Good evening everybody. Let's do a roll call to establish quorum. So why don't we just start at one end of the table and say your name and we'll uh go from there. >> Joe Ali present. >> Richard Keys present. >> Frank Piscy present. >> Erica Jacobson present.
>> Amy Crouch present. >> Steve Kenny present. We have quorum. We are good. So, we will call the meeting to order at 7:04. Um, I know that um Vanessa is unable to
attend due to a work meeting in Boston tonight. So, let's uh first thing up is we've got two meetings to approve minutes from. There's one from February
and one from Septe um October. >> Yeah, we got kind of off in November. We didn't approve it. So, it's back. So, now we can now we can post it. Um, I have no objections to the February one
because I was not here. So, Any edits? >> No. >> All right. >> Motion to approve. >> Motion to approve. Both. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Okay. Um, next up, public comment.
to receive oral communications from members of the public. Members of the public may address the finance committee for up to three minutes. The finance committee under the same as general laws will not engage in topics raised during public comment but may choose to add the topic to a future agenda. This agenda
segment will be limited to 15 minutes. Seeing no members of the public, we don't have any public comment. I will also share that we have not received any written or email communication since the last meeting. I did was made aware that there was a public records request for
our meeting minutes and I did all of our meeting minutes that are approved are on the website. So we clarified that and now we will get these two posted tomorrow. So that is where we are for public comment. Uh Tracy town administrators
report. >> All right. It's all about budget. Uh most of the last couple months have been spent um trying to find some balance. So, you know, it's always about that, right?
Balance between what services the residents want, uh what we're able to fund with existing tax revenues, uh balance between how overrides may impact the annual tax burden and what residents might be willing to pay. balance between
funding education adequately and municipal operations. Um this year I have to say in the 15 years I've been here this has been the most difficult um budget that we've faced and there are so many challenges. We are wrangling
with declining residential property growth. um you know where we used to see between 250 and 500,000 in residential growth last couple years it's been around 70,000. So the decline is pretty
significant. There is you know there is some subdivision growth on the horizon. So that's good. But for right now it's it's making things difficult. Um rising health care costs, increasing material and supply costs. I'm sure you're all
seeing these things at home where um we've got increasing lease payments. Um more and more requests for additional personnel. Um the police and fire departments public
safety in particular providing competitive wages has been a priority because what has happened and I'm sure you've heard me say it before is we are indeed a trading ground. Um, Newbury has excellent training for
public safety officials and our surrounding communities are benefiting from it because they're here for a couple of years and then they move on um to communities with higher paying wages. Uh again, the new growth only about 70,000
in residential construction. overall growth in the aggregate um is about $950,000. That includes, you know, excise taxes. We've got we're doing uh short-term rentals now. We've we're bringing the
PEG revenues inhouse as a general operating revenue, interest earnings, all those to departmental receipts, things like that. Um but the bottom line is that the cost increases are just outpacing the revenue growth right now.
>> Tracy, the rental um the rental charges were those based on property taxes, size of homes, cost of home, or was it just one the fee that the town was charging >> for short-term rentals?
>> Yes. So, right now the fee is just a flat fee for for processing. So, if you have a short-term rental, you just have an application fee. But, we'll be going, you'll see um once the warrant's complete for the 24th, the meeting on
the 24th, you'll see um the town's got a proposal for lodging tax. So, a local um tax for people who operate the short-term rentals like the Airbnbs or Verbos, whatever they call. >> Is that going to be a set fee will or
will that be a float? >> That'll be a percentage. >> That'll be a percentage of the revenues that come in. Yes. Yes. >> How is lodging tax levied for >> I'm sorry. >> How is lodging tax levied for actual lodging establishments already?
>> Um, it's not. We don't have it. We don't have it at all. >> We don't have a local tax for that right now. That's that's one of the things we're doing because it's been so difficult to control our expenses be because of the cost, the rising cost,
we've had to look at the revenue side. >> I thought the state mandated that. No, >> no. >> No, it's an option. It's a local option. >> So, this would be our opportunity to opt in and I think it's around 6% of the revenues. up to six.
>> So the state sets the number. You just decide whether or not to opt in, >> right? >> Do you rest on what it might? >> We do not. So what we're trying to do right now, um the the building inspectional services department has been engaged for about the last 3
months. We have a listing from the state of, you know, we've been given a list that's supposed to have all of the the short-term rentals on it. But what's happening is we're having to um confirm those properties. So, we sent out
letters to everyone on the list and a lot of them came back to us as undeliverable. So, we had to kind of search, you know, people have moved, changed owners. So, we're trying to create a a really solid list. Um, a lot of people will call and say, you know,
we we did that, we don't do that anymore, or, you know, um, and then what happens is once they they've got the list together, they've already started doing the inspections. They have to go out and do the the building inspector and the fire department have to actually go out and do physical inspections.
That's part of the application process. uh board of health signs off, treasur collector's office has to sign off um that they're in good standing, uh then the permit will be issued at that point in time. So, so right now the focus is getting a good list.
>> Does the fee cover those expenses? >> Pretty much not completely. >> What are we doing? >> Can we can we can we increase that flat fee? are well what we tried >> this would be our job to say like now that we've got a year under our belt.
>> So this is the beginning and what we did was we made our feet consistent with Newberry Port because they're all on the island um and that could be a problem. So we thought that was a good place to start and then we'll do some analysis and see exactly what it cost and it's
definitely going to cost us more to get it up and running this first year. But once the list is good, I I think the process will move a lot more smoothly. >> Yeah. Regardless of whatever that cost is, they're going to pass it on to the renter anyway. >> Of course. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yes.
>> We're going to bring back that fire hydrant money. So, we should probably not use point as the borrower. We should probably jump that number. >> The fire hydrant. >> Yeah. Yeah. That's for sure. >> That would be something if we raise that fee, Newberry Port would follow suit.
Frank's writing >> perhaps. >> I don't understand how any of this is genuinely enforceable. The fee short. >> What are you going to do? You going to scan Airbnb listings? You going to >> No. No. We don't scan AirB. We get the
list from the state from the income taxes, from the property taxes, >> right? But how people do you think actually show up on the rolls? >> We'll let you know. Well, >> we we have a list right now of about 176.
>> Yeah. >> So, you know, whether that >> most people that have ever have ever essentially rented their place up. >> Yeah. So, I mean, we're we're we're trying to exhaust every possibility of
raising revenue. It may be marginal, you know, maybe just 50 grand. I don't know. Um, but >> the stakes are high to fly under that radar. That's why I asked, right? I mean, because then you got to report to your insurer. Then you got to, you know, you've got the fee, you've got the tax,
you've got your insurer, you've got a whole different liability, >> um, >> it's not something that I would be interested in. >> No, >> I don't think they command those kind of rentals to to to really accommodate all of that, you know, in terms of the
numbers. you do go through when you've got nothing to do and start looking at the nightly prices on Plum Island. >> Surprising especially in the summer >> and then it's it's weekly also. I know that the house
>> on our you know the beach house right next to us. It's a 4th of July was a double >> for that week. Mhm. >> Did you mention Tracy, does Newbury Court already charge a lodging tax? >> I don't know if they have a lodging tax.
I think I think they're a couple years ahead of us. So, my guess is they probably do. I'm guessing they also had more. >> There's more properties that are lodging as well. Like they do have some that are like ins and everything like that as well. It's not just the short-term rentals,
>> right? It's not just >> right. It's not just Plum Island. That's the like Garrison in and the >> Essex >> Essex Street and yeah some other smaller ones but >> combined state and local for new reports 11.7%. So that means if the state's getting six points then they got another
5.7 on top. >> Yep. So, um, yeah. So, this year some of the the significant cost drivers, if you will, is, um, you probably remember hearing
about the safer grant. So, that was a federal grant that the town received that allowed us to hire two additional full-time firefighters. Um, it was it's a great program. It helps you get started. um they will pay
the cost of all of the wages and benefits for the first three years and then lo and behold at the end of the third year school 2027 you pick up the cost of those those firefighters. So that's about $115,000 hit to our
operating budget. Um >> plus bennies or is that includ? Yeah. No, we paid off. >> Um >> so what do you guys calculate bennies? Another 30 points. >> Uh 25 >> 25 >> 24 25. Yep. Yep. Yep. Um so Newbury
received about a little over $2 million in ARPA funds after co uh we enjoyed it. We did a lot with it. Um one of the things that we used it for was paying for the least lease expense of the Council on Aging Senior Center downstairs.
Um, in fiscal year 2027, that will be coming to an end and the town will pick up half of the cost, which is about $47,000. And then in 2028, we'll be paying the whole cost. Yeah. Of the lease, which
escalates about 3% annually. Um, public safety increases are up over 8% this year. education funding is up about 600 a little over 690,000.
>> That's between the three >> the three the three schools. Um insurance premiums are up 6.3% and benefits as a whole are increasing 5.5. So, you know, we went through some of
these conversations at the select board level and I asked for a little bit of guidance and direction in terms of whether they wanted to see another override proposal or if consideration would be given to
using one-time revenues to bridge the budget gap. No, I I know what you're all gonna say. >> So, the the gap this year was smaller. Um we made a lot of reductions and um people were very reasonable. So, the gap
this year was about 250,000. And as you may recall last year, um the residents did vote to reclassify our PEG funds from a special revenue fund to a general operating fund revenue. The
balance in that account at the time was 1.196 million. Um, and that was closed out at the end of fiscal year 2025. So that money >> went to free cash.
>> Went to free cash. Um, so the plan now would be to use this. The budget proposal that you'll have for the 24th will include utilizing $250,000 from free cash. Um I know it is in
direct conflict with our financial management policies. I know it is not a best practice. Um but it seems to make a little bit more sense. you know, select board chair Deo reminded us um of our r
part of our rationale as we discussed the PEG funds was, you know, perhaps it could help us um with education funding over the next couple of of years. Um but I will say, I mean, I know everybody
here knows this is kicking it down kicking the can down the road. It's a short-term stop cap kind of to fund a year, maybe another year if we want to do it. We've we've got that million
dollars there. Um, but at some point, you do have to have the operating budget capacity to pay for it. Like I said, we have some subdivision growth on the horizon, but even with that new growth, that assumes
that everything else would stay level, and we all know it's not going to. >> So, we're going to be every time, you know, every time we use a one-time reserve to bridge that gap, we're going to be kind of making the hit later bigger. Mhm.
>> Um >> but it's an opportunity and I think even Raleigh is talking about doing that for this year because >> yeah, they're pretty much decided already. They're Yeah, from the conversation, the tone of the conversation at the DCC meeting, they are pretty much like we're pulling from
free cash. Um I think they may have Alicia said that she thought they had done it in the past too. >> Okay. >> With some other times. >> Y part of it was last year. Yeah, I think they did some of it last year. So, okay. So, I think we um
>> and question on that. Will that be a separate line item? Is that a separate warrant? >> It's not going to be a separate warrant. What you'll see in the the I think it's typically article 4, our omnibus budget. M
>> we we list out the departmental functions how much the budget is and part of it comes from betterments part of it comes from raise and appropriate and then you'd see the 250,000 coming from cash so we would in the motion would would spell out where it's coming
from >> but I think we just have to be very clear people need to understand what's happening here >> right >> um is there any other article like this probably says is that I know that one of the things we said was that we could
decide what to do with the peg going forward. Is there any um >> No, it just sits in free cash. >> It's just going to sit in free cash until the townless and there's no motion on the floor this year to put that money
aside into education. Like I'm wondering if there's like it will give us money into the general fund so it can benefit the whole town. >> Mhm. >> But
I I don't think um No, answering your question. No, it hasn't been segregated and I don't know that the board wanted to do something like that. I think it just it it was it wasn't a commitment that it will all be used for education
funding, but part of the discussion in the conversation was, you know, this might be an opportunity for us to get through a couple of years if we need to tap into it. But, um, no, there hasn't been any conversation about segregating it separately. Um,
>> and if we didn't do it using free cash, it would be a 250 override, >> correct? To the voters. Correct. Um and you know the indications from the school administration are that we're going to see these
increases at this level probably for the um for the future. So you're going to be faced with a situation where unless you have some significant growth, you know, major subdivisions
or um some new revenue stream that none of us have thought of yet. >> Any ideas? I welcome them. Um I think it's >> Yeah, I know. One of the line items that sends out to me is we are spending um
$350,000 to lease space every year. That's the operating budget. That's the that's the trickle down effect of of we have money in reserve to go again to use towards a town hall project. If we could actually pass a town hall project, we would free up our operating budget.
>> That's correct. I was thinking that when you were talking about the council on aging and their lease because I mean you've got this got that >> fire station >> fire station I mean there's >> a world of opportunity
>> there's opportunity is a nice word but we talked about >> I see landmines surrounded by landmines >> we talked about it at the capital planning committee meeting at the last meeting. Um, Chairman Jperson is going
to be actually going to the select board meeting to talk about it and basically say now's the time. We've we've got to address this. The this council on aging, the ad hoc committee did put together a really nice um proposal for
basically their their space needs and kind of next steps. And you'll see on the warrant that there'll be an article for um feasibility and conceptual design for that. And what was once considered,
you know, at 25 high road, I think the thought was that that would be our civic remain our civic center complex for lack of a better term. Um but I don't know that people are that committed to that location anymore. We
do have a 5 acre parcel over here by the library and consideration is now being given to that. Maybe we put the town hall and the senior center over on that location. Um so the conversation's definitely gearing up again. I think
you'll hear more about it. But but you're absolutely right, Erica, at that level. Now you're getting to almost what would be a debt service payment on a 20 25y year bond for um a building project. So >> interest rates are not exactly at a
great spot right now. So once again that $12 million you could have spent 10 years ago, we would have already been halfway through it. >> But I don't I don't I think that I think that if you're going to if you're going to talk about stop gaps Yeah. in one breath
>> and and just when you know maybe we could go over here that that in my experience is 8 years before you stick a shovel in the ground when you're talking about oh we could do this. If you want to talk about stop gaps then talk about stop gaps from
a capital expenditure standpoint right talk about stop gaps from a capital asset standpoint. Mhm. >> We got a building that I don't believe the refurb numbers need to be as high as they are where the councilization could go on High Street. You know, that could
happen. That building needs to be cleaned up. But realistically, if the complex potentially would go behind it, like it's time to stop gap on these big capital projects that we have right now.
>> It's all we have left. It's it's it's facilities facilities facilities, right? Our equipment's in good shape. We've got great asset replacement. >> We can never agree on anything big. So, if you want to do it small, do a bunch of little small things. Boom. Council on aging. Boom. Fix up the firehouse. Do
whatever you got to do. >> Fine. It is what it is because no one will ever and I was not in favor of the last town hall project per se. I thought it was too big and too whatever. I just I just I didn't think it would pass. And um but
it's time to stop bleeding, the right toal bleeding. And you know, we're already engaging in things that we quote unquote are in direct conflict with our fiscal management. It is not good policy if we're already on that road. >> Agree. >> Yeah.
>> It's time to stop messing around. We're kind of circling back to and not to the same degree, but we're we're going down the path getting us back to where we were in 2009, 2010, you know. Um >> and yeah, that's not the direction you
want to go in. But um but you know, I don't know what the appetite is for overrides year after year. So >> I I don't think there is one. >> No. And but I but I think in terms of like hope which >> not a plan >> I don't believe in it's not a plan.
>> Hope is not a >> and over revenue growth. It's not going to happen and there's there is zero reason to think it will. >> No. >> If anything I think we'll see excises drop. I think we'll see uh I think we'll see >> any sort of uh thing that's contingent upon consumer spending slow.
>> Mhm. >> And realistically these numbers will go down. >> We're already seeing it, right? um that that report, the MMA's uh perfect storm report, >> everything in there is exact. I mean, I guess maybe there's some comfort in the
fact that it's not just us, but everything in there is coming to fruition. And our indicators, our our projections, everything we we were talking about this three years ago, right? We we saw this coming. It's not a surprise to any >> We haven't even allotted for for a correction in home prices, right? Our
home values have skyrocketed, >> right? And all it would take is a is a reasonable correction. Doesn't take a 2008 reasonable correction >> and boom, your revenue is down because everyone will be in here saying, "You got to be valued way too high." >> Right. Right.
>> Um Yeah. I I don't I mean, >> we haven't seen it yet, Frank. No. Our our numbers are our marketing is very strong. >> Give it time. Give it time. I just don't >> sitt >> um I just don't see things continue to
have and I don't and I don't think I think the idea of bone overright when you haven't made significant cuts. I think people need to see cuts, see what cuts look like, shuddered to think that's the schools, but elsewhere say, you know, what do you want us to cut?
You want us to not have cops on overnight? You know, do you want us to you want us to get rid of the full-time fire people we've put on? They're pretty expensive. 115 plus another 25 points. >> Yeah. >> That's by the way like being given a free horse. Like that's >> of course ridiculous, right? It's like a
free bike. But I will say it's something that has been on their agenda for like 12 years to get the staff in. So it's not like it was oh free money we'll take it. It was very planned and structured to do it. >> But it is it's it's just like a free
horse needs to eat. >> Um >> about it. >> So no I don't I don't I don't think any of this is >> No. And we talked about that too at the select board meeting. So there are all sorts of schools of thought. Um back in
I think 2010 or somewhere around there the at the finance committee recommendation in consultation with the select board when cuts had to be made it was a okay we'll do it across the board everyone gets cut 25%. Well, that was
catastrophic to public safety and I mean it was just I wouldn't recommend you take that approach. But the alternative approach what you would see from you know recommendations for best practices from finance offices, associations and
things like that are okay your non-essential services go first, right? Um, well, yeah, that sounds great until you start talking about, okay, we close your library and your council on aging
can be shuttered and your recreational program goes away and then all the lobbying starts. So, it's really it's really hard because different parts of your community use different public services, right?
>> But lobbying brings involvement. I mean, look, we got we got 28 to 32% voter turnout half the time, right? >> I know. >> So, all of a sudden, these, you know, >> part-time lobbyists come out of the woodwork. I mean, maybe the maybe the voter numbers go up and then maybe >> you start to think about, well, what is
the value we're going to override? >> Yeah. Yep. >> Because right now we have our demographics just don't support, you know, >> we got to take care of schools. All right. We are counters. We got a lot of them. Right. >> Right. >> It's hard to sell that. You're not going to sell it year after year after year.
>> I agree. >> So unless there are cuts happening to things that people notice, >> which which things are those like what would suggest, >> right? That's what I'm Yeah. >> And and we're, you know, we're operating
on budgets that expense budgets really don't increase. >> Yeah. >> Each year, you know, for the most part they stay level. >> No, it's but but it's unfortunately it's the same thing that everybody's experiencing at home. six and a half points on healthcare. Oh jeez, six and a half points is not too bad on healthcare because everybody else spent 11 points more.
>> We had great experience and we did plan design changes. So we're, you know, we're trying to do what's within >> our um control >> and the plans get worse. I mean I >> Oh yeah, >> my out of pocket medical expenses, you know, my wife is a teacher and it's like
>> we can afford this. It's like what happens when you can't $8,000 deductible might as well be 8 million for a lot of people who are on those plans. It's not going to get paid. It's not going to happen. >> It's true. >> Um and those, you know, used to be Cadillac benefits.
>> They're not anymore. >> But I I I don't know anyone who does that anymore. >> No. Um, so I I I don't, you know, I think this is a lot more I think this the entirety of the situation is a lot more dire than people
are willing to give it credit for. And I think it teeters on the edge of being a disaster in the event of some >> economic downturn. >> It doesn't take a black swan event, you know, it takes it takes correction home prices, >> you know, for a couple years. It takes >> whatever it is problem.
>> Yeah, I wouldn't argue with that. Great. >> Yeah. >> I mean, I I think Yeah, they um >> Yeah, I got I don't think I I don't know what the
appetite is for an override. Um but I'm kind of stuck and this is me. I'm kind of stuck on this veiling of we only get we only get people who don't come to town meeting to come to town meeting when education's on the when it's an education override
the rest of the time a large number of that contingent take it in the I got to put kids to bed we have soccer we have basketball we've got you know the baseball games run that constituency
I wish there was a way to get them there all these all all the time because the school's budget is they made a lot of drastic cuts to get us to that number and we're going to be like okay we can afford it this year but
next year we're definitely not and it's not going to go up by 4% next year it's going to go up by 10% next year again and that's before we know what it's going to do to us at the you know so I don't love the idea of pulling from free cash I mean I feel
So, I I don't know. I don't have that's not my official recommendation. I mean, I can't wait to I'm looking forward to talking to the select board at our joint meeting to really kind of talk about this and we have a while. We don't actually vote on our recommendations until April 21st.
And maybe there's a, you know, usually we are pretty much of a united front on most of these, but I can see this being one that it's that's going to be hard. It's going to be hard to vote to use something that we've said don't do it. And when we
did do it years ago, it got us in a lot of trouble over time. So, I just like I said, I have a lot of lot of thoughts swirling there. >> I think we all feel the same way about it. Stock gaps in general are used when
there is a better than reasonable expectation that your revenue portrait is about to change >> and there can be no reasonable expectation that we talk about subdivision growth. I
mean >> one you know I said this I said this before with the with the MBTA thing right? >> One child wipes out four units. One child in the school wipes out four units of taxes at at the very minimum. Very minimum. >> Right. Cost cost to educate one child
per four units at the very least. Maybe six or two kids in one unit. 12 12 units of 12 units of uh growth gone. >> So I I don't I mean subdivision growth.
>> Just don't think there's any. >> There's any reality to it. >> That's a good question. Um if we don't agree on pulling from free cash that then override correct. >> No I mean really the decision to do
override or pull from free cash really lies in the hands of the select board and the warrant articles and what you know and they really are the ones that will >> they'll make that final decision. We don't have to vote.
We like we don't have to we can all make our own decisions on that whether it comes to that article whether or not we support it and we can but then that means a budget may not pass a town meeting if they see that division but again it
might just be the time to at the joint meeting I think it's a good time for us to kind of talk about it pretty freely. Um, and that's the meeting that's going to happen on March 24th when we do a joint like when we kind of think about our next upcoming readings. We because we want to make sure we know the whole
warrant before we vote. So, we talk Tracy usually brings it, you know, to that meeting on the 24th. We all go through it together. We all ask questions at the same time. We try to like get as much information as possible. And then then on the 7th, what
we would do is that our group would meet. We could go through the warrant and discuss things. We don't vote on it, but we can just kind of like ask more questions of Tracy, kind of think about what we know from capital planning or DCC. And then it's after the select board
signs the warrants, once that's in final, then we do a vote the following week where we go through our ration and we can disagree. We've disagreed before and we can say things like the finance committee vote was, you know, four in favor, three opposed, zero abstain. and
it's okay. >> So, but yeah, the the decision about the an override really does live like that decision lives in the select board. And it's probably a reasonable
expectation that if if we have an educated populace that understands that the difference between the difference between these override voters under an override or pulling from precash, then realistically I would expect that would sound the death nail
for the override because >> right you have another opportunity. >> There's money that's not doing anything for me, >> right? >> And otherwise I got to reach my wallet. >> Yeah. kind of seems like a no-brainer. Um question is do you probably put it out
there under those oices or do you say the override for when there is no offer cash? So the negotiations with the teachers union they got to finalize that. >> That's right. That's right for next year.
>> It's like the difference between a level services budget was it 4.2 million for the schools. and they brought that down to an adjusted reduction of 26.7 full-time equivalents
as well as other things. >> So it they the the place that's getting cut is like that's like if they had come to us with that 4.2 million there would be no question then there was free cash is not an option. It's override, >> right? >> It's 100% override.
>> Yeah. or deep cuts to our budget and an override. >> It's just how big of an override >> is only the pool of money is. >> So we still we still
use our 50/50 revenue sharing model if you will, >> right? >> Um very simple, but >> we try to maintain education funding at at least 50% of our operating budget. where I was just going to ask you where are we now?
>> We're just about 51% education funding >> um with this budget proposal. >> It's neither here nor there, but I could I could easily anticipate, you know, Gene always used to talk about we used to be at 71 points. We used to be at 71 72 points. >> That was all before Prop 2 and a half.
>> I understand. I understand. But since we're since we're practically living in the 70s right now anyway, u it would not surprise me that revenue trajectories being what they are and ultimately you eventually reach a
rock bottom with schools where it's just like look it >> you know >> that ultimately our percentage expenditure towards schools is a much more substantial percentage. Well, I mean, >> operating budget, >> those are decisions that the community
needs to make. The select board in consultation with you guys, you can make those percentages anything that you want them to be. Um but comes obviously um with consequences and yep >> you know when when we started we had
roadways that were a mess and we had equipment that didn't work and you didn't have firefighters and so >> back to balance right >> what that balance is whether it's 5050
or you know I don't I can't weigh in on that but Um, I do kind of love the fact that you come off the nice road and it says welcome to Newberry Port. We're in Scotland Road and the road becomes likeum and then you go down Parker and right at where it
goes fromum to nice road it's welcome to Newberry. >> We got the sign up there. >> Like I laughed at that sign. I was like that is awesome. >> Yeah. And those those were things that were priorities for that board. Right. So, the select board set their goals and
priorities and >> reinstating public safety was a priority and road improvements was a priority and and we've worked really hard to do that, but we had the 50/50 model to allow us to do that. >> Um,
>> everything goes in cycles >> 100%. >> Yeah. So, like looking rightal in >> our adult lifetimes. Yes. >> Yeah. like our total assessment looking at the tenative budget which I think they vote tomorrow night on whether or not this is going to be the budget they put forward. >> They're going to vote next week.
>> Oh, they're going to vote next week. >> Next week. So last night um they made a recommendation since the medical was down a little bit they could add in >> the u >> music teacher >> music teacher and and like 6 or point4 of another
>> person. So that was the recommendation and then committee was yes that's what we want to do. So they're going to vote on it next I think next Wednesday next meeting. >> So >> we should know. >> Yeah. So the total assessment increase for Newberry is $680,820.
And if we took roughly the 50% of our new growth number which is 475 so half of that we're short 200,000. So that's, you know, the, you know, that's where our, you know, our model
is lacking, but it's what we've kind of held to. >> Um, >> did that pay account go up from the 1.2? >> I'm sorry. >> Did that pay account go up with Did the pay account >> the pay I mean it moved into free cash. We get about 70k a year.
>> Um, no, about 130. >> 130. >> Yep. >> But it's that's declining too, >> you know. I think people are choosing >> but in theory if they were still segregated you'd have roughly 1.14 or 1.33 >> 1.3 >> in the out of pay dollars. >> Yeah.
>> I don't think it's a terrible idea. I think I think some people voted on moving it to moving it to general under the opaces of >> thinking it would be used for and I none of that was ever clearly defined. I understand that but I I do think that was the general sentence. I
and I think chairman and de mayor brought that up because of that wants to honor that commitment and you know if this is an opportunity where it's not a yeah significant amount >> still got over a million worth of pe money
>> if you had to kick in so >> to cover us for a couple more years. Yeah, because of the like basically if we think about it at the I'm looking back here for the certification of free cash at 3 point uh 2 million. If 1.96 of that came from
PEG, then that's where >> Yep, that's exactly right. >> Yeah, it was 2.5 million the previous year. So, >> so it can get us through a few budget cycles for sure, but at some point it will be a reckoning.
You're scratching numbers on the wall there, aren't you? You're like a short time doing the Shaw Shank thing. So, we're >> I um I made in the last uh the last page of the agendas, there's this kind of
this town meeting prep schedule that I don't I apparently I found this in my records that I apparently started doing this two years ago and it seems to be helpful. It kind of got kind of lays out like what meetings we do what at um for everybody to know and I think um it
helps us I think the yeah, there's one on here for the 28th which is tenative. There is a chance I will not be in town for that. So, we might be able to get this done at the 21st depending on how we work this through. But,
um, once we see the warrant, then can think about what the presentation will look like and how that gets put together. any other um previews of the warrant that we should know about at this point or are we just waiting for the 24th? I think we should probably best to wait
till the 24th and not >> I can if if it's completed before then I can email it um for sure but um there phase two of the zoning bylaw is voluminous.
So, um, don't panic when you see the size of, um, we've got we got got the conceptual design. That's probably going to be >> um,
I don't want to say controversial, but of interest is a better way to say it. >> Yeah. >> Um, everything else is pretty standard. our revolving account appropriations. Um, we've got a six or seven per uh
capital purchases, vehicles, um, software renovations, the Morgan A Fire Station renovations, the architectural work that we had commissioned, it's
about $611,000, and we're getting push back on that. But it's like, guys, if you don't want to build a new building, we >> one or the other, right? >> It's one or the other. So, um, we can't keep we can't wait any longer. It's like
you said, Frank, we got to move it. Um, what else do we have? That's big ma emergency management response vehicle. That's really it. Nothing.
nothing else significant. So, as town meetings go, could be could be, you know, you know, it's bad when your kid asks to when's town meeting. Okay. Yeah, I'll still be in town. I can be here for it. And she's not a voting age yet, but she
just likes to come now. >> That's what happens when you bring them from the time that they're before they can go to school. Um, so, um, dcc update. Do you want to give a >> Sure, I'll give a and you can add in.
So, we had great representation from the new contingent. We had Bill Deo, Alicia Greco. We had U Leslie Matthews, Patrick Hefernon. We had our chair of our finance committee, Vanessa, and myself.
So on the agenda was our state senator, Senator Tar, Representative Casner, and Representative Shan who oversees Salsbury. And so we got to ask them questions. They did a little present, you know, talked about what they were doing.
Basically, uh, we're not getting any money. The bottom line is, yeah, we're not getting any more money. It'll be >> Yes. >> Yeah. It'll be three years of looking at something before there might be a change to the, you know, chapter 70 funding.
So, >> they'll come up with a new blue ribbon committee to uh they're gathering information and we're all going 85% of the school districts in the state are in the same boat. So, what how much more information do you need? >> They need to build the coalition that
would reimburse public transport uh transportation at 100%. He's like, "I get up every year and I make the motion and it doesn't go through." And I'm like, "You're the minority leader. Can't you rally some >> right >> support?" >> Yes. Yes.
>> So, yeah, I um I was a little outspoken. >> Yours was mild compared to >> Yeah. compared to others. Yeah. But >> one of the select board members though from another panel who was sitting right next to him. Yeah. So, so basically, uh, Senator Carr said, u, you know, the
governor's budget is $75 per pupil. We're going to try and get that increase cuz we, the state legislature, you know, come out with the final number, but that's that's the low number. He he he he said I because I pointed out that you know like because because I had watched
the school committee meeting in which they threw Newberry and rally that we weren't coming to the table in frank and honest discussions and I did not appreciate that. They also said that we did not want to um entertain
looking at alternative assessments of which I've given >> thousands of hours of alternative assessment calculations. Yes. So, um >> 13 years >> 13 years we've been talking about it. All it does is is dividing up the same pie
>> in different sections and we can't vote to people look back they'll be like, "Oh, well, we would have paid all this much more over that last 10 years. So, why would we want to vote for this?" So, it's I just see it as not the not the solution. Um, but I I did say that I thought it was
unfair that they said that we don't have, you know, that we didn't come with a number and that Salsbury can. And I said, you overlooking a very very different economic setup for the towns. Newberry is not funded like Salsbury is in that same way. And Bruce Tar said, "We should prize some economic
development." I'm like, "Okay, can we like I didn't I literally like I had to bite my tongue to say we don't have central water and sewer. There's no economic development coming because there's nobody who >> bring your company. You can dig a well, right?" >> Yeah. >> So, it's like it's that fundamental not
understanding we're not on the same playing field that you know if there's if you put it at it, you know, Salsbury has the most >> commercial, right? rally second, we're third, and >> we like that's not that that's not going to save us. Like we don't
>> So, so I was um I was um a little outspoken. >> Yes. >> Um but I believe firmly like there's no way we're going to get a school if we don't have younger members of the public showing up to town meetings, showing up, making their voices heard. I think there
was um the school committee meeting they said to send letters to your select board to tell them you want an override and then the select board's like but you know we can't if you only put a budget in front of us that doesn't need an override why like we can't like you guys have to set the budget. So there was definitely some back and forth on that
too which was mixed messages of and good discussion back and forth of like okay if it's really the 4.2 2 million is what you really need to educate our kids. Why did you already pull it back to, you know, a 2.5? Like why' you already
cut a million and 1.7? So, it's just a different in the like kind of the philosophical like do we want the school committee to always give us that high number and let the residents decide whether or not that's that does it really hold up? And so it was um
interesting. >> Yes. Plus, the school committee had gone to Raleigh to go look at their numbers. They met with the select board just to see what they had because they were the first ones to object. We can't afford that. >> Rally objects like they preemptively
object in November. >> Yes. Yes. It's like, okay, school budget, push the button. We can't we can't support it. So So, so some other things from DCC. So that it was a little cont lively
>> at the meeting last week, but they've uh the you know they got the they assigned the program manager and they they're getting the architect and the designers. So they're moving along on the project for either modify the school or or build
a new one. So I I know since I sub there every day now I see that they've got um students teachers shadowing the students and to see what uh the student goes through each day. So they're taking input from the students, from the
teachers, from the staff, and from the parents. So they're not just building a building, they're going to give them input on what they need in a school. So that's going to wrap up the end of this uh this month. I talked to Brian for he
said, "Yeah, the end of no end of March, we'll put that all together and give it to to that team to go up and work on that." So that was the other thing. And then you know those positions like the band so they share the high school because I've I've subbed for the band um
a couple of days and so he's got middle school and high school. So the the music the the course so um he's got middle school and high school. There's a Spanish teacher that middle school and high school. So they're sharing those resources since the buildings are right
next to each other. So they've made a lot of a lot of u you know smart decisions there but they're just right sizing. >> So I know when I was in at the knock middle school when I was subbing there they had crimson and gold teams. So all the kids had one set of teachers and
that's what's in the middle school. So they're just going to since the class sizes have shrunk that's what they're doing. They're just saying you're not going to have these >> two teams all say blue and blue and white. So, we're just going to have them all together because the number of
students is decreased. So, they're just right sizing. So, >> have some here. Going back to the one room schoolhouse model used to put roof on it.
>> Out of the mares. >> Yeah. And then the next ECC meeting is April 30th right here. Excellent. >> Uh CPC, I'm guessing we are going to hear a lot at the the 24th. We'll see all the >> and I do know that um uh Chair Jesperson
um reached out to me last week and I told him that we would love to have a joint meeting with this select board. So I think he's asked to come to that 24th discussion. So yeah. So I think that that's going to be a good um kind of you know, a lot of the, you know, the people in the room that want to have the
conversations. Um, so I don't have any other new business or old business. Um, any other questions for Tracy or just be curious, Tracy, are there any other uh highlights or low lightss? Uh, I know we
talked about maybe on snow, just anything to be aware of. So snow is definitely gonna be a problem for this year for >> 2026. >> Um but in terms of um
highlights for 2027, the only new money that we're the new programming money that is going to be spent is for the recreation department. They have asked for 15 years for funding. So, they're getting $15,000
to allow them to replace the basketballs, the nets, the, you know, everything that they use over there. Um, so that they have an operating budget. Um, but other than that, that's the only new >> space over there.
>> Um, software this year, um, is an issue for some reason. Um, all of our contracts are going up significantly. The assessors that does all the valuation for the town, um, is going up about
seven grand, which is a pretty big hit. The, um, the public safety software, you heard them talk about that. Um, some of the accounting software may be going away. we might have to face um procuring
a new product and unfortunately there are there's some well fortunately there are great products out there but a lot of them are much more robust than we need in Little Newbury. So we've we've had a program that works just perfect
for us but they've been sold and we don't know if they're going to keep supporting it. So that could >> and in addition I believe that there's also now yearly subscription. >> Exactly. Exactly. Yep. Um so that was it
communications. They had talked about that in our um in our capital planning meeting. We also need so the PEG programming that we have um some of the equipment is at its life cycle end. So
we're going to need about $10,000 for that. You see that in the under the IT section. There have been a couple of wage um wage increase requests. Those will be considered by HR board. Um we'll look at
those. There were two this year. Um see elections. It's about $7,000 increase in elections. It just is purely driven by the number of elections. We'll have a town election, state primary,
and the general election. So, >> um, let's see what else. We're talking about potentially um a consolidation of the Harbor Master and Shellfish Constable functions. More
to come on that. Try and save some money there. Uh utilities are up huge this year, up up 14% with our municipal buildings, about $24,000. So, we're looking into that. Uh property
casualty and liability insuranceances are up about 13,000 this year. Um see, the software for public safety, just the big the bigger items. Um,
>> okay. >> Street lighting. >> Oh, >> one of the larger percentage increases. Um, so it's only about a $4,800 increase, but it's up 25%.
Um, how our debts declining again this year? That's just something of note. Um, it sounds great because you think, "Oh, great. That's going down and we have levy capacity to support education or or
DPW." But we don't because all of our debt service is exclusion, debt exclusion overrides. So, when the debt goes away, so does the revenue >> revenue to support it. >> Um, and benefits benefits are always a
struggle. So, That's usually where we have some of our biggest increases. Other than that, I mean, it's a a relatively small operating budget. There aren't a lot of functions, so it's pretty easy to digest. And if you have any specific questions, don't hesitate
to reach out. >> All right. >> If we have nothing else, I would entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion >> second. >> All those in favor?