Want to thank everybody for attending our meeting. This is we're going to call this meeting to order. It is uh March 9th of 2026. This is a meeting of the Halifax Finance Committee. Uh this meeting has been posted in accordance with the provisions of MGL30A section
20B and is being recorded will be posted when the area 58 community access channel. The finance committee reasonably anticipates the following matters to be discussed and or voted on at this meeting and some agenda items may be taken out of order for time management considerations.
All members of the finance committee are present. Cheryl Burke, Mike Bennett, Frank Johnston, EJ Bryan, Mike Rnetta, Rod Hemingway, and myself, Jim Walters. Uh, and I will turn it over to Mr. Celely to bring the selectman
into the meeting. Thank you, Jim. Uh, all right. Uh, again, just to echo what uh Mr. Jim said, we are opening the board of selector meeting um for this evening. Uh in attendance here we have Bill Smith, we have Tom Pratt, we have
myself, Jonathan Celig. Uh and again it will be recorded on area 58 for the same reasons. I don't have my sheet here but for the same reasons that um Jim has mentioned out. Uh we usually do the pledge of allegiance. I don't see a flag in here anywhere.
So do we have uh one back there? >> I'd like to do it if we can guys. Sorry. Yes. >> Yeah. Bear with us one second. Sorry. >> Pay no attention to that man behind the
curtain. Ladies and gentlemen, Rod Hemingway, please stand, please. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. >> Thank you. And uh I guess we'll do it formally with a vote. Um I will entertain a motion to open the board of selectmen meeting for this evening. >> Second. >> All those in favor? I opposed. Our meeting is open. Jim, you have the floor.
>> Very good. Thank you, sir. So, um the uh only item that we have on the agenda for this week is our town administrator update regarding the fiscal year 27 budget. So, Mr. Silvo, over to you.
>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, yeah. So, I've come prepared tonight with my budget commentary and the preparation of the budget I did over about the last week. Uh, this budget should serve as the balance budget. Uh, I think we'll probably end up talking further about an
override tonight. Um, about the steps that we'll probably take and we're also going to get into the cuts that were required to be made in order to make this balanced budget. They were deep. Um the the situation's pretty bleak. Uh we
have representatives from a lot of the biggest departments in town, police, fire, schools. Uh myself over here in general government. I've got Lindsay Martinelli here from the town accounting office as well. Um so we've got everyone here who can kind of speak to the
finances of how we ended up here. And I think that's the main message of tonight is I just want to be able to sort of paint the picture of how we got here and make sure the narrative is correct because I think um particularly in a lot of communities right now the narratives out there that this was a mismanagement
of funds and that's what it's been and that's common in all the communities that are uh facing override situations right now. I will say that's pretty much the exact opposite. We're facing historical um fixed pressure or fixed rate increases in a lot of our lines that we
can't control. We're seeing 14 to 20% increases on lines that are in the million-doll range. So, every time those go up, um we're taking huge chunks of operating budget away from funding. Um just to give you an idea, even as late
as last week when we got the mass DOT chapter 70 is I always get these two confused. Chapter 70 and Chapter 90. We had the Chapter 90 funds come in for roadways and typically Halifax receives about $77,000. This year we receive $433,000.
The town typically puts aside $300,000 in road stability money each year. And right there, you're taking essentially that right off the table. Um, so that's just an example of how the hits keep coming. As I keep saying as I've been walking around town hall, it seems like they're just never ending. Um, and I
will put this document up on the website basically on the commentary on how I came to these numbers and we'll talk more about them. Um, but again, Prop 2 and a half is what's currently in operation in the state of Massachusetts. The the town of Halifax has not kept up
with the rate of inflation over the last 20 years. That's basically what it boils down to. Um numbers have shown that in the in that time inflation has raised about 67.5%. And through Prop 2 and a half Halifax has raised their taxes about 50% in that
time. So that's 17.5% of fund funding that just hasn't kept up with the historical uh inflation rates. Um now this override as we get to discuss that we'll we'll talk about how close that will draw the town. Um but if
you look at the operational budget revenues in town, um property taxes make up approximately 67% of the town's total revenues. Uh we rely on uh local aid uh at about 15%, local receipts at about 9%. And
then all other appro approximate lines add up to about another 9%. Um the last 10 years we've seen annual increases of 3 and 12 to 4%. This year the revenue came in at 0.05% increase over last year and I haven't even
factored in that revenue number from chapter 90. So it's probably actually dropped below. It's probably negative revenue at this point uh from state aid and everything else. And then if we want to start talking about what has gone up from an increase from lines that we simply can't control on the general
government side. Um, you know, I've got Brian uh with the elementary school here to kind of describe some of the things that have been going on in the school department, not only here, but in the entire Commonwealth. Um, the 20 fiscal year 27 level increase for um the levy
is $539,000 at 2.5% over last year. Um, if you factor in that's only that's half a million dollars that's gone after you figure in the fixed rate increases we faced in health insurance retirement that money is already off the table. Uh
uh health insurance increase of 14.2% or equating to about $190,000 for this year alone. Uh FY27 pension liability assessment increase of 7.1%. That's $160,000 approximately.
liability insurance. That's your Maya insurance for replace which is basically workman's comp and other liability insurance for employees went up $30,000 or about 28 7.5%. Um that means before we even fund town and school departments uh basically the
entire Proposition 2 and a half levy increase has been wiped out. Outside of other fixed costs, uh, department departmental budgets have experienced budget pressures for several years due to the rising costs of goods and services, which I'm sure everyone in this room has experienced. Whether it's
now gasoline, diesel, whatever the case may be, everything at the grocery store is more expensive. Um, again, these pressures don't just impact you at home, they also impact your local government. Um, we've already cut every expense line in town hall and across the board in all
town uh departments to nil. I mean, we can't make any more. And plus, when we're making cuts on those lines, they don't amount to anything if we're cutting $100 here and there. Um, it's important to state the town obviously recognizes that our residents
are also experiencing these these tough fiscal situations at home. Uh we have a lot of residents that are on fixed income and then we have a lot of parents that also have kids in the school system and they're facing increased pressures and increased costs at home as well. Um
you know we have we're entering into contract negotiations with five out of six of our unions. Um this compounds the not to say that this is a bad thing but negotiations cost money and so do contracts. Each year they they increase
by a factor of step increases, cola increases that are built in. We're on the hook for any liability through those contracts. Right now, are we in a position to bargain with anyone? I don't know. It's probably a tough time to bargain. Um,
and I don't even know where to start on that. So, we'll see where we get there. Um, moving forward. Um, this is interesting to note. So, the last time that Halifax authorized an operational override was in October of
2005. It might have been 2006. Um, the amount was $297,541 to support the addition of four firefighter paramedics. The town has not even requested an operational override in the last 20 years.
adjusted for inflation, $297,000 in 2005 is approximately $500,000 today. Uh again, getting back to the point that overall inflation has increased at 66.5% and the tax levy has only grown about
50% in that same time. Um up until last year, the town was able to maintain services and cut as needed to operate in level services. Up to this point, the town was able to achieve level budget funding uh or level budgeting despite absorbing additional
costs, reporting requirements, and administrative duties handed down by state and federal governments in the form of unfunded mandates and other regulatory compliance issues. Many of these mandates are tied to penalties, increased cost to implement and administer the risk of losing or risk of
negative community impacts if they are not met. um changes in energy code, special education, transportation, regular transportation, and storm water management have increased in last year. Those are all compliance issues uh that have to be met. Um last year, the
elected officials made the decision to bridge the gap of operations with a one-time use of free cash. This goes against best management practices of municipal finance by assigning non-reoccurring revenue to uh operational expenses. You know, Halifax is not alone in these budgetary
pressures. Um, many Massachusetts communities, specifically in the South Coast region, are facing the same exact issues we are tonight. So, when I arrived on January 26th, each department was already uh midway through their department budget reviews and were
asked to do a level services budget and a budget with a 10% reduction of lines were appropriate. Uh a level funded budget would mean no override and that's the budget you're looking at in front of you tonight. Um that shows about a 1.3
$1.35 million decrease in funding or in budgeting across the table expenditures. Um the override would bas basically bring us up to level services or reinstitute what most department heads asked for during the department
budgeting process. Now, if the override were to go through, again, we'll talk about that more. Um, we'd also have to keep a keen eye on making sure that we're still looking at the departments. We're still looking at the maximum efficiency for all departments. And I'm not even going to say that cuts still
probably wouldn't be made cuz we would have to reevaluate everything. We have new technology coming on board on in town hall that will help us with a couple of administrative functions, specifically payroll um and some other functions that may assist us with some organizational pressure and lifting it
off those people, freeing them up for other duties in their office. So hopefully that happens. And then there's another uh software opportunity that would free up um billing. Uh it's called lockbox. So those are two major functions that from a software perspective would help out immensely and
those are currently uh excuse me basically in the process of being implemented now. Um so basically if we want to get into the budget if you guys had any questions again I brought in um chief deputy chief and chief wam as well as the school
department uh officials to answer any questions. If you have any questions of me as far as the notations that are on the budget I put in there, they signify the cuts that I gone through. There is one minor change to one of the proposed cuts. I spoke to the department head in
the treasur collector's office and we may find a different way to cut the hours in that office without cutting staff. So that's the only change >> to the same end result. >> To the same end result. Yes.
Sure. >> So, if we do the learn funded budget, the school, what are you asking of the school? >> That would be an $800,000 budget cut. >> Which would may I speak to what that
would look like? >> That's up to the schools to decide. >> Oh, I know it is up to the schools to decide, but I'm just saying like what it means for the school as far as class sizes. That means cutting 12 teachers,
12 hta and not meeting um net school spending which means we're required by law to educate. That is a law that is required. So I don't know what it means. I I if we don't fund the school and you
know the class sizes would have at a minimum 26 kids and at the most 40 kids at grade six >> per class and so that's just something I'm extremely concerned about and you know with the budget as presented and so
where we have to by law you know meet net school spending um does that mean that other departments would have to cut more to meet that or do we just >> see where like what happens if we don't >> I mean we we're facing the same issue
with essentially the library so to be honest if we can't meet net school spending the first place I go is the library could I ask a question just real quick so you you mentioned net school spending and the requirement that we have there
that $800,000 what what is the variance between net school spending and at 800,000 because we know that that's a potential risk, but we can't just go off with the risk. We need to know the actual numbers. Today we met uh hi everybody. I'm Brian Pran. I'm the building principal. Um brand new this year, so thank you for having me. Uh
today we met also um to kind of discuss that. So we're looking into what that number would actually be and we'll get back to you as soon as possible based on what that share >> the number sorry that we got. Oh, >> did Stephanie give it to you today? Oh, perfect. It's >> even better.
So for Halifax um and please help me if you don't mind if I just make sure um it's 8 million 96 um 96,715 that is the required net school
spending. I don't know that it's like 100% finalized, but we're right around like the budget right now is right around where our net school spending requirement is. >> Yeah. I >> Laura, could I have that one just one more time?
>> 8 million. >> Yep. >> $96,715. >> Thank you. And it's not set in stone yet because it's preliminary 270, but that's a rough estimate. So that would decimate the school cut
800,000 and put us I mean I don't know that we were discussing we don't even know what it means if you don't mean that school spending. No town has ever done that before. And the other thing too is um you know given that we're other towns in
our district, we have also foregone the ability to accept about $400,000 in grants for the next 2 years that other schools in our district are getting because of the MBTA act. So we're really really hurting ourselves in so many
ways. But like the our our assistant superintendent laid out all the grants he's getting for other schools that we are just foregoing because we aren't eligible for them. >> If I could just >> It's just important to note >> if I could just comment on that. So I
was in that meeting. Um I do agree wholeheartedly on the the grants. It's about $400,000 being left on the table and they are not they're specifically not eligible in Halifax because of MBTA. That is 100%. But that's not the only department that can take that burden.
The residents spoke about that and they chose not to go down that avenue and that's reality. >> Yep. >> We got to live with it and work within those bounds. >> Yep. >> Well, it's true, but we still can say what the consequences of it are. And the money has to come from somewhere. We have legally have to educate our
children. >> We're not saying you don't have to do that. >> Yeah. I'm just saying I mean that's it's reality. That's all we're talking about here. To get back to Lauren's first question about net school spending, I'm just not sure again what the delta is. Um I am waiting on that because anything
that's left on the table for the general government to cut is very problematic almost any dollar amount. So the math if the math is correct at 89 8096 and we're recommending what you're recommending on the budget that's half
that's roughly half. >> Yeah. And the interesting part is last year I mean last year's net so this year's estimated budget from HS comes in at the 7 the 7.341 I think it was somewhere in the
neighborhood of that >> level funded would be 7,650. >> So that's 1.6. So I don't know what that net school savings is because >> well that's 8096 correct. >> Yeah. So that's that's >> so the schools the schools asked for 1.6
6 million of less than that number. So where's the what's missing here? >> Right. And I think that's that's the hard part as we sit at the table and talk about the numbers. It's hard to make any decision without knowing truly what's needed. And I think that's that's
especially when you marry it up with other issues that we're trying to address like public safety, right? You've got police and fire that need to be able to serve the kids who are in the school. >> Exactly. So, if we're talking about cutting them, how how do we have stability enough that
we can respond to the schools when we need to? It's a it's a catch22. What you know, give or take. But, you know, their numbers are more final than what we're getting from the schools. We have to make a decision. So, if we're not seeing the information that we need to make decisions, we can't be tied into a corner. And that's essentially where we
are as a group right now and stuck in a corner. Can I ask did you guys, and I'm not putting you on the spot, did you guys bring um any sort of breakdown as to what uh those proposed cuts would look like to your budgets to present to the
group? Um, so we did we did look at what class sizes would be if I were to cut 10 teachers um from from the building, which would put um right now we currently have four teachers in kindergarten, four teachers in first
grade, four teachers in second grade, four teachers in third grade, four teachers in fourth grade, three teachers in fifth grade, and three teachers in sixth grade. Those are classroom teachers. if we were to cut and and we also have special education teachers in there too, but that also goes into
another factor of making sure that we have maintenance of effort for our special education budget and making sure that we're not taking away from that because we do need to meet those maintenance of efforts for that. So, if we if I were to eliminate and kind of go down and and take away two teachers, I'm sorry, 10 teachers from the budget, um
classroom teachers, that would be uh three in kindergarten and projected around 85 students for kindergarten. um that put 28 kids in a classroom for kindergarten and we currently do not have full-time pair of professionals in
those classrooms all day long. First grade would be 27 children um in a classroom. Second grade would be 26. Third grade would be 30 kids in a classroom. Fourth grade would be 35 kids
in a classroom. Fifth grade would be 34. and sixth grade would be 40. Um because I would be taking um three there' be three K three in kindergarten, three in first, three in second, three in third, two in fourth, two in fifth, and two in sixth. And just looking at the building
layout and how many kids can physically fit in a classroom, it would be unsafe and unmanageable to have 40 kids in a classroom. um especially within sixth grade, but even looking at the younger kids at 28 kids at the youngest possible
ages would would just would be it would it wouldn't be good. I mean, lack of a better term. Um >> what's the current capacity of those classrooms currently that you're referring to right now? >> Currently capacity,
>> how many students are in each of those grade classrooms now? And what's the differential? Sure. >> Right now, will this about right here 21? Yeah. Kindergarten 21 22. >> Yeah. Yeah. This is this is for next year if nothing were to change um for
classroom sizes with teachers. For the estimation, it would be 20 about 21 22 kids in uh kindergarten with four teachers. About 20 kids in first grade, 19 to 20 kids in second, 22 to 23 in third,
17 to 18 in fourth, 22 to 23 in fifth, and in sixth grade, uh, 26 to 27 just because the numbers kind of dip depending on what grade level. >> So, you say in sixth grade we'll go from 26 to 40 for a total of 14 student
increase in the classroom. >> Yeah, because I would have to take away a teacher. Well, and also let me say and I just want to make sure like the the total budget level service would be 8 8,14729.
Um, and but there's grants involved in that which makes less required of the town. I'm not not where the percentage comes in. Like I I would Sarah if you would speak >> trying to figure out this this afternoon I was looking into net school spending trying to figure out the formula on this.
>> Do you mind speaking to this a little more since you know more is that Mr. Chair? >> I'm sorry. >> Is it may I speak? >> Sure. Speak to net school. >> So we we have Sarah Hickeyi here who is the former finance director of Silver
Lake uh who has since retired and we pulled her right back into meetings. So, um Sarah, if you could share whatever insight you have for us. >> Sarah Hickey 17 Highland Circle. Um I I retired on February 27th and on
Monday, March 2nd, I received no phone calls. And then after that, >> it was a good two weeks. >> It was a good one day. >> Yeah, one day. >> One day. One day. >> Um net school spending. I'm going to start with net school spending. Um, net school
spending is an amount that comes out from the Department of Education. So, keep in mind that the state constitution in Massachusetts says you're required to educate children. It's written into the constitution and there's a minimum required amount to spend and the
Department of Education has a formula. I was speaking to my successor Stephanie Hatton today. I have a degree in mathematics. I'm okay with the formula. I couldn't explain it to you if we had hours and hours. So, it's this magical formula.
Um, but bottom line is the Department of Education comes up with a number every year and there's two pieces that Halifax has to contribute in order to total whatever that number was that the Department of Education gave this year. It is the appropriation which is that
bottom number on that sheet I gave you, Lauren. 7 million >> 7 million. Well, for level funded 7,615,800. So, so there's the appropriation and then part of the net school spending is
the benefits which are not part of the elementary school budget which are part of the town budget. So, the health insurance um there's a portion of the health insurance that is paid for teachers that is also counted towards net school
spending. So, we can't look at the net school spending number and look at the appropriation and say, "Oh my goodness, we're under by X amount." You have to figure in how much is paid for teach for staff benefits.
>> And then the the second question was um in on December 8th, the school department presented to the school committee two budgets. So there's a level service budget, the level service budget minus any offsets, grants and
revolving accounts. So there's the circuit breaker special education account um and then uh grant funding. The level service budget minus the grant and revolving accounts puts the ask for
the appropriation at 1.4% higher than FY26. Those are the >> Thank you, Sarah. That helps me understand. >> Well, and just for clarity, sorry. The level services
would be 7,722,613. And then level funded would be 7,615,813, which if we were to do level funded would require at least two staff cuts. >> Correct. Just so you know.
where we are. >> You get >> I just have a couple things. So, I don't want to speak for anybody up here. I might be the only one with children in at HS. I don't know that to be true. Um, >> fine. All right. So, invested. Um, I ran
on a, you know, not important. I ran on a platform to support the schools wherever possible. And I we did that. This body did that last year. We punted an ambulance and we punted a police cruiser in deference to the schools. So I really want to support
the the Halifax Elementary School and all the budget entails. But are we led to to know that tonight there are 22 teachers in school and 12 of them would be cut. >> Um there's more than 22 right now cuz >> there was four four three and three.
>> But there's also specialist reading specialist. So the but what what's the number of classrooms that would be cut >> because the numbers don't really add up when you go from 26 to 40 if you're talking about classrooms the number of educators might be in play here but the
number of classrooms >> well it's the grade levels going up you know there's going to be 80 students in sixth grade next year so like the fifth like we can't look at where we are current like you have to look at next year there's 80 students in sixth grade so if we reduce one teacher there we go
from >> 3 to two that's 40 kids in each class >> if you're if you're a li if if your cut is is a classroom teacher. >> Mhm. >> Right. >> So which leads me to my question. Are there other cuts available? >> So we current >> administrators which I have been previously told cannot be cut as part of
contracts. Administrators, supplies, bus contracts, are there other avenues to explore which I'm sure you've turned over. >> Mhm. >> Um that could lead to classroom sizes not being so dramatically affected. >> Mhm. So we do have five specialists within
the building as well. Three of them are at point8s based on the reductions of staff that they did um I believe a couple of years ago. So we have a PE teacher, we have a technology teacher, an art teacher, um a librarian, librarian, and
>> music teacher. So from over the course of the the work that the school did previously for my arrival, um they were able to they reduced the in so they the reduction of
professional staff was the instrumental teacher was was no longer. So now our our music teacher now does chorus and does band. So we al so we're able to offer those two services to our children to make sure that they have a well-rounded education. Um they also
reduced the reading specialists uh reduction in the specialists. So the um uh the art teacher is point8 the technology teacher is8 and the um art teacher is8. the music teacher is full-time because of the additional
responsibilities that were put on um and also scheduling those things too throughout the day to make sure the kids have access to band and chorus. In addition, the PE teacher um uh also teaches health um on Fridays and making sure that the kids get um health
services um I'm sorry, health class uh kindergarten through uh through 6th grade >> and PE is a requirement. Just to be clear, I don't want any of those. I don't want any of those cuts. I'm just saying I'm just trying to understand if we're if we're talking about class size.
>> The cuts that come don't have to be always related to class size. There might be other alternatives. Is that correct? >> Um potentially there might I mean I' I've been on school committee for a few years now. I'm not an expert. I'm not an expert in education.
>> However, I have asked every year about buses. I have asked every year about anything other than teachers. >> What about administrative costs? >> Um I've asked about that but contractually you know there >> so last year when the bridge was gapped based on the this body's vote did we
make any changes or did we just hope that a solution would arrive? >> Um well I don't know that we can make more changes other than I mean our biggest expense is our teachers because that's >> any retiring teachers. one retirement
building like but I'm just saying believe me I don't want to do any of this and I have lost sleep over it. I have gone over the numbers over and over. Our school has done an amazing job for my own children. We love the school.
>> It's there's just simply not enough money and our and we've made choices as a town that have limited our ability to get money even more. >> Great. So, can I ask for instance to Tom, just to piggyback on Tom's point here, like just going through the detail report that I I don't know if it's from
December or March. I can't tell from how it's how it's written out here, but there's a $75,000 increase for textbooks that's listed out on this report anyways. I don't know if it's accurate or not. Can What's What's the reason for a $75,000 increase on textbooks when
we're having a conversation about how to retain teachers? >> Um, Oh yeah. So it does look like so textbooks are subscriptions to our curriculum piece. So that looks like it went up then. Um it's not like we're getting bundles of books like what we
would get back in, you know, back in school like giant textbooks. They're subscriptions to curriculums. This year we purchased and implemented um HMH, which is a new math curriculum. uh and then providing PD for staff to make sure that that's being taught, you know, appropriately and getting the professional on.
>> So, why does that increase by almost 80% going into next year? >> Yeah. So, we're currently going through an ELA cycle right now. So, what we're doing is that we're looking at different curriculums and that um for next year, we're looking to purchase based on um a
district-wide initiative to make sure that we're teaching a researchbased structured curriculum that's been appropriated by um the Massachusetts Department of Education. And that takes, you know, it takes a little bit more money. And I believe it goes back to two
where the other towns are able to utilize the grant that was appropriated and um Halifax is unable to utilize those grants >> and they're trying to keep the elementary schools on the same curriculums because we want to have the same level of education when we get to
the middle school as the other towns. So we have to other towns are getting grants to pay for these curriculums which they're studied and you know we're um so so this year is my first year um we've implemented the HMH curriculum for
math and then like I said we're currently going through a curriculum cycle right now for ELA and we're and we're currently picking which curriculum we want to utilize for next school year and that's been a um a district-wide initiative not just Halifax it's with um
is with all of our elementary schools as well. And um just like she was saying, we want to make sure when our kids get to to middle school, they're actually they're meeting the what everybody else is meeting when they get to um when they get to middle school. And then I I just I had the same
question for support staff that bumps up by $47,000. Is that is that all just cola or is that for what is that for >> um with support staff? So there was another reduction that was made in 2025 that I wanted to share too
is that previously we had um where Halifax had a full-time behaviorist or a BCBA or board certified behavioral analyst and that's been reduced to a.5 um so with the so and she'd be they would be considered a support staff. I'm
thinking about the support staff piece with the increase. We might have had to increase a paraprofessional position based on a student's IEP which could which could make um that increase. Okay. >> On that I just want to say two things. I
know that uh I can be loud or like you know maybe confrontational. We're like I'm on the school side. I want this to work. If we had the ability to fund everything I think it would without question. >> I think we're just trying to examine and drum down you know where we can save cuz
the cuts like you have elementary school cuts we have all the cuts at our feet >> not to minimize any other thing but we're trying to make sense of it all with late arriving data some of which which is beyond your control I understand that >> and I also just want to recognize you're bound by certain requirements by state
law which other departments are not which is more cumbersome on your behalf so I think it's important to point out >> yeah I I really appreciate that and I and I think too um um I just want to make sure that I'm giving the correct information to you guys so you can make the appropriate decisions based on what
you feel you know needs the funding piece I guess. Um can I share also too some other reductions that were made over the past few years that um that kind of like are really where we are right now when I came into Halifax. Um there was a $40,000 reduction in
supplies and materials back in 2025. Um the reduction of the staff that I talked about was $187,000 reduction. There was a $42,000 textbooks, instructional software, library books, and supplies deduction
back in 2025. A $33,000 reduction in the um reduction custodial staff. So right now we have um one of our custodians is.5 um to clean the building and uh and we reduce one of the pair of professionals um to 8. Um that's
different than the special special education pair of professionals because of the amount of work that just is needed within the building. Um, we reduced two buses as well back in 2025. Um, which was a $74,000 reduction. Um, and then we reduced custodial maintenance and supplies to 8 uh by
8,000. There was also reduction of $70,000 for building maintenance to be paid out of the building utilization revolving accounts. And then this the 26 um deductions is that there was a
70 a continued deductions of curriculum materials and supplies of 78,000 and then before I came on there was a reduction of professional staff of looks like three classroom teachers of $243,000
um before I before I came on board um with the current piece that we have now >> except for the last number. >> Yes, sir. Are the reductions in supplies is that offset by the subscriptions of the 75,000 that we're purchasing? Are those offset? Is that separate? >> I think that's separate.
>> That's separate. >> Yeah. >> Um >> and I also want to say I very much care about all our town services. I want, you know, I mean it's it's a really really difficult position. >> There are no easy answers here tonight.
>> No. And I mean, I'm advocating for the school as the chair of the school, but definitely want to work together and not, you know, it's just it's hard because we care. I mean, it's all important. It's all really important. >> Can I say your delivery just stopped?
>> Can I um >> what >> your delivery is just >> almost everybody in here's delivery is >> I'll challenge that. >> Subtle as a bowling ball. Um no question for the school committee. Lauren, if I could, I don't want to make any of these cuts. Nobody here wants to make any of
these cuts. Has the school or administration, and I hate to even throw it on the table, but in desperate times, desperate measures, looked at possibly charging for kindergarten to create some revenue or busing. I know they're they're going to create hurdles, but if
if you know, we have 80 kids coming in kindergarten. Let's say 60 of them want to do full day kindergarten, we charge a couple thousand. Um, you know, I I would think over $100,000 we could save a teacher or two. Uh, has that been investigated at all to try to help?
>> Do you mind if I um I've been I've been speaking with Jill to Jill about it and just I mean we did start the revolving accounts. >> We Yeah, the accounts are there so that we have it as a possibility. um more research would have to be done
and um I I guess sort of the question is what's the sweet spot of what you charge to save positions but also you know that we're not putting too much of a burden >> correct >> on people and so and also there are
>> um for children with IEPs um you know lower income folks like they would have access to the full day kindergarten without paying so we don't know what that number looks like I'm not saying it's not a possibility but it's and it's something that you know we have
set aside to have happen and uh or to look into I shouldn't say have happen to look into but it's again I'm not a professional so I don't know like you know what we would charge what that would look like as far as savings but yes I mean it's
>> could we could we crunch those numbers >> I I have asked for them too I just don't have have them available >> cuz to your point, we're not going to get 100% return on what we do because of the issues you brought up. But, uh, and again, you don't want to overt tax the rest. >> And there's the cost of additional busing for the people who don't,
>> correct? Who don't want it. you're going to need a bus to to take kids home at the half point, >> but even even still, I mean, I know it's I know it's hurdles and I know it's a little bit of a headache, but if we can even save one teacher, you know, or or drop a class size, you know, to to more
tolerable, I do think we have to at least >> at the younger ages, I mean, that's something that was has been tried to be preserved is keep the class sizes smaller at the younger ages because we did um >> reduce in the at fifth and sixth grade because those are, you know, there I I
mean, are there bigger class sizes in the middle and high school? I'm not sure, but I know like when um you know, when children are younger learning to read that those foundational times are important and I mean just to you know and and Halifax Elementary School is one
of the few schools in the state that has their MCCAST scores back up to where we were precoid. So we know that effective education is happening there. I know that's not questioned at all. I know that's not, but I just want to say how great the school is and I want to keep
it that way. >> Absolutely. We all do. Absolutely. >> Yeah. And we don't want to overt tax folks, but I will say even even a couple thousand is a lot cheaper than than uh prek, you know, programs and even a cost, you know, granted it'll be a
little more money, but it'll be a little bit of a cost savings for putting kids in private prek programs. Well, and there's I mean, you know, it's all presenting facts, you know. I mean, the town has to vote on what they want to do, right? So, I would like to present well, we can do this or we can do this
or, you know, that I I mean, I I think presenting all the facts, all the possibilities is the best. And and uh and again, not to put you on the on the spot here, Lauren, but has the committee talked about, you know, we presented a number tonight. Does the committee have
a number in mind that they view as a swallowable number >> from I mean all I can say speak to is what has been discussed in the public meetings which is I would say that most of the committee does not want to cut anymore because we made such significant
cuts 2 years ago. You know those were huge cuts that actually we lost grant funding then >> for last year and then we really really appreciated the free cash that was put towards so we didn't have to >> Well, that was Yeah. And that was
>> and but um so you know like every year we trim more and more. >> Yeah. So >> everywhere. >> Mhm. >> But that was our point I think last year and and we sat I think over there last year and and made the statement that we're going to dip into free cash. It's
not a great idea, but we're going to have a bigger hole next year. And and that's where we're at. So, I don't think we can't keep going down that road of free cash to try to budget. >> So, as much as it kills me to look at these drastic cuts, it's just it's just
economically irresponsible to keep using money from years past to try to plug holes in an operational budget going forward. You just as much as it stinks and as much as it hurts, you have to get that budget under control for the money
you have available to spend, right? >> Yeah. But getting it under control also, we're not meeting legal expectations, right? And that's why we're like, what do we do? Because, you know, >> it's bad for the town overall. And so where you're saying that, you know,
inflation has not risen as much as the revenue coming into town. We don't have a lot of business. We haven't there hasn't been a lot of building. So the money has to come from somewhere. >> Yeah. But last year it came from everybody but the schools. >> It came from town government. It came
from fire. >> Well, we did we did make some reductions last year and we made some major reductions the year before. >> Just to clarify, are there retirement is there is there pending retirement? Is that is that calculated in already? >> Yes. >> Yes. Yes. Uh I'd like to ask a couple
questions about some areas of the budget just to understand a bit more about why there's such significant increases in a couple of areas just so just so we can understand. >> Sure. >> The special education transportation budget increased $51,000 for for transportation from uh the year before.
The tuition to collaborations went up $107,000 and then there was a a vote tuition increased $35,000. uh are those more students taking advantage or needing those services are these new contracts that were negotiated
uh why why such significant increases in those three areas >> for well for the out of district I can speak to that but the out of district I know they oh that they no just that they put aside for free people they they have people
folks have till April 1st to apply to go to an out of district vocational school and so we we that number is sort of it's you know thumbnail I don't you know like just um >> it's estimated >> it's estimated but we have one person
who's a senior that's currently in an out of district vocational program um so but in the other ones I'm do you want to speak to that >> well were you asking about special education trans >> well a couple like what was the reason
for the $51,000 increases. There a new contract in negotiated with transportation, >> special education transportation. Um >> the Silver Lake Regional School District in Union 31 between FY24 and FY25 was
required to do a major restructuring. And there were students that were paid for for tuition and transportation from the elementary budget that their grade level peers were 9th graders, 10th graders, 11th graders. and the
Department of Education pointed out that that was inappropriate and illegal. And one of the things we had to do was move those students from the elementary budget to the high school middle school budget. So there was like a $7 million move from the three elementary school
the three sending districts to the Silver Lake budget. This circuit breaker which is the state reimbursement for special education. the circuit breaker amounts were only kept
by the towns. And so in your FY25 budget, there was money that was a reimbursement for what was paid in FY24 by the town for students that were in,
you know, their grade level peers were 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade. So some of that money carried over into the FY26 budget. So now you're seeing that money being gone and
and the tuition. So there's not this reimbursement account for there will be circuit breaker for FY27. It won't be on the magnitude of 1.2 million like it was. And so that's
that's why the special education costs are fluctuating. >> Fluctuating. >> Okay. >> And then you said the tuition uh I don't know if Lauren want to speak to you the tuition the collaborives that number currently you're saying is a placeholder cuz people is that the vocational program?
>> Not a district vocational. I >> um yeah as far as the >> collaborives or special education. >> Yep. >> It's the vocational programs. There's two placeholders. Okay. >> Because students have until April 1st to
inform the district that they've applied. >> Okay. For out of district vocation. >> Appreciate it. Thanks. >> What's been the enrollment trend at the elementary school over the last 5 years? >> It's um it's been pretty consistent for
kindergarten if I remember correctly on the the numbers that are on my um that are on my uh whiteboard. So I'm for like this year we have like 80 81 kindergarteners. I'm projecting right now just based on um projection numbers
like about 80 85 kindergarteners. And um and if you look down over the course of like different years like you can see like you know next year we'll have um in kindergart I'm sorry in third grade um 90 third graders. So it does fluctuate
sometimes because we we have um uh probably there's like 67 fifth graders. So it does fluctuate sometimes, but it's it's pretty consistent. >> And just just to throw in there, CO was around 5 years ago. >> Yep. >> So a lot of people were trapped at home. >> Y
>> So just throw it out there. >> Yeah. >> So do you know the the percentage difference between personnel versus non-personnel of the HS budget itself? the >> it like 54% people you know 46% other
stuff operational general support >> um 75 >> yeah probably 7525 >> 75 people >> HTA 75% >> are you talking about like like um >> so if you look at the salaries versus
everything else >> okay >> 75% people >> I believe there are six or uh uh six digit futures at the school. >> So are there any other than the retirement that's already factored in? Are there any other attrition
opportunities to be looked at >> for staff that are leaving? >> No, not from retirements or anything like that. >> I wish I could retire probably tonight. Maybe after this meeting Sarah's back
working. Is is is there is there an opportunity is there an opportunity to look to to combine or join in with services of the other elementary schools in the area >> that um I hear what you're saying and I
think that's part of the struggles that we have actually here within Silverlake is that we're unable to because we're on different contracts between Dennis um Halifax and Kingston is that we're unable to share services with each
So, if I need a school psychologist, which I currently do and is posted, um, but we're now plugging right now within, we're very creative with some funding this year, um, to instead of a school psychologist, we now have a part-time contracted school psychologist and a.5
contracted team chair to run our special education stuff. >> But we do need one school psychologist. However, I'm unable to ask Dr. Whipple in Kingston to utilize her school psychologist because they're two different contracts and they're two different districts.
>> They're basically our elementary schools are completely separate and that's why we're having a study done right now to look at the finance, you know, look at advantages, disadvantages of becoming fully regional. We're kind of an unusual school system where you would imagine
like we have four school committees. we have, you know, there's a lot of repetition happening. And so that was another thing that we brought up last year that we were able to secure a grant from the state that Halifax actually got awarded, but luckily Kingston was able
to take it over so we could still do that study so we could examine cost savings and we would have bus savings as well if we were fully regionalized because you get reimbursement from the state on buses when you're fully regionalized. And so there's a lot of
things we've really wanted to move forward with that our hands have been somewhat tight because of our structure and >> that we've really been trying to push through even though we can't get grants and things. Okay. So, one of the other one of the other pieces to that is um if
somebody is looking to move districts to typic I'm sorry to move schools, typically the superintendent or the administration would be able to kind of move staff around. In this in this scenario, if somebody is looking to move to Halifax and be one of our staff
members, they have to leave their job and like put in a letter and then they have to reapply to my school and then I have to go through the entire process of um interviewing getting the community, which would be totally appropriate and then they have to come over here and
then fill out paperwork for health insurance and payroll instead of just being able to be like, "Hey, Dr. Ripple, I have somebody that's, you know, I need somebody over here. Um, I'm I'm we're unable to do that. >> I I can I can certainly appreciate the
bureaucracy that's been created. Um, so I have a a question actually for both the school and for our town administration. So, we're getting into the final quarter of the year. What cost savings are we looking at to try to scratch together some money to carry
over into the next fiscal year to help possibly ameliate some of this deficit that we're contending with? >> That's a great question. >> Anything, >> Jim? As far as the school budget goes? >> Well, the schools I'm certainly would
ask for them to answer that. Um well last year I know we gave back approximately like 89,000 to the town is that >> that we were able to return. >> Um and I know like well I know some challenges we're facing this year is we just had a huge bill to clear the snow
off the roof like 150,000 or something. >> So there's savings but then you have an unexpected expense like that. The blizzard was very you know and tons of snow. know it was a safety issue and so I know that there
were discussions of possibly freezing the budget again so that we can make sure that we stay within it because of unexpect we have the boiler cost as well like there's un you know unexpected expenses that I'm sure what the savings will be this year because of those
expenses >> okay so thank you for that are we freezing hire hiring? Are we, you know, what what what is what is the school doing? And maybe the principal can answer this. I I don't
know. What is the school doing? And that's really my question. Are we doing anything to help try to save money over the next 3 months in this final quarter >> to carry that over into next year? If we're not doing anything, you know, then okay. But I'm just asking, are we
looking at these things? Because I think every penny counts at this point. So are you asking if I am prevent or like stopping hiring even like I have an open position right now based on a special
education pair professional that I need that I would need to hire to meet some needs within the building. >> Yeah. >> Um I there's no like additional out of out of the way cost like in my proposed budget. I did I did have some asks but I
know that they're not going to be there. I'm not expecting that. Um, just based on student mental health, um, having a having a 0.5 BCBA, um, I we'd be better off with the full-time one. Obviously, um, looking at moving forward to this
year and providing more money, something that the that our awesome PTO does is that they do donate to us after our one of our fundraisers, but that's only specifically for school supplies. So that's something that we've been able to
supplement over the last even before I got here where the PTO we do a lot of incredible fundraising for the based on the parents and the community and they're able to um donate to us through a through a fund where then my front office staff if teacher needs something
they can go directly to that fund instead of taking it out of like one of our budget line items right now. That's been incredible. If if I were like I I guess I don't have a real I I I guess based on your what you're asking,
am I going to be looking for saving money? I'm not looking to overspend my budget. I'm looking to make sure that we have whatever we need within our building and whatever is left over like we I'm assuming that we what we did last year is give back to the talent. >> Sure.
>> And I believe last year you said it was $89,000 >> about that. >> All right. And then that doesn't correct that doesn't roll over to the next year though. That just ends that budget, right? To pay the bills correct for this year. >> Okay. >> I mean, our responsibility is to balance the town's overall fiscal capacity while
maintaining a strong school system. That's that's that's our goal. >> Um, but we need to understand where the f real real flexibility exists in the elementary school budget >> so that any reductions are thoughtful, strategic, and minimize the impact on classroom learning. So that's that's
that's my goal. I just I I think every expense should be considered whether it's needed or not. I and I I understand, you know, I'm not asking to like, you know, count how many red crayons we have or how many packs of number two pencils there are. I'm
talking, you know, things that, you know, if we can freeze hiring until next year when when the budget is, you know, better better suited, if it is, then that's something we need to do. Um, if we can if we can combine transportation
somehow, which is obviously one of the bigger expenses when it comes to the school system. Um, and you know, I'm just throwing ideas out there. I these may work, these may not work, right? Uh, you know, I'm I'm not an educator. I never claim to be. Um, I just I I know
that when in in in the in the business world when when budgets start shrinking, things start, you know, you're not buying coffee in the coffee in in the coffee room, you're, you know, everybody has to bring their own that kind of stuff. Now, that's petty stuff, but it does add up at some point.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Like um like for instance, uh we we have what is it? School. It's like a student fund thing. Like we use none of that money to buy anything for like like um like if teachers have a Friday yay day like like that's all teachers do those things. I'm not paying
for that. Teachers are doing those things. I'm thinking about the transportation piece that you brought up too, sir, where a couple years ago they they took away two buses right now. I'm not exaggerating. Our buses are to the brim. >> So these the 72 passenger buses.
>> These are the huge yellow school buses. to the brim, like three kids to a sea typically. Um, all the way down all the way down until sixth grade. I have to get on the bus quite often if you can imagine. Um, and then also the other transportation costs that we don't have
a lot to do with like um like when Miss was talking about special education transportation. >> And if I understand correctly, this is the final this this is the we we renewed the contract >> for the current provider >> year of the bus. >> It's the final final year, right?
because we're we want to limit the amount of increase cuz >> Exactly. Exactly. We we renewed for the final year which is also terrifying because who knows what will happen when we go out to bid. >> Was that a threeear time? >> No, it was this is a seven. >> Yeah, we renewed it 2 years after the
>> It was a five with a 2-year option. >> So >> So can I just to paraphrase what Jim was saying? So I I know on the town side, Stephen, you've sharpened your pencil multiple times. I mean, I've seen Stephen go over the budget, start over,
go over the bud. So, so I guess my question is, have you, and I'm not saying that you haven't done this, but have we done a couple passes, gotten as creative as we can, um, you know, understanding how much of a hole we're in, uh, out of the
box kind of budgeting ideas or is this more of a a first or second pass of, uh, this is this is what we have? Yeah, I I see you shaking your head, Sarah. That's not the case. Budgets from principles and department heads were due to me on October 1st for the month of October.
The school administration hand through the budgets repeatedly principles and department heads and trimmed and trimmed and trimmed and trimmed before we even brought it to school committee at the beginning of December. So the goal was to bring a votable budget to school committee in
December, which is why two budgets were presented. One was a 1.4% 4% increase and one was a 0% increase. So >> I figured I just hope that >> somehow we went, "Oh, wait a minute. We could do this one more time."
>> Part of what we looked at last year when Cody asked us to cut 10%. Was uh you know, we can't we can't cut electricity. We're required to heat the building to a certain temperature between November and
May. You can't, you know, turn the heat down and say wear a sweater to school. We have to have the lights on. There's certain fixed costs. And then so what we're talking about is in the FY25, the FY26 budget, we have already cut crayons
and construction paper for the kids and books for the library. All that's left >> is people. >> And have you cut any staff? >> No. change the numbers.
>> Yes, staff was cut last year and the year before, >> but not this year. >> Not yet this year. If we, if we were to do the level funded, it would require at least two people. >> I just, you know, police and fire are up against it too with the public safety
initiative. Town government has made the cuts and we've laid out the cuts that would come with, you know, level funding here. And just to be very very clear, I would vote yes for override. Very very clear. If placed on the ballot, school public safety, I would vote yes for the
override. I think it's important to to say that because I know that I'm sounding like I might not. I just want to make sure we put the the best position forward from the town to do that because it does no good to put an override on a ballot that's set up to
fail, right? >> It does nobody any good. Tonight, we're moving forward to do that. And so one of the ideas that I had, and I've made it mention a couple different times, is what if instead of a $1.5 million override, we separate this out
to bucket one is an override for town government, fire, public safety, EMS, and an override to support the school department is bucket number two. If the school department is up against it and can't make any future cuts and there's
no nowhere else to go, then there's no difference in presenting two different overrides to the town. The money works out to be the same. The town just doesn't put all their eggs in one basket. If we're asking for 1.5 overall, regardless of how we present it here, it
is to the average taxpayer. It's $532 a year. It's $45 a month. If we put public safety and town government here and the school department here, they still add up to the same, but the town can vote on A, B, or both, the money is not different. The money is the same, but
the impacts are different. Town government and public safety could pass and the school fails or the school passes and the other ones fail. So, if the school has really done all they can, which I'm not doubting, are we prepared to move forward with two different overrides if presented to the town?
Would that be suitable for the schools or does that put everyone in a worse position? >> Well, I think it puts everyone in a worse position because you have to fund the school to a certain level. >> You have to fund the schools, but you're off you're authorizing but if you put everything in one basket and people are against one of them, one might not pass,
one does. >> I'm not an expert. >> No, I understand. >> No, I understand. I'm just saying if the money is the same but the impacts are different if the optics are different. >> I I just think you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound, like that to me I
I like the idea of giving choice to the residents, but I feel like that would create a bit of division >> um on the town side and the school side and it would be us versus them or make sure you vote for this over. If you're going to vote for one override, vote for this one, not that one.
>> I'd support both. >> You would. I know you would. But you're you're an interesting cat, right? So, there are people that probably would say, "Hey, I can't afford both, but I'm going to go this one." And then you're just creating >> a level of I don't want to say animosity, but um
>> I think I feel like we're I feel like we're on we should all be on the same team on this. >> We Well, we were all on the same team when we punted capital projects for the fire and police last year. >> We were all on the same team last year. >> And now we've come back 365 years later. days
>> days later and nothing >> and some some things have changed. >> Well, some things have changed but some things have stayed the same. So, I'm just wondering if if if feet get put to the fire, >> can we find some more cuts? That's >> I almost feel like there's I I could be
wrong. I've lived here for a while. People are either pro override or against override. I think people I I think like me, you know, we're my kids are almost grown. I still care about the school because it means a lot to me in
the town. I think it's important to our town, but I also care about our seniors. I'm going to be there someday, you know. So, I Yeah, thank you. But I I feel like what we need to more promote is wellness
for our entire town. It shouldn't be this or that. I mean, the realities of the financial situation we're in are just what they are. You can't blame one thing or another. And I I I mean that's just my own thought. Like I I don't think that creating divisiveness
will help our town either. We you know ask for I mean I I mean I from my side here the amount you're asking for I have to trust is what is best for our town. You know like I and so
>> it is best for the town. I and I agree and I I applaud your commitment even after your kids are long grown. Like that's kind of where I am before it even matters for me. On the other I'm on the other end of things, but I mean all the eggs in one basket kind of thing, you know. So is it better to is it better to go all in all in or nothing and you lose the whole thing or
is it better to to salvage? >> Well, again, from what I've seen, I mean, granted, it's a li like people are either pro override or against override. People either believe I pay enough taxes, you need to figure it out, but then they're going to complain when they think the roads aren't done well enough, too. Right.
>> So, so like it's like, so it's it's are people willing to put in what is essentially for the average taxpayer $50 a month to keep our town as it is? >> I I I don't disagree with that, Lauren. But the the only thing that I would say
is that I think it is more glaringly obvious today that we are not the only community that's in this position. And I think that has some merit to it. Right. >> So I think those that group of people that you're talking about that may be, you know, against the override and that's it. I don't want it period. Um I
think their eyes may be a little bit more open to the to the environment that we're in as a society overall. Um because we're not the only community in this position. Marshfield. I mean, if you look at their Facebook pages, I mean, there, you know, I was I mean, not to get on a tangent,
but you know, that's basically what you see, >> you're either pro like I support the community. Well, I shouldn't say it that way. You know, like you trust that our taxes are being used wisely. You know, is any situation perfect? Absolutely
not. >> But you recognize like Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna use a stupid example, but chocolate chips, a bag of chocolate chips cost $7 at the grocery store right now, you know, and I'm like, it used to be like three. >> Yeah. You're you're also seeing though some of those towns that voted down the
first time are coming back because they realized the impacts the second time around passing it, right? So, so that that's my point is there there's more going on out there in the world that might help at least with the communication piece on our part. >> Okay. >> And that's important to write. No, I
think and I don't have an answer about >> how to best get an override. That's what we're here. Yeah. I mean, I feel like all I can say is this is what the school needs, you know, cuz that's kind of my niche right now. >> So, why don't we hear from the other side of things? Unless something else to
add >> for the public. Well, um, so we have documents from both the police department and the fire department heads and, uh, if you guys would like to speak to them, you're welcome to approach the, uh, the podium.
>> And before, I I would like to make one just final comment on everything we've talked about. I I I'm as a resident uh I'm aligned with the kind of all or nothing perspective of it because when if you're going to create two different
overrides, you're going to create a dichotomy in the community that will never go away after that's done. >> And to me, it's like so I this is a cheesy analogy. Follow me, guys. So essentially, our town departments are our organs, right? and they're all I don't want to say they're in failure,
but they're all in bad shape. So, we can't go, "All right, we're going to save the heart, the kidney, and the pancreas, right?" And then the lungs, and all your other vitals go. So, I I do feel like to Jim's point, we're it should all all for one and one for all. In my opinion,
>> then I think we should be prepared to have none. >> That's what I think the room needs to recognize. All ends of this table and the crowd need to be prepared that it's a zero. >> Yep. Yep. That would be unfortunate from >> Sure. >> Well, so
in my just in my opinion, anything that puts public safety at risk is not worth the risk. That's just, you know, I think that's important to say as a resident. and other overrides have have like
Brooklyn's had overrides where they primarily benefited the schools to the detriment of public safety. Overrides historically in Massachusetts have a success rate of somewhere around 42%ish. Uh that's a number we've heard thrown around. I think the community needs to
be together and how we're going to pay for our services and how do we how do we do that? If we don't pay for them through the override, the reality is the cuts that have been presented will go into effect. we we have to understand that as a community and decide what we want to do about it. Uh whether we want
to move forward with paying more in our yearly taxes or have the cuts take shape and have our community look like whatever that's going to look like. So, it has to be an important discussion that we all have and the community has to understand that and and ask questions to us and and and we have to understand
what where they're coming from because everyone has their own needs, their own uh difficulties in their own lives, but also what do we want our community of Halifax to look like going forward. And just really quickly, we have members of our override study committee here in the crowd. So, they're they've been chomping
at the bit to get the word out to folks. Um they've they're they're a smart group. I don't want to give you guys big heads over there, but they're a smart group. They're ready to attack this. They're ready to help educate uh and get the word out as best we can. So, um you know, the challenges laid ahead for that
crew and we'll we'll take it uh full boore. >> I think the thing is that people got to trust us. >> Oh, sure. >> And and I say full >> happen is going to happen. The money's not going to grow. These cuts are real and people got to realize how severe they are because the average citizen
probably says, "Well, go find the money. It's always hidden somewhere. Stop." >> Yeah. will be fully transparent and just here are the books. >> I just hope that those same people aren't the same people who showed up 712 to 7 at the zoning bylaw. So the META vote and now ask where the grants are cuz that was an overwhelming statement
and my concern is that we'll see in May. >> Sure. >> That's my concern. >> And there was a there was a a large contingent of folks that said, "Well, we don't want the state's money. We'll help pick up the slack." Yeah, >> I don't know if you remember in that meeting they said we'll if you need
extra money from the community we'll help pick up the slack. Well, now it's to the people and we'll see if that is true. >> Up and down, left and right. My concern is the caution. >> Yeah. >> All right. Sorry. Chiefs here. Yeah. >> And before the chiefs come up
>> I just want to thank them for their tireless work getting this done. This was not easy. Um, Chief Jobs and Deputy Chief Benner did a great job and as did uh Chief Wam with their with their cuts. So, so I was uh tasked uh with cutting
$150,511 for my budget. Um the police budget has always been razor thin. 90% of the budget is uh contractual obligations uh salaries. Uh very little is uh left in
operations. Just to give you some background, um, my expense account has increased a total of $4,000 in 15 years. In in F FY 10, it was 66,000. We're in F FY27 and
I'm asking for $70,000. Again, I'm not talking about the chocolate chip cookies. We all know things are expensive. Um, so we try to make uh do what we can. Um, so, uh, once I got the number, um, myself and the deputy got
together and figured out try to figure out the, um, easier, not the easiest, but the the best place to cut to minimize service disruption to the citizens of of Halifax, and that's all the residents.
Um, so we uh, put forward two proposals. Um, one uh was $153,000 in cuts, which a little more than uh what I was I was asked to, but I figured it it it would
probably work. Um, it would be um 3,000 in um clerical overtime wages. Um, so going back to state mandates, public records, we have to get these public records done in 10 days or the town
faces fines, faces um, lawsuits. So, it takes a it's a burden. We'll we'll manage the best we can to try to get these things out um, in a timely fashion. The uh second uh was 25,000
from the 31,200 uh dollar acco contract. Our animal control officer is a um contract with precision wildlife. The town has to negotiate the contract of fiscal 27. It expires in June uh June
30th. So, our proposal would be to cut the acco contract and try to go regional with with Plimpmpton. Uh, I have to talk to the chief there about anou to do some
sort of um invoicing of having his acco who's a full-time police officer uh come down to in town to take care of animal control issues. Obviously, we're not coming out if phto got loose. We're not coming out if
chickens are running loose. We are coming out on dog bites. We're coming out on public safety concerns. You know, uh if dogs are fighting each other or something like that, residents will have to know that, you know, dispatch will be told, "Sorry, we can't provide that service anymore." That's that's the cuts
that we have to make. Um, and then the uh the second or the third uh proposed cut uh it's twofold and it it again I hate to I hate to do it but it it
affects the schools again. Um obviously I have to cut a a full-time officer. I have a you know the junior officer works midnights. He will he'll have you know so in order to to um
to supplement his position the uh right officer Simpson the ACO I'm sorry the SRO would have to uh stop his duties at the school and also he's also a uh full-time uh part-time um court layers on officer so it's actually like losing
two positions in one >> chief I just want to Yep. Are you saying that the junior officer would be replaced by the SRO? >> So >> on midnights. >> So we we he would have to be laid off. >> The junior officer >> the junior officer
>> and the SRO >> would have to go see he's a senior officer. He would he would get the day shift and then >> and then it would just fall back to the midnight shift. So midnight shift would only run with two guys, >> right? Um >> if I could just understand something from just uh
>> so the what the SRO >> um does he run service calls in the middle school? Is that is that >> so the the SRO assists with with the uh uh school buses and then he he he works at the school. Uh he helps the teachers
any any uh investigations that occur at the school and then and also part of his duties all he's also the court prosecutor. So if there's if he's got nothing going on at the schools and he's got cases that he's got to go down to court uh to uh take care of, he's got to do that. And in addition to that, he also answers calls um during the day.
>> Okay. So the loss of the SRO would impact public safety overall. How >> overall but but a big percentage of it at the school. >> At the school does not offer just at the school. >> Right. Right. >> And chief, I'm sorry. I just want to ask you he does adjudications of cases as
well. Is that what he said? He does. >> He does. So if we lost him, there would be no adjudication. >> Well, he somebody would have to be assigned to to go down to to court obviously it would take it would take down my my staffing level down >> to allow the officer to go to Plymouth court to take care of those cases
criminal cases. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Um so that would be 75,000. That would be the uh basically calculated as the wages of of the uh uh junior officer. And then um my other the four other 40,000 would be for the part-time
Silver Lake Regional Middle School SRO that we pay um in conjunction with Plimpmpton. So, a few years back, uh, Kingston came up to us with a proposal that they would, uh, fund a full-time
high school SRO and then that Plimpmpton and Halifax would fund a believetime half officer. Um, so if we cut the 40,000, um, Plimpmpton could still continue to
to put in their, um, their, uh, assessment, I guess, and, uh, you would still have of a of a an officer at the Civil Lake Regional Middle Middle School for, uh, 12 hours out of the week, 10 hours out of the week. I'm not sure what the calculations are going to be. So
that would be 125. So the total of 153. Um the other exercise that I that I conducted was was doing the uh you know what Cody had asked before to do the 10% on all the different light items. Just too many uncertainties. Um you know it's
it's like t taking uh you know 10% from my expense account, 10% from my from my overtime account uh and then something happens and then I got to come back and you know ask for money. Um so that's I think the for us the best way going forward. Obviously again the residents
have to be uh um educated by the committee um with the these cuts you know will uh will will uh >> chief how do the schools in the district respond to the to us not funding the middle school >> to what
>> how would the other uh schools in the district respond to us not funding the middle school? Okay. Um, my understanding is the SRO position at the middle school was moved completely into the Silver Lake budget. So, it's already >> correct. So, the 40,000 already saved. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Is the what?
>> My understanding is for 26 the SRO um position was completely moved into the Silver Lake budget. >> So, they Okay. Cuz we still I just check we still get invoice for for their services at a detail. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. That's right. We this this actually was a this specific line item
was a was a debate at town meeting last year >> 100%. Yeah. >> I do remember the debate but I thought that it was moved in >> last year. It stayed last year. >> Last year. >> I know a couple years ago it came up as an article. It got it got voted down came up the year after that it got approved and then and then the
subsequent years it got approved and I think it got approved again last year. I know I know there was discussion about uh what you're saying putting into their account but I wasn't sure >> I think I vote it down and then reapproach same meeting. >> So what so what usually happens is with that position it goes to the town
meetings of each various three communities and they voted as a warrant article and the school wanted to get away from that because it was I think too unstable. They couldn't you're trying to get this position nailed down and you need these communities to all vote the same. So last year that
position was moved from an article that the towns vote on. The schools absorbed that position into their operational budget to ensure that it would remain. >> So that's why they did the bill for it. So it's not necessarily coming out of the police budget then. It's more coming
out of the school budget. >> As far as I know, Sarah, correct me if I'm wrong. It is in the school budget. >> So write a check to the town of Kingston for $8,000 every month. It's a memorandum of agreement between the school district and the K police department. >> And how about for the middle school? Do
they do the same for >> That's why I talked. >> Yeah. >> So that is the middle school SRO position was moved completely into the silver lake budget. >> Okay. >> Became a full-time position in FY26. >> But we're still I guess my question I
don't know if there's a question for you. >> I'm interested to know what invoice you >> Yeah. Where's Where's >> Well, I checked with Lindsay and she said that she gets an invoice from the school for a quarterly invoice for the SIO, >> but it doesn't come out in >> she so where
>> so where we voted that in at town meeting would have to be a town meeting article to remove the funding >> or do we or do we I don't know if we've voted >> on town meeting last spring. >> Correct. >> It was two years ago. >> Correct. >> And that's when it was voted down.
Correct. And that's when they brought it back. >> Yeah. >> They brought it back. Correct. >> Yeah. My kind of my my reasoning for this particular cut is because >> if you're asking Halifax, public safety, schools, fire department to make some cuts. >> Yeah. >> It it doesn't make sense to me. And and
I I initially when this when this warrant came out, I I spoke against it because it didn't make it didn't make sense to me that we're we were paying for a Kingston officer to provide uh safety there. I was more than glad >> at an out of town rate. >> At an out of town rate I was I was I was
you know I volunteered my my SRO at the time to go down there. >> Uh again it's state law the where the school is located has to provide the SRO services. So so we kind of dropped it but it it doesn't make sense to me to be dishing all that kind of money when we're trying to make cuts. >> Yeah.
>> The money is going to Kingston. I obviously it's providing a service that's much needed. >> Yeah. >> But you know those things >> I have no problem chief with you putting it on the list. I think it makes sense. I just want to make sure that we have the power >> to to resend that money since they put
it in their operational budget last year. That's that's what I want to get to the crux of. >> We're paying detail rate. Correct. >> Correct. >> I believe I believe so. Yes. >> If they put in their operating budget, why are we just paying base salary rate then? >> I don't know. >> It doesn't make any sense. >> They are.
I there's some confusion and he's going to have to look into the previous uh the chief's assistant in case he would send me an invoice. I would break
the invoice up to have Max Clinton and invoice the towns. There has not been a need to do that this year because there was no town article to pay it out of. is completely paid out of the store. >> Okay. So, I just want to make sure we're
not double pay, you know, if it's in the school. >> I'd be interested to know what the invoice is you're getting in from me. >> If it's if it's already worked into our budget that we paid to the school, we
shouldn't be paying it again, >> you know, a separate invoice. So, we do need to dig that up and get the long run out. So any other I mean so so if if we come down determine where that uh money is is not being paid or is being paid then
then obviously I'd have to make some changes to my proposal which I'm ready to do um with uh with wages wage lines and and and stuff like that and uh so that's basically it from the police department if anybody has any questions. >> Chief >> Yep.
>> What is your staffing on each shift? So right now we have uh one one supervisor and two patrolman on the day shift, the night shift and then um on the midnight shift we run we try to run three guys, a sergeant and two patrolman but with but
a couple of days we have to run only two two officers because of the the staffing level and like I I had a conversation with Steve um you know if obviously if I have to make you know deeper cuts on personnel it it it I might have to come
to the town and say, "Listen, at at midnight, we're shutting our doors because I'm not gonna have one officer out there by himself or herself." >> We are not going to go down there. >> I'm I'm just I'm just I'm just >> Anybody sitting here says we are, we got we've got a problem. >> So, uh So, that's it. >> That's untenable. Yeah.
>> Right. >> They they stink, but they make >> Yeah. I mean, it it's awful. It's terrible that we have to be here, you know, this in this position, but it is. >> Thank you, Chief. Thank you, >> Jake. Everyone, Mike W, fly chief. Um, I think
we were all tasked with a uh extremely difficult challenge to look at our budgets and uh make some significant cuts to our budgets that are already extremely tight. So, I think it's a tough situation that, you know, we have to get to this, but um I fully
understand why we have to. So, uh that being said, um you know, I was I was asked to uh cut our budget by about 140 to $150,000. I'm currently on my like fourth or fifth revision of my budget. I've been through this quite a few times. Um, I actually looked at the
budget in many different ways to see what I could do with, uh, you know, trying to come up with some inventive ideas to keep, uh, you know, as many members as I can with, you know, you know, continued service we offered to the community itself. But, uh, unfortunately, when you're asking for this much, you know, funding, you're
looking at significant cuts. There's nothing we can do. We all know that. Um, right now if we were to cut, basically what I did was I went to basically one line item which was my part-time overtime and that's pretty much the only
option that I had. Um, reason for that is contractual issues with the union. Um, basically states that you know they can't be laid off before anybody else. The only option I have is to cut the pot department at this time. So uh, that being said, right now currently our
shifts are threeman shifts each day. We have a captain, we have a full-time firefighter paramedic, and we have another um firefighter. Uh could be an EMT, could be a paramedic, whatever. So, we do run out the door with three members right now. If you're asking for these cuts, I want to probably run two
members. So, it'll be a captain on the day shift as well as one firefighter going out the door. Um that gives us the ability to staff one piece of apparatus. Okay, that being said, one apparatus goes out. Could be the ambulance, could be the engine, could be whatever it may be, I don't know. Whatever the call is,
we need to cover it. Um, one ambulance goes out, zero people will be covering the town. At the time we have one person that stays back, he's able to jump in the second ambulance and at least go to the scene, administer care, and jump in the fire truck and at least go to the scene, get a size up, figure out what's going on. We won't have the ability
anymore. All right. One ambulance call may take up to two hours. So, by the time they get the call, they go to the person's house, pick the person up, bring them to the hospital. Um, that's not a good day. There are many times that we go to the hospital, they're so backed up that they're stuck at the hospital for 45 minutes. It's been as
long as 3 hours holding up the wall at the hospital waiting for a bed to open up. So, I can't tell you how long we're going to have nobody in the town. Um, it's called dependent. Every situation is going to be different. Obviously, we get a storm coverage, something like that, you know, like we just had, uh, where we needed
the manpower. I had everybody I could working that day just to cover what was going on. That's where we're going to run into significant issues. uh simultaneous calls. Well, let me just go with this first. Um drop down after manpower, we're going to go into the ambulance. Uh with the cuts themselves, our second ambulance is going to be basically sidelines. We're not going to
run it. That means basically we're going to be depending on a mutual aid or call back a system that may may or may not work. Um right now when the ambulance goes out, we do a call back for one man and try to fill two each day or each
time the station is uh is is lower than two men. Um the call back is somewhere right around 6% 7% to 10% depending on in each month. Um so I can't really rely on that. You can understand that people have jobs, family obligations, everything else. So when they're not at
work, they're not of work. Uh calling people back and relying on call back may not be, you know, may not be the answer. Um fires, staffing, when we have two members, uh staffing at two members does not meet an NFPA standard. So we have
standards for NFBA, the National Fire Protection Association are standards on what we do or what we're supposed to do and how we're supposed to do it. Obviously, we're not going to be meeting any standard for the NFBA. We also have two in two outlaws. What that means is basically if two people are in the building, I need two people outside standing by to make sure that they can
go in and rescue the two people. What is this? What does this entail? Interior fire operations will be delayed. We show up on scene with two members. We're going to be standing there watching that house until we have more members show up. Okay? Nothing I can do. Just as long as everybody understands that, we'll be standing there watching the house. Okay.
Um, you know, the two in two out, it's the same exact thing. There'll be no rescue operation behind that, a writ team behind that until we have other members that come in uh from different communities. You know, we currently run line boxes and other things like that, which is an automatic response from different towns. But think about that.
We're looking at other towns that have a cuts as well. So, what are we going to have for resources coming in? It's going to be extremely challenging. uh simultaneous calls. Last year, I think we had 500 and something simultaneous calls, meaning back to back, two plus calls, three calls at a time, things
like that. We won't be able to do that. The immediate call is going to be whatever that first call is we take, whether it be fire or ambulance related, and then after that, everything is going to be mutual aid. We won't have the ability to handle any other calls. Okay. >> Talk a little bit about mutual aid,
chief, how that works. Um so mutually there's agreements uh through all of the communities through Plymouth County that we have set aside basically uh for assistance when we need it. Um you know obviously when our manpowers are low or like say right now in the case that we're still running three our ambulance
is out there's one one person to the engine it's an automatic line box from another town. So depending on what district it is in closest to Pembroke Penroke comes in Hansen comes in uh we may start two engines we may start more. Um, and even that has increased over the last couple years because call back is
different. Um, you know, it's significantly hard to hire new members. So, a lot of the chiefs in the community have got together and say, "Hey, start them automatically. Start them automatically. Start them automatically." It's good and bad. You're relying on other resources to take care of our problems. Um, they're already
short-handed. We're short-handed. And keep in mind that it's reciprocal. So, I may not have any calls going on in Halifax, but when you call 911, I may not have an ammo emergency for you to go to your home because they're assisting another town. They've been called mutual
aid. So, if they come here, which last year mutual aid alone, I had about 90 to 100 runs come in. All right. Um, so we need to reciprocate. They go to us, we go to them. Uh, it's not reliable. And the other side of it is if we're calling
in mutual aid and say the closest town is, let's use Plumpton as the example and they're not available, they go to the next one. It may be coming from Kingston or Carver or even further away. So if everyone in the community or um is tied up and it's happened numerous times, they go further and further out
which extends, you know, their travel time obviously. So the onseen time gets extended. It may take 30 minutes, it may take 40 minutes, it may take longer depending on where they're coming from. So that's the problem with mutual aid. Mutual aid is great. we have resources coming in, but to rely on it. Um, the other side of it is if I send my
ambulance out to another district or another community, I'm putting a box on to try to get people back. So, there could be added cost if they do show up, then I'm paying them time and I have to come in and cover the station. So, we're looking to cut costs and use different resources, but in the long run, it may
cost me more money to cover the shifts. >> Call back time. >> What's that? >> What's your call back time? 2 hours. >> Uh, call back time is 2 hours. Correct. Yep. And it depends. Rates are different all over the place depending on parttime to full-time. So >> regarding mutual aid, what's that cost to the town? If we have to go to Carver,
we have to go to Plimpmpton. >> It the only thing it cost us is if we fill. So if I fill the station, it'll cost me that. It doesn't cost me anything. The the the problem with someone coming into our community is that we're losing that funding. So if our ambulance is going out, we collect the insurance money goes to the town.
every time we have somebody else come in those 90 runs, you know, roughly that's what $240 something thousand dollars that we billable that we are not collecting. So, we're losing funding and, you know, using a ton of resources within the community that may not always
be there. Okay. Uh inspections, you know, we're going to be losing manpower. I'm going to be running two people. Inspections are going to be delayed. Um there's going to be no public education in the schools. uh elimination of you know non essential or emerging calls. Um
there's going to be none no outside burning whatsoever. Two people I can't I can't I can't afford to do it. Um so that public education, no car lockouts, no house lockouts. Um pretty much anything that's non- essential. You know, someone's locked in the car, kid locked in the car, that's what we're
going to respond to. You know, helping the uh the average person, the public assists, lifting assist, things like that that we normally do. we're just going to be unable to do it with two people. So, it is going to be uh taxing on us as well as you know the uh the community itself because when they look
forward us to come there we know may not be available. Um from a financial perspective the intent of the reduction is to reduce expenditures but uh you know the secondary fiscal impacts like I talked about you know the filling the station and losing the funding from the ambulance and other things like that you
know something to think about that we really need to do. A lot of people have talked about, you know, the mutual aid and said just rely on mutual aid. Well, I've already given you the reasons why that m relying on mutual aid is not a great idea. Yes, it's going to happen, but every other town around here is in the same boat we are. So, calling mutual
aid, it may be significantly delayed as well. So, you know, that person that soon as our first ambulance goes out, you're very familiar with it with police, fire, uh any of the public safety entities, all use mutual aid. Um so if all other communities are facing that deficit where they're losing
manpower and everything else then you know we're all in the same boat together. So um you know the only I can say is that emergency services uh cannot be scaled down without measurable consequences. So obviously reducing our minimum staff fundamentally uh changes the level of protection provided for our
residents, businesses and then our visitors within the community. So, um, we simply cannot do more or with fewer people. So, we're going to be hit pretty hard at the fire department. Um, instead of running three each shift, we'll probably be running mostly two per ship,
which means we're staffing one one vehicle, whether it be the fire truck or the ambulance, whichever one comes first. >> What's the impact cost related to loss of on call staffing? >> Um, there's >> what happens with those on call? So, the
on call staff, I would try to keep as many members as I can. Um, because what happens is when the full-time members obviously, you know, working, working, working, they're going to be held over all the time for minimum staffing. Um, we need to maintain a paramedic. So, paramedic service, if we
don't have a paramedic working that day, the person working from the ship before getting held over, uh, obviously that's going to be costly as well. But keep in mind that when they go on vacation or they work a certain amount of hours, they can't work anymore. You know what I it's in the contract that I say, "Hey, you get to a point where you work 70 hours or something like that, it's not
safe anymore." So, when they can't work, I need to fill with the part-time members. The problem with, you know, getting rid of some of the part-time members and cutting this budget the way it is, they're doing it because a they love the job and b they want a little extra money for the families and everything else. Once you know they realize that there's
not enough funding here to keep them, you know, employed, so to speak, with Halifax Fire to a level where they, you know, are comfortable and getting X amount of dollars, they're going to go somewhere else. Now, keep in mind those members that are in the part-time department, that's how I hire to the full-time department. So, that step, you
know, they come in the door, they get on a part-time department, we get to see who they are, what they're about, if we like them, um, you know, how they work out, and then we offer them a full-time position when they get to that level. So, we won't have that ability anymore. And obviously, as you know, uh we've had a posting out quite, you know, quite a
few months now trying to hire. Uh there's such a shortage of paramedics and and firefighters uh that are certified to firefighter one two. We haven't got any applications. So, basically, I'm hiring from the part-time department now. So, we won't have >> We rely heavily on the part-time employees. Is that what you're saying?
>> We do. Absolutely. >> And to what percentage are they back filling for us? >> Uh well, they're pretty much filling uh every other day they're filling a shift. um if not more. So, a lot of them, you know, do do call backs um because, like I said, it's their second job, so they're looking for a little extra
money. Uh you know, most of the full-time guys are getting held over all the time. Um they're working a ton of shifts, ton of overtime shifts, everything else. So, the call back, they have family obligations, things like that, you know. So, we do rely on the part-time members quite a bit. To lose them would be a significant loss. >> So, they're an integral part of your
operation. They >> sure are. Yeah. Thank you, Chief. No, and that's what really concerns me, you know, like um I can see a resident not getting as as awful as it is, I can see a resident not getting behind our schools. I don't have
a child in the school. I don't care about our school. Maybe that's their mentality. Response times in emergencies affect can affect everybody in this town. >> And if and if this is Yeah, go ahead, Bill. I don't know if anyone here has ever had the experience of doing CPR.
When you're doing CPR, 2 minutes is like 5 hours, >> right? >> It is true. >> If you have someone in a car accident, the ambulance is out of town, the police come, they can't get them out of the car, what are they going to do? Car catches fire. This This is craziness. I spent my whole life in public safety,
and I've never seen these departments cut down so low. So, I may be a little biased, but we need to all pull together as a group, everybody, and get this override to pass for everybody because it's going to take work. It's going to take may take going down the center of
town holding signs, but it's got to we got to work together because there's no fluff in any of these budgets. There's nothing. So, >> you bring up a good point with a a rash, let's be honest with you. um which I didn't even present to you, but I mean, you know, you go to a rash, we're bringing an engine because we
don't know if the going to be on fire. We don't know if we need extrication tools, things like that, but we also need an ambulance there. So, if we only have two guys, we only bring in one piece of apparatus. So, we pull up and that car is on fire. We needed the other vehicle. Nothing we can do with it. So,
>> Miss Hickey, Miss Hickey, >> can I ask a question? >> Sure. Um, it's my understanding, Chief, that there is a link between fire protection services and homeowners insurance if services.
Bottom line is I would rather have my taxes go up $1,000 and pay uh firefighters and feed their family than to pay $1,000 extra my homeowners insurance. >> So, your ISO rating could change. Um, so
if they if they did challenge us and and ask the question of our ISO rating, uh, I think right now we're currently at five. It's on a scale from 1 to 10. 10 being obviously, you know, one being the highest and 10 being, you know, the worst. Um, I think we're a five now. But yes, because we're dropping services and
because we're dropping manpower, they could actually challenge us on it, make us uh, resmit paperwork and everything else. Um, and they could they could increase the rate. Most definitely. Chief, are there any studies out there that we can provide to the public? They
might not be like Halifax centric, but you know, similar communities that had this level of cut, what it did to response time, what it cuz that's if we're going forward with this, and it sounds like we are, that's the information we have to get out there. So, I didn't know if there's a way that
you have a resource to to say, you know, the average call. I know there's no average call, but like, you know, we could see increases of up to XYZ to make sure we get that out to the public so they understand the magnitude of of what we're looking at. And again, we have to
make sure we don't I don't want to present this in a threatening way. I don't want to say, look, do you know this is what's going but factually these are now the call times that we're going to get to. And and I think that would be a very powerful message to people to really understand what we're looking at.
I I I could definitely look to see if uh there's some sort of a comparison. Just, you know, keep in mind that it's we're Hellifax is unique in the sense that most fire departments are either all call >> or all full-time. >> Um there's not there's, you know, we have a little bit of both. Um so it's a
little bit challenging to find another department around here that does both to give you the statistics you're looking for. But I mean, you know, roughly the same size demographic and everything else. >> Any sort of meat you can find to give us to give the override study committee to try to get that word out there, I think would be super helpful.
>> Part of that, Jonathan, is reality is we're talking $140,000 in fire wage cuts, $150,000 in law enforcement wage cuts. That's $290,000 in public safety. That is very important
not just to the residents of the town, the community as a whole, the schools in this town, and any type of business that operates within this town. >> Absolutely. >> So, people have got to realize these are serious numbers we're talking about here to just the fire and police alone to
protect the dayto-day safety of this town. >> Correct. >> Not including what's happening in the schools. >> Yeah. No, I selfishly when I look at a town, I look at what's the call times of that town, what's the crime rate of that town, and how good is that town school?
Those are the holy trinity for me. Those are the big three that I know a lot of folks look at when they're looking at communities, whether they want to move into communities, whether they want to be a part of of the whole picture. >> So, I just I get all that. And not to rehash any of it, I again would support
both sides of the whole over vote for it. I'd pay for it if I could. But putting all the eggs in one basket, if we're already determining that 30% are going to vote no matter what, and 30% are going to vote yes no matter what, and you're fighting for the middle, are you wanting to jeopardize
the whole thing? >> Yeah. >> To run lean at 29, 140 and 150, the stabilization fund for 300, and the 50% rest of it remaining on the school on one basket. We heard from the school committee last year and I was involved with supporting that the whole way. The
school committee, sorry, the PTO and we we grow the troops. We do this and Yep. We're ready to go. We're doing it. >> I hope so cuz we have 50 days to go and you know >> Yeah. >> Can Can I just make a comment to to where Tom's going right now? You know,
we're here to spitball ideas and I'm going to just throw it out there like we we talked about splitting the override between you got a public safety and then you've got an education, right? and have the two the one thing that it has come up but we haven't discussed it as a group is the general affordability of that override I know that we we as a
group have said it's not a significant impact but for some residents it will be a significant impact we cannot forget the assessed values of homes today >> sure >> so that is going to be high so with that said is there an opportunity to put all three options at town meeting where you
have separate the two or a full and truly let the town decide side. How do you do it? >> I mean, the average I don't know the answer to the question, EJ, but the average impact is 5. The average home in Halifax is 572,000. The average impact is $532.18,
which works out to $45 per month for the average household. So, and if you split that in half, school vtown versus EMS fire and police is $2268 per month. Sure. >> Yeah. That's not how it's being paid though. That's my only we say it that
way, but that's not how people absorb it. >> As I'm sorry, >> as a single citizen on a fixed income, I could barely make it with the taxes down. And I love this town. I want it to flourish, but you have to think about us
as well. I said, some of us could daily make the taxes down >> to add on another $500 to $600 a year is asking a lot. Well, that's why I'm wondering if they're again rhetorical before Ellen speaks. There might be some benefit to separating it so that people can make the call whether it's one or
both. And I get the division and the derisiveness of putting that up against towns people against towns people. But if literally all our eggs were in one basket, we need to be prepared to run like the chief said at bare bones. >> Yeah. >> With resident safety and and then school committee running, you know, up against state regulation.
>> Yeah. >> My only argument to that, Tom, is is exactly what you've said. you you have students to you protect public safety, you would vote both heartbeat. I would >> So, how many more of you are out there? And does it make it worth putting all of
all three options on the table? >> Let's let's just look at the past trend. So, using using the last town meeting, and I'm sorry, Alan, I'll we'll get right to it. Using the last town meeting as an example, we spent 20 minutes
talking about a $300 increase to a to a to an expense budget of a town department. But when it came to an $800,000 increase for the schools, there was no words said and it passed immediately. So that's the challenge in my opinion when you separate it
>> is you're now going to again you're going to get people who are going to vote for the schools and and I would too and I'd vote for the other one also but you know I'm not also willing to put um public safety out there as a separate item
>> because our obligation as elected officials and as committee members is to the residents to provide and ensure a safe town for people to live in. >> Yeah. And I think it's safer to provide options than an all or nothing one basket. >> Okay. That's that's where I am.
>> That's that's I certainly understand it, but I think past experience with what I've witnessed at town meeting is, you know, the schools would go and the other stuff went. >> Yeah. Anyway, >> I would like to propose a different
option. >> My name is Ellen Snowbus. I live at a 106 South Street. I've lived in this town for 45 years and um I would like to have the the uh answer to I would like you guys to answer this question. How how large an override would we need if
we were fully compliant with MBTA? If we were compliant fully with MBTA, we're not paying our legal, we're not paying for a, to my mind, frivolous lawsuit, and we're getting the grants that were referred to previously. What I
wrote down was $400,000 worth of grants. >> A lot of money. >> That's a lot of money. >> We cannot get because we are uncompliant. Non-compliant with MBTA. So, in my my view, it's not public safety versus education. It should be
one override and it should be an override non-compliant with MPTA or an override compliant with MBTA. >> We Well, so I don't think we can we can't revisit the >> I don't think we can
>> not for two years. I think that's out for two years. December 2026 plus current litigation, >> right? Well, I I would I would beg the question that um that we wouldn't get some help from the state on this because I know they want us to be compliant. Um and the
other thing is if you're not making long-term plans, okay, even if it even if it is only a a two-year window, wouldn't it be beneficial to the town to know what is the money that we're leaving on the table? I honestly do not feel that that was well presented at the
last town meeting when the vote was taken. We were not allowed by the I mean by the people in the audience didn't want to have any presentation. There was no presentation given and that was the you know that was the taxpayers's choice to not have a presentation. So a vote
was taken with many people sitting around me who really did not understand what was at stake. And you know, we um Sam Cox and I watched the Hansen Town meeting the a couple of months ago and it it was just very interesting because
they reluctantly decided to comply because they knew that that would there would be more control over the property that would be used for that >> and um they knew that they needed those grants. And I don't feel that the amount
of grant money that was in jeopardy by non-compliance was fully understood by the public. That was really my feeling. And um okay, you know, if we if it doesn't apply to this year, I still think we should push it because I know from talking to Kathy Linatra to talking
to our state reps that the t the state wants us they want to help us be compliant. So I don't think I don't think that we have negotiated as fully as we could with with them on compliance. So that's just my feeling.
>> Thank you, Ellen. Chris >> Chris Wenitz, 129 Circuit Street. Uh, one thing that wasn't mentioned tonight that was in other meetings is too that has to be voted twice for override. Yes. So having multiple different overrides, I just wonder if that would get
confusing for residents, >> trying to get them all voted on to a town meeting and then the following weekend, >> correct? Ballot, >> correct? >> More people show up in the weekend and find out one they wanted to vote for wasn't put on, >> right? >> It just might get confusing with three different.
>> It's it's a distinct possibility that there'll be confusion. So yes, you're correct with the process. Town meeting would have to be an affirmative vote by the residents. Then it goes to the to the ballot where it again has to be affirmed by the residents for the uh
override to be um official. Does anybody have any other questions for any of our department heads? The schools. >> Okay. Do you have would you like to make a comment? >> Thank you. Darlene Reagan, director of elder
services for the town of Halifax. Um, I have to say that since I've come on board here in 2021, I saw the need for a number of different um, programs that were being run and to reel them in. Um,
I've run I've gotten a number of different grants to support the COA and thus far it's been successful. Um, you know, I have to say with regard to the fire chief and the police chief, I see a lot of the health and human services
things that are going on out there and it affects the our industry as well, the elder services industry. So, we try to I've been trying to support that as much as possible through finding other ways to support that. For instance, if a
consumer has they're under age 65 and uh needs support services because of disabilities, the fire department gets a call. The police department gets a call. I get the call. I want to support that. I then go to my state. I go to my state
reps. I go to my state senator. I go to people that were getting funded uh tax, federal tax dollars as well as state tax money to support the elder services within the communities to also support disabilities. And I go to them and I
say, "Where are you?" So there's ways around things. There's a ways around to support all these different departments and that's what I aim to do. However, I've I've learned that keeping my position, however, then cutting the
outreach uh slashprograms, I can't focus on just um doing all these number of things to support the community in a way that's going to support the police and the fire, that's going to support everybody
in this room because we are all aging and none of us you can't change it. So, and I support the people here in Halifax because they want to stay within the community and if we do the right thing the first time and find the right um you
know community supports the grants out there and there are grants out there that aren't uh attached to the MBTA. However, um I have the Gatra systems or the Gatraas transportation's been a
success. Okay. It pays for the wages of the van drivers. It pays for the wages uh for the internet. It pays for a lot of different things that people probably don't are are not familiar with. So basically, it's running um the senior
center pretty much. So, I mean, it's brought in about $125,000 so far, and it goes back to the town in terms of the wages for the van drivers, this the actual running of the vans themselves, which are costly, insurance
and uh fuel and so on. So, I mean, that is something that is being used within the community without MBTA. We have to think smart and if you don't dig deep, you're not going to find any support systems out there, no grants or anything
like that. And that's what I try to do is find the grants. If this MBTA situation continues, yes, we are hurting ourselves. I went to write a SIG grant. Lakeville got the SIG grant and it's going to support their building and it's
going to support the programs there. We couldn't do it. We could have written it and just sat there and and waited for the MBTA to happen. And I don't think people understand too with the MBTA, bringing that in means that it's going to bring in um a whole different uh
category of people. You know, 40B section 8, they're two different things. Okay? So we have to realize that 40B is a person that's within the community that is an employee of the town that doesn't make a phenomenal amount of
money in Massachusetts. If you look up the the income requirements for to live in Massachusetts, it's very expensive. You know, it's like you can't I mean $92,000 for 40b for one individual in some towns. That's what you know you're
looking for in income. So what I'm saying is is that overall there are there is money to be looked at. There is grant funds to be to to uh investigate um whether it be MBTA or whatever. But we also were hurt this year too in terms
of um contracts. Uh the COA was never the two positions that one was clerical, one was outreach was never union. I I'm I've been uh all over the, you know, I've been a a labor and relations uh individual. Uh I've been a union
steward. I understand unions. However, what has hurt the COA is the fact um I I could and I used to be able to say, "Hey, it's quiet time after the COA. In the mornings, it gets busy other things, but in the afternoon, hey, we're a
little lull. Um can you help out with the newsletter? can you do certain things for to help to support the COA right now because it's a little quiet and in it's not a part of the union contract or it's not a part of the union uh job description. So that hurts the COA because I can't say to that person,
well why why can't you help? It's a lull here in the in the in the in the time from you know uh two to when you go home at 4. So, I mean, so certain things hurt. Um, and to cut the positions down to 20
hours each um 20 hours uh as a um outreach person programs and then 20 hours for transportation, which takes a lot of time. And by the way, GATRA does support my income in terms of that 72% because I put a lot of time into
transportation and we've had a lot of GAT uh uh transportation. I've reeled a lot in reminded people they have access to PT runs if in fact they have access to state programs or Medicaid. I remind people to utilize those too. It takes
the burden off the town. So I realized the uh the se the the health and human services. I realize that aging is uh it's not fun but we have to face it and
embrace it. But you also have to realize that some of the services out there and some of the things that we do um are passionate and I'm passionate about how we handle it. And then going forward, I'm also realistic in terms of
management, in terms of how we spend our money and in terms of how I spend the money for the town. But to take two positions, reduce them down to 20 hours after being 40 hours is a little bit crazy, I think, and I need some support
in terms of the um hopefully the town would understand that. I think a lot of people today, not only just the seniors and not only people with disabilities come to us, we do have a lot of caregivers out there that do come to us as a hub and we po we provide a lot of
information to a lot of different people and um and that's all I want to say. >> Darlene, just a real quick question for you. Um with those two reductions that you just mentioned, what is impacted in terms of services that you provide s um seniors or meals on wheels, anything
like that? Are there impacts to those two areas or no? >> So the impact would be in servicing in terms of applications. We have SNAP applications. We have also mass health applications. A lot of people are not finding the resources out there. There's
an overabundance of people applying for Medicaid programs these days. There's an overabundance of SNAP programs and people are seeing that their income is not meeting and not able to support or afford food. So, nutrition, SNAP
applications, we do a lot of now we're being pushed and I had to I had to advocate for residents coming in losing homes, losing their access to uh homes through evictions. How do we get involved in that? We're supposed to, you know, be wellness and happy and all
that, but we did. Why? Because it's happening. And people are coming into our our center and saying, I need help. Nobody's helping me. And what do I do? look at this person at the age of 80 and say you're going to um to a shelter.
That's not the right thing to do. If I know that there's a way out there that a person can reach a certain individual by calling, you know, um a federal agency to say you're getting funded, do your job, let's fill out this application. I
do that and I push it back. section 8s hubs and chat the champ applications any of these applications are coming to the senior center I can only do so many of them I have to push it back and that's what I do so I manage it in a way that I
can support that but we still have an overabundance of people that come back and they want these services and there is limitations we have now people at this time they can't reach us why I make my phone calls after 5:00 or when The
center closes at 4:00 to 9:00, sometimes 7:00 at night for seniors. I know they go to bed early, but they're like, "Hey, what are you doing calling me at 7:00 at night?" It's the only time I could call that individual back, but I wanted to let them know that I got I called them back to say that their transportation is
okay for the next day or something like that. So, these are the kind of things, but then they end up calling the assessor's office because they can't reach it because they want to go to a party and they couldn't reach it. And then they all want to go to the St. Patrick's Day party, which is a wonderful thing, and they like, "We didn't know." So, they call the
assessor's office. I'm like, "Oh, shoot. I don't want that to happen." But if that's if I get 22 calls in in less than two hours, it it's it's affecting my ability to get back to that consumer at a way that a decent hour. But, uh, and
then it it trickles over to the other departments. They'll get the calls, the police and the fire gets the calls, you know, for different things. So if we had and if I I I try to look into a grant through uh CH uh Title 5 grant OCPC
offers a number of different grants. So OCPC title 5 I reached out to them for Shoreline u elder services was one of those uh grants where we could have somebody answer the phones and you know we all say volunteers are wonderful and I I agree they are but today I can do it
tomorrow I can't. We have to have consistency in certain things within the department too. So it's important that we do have someone that's in there knowledgeable enough to fill out applications sign program. We'll all experience Medicare at some point and
there's no way around it. Whether it be a person with disabilities or a person that's aging, you're going to experience it. Healthc care is a very expensive thing. It's a very expensive part of our lives at no matter what age you are. So we have to be mindful of the fact of
navigating through this whole thing. I think my background warrants that allows for people to navigate within a smart way that we don't own it either. So >> darling, not to cut you off anyway. Yeah, just in the essence of time, is there a way you could provide basically
that synopsis to the like the override study committee to Stephen to give people hard again like I asked Chief WHM hard data on the effects that it's going to you know this is going to create I noticed it's the cuts that are being proposed or that would be on the
override is $100,000 so it's significant. So um >> yes I can and I would I planned on doing that. And it just unfortunately it was >> that's okay. >> You know I've been working a lot. So I mean even yesterday I was in and I worked till 9:00 and I was delivering canes to people.
>> So you know the thing the fact of the matter is is that yes you know I realize that showing a high give them hard numbers give them exactly what this will mean um so that people can get a clear picture. I think that absolutely that'll give us >> otherwise I'll talk forever. >> Oh no it's okay. It's all right.
>> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone on the finance committee have any other comments or questions for what's been discussed so far this evening? >> Mr. Solo, do you have any closing comments? >> I do not, unless you guys want me to go
over the cuts that I sent you along for general government that were in that packet, which again I will post online tomorrow. Mike did send me one, but it was a grammatical change. like right here. >> No, send me a grammatical change.
>> Stephen, what's the timeline here? Either way, >> uh, so what we're looking for tonight, um, this would do one of two things. So, I think one thing we need to do is keep in mind the um NSS number from the schools obviously cuz that number is
going to impact a number of things because if we're still 500, we don't know where we're underwater potentially there. And if we can legally be at 800,000 because if we can't legally be at 800,000 then that's a whole another
can of worms on our side that we have to open up and then tomorrow you're supposed to vote on closing the ballot question. >> So when is that available? The NSS number >> uh not till what? April 15th or so. >> So I mean are we just we're just
guessing? So, we'd be guessing at this point, which leads me to the question of right now on the table is a $1.5 million override ask. You guys have all the um data to show you what that increase would be. Um you need to vote officially
on the number because the number has to be part of the ballot question if it gets put on the ballot. So, we have to physically on the ballot say this is the amount of money. This is the split that the money will go towards. Right now, it's broken down as 800,000 for the
school department, 700,000 for general government and public safety. >> Right. >> Of which 300,000 is the stabilization fund? >> Well, the stabilization fund is just the number that is left in between the budget and the levy limit. So,
effectively, in order to collect that money before you do tax collection, you have to authorize collecting that money. Um, so that's not really the money collect probably this year. I'd have to verify that through probably legal counsel and then Linda as far as what would need to be done as far as tax
collection on that $300,000. But this is the number without that to leave that $300,000 buffer to the levy limit for this year, which is crucial. You look at communities around this area, they're approaching their levy limit, which means that not not the
question an override will happen. they are forced to do it because they will have no more room to the levy limit. They will be by law have to increase that levy limit. So we still have some room there. $300,000 for the Halifax budget is bigger than other communities.
So >> is 200,000 sufficient given the fiscal cliff that we're supposedly on. >> 200,000 for what? >> To let them >> instead of three. >> Instead of three >> instead of three. I mean, last year Cody talked about I remember we were up here and I asked the question if last year
wasn't a fiscal cliff then when is a fiscal cliff? >> Oh, this is a fiscal cliff. >> It seems to me that we're in a better position than we thought we might be with an almost equal number of free cash at which we're opting to move zero or potentially not moving any. I haven't heard a single suggestion to move any.
Okay. So, if we moved 700, we if we moved 50% last year and our override is 50% of the cost that we expected it to be given last year's projections. >> Mhm. And we're opting to move 0% deferring capital projects to 0%. We're
funding 100% of those. Is 300,000 extra? It's great. Better than we thought. Better than most. Is 200,000. Okay. So that number doesn't get applied to the budget >> but it's included in the 1.5. >> No, no, not at all.
>> That is only the buffer that is between the the levy. >> So the number I had originally given you drew the drew that stabilization account down. That's why there was a $300,000. I cleared that up with San Nola to get understanding on this stabilization as
it's typically known to me as an account you create that is out there to stabilize funds. So I got a little confused on what stabilization was in terms of the room left to let it. So that was my misunderstanding. Um but so that's not included in this number. So that's not really a number you have to
consider. uh next year we would be able to potentially go further into collections of taxes into that 300,000 if if need be. Um probably shouldn't have to do that. We're also getting a a cyclical assessment this year. So all of
our numbers should be very sharp for next year. So we should see a slight increase in revenue on uh assessments because everyone's assessment will take off. >> So this is a question you probably don't have an answer to but something to think about. um people default on taxes.
>> Yes. >> Are we do we have a ballpark number on that? I'm not into, you know, getting people out of their homes or that stuff, but I mean, is that a a significant is that a significant enough revenue that that it would offset some of this
um for faulty uh you know, going into defer, you know, default on on tax payment to the town. I have to try with Linda McCarthy to figure out what that number is. >> Okay. >> Brian Brian
>> Lauren, her name was um last year there's 89,000 given back to the town. >> Do we anticipate any of that similar? >> I don't know yet. >> It's too early to say, right? Anticipate
that. That was a found money kind of thing. I mean, I've said what I thought. So, >> yeah. >> I would I would lower the 1.5 to 1.4. Cut the school committee by one. Town government, police and fire down to 7. We have two separate overrides for
700,000. Comes out to um $30 a month for the average resident each. $30 on police and fire and town government, $30 on school. That's >> 60 total. That's what I would recommend. That would be my but I know I'm outnumbered and that's fine as I mean we're here to come up with ideas >> and for
>> I just think if you have one bucket you limit your options there's no safety net I get the derision and the divisiveness possibly presented but if the alternative is a filled override and we have nothing to show for it is it better to have some of part of it or zero of all
>> I guess my concern with that is so say people vote for um one for the general government and public safety, but then you have to fund the school anyway. And it looks like it was a little deceitful. That's what I'm worried about. >> Why would it be deceitful? >> Because we have to fund the school to a
certain amount. >> But we have to have police, too. >> I know, but it's just But it's But like by law, you know, I I mean, I'm that's my concern. You know, that >> if it's if it's legal or if it's if the optics are okay. >> Well, both. I don't know how that works
because if we were to get some money like would this like what's the like we have the legal requirement for school we had the legal requirements for you know how do you decide what to do you decide sorry school this is what you know or >> well there's two different overrides if one was to pass over the other school
passes you get funded and the police and fire have to make cuts >> as outlined as we are right now >> what's the difference if they're all on one and nothing gets funded then >> no I I know well I mean but there's not like a choice being made I I feel like that I don't know. It just doesn't sit well. I mean, I I can see what you're
saying, but I just think that's a horrible decision for people to make. >> Yes, of course. >> And I wouldn't and I wouldn't make it. I'm I'm I'm concerned about the 712 versus 7 town meeting that we had
doing what they want at town meeting and then showing up at the ballot box where you have to vote your wallet and voting differently. That's >> and also typically town meeting does not have that number of participants and we don't have many people show up at the ballot box. So
>> it's a very different group of people that show up at town. >> I think it'll pass Tom. >> I think you're in a different situation this year. We're talking $1.5 million override. Significant impact to people's taxes. They're going to show up >> and I and Lauren I I don't know that they'll show up at town meeting. They
will show up on Saturday, May 16th. That's my concern. Well, I don't think anyone I mean there's the optics of town. I mean I again I am not an expert. I am just terrified of like being made you know like that's I I just it makes
me sad that this decision has to be made you know or like I don't know it just I >> I I don't really again I don't know what helps an override pass better because that's really where that's my concern. Whatever that is, we
should do what I think we are education >> and not to be Debbie Downer here, >> but I think the the role of us as a board of selectman and a FINC calcom is to present what the situation is and then let the town decide. I think
everyone sitting here agrees that an override is well worth the investment, right? If somebody goes to that voter booth or goes to town hall and they say, "You know what? No, I'm not doing it. not paid enough taxes. That's it. They've
made their decision. We've laid out the consequences, some pretty pretty significant. I would even argue severe if this doesn't go through. We can educate as much as we can. The final decision comes down to the town of Halifax and they will vote how they want
to vote and we will do our best up here to deal with the consequence. Just to get back to Tom's uh first question about what would it take to get to the point where we could do that on the warrant, you'd have to extend the window cuz I would have to redo
everything. Uh, it would require probably it would probably require about another two weeks of just crunching numbers because um I'd have to create essentially four to six scenarios for
the ballot because you not only do you have to consider the buckets that don't pass, you have to consider every scenario to put on the ballot. so that every time you add an option, it complicates the question and it also makes the ballot longer and you have to
put in every single scenario that could happen so that you're laying it out clearly for the residents, >> which is which is hard to do, but I mean, if that's the way you guys want to go, then I will be sitting down with town legal counsel and hashing it out and figuring it out cuz I've done that
for everything included to tonight and it took the better part of last week just to put it in reference. Baptism by fire. Stephen, we like to break you in. And >> you guys haven't broke me yet. I'm I'm still here and I plan to get this hopefully through this year. And if it doesn't go through this year, I'll be
standing with you guys again next year as we're trying to get it again next year. So, >> this is this is this is the festival cliff though. We need it right now, right? >> Hey, I'll fall off the cliff with you guys. How about that? >> Um Tara Tanello, 425 Elm Street, also a
member of the um override study committee. I am just saying I guess my personal opinion. I think the only town we've done a little bit of research on the override study committee around other overrides taking place of so many towns it is happening. The only town
that I know that is doing what you're saying is Abington. Um a lot of the other towns are doing an a one bucket override amount um for numerous different departments. Some we actually are seeing new like a like a two-year override. We're going to do an override
for this year and figure out the the future years. So, I understand what you're I am like very nervous as well. I will say yes to everything. I love the school. Fire department has been at my house helping my mom more times than I
can count. Police love you guys. So I think pinning the departments and pinning the needs will create a lot of decisive decisiveness in the town. So um that's just my two cents.
>> I had a a question for you about uh the Abington. You said Abington's doing the two the multiple buckets. Are they doing two, three, four? >> Don't quote me. I believe it's three or four. Okay. >> Um I believe it's three or four. school and a couple other departments, but
>> don't quote me on that. >> That's okay. >> The line is recorded. It is recorded. >> Yeah. >> Uh and the >> and that's this upcoming year. >> Okay. For this upcoming year. >> This upcoming year. Yeah. >> And of the communities that you study that are doing the single bucket, uh you
said some are doing multiple year >> overrides. Are the m Do you have any numbers as far as communities are doing single year versus multiple years? Is the multipleyear community rare or >> where was the multiple year? Do you remember? >> Was that Dbury?
>> Was it Ducksbury? It was somewhere around here. >> Yeah. And they just just understanding it's a fiscal cliff. This is We're going to be in bad shape for the next couple of years. So, how can we not put the band-aid on? We did the band-aid
last year, which was great. And >> we survived it. >> Survived it. But that was a band-aid as you all said. And we we need long-term planning, long-term projecting, long-term, okay, this is where we're now. We need the data. We need the data that these great departments shared
today to get the information out and say, "This is where we're at. If this doesn't pass, this is what's going to happen." Black and white, cut and dry, so people understand this is how we got here. This is why, and this is what's going to happen. Um, and just remove all
that clutter. >> Thank you. So, Rod, to circle back to Abington, I found it here online. Uh, they had seven separate override questions. >> They broke out. Schools at 1.7 million, police at 800,000, fire at around
300,000, DPW 300,000, town hall related half a million, library 15 grand, council on aging 7 grand for a total of $3.6 million. >> Right. So, So confused.
>> So, you know, and and the other thing to to to kind of bear in mind is if if the override doesn't pass, >> we're going to have the same issue next year >> because inflation is still going to go up. Cost, we can be right back. Right. >> Well, but but it gives us a better
starting point. It gives us a better starting point because when the when we do the over if the override passes, that's that the budget that budget is where we start next year. So, it may be a smaller one. I'm not saying there won't be one. >> No, I understand that. But I mean, last
year we effectively had an override. It was just called we supplemented the budget with free cash. We balanced that budget last year with onetime funds and yet we're here again. So I think to say we might be back here next year is an understatement. I think regardless of
the override, we're back here again. >> I do think we will. There is a chance for better growth next year. I don't don't Again, I'm recording. Danny, I'm recording. Um, he said this >> exactly. There are potential projects in this community that hopefully will be
generating more tax revenue for Halifax next year. We all can see the construction in the building going on. So, there will be help. Will it Will it completely plug the hole to Tom's point? >> Maybe not. Probably not. >> But I but I can't I'm really going to throw myself out
there. I can't see it as dire next year as we're facing this year. That's just >> agreed. there will either be another override or more cut. So I don't want to pretend as no matter what happens and this is the cure and like I don't think the override being placed on the ballot is in question. I think what the mechanics of it are potentially or not
but I think either way we're back here facing cuts and or another override. This is probably a multi-year situation >> for almost every town in this >> and we basically like just to reiterate the point we basically balanced the budget last year with an override. It just didn't go to the ballot. We did it. >> We use that certainly is one way of
looking at it. Yes. All right. So, what do we need, Stephen? >> Yeah. So, um where was I? Oh, >> Halifax. >> Yeah, I am in Halifax. Um >> wondering why you took a job, I think, is where you're at.
>> In Halifax. Um, so I need to obviously get the I mean we have to wait or at least try to plan for the NSS number, the net school saving or net school spending. Um, that's obviously a big number. Um,
obviously I'm not done looking at the budgets because just because we're voting on the potential override tomorrow night as far as go going onto the ballot, the conversation of what Tom and and John were just speaking about, that's not going to end a town hall. I'm
already looking into next year. A couple of the long-term things I've already thought about specifically geared towards public safety is the creation of a stabilization fund to control potential uh overtime costs because I think we see that as a driver that um is
obviously a little out of control depending on, you know, staffing situations, depending on the ability of how much staff we're able to give to those departments. So, some sort of fund to help curb that. Um, obviously we got some contracts coming up. The solid waste contracts coming up. Hopefully we
can try to save there. I've got it on the books for 421,000 right now. That's about >> What% increase is that? >> That's about a 6% increase over last year. So obviously when we go up for procurement on that, it's going to be the lowest bidder obviously, but hopefully it comes in closer to 393 than
the 421. Um, you know, more potential cuts. Uh I will speak to the departments that were not uh impacted by this to this point obviously because as we go further down this road again just by approving the
override number tomorrow and putting it on the ballot does not end the discussion of potentially what is going to shift around in general government. Um I think as far as public safety goes, we're done. >> I don't think there's anywhere else we can go with those two departments.
>> I should tell you something. >> Yeah. Yeah, we just can't go any further because it's becoming unsafe at this point. Um, you know, Darlene got up to speak about council on aging. That represents a 40% cut of open hours at her building. Uh, that's Monday,
Wednesday, Friday. If you want to staff the other days with volunteers, as long as we get them Cory checks and story checks when necessary, I'm all for that. Um, it's great that Darlene is able to bring in so much grant funding because that helps offset the departmental costs over there. It's the same thing at the
library where Dylan has done a great job to offset the costs of the you know looking at the library in general who which is untouched mainly because of the fact that if you remove another dollar they lose their accreditation and actually by cutting them any further the
town loses access to grants that buy all the books over there. uh and that is a multiply used resource between not only you know the library but also the schools and the council on aging because the council on aging does use it for some programming the kids obviously use
it from the schools the families use it so that's one service I think folks can still rely on after this and it's the one service that pretty much applies universally across the board as far as users um you know getting back to how these cuts were made as we went down the
list uh cuz I I know Darlene had brought up, you know, the importance of council on aging, we know every department's important, but when we talk about legally what we have to have and what we don't have to have, that's essentially what it boils down to. There's certain positions in town hall that we have to
have and we better make sure we're supporting those folks in a way that they don't make mistakes that come back and bite us liabilitywise cuz then the legal budget goes up. You know, that's pretty much administration. That's town accountants office. That's the treasurer's office and the collector's office. And that's your permitting
issuing authorities. You know, your board of health, your building department, your conservation commission, which are already basically barely staffed. We don't have a town planner. It drives a lot of legal cost in this town. Um, that could be a trade-off that you could lower the
amount of legal cost if we simply had a part-time planner, you know. So, that that's another scenario. um just because I see enough I've seen enough in the seven weeks of what's resulting from that planning board and seeing some of the extra support we have to provide it
from outside there just because they don't have any expertise really backing them up. Um you know no cuts were made to department of public works/highway um mainly because of the fact that we just lost $200 plus thousand out of their
roadway budget. They're going to be tasked with keeping up with limited funding from the state. Now, one of the biggest complaints we see in the town is constantly the roadways and the response to weather events. Um, >> highway hasn't added a body in 20 20 years.
>> They're still running the same crew they've had for decades. >> Exactly. And with all the capital items and infrastructure items that they need down there, we're not doing them any favors by not giving them a dump truck, which they drastically need, and replacing some of their equipment. So
part of this override is to make sure the capital plan remains intact at 500 grand so that we can do some of these capital items. I think that's crucial to make sure we do that. um water department was not was untouched because I think another
department that when we are looking forward into the future and we talk about public health and safety, water is very important. Um we're going to be facing some issues with the water in town at that point. You know, it's an enterprise fund. They pretty much have a rateayer base that is paying the the
funds and the rate wages over there. We should continue to let them operate at their operational capacity. Um, unless someone could tell me that they're not doing everything they're able to do, which I haven't seen. Uh, the solid waste, I think there's potentially one
cut that could be made there, and that's do we reduce the recycling center a day per week. You know, that's a potential cut that we can still be made. >> Steve, I got a question regarding solid waste. Um,
>> the contracts coming up for the um >> trash service. trash services. Why are we in the trash business? >> Well, because we can I'll be frank. We can make some money on it. The town can make money. It's an enterprise fund, Frank. And I get it. But I like the idea
that we're offering we're the we're the cheapest one around. Um and I like the idea that we're offering a savings to our consumer. Uh and also making some money that when our recycle truck breaks, uh we have money to fix it. When
there's problems in the recycle center, uh we can fix the building. So, it's actually advantageous to the town to have that trash program because for the longest time when we were doing the bags, we were actually in the red. The bag
program was costing this town money. We are now since we've switched over to the toers and we've had this contract with All State, we are actually in the black and we're starting to to put a little bit of of kitty aside to maintain that department. >> But the cost to operate that department
is significant for what it does for recycling. When you look at it, you're telling me the trash subsidizes the recycling operations. >> Yes. If we're not in the trash business, we don't need to be in the recycling business because recycling goes
handinhand with trash required by Mass General laws. >> Private industry must provide recycling services as well. So, we've got a department that is costing us $594,000 a year. >> But what's our revenue generated from
our trash program? >> I don't know what that number is. >> We'd have to look. >> What is that margin on that? >> Right. one or two%. >> I'm not sure the number, >> right? >> But I would argue that folks like to have the the recycle and I know it's >> we like to have a lot of things.
>> We like to have a lot of things. >> It's something we can look at, you know, if we have to reduce the hours, >> especially with the contract coming up. Now, >> speaking of which, piggybacking to add one more thing, uh, and I echo Jonathan's thoughts in the highway department, but the overtime pay, the
shipping center, we don't need overtime shipping services for trees on Saturdays. That's very small money. So, highway department has like the days where they chip. They offer, you know, chipping services on weekends. That is an extra that could be cut at any point.
>> One Saturday a month. There's no there's that's an extra. And I love those guys. And that's that's an easy Sorry. >> Well, it's the same thing at the recycling center. were paying overtime wages for weekend work on Saturdays to have highway guys at the recycling
centers with assistance to the recycling center >> in a beautiful world with unlimited funds. All sounds great, but we're not there. >> So, so I think just to to move this along, I think Steven's going to do his due diligence and look at all these things and all the suggestions we've
given to him. I do think we need to kind of get to it a little bit and um and and come up with a number that we want to we want to proceed with. I think that's what you're looking for, right, Stephen? Am I correct? >> Y just so I can fix the ballot question so Sue has the right one to go with and
for you guys to approve tomorrow night. And the only question I have while while our first responder uh scenarios aren't very appealing and and I don't I don't think they're something we should go forward with necessarily. The question we have with the school is the the money
that we're asking from the school might make that an illegal situation if I understand that correctly. So, it's hard to allocate money to that school department not knowing, you know, if we're asking everybody to really tighten the belt as much as they can, we don't know what that number is. And we also
don't know if the school can generate money for kindergarten, you know, so I do feel like there's a couple of big unknowns that we have to try to nail down before I'm comfortable voting a number. >> Is the inverse true? Whereas if they if
we vote on a number prior to them finding out the NSS on April 1st and obviously we have to move forward before that. Is the inverse true where if we're well within the means that they would then we vote on a budget but an override or whatever and then they give money
back up to that threshold or is the budget set that's the number we don't know. Um then it's not going to ever be less than the year before, right? But >> not once you print out not once you vote it on the ballot. >> There's 35 different pieces.
>> Okay. To net school spending, you can take a class on it. >> So we wouldn't know prior to April 1st what what that number looks like, right? >> As far as the chapter 17 estimates come up in that school spending number. >> Okay.
So, I mean, it sounds like we have to move forward before that, right? >> Yeah. Just take a shot at I mean the fully funded budget is 800,000, right? That's the full 8 million, >> right? I'm sorry. The deficit though. >> So, deficit we're looking to make up on
1.5 is 800. >> So, it's 1.5 plus the 800. Is that what we're 800 is 1.5 of the 1.57? Yeah. >> Thank you. Yeah, >> but again numbers we don't know but it's best practice and best guess
>> and everybody else has to make the cuts and they're just right >> coming in lab. It's not their own fault. >> What is the penalty for not reaching that school spending? What is >> I tried to research it today and was not >> huge. >> Yeah. >> So you lose half our budget. >> Yeah. You shut down those
>> and the and the um the the state comes over and takes your school over and they determine how much you spend per student. So So But what happens if like we vote to if the override was on the ballot and we bridge the gap and the voters approve 800,000 is funded and your ballot your
budget is balanced and then the state comes back and says oh no you needed you know 400,000 extra because of special education transportation and you didn't fund that fully are we covered is NSS net school spending covered by
believing the budget was accurate at 8 million and 96,000 or recovered by any >> I don't think we've ever been off by that much if that answers your question. I don't think that scenario was ever that I'm aware of that been. So I mean we have given money back
every year, >> right? Which means you're overestimating and it's the overestimation because you'd like to have the cushion for that school spending covered just in case. >> Well, I mean it's I I don't think it's huge huge cushion comparative to the amount of the entire budget. >> No, it's 1%.
Is is there any way possible? When are you guys meeting again, Laura? >> March 24th. >> I'm just wondering about about any sort of revenue like if we can look at kindergarten if we can kindergarten. >> It's March 23rd. >> Well, busing is hard because we are a
regional school so there's rules about it and you can only charge people live 2 miles away from the school and we're just not that big of a challenge. Like it's like as far as the number of people we could actually charge and then how many of those folks are possibly don't
have to pay like there it's just it it didn't seem to realize the savings as much as I mean we have at this point any would have stopped the guy from shipping Saturday to save a few hundred yards. If there's
a few thousand to be raised from busting a few kids I don't understand why that's not on the table. I'm not saying should we come. I'm just saying I don't I look at I think it's not a reasonable answer to why >> well and I I I'm only one person on the school committee. You know like I can
>> it's just so I don't want to live. So, >> so to give to put it another way, like let's say, oh shoot, if we if we did the kindergarten and we did the busing, we
can make the schools 150,000 or 200,000, whatever the number is, >> and we short police and fire that money, you know, like you guys have an extra. >> I would just feel really bad that we're not being as efficient as we can with the available funds. >> I know. I 100% see what you're saying
and I have brought it up >> many times and it's just I mean the other part I feel like it's difficult is if we're asking for an override and to pay for kindergarten there's some families that are going to be hit harder than others >> twice
>> and so I feel like it's kind of I like I feel like generally speaking focusing on one heroic effort >> because I the school is really lean. I've looked at it so many times like I I'm not sitting here saying that you
know and I have asked in meetings. I mean I have gotten yelled at. I have got people have accused me of not caring about the school because I've asked if we could cut more. You know I have I've as the chair I have tried my hardest to explore. I I ask Bill all the time can
we look at this? Can we look at that? Can we? And again, I'm not an educator, so I don't want to presume I know the best way to educate our children or what it takes. I'm just a regular parent here who doesn't work in education. And so,
um, you know, I I I totally see where you're coming from. And while you say that, like, I don't want to make it hard for any child to get to school. I don't want any parent to be like, "Well, now I can't get to work because I can't afford to bus my child and I have to drive them and now, you know, and I know that's
probably a very specific scenario, but because the cost, I mean, I don't I mean, when we looked at it, Sarah, do you remember like if it seemed like it really even made I think we all agree on nobody wants to tax anybody or charge anybody more than
they can afford. There's always a economic relief. People need economic relief. That will always be there. But what economic relief is that the seniors, they can't afford the override when the people that can't afford the bus are not paying for the bus. >> Okay. Well, I mean, that's what I think.
I think in a town that has 30 something% senior citizens, I think it's easier to sell when they feel when the whole entire feels everyone's making. >> No, that's a very valid point and I'm happy to bring it up. I really
would be worthless to give. >> No, I can see your point. >> And I and I think based on like what you're talking about like looking back that was done I think a couple years ago with the kindergarten. So right now I have approximately 535 kids
>> and and I think about um when I listen to everybody about how specifically connected we really are together when we even though we're talking about individual budgets everybody that's at the table and everybody like myself the school the police everybody that's talking we're all directly connected
because the the probably the grandparents of my ch of my kids at my school are probably going to the aging council and they need the support from the police and the fire. >> Yeah. Right. >> Yeah. I know, right? Yeah. >> Okay.
Yeah. But I think that's that's the part that I love so much about this community is that it's literally connected, but we have to show that >> like we are literally all asking for the same stuff. >> It's it's incredible actually. And I see people like we're all fired up about it,
which is great, but it's really showing that we're literally looking for the same thing. >> A safe, caring, loving community for our kids, seniors, and the people in the >> That's amazing. >> I think I think everybody's heart is in the right spot. And we just said that 30% of the town is seniors.
>> Mhm. >> That's that you're up against it on an override right out of the gate. Yep. >> And I just think we should be all aware of that fact. If you're putting if 30% of that if half of them vote, you will need a historic turnout to get an override pass.
>> So Lauren, the the only thing that's concerning with what I heard you say and I think I heard you correctly earlier was that you have been bringing up the the charging for busing and the charging for kindergarten, right? And you're still waiting on responses. The concern that I would have is why are you still waiting waiting for responses? Like
what's the hold up for you getting the answers that you need in order for all of us to be able to make decisions? Because Clinton had a meeting today. No. >> So So you're not getting answers because Clinton had a meeting today? >> I mean I
He's being mean to the hammer here. >> Administration had a previously scheduled meeting school tonight. >> Okay. All right. >> All right. That was my coalition. >> Well, also there is the appetite of the rest of the school committee. I um can
only speak for myself. I would say I'm probably the most fiscally conservative person on the school committee and I have been more willing to explore different things, but if the rest of the committee won't vote for that, >> right? >> I can't I I have >> you can't force it. So, it's so it's
being held up at the committee level, not >> um I I I mean I don't I mean I I feel like the school is fighting for what they feel like they need. the committee wants to I mean I also want to provide
the best education we can but we're all subject to I mean I' I feel like I've asked questions and again gotten yelled at and accused of a lot of stuff >> and so but because I'm like we have to explore it >> sure >> could our class sizes be slightly bigger
I've asked that question you know could we provide the same quality education with slightly larger class sizes I was told No, >> literally you could go back to meetings and I'm I'm just saying like I >> I think we need to >> I can see everyone's point of view here
and I'm not trying to make everyone happy cuz I know I can't >> I have >> but I'm just saying yeah I mean I have asked for it. I can't explain why I haven't gotten it except you know I have a job. I have a family. I you know how much chasing can I do? >> Lauren, really quickly. Sorry to cut you
off. >> No, it's okay. >> Can you you can schedule a meeting right? you could schedule a school committee meeting ahead of time other than the March 24th date. Could you call I don't want to call it an emergency meeting, but uh you know a Zoom meeting uh next week or later this week with
your cohorts um to to officially have a motion to have that information provided? I mean, is it is it at that level with administration that you have to you can't just, you know, ask for something and they provide it? Does it have to be an official I make a motion
to have the school administration give us kindergarten numbers? Like is that the extent of how we have to go to get that information or can you call up administration and say, "Hey, >> I mean I I can call them up. I Yeah, I
say that's for kindergarten. You drive past the fire station and there'll be a sign that says kindergarten registration." The sign goes up in a couple of weeks. >> Should be up February Tuesday. >> You're not going to know how many
students are in kindergarten until a couple days before school. >> Sure. >> But you can get But you can get a >> So then how do you decide? >> But I guess my argument there Sarah teacher >> you're not going to be off by >> It's not my job, >> you know. No, no, I know it's not your
not your monkey, not your circus right now, but >> but you're not going to be off by 20 kids. You know, you're not going to be off by 30 kids. You're I can see that fluctuating a little. And I think you could get at least a ballpark. >> I think we could get a ballpark for attendance. So, >> right. I mean, Brian said 80 80 kids,
right around 80 kids, >> but how many parents are going I mean, I'm not trying to disagree at all. >> Yes. >> It's just I don't know what sort of the sweet spot is, you know, like >> Sure. But but we'll never know if we don't look at least one. >> Yeah. And and I think I hear what you're saying like we can look at it and I
think you're right like um and like what Sarah's saying too like I really won't know exact numbers until literally till like the first problem. I'll have a round about numbers. >> Well, one of the reasons I dropped it last year and I'm sorry I just I wanted to just is I the will of the town was
not palatable to paying for kindergarten. We had more people show up to a meeting and again yelling, "Why would you charge for kindergarten?" >> Well, now we can say, "Well, because now we're looking at having one ambulance." >> We're looking at having minimal police coverage.
>> So, there might be that attitude that that appetite might have changed a little bit as all. >> Okay. No, it's fine. It's just I'm I'm saying like why I dropped it before, but I also I'm sorry. >> Yeah. No, it's cuz I'm also looking at too like students that are in special education. Um, they'd be required to come. Yeah. You're not, as I said, you're not going to get things come with
the fact. >> It's not going to be a perfect fit. >> And also too, there's also other factors too that I may not be unaware of like which kids come because we're a public school. So, we have we accept everybody. So, if a kid comes in with different expenditures for busing or whatever that may be or if I have to hire something like that, those are just things I have
to deal with like directly in the moment. So, that student gets a appropriate public education which I'm required to provide to you know, I get it. It's just that, you know, when I when I present issues that the town have to folks or they hear about it, they say, "Well, you know, why don't you guys look at charging for kindergarten?" And
I go, "I don't know." You know, I don't know. So, >> to me, it sounds like Sarah Lauren read the room and said, "I wouldn't church. Why?" Which >> Okay. I think we have one final uh famous finance committee comment. So the final comment or question I had is uh
you had discussed about uh looking at a fully regionalized school system. Uh what are the potential have you guys come up with any ballpark figures of are there any potential cost savings to the town by regionalizing the school system
in a more complete way? So Rod I can speak to that if that's okay. Mr. Chair, I'm actually the chair of the Silver Lake Regionalization Study Committee. We have brought in the Collins Center out of UMass Boston to study exactly what you're talking about. Uh there's a committee of eight of us. Jim Walters is
on myself. Anybody else here in this room? Uh no I don't think so. Um so that's exactly what we're looking at. Uh it started with the idea of hey times are tough. Can we be efficient? Can we save money? Is there a better way to do this? Right. So we're in the middle of
it. Well I I wouldn't say the middle gimm. I'd say probably the first 20% of the study right now. It will be at least at least a calendar year worth of um research worth of pulling information and data to try to see not only what
what the financial ramifications are, but if it will make us a more efficient school district. Like Lawrence says, if a if Plimpmpton has to share a position with Halifax, it just opens up a lot of opportunities. I will say be careful because when you're when you're merging
four different school departments because there's four Silver Lake and the three towns you automatically go to the highest contract >> which I believe is Plimpmpton at this point, right? So, so there will be some cost upfront. Um so it might not be that magic pill that we were all hoping it
would be but you do get bored with transportation with busing and stuff. So there's a ton of factors that will actually be reaching out to all three communities to gauge the public interest, what they like about the school, what they don't. A whole different almost like an override campaign um will be happening with the
regionalization study. So it could be an answer just not in the foreseeable future right now. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> But it is something that we're looking for trying to make changes like it's it's things we're trying to do to be more sustainable.
Okay. >> Thank you. So, >> well, I didn't have public participation on the agenda. >> You're here. >> You're here. >> It's not on the agenda. >> Um, so Stephen, there's I don't think
there's any decision that needs to be made by the finance committee at this point. No. So we're now look now it's going to be turned over to the selectman to make to make their decision as to what goes on the ballot and how. Is that correct? >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Stephen, we have a list of of um free
cash projects here, >> right? Did you provide that with capital? Yeah. >> And is there any wiggle room whatsoever on that budget with what's requested and what we have >> for 1.5?
>> Yeah. As far as the the the request you've received for free cash for capital projects, is there any left? There's no leftover. >> Oh, >> if all the if all the requested projects go through >> if three times the fund,
>> correct? >> We're going to have to prioritize the list and pick the projects. Um the capital would like to do that. >> Sure. >> The I don't want to use free cash. But if the only way we can make sure our
school is compliant is to use a this much free cash to make sure that we're under that threshold so that we're legal. That would be the only small instance I would be okay with a minimal amount of free cash on that
list. >> Then what happens next year? >> What if it's not small? >> It keeps snowballing. I know. But but I can't foresee. But what if it's not small? What if it's the full $800,000? >> Then that's what we go forward with
>> because I looked at >> if there are cuts to be made to make them before the uh >> Yeah. Like you don't wait. We did this last year. We don't wait. If this custom made, if you can cut 20 grand, if you can stop shipping on Saturdays, cut yourself
something down to one day, if you can order five less boxes of paper, that's now is the time to do it. >> I would agree. >> But I think we're for the most part, Tom. I agree. But we're almost there already at every department. There's a little bit we can Stephen can squeeze out, but but not much.
>> No, I understand that. I just I don't think we want to cuz we can't we have to vote to move the free cash. We can't vote contingent to move the free cash. We vote to move it now to fun. Is that right? To fund the operating budget, which is a redo of everything. And we move the buckets around and schools now
765, not 800 and EMS is now 7, you know, whatever. >> I'd honestly have to ask do if you're allowed to use free cash after a contingency. I don't think you can. I think you have to establish before. I think that was the whole point last >> was we had to make a judgment call ahead of time and read the and read the room and for the old room.
>> That's correct. It'd be nice if we could look back and hey, listen, we have 1.4 coming. So if the schools fail, we can make the call to fund schools or EMS fails and we can fund. No, the call is now then you put them to the vote. I think >> which makes it harder. You got to read
the road. I mean, I like your idea as a contingency, but I don't think that's available, >> right? Or if they could generate revenue with with um kindergarten, you know, >> right? Too late. And then also like that's why I asked about the 89,000. We don't know that till later.
>> Yeah, that's 64 coming back. That's again great, but we don't know that in time to budget. >> That's why free cash is capital. >> I would imagine that with I would imagine that with the appropriation of free cash since you're doing it at town meeting generally when you're raising and appropriating funds to pay for
things. Generally, it's coming out of free cash >> that you could make that an additional article, >> right, >> to add to their >> Yeah. Add. And again, when I say when I say free cash, I'm not talking I'm talking $50,000. I'm talking $100,000.
I'm talking talking a small amount if that's what it what it takes. >> Yeah. And I I just based on historical numbers of where Halifax has been in that that number. So, I've got numbers dating back to FY 2022 as what that number has been, it's gone since then.
>> Uh in FY2022, it was 6,915,659. in 2020 fiscal year 2024 7,849 fiscal year 25 was 7,969 so it makes sense that this shares up in
the 8,96 um based on what Sarah was telling me though it seems to be that 8,96,000 and then change minus whatever the town pays in for health insurance so if we are able to sit down we can probably get pretty close on what that number is
actually going to be >> right for health insurance >> for yeah >> because that counts towards total >> we take that total for the number of employees that are at the school department take health insurance from the town we total that all up subtract it from with chapter 70 monies that
should give us our NSS close closely um the only thing that I'm unsure about with NSS that I did see is the percentage of carryover that they do so if you overfund the school
department, they carry it forward the percentages >> and it gives you credit for the following years. Now, I don't know where that stands for Halifax as far as if there is any percentage of increase over cuz each year you don't fund up to that level, they chip away at it and they
keep lowering it. So, towns can fluctuate on the amount of percentage they're above the budget. So what it says is if you properly fund or you fund at a certain historical level, you can rely on what you previously funded to kind of draw down on as far as good faith, I guess.
>> Um, but if we're already at zero there, then we don't have any of that left. And again, I don't that's another number where school finance is you guys. >> Well, I mean, I I think the truth of the matter is is the math ain't math anymore. >> So, you know, that's that's that's where
we're at. And and I appreciate any effort that would go into trying to figure out what numbers will actually be, >> but I think the cost of being in error on that, whether it's 5% or 10%, would just cause us more issues down the road
uh than just saying here's the number, here's the override, this is what we're going to do. Okay. So, we'll be looking for the selectmen to put their collective minds together. Yep.
>> I don't think the finance committee has anything else. >> You sure? Any other partying words, guys? Any gals? No. >> Excellent. >> We're We're happy to We're happy to lean in and opinionate anytime you want us to. >> Appreciate it.
>> Okay. Is there a motion to adjourn the finance committee meeting? >> Is there a second? >> Okay. All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Hearing none. >> We go to tomorrow. >> Okay. >> No, not the vote for the number. The
actual number. That's why I'm hesitant. >> Right. So, we have to vote a number. >> Okay. Um, so, hey guys, hold on. We >> That's Stephen. That's not me. We still have a board of selection meeting that we have to do here and folks need to hear it because it's kind of a big it's kind of a big deal. Um, so seeing uh the
numbers and seeing um seeing how Stephen has laid it out, I will entertain a motion to go forward with a I know there's wordage here that I'm supposed to have, but I will go forward with essentially uh a $1.5 million override
um or fund. What's the funding? I'm going to need a number essentially. So, >> so you're going to have to provide with me the number that I that I will go forward with. >> So, 1.5 million. So, $1,500,000. >> I know, but it's a total It's a total budget number. I'm supposed to include
that total budget number. >> A total final budget of >> Yes. Correct. Correct. >> It's recommended right here. >> Yeah. >> Is it requested FY27 request or recommended? >> It's recommended, right? >> The recommended one total general operation >> 30
>> 3648. So the recommended is the one with cuts. >> Yeah. >> And the one that's requested would be with the override 31. >> So I'm doing this one. >> He wants to do the 31 >> 997 which puts a 1.5 million override on
the table as presented by your proposal. Is that what I'm understanding? >> Sure. >> Yep. >> So you're you're >> Okay. That's recommend. >> I know. We don't we have to have it. I thought we were voting on our our budget
number. >> Let me go get the official wording that >> Yep. Yep. Stand by. Sorry, guys. >> This is 1.5 million. >> So, I'm pretty sure that we have to vote the actual official budget number.
>> Makes sense. >> Yeah. >> What do you think? >> But it's a question of which which budget are we are we pushing forward with? >> Yeah. You guys didn't have What's that?
>> We didn't We didn't put We didn't put the gender on there. >> No, you post a meeting. >> Well, we didn't put it on there. Let me look. Okay. My email. Let's cut some cards. >> Okay.
>> We'll do it. We'll do We'll have to do it tomorrow when we close. Yeah. >> Or as may I mean as may arise. >> Should be as may arise. >> As may arise. Yeah. >> As may arise. >> Yeah.
>> I mean that's always on >> right for tonight or tomorrow. >> No, tonight is not on as there was no as may arise tonight. Tonight was the budget >> and it's and it's and to be honest it's for unforeseen. >> Correct. And that I would argue this is
not unforeseen. >> Correct. So why don't we just meet tomorrow as scheduled >> and we'll post a Thursday >> and we can vote tomorrow at the meeting to extend the warrant until >> until Thursday. Until Thursday, we previously discussed anyways. >> Y Okay.
>> Right. >> All right. So we're not taking any vote now. So I guess we're just adjourning. >> We kick in 48 hours. We'll meet tomorrow as planned. >> Post it for Thursday. Thursday. >> Yep. >> 4:00. Okay. But we need to actual
>> Yeah. tomorrow night to extend the walls, >> right? So guys together for next Monday, but a virtual meeting, >> right? So we can so we can vote on it after that. >> All right. So that's it. I will entertain a motion then to officially adjourn.
>> Damn it. Second. >> All those in favor? I opposed. Passes unanimous at >> I will. >> What time is it? >> 9:05. Oh, wow.