but I also want you want to be on the wreckage I I I want the in in our recommendation sheet I want people to see that it wasn't all we're having a hard time with this it's kind like that's fair it's kind of because I I'd be happier if I had a firm commitment that those funds would be stuck back into that but right because yeah you're using us as a piggy bank we punish the piggy bank yeah and I I just don't like me you have a budget and you know what if you have to make tough Cuts you got to make tough Cuts right and matter what matter what nobody likes nobody likes the tough Cuts but you know what we all have household budgets and you know sometimes we can't go out to eat because we don't have the money or we can't go buy that you know Lobster or what whatever Y and um yep I'm I'm with you it's kind of like it's getting tired yeah kind like what you have an unexpected expense like I just had to replace a water heater you break it the Sol flood well it flooded once they repaired it I mean the body heat was like 2 years old they flooded the basement they repaired it they I have a I have a tankless water heater so it's going to be cleaned every whatever so they they came this year to clean it he took PES and he says I hate he says we know we replace it only a couple of years ago and he say all corroded oh no and um he says it's on the brink of letting go again I says just replace it so he says we don't recommend whatever the Builder put in the house he said we never put these in heat and these are terrible water heaters so so anyways that's why I said story but that's my stabilization budget that's your stabilization and now I have to replenish it so I can't go out to eat as much as I like to okay so back to it's see somewhere come here yeah it's a this is a full this is a full budget yeah one and I apologize do you have to get it  out and have to think about it yeah it's just a lot to think but you know budget doesn't go there there're are going to be have to make some tough Cuts I think so if if things change you you don't know how it's going to how it's going to vote you know how the vote will go so um we will hit it we we actually still have two that we have to recommend and we do have a meeting next next week it won't be this long we just cover um what's on the what's on the agenda for next week um and I know Jerry you're not going to be here um happy birthday thank you Happy Birthday enjoy it um Andrea I know you said you could make it Carol yeah I should be there okay at six o'clock next next week um I think and I'll try to get all the Sam and uh make sure he's going to show up we definitely need a quum um we um I should have fun tomorrow at trash meeting it's one o' yeah um I'm in town it's kind like I may be able to attend if you want this up it's not fine I I like I said I have I printed off some stuff off the web good website so you know in this one website had like frequently asked questions about trash and stuff so I said well these are kind of interesting um yeah always good to but I'm glad you brought up whoever brought up about the fact of how they're going to prevent um your tax dollars if you didn't pay if you didn't pay a trash fee that somebody doesn't inadvertently apply apply yeah your text yeah that's a I had thought of that one that's that's a that's a good one can I ask a question sure I was y before we that's all you need for me is another question um oh we have to ad don't we we haven't done um what heaven forbid but what if we don't get a quorum for the special town meeting will they just reconvene another day for so many times what yes I yeah they that's if we don't get a quorum we can't we can't do anything with it so they would have to re readdress it so um we would probably post for two weeks three weeks out maybe on September 12th with 10th which I think was the original date um and and try again I don't I don't know if they have a date already in in place but yeah if we don't have a quorum we can't we can't vote on these I I I I understand the time frame problems and all that but um almost everybody I know is GNA be out of town yeah yep yep well it's a bad weekend right and it and it's theat I think that's the the last last week vacation okay so yeah so they would start the next Monday it's kind of like so that could be everybody's out of town vacation getting their last vacation I'm just coming back from vacation I'll be back I can go meeting right back from me or not if you don't sorry it's up near um yeah so it's kind of like they they must have another date in mind but I don't know what it is at this point okay that so questiona yeah that's I make my pit stop there on my way up Su at the KY B put Plaza and then it's like I Su another three hours up farther that's right further up the coast okay so are we ready to make a motion to adjourn at 7:32 p.m. I'll make a motion toour at 7:32 p.m. second okay we and roll call vote to Geral mik is yes car yes Andrea wood yes John yes with that please stand adjourned I thank you all for your time I know this was another Marathon session thank you I appreciate it and uh we'll see those of you that can make it next week see you see you then okay so how are your birthday thanks well tomorrow we're going up to um uh well we're supposed to go to the beach but now I think it's going to rain so I'm not sure what we are doing okay but then the next week I'm going away and um that's what we really Cate yes and so it's the meeting next week is to address the membership issue oh yes I did read that that's why we we really got yeah and truly I thank you it's kind of like I mainly I feel like I'm just talking but if everybody's happy with it no we're not all right I'll see you later have a good night good night good night