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TOWN
COUNCIL MEETING
COUNCIL
CHAMBERS, TOWN HALL
May
19, 2014 –immediately following 6:30 Public Hearing
*******************
AGENDA
1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Roll Call
3. Consider and accept Town Council Meeting Minutes
of Monday, May 5, 2014.
4. Subcommittee Reports:
(a) General Government
(b) D.P.W.
(c) Education and Human Services
(d) Planning and Development
(e) Protection of Persons and Property
(f) Town Manager Search Committee
5. Chairman’s Announcements
6. Town Manager’s Announcements
7. Swearing In / Presentation
a) Airport Update – Ron Plouffe, Airport Manager
8. Citizens Forum
9. Vote to appoint James A. Dyer of Southbridge to
the Library Board of Trustees
for a one-year term effective immediately through
June 30, 2015 due to member resignation.
10. Vote to give permission for the installation of
a playground at West Street School contingent on all concerns and liabilities being met.
11. Vote to
change the name of the Veterans Conference Room to the Laurent “Larry” E.
McDonald Veterans Conference Room.
12. Vote to adopt the FY 2015 Town of Southbridge
General Fund operating budget per the attached voting document in the amount of
$47,702,369.00 to be funded as follows:
Raise
and Appropriate $43,922,244.00
Transfers
from Other Available Funds:
Sale
of Street List Books 500.00
Cable Operating Account 124,649.00
Septic Loan Program 6,046.00
Debt Service Reserve 672,500.00
Perpetual Care Interest 2,000.00
Polling Hours 96.00
Armory Debt Service Reserve 56,544.00
Access Road Debt Service 270,690.00
Library Incentive Grant 15,000.00
Landfill Reimbursement Fund 56,000.00
Sale of Lots and Graves 1,100.00
Cable Operating Account 124,649.00
Septic Loan Program 6,046.00
Debt Service Reserve 672,500.00
Perpetual Care Interest 2,000.00
Polling Hours 96.00
Armory Debt Service Reserve 56,544.00
Access Road Debt Service 270,690.00
Library Incentive Grant 15,000.00
Landfill Reimbursement Fund 56,000.00
Sale of Lots and Graves 1,100.00
Subtotal
Transfers from Other Available Funds 1,205,125.00
Other
Transfers:
Landfill
Reimbursement Fund 575,000.00
Landfill Royalty Fund 1,100,000.00
Free Cash 900,000.00
Subtotal Other Transfers 2,575,000.00
Landfill Royalty Fund 1,100,000.00
Free Cash 900,000.00
Subtotal Other Transfers 2,575,000.00
TOTAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET $47,702,369.00
11. Vote that the amount of $3,209,985.00 is
appropriated for the FY 2015 Sewer Enterprise Fund Budget to be raised from sewer user charges
and other departmental revenues.
12. Vote that
the amount of $3,145,690.00 is appropriated for the FY 2015 Water Enterprise
Fund Budget to be raised from water user
charges and other department revenues.
13. Vote to appropriate $375,000.00 from the
Landfill Royalty Receipts Reserved Account #6790 in the FY 2015 Contributory Retirement Account.
14. Vote that the sum of $125,000.00 shall be
appropriated from the Landfill Royalty Receipts Reserved Account #6790 as the first payment into the
OPEB Trust Fund for FY 2015.
15. Vote to re-authorize the “Leased Properties
Revolving Fund” under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44,
Section 53E½ to pay repairs, improvements, expenses and utilities for all town
owned leased property except 115 Marcy Street, from lease payments to be
deposited in the account, with all expenditures to be approved by the town
manager and total expenditures from the account not to exceed $100,000.00 per
year.
16. Vote to re-authorize the “Day Care Center Leased
Properties Revolving Fund” under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws
Chapter 44, Section 53E½ to pay repairs, improvements, expenses and utilities
for all town owned leased property except 115 Marcy Street, from lease payments
to be deposited in the account, with all expenditures to be approved by the
town manager and total expenditures from the account not to exceed $100,000.00
per year.
17. Vote to re-authorize the “Southbridge Airport
Leased Properties Revolving Fund” under the provisions of Massachusetts General
Laws Chapter 44, Section 53E½ to pay repairs, improvements, expenses and
utilities for the leased property at the Southbridge Municipal Airport, from
lease payments to be deposited in the account, with all expenditures to be
approved by the town manager and total expenditures from the account not to
exceed $100,000.00 per year.
18. Vote to re-authorize the “Municipal Hearing
Officer Revolving Fund” under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44, Section
53E½ to pay expenses associated with the administration and collection of fines in
violation of M.G.L. Chapter 148A and Chapter 115 of the Acts of 2009, such fines to be deposited in
the account with all expenditures to be approved by the town manager and total expenditures from the
account not to exceed $5,000.00.
19. Vote to re-authorize the “Southbridge Middle /
High School Store Revolving Fund” under the provisions of Massachusetts General
Laws Chapter 44, Section 53E½ to pay expenses associated with the school store
from receipts to be deposited into the account, with all expenditures to be approved
by the school superintendent and total expenditures from the account not to
exceed $30,000.00 per year.
20. Vote to amend Schedule 1 to approve a 2.0%
increase and other positional changes as proposed May 19, 2014 to be effective July 1, 2014.
21. Vote to amend Schedule 5 as proposed May 19,
2014 to be effective July 1, 2014.
22. Vote to transfer $420,191.53 from the following
accounts to the Snow and Ice General Fund accounts to fund the final FY 2014 snow and
ice expenditures:
Stabilization
Fund $392,806.71
Free Cash 27,384.82
Free Cash 27,384.82
2/3
Roll Call Vote
23. Vote to transfer $3,500.00 from Town Council
Reserve Account #1.132.5781 to Veterans Benefits Account #1.945.5771.0.596 to
pay benefits for the month of June.
24. Councilors Forum
24.[sic] Discussion of next meeting date – Monday, June
9, 2014 at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers
25. Adjournment
25. Adjournment
At first glance item 12 appears to be a reduction in Mr. Reed's proposed budget of over $1.9 million. It also appears to be a significant enough reduction that it would result in a reduction in the tax rate of around 6% based upon the revenue and tax base assumptions used in Mr. Reed's initial presentation. If I'm correct in this, it would return the tax rate to the FY 2013 level at about $18.47 per thousand.
ReplyDeleteIf my math is correct, then the council deserves to be applauded for this accomplishment. I hope that someone will indicate where the changes were made to achieve this result.
DeleteI hope that this isn't a one time, knee-jerk response resulting from fear of the town meeting petition.
DeleteSeems to me the people who should be applauded are the ones who started the Town Meeting Petition. But beware, even if the budget is reduced, doesn't mean taxes will be reduced. The tax rate is set in November. Then there's next year's budget. Will the manager double the increase to make up for this year? Keep up the pressure Southbridge!
ReplyDeleteAlthough the tax rate is set in November or December, it is entirely dependent upon the budget adopted in May. Take the two and a half minutes needed to watch THIS exchange among Councilor Vandal, Chief Assessor Cournoyer and former Town Manager Clark during last year’s meeting setting the tax rate.
DeleteAs regards your giving credit to the petitioners, I mention this as one potential factor. But there are other factors. One is the apparent fact that Councilors are awakening to the fact that they have to consider the tax impact when they vote the budget. Councilor Vandal appears to have finally grasped this. That may also be true for the newer councilors. I have addressed this misconception (from which you apparently also suffer) repeatedly over the last three years .
DeleteAnother factor is that we have only an interim Town Manager. This would reduce the usual contentiousness among councilors that results from those who feel that they must support the TM’s budget or weaken his position. Also, as an interim TM, Reed lacks the leverage a permanent TM would have to lobby for his budget.
Finally, the petition would hardly result in a more knowledgeable approach to budgeting. The petition calls for a 15 member Finance Commission. This FinCom would advise the town meeting on various budget items. However, all members of the FinCom would be appointed by one person, the Town Moderator. How vulnerable is that to being manipulated?