a whole vote, which I'll actually remember to do. We're hybrid. Um, I guess I'll do this backwards at the start of the room because I'm on Z because I'm on Zoom myself. Uh, so, uh, John >> here. Maryanne >> here.
Mark >> here, >> Ed here, >> Emily >> here, and Joe Caran here. Um, if someone's hiding off camera in the room, let me know. But I I've got I think I can see you all just fine. So, all
right. Um, so thank you all for joining for, you know, bonus FinCom meeting. Um, so you may have picked up from the uh book youth agenda or may have otherwise heard that uh we need to revote uh at least two numbers from the uh upcoming
town meeting because the numbers changed since March 11th when we voted on before. Um, oh, I see Henry is joining here two minutes after. So cool. Um, all right. So, uh, we do always give
an opportunity for public comment. Uh, don't suppose we have any of that? I don't see anyone. It's all Yes. No. No one in the room, I assume. >> No. >> Cool. All right. >> Except Chris. >> Um, >> he's not here for public.
>> Yes. Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm sure he's he's here to to uh Yes. Talk to Snow Ice. I I understand. Um All right, then. Um uh does anyone want to give any particular leaison reports?
I can just say that the select board elected Melissa as chair and Karen Rose Gillis as vice chair last night and Karen Heric as secretary. >> Did they uh did they update leazison assignments?
Do we have the new new or same leaison? >> Not yet. Not yet. >> Not yet. Cool. All right. So um see so in in school committee news the school committee has one more member and
fin has one fewer members. Uh so uh Jeffrey has resigned fin because he was elected to the school committee. Uh so I guess that means we'll be uh uh you know filling his vacancy when we uh uh do appointments in the next couple
months. So, all right. Any other things to share? All right. So, let's get into what we're actually uh here for. The main thing we have to do make sure we do before town meeting in a couple weeks is revoting a couple of the
town board articles. Uh there's information in the packet and I will let Sharon explain. >> So, thank you. Article five changed. Um the snow and ice number when you originally voted it was 800,000. Um, we learned that it needed to be 900,000 a
couple days later and and we changed it in time for the book. So, it's correct in the book, but it needs to be revoted because the amount has changed by $100,000. >> Do we only have to revote that article or all the articles? >> Just that article. And then there's there's another error um in the spending
scope scorecard that when we were checking the warrant book or we're checking the um presentation for town meeting, we recognized that the debt um the debt number didn't tie back to the debt schedule that was in there and it was off by $10,000. We need to revote
the debt service number and that's it. >> Again, just that line and not every line, right? We're >> I think you could just do that line. Yeah, because you do line by line and all the other ones are fine. So, >> yep. Good. >> And Joe Mcdana just walked in. So, you
can add that to attendance. >> I see that. Got that for the minutes, too. All right. So, so first with respect to article 5 and the updated number. Uh do does anyone have any comments or
questions? >> Do we think we're done? with snow and ice. >> I hope so. >> Was Was that 100,000 just since the vote, the last vote? Was it something that was incurred between March and April?
>> Um, it's combination of just residual costs from the winter. You know, we have a bunch of repairs that are now being discovered once the snow melted that we have to go out and, you know, between fences and walls and different things that we have to repair. Equipment repairs and two related, you know, left
over from the winter >> that that's considered snow and ice budget and not another part of the budget. >> Yeah. Because it was >> caused by the caused by snow and ice. >> So, it isn't just a little snow clearing. It's correct. >> Okay. >> But the final number will come in probably under 900. All right.
>> I hope so. And we haven't used any of the fin reserve yet. >> No. >> No, we didn't. So with with >> Well, it's 900 plus the 675 that was originally appropriated. >> Exactly. But the 900,000 is in addition to what was originally budgeted for. So we're really up there at a very high
number over a million dollars for now. >> But we haven't had anything for a bunch of years. I mean, we probably haven't seen >> the first time in a long time. >> I guess we can't compare it to like 2015 because of inflation. So, I mean, we did ask for money last year. I want to say
it was like 250. Wasn't it wasn't to this level. It's like 1.6 or 1.7 million in total or something like that. It's >> So, when we add this extra free cash to the free cash we already appropriated, what does that mean for FY26 that the
net free cash? >> Oh, it's like eight and a half. >> Yeah. just just to kind of I mean I know it's a snow year but just as when people get into I can't bring up something that's not on the agenda but when we think about future free cash usage too >> I feel like I've said before I think
that this fiscal 27 budget is probably the last budget we could get away without an override because we're putting our bond rating at jeopardy because the the amount that we're using we don't regenerate at the level that we're using. So, we're planning for free cash to go down and it will probably go
down more than what we expected because we didn't expect this. So, um I feel like it just lends itself to more thought it should be or I it's not up to me, but fiscal 28 would be >> just understanding the shortfall that we have that this shortfall isn't going to
get any shorter. >> Oh, no. >> I feel like every time I turn around it gets worse. So, But did I consent right total plan free cash usage for for FY26 ended up being 8 and a half million? >> Yep. >> Okay.
>> Like with all the free cash that was used between um the original budget and the two town meetings um November and April >> which I've never >> is that net of regeneration or >> no no regeneration um doesn't happen until after the year is over. of June
30th, we'll know something more about regeneration. So, but I mean, I think that's overly optimistic to think we'd actually regenerate more than that. I think we're definitely looking at free cash going down again. It went down by $2 million this year. I would guess that
it would go down at least 2 million, if not more. Um and I just feel like we definitely are in a situation where um the the the AAA bond rating could be in jeopardy if we don't consider that because we look at
the future budgets. So does that you have you have trunches of borrowing for kilum and recal. So the current one wouldn't be impacted, but if if hypothetically we had a reduced bond rating and no override because people just said, "Oh, we're, you know, we've
had enough with those two," then our bond the cost could end up being more because of the worst bond rating. >> Because if if they step you down, I think I'd asked the question about what's the difference between the step down from the AAA and it was significant number. I think it was at least a $1.5
million difference in interest. So, and that's that was at the time. I don't know what the interest rates will look like when we're actually issuing. So, it's definitely not something I would want to see happen. I mean, as I said before, we're we're going to do whatever we can to plan to make this work, you
know, the best we can. And if that means we ban for the second trunch of debt so that if if fiscal 28, if we want to have an override, there wouldn't be additional debt hitting or excluded debt, that would be an option. We've talked about the potential of having a
number for um the override and and bringing it in over time like over two years or three years. That's an option. Jane recommended possibly she's seen other communities do um kind of like a menu option of override numbers where you say, "Well, this much money will get you this, this much money will get us
this plus this." You know, like this will stabilize the budget. This will, you know what I mean? That sort of thing. So, so that people have an option of what they pick. The timing of it is very unfortunate. It's not helpful to have a need for an override with two huge projects being added.
>> Has anyone Oh, go ahead. >> Will the debt on the two projects be all incurred before FY28 though? >> I mean, we we we're doing it in two tranches. We've only we borrowed one tunch. And what we were what we'll
probably do if there is going to be an override in fiscal 28 is when we do to the next level of borrowing, we would ban, which would mean we'd only have to pay the interest cost. So it would be a smaller hit on the taxpayer. Um, and then it would show up in 29 because we
would be borrowing in probably 28. So So my question was just thinking in a different direction. In the past when all the smart growth happened in downtown that that was new growth that helped the only new things I know of is
um this is there's two different projects one's being proposed and one is being built on South Main and now I've heard we've all probably heard about the former endowed medical though that would just be redeveloped inside they're all apartments though not condos but I don't
has anyone projected how much the tax base might grow from at least the like >> mean the new growth numbers. I had gotten an estimate from the assessor recently. Okay. >> It usually gets >> usually gets to me around you know >> I want to say it's like usually before
>> um November town meeting I know what that new growth number is going to be for them. You know like if there's an estimate built into our budget but it has to be certified by do and that's when I would know. But I don't think anybody's ever given me a number of oh we've got these developments that are going to add x amount. I've not heard
about what you're talking about because >> Yeah, I know. I just would follow with with CPDC. I know that one's going and then I don't know when like you know the thing at the corner near McDonald's went on. >> I'm gonna jump in here because Mariana is asking really good questions that
aren't on the agenda. >> Questions that I'm really interested in the answers to, but that aren't on the agenda. >> Yeah, I know. >> I should probably jump in here and do the chair thing. >> Sorry. Yeah. No, it's it's talking >> about like like you know this is coming
back when we talk about future agendas. So uh we'll we'll get back to that shortly. Um hopefully very shortly. Any other discussion about the um uh modified version of article 5 here? >> Can can I just ask Chris something? Yeah. Um, and I asked this before too,
but I'm just trying to understand like like roughly like do you have any idea like what the breakdown would be of like the snow budget like you know in terms of use of consultants. I'm just trying to think is there anything different we could do and I say this as like now I understand the tree damage that your
crew was in my neighborhood today. Thank God, you know, you repairing the tree lawn, you know, so I didn't understand that that actually impacted, but I can see a lot of you tree lawn damage all over town, right? So, >> I mean, if we had a a larger budget to be able to hire more staff, you know, we
wouldn't have to hire as many contractors, you know, it's kind of like a a balancing, you know. >> Yeah. But have you have you looked at like would that even make sense? So, I'm going to turn it. >> Um, I mean, we definitely could always use more staff, you know, because we could use them the rest of the year,
too. But, um, you know, it's a if you have more staff for plowing, then you don't need as many contractors, you know, to help you out during the winter because we're we're like at bare minimum, you know, now between staffing on contract is just to get all of the roots completed.
>> Yeah. And I know this was an unusual winter, but I I don't know. Like it's probably the same question for fire department. Like it like would more staffing be cheaper in the long run than, you know, overtime or contracting in this case, you know. So
>> yeah, I mean I don't I haven't actually run that analysis, you know, yet, but I mean, you know, as I said, you know, more staffing would allow you to utilize them more during the year to get more um infrastructure, you know, work done
during the reg during the regular course of the year, too. >> That would definitely bring up your baseline every year because snow and ice doesn't isn't high every year. Do you know what I mean? Like if you add the additional staff, it might save you a little bit on snow and ice, but then you're going to have a higher budget
that you're committed to accommodated costs. >> I was going to say the health I was waiting for somebody to mention the fact that we got to pay for the health insurance if they're not contractors and that is of course killing us. Oh, well, today we had a um vote for the insurance and we have a lot of good news
that Jane can share if she wants to share, but the PAC agreed to um some plan design changes that are going to save us a lot of money. So, we have a 14% number built into the fiscal 27 number. It looks like the savings from
the plan design changes could be a million dollars from where I budgeted from. So that's helpful because that's more regeneration if we're not using it for something else. Um but yeah, we were able to really quickly um get through
the negotiations and and today I think they um voted to ratify um the contract that we had put forth. So there's a lot of positive changes in that um health insurance number that we've done. Um there hasn't been any significant change
to our insurance and plan design in many many years. Like I think they were saying like 30 years like >> 35 35 years. Yeah. There was um where we took on a deductible. They you know we um we changed the split from 7129 to
7228 and then it's a three-year contract. Last year it goes another percentage of 7327. Um to save to share some of the savings with the employees. Um they did some relativity changes because what's
unusual here is that our HMO and PO are priced very close together. So it's almost pointless. Nobody wants to HMO and have to do the referrals when the difference is dimminimous to have the PO. This contract actually starts to
build in um 5% difference between each one. So over the course of three years, we could have up to 15% difference between the cost of a PO and an HMO. They also um added uh by making plan design changes, they added another
option for our um employees. It's called an HMO select plan and it's about 13% less than our HMO plan. So there's a lot of now options that people might actually go away from the PO and save us money there, too. But our numbers, we're assuming everybody stays still, you
know, just to be conservative. But if people make a lot of changes, there could be a lot more savings. If people say, "This is too expensive. I don't want the PO. I want I'm going to go to the HMO because now there's beginning to be a significant difference in savings there. Or even even select plan because
the select plan only allows you to to go to places in Massachusetts. Your doctors have to be in Massachusetts and excludes places like Mass General. Some hospitals like Boston Children's are included, but Mass General is excluded. So, you'd have to make sure your doctors are on that
plan, but there's significant savings that can be had there. Um, so a lot of great changes are happening on that PEC agreement. They worked very well with us, especially, you know, new town manager and all that. You didn't know how it would go and it was a very productive meeting with them and and we
went through it very quickly and made a lot of positive changes that will save us money. I think it was like 3.6 or $3.9 million we projected over three years of the contract that we'd be saving. So that will help us for sure. >> What is that? >> 3.9 Sharon. 3.902. Yep.
>> What is that savings due to that percent increase that we're looking at? >> So if we had done nothing plan design, it would have been a 10.86% increase. So we got the number for health insurance increase after it already budgeted the 14 because we never
know it in time. Um so making that change um reduced it by 5.17% I think so um all the changes that we made made that much of a difference in how much we'll be charging where we added the relativity some of you get more there's more savings built into the
HMO plans because in order to build that relativity into the PO plan making it a little bit more expensive more of that increase is going on the PO so it's not a it's not across the board 5.1 you know But it's it's significant savings
because it's a number that's you know been trending upwards in scary ways for the last couple of years. >> It's like ballpark it's like 5% >> increase versus 14 that we were planning. Okay. >> A little under five. Um if Yeah. So really, it will be helpful because it
seems like we have all these surprises that come up during the year and knowing that health insurance has that kind of buffer, it could be a reason that we're, you know, moving money from health insurance to something else and not taking out monthly cash. >> What's the I know the percentages, but what's the dollar amount?
>> Dollar amount for what? >> The change from 14 to 5% in the budget. >> You said over a million dollars. I think it's $1.1 million or something like that. It's a it's a good size number just for fiscal 27 in each year. They had told us to expect a double-digit
number for the next few years. So for the next three years, we assumed a 10% increase, which is kind of what they've been telling us. And so when we projected out the numbers based on the plan design that was chosen, we that's how we got to the 3.9%. We took the budget number we had and we increased it
by 10% and then we calculated, you know, what what it would look like going forward. So, we're optimistic that we'll see probably more savings than what we're projecting because I think we're fairly conservative about how we calculated that savings. Um, so that's positive news and going in the right
direction because so many things still aren't going in the right direction. The snow and ice was the one number that had been fairly well behaved as inflation started and last year we needed a little bit of money and now we need a lot of money. So, >> so nothing's going to happen with with the in and this probably hits you,
right? with the gas prices that have gone up has anything there's not any more oh gee we now we need to have a fuel search charge for the end of to get us to the end of 2026 because now it's a dollar more a gallon or whatever to fill up all our trucks or not yet
>> we we haven't noticed anything as of yet. I mean if something like that were to happen that would be something we'd come to you for finan reserves and you guys haven't used any. So that those things would be there um if that should come to pass or if by some chance snow
and ice continues to happen which I would be shocked if >> Well, it's not just you guys too. It could be police and fire vehicles. I mean anything anytime vehicles I suppose. >> All of that comes out of the DPW budget though. So I'm not seeing it yet.
>> Just back to the sto >> Go ahead Joe. Oh, I was just going to say this. Um, the Marian, your field question actually came to my mind when uh uh Jane and Sharon asked whether or not we needed to have this uh meeting because we could have potentially um uh
for the snow and ice, we could have rated uh FinCom reserves rather than changing what we're bringing to town meeting. But um we should probably hang on to Fincom reserves in case we needed to, you know, buy some gasoline in June. We don't know what's unknown that will
that'll come up between April and June that we >> just even the past >> and it's 100,000 taking half of your reserves if we >> I don't know what we spend on gas a year like that we could we could guesstimate okay three more three more months if we spend an average of you know whatever month we
>> How is gas purchased is it purchased in bulk like have >> state contract state contract yeah >> state contract >> oh so we're guaranteed a price >> we're guaranteed >> changes every day >> yeah changes every day. Yeah. >> But but that must be going up every day, right? Like everybody >> I'm sure. Yeah.
>> But there's also no road tax in the diesel. So that's So that makes it like almost a buck cheaper a gallon. So >> yeah. >> Chris, on the on the uh snow and budget, when you use contractors, are any of them in town vehicles for? >> Uh no, they're all their own vehicles.
So when we hire a contractor, it's um their own equipment they're they're driving. Is there like could you hire people to be in the town trucks if we >> um that would be a separate contract that we have to do? We've never done that before. >> The liability would fall to the
>> Yeah. I'm not sure how the liability would work on that. >> They wouldn't be covered. >> They have to be a town employee to be covered by our insurance. >> Yeah. It's better to have them use their own >> use their own independent contractors with their own trucks and how they run their business.
Any more questions about snow and ice? >> All right. See, Emily is unmuting for the motion. Thank you. >> Do we need a motion on the whole article or just the line item? >> I would do the whole article because it changes the total. That's all
>> on the like the total amount of free cash. >> Perfect. Uh motion to recommend the contents of article 5 to town meeting as amended. Second. >> Thank you, Emily. Thank you, Adam. Any further discussion before we vote?
>> Seeing none, I'll start the room in tiny picture. The tiny tiny picture on my my Zoom screen here. Uh, right. I got Thanks, John. >> See you. Yeah. >> Yes. >> John, >> yes. >> Maryanne, >> yes. >> Mark,
>> yes. >> Ed, >> yes. Henry, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> Joe Bernian, yes. I didn't miss anyone, right? No. Good. All right. Thank you. >> Um, so then we also understand need to
revote one line on article 10 budget. >> Yeah. D99 is an increase of $10,000 to what it was when you actually voted it. And this was caught by Jackie when I asked her to review my PowerPoint presentation and
she checked um the debt scheduled and then we recognized the spending scorecard and the debt schedule didn't match. So So it must have been a late change to the debt schedule that never made its way to the spending scorecard and the financial forecast. So that number changed. I think that's
the only line you have to vote because you wrote each line individually. So D. >> No, it doesn't change it. It doesn't change the bottom line of like total >> the bottom line does change by the 10,000 but do we actually vote the line? >> No, we don't vote on the bottom line. >> We only we only vote on line by line. So
that um that line is the only one that we found to be incorrect. >> And what about this highlighted revenues before free cash? That's A5. >> Oh, I think that's just something I highlighted because we changed it um at the last meeting. >> Okay. by the 25,000. It's changed since
the the It might have changed since the book. I'm not sure. >> Yeah, I was just looking for highlights in here. >> Anything that's kind of noteworthy, I might have highlighted. So, that doesn't necessarily mean you guys have to do anything, but it kind of just draws my attention to it.
>> What article is this part of? >> This is the part of the budget for fiscal. >> What article? >> This is article 10. I just not part of what we're voting on, but the spending scorecard has the wrong title. >> I hopefully that's correct in the
warrant report. >> I don't know. But now, do we >> It looks like it must be a header that I don't see when I'm in there, I guess. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. It's not on any other page. Like, it's only on that page, but I'd have to look at the warrant to see what it is.
>> Anybody bring that? No. >> No. >> What' you say? >> All right. today and we bring that book. >> I we can get the warrant on. >> No, I'm sure if it shows this way, it's probably that way in the book. >> I didn't notice it when we reviewed the book. So, >> as a
top you can see >> and I'm trying to scroll and scrolling through the war report right now. >> When I look at this in Excel, I don't see that header. >> You just keyword search for spending. So, that would be why I wouldn't see it. the spending scorecard in the war report
does not have that header. >> It doesn't have this >> scoreard. That's just a packet. >> Okay. Well, that's good to know >> because I didn't realize we even had a header like that. >> So, because you just probably went to get the individual spreadsheet for the packet.
>> Yeah. >> All right. >> So, I'm not cool. >> Just a packet typo, but good. >> Just It could be a typo. Yeah. Now I'm the one bringing up things we don't vote on. Uh are there any uh comments or questions on uh the line
that we need to to revote? >> I think I'm sharing the total share cost number did change though that 4804. >> Yeah, but you don't vote 484. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, but that that was changed, right? >> It will change by Yeah, it would have changed by 10.
>> It was like a $10,000 change. Any other our our motion maker is moving. >> The lights just were off where I ended and I was getting it was getting weird that I was sitting in the dark. Um
motion to recommend uh line item D99 to town meeting as amended. Second. >> Thank you, Emily. Thank you, Ed. Any further discussion before we vote? Oh, I see. Um, okay.
God, Jane is just making the rest of us jealous that we can't buy gas that cheap. Uh, >> be grateful that that's a good question. >> As a taxpayer, I guess we are buying, we are all buying as taxpayers in renting, those of us who pay tax are buying gas
that cheap. So, we should be grateful. >> But our tax is going. Anything else on D99? >> Seeing nothing. All right, let's uh let's vote. Uh John, >> yes. >> Joe McDonald, >> yes. >> Marian, >> yes.
>> Mark, >> yes. >> Uh Ed, >> yes. >> Henry, >> yes. >> Uh Emily, >> yep. >> And Joe Caragan, yes.
8 Z um we don't have to change the number that we said we well actually it's interesting we do change the number that we recommended that one line by but we didn't change the article five was 80 uh but because we only did in person
people it was 6 for um the budget lines before I don't know if that actually gets written down somewhere but >> I'll have the best reports >> yeah we voted on this date except for this one thing about this other day. I won't confuse anyone. All right. Um,
moving along with our agenda. Um, so because we got a bonus meeting, there's a topic that fell off the end of our last meeting because it was too late. Um, which is probably your chair's fault for having tried to do too much in one meeting. My bad. Um, but since we do have a bonus meeting, I want to bring up the subject of of email communication.
Um, right now if you email finance ca.mma us or whatever the address is, um, you go to, uh, basically Sharon's in my spam folders. Uh, I think pretty much um, empirically that seems to be what
happened. Um, there were two maybe three emails that, um, someone reached out to Marian separately. Then I checked my junk mail and got realized that yes, someone had tried to reach the finance committee and had not succeeded. Uh I want to say we talked about this a
few years ago. Um but you know we do have the option to set things up so that if someone emails the committee it actually goes to the committee. Um, and I wonder if that's something that people would want or people are um, it would be something I think it
wouldn't be using the existing email address should probably stay the way it is going to the people it goes to because there's a bunch of stuff that goes to that which is not residents trying to reach the plans committee. But um I guess the you know starting proposal that I would throw out there
would be to have a form that people could use uh to email us on the website where it be unambiguous that what you're doing is emailing the finance committee and not emailing sharing or whatever. So when it goes to your spam, Joe, is it
it is something in town hall set up to automatically forwarding to your personal email or are you given a town email as chair? >> No, it's forwarding to my personal email. >> So why can't that mechanism just forward to our personal emails the same way? Or
is that what you're asking? um that could well so uh I guess I'll turn around and ask maybe this question for Sharon like I can think of why we wouldn't want to do this but would it be possible to have
all of the finance act messages go to all the committee not just you me and I think it probably goes to Jack's too I don't know if it goes to Jane um >> I don't know I mean I'm not involved behind the scenes with that I think that
it makes sense that it could go to all of you, but I don't know if there's some limitation on how many people could be >> emailed. I mean, just as I I did not have them in my spam. They were sent in the evening, like 10:00 at night, so I didn't see them till the
next day. Um, but people were looking for them before I even got to them because I get so many emails, so I hadn't seen it yet. Um, but I'm open to whatever you guys want to do. I don't know um what the technology limitations are. Um it would seem to me that there
shouldn't be a limitation. It should be that we could all be emailed and CC. I feel like the more people um that get to see the email, the less likely it would fall into one person's spam and not nobody see it, you know? >> So, I would be on board with whatever
you guys think and I can find out if that's a possibility. >> Yeah. My question is like how we respond to it, you know? Do we have to um is it just acknowledging or is it do all of a sudden do we start debating
among ourselves or I say something goes like >> we're not supposed to stumble upon right >> all the other one of the good reasons >> yeah no one of the good reasons not to do it this way >> um uh which is that we don't want to be
routinely generate we don't want a system for automatically generating opportunities for all violations That doesn't need to be something we need to automate. >> That's a reason not to do it. I would >> Joe, if we set it up so that somebody emails Fincom and it goes to all of our personal emails, is it
>> one email that we're all included on or is it nine separate emails with the same thing, one to each person. So like if you hit reply all by accident to reply to the resident, does it go to everybody or does it just go back to the res? >> Might go back to everybody. That's where the issue.
>> Yeah. Um, I mean, I'm looking at my I'm looking at my spam folder right now where I see, you know, DLS alert, local property, tax IGRs. I don't know if it's anything to do with IGR is anformational guidelines release. Um, it's it's spam as far as I'm concerned. So, Gmail's not
wrong to put that one in my spam folder. Um, uh, it is, you know, to financeca. US. Hypothetically, if I hit reply, it doesn't automatically reply to finance app. So,
um, >> we >> Yeah, I guess if you replied, you would be replying to the sender. You wouldn't be replying to the rest of Fincom, which >> if you if you reply all, >> that's not an email. >> No, but if you ever reply all, I think you >> Yeah, Joe, what happens when you hit reply all?
>> Um, uh, yeah, if you hit reply all, it does CC to the finance address. So >> I mean do you to prevent the spam thing can you set a filter in your Gmail such that whatever the forwarding address that it's coming >> when you get it is it come from a town forwarding address or the individual
residents address >> it comes from a town address >> because then you could say well I I'll trust anything that comes from the town address >> don't let it go to the town's address but you can filter on recipient too. I can go in Gmail and say if anything goes
to finance app please put in my inbox. Here's the thing I don't want that because most of it is spam. Um some of it is like really spam spam like people trying to sell things or trying to like apply to you know trying to like >> see you get created or whatever like I
get a lot of like salesy things. Yeah. >> I don't know if that goes through Yeah. I think it that's probably right through the finance email. Yeah. >> Yeah. So which is which is why you know I was thinking maybe the alternative should be um not to change the way
finance app works but to provide a form by which people could contact us. Uh because I mean that's what we do for town meeting members that's what we do for lots of things. Um of course town meeting members don't have to worry about a reply all OML violation because
doesn't apply to town meeting. We would have to worry about that. Um, I don't know if the form could send via BCC. That would be kind of that's usually a good way to avoid reply all fiasco is using BCC, but >> I don't think the form on the website
does that. Uh, I have a meeting scheduled with um Kevin Fela to talk. This is one of the several topics we need to talk about anyway. It came up we were talking about something similar the other day. Um, so if you want I can um I can get some more information and come back to the chair.
>> Okay. Sir, yeah. Okay. Can I ask a question? Of >> course. >> Uh, is there a specific reason that an email council of income should not go to any um employee of the town at all? just
out of curiosity because ideally I would say the email inbox gets me by a town staff and then it it's it basically comes to the chair after that or whoever
on the board is um just is there a main reason that we cannot just have someone from the town stop get the email and then send either to the chair or all of us if it's a concern or something You're creating an extra duty on a town
staff member then to monitor that emailer. They do that anyway. >> I think right now it's coming to me and to the chair. So, >> right. I'm I'm more worried about the opposite problem where the message doesn't get through. I'm not really
interested in introducing more like the part where the chair gets spam. That's, you know, not the hard part of being that's not the reason why I don't want to be chair here. Uh we put it that way. That's not the hard part of the job. Um, but uh >> it would be nice if it said if it you
know this happens sometimes where you I used to see this with with certain clients where you would get a notification. You have a protected message from something and then you'd log in like we could all get some notification on our personal email that we have to log into some some town thing
and download this email and maybe it could be sent to us in a way such that we wouldn't be replying to all. would just be logging into some special place to see the email sent to FinCom and we wouldn't have to do that until we got some official thing from the town. Finom has an email. Please go look here.
>> There's a name for what I'm describing but I'm not an IT person. >> I don't think we have a secure email. >> But that's a secure email. I think that's what she's referring like when you communicate with a bank they send you secure link. You loging in the link with us password and then you see the
content of it. It's just practically personally it's not it's just too much work basically we try to simplify here >> right now see the easiest way is the administrative task we're trying to an administrative staff
>> in the town hall and then let's just >> see I created a personal email just for fincom and that keeps it segregated so even if it's the junk I'm not like looking at you know maryian m downinggmail.com or one of my other things. I have Marian and Downing.fincom.
>> Yeah. >> Telling everyone my email, but that's it's only for that. And then I get town meeting. >> Then you don't have a mix. Yeah. >> No. And I did that once I got on the board because I just if someone did a PR, I did not want to have any any of my personal stuff comingled and having to be filtered after various things that
have >> happened over the years. So, it's not telling you Joe to create a new email, but it does make life easier because then that you're only looking at that. I did I did I did create one and then I got lazy and I didn't use it. Um but uh
my Gmail is trivially easy to guess. Um uh but uh >> the other thing too is you could have mult if if everybody gets the same email then you have multiple people who could be you know like it's a usually you'd
want one person to respond back right you could have multiple one person authorized to speak for the finome which is the chair or somebody >> which is kind of why it's the chair right now. Does the vice chair get it? No >> I do not.
Yeah. >> Nope. >> Can I say that why that might be a danger to avoiding the open meeting law? Just saying. We get all of their email in our inboxes. I go to a cafe I see add there and join and all I can think of is
talk about their email. >> So I think that's that's why we only have the emails go only to the chair and the vice chair and someone from the staff. the the other the the idea of having someone from the staff is so it doesn't go into spam like it could go to
Jaw's spam folder but the spot uh it's a little more protected and actually you know can see the email faster because they're holding in front of a computer you know managing that it's a task that's assigned to them >> and normally we don't get much I mean
there's certain articles that we were getting emails on and probably if >> override or other kinds of financial topics that interest a lot of people, that's when we'll start getting emails again. So maybe getting a policy in place before that season comes.
>> Yeah. I mean, we can defend. >> Yeah. So I mean the the overall concern is a valid one. Um, you know, we can stick to what we're doing with the only change being that yours truly will create a Gmail filter to make sure that
app like um uh you know finance app messages never ever ever go on my spam and uh that just means I'll manually archive a lot of them because there are a lot of messages that address and um they are mostly not addressed at FinCom. they're mostly addressed to the you know
finance director of the town um which is Sharon of course. So, but uh but then yes, when a resident does reach us, I do think it's important that residents can reach us. >> Um >> could they just reach out? Could they just add I mean is it just couldn't it be easier, Joe, just to add
>> What do you mean like it's a add finance email? >> So, it's it's it's two and you know one that's >> that doesn't two is a heck of a lot less than nine. So you're not really running into old
territory there. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Emily's camera. >> Thanks. >> Yeah. Quick, quick, quick. Sign up Emily for more things while while her camera's off and her mic is muted. >> Yeah, she wasn't. I mean, hey, you got
to be on camera. I don't know what to tell you. >> You want to be chair again next year? Anyway, um, >> it's not on the agenda. >> That's off topic. It's on the agenda. Shame on me. Isn't that Isn't it your last year coming up, Ed, too? What is
it? Someone can't be >> not yet. >> Oh, okay. >> Fair. All right. Anyway, all right. I think we I think we've we've exhausted the productive part of this discussion. Um I would be curious to hear about the option of a form, but on the other hand, it sounds like that's not really committee doesn't want to get these
things directly because of the onoff concern. Totally valid. Um I will just uh you know, it will be part of the chair and vice chair responsibilities to be more diligent about looking for residents comments and making sure they get forwarded. >> We could get something from a no reply
kind of email where we can't reply if that would annoy us all. But that we'd get the information but then we couldn't reply. >> Yeah, that's just >> Yeah. And I mean indeed we shouldn't be. The idea is not by the way to reply like it's not you know we don't all need to you know somebody you know we got uh
what was the last one we got? I think that was uh Bob reaching out about article 14. Um did that get forward to the committee? Yep. I think yes. Okay, cool. Um, so and I think I probably forwarded my BCC because I have some
vague clue what I'm doing and I try not to start a conversation on email. >> Um, >> there was another citizen on COA who reached out about el elderly funding too. I don't remember which was the one. One of the ones >> we got several of those. >> Yeah, I went looking. >> All right. Okay. But it sounds like no
no change to to actually how we implement this. And I guess you don't need to make Kevin do more work. Sounds like we're okay. um other than just adding vice chair as well as chair to this list. So, all right, cool. Anything else on that topic or shall we move
along? No. All right. Um future agendas. Uh at our last meeting, we talked about the need for some kind of financial forum because we can't stop ourselves from talking about an override because in fact, we absolutely should, you know, it is our job to be talking about it.
So, um, uh, I believe the date May 20th was kicked around last time. I don't know if there's been any update on that in terms of select board availability or space or anything. >> It wasn't on the I looked at the select
board future agendas in their packet and I didn't see it because I looked specifically, but it was kind of generic. So, they didn't list like I think you know, they haven't planned on their retreat and I could be mistaken about that. I know that was a topic, but I thought we all kind of said sometime
in May, get the three boards together and start talking because if you're thinking the fall >> and I don't know if we have to call a special town meeting at any time or or not. >> I don't think you need it. >> No, it can just be this >> override though, which is surprising. It's yeah the part the part where the
part where uh right we could have a override and town meeting you know and the entire override process could start and end between town meetings uh which is wild to me but that is in fact exactly how it works. So
>> I think the select board does plan on having a conversation at their retreat kind of to get the convers you know to get an idea of where we're at and then I think how how does it work you know >> they need information from you or from them I mean they can talk but they need
to see the kind of numbers that we've been seeing from you with the projections. Oh yeah, that's the sort of thing that they'll probably you'll have to present to them or something or give them something to talk >> because they have to I think they have to call for the over. >> Yes. So I think June 10th it's May 10th, right? Is that what you messaged?
>> May 2nd. >> May second. May 2nd is what there meeting after that is the 12th. >> Yeah. And I don't know when town meeting was is May 2nd kind of in the middle of town meeting. >> It is. It is. It's same week at town meeting.
>> Yeah. the May 20th date to give us you know time after >> it's got to be before >> to make sure that we are good and done with town meeting even if people want to talk for a long time as they sometimes do um uh that we would be well done with
that before the week of the 20th yeah four nights of town meeting would take us through May 7th. So, all right. Um, are there other things besides like the elephant override in the room? Um, are there
other things that, you know, we should be preparing as we plan for that for because I don't think this committee is not going to meet again until then unless something weird happens. >> That's it. >> No. Okay. I mean that's you know I feel
that that's that one agenda item is the biggest one that this committee will you know has had to contemplate in longer than I think maybe any of us have been here and uh so yeah that's plenty >> maybe it's just something we have a
rolling that that just stays on the agenda future agendas. >> Yeah. All right. Um okay. All right. Well, anything else that we need to talk about future agendas? I don't think so. June will, you know, probably have our final
reserve request of the year, any other things, and July will meet and reorganize. Um, so all right, cool. Then we have uh the only other thing left on our agenda for tonight is minutes. Um, with those
backto-back meetings, we got backto-back minutes now. If someone can tell me what the date is, I can make a motion. >> 311. >> Uh, no. Wrong. Actually, 34 first. Oh, but you presenting 311, but we have 34
to approve, right? >> 34 and 311. >> Yeah. All right. Motion to approve the minutes from the March 4th meeting as presented. Uh, but they haven't been presented yet because Jack has the 11th up on the screen.
>> See, this is why I'm Ed Ed, you're making motions now. >> I think that's fair circumstances. >> All right. Thank Thanks, Jack. And then I assume we want to do these in calendar order. Not that it matters, but >> motion to approve the March 4th um
meeting minutes as presented. >> I thought we already did that. >> Thank you, Ed. Thank you, Henry. >> On the 11th, >> uh any time on the >> discussion I wasn't here for the fourth and we did do >> there were no minutes approved on the
fourth. >> They weren't. >> No. And the 228 minutes were approved on the >> Okay, >> that those are the ones we approved. We were just discussing here whether these were already approved, but it sounds like it was the 228 for Jackie. >> Correct. We did not have the We got the
three the 228 minutes. So, >> and and we weren't approving any. Those were 4hour meetings. We were getting out of here at 11:00. So, we were not >> sticking around to do minutes. >> They were really long. >> Um Yeah. No, we approved in the minutes for the 11th. You can see that we approved
the minutes of the 25th. >> Okay. >> Uh on the 11th, but we didn't approve any minutes on the 4th >> because it takes more than, you know, a week to get minutes together, which makes sense. Well, really kind of a day because I
usually send a back the next day. >> Anything else on the March 4th minutes? >> All right, let's vote. Um, starting in the room. John, >> yes. >> John Mcdana, >> yes. >> Marianne, >> yes. >> Mark,
>> I'll abstain because I wasn't there. Weren't there either, John? Uh, Ed. >> Yes, >> Henry. >> Emily, >> I think I wasn't there. >> Staying.
>> I was at No, at one of them. I forget which one. >> Joe, I'm gonna have to change mine toain. >> Okay, so we've got and Joe Carneahan. Yes. So, I believe that was that was six in favor of two abstaining. >> Joe, I've got to abstain, too. I was also not there. >> Oh, all right. So can we we'll we'll
count that as a five in favor. >> We still have a quorum enough to approve. Yeah. >> Yeah. Well actually for our board I think majority of the Yeah. >> non-obstaining votes is probably
sufficient. Um, all right. So, March 11th, now >> motion to approve March uh 11 minutes as presented. >> Second.
Uh, thank you, Ed. Who was that in the room? Was that Joe? Joe. >> Cool. Awesome. Thanks. Thank you, Ed. Thank you, Joe. Um, any Other comments or questions or corrections on
this one? >> I got a question. Joe, when >> those those of of us that were remote signed off, >> should we still vote to approve all of it? >> Um, I mean, >> says we're president. To >> be clear, I don't think I think you are
allowed to vote on minutes. I don't think you were required to be present to vote on minutes. >> Exactly. >> You could approve minutes that you weren't attending. >> Yeah, you might not want to because you weren't there. But on the other hand, like I mean I believe in the past I have
I have voted in favor of minutes for a meeting when I had the flu and watched it on RCTV instead of attending. >> Are you like all right? So, yes, you're welcome to vote or abstain.
Fine. Either way. Uh, all right. Fair question. Obviously, I could see the logic and only voting if you've been actually seen the whole thing. All right. Not seeing any more comments or questions. So, let's uh let's vote.
Uh, starting the room. John, >> yes. >> Joe, >> yes. >> Maryanne, >> yes. Mark, yes. Ed, >> yes. Henry,
one. Uh, Emily, >> yes. >> And Joanne, yes. Seven in favor, one abstain. That brings us to the end of our agenda. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second.
>> Thank you, Emily. Thank you, Ed. Voting. Starting the room. John, >> yes. >> Joe, >> yes. >> Maryanne, >> yes. >> Mark, >> yes. >> Ed, >> yes. >> Emily,
>> yes. >> And Joe Caran, yes. Thank you all for going to this bonus fine spincom. I'll see you guys in town meeting. Thank you.