good afternoon this is the towns and finance committee meeting for Tuesday April 23rd um calling the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. as we have remote and inperson members we need a roll call attendance okay J bik is here bar hussy here Andrea wood here Sam Grant here muted thank you and Don haes present if it's six members present so we have a forum we are good to go um this meeting is being recorded and Playback um and it will be available for playback um on Channel 9 various times as well as on the YouTube channel in the future um item four on the preliminaries additions or deletions um at this point I have no additions um or deletions is there anything urgent that came up to anybody's knowledge not not I okay being heard we'll continue into the the work session um the first um is review Reserve fund transfer requests and right now I will bring up we had a new one com in from the police department and I apologize if I didn't get this out to everybody but we can share it here [Music] um there um was a request um they had a burn of blower failure on their heating system and they needed to get it repaired and the request that they have is for $ 4,157 is there a a receipt for that or service report it's a lot of money for blowout and i' just like to know what cost it here we go okay so they replaced the boiler they replaced a fairly major part of the yeah of the system um the pric is yeah plus and then the work summary is down on second page pretty much yeah operational this time so I'm good with that um I'm huh I'm do okay it's expensive but you know they did replace fairly major part of the unit me open up the transfer request and where they want to take it out um they they want um at this point we're still within the reserve fund window we don't have the municipal transfer requests available to us at this point oh because of the timing because of the timing we we have about uh a week 8 days before we enter the MRT window um so then the number for this request is the FY 24 um at at this particular time we have a balance of 16,400 in there um if we take this and approve it the balance goes to 12,384 and that's free cash that that is the reserve fund so they us that's that's what we added to this year yeah we we we we went to 50,000 so this this is it still to you know nine weeks to go in the year and again they have nothing in their budget that's left to right the amount they had in their budget is um be ongoing yeah monthly maintenance that they are doing and paying for so now the other ones we're looking at um we still have two unfold for um fa voting and stuff um for the yeah we we have two on hold for facilities the generator radiator failure and the town hall ceiling repair would that come out of this account also this this would count if if we approve them yeah um it would come out of this account come out of this account what would that leave us um if both of those are approved how much is the ceing uh the ceiling was am50 between the both and 3,9 oh so you've already included it then in here but because it doesn't say yes we've approved it it's not deduct it didn't deduct it okay okay yeah yeah we're going through and so hit a yes and I guess yes we do the two yeses on the remaining and sorry the the ceiling is 3,450 the radiator failure for the generator is 3,950 how big do the whole sailing bow down with $3,000 um well well I guess the other question is too did we repair the roof so it doesn't happen again well there you go I don't know but you know it happened you know it area no but it's it's it's they got to set it up it's it's it's over a scale I believe okay so you just can't so you just can't stand up and put up I think that's a reasonable C us but again I just hope that the repair was made so it doesn't Happ again and and again we we have been watching these closely I I the April has not closed yet so we don't have the bva report yet for April so um Katie is aware of and if we're getting close on there she's going to let us know if if facilities needs this money we need to approve it oh cuz they're not quite exhausted yet right they they were quite exhausted we approved the two bigger ones so we we had approved about 15,000 for them so so that put 15,000 into that was yeah the SE pump fail and then the elevator repair7 yeah 67 um yeah so if you if you would like to copy this I I will print it out I I proba we should probably get it posted on our on our page on the town website yeah we should yeah so are we going to um address the facilities issues tonight also at this point because they haven't said that they were running L one we're not going to that okay yeah yeah I'd like to keep them on hold um and uh we'll continue we'll continue to monitor the account again if we had done that we' be down to $4,000 remaining in reserve fund so we're trying to be very cautious that there is at least a little bit of money we got a few weeks left right we have a total of nine weeks but we we get to Res to um Municipal transfer window starting May 1st okay so we could do that with facili if if if need be we can we can look and find where there may be an account that hasn't been totally used up and transfer those Ms in at that point so well I guess the way I look at it is that the motor failed the blow yeah the blow yeah it again we need it to get it going this fall so you know after understanding what the repair was I'm good with it okay that's me yeah that's how I are there any any questions on the phone Andrea Sam or Josh I have none no here okay um I guess then we're ready for motion to approve um um it the the request was for the dollars and cents and maybe what we should do is just the whole round off to 45 need the S cents Bo oh oh that's how the accountants do it that's right are you saying I'm an accountant no I'm just saying you you sound like one it's a rounding area yeah yeah just to keep it full full dollars more than anything so we can but the the request was for the full amount including um the service call the full amount of the service call 157 so um I mean numbers are numbers we we can put it in there that just you know reduces us to 93 cents on the change okay I'm going to make a motion that we approve the $4,015 the police department um uh heating system blower repair replacement okay so we motion by Mark and a second by Jerry um any further discussion or questions roll call vote then please JN Bas yes Mar yes Andrea wood yes samam Grant yes okay say Don Hayes yes um Josh probably still on you 27 I'd be real old then so because Josh didn't vote I thought he was not with us or no can you I'm just I'm sorry can you hear me yeah yeah yeah I I do vote Yes sorry Josh yes yep thank you it's kind of um just wanted to wanted to be sure kind like sometimes it sounds like you were in the car when we started no I am in the car I just got home so sorry for the audio problems yeah that happens it's kind of little little bit okay thank you um I will take that and sign it and get it to the accountant out of out of session um and the next item uh on the schedule uh I was looking to review the um annual and special town meeting warrants um they have not been received yet um my understanding from Town Administrator was that the special Town warrant was was complete and ready to be posted and he was working on completing the annual town meeting warrant this afternoon to get it to the fal to get it posted so that will be shortly so we'll look at those on Thursday we have our next meeting is is Thursday oh no we're not doing Tuesday this is Tuesday no no next oh this oh yeah yeah this is being retired I think I got it I got it all right yeah so it feels like a Thursday yeah so Thursday is at 4:00 yeah week from today April 30th 6 o00 yeah back here we'll be hting that okay um that being said uh the next item is um reviewing the Omnibus budget um the f25 review and starting to take a look at that and and make the votes um necessary um there were still a couple of open items that they didn't have final dollars for um in the budget so we we'll lead them to the to the later portion when we get to them they're they're not in the general government portion of it it's insurance es and something in the Board of Health area um so um I do know that at the select meeting they were talking about asking each department to reduce their budget by 10% just to look at that number see what that yeah Eric says at that meeting that as it stands now we're over a million dollars up from a balanced budget exactly they also okay now is that including the fact the override failed and still saying at the school budgets funded at yes their okay okay just so that we're we're clear so to make up for that again they were asking well you know what happens if it was a 10% decrease mhm from each department they also spoke very lightly about a fe for trash MH um but nothing was really um decided especially until the school department gets back to Eric about right their response right their response to correct the fact that the overrides failed and the towns weren't ready to support those budg so depending on what number they come back depend on what the select decide as far as the deps are concerned yeah I don't know if they could go for another override Vote or not with a new budget number it's just a question I have I don't know it's a costly thing though to have another it's another yeah um I think you if vote a budget at town meeting um that that requires an override we would have that vote at town meeting and then you would have to schedule within 60 days the another another election ballot another ballot specifically for that so I'm just curious I wonder how much of a reduction it would be would it warrant having another vote if it's only $100,000 I mean it's certainly hope you know if everybody shows up the voted and I was shocked too that I think it was 12 1300 1300 voters out of what do we have four or 6,000 seven I I saw 7000 I'm sorry Andrea what was that I thought it said 7,000 7,000 yeah and we had what 1300 that voted yeah something like that yeah you know that's kind of um about 400 appr right so I know a lot of people are busy and stuff but it makes you wonder they really know what's happening in town it doesn't to me it doesn't make me wonder what if they know what's happening they don't care me wonder if they care yeah yeah I'm glad their pockets are lined well one day they go oh my God what's going on in town what the heck's happening you know that's when you say to them did you go to the town meeting yeah well you know that's old news right I mean you can't I don't know I don't know but anyways you know that's that's what I got out of the meeting this afternoon so as as the meeting progresses we can then progress right but do we want to hold for a week reviewing it reviewing this um well they did mention involving us with it too okay that that was brought up that we need to Terry brought that up and and they agreed that we should be involved to some to some extent they always agree that we should be involved and they're always going to keep us yeah and they never ever have when you get I just had to say that because I'm a nice guy you're right yeah well I'm not you are right Andrea let's see what happens yeah now with would that be being said I I suspect on a lot of these as far as 10% in a in a budget or somebody it's going to be all we we have but how can it be you've got Union Union if the money's not in this is this was brought up and correct me if I'm wrong Andrea if the money is not appropriated or the money is not there it's not an issue am I correct with the unions I was confused um regarding that where the union is concerned um he said if they had to lay off Personnel in all the the terms under which they were laid off would be would be um uh set by the unions but with my experience in the past the unions are extremely hesitant to lay people off so I don't know I I kind of read it a little bit differently that it wasn't a problem because I know Terry asked that question I don't know if you heard it and maybe I misunderstood it well maybe I misunderstood that I don't know right the meeting got very we need to talk to them directly right so is more more carding needed on whether it's all it it can be S or expenses because the expenses were tried to try to be kept to a minimum increase just to start with yeah exactly and that was brought up too is like everybody's running on thin thin thin budget and to reduce it by 10% is is um a hurdle by for sure you know it is it's kind of so you know and there there there has to be talking and brainstorming about some of the ideas would it be this this's another this there's a half day shutdown at Town Hall somewhere so we cut out four three or four hours of work Closing one day if we if we close one day that's in in did we not do that before and half Fridays where the town hall was closed or Mondays or whatever yeah so you're talking a 20% cut in total hours but you know can we do that and how does it apply this so and and what work would to get done because you have that many that number of fewer hours absolutely abolutely you know each department would have to be involved to identify what work is required and I think that's what they were asking most likely you know they they just mentioned about a 10% cut throughout each department what it would consist of is two Department's different so I mean exactly so my thought would be it would be up to each depart you know present your budget with a 10% cut and what does it look like you know what are the impacts and I don't want to speak for this slack there there was the 10% they did talk about the 10% in might might be let go Personnel but if you remember the first action they took at the meeting was to appoint a full-time person to police dep oh I missed that I missed the very fulltime police I think oh no I did see that but that was in the budget though wasn't it not for next year oh it was an immediate appointment they should have just you know they should have they should have um put hiring free in yeah yeah until well I think do we have an issue coming up like that with the assistant fire chief the assistant prior Chief and was he budgeted for this year um uh Joe said that there will be no cut at the police department and or the fire department if that it's worth anything well if the town decides not to find it I don't know what can happen there yeah one of the one of I know no one wants that to happen no one wants that to happen oh no nobody wants anybody to lose their job or anything but then again if you if you if you cut 10% out and if that means losing an employee because your expenses are already too too thin what good is it to spend um 90% of the money on a job you can't do because you don't have the people or the the supplies to to continue your job I think that's what everybody in this country is doing right now is trying to figure out how to do that and we have to do that somehow we all have to do that within our own budgets let alone the town decisions need to be made possibly and no and yet we fully intend to take on all these people that we got on our fund yeah you know what that's that's been a sore issue with from the beginning me too me too and it's it's now slapping us right in the face absolutely we took didn't we budget X number of dollars for two or three positions coming up correct correct so maybe we should reink that and the thought at the time not my thought was that we can just save for this position in three years we can't afford it now how can we afford it in three years but that's all in the past that's all in the past so well and you have to remember you think of it as as a Sal we have a tendency to think of those positions as a salary but you have to remember that it's fullblown they are also funded all their benefits so whatever the salary is exactly exactly never on that line it's all with the benefits and that's bazillion dollars in staff you don't see that when you look at salaries the rough number is is about 30% of a salary is is benefits benefit so whatever salary so the salary plus 30% rough rough order of magnit no I I I know I I yeah but it's funny how it looks on a budget sheet right yeah you you don't have when when we have salary lines we don't we don't have the true picture of cost for the Department corre because the other because they don't include that's not part of their budget the benefits which makes it hard to understand right what's the yeah what's the truth what are the things that is hard to understand as well is the the trash contract um because uh of the totes but if they get totes it's cheaper than apparently Mr Shaw doesn't have the Personnel that he used to have he has these new trucks and the new trucks only pick up the certain kind of tote they said they had options for dealing with this but the only real option they discussed to any degree was to fund it the budget whichever one budget the the selectman decid is best I guess I don't know that was real clear um and then charred uh homeowners in town x amount of dollars to pay off that contract well that's a good idea I mean on the face of it everybody lives up to their responsibilities and can afford to live up to their responsibilities but take taxes for example not everybody pays their taxes that's why we have tax title not everybody is going to pay for the trash contract either then what the do well say I didn't hear this is the first I heard of that I know it's going up what a couple hundred thousand oh and they want to do a fiveyear contract roughly yeah well the um the chairman they it it was last night word Health meeting was kind of confusing because everybody was resigning yeah I know um end of the year nobody well on the one but the one that was his term ended yesterday with the elections who was that that the chairman yeah yeah not re he did he did not re he wasn't on the as you said there was nobody running nobody that would leave the two remain nobody in the yeah anyway one of the things they um um uh the chairman Mr Nella wanted to go for five years and this is what he said I think he just meant it as a casual comment because he's much brighter than that um is he said well it just we should accept it for 5 years and then we won't have to worry for a while but if it goes for five years it has to go before I can't remember if it's a special go before time time meeting doesn't it yeah because the the St only allows you at Max to do a threeyear contct a three exactly yeah yeah and then they didn't discuss much about the three-year contract they got arguing or talking about other things I I think but Mr Nella one of the things they did say is in I believe uh Eric is putting it on the warrant is to give them the people the choice on which contract which plan they want to take um regarding trash yeah I I heard at one point where it was brought up that the SE selectman can just charge a fee and I don't know how I don't know how they can do that if it's in our taxes anyways they can attach another fee I don't I didn't understand that part and again I I should ask them what it would be would be um um they can they can charge fees for services according it's included in our taxes well paid off but if we do that for the water department I suppose they just set it up as an Enterprise plan yeah yeah yeah that that's the piece it's kind of like the the board of Selectmen run the town they will say what's in the when you're paying taxes what's in the operating budget that your taxes paid for but I took it as it being an additional fee well it it if would be because what they're saying is today or fy4 trash pickup is within the operating budget but in Access of it okay right in fy2 your operating budget does not include tax TR pickup but if you want it there will be an assessment on your so would not be in the 25 budget at all you you I don't and where the heck's at going well but would it be cheaper to have your own trash I wonder what times but I don't know well that was Joe said that he didn't he thought that it was on everybody he was all for just getting rid of try to pick up all together and use that for the rde instead of I mean numbers wise you're you're talking 800,000 right right so it's kind of like you so it's not the full over full over but that wouldn't go over good it's it's not going to go over good but and those those are the pieces that those are and that's their problem I'm glad not ours you know and maybe we shouldn't even be discussing it to be honest I don't know it's part of this budget today yeah and it could be why we think we may want to pass on reviewing these until we see what what what because everybody's budget is going to change it it could change talking 10% across a couple of them we're talking track we don't have the liability insurance number yet right finalized it's kind of like it's and they had other ideas too the selectman did you know it wasn't like this is all we can do they did they did open their minds and and um you know right so when they when they talk about wanting it and I haven't been approached for a meeting date or anything yeah but they did mention they did want to involve us and and maybe because we already have next Tuesday at 6:00 which is one of their normal maybe they'll invite us well well we can invite them and say oh because we have it I see Zoom so we can we can invite them into do a joint so that we can have budget discussion because it's certainly something we should all talk about really yeah you talking about the 30th the 25th you ain't going on vacation I was talking about the 30th because that's the week from today and 6 o'clock is their normal Tuesday night yeah okay Tuesday night maybe we what so I mean we we can invite them I I don't know if they'd be able to we don't have time to invite them for Thursday at this point yeah no I think Joe's out of town by the sounds anyway okay yeah so yeah but that's the piece so why don't I why don't I take that and reach out to border border selectman chair and I know Teresa couldn't be here tonight she did want yeah for probably for exactly this we starting these these conversations um so um as as it goes we we've talked barely talked about some of the um some of the budget I did throw out a couple of um samples for how do we record our discussions and our votes um and I know I that is it on an Excel it is it's on an Excel sheet so um finance committee sheet so this this was sort of um sort of so as as we go down and have the discussions uh what I was looking at is colum 8 do uh people on phone need need this bone up a little bit um no I can see it okay thank you I'm good here yeah okay so so we would in in our comments I and I just highlighted two lines here um so that we as we look at the budget just so that as we're capturing it sometimes we have questions at the line item level rather rather than just the budget level and so this could capture it at the line item level if we had individual questions about or things we're looking to address on an individual so like this the Web Master was a sipen than it was in salary before and if we look at where it's going in FY 25 it moves from being in the Personnel or the stien area and it's moving to line 15 in the budget which is the um professional expense line it's it's for Professional Services because we have outsourced to through a company to do that work so it's not a Sav it's not exactly it's it's not a savings but it's moved so if you you know as as we're looking at it um because when the budget was first presented the salary that we had in 22 23 and 24 moved to the expense line but it really wasn't there in 22 3 and four it was in salary yeah um you know so so take numbers and and move them around so we're moving them from personnel and to me the reason it's important maybe comes down to the treasurer because we're paying taxes on things above the line in Personnel we're not paying this we're not paying income taxes below the line and some of those things into the retirement system things like that so if this ever needs to be this look back it gets a little confusing was it an expense was it a salary you know did we did we pay um taxes on it that that sort of thing so my old manage used to call it Voodoo map yeah he did and the accountant freaked out one day oh my God but it is it's you know right yeah so so that was sort of my way of looking at it um I did break it out um just just so that it it helps do do some things we you sent this right I I did send this yeah I I sent this to everybody and then the is after we look and talk about lines at an individual level we can then make recommendations to Town based on our notes on our notes so that it it's a sheet it's it's Department by department and what our recommendation is or if we had any any other questions and I think I I think it comes down to we want to look at it and know the detail level line by line but we might want to in the um recommendation sheet that we prepare is prepare a little bit more summary wise Department by department and what our recommendations are um but that I I throw that out there if it makes sense that we do we do it both we record it at the line out of level for us for the detail and summarize it for the recommendation sheet for town hall for town meeting and again this this is noing only the budget only not the not the total warrant we we then have to do a recommendation for all the warrant articles so so you feel that we should go through this whole thing in the next few weeks yeah and put in specific comments if we have comments if we don't have anything we then we fly by I think it's a good idea and that'll be part of the handout that the uh right right yeah at town meeting yeah yeah it'll take some effort I think but it it takes some effort it's documentation and I think it's probably worth it and we we're all set to meet the next what three four weeks yeah three anyway two and a half so benefit us because we're all going to look at it and the town a hard copy all that's that's why I was my question going early today is we don't have support and I don't I know I don't have the ability to print so I need to get this no no no I think it should be printed you know it's kind of like so that we can take it hard copy sometimes it looks better on the side you know right it's kind of like not everybody has the computers and and that it's kind of like it gives you the opportunity instead of looking up on the screen and then trying to figure it out if you've had no notes you can you can read the notes and and see if there's anything that we have so yeah I think maybe we should you know actually do that again it's going to be a chore it it's going to be a chore but um so I will work in the next day or so to get get this get it printed out on cheats well should I I mean I know if the the been requested changes yeah shouldn't budget that you're printing out hard copy of um it do we want to wait till they possibly submit a 10% cut well whatever they're going to submit to town meeting we don't want to have to alter our figures while we're there discussing so I almost wonder yeah we should have a copy of both I guess I don't so we can Okay then if and when they come out with the with that 10 cop well believe they have to post it damn soon right yep I think they were trying to shoot it and get it po shoot for getting it posted tonight yeah I thought so too yeah so I'm scrolling out a little bit um and if you look at column o I'll highlight it one of the things that I can do is bring in the old number so I I have a method that I use to bring to bring in the old number the old number from a previous version of the worksheet oh I see okay yeah yeah yeah yeah so in this case I was comparing it to the the budget we had received on March 6 um and so also and then then n so you could do to 10% if it comes up in column P if it comes up I can ident we can look at it in column P I'm identifying that it was the same and not changed I mean I can change the words I can unchanged or different um but when we have a line that's different um I I can highlight it and we can see that the line's different yeah you know that actually makes it pretty easy yeah yeah then so a lot of work for you it's it's it's you love it I know it's kind of like um but it you know so here we had a line um that it was 2700 in March the 6 and now it's at uh 7 33 yeah so it's kind of like so it's at 335 today and again this is because this is the bard of selectman Web Master and this is what on the sixth it was still up in the Personnel now changed again now it changed and it's and it's in the expenses and that's why this line has yeah right okay so it's just yeah it's different so again if we you know looking looking at what I did is kind of like I just have this formula in here that says if if the two columns are the same write same if they're not the same write different so you didn't even got to go through the whole thing you don't do it my formula and and if it changes it shows it it shows it you ain't going to work that out I I had to I had to work you did absolutely I give you that you know but yeah so so those those are the those are the sorts of things it's kind of like that's great I think that's wonderful I do um so um and and again for those on the phone I I highlighted a cell where I have the formula and it comes up and it's just doing it what's called an if statement and it says if if one value equals the other value right it's the same and so even if it's a penny different is is not the same right so we'll come up and highlight it it's nice Don You're just showing off we know yeah yeah there you go Josh I'm trying to keep please keep showing off that's good information it is I I don't want to take prever in I want to keep my mind sharper so I don't have to you're doing it good for you so um just things I the old the things I used to do when I was working kind of Miss huh yeah C certain things I miss I got yeah I totally get it prob showing off I like always like showing off there you go so so yeah the the base work has been done it's kind of like we just have to update the formulas if the cells are a little different and things like that but um in general it it's done so I guess for stat is if they don't come out with a new one we can we can we can go with this go through the existing right and in a magical minute we can make that 10% change right yeah y if if that's the yeah if that's the case and they want to do 10% right or whatever it happens to be it'll show off y we can we can do that it's kind to like and we can see the column see the difference and in that stuff so we can so I think we can maybe it makes sense to wait for the more firm budget but that just our time and say we might need some longer or or longer well we only got so much I mean we maxed out with our dates right now to the end right we did we don't have any Fridays Fridays are usually wide open Friday's Friday's the tough we're going to do it we might want to do it and C A fing on a Wednesday yeah let's see what happens I mean it kind of depends on what the school is going to send us and hopefully they'll get it because everybody wants it they know that um so our our our work is getting tighter but look looking at how we manage it maybe it's a little better and then if warrant yeah so we can we can leave the budget for review on Thursday we we try to get we can start doing the existing whatever we can start doing the existing or and then work on the warrant that's right because it'll be out they should they should be out avable yeah okay and those won't be final nums either sure yeah I I would always always change I mean I remember the year we were changing up to an hour before yeah it was last year wasn't it the year before last year we were still we changed in a week out yeah so it's kind of like so we we're pushing it but it's kind of like I think we can we can do it yeah so okay any other questions thoughts about looking at the at the budget going forward I have I have a kind of a general question yeah I always had the understanding that we had to go to town meeting with a balanced budget we do and that was brought up today we did you hear that yeah but ter Walsh said when she was our accountant that you can go with an unbalance bu and I I don't understand um I I think I think it was going to the point of it's a it's a balanced budget based on the numbers you present in in at the May town meeting but then you would have to come back and have a special to do the additional funding if you were running out of money so all right in the fall so I think I think that it it's a sort of a partial budget so we vote on you know it be voting on a majority of the items and most of them are right but there might be a couple that need to be adjusted so we'll be back in the fall um to try to get additional funding where that comes from going to tell you it's kind of although when we hit November in December when when we get our certified free cash numbers from FY 24 that's that's when there may be some money's available to to go back and and hit that um H those additional expenses that may be there um then we're likely to get in trouble with the accountant because if we re if we use free cash to satisfy an ongoing account then we're in trouble there um yeah I think what we would have to do is on the warant articles in in that full meeting would be to be specific about use free cash to go to a specific account number but that's scary too if the town doesn't want to do that that's why we need a supported budget and and that's what they tell you they the um you should have a budget that based on recovering revenue streams your um ex your local revenues your excise taxes your um other fees that are charged by building inspectors and all that and in in and the real estate tax so those are your and and the cherry sheet money that comes from the state those are your recurring Revenue sources that you need to count on to balance the budget that's what we should be trying to balance the budget too it's my opinion we should not leave town meeting without a balanced budget right have to come back in the fall and go we're a little short it we can't do that it's and again the only the only budget line that we are allowed to sort of go that way is the snow snow snow exactly somebody talked to me about that today why is snow I said because we always have to it's the only thing in the budget that we allowed to go over and if we go under or meet our goal of what we put in we can't change that anymore yes we need to raise it some but right you yeah you want to raise you want to go over like that might rubbish trash and and um and snow removal unpredictable you could always go over on that at least where I you know yeah but uh yeah and that those are the pieces and one of them you mentioned the uh the track I think there's a very you can in trash here right no we can't because it's in the operating budget we're trying to have that contract right however I think I believe the contract is going to include tipping fees I don't know if it means they'll see what the average tipping fee is for basically the cost of dumping their load so it could go lower or higher it could go lower or higher in the foll it go higher oh yeah I know it won't go lower right and and so when we write a contract this time if it includes tipping fees you you have a probably the Guaranteed Rate with the optional increase for tipping fees kind of so this contract is going to be very different than the last one whereas the other wasn't a variable expense this one would right yeah yeah there was no tipping fees that was have always been in there they've just been they've been yeah part of the business they haven't been examined singularly yeah I they can stick with u recycling or was just one tip one barrel is it just I I don't know um my understanding was it's still one in one it's kind of like one trash they if we W with them we'd have to get containers that adapted to the truck or is it just one big yeah and that becomes the big the big issues for Tren haulers these days there are requirements some people for green communities want the recycling but tipping fees are getting more expensive for recycling than they are for track so it's just is is it EAS I went to the El hobby Place one time they had a cookout or whatever and what they did was mostly attra is they dumped it in the pocket lot and sorted it you know what I mean they recycling this that it was called um what was it called jumping no something was uh it was everything together there was no sorting throw it single single that's what it yeah and they just brought it to the yard and took it apart and that's what I think they do everywhere now well I think so because um I know in a couple of our neighboring towns that do not have traff pi it's just single stream yeah yeah single stream yeah yeah kind of so those are the pieces so nice that they do it that way however you do you do know that the state Massachusetts mandates recycling yeah yeah but you look at what we're actually allowed to recycle in town you look at the list ain't a lot it's very minimal so everything does go into the recycling been at least at my house that I think should be recycled and they take it and you know that they end up sorting it so I don't understand why well how do you know they're not sorting it it was my understanding well that's what I'm saying if they're sorting it why don't we do single stream oh sorting it that way I thought you meant they both containers and EMP it into one thing right because I look I look at the list that they gave me that I I can throw them in recycling bin I don't have most of it most of it's in their eyes trash right even though I put it in the recycling bin they take it so you must assume that they they're sorting it or they wouldn't be taking right that's just my assumption or well yeah and when you hear complaints uh or I have heard complaints that um the recycling like cans and stuff were not clean enough yeah don't know that they're not clean enough to be recycled then they must be sorting exactly exactly I don't clean the cans I don't wash my milk things out I just that's me and maybe I'm bad but they take them in my recycling bin so you know they do something with it they don't just and they do I'm not the only one that does this I'm sure so it's actually maybe it's actually single stream I don't know right but we see them putting it into each side on the truck each side on the truck or a different truck picks it up but there some days it all goes in one so makes me wonder the fact we're talking on a recorded line I'm not going to talk about my recycling methods you know what anybody that's got an issue can give me a call do do the best weekend with it keep it and cut it down your hard cut it down at exactly oh always always my wife doesn't understand that though the recycling bin is full after two boxes right we cut it down and put it in it works well that's one of the Reas hope she's bring the burning Barrel it's coming it's coming sh want with their new trucks and the totes is the CLA hits up the tote for trash and dumps it right and then the claw picks up the the other toe the other type of it into the recycling and they like it that way because they can control the uh what you get sending them what you know what they're picking up you can't Jam is a certain size and you can't get much more in there right which is good the weight of what they're picking up right so okay so we beat recycling to sorry it's kind of like but I sort of let that let that go oh that's no I I think they're they're all good subjects and hear them and if we understand them we can we can better explain then we can address them I I have another question yeah if on on the contract on what to do with the Garbage Contract the Board of Health wanted the people to decide and he was going I I with my understanding I don't know if it's possible because he had talk to council and stuff um Eric was going to put two additional articles on the warrant for that to decide the trash which part of the trash pickup which uh alternative the public was willing to support if those questions are there then when we come to to the budget in the um for trash pickup would we defer to that or just go on with the budget and then just address the other two things as adjacent um I I think it it's almost a combination of things whichever one is the more expensive option I think has to go in the budget we present because it's how many you can bring a dollar value lower but you can't raise it you can't raise that's right so my thought is we will put the higher dollar value in the in the budget warrant and then adjust accordingly based on which option they choose so that it's it's approv if if it's the expensive op option that's chosen no change has to has to be done if they choose the less expensive in the fiveyear my my guess is 5 years going to be more low lower price for him because it's a longer term so he can he can recover cost over more years um that we would be able to reduce that dollar value at at Tom meeting to to accommodate the lower price option now I have another question yeah Katie the girl that asks is what our account in town y very very good easy to work with has a I I've been very very satisfied with their performance however maybe this would be too much the accountant that we pay to be our full-time accountant from the accounting firm would would would it be unreasonable to ask them to attend the meeting to kind of take all some of the pressure off of her so all the responsibility doesn't a fall to her but Falls to them and it should because that is their responsibility right I I think that's yeah as to accountant why wouldn't you want to you know it's kind of like um I think that's a reasonable request we can ask they um because I I don't that Katie's been through a full cycle yet and they're supposed to be Mentor for her so it makes sense that they would be there and need to be there in person rather rather than Zoom or anything else I don't I don't think we Zoom it and it's kind of like and even if it's broadcast that that's that's not a way for to to get it she could ask live questions to to the people and and and I know Mark Kim used to be I forget the name they got B out but um yeah I think that would be um a good idea to to try to get them and I thought it was good when they were at the table with us when Terry wal was here I thought that was good we could we could have treasur and finance committee together so if there was anything and usually a town meeting with the warant articles there are some adjustments and dollar values in in the end that need to be looked at so I think that's good um see if if Katie is um has already asked for that and if she hasn't uh then we'll work with her and request it for ER the town account Town account would be there because she is only assistant Town accountant not Town accountant and they have to sign off on what we're doing so that makes perfect sense that they're there okay just making my notes speak to Eric okay um at this point there was no new correspondence to review um nothing came in an email nothing was in additional in the inbox so um and there was nothing under the new business and so I guess um we'll touch on the next meetings um the agenda that was posted had April 23rd and April 30th um the next meetings are actually April 25th at 4:00 which is this Thursday and then April 30th next Tuesday at 6:m back here with the with the zoom Mee that Zoom meeting is different than this one but back here in the SEL Chambers next Tuesday you think there'll be a joint meeting um I will ask it's kind of like if if they have because they have some work to do to to bring it and so for them to prepare it I will try I will send that invitation CH I just and okay here so I'll I'll send him send him an email and with that okay um with that um and again if if we want to go to the next meeting after April 30th it is May 2nd which is the Thursday at 4 o' is it on the list is it it was on the big list that I out yeah um separate from this I will get it on to the minutes so that is Thursday's meeting on the on the Thursday is not on the town calendar yet I'm going to see there's two places when I because I don't have the agendas y far in advance I don't want to post a a placeholder agenda I I want to post the real one yeah um but what I'm going to do is see if there's a way to send to the Web Master to post our schedule so we when you go into the finance committee page you can see what our meetings are in that okay so we're still going to meet Thursday even though it's not um noted online it's not noted online Don yeah our web master um temporarily is Veronica Kell right yeah yeah didn't know if you knew um I do it's kind of like um I uh I did do that and shoot thday is not on there is it it's not on there and I didn't send the email I know that's what I goingon to say I did it again I did it again I was I was thinking right after this meeting so we're going to have to wait till next Tuesday we're going to have to wait till next Tuesday right which isn't a killer because we may we might not have information we not information we could go AC course through the older stuff but right and and I was expecting that so the warrant when I get the warrants we'll we'll send them out we'll do that um I will prepare hopefully that we got another meeting Eric still had some information that was waiting on for him so um I guess at this point it just makes sense the next meeting is April 30th and then May 2nd and then we'll have a talk about if another one is needed final results ah they posted the they just did just did I just looked at it I don't I didn't look see if there any changes but um at at this point we have no meeting on Thursday we'll go to um next Tuesday we'll try to make it a joint meeting with select B select minut if you're available that's what the 30th right that's the 30th yeah yeah okay and uh in the meantime that gives me time to work things on the side and do that and okay then we are at the end um would entertain the motion be before I do that any any last questions from anybody Now's the Time to no questions questions thoughts okay all right I make a motion that we adjourn the meeting at 711 p.m. second okay we have a motion in a second roll call vote please j z yes Mark hussy yes Andrea wood yes Sam Grant yes Josh yes gr ha yes We Stand adjourned thank you all we'll see you next Tuesday