WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=fb7zzI3hP3w

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: fb7zzI3hP3w):
- 00:00:00: Meeting Called to Order; Approval of Past Minutes
- 00:01:17: Review of Open Warrant Items: COLA for Non-Union Employees
- 00:06:15: Article 19: Discussion of PAS Stabilization Fund
- 00:08:15: Article 20: Concerns About PAS Fund Oversight
- 00:15:26: Reconsidering Article 19: Board of Selectmen Approval
- 00:21:55: Postponing Recommendation for Articles 19 & 20
- 00:22:28: Correspondence: Halifax Housing Maintenance Contract
- 00:25:10: Public Comment 1: Proposed Motions to Amend School and Dept Wages
- 00:33:41: Public Comment 2: No Public Comments Received
- 00:33:59: Next Meeting Planning and Adjournment


Part: 1

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All right, ladies and gentlemen, it is 5:31 on the 11th of May of 2026. This is the finance committee meeting for the town of Halifax. Uh this meeting uh has been posted in accordance with the provisions of MGL30A

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section 20B and is being recorded and will be posted on area 58 community access channel. The finance committee and its chair reasonably anticipates the following matters to be discussed andor voted on at this meeting. Agenda items may be taken out of order for time management considerations. Committee

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members and present in the room. Cheryl Burke, Mike Bennett, Frank Johnston, EJ Bryan, Mike Reignetta, Rod Hemingway, and myself, Jim Walters. Uh, our first agenda item are any meeting any meeting minutes for acceptance. There have not

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been any submitted. We have a bunch in process at this point. Uh, our uh Emily, who is transcribing our minutes, has been a little bit behind the eight-ball with uh some of the other things that she's been doing, but she is on her way to catching up. So, I anticipate getting a bunch over the next couple of weeks

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and we can get those approved and posted. >> So, we will pass on that for now. The second item that we have on the agenda is a review of open warrant items. Um, so my notes show that we have three that we need to discuss or and vote on. So,

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that would be uh article one for the cola for the uh for the non-union members uh of the town. number 19 which is a PAS stabilization fund setting one up and then number 20 which is the PAS

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funding itself. Uh so anybody have anything else? Am I missing anything there or did I capture all those? >> Okay so let's take them uh take them in order. So article one is the cola for the uh uh for the town employees um who

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are not in a union. So is there any discussion on that at this point? The number of employees is not many. Correct. 10 or 12 or something. >> Yeah, it's like 10. >> Um I believe cuz technically Steve Hayward is >> two.

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>> So for the department cuz it's cemetery and highway. Um so for the department heads it is 12 or 13. >> Okay. >> Small enough number, >> right? And that total would be what?

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>> The total for the 2% was I believe Uh 18 >> 18,000 >> right under 19. Yeah. >> Well, it's going to be a two and a 1%. >> Was that the one was 18? We should verify that because there

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were two numbers. There was an $18,000 number and there was like a $20,000 number or $28,000 number. I think it was one and two%. >> Yes, there was one and two and I want to say it was 16

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>> and 18 or 16 and 19 difference >> a little remember a little more than half of the number >> cuz I did two. So, one had the elected officials removed because theirs was a

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different article technically and then the overall increase between like for mine I remember specifically two thou uh 2% was not even $1,000 increase. Um it was like8

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>> for the whole year >> and that was the general >> I might have if I get it. Would you like me to send that to you? >> Thank you. >> Well, it seems like in any case, it's a small amount of money for a small number of people,

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>> right? >> And I believe at one point in I think earlier I had asked Steve to put together a 1% number due to what we had I think two years ago where they were trying to adjust it on the show up and send us something asking us to do it.

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>> Yeah. Well, yeah. And I believe the conversation we had in our last meeting was um or at least my comments in that meeting were that because those individuals did not get an increase last year and um because of all the changes

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being made this year are going to be taxed with additional work and in some cases lose losing their support staff. Um I felt like it would be appropriate to >> last year we did get one. It was the year before that that was not >> so so two out two it would be two out of three years

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>> right >> that that doesn't change my position on but thanks >> so last year you got a co one it was 2% or 1% >> it was two >> so we're looking at 18,000 for a 2%

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would be the maximum It was a little It might have been a little more. It was definitely under 20 for everybody for >> extend policy statement authorization. >> We got 12 of 13 positions for that. That

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is correct. >> And Steve Haywood is two of those positions, right? Which is why it's 12. So >> we have a base plus two. Steve is two highway, right? Okay. >> Any other discussion?

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>> So, is there a motion to um support the 2% cola for the uh non-UN employees? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? Hearing none.

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The warrant item is recommended by the finance committee. >> It already says it in here. >> Okay. The next item that we have that we had left open till this meeting was article 19. >> Article 19 is the PAS revolving fund.

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We're still at the same dollar amount on that. >> Yep. We received all three um for that one >> for the first settlement. >> Yeah. >> And I know that there's >> three or four more settlements still pending across the country. >> Yep. So, for that first one, we did

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receive >> the three payments. >> What was the total of those three payments? >> Off the top of my head, I don't know, but it was a lot. >> Yeah, it's close to a million dollars. >> It is close to a million dollars. Yes.

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I believe one check we got was like maybe 380 somewhere around there >> and that was just one of the three >> that was the first check we got. >> Yes. >> Okay. Any other discussion on that? >> So so this is this is to set up an

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account for the funds. >> Yeah. Right. Create an account. >> Okay. Do I hear is there a motion to set up an account for the PAS settlement funds? So move >> second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed?

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>> Being none, >> we will recommend that they set. We will recommend article 19 is the funding. >> The 20 is the funding itself. Um, >> so if I recall correctly when I checked

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my notes that our question was oversight. >> Yes. And that's a big concern of mine. allowing the water department to have the full oversight of that that volume of money and funneling it toward I hate

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to say pet projects but um projects that they have control over when we know we have issues with the uh wells up at the landfill and P5 contamination and that cost us an additional 40,000 a year just in sambling

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um going against that funds for that um I just want to make sure that it's not all just controlled by water, you know, it's used in other areas that we have issues with PES with. >> Yeah. For just for clarification, Frank,

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the way 19 reads, 19 was the one that actually has that wording in it, not 20. 20 is the funding of it, but 19 we just voted on has the wording about who has the oversight, >> which is the board of water. >> You're correct. It sure does. Yeah. >> So if that was our concern, which I

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remember that being that is right on the 19 we just did vote on. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> All right. So >> So let's step back from that for a minute. So we will revisit that at this

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point. So um 19 oversight has there Lindsay can you tell us if there's been any discussion uh with the town administrator or the selectman about who's how this is going to be managed and by whom? not specifically managed.

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Obviously, I think we're going to be relying on the water department as the experts in their field, right? But this is specifically slated for or earmarked a word I don't like. >> Yeah, there is stipulations what

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>> it covers and so that is within the settlement. >> Um the conversation I to my knowledge I do not know if there was one. >> Okay. So I think I Guys, I don't know. We can make no

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recommendation here. >> Can we >> and the challenge I don't I don't know. At least I didn't read in town meeting minutes where you can apply stipulations to the articles that are out there

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could be amended on the right >> and then we can discuss our recommendation then and get our recommendation based on >> how do how do how do how do we want to do that? Do we like leave the table and huddle up somewhere? >> Yeah. >> So again, what what would it take for us

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to want to recommend it? I guess maybe we should have some sort of consensus >> here before >> so repeat what the last part we need to say. >> So someone could the article could be amended on the floor. >> Yeah. >> Right. So if it does get amended on the floor with wording that we either do or

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don't want to recommend at that point then we could huddle and >> give the town our recommendation. I'm just I'm just trying to think a lot. Sure. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> As opposed to I don't I don't think we should unrecommend it. We should take back our recommendation now because it doesn't have the wording in it.

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>> Yeah. >> Like >> if if not the board of water commissioners, >> who else if we were to want uh someone else to be able to overlook those oversees those funds, who else would be the right entity to over

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Frank get some thoughts on this? was >> well the landfill was part of the >> part of the board of health >> um >> in the problem with the water department it's about treating water it's not about monitoring wells around town associated with the landfills and other issues

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within the town that have PAS contamination and it's not going away it's going to be around it's a forever so it's going to be here for the next foreseeable 50 to 100 years or whatever and it has to be managed and the price continues continues to go up every year and it has

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been for the last seven or eight years that they since they started pushing it. And we've got one increase already of $40,000 just so we could take water samples from a closed landfill >> that has nothing to do with our drinking water supply.

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>> You know, >> Frank, what what would you expect that the funds be used for? >> Well, one to pay for the sampling at the different areas around town that we need to do that with. How much does that do you not have any? >> Well, the landfill alone is costing us

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40,000. So that's $10,000 a quarter because they have to do quarterly sampling. >> If so, is there a way that with the account you're going to put limitations on how it's used or if it's being >> written how it has to be used? It's the

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administration of the money. Let's say the landfills board of health needs money to sample cuz they increased another 15,000 or 20,000 or whatever. They got to go to the water commissioners and ask for $20,000 to sample their wells.

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>> Shouldn't that be the board of select them though? >> And or through the finance committee, >> right? So, it's if it's an approval, it wouldn't make sense to have the department that has the funds approve it. >> That's not really an approval. That's

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just them stamping their own work. It has to be outside of that entity, >> right? And the only other alternatives, even if you said us, >> it would have to go to the board of at the end of >> Yeah. And it should be really, >> you can't have the fox guard the hen

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house type thing here. And that's what we have with the water department if they've got a million dollars in their fund from the pas. And there's millions more coming to the town >> right down here, Lauren. And I understand we have to do work from PAS at the water department because that's the source of the drinking water and

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that needs to be handled. But money has just been approved for that. >> Yeah. >> I mean I would if it's written in a way that the water department is actually literally approving the funds being used >> a distribution of the funds. >> It's actually an raise an appropriate

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account which means town meeting that approves it. So >> they don't approve they don't approve us getting $20,000 to sample the wells. >> So we similar to the opioid account, right?

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>> So it would have to go to a town meeting. >> What do you mean it has to go to town? The opioid account is already set up. >> Correct. But the type of account that it is, in order to spend from it, you would have to like go to town meeting for it.

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>> Yeah. But article 19 doesn't mention anything about raise and appropriate. >> No, it does not. >> No, it doesn't. >> Article 20 does. >> Let's ask the deputy mentions appropriate, >> right? >> Not raise, but appropriate. >> Ted, you guys are using the opioid funds currently. Correct. Are you going to

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town meeting to get approval to to purchase the stuff you need for under that? >> Uh, the last time that that was brought up, we went through the board of selectment. >> Through the board of selectman, correct? >> Yes. and they approve the purchases. >> Yes. >> Yes. Right. And that's how we should have this as well. This makes sense.

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>> Last town hall meeting there was the there was an opioid. >> There was something about paying something out of >> I don't know if that was to set up the account. >> No, I don't think it was. I think it was for paying something out of it, but it would Yeah. So, it's similar to that.

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So, it would I guess be the board of selectment. >> Yeah. And that's how it should be. in this way it's written here now is not the board of select the opioid account was written as the board of select where the caretakers of the funding >> not the water department >> or the police department or the fire department

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>> so we want to we want to amend >> we want to amend article 19 to say you know pending approval of the board of select >> right >> I I yeah I just don't have faith in the water department managing that kind of money and sharing it amongst other entities within the town that need to

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utilize Okay. >> Funding as well. >> So, so first things first, >> is there a motion to reconsider our previous vote on article 19? >> So, move. >> Second. >> Is all in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Hearing none. We are

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reconsidering our vote on article 19. So, >> so I would make a motion to revise article 19 to now include that the approval is through the board of selection and not the water commissioner >> to be expended under the direction of the board of select.

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>> So, we need we'll need exact wording on the change. >> We will need exact wording on that and where where it goes in here where we would want it >> to be expended under the direction of the board of water commissioners. So that's the change that we change it from. >> So we just change it to board of select

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under the board of selection. >> Yeah. >> Under the direction of the water commissioners where the board elements >> I think be the board of select. >> Yeah. I think you you need the the water is all water department, right? So under it's under the board of water

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commissioners with the approval of the board of selective like Mike just said, I think that that gives you the control that you're looking for. >> Yeah. because you don't want >> the water board's an enterprise fund. >> They technically operate a little bit differently departments within the town, >> but they're elected officials as well.

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So you you have this >> who the board of selectmen don't have control over >> but they don't they don't have control of the board of health. They don't have control over the planning board. They don't have control over the the >> but those are departments within the

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town and appointed positions. Not not not those. I'm saying the way that you have this written where it's all water and has to do with the public water sources. That's the board of water commissioners. If we added wordage to

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talk about uh uh negative or delterious effects of PAS related to health, would that add so that would expand the wording? where the board of selecting could um expend the funds to address water or health related

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noted to water. >> Does it say >> we literally just want to change >> we want to report them >> testing their water. >> Okay. So what are we saying here?

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Okay. >> Under the direction of the board of water commissioners with the approval of the board of selectment where we're at. >> I think that gets us there. >> How does that >> I I I I don't think we can take the

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commissioners out of it completely. >> I don't think we should get their That's their thing. That's their thing. You know, I can only tell when my water's brown. >> So, >> does that really happen? >> You want to see the filter? I've got pictures of my filters.

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>> I know. I don't want >> Okay. So, article 19, is there is there a motion on the floor to approve article 19 amended to say expended under the direction of the board of water commissioners pending approval of the

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board of selective zoom or we we're I mean our vote is to recommend or not recommend. >> Yeah, that's what we're voting on. We're not we're not voting on changing the article. the article would have to do on the floor. We can do that and that's

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fine and that's the the wording that we want. But here I think we have to vote right now to say we do not recommend this. >> Correct. >> The way that but then that also that also impacts article 20, >> right? But then on the floor we need to say we'd like to amend it to say this.

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>> Yeah. They you'll get asked on the floor why we did not recommend. >> Yeah. Oh, you betcha. >> Okay. >> You betcha. So, we are now >> going to hold our recommendation. >> We're going to hold to the floor to when the articles pulled in the lottery.

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>> Yeah. >> Because then we got to make sure they're pulled. >> Yeah. >> Consecutively. >> We got to do that like we got. >> They've done that on the set of the the

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from the um government study. Yeah, we could we'll we'll talk to let's talk let's talk to B. Okay. >> So, we have to do 19 first. Whichever if 20 gets pulled, then you need to get 19 done. >> Yeah. >> Before you 19 has to go before 20 technically. Yeah.

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>> Right. So, there's nowhere to >> There's nowhere to put the money. >> Yeah. Okay. >> So, we're fine there. So, so then we need to make a motion now to not recommend exact. >> Correct. Correct. Correct. >> Okay.

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And I'll make that motion. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> Hearing none. We will not recommend article 19 unless it is amended. >> Discussions with the town and the select board can tell them why and then

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somebody can make an amendment to the article. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Cuz over the next two to three years, there's going to be several million dollars in this account. It's a big account. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. need a new truck.

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>> Okay, that's all you need. >> It took a second time to travel, didn't it? >> So, I believe those are the three articles that we left open uh until this meeting. Um >> so just real quick, so then on 20 >> we did not do anything.

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>> We haven't got a follow on stay right now. So let's um let's just do uh just for for the record >> um if 19 gets approved. Right now we are

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not recommending 19. So 20 is not recommended. >> Correct. Correct. >> Correct. >> Right. That just naturally follows. >> So if 19 gets amended on the floor, we will then recommend article 20. >> Y >> fair. Yes. >> Yes sir. Agreed.

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>> All right. >> All right. I think those are the three >> outstanding items. >> 119 and 20. >> Yep. >> Yep. >> That was it. >> All right. So, our next agenda item is

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correspondence and as may arise. Um I didn't get any emails this week. Frank, I think you got one. >> Yeah, we got one from facilities from Scott. Again, this one was regarding the Halifax housing uh maintenance contract we currently

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have. We get paid for that by the government. Then that money gets transferred to Penroke who actually does the maintenance work at the Halifax housing, which I didn't know that that was taking place. And Scott's thing is why is that? And

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two, why aren't we just having our own maintenance people keeping maintenance of that? So that's something we need to look at in the future here after >> sounds like a question for after >> a project for the summer. >> Ask that question, right? >> Can you dig into that, Lindsay?

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>> Yeah, I did text Linda and ask her and she said that she doesn't turn anything over to >> Okay. >> Scott talk. We need to talk to Scott. >> Yeah. So that will have to be >> we'll visit with Scott. >> Okay. All right. >> Yeah. Maybe like find out how it gets to

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penoke for the maintenance. >> Well, I mean, are they doing Scott said they're doing it? >> They're doing the maintenance. >> He said yes. >> How does How do they get notified of maintenance reports? >> How are they being uh how is that what's >> there? There's a ledger change there somewhere.

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>> Yeah, there is. >> But how are the two ledgers associates? >> I don't pay anybody like I don't do town of peer. So, I'm not >> sending them money for anything. I don't have anybody on payroll that's not >> right.

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>> So on that side of things and Linda said that she doesn't turn anything over and pass the driver. So >> is it a private company that's out of penroke? >> Maybe contracted through Penroke. Maybe they use a third party >> unless it's a specific vendor, >> right?

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>> Well, we'll I'll have a conversation with Scott or we'll bring him into a meeting. We'll have a conversation. I think that would be best to go to that level, Jim, instead of having sidebar meetings. Yeah. >> See what you can find out. >> Okay. Go to the source. >> Okay. Any other items we want to talk

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about while we're here? >> All right. So, we'll close out that agenda item and move up to public participation. We have some people here. Anybody would like to speak to the finance committee. >> Hello everyone. Coordinators 244 Elm Street. I will be making some motions tonight to amend the elementary school,

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Silver Lake, and fire, police, uh, council on aging in youth and wreck wages. >> Okay. >> For both schools. >> Yes. >> And the funding sources are what?

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>> So, I have the elementary. I'm going to move to uh 7,732 7781. Um,

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so if you go to that amount and you use the offset from what the elementary school voted, um, I need to find an additional, uh, 44,000 from an update from chapter

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70, uh, $200,000 because the number for the civil lake assessment is, uh, off in the budget, >> right? and I confirmed that um this past week. Um and $175,000

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from stabilization to go towards Silver Lake because they're taking the money and putting it into their stabilization account. >> So why aren't the schools making these changes? >> I don't know. I don't know why they're not. Um,

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>> so I understand Silverlake is a um the error is they added their debt exclusion into their their assessment number and then added the assessment the debt exclusion in a second time. >> It's close, >> right? So it's like Yeah. But it's still like $200,000, right?

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So I would I would imagine that the Silver Lake school who or whoever is the representative for Halifax that that on the school committee would make that because that's their error, not ours. We're working off the numbers they give us, right? Same thing for the elementary

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school. I would expect Lauren Lu or someone from the school committee to make that change because that's their error, not ours. So, I I I don't believe that they think it's an error. I think that they believe it's a it's an issue with net school spending.

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And they are saying that the school >> line should have $8.1 million and they don't want to give any any credit to the the benefits and all the other expenses that the town is paying on the town side

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towards that. So that fight has led to them giving layoff notices to 10 employees which I think from my perspect perspective >> irrational >> is a mistake >> right >> so >> what's a mistake either the number or

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the layoffs >> the idea that the town is not funding the school the net school funding that I believe that that's a mistake and that mistake and this argument and this non-communication or non-aggree agreement has led to a position that's

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unattainable for the school. >> And that came up at that that point came up at the last meeting that we had as a group that the Steve I think walked through it all. He went through the offsets to get from the 8.1 down to the 6.9 or whatever it was. >> So I don't know why it's still a

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>> still a debate, >> right? >> That's what they voted. They had voted before they committee voted 8.1 or8,175,000 in change. >> Right. >> Um >> Right. But the the variance that we're

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talking about right now with Gordon is on the record. >> No, no, I understand that. I've seen I've seen the numbers. I and I've been a party to all the emails back and forth between >> between the school and the town. Um and again it's my opinion that they

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either you know they have made an error in their in their I I don't want to say that an addition error but they you know the way they have evaluated the offsets the chapter 70 money you know that's changed it's still subject to change cuz the state budget isn't through the

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committee conference yet so that that's not even final. I mean, it's made it through four stages, but now it's got one more to go. So, it still hasn't been stamped. And uh you know, >> that doesn't change the fact >> that doesn't change the fact that we that Lindsay's time and the town's time

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doing things for the school needs to be accounted in how that how that budget is offset. >> So, I mean, Gordon, that's it's certainly you're right to get up and make those changes. No one's telling you you can't. I just personally think the

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school needs to be accountable here. Um, I I don't disagree with the process and and the argument and and the communication. My feeling is that it's a mistake to cut this many people and and have classrooms

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with over 30 students. So, that's the only thing that I care about. That's why I'm making this motion. >> Yeah. >> Um, that that's where I am. >> Yeah. And the the issue for me is it's a it's a it's a recurring issue every year. Yeah, if this was something where we see progress and you know there's

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improvements year over year at a slow pace even I would say we're even regressing in some in some capacity >> and that's the issue that I have with letting them off the hook so to speak by saying you know we're going to move things around and take them free cash or whatever we're going to do to make it

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work but there there's no effort to meet halfway so there's there's no improvement coming based on the way that things are working right now and so that means next year we're going to be sitting here having the same conversation figuring out how are we going to pull from other aspects of the town

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>> in order to fix the issues that are being created by non-communication and things like that at the school level. >> And I don't disagree. I think the argument should have taken place last year between the elementary school and Silver Lake because when we went through

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that rebalancing there was an agreement that Silver Lake would cut so that the elementary school would be refunded that circuit breaker funding that they dumped into the budget. >> That didn't happen. >> So we're left with this and we never had the net school spending issue before

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because all of the special ed department was within the elementary school. So we were millions of dollars at above net school spending. Now you see millions of dollars ahead in Silver Lake but not in the elementary school. >> Yeah.

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>> Yep. And the only other line um the fire department I am going to move that from free cash and I think it's mistake not to fund that so that you don't have the ambulance and they don't have all the revenue coming through for local receipts

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>> because if you cut the ambulance you're going to have to cut the local receipt again that's you you're certainly welcome to make those motions over and the the the town is the legislative body that votes on that. So, you know, um

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you know, my I guess I think public safety should come before the schools, right? If we're going to fund anything, we should fund both police and fire because that's, you know, that's the service that's utilized by 100% of the people here where you only have, you

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know, 20% of the people leveraging the elementary school. >> I I don't disagree with you, >> but the way the state constitution's written, >> education is a constitutional right. Police protection and fire is not a constitutional right.

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You have to like we can be sued as a town for not providing the education that they're required to get. You can't be sued as a town for the police not responding. >> Right. Until your wife is being assaulted and she's dead by the time

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>> you can't you can't sue the state. You >> can. No, >> I don't know about that. But anyway, okay. Again, it's your right to do that. Okay. So, I appreciate the heads up. Thanks for letting us know. Uh Chief Benner, you have any comments or anything for us? >> Good to go.

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>> Okay. Thank you, sir. Uh any other public participation? Any other comments or discussion items? >> Okay. >> You going to say something? >> Well, I'll just wait to see where you're going next. >> Next meeting planning.

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>> Next meeting planning. I can I'm going to put something on our calendars for next Monday. >> Okay. be a virtual call just to kind of recap what happens this week and anything that comes up after the meeting. >> Saturday is going to >> Saturday election day. Yeah. It's going to impact that also.

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>> Um >> we're going to do remote, Jim. >> Yeah, we're going to do remote >> 6 p.m. >> Yes, sir. >> On the 18th. >> Yep. >> At 6 p.m. Yeah. Roger that, >> sir.

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>> Okay. If there's nothing else, will you uh the next motion would do I hear a motion to adjourn to town meeting? >> Motion to adjourn. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Okay. >> Thank you all for your hard work, everybody.