All right. >> Hello everyone. Hi. Um, all right. Welcome everyone. It's 7:00. Even by the clock, that's a little bit slow here. So, uh, we will go ahead and get started. Um, call this, uh, meeting of the finest committee order. Oh, I am
feedback. >> I'm going to be real quiet until I'm sure I'm not echoing. Great. >> All right. So, uh, welcome everyone. Um, uh, I'll go ahead and call the, uh, finance committee to order. It looks like finance committee is entirely in
person, so we're good there. Um, uh, I believe the select board would like to call order. It's called financial form Wednesday, May 20th. Uh do you know if there's anyone online? >> Uh I don't see any board members
>> online. No, Sean Brand is online, but that's not >> so just um >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Welcome. And I'll if I see anyone else on this pop up on Zoom, I'll try to give you a heads up. >> All right. So, uh, welcome to this, uh,
spring edition financial forum. Um, so we know we have a, uh, uncomfortably exciting, uh, budget prospects ahead of us for FY28. So, I really appreciate people coming together now to talk about it. Um, and with that, I think I should
actually just go ahead and hand things over to uh, Sharon uh, to present. I'm Sharon and Jane to present about what we know so far about our fiscal year 28 budget. >> So, I'm just going to do a little little intro. Sharon really is the um start of
our meeting and she's put together most information in the package. Um for your agenda, we're going to start with um what's the structural deficit, how we got there, the early projections from our school department. Um the current status of budgeting, the process for it
over options for it override. Um chairman will take us through the cash projections. Um the impact of the failed override and um part of what we have in here is a a timeline, a post timeline for public engagement and sort of what
that would look like. Um, one of the things that I'm interested in hearing from the board about all the boards is the discussion on if you go forward with an override, how many options do you want to present? Some towns are offered
two or three options in an override. So, is there appetite for that? Um, and uh, so that's where we are. We're not presenting department budgets tonight. Departments are working on their level budgets. Um, I'm going to eventually
pass at it and make cuts. That'll be a level two budget and we'll present that. I'm thinking mid June, probably June um back to uh esports. And so that gives us a little bit of runway um as we're working so we can refine um where we are
and that would be sort of that higher level FY28 what we what department heads think they should need to operate. and then sort of like me saying no we're not doing this and then that would be sort of the ideal
budget if you will and then we'll we'll be able to revise from there depending on the appetite of these committees and the community >> it's fine so let's get started so this This is the shower.
>> Are you on the website? >> No, I pulled it up from the email. >> Okay. Yeah, maybe I'll have to do that. I'm not getting anything that's regeneration as the last state
has general fund stabilization funds that we maintain at 2.1 at 200,00 for 27 and we do have a minimum reserve of 7%. This slide we also show it's basically
the blue is going to show you what our actual reserves are and the red is representative of that 7% minimum reserve income has in place for us. You'll notice that we have estimates for fiscal 26 27. We are projecting for
fiscal 26 based on $3 million in regeneration and actual uses of cash of $8.57 million. And then fiscal 27 $3 million for regeneration assuming that an override fail.
Just an assumption. If you were to do that, >> is it me or can I just not hear? >> I can't read the caption. used in blue and regeneration in red. >> Past years regeneration always exceeded
was very close to what we used very close even in 23 and 24 but in 25 we started to have a big gap using generated and went down by about $2 million and I would anticipate the level
of cash that we used in four to five. Excuse me. Can you put her on a microphone or speak up because maybe we're under the fans or something? We >> There is no in roomification. Speak up.
>> Yeah. >> Pretend we're your naughty kids yelling at us. We just can't hear you. Sorry. >> No, no, no. Just >> No. Just from Thank you. Can I just take one second to acknowledge Karen?
Is online? >> No, it's all of us down here. >> So, this slide is one of two slides and it's showing the structural deficit. Where did they come from? So, in fiscal 26, we started the year using $6 million and we do control our operating pretty
much by percentage, but those accommodate the the last few years have been out of control. So this actually shows you what basically you're reading from left to right. We're showing your actual for every cost because that seems to be where our
problem starts for fiscal 20. And then the next column says net change from 20 to 25. So all we're doing there is taking 25 and see how much did it increase and next to it is the percentage of increase
and we would expect you know we're approaching the top budget 2 and a half to 3% every year that would be try and keep everything sweet. So this next column expecting that change is actually six years at 2 and
12% and the last column is basically the amount of increase that we saw that is above expectations and that's our deficit. So you can see that benefits is $3.2 million of that deficit
that makes up about a million and then energy about 412,000. And then in our financial area we get property casualty and tomorrow that's veterans assistance which is going down but the property casualty is going up we
have 272 there um spend moves very piece of our spend is the out of district special so down below I give you a little bit more information to make that make sense a conscious effort the school committ
a little bit more district. So even though it looks like spent went down at 865,000, if you look at the bottom of the slide, you can see that actually spent overall is up $2.1 million over I'm sorry $645,000 over our
projection. this microphone on YouTube. >> Okay. >> Are you picking it up? Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> So, down below when we're talking about the sp I break it down for you in district, how much we spent in district
and out of district. We can see that the in district is up 1.5 million over 2 and a half% for six years and the out of district is down 865,000 for a net total of 645,000 above. So actually contributing to the
structural deficit really isn't actually just the negative. So just telling the structural deficit is really important. This is just showing how much this cost and so in ational schools. We have the issue of um the capital coming on
for the northeast regional vocational school. So we have 464,000. So we definitely have some increase there at $52,000. Robert is just over 1.1 and that's not a half%
budget. So this is just leading into this. Um and then 200 272,000 snow and ice and state aid at 80,000 per grand total of just over 6 million. So you can see that $6 million is being
filling a hole that has been created by having to fill and so we we have to get >> this a question. I don't know if you have this number handy but the um so we saw that number that 36% grand total for
the accommodating cost change over those 5 years >> uh what is the corresponding change for the rest of the budget >> well everything after that it's always between 3 and 4% that's what we control we the way we do our budget is we project our revenue and we project our
accommodated cost first because those things come off the top capital debt benefits district special what's left kind of dictates what our own budget is, you know, we kind of fit it into whatever we have. So, we've been pretty
good about three and four%. >> But just to do an apples to apples comparison like uh like 3% compounded over 5 years is I think about 16%. >> Versus the 36. So >> I focused on the combined cost, but it really is the area where we have less
control. You definitely have work to go when it comes to the ending contracts. We've already to some degree. Some things are out of our control. The benefits definitely the last couple years aid
cost section. So this here is >> hi just building a little bit on what Joe said but in another direction. So you said that typically outside of accommodated costs we are looking at like 3 and a half to 4% increase a year
but the general public will often say you know when they hear you on income well our taxes are only allowed to go up 2 and 12% a year but yet even the part we're controlling we're saying oh we can manage three and a half to four. So is that because of our regeneration each
year that we're allowed to increase more than two and a half% because I think the public thinks oh our budget shouldn't go up by more than >> our taxes go up >> generally just the property taxes prop 2 and a half is just the property tax but we do have new growth in so every year
our increase just for property tax is usually about 3.2 3.2% 2% we add in growth to around 3 and a half% to 4% we improve all of our revenue sources. >> Okay. >> But it it is hard because we try and keep those accommodated costs under
control and they have not at all over the last 5 years. So it's been rough. >> So the new growth is that other things is about a percent over the two and a half if we're trying to explain this to people to say we can go a little bit above but beyond >> new growth is something that didn't
exist in prior. So when you're calculating property taxes, whatever the levy was prior year increased by 2 and a half% and then they add on those things that are new that year and so that ends up making a lot more than 2 and 12%. >> And just a last question it does new
grow new growth level off. I mean we've done you know the smart growth downtown new growth I assume you mean new building new growth in the tax base that's not infinite unless we start redeveloping everything to create new growth. It's actually it peaked a few
years ago at $1.3 million and has been declining it, >> right? So it's not not we're not going to get what we got before. We're going to reach a limit. Thank you. >> Um just for the record, it also includes improvements people make to their homes. That is included. >> It increases in assessed value. You mean
from that? >> No, like some Yeah. act as an addition or something like that to their property then that will increase their assessed value and that goes into >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yeah, just a um follow up back to your
to your question, Joe. Um and maybe this is a question for you, Jane, but um so if we're using an economy uh accommodated costs and that ends up being the bellweather and then everything else grows by 3 or 4%. Um, is there is maybe this gets back to how
we're you're going to show budgets going forward, but I I'd be interested in if we're making decisions around what grows and what what we what falls into the 3 and 4% and what falls out and what services those you know that means. I
don't know if I'm asking that question the right way, but like if you know could if if if the econ accommodated co uh costs are growing at a at a higher uh clip what I'm hearing is that we have to
make other choices for the things that we control and so what are we doing like what are we foregoing um you know as um as decisions and what will we kind of further forgoing
in either scenario if we do. >> So as we talk about departmental budgets >> yes >> when we get to that part of this conversation in a few weeks what you're just so I'm understanding what you're asking is sort of >> in order to maintain accommodated cost
these these spendings become control what are we going to sacrifice on the other side? >> Yep. And it's very simple. It's people. It's very simple. The budget's people. So where we make those cuts,
>> you know, there's not enough expenses equal. >> No, we haven't been cutting people. Um nutrition and things like that, but at the end of the day, you're going to be looking at staffing because it's a $6.5 million structural deficit. >> Well, and I guess >> today and again,
>> we haven't got that yet. Well, I and I guess even just like in the last couple years, and I know we we go over this a little bit um when we're doing the budget presentations year over year, but
I it might be worth it for us and the the broader audience to know even in the last couple of budgets the things that kind of >> fell on the floor. Yes. and you know on the cutting room floor as far as what we
could have done didn't do um and how and and because I think that a lot of the questions that we're going to get you to kind of Marian's point is okay well here's where we are right now but it's this just didn't happen
yesterday and so I think that's part of the story is how long it takes and and what we've been doing and we've been kind of tacking towards this but I think there's also I think that's would be helpful for folks to understand
>> budget all I think last year had 300,000 budget just to try and get 2.75 the year before I think it was 100 there's definitely been a lot of cutting on the expense side to allow for our you
know contracts so there definitely be impossible. >> Thank you. >> Can I go on? >> Okay. So, this slide is the financial forecast the upper of the
quadrant where you see the percentages. That's the operating budget. That's how much the operating budget goes out after we take out cost. So for fiscal 28 we've been running very school and town side have been running very
budgets on the school side and I think 1.4% um for um for the town and so that's very very like extraordinary. So for the if going to go for an override we'd like to have fiscal 28 be fairly long budget
not a overly lean budget. So I I aimed for a 3.75% increase operating budget. Jane did ask um the department head to give a level one budget so we can talk about what was the things that need to be added back
and prioritize those things. Um but maybe even without adding these things structural deficit becomes very large because what we see here is um I end up putting down the bottom you can see a note $1.472 472 million in the community
priority. Those are costs that did not exist prior and they're mostly related to the new buildings. So 305,000 is new positions and staff those buildings,000
for additional expenses,000 school. And then we had asked you know into service and they came back and they did a bunch of
they weren't adding any just 5.5% just to stay level service not and so what I did was 5.25% 25% is not what I was planning. I was okay. What am I going to do with that? So the difference is $917,639
which that little box is blocking is basically put in there as an accommodated cost for the school to get the number that they so budget with and the overriding house 3.75 plus is 97
and that's how I chose to do it because I didn't want to put give us both that seems what you're doing. So in total there's about $989,000 of new cost related to buildings. Um and
some of that cost what's there in the community priorities is listed. Some of the other costs that are there already in cost because they're already categories is property at $230,000 and then there's about 12
25 um or um 195 for the energy costs for the buildings. So there's a lot of money built into this budget that did not exist prior. So it doesn't help us keep that number down. In fact, it expands a bit. So in order to do this type of
budget, a typical 3.75% budget, it's a $10 million deficit. And so um so that was We tend to have some level of regeneration usually our state number but I would get
us down toward number so I would say the lowest I'd like to see cash2 million so that just to fill the gap 7 million if we were to go to $2 million to give
us more towards the normal side they used to be $2 million to It would be an $8 million that's just a hole in the buildings. So that new buildings are not just basic%
budget plus the addition cost they need and the new building costs. So, I wanted to build those in for the full year. Like I So, I know that those buildings probably won't have all that cost for the whole year, but if I don't build it into fiscal 28, then I'm going
to come up with extra money in fiscal 29 budget. So, I felt it best if we're going to ask where I put all of the costs related to those new buildings, a full year's worth in 2018. That's why that number is so high because even though we probably won't have those new buildings in place for fiscal 28, I
wanted that number to have um a full year of the additional staff, a full year of a full year of the insurance because I don't know exactly when they'll have everything >> just to follow on. So you say that's
that's just getting us you know whatever 7.7 plus the two and a half in fiscal year 28. But when we think of overrides, we're not thinking of an override that's going to get us through one year. So I'm looking across that line and you're thinking FY30, we would need
um 12 million. >> Yeah. So that's how that's why I'm showing this. It's like to to get multiple years, you've got to give some thought to that as well. >> Yeah. I mean, and that's and you I think the public, you know, our last over, we got a lot of time out of it, but say
people want to get at least four or five years. I mean, this doesn't go beyond to 31 and 32. Are we Is that why this packet has a number of like a $14 million override in it? I mean, is that >> just because it seems like it's trending up to a certain amount every year? >> Yeah, let's just let's just get the
worst case out there that I know that all those accommodated costs have settled down, but I can't I mean, we're still getting guidance from Maya even though we we worked our benefits to save money that we still could expect a double digit number. Um it's so built into those accommodated classes almost
10% for benefits. It could not come to fruition that way which would be helpful but we have to do worst case scenario we're doing this so far in advance. So energy costs if you look at fiscal 28 we have um few years back we had signed a
natural gas um contract that was a 30% increase and that ends at the end of I think it's May of 2027 and then it goes up by 16%. So it's so I I wish I could tell you everything is doing but I just
don't know when things will level off. We also have fuel costs going way up and so you know we have to budget to just put gas in the cars to be a lot more expensive. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Uh thanks Joe. The
method that you're using there is different than what's online. So online is a newer version of that with numbers that are different. >> So you have 518 26 at 3:27 p.m. online is 519 26 and 10:04. So it's a day later
and the number at the bottom right is 3.99% 4. >> That's what we have in our pack. >> 3.99. >> Jackie, was that what you sent? So she had sent it out again after I updated the packet because you did have
originally I had an estimate in there for property casualty and we reached out to give us a more solid number. >> So is this the latest or this the latest? >> Are you looking at the email today? >> Yeah, >> it's tie into that. >> No, this one's older. >> Well, I have 3.99.
>> Is that the today's email? >> You can see go up in the top left. >> So the one on the website >> right there. 59. >> Yeah. >> 104. >> That says 58 >> that has four.9.
>> This slide must not have been updated when other things are updated because this is Yeah. This is so the the PowerPoint in the packet >> uh has the date Chris is talking about the 59. >> What is the number for the financial? >> We have 3.99 in the bottom corner of our packet. Sorry Sharon, what was your
which which line did I >> the financial number? >> The financial number for which year >> for for 28 >> FY28 financial uh $1,495,000 >> okay
>> got that has >> it's immaterial difference. Yeah, I mean that's one small thing, but I guess if everything else is different >> from it was a lot higher than that. So I felt like it was important for us trying to show a full year of those new
buildings that I would need to put that extra money and I think it was 135 in there. So, um, just to give you the general idea, but what I did is the overall numbers don't really change because I took that 130,000 out of
benefits because I didn't want to go over that $10 million. I didn't want to make that number get even bigger. Um, so I brought the benefits down just so slightly because I do think that the changes we made might have a positive impact. We may not see.
It's 10,000 and 17,000. >> No, it's not. >> It's just difficult to follow along. Like right >> I'm seeing 399 and I'm wondering where the the price difference and it looks like that 30 changed by a couple dollars
but like just for cohesiveness for anybody that might >> Yeah financial number is just increased by 2% which is I think just because it's a round number not because we know what that's going to increase. So that's um that number because the base is
different once you increase it by 2%. The offset doesn't exactly offset to your player the way it does. I understand that in FYI 28 the bottom line is the same. >> This is your Tom >> but FI30 the bottom line is slightly differently.
So what you're showing is just the first page of this. So 495. So that's so that is because that property insurance last minute so that we could kind of give us
So that I wasn't going to stay on this very long. Anyway, I just wanted to show you where that number is coming from. >> What's your question? >> Yeah, once you get back to the slide that you said you didn't want to spend any time on, I have a question about it.
Sorry. Uh, I'll wait for it to get back up on the screen for everybody. Almost there. There we are. So, um, this is maybe a basic question you're taking for granted, but I want to make sure this is sort of asked and
answered out loud. my understanding, like correct me if I'm wrong. So, so is it is it correct that if we have a say $8 million override in FI28, that just reduces the free cash usage by $8 million, so it would be a $2 million
free cash usage. And likewise, every subsequent year would be reduced by 8 million times 1.025. You know, if we just pretend like we got into the situation because things are growing outside two and a half. So you could be in a
situation, let's say we didn't get eight. Let's just say eight and we go bring it down to two for 28. In fiscal 29, we would probably be adding to our cash use to to five years five years into the future if we run into those
number. So you would have to be anticipating that we would do something similar just to get more time out of the money because the money we're asking for just to fill the gap is a lot of things. So the bigger the number I think the higher likelihood that it might not
pass. So it is one of those things that we might need to go a little further because a bigger number may not pass. So we might be in the same situation we're in where costs continue to grow outside we may need to use a little bit more cash
but but I mean um the impact I'm trying to understand so obviously I haven't done this for any overrides yet uh so I'm trying to understand how to read these tables that we look at every year in the presence of an override >> like and my understanding is it reduces the override amount reduces the amount
of free cash that has to be used by >> roughly that much. Yeah. Okay. That's >> so if nothing changed and you're looking at fiscal 29, you know, and I've got a if everything worked out that way, then I would probably have to increase my cash to be
able to to do the numbers that we have on the screen. So from whatever number it is, what say is 2 million, I would have to increase it by 1.875. So that's why it's better to go with a bigger number to give us some room, but it's hard to imagine what kind of
number we have. >> Uh Sharon, so out of the uh the free cash doesn't include regeneration though, >> correct? Or am I >> that's up there? >> Yeah, >> that's just how much is being you would need to be used to balance this budget, >> right? But then we'd also have
regeneration, right? And >> yeah, regeneration happens every year and >> but would it would lower the need but if we you know if we if we raised you know just say 8 million or 7 million and we didn't need it be the whole amount
because of regeneration then the regeneration is going to grow. It's what happened the last time you know we'll start regenerating more which will delay >> kids. Yeah. So in the first year of an override, a lot of the cost we're building a full year in and maybe you're not going to get a full year of new
employee or full year of insurance building. But just so that we don't have to money another year, I'm going to build a full year that is going to make the regeneration higher in that first year over because I've built in costs that I kind of know are not going to be
that full year. So that we have them as a baseline now >> and also interest on the cash we're sitting. >> I'm sorry. >> Also the cash we're sitting on the interest on that will be higher too. I mean that was sort of a surprise the
last you know three or four years ago. >> Yeah. We're getting very good returns on investment. Yes. So any money we would have in preparion where does that get reflected in it's
just undergovern >> what was the We shall state it as a total line number. So for FY6 sorry FY26 the state is claiming that we
we got $29 million. So those numbers don't part of the reason why I'm asking because those numbers don't add up to that. um 20 they're saying total chapter 78 was 28.5 million rounded and
chapter 9.1 million. So, but those numbers count. >> So, is that intergovernment that we said? >> Yes, that's not like I It's hard to I mean I don't want you to recite a URL especially
because no one can probably hear you on the mic in the back room anyway, but I would love to hear the source for where that's coming from. >> Yeah. Um, also FY26 versus FY27. >> So, where Yep. and it didn't drop things
going. Um so it's under the fair share if people you know where community is getting where is my community getting fair share supporting local education it's on mass I can I can share with
um and then the other question I have is so the next 18 months year couple um going off across two fiscal years we're going to get significant reimbursements for one of are building projects.
How do those get accounted for through the budgeting process? So those aren't being accounted for yet anywhere because we don't know exactly what we're getting and they usually come on. Are you talking about the rebates for
>> well and we're getting reimbured as we have the tax consultant going to be helping identify how much we'll be getting back. So it's not shown anywhere. We don't know who get them. >> That was the geothermal credits. Yeah, the energy credits. But what about I'm just wondering how you account for the
fact that as killing goes on, we get reimbursements get huge reimbursements the next 18 months, >> right? And that affects how much we're going to borrow in our second trunch because it affects the cash flow. Correct. >> Oh, you're asking about the NA
reimbursement for the discretion. So the project itself does not sit in the general fund. It's not any of these numbers. It sits in its own fund all by itself. We borrow the money. The money goes into that fund and then the MSBA reimbures us every time after that money
goes. So by itself not part of these numbers. >> Okay. >> All right. So it won't it won't inflate free cash artificially at any point. >> Okay. No, I mean we earn interest on all the money we borrow. So that helps, but it's
not um the capital project itself is holding the actual money. We only have the interest while holding the money. So that's and so we have been relying more on the interest income than we ever have because
I'm hoping that we're able to continue to get that. Does that go back to Mark's question earlier about the interest on our cash or is that also separate? Anything that comes from interest in um the money we borrow for our buildings that's also
separate from this? >> Unless there's something that the interest stays with something if we borrow money doesn't stay in the capital project actually goes to the general fund even though the money goes into a capital project any interest.
>> Okay. So it's reflective of that. It's definitely reflecting things. So, they'll be higher for the next few years. Okay. Thank you. >> I want to I want to talk about one thing about intergovernmental revenues. >> Um and we'll look at what the state sounds
>> great, >> but that's okay because we we tend to project low for state. The reason you project low is because sometimes budgets come in late. Sometimes you have not we haven't had C
cuts in a long time, but if you've ever been through nine C cuts, the trauma is real. So, has anybody here been through nine C cuts? I have a 9 cut. >> So, that's what they cut the budget in the middle of the year when you have unexpected. They have the fair share.
That's pass. It's better to project low and then realize more um more state aid because then you can apply. to your point before we're asking for and over a very clear reflection of where we are this day, but we don't we want to
project in into the future. She's just projecting two and a half% growth. >> Yeah. So, they're proposing just over 3% this year. >> I'd love to see it, but I want us to stay >> Yeah. >> just conserve. >> I'd just like to be keep it all
transparent and and that's if that's the approach, that's what we're doing. I keep thinking back to that crazy like refresh cash surprise that we bought a couple years ago like off by a couple million a few million that was crazy and
I don't want anything like that to happen while we're asking the taxpayers to call me up. Thank you for answering those questions follow on question on the cash regeneration. Do you know roughly what that is like over the last several
years? >> So we average um prior to the last year about 6 million of regeneration over we had some high so it was averaging about 6% and it had fallen down to four I think last year. So I
mean I feel like as we bring our budget down to a leaner area that's less to regenerate we're going as lean as possible. So you're just naturally going to see less regeneration. So just using more free cash then you know using more free cash we if we want to see free cash
but what we actually have to generate more than we're using we're using high numbers which more than what we ever so you we've been planning to decline for our preserves and using it to build a hole but yeah you know I feel
like it's been the only difference because this year I could expect us through later in the presentation But but like recently about free cash is going to be either like be interesting because rates have stayed higher than
expected cash but also like nutrition positions not to know how much comes from nutrition or >> I mean I feel like a lot of times outside positions remain open for a while but I'm I'm seeing a decline there
just in general you know so I feel like we don't have the regeneration that we had in the past so even though we can say our average is above 6 million years I would say that you know I'm expecting fiscal 26
We finally don't have a question. You keep going. >> Oh, do we have a question? >> No, no. I said you finally keep going. >> So, um, this information comes from DS website. It's the overight calculator. You can put in the community where you live in and, um, it will give you
different levels of balance. Um, and it also gives you, which I think I put in the packet, you know, all the different valuations of what that would be for 78 million. And I showed it up to 14 million, which I mean, I don't know.
I mean, seeing how the number is so big, if you want it to last a period of time, you do have to entertain some bigger numbers, but those kind of frightening to look at honestly. Um, so a $7.5 million override for the average $944,000 home that already has a tax bill of over
10,000 would be a $850 increase to their tax bill every year. 8 million is 90%. So you can see it's just, you know, where we did the two debt exclusions, it's hard to imagine that we could get one of the bigger numbers there because the time is not
the best. It's not up to you. Um, but I give you the numbers just because it's not up to me what we ask and you guys have to know what the information is. Um, so that's what's there is our potential overrider looking at. But the structural deficit's too large
for us to really, you know, go lower than that. So I think the seven and a half is the baseline. If you're going to say we need to go bottom, that's the bottom. And not to beat a dead horse because I
know I asked this at town meeting as well, but just for the public's benefit, that FY26 average bill shown there does not yet include the first trunch of Kilum payments, right? >> No, because that's fiscal 26 and the first trunch of debt hits in 2017
>> and that's another eight or $900 on the average house, right? >> I think from what I borrowed, it's more like five or six. >> Okay. >> So, you're not seeing the whole amount. the first tranch. >> But I mean, just the public who sees this have to has to really mentally add
another 500 to everything here. And if they decide to pass CPA Oh, and another one 1% was it or one and a half%. >> One so >> 1% on top less the 100 value of the house. >> Okay.
>> It's definitely less than makes me nervous. So >> you said 500 just the first round of >> so knowing that we're looking to do the fiscal 28 if we can do it over 28 will
be a talk about doing um it's the second trunch I think with the cash flows that we currently have say the money that we borrow last June of 2027 um and so we need to borrow around that time but what we talked about doing to avoid for the principal payment is doing
a short-term borrowing when one borrowing so that so that only the interest portion of what we borrow. So we can't avoid it all together. We can if we depending on when we borrow we can get somewhere into the middle of
fiscal fiscal borrow we really do have to borrow in June or July of 2027 we're going to have decent interest interest there. So um so that's kind of it would be nice to avoid all
the understandings but I I all the numbers you're seeing kind of made that adjustment so that we're not having that second >> which I know we did talk about at our retreat some remind
it for the one year then you borrow So we had talked about um one of the things that we had the library borrow then we had this extra money that just sitting there some people.
So we could be closer to the end of the project and not have as much excess, right? It won't be necessarily stick. >> I know, but they're telling me I'm getting the news from the police chief who's watching it correctly. It will be
the big jump about $500 for the average single family home and then slowing >> you. I guess money the risk maybe you could have lost a tripa bond rating by >> so not necessarily part of the reason
I'm even entertaining a short-term borrowing is that you don't do a bond rating call for a shortterm borrowing and so given what's happened this year and how much free cash we had to use the April town meeting I don't feel confident that if we went to borrow in July that we would stay overnight so the
ban would avoid that um and then we have at least we' be able say to S&P, hey, we have low ride pass and we're going to be lifting our you know, so there's a chance for us to actually recover and especially by the first year we'll probably have more regeneration by the
time we move it, you know, recover to the point that we're still in 15 to 20% range. So I mean given that we had such a broad this year I just I don't know that we have changes.
>> So um just more following back to to Melissa's questions about which which tax bill changes occur when. Yeah. So the the 5600ish for the first branch of borrowing that hits the tax bills in FY27,
the the impact we're looking at here would be hitting tax bills in FY28. And then if you manage to avoid borrowing, use a ban to postpone the second trench, that would be FY29.
I do I mean obviously want to pay the money regardless but I do like taking it over three years instead of all at once. So I appreciate that effort. Uh another question about that though. You said something about like the interest costs for doing short-term borrowing. Is that
included in your estimate of what is needed in FY20? Ah that's good. I Okay. It's not this amount plus the interest in FI28. >> We've been thinking strategically about you this. It's it's
>> an ideal. It's >> the part where the cost of a short-term borrowing is included in this and is not on top of this. >> It's built in >> is a >> Sounds like a planted question. Sounds like a planted question. >> Sounds like a plant. That was a planted
question, Joe. >> No, I'm My ignorance is 100% genuine. Do we try to write 100%. >> So this side is you know um so we also have to plan and think
about what kind of doesn't pass and what does that do to our budget and um so that's what this slide is and it's not pretty. What I did um for this um to come up with these numbers is I took out the community priority for the school. I
reduced the capital by about $240,000. So bringing it down from the 5% we normally do. And I got that if we use the same amount of free cash that we're using for fiscal 27, our budget can't even go up%. It goes up.9%. So I feel like every option you see
there will include some sort of staffing cut because there just no way we're going to be able to pull that off with that kind of a number. Um unless somehow we got our unions to agree to a zero for a year. I don't know how you pull that off, but um so and then it just gets
worse from there. It gets worse from there because like five million you're now having a reduction in your budget. You know, 4 million 2.1% reduction and a 3 million is 3.28% reduction. It's not a pretty picture. It's it's a lot of jobs.
>> Do you have a question? >> Yeah. Um so Jane on on your end is that when you start to present budgets in weeks time will you have solutions and what that looks like?
>> We'll have highle solutions. So I'm not going to identify >> no >> like exact people. >> Thank you. Thank you. Yes. That's that's that's helpful. >> No morbid. Um, I asked Sharon the other day to come up
with an average cost for a person. So that is an average salary and it's an average benefits amount. Okay? And so that will start to look at on an average it would cost
this. Now some things we would look at are you know the least harm options. Yeah. >> Right. The least harm. So, we're going to look at retirements and not filling certain positions as best we can on the town side. We'll ask the school department to do a similar exercise
Tom's here. Um, and you know, that is a morbid exercise, but >> yep, >> you know, that's where we are. So, we'll start to look at what what does that look like in terms of headcount. Um we'll also look at operational expenses and things that you know it'll look like
um certain maintenance contracts may get may get cut back and so certain you know how do we maintain buildings? Maybe it'll look at um how we staff buildings like do we keep the library open as many
hours? Do we keep the recal center open as many hours if it's not being rented? like we'll look at those options too. Sort of the >> the do less as less harm as we can. >> Is that what you want to see? >> That's exactly that's exactly I think that's you know that's that's the other
side of the coin that I think people >> Before I take your question it's something I wanted to mention here is these numbers include um the leaving the buildings full new buildings full cost for the full year in there. Another option would be to figure out how many months we need the new building cost in
there and bring it, you know, we might bring our operating budget up a little, but I just left it there because the two debt exclusions have passed. So, I feel like those costs go along with it, but we may we could for fiscal 28 take up the needed portion and then fiscal 29
build that budget up. >> Yes. >> So, a question that um I remember I asked this or at the previous override and um attempt and it never was addressed. What do we know what percentage of our
employees are work don't work full-time but work between 20 and 30 hours? Because one of the things I noticed at at the time the time of the previous override that Reading did differently than say Wakefield is we offered full benefits at 20 hours a week whereas
Wakefield you had to be 30. And I'm not sure, maybe that's more school personnel like paras. Um, but I don't know how many personnel we have that fit into that bucket. And I'm not trying to say let's kick everyone out of our benefits, but our accommodated costs. So what's
the reason for the structural deficit? And I don't know if there's ever been an analysis of a personnel breakdown. what percentage are getting like are getting benefits because they work in reading but would not get them say in Wakefield which requires 30 hours a week to get benefits. So
>> So I don't know those numbers off the top of my head but certainly numbers I could get for you. >> It just I I don't know if it would represent much savings and maybe we get better people because we pay benefits at 20 hours. But if we're doing something distinctly different from neighboring
towns and we're in tough times and say an override doesn't pass, that's something I think. >> So we do have something that's unique about Reading in terms of getting into our retirement system. So in other communities, we have this issue with Paris. Um you have to work like a total
of 1900 hours. It's like this set number of hours. hours and cafeteria workers, they don't meet the criteria to be in our retirement. So they they get benefits at 20 hours, but when they retire, they're not getting benefits because they're not in our retirement
system. And so that brings down our numbers in comparison when we're looking at community that offers anybody who works 20 hours can be in the retirement system. We don't have that here and it's kind of unique. Um I don't feel like a lot of communities have that and it's
been in place for a long time. Um the post retirement benefits is lower in reading because we don't have people retirement system. >> And does that what does that impact is that part of the accommodated costs that you're considering?
>> It's really more Yeah, it's in the benefit section still. We do try and find those postemployment benefits and we haven't really started to fund them at any real level like it's always about 500,000. have extra money, maybe it's 800,000, but once the pension is fully
funded, it's always been the plan to now go on that liability. Um, but our liability is reduced drastically by the fact that we do not have part-time people in our retirement system. Okay. >> But that's just to be clear, that's from the town's point of view, savings
we already have. That's not something else. >> He was saying that others. So we do it is kind of we're letting people 20 hours and something to be but in the long run we're not paying for them. >> I just say uh
>> I see on Zoom um question following up. >> Okay, I'll get to you Sean next. Um Shane, quick question and it's for Jane. I know that the town offers an opt out incentive for folks to leave our health insurance and since this is the biggest
line item on the accommodating cost. Has that number I think it used to be 4,500. Has that been revisited? Is it any appetite to like bump that up so to incentivize some of the folks to get out from our insurance and go their spouses for example? yet.
>> There's a lot of incentives, but the point >> sure well we just did that. We actually just increased that and the select board approved it um with our PEC agreement. We increased the opt out number. I don't have it off the top of my head. We can put that it's in the packet from and
it's online. Um so the opt out number has increased um to make it more appealing to not take our health insurance with your spouse or >> and we're offering more health insurance options. So um by doing plan design
changes they made um a select plan available which is 13% lower than our HMO plan and we built in relativity to make the PO more expensive than the HMO to try and get more people to an HMO plan because right now the relativity is too close like well for this small
amount of money I'm going to go with the PO it's just better when we build in that relativity over three years like a 15% difference between the PO and the HO naturally many people are going to go to the less expensive plans. So there's a lot of savings we could see, you know,
over the next few years based on those plan design changes that we put in place for fiscal. >> This is the first time they've had a plan design in 35 years. >> Yeah. 35 years. I'm not kidding. >> They didn't make any significant changes between a PO and the HMO per month for
an employee is a cup of coffee. Not at Starbucks either. >> I wish Jack could capture my face for the minutes. >> Yeah. So it this the PDC came to the table and worked with us, you know, aggressively to make more options to make it less expensive for the town and
for the employee because the po our the old legacy policy we had which had no deductible had started to become significantly expensive and blue shield excluded a class of drugs GLP1. These are very popular drugs. So that's
excluded for all of our employees and pretty much anybody in public. Um and that still did not bring down health insurance costs to a palatable amount. PC was certainly motivated to go to plan design. The new plans have low
but deductibles which they have not had for 35 years. So I mean it's a significant change that we hope will drive real savings. We're projecting 3.9 million over the term of the contract which is a three-year agreement. >> So even with those changes, he's still
predicting a 10% increase in >> 27 showing the savings already in there and then they're telling us that we still are exposed to the potential of a 10% increase over the next >> premium the premium point. Yeah. I mean the other thing too is if we hadn't done
plan design they quoted us 10.86 86 even after they took the GOP ones off of the so I mean the plan design brought us down to somewhere in that 5% range and we got 5% 5.17% savings so it brought it under 5%. Um so
we were really lucky the PC was so cooperative and came to the table looking to save money as well. We all are on the same team and we worked really well together and I think it it will produce savings especially in this tight economy. I think people are going to go towards less expensive plans if
they can and I think but we we don't know what's going to happen. I would hope that we see more people moving to HMO plans and things like that and that we would start to see more savings that we won't experience the 10% but when my gives us that advice that's the only advice we have when we're projecting out
our numbers. Um and it's really early to be looking at fiscal 28. I don't have anything any new information to go. You're not going to get any numbers on what to project for FY28 for our health insurance until late January and they won't get a specific number for the town
until February, which is their normal timeline. So, we're doing our best to project out reasonably. But yeah, so the plan design is huge and that does save us money and that does increase the opt out funds as well. It also increased the
amount and you'll appreciate this. increase the amount of time that a retiree has. So they don't have to buy back within 10 years. They can go 15 years, which will often get them to medics, which you know what I mean? So that saves us. So people don't feel like, oh, I got to buy back into the
system at a higher rate because I'm a younger retiree. So it saves us some money in that regard, too. >> So once they're in medex, they're outside of our school. So which makes our health insurance. >> Well, Medex is we we cover our medics as well. I know, but it it takes them off of our
>> HO, >> which is more expensive, more cost effective for both town and retire. >> Yes, Sean had a question on Zoom if you want to go ahead. >> But thanks, Joe. The um I just, you know, Maryann's question was a very fair
one about part-time employees and and health benefits. I did want to just highlight though that in the case of Peris, which is certainly one of the big contributors to that, that's not really just a policy decision. That's that's in the uh collective bargaining agreement. Um and you know, obviously we're we're going into those negotiations later this
year, but there's probably not much in the collective bargaining agreement I think they would fight harder to hold on to than that. So, um just want to highlight that complication, >> right? So my my question was on uh on the
medical is there any OPE uh savings too? You mean >> other employee other postmploying benefits like will we see savings there? >> OPE savings. >> I I would imagine so because they're using you know what our actual rates of
increase are year over year for our health insurance project out the future cost. I do think that they some words in there for the future to like actuary math. It's not it's not the typical math. They would build in all kinds of
assumptions to get to the future. Um yeah, there probably be savings because our insurance would be just generally less expensive. The starting off number that they're going to inflate is a lower number >> grow as fast. Yeah. Hey Joe, um like on the retirement side, I know my favorite
question to you about for the pinching board. >> Could we ask them to go a couple more years and fully fully fun that push out? >> I know we did it before, but to do it again. We don't have to be fully funded and just
>> we could it's just every only get that opportunity every year. They do a valuation every two years which comes with a funding schedule. funds the liability and with every valuation there's all these changes in assumptions. There's a change in the
mortality table. People are living longer and so it increases their liability. Um if if the stock market isn't doing well, you might have losses that they're trying to cover. Um if you want to reduce our discount rate, which is our expected return, um that comes with a very heavy price tag. So we've
had a lot of changes that are always being incorporated into our valuation which have been forcing us to push outward on the on the actual payoff. We were supposed to be 2029 then it was 20 it's 2030 I think we're at I think the
date is 2031 but it's technically in 2032. So I feel like um there I'm only one member of the retirement board. It's a five member board. It's a group decision on what we do and what funding schedule we select. But I made it very clear how painful the last funding
schedule was at 8.3 came possible. Everything was blowing up and it was one of our bigger numbers. It was 8.3%. And it was disproportionately hitting the general fund at like 16 that first year. So it really hurt. And so I made sure that we going the opposite direction
going down from where we were. So we got down to 5.3 but still a little bit higher. I would prefer it be lower, but um it kept us still in a reasonable time paying off that viability. You know, we can switch gears. We can stay on that timeline. So, we'll just see. But every
two years we have that opportunity and that just happens. So, we have two years that conversation again. >> Okay. >> So, Sean's question um made me think of another complication which I think is captured here, but I want to make sure.
So, looking at the um we're still all looking at the slide the chair didn't want to spend time on the uh the one that uh that had the uh the $10 million free cash uh usage number. So, >> the cash uh >> well, so the the the actually the number
that I was going to call out is um like we have, you know, the FY27 budget is a 3% operating budget increase and we're projecting 3% for FY29 and FY30. for FY28 we're projecting 3.75%.
And uh >> we could do a lower number. I just feel like the last years have been >> so and and actually my question is uh this is kind of a this one is a leading question not a planted question Ed. >> Um but like is it even possible to do
lower than that given that that is the year in which everyone's contract and their brother contract is getting renegotiated? It is possible because none of you would be negotiating. >> Well, we'd be negotiating but then right that's a >> but I feel like I wanted to start with a healthy budget to start with and then if
an override fails we need to entertain options right or we could even be looking at as building I could even bring that down to a lower number and see what we can get to you know in terms of bringing that 10 million down to a lower number just doesn't go down that much by%. I I I understand that's the
thing is that like if if the uh you know >> I just feel >> from 3.75 to 3.5 you know doesn't change the 10 million but causes us to deal with strike that seems like a poor bargain I'd rather just pay the 10 million
and I I also felt like the last couple years were very different we did very budget fiscal 27 would allow them to add a little back of what they had to Yeah. Question on it. So that's a Karen point.
I mean I hope the online FY29 sorry FY26 came from it was 29 million. I hope that's accurate, but I'm having a hard time believing that's even close considering if you
guys or you Sharon increase it by 2.5% each year, you were basing your FY27 on that. So that seems the financial
If we get that, I'd be thrilled. I have not heard those numbers. Have to go searching and look at what she's looking at. >> So, I can um The wonders of modern technology Karen emailed me the link that she was talking about. So, I have it on my computer now.
um that the row for reading says northeast metropolitan, reading. So I'm wondering if that 29 million is the plus the like I'm wondering if the vast majority of that is this of this chapter
70 is for is for the school >> some part for the regional schools and everything >> that might be it. This doesn't I don't know how to make this I don't know how to make this thing show the town without the without the text.
>> Is that the number you're looking at? >> Yes, that's the 29 but it's it's um >> I've never heard that high. >> It doesn't I'm question. >> Okay. All right. I'm seeing 12 million which seems more
>> 129. >> Okay, cool. >> What' you say? >> No, no, that's >> that's overall state including >> Oh, this is so veterans everything that we get in our state aid.
>> Right. Okay, cool. So, yes, sorry, trying to answer most question. >> Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it. And then does that number also include like reimbursements we get for elections and things like that. Okay, >> those are grants. Yeah.
>> All right. Now that we have thoroughly taken you off of your plan presentation, >> I'm pretty much done. Whatever questions you have, we can back to anything you want. I I feel like it's important to kind of get >> what's that minimum number that we need
to ask to move things forward. >> Y >> So part of what we would we would move to next >> Jane I bet they can't hear you because you are nowhere near a mic. >> It doesn't amplify at all.
>> No, the room is not amplified. There is there's a microphone in the ceiling right over there in the middle of the room and that's what's picking us up and then these are being picked up by RCTV. >> That green light in the ceiling is the microphone.
>> So there's no in room amplification. There's only in room amplification at the library which booked and town hall. >> Yeah. So, we're interested to know what kind of an override folks are interested
in. You know, how many options we're seeing? One options, two options, three options. We have some information in the packet. Um, stop sharing. So, Jackie can share and move to the override communication and
proposed timeline that our operations team sitting in second has prepared. It's pretty good. >> Okay. So, um the memo everybody in detail. Uh but the plan that was put forward by our
operation team at my request was to come up with um a timeline about how to approach public engagement outreach once we come up with a number. Um so the next
um August 4th is a regular select board meeting. Don't move too far. Yeah. Go back up a little bit. Um so then there's another another discussion to have is when to do the
override. Okay. And so what we're operating on an assumption right now to create a timeline is to do it at the November uh midterm ballot. So it's November 3rd. Um
and part of the reason for that is that we don't put on extra elections. Um, and if we put it on the same ballot, that also saves us money. If we put on a separate ballot, the town clerk says it basically is another another election,
right? Because it's mailing extra ballots. It's and we're looking also at a multiple page ballot. Anyway, you know, if you're following, there's a lot of ballot questions that have gone out for the second round of signatures. So, there could be 10 ballot questions as
well. So, there's a lot of stuff on this ballot anyway. This is what we're looking at right now for budgeting purpose because if we have if the town has an appetite to pass an override, then our budget cycle in FY for FY28
is different than if it doesn't and then we're preparing multiple budgets and if there's an appetite to try again. So November, if we want to go for November, then we have to turn in our our propos our ballot question to the state by
August 5th. So we have to have our numbers together and everybody has to know what our options are. I would say by mid July so that everybody has a chance to vote to put that forward. who's going you know the select board
does um we have time to make sure that the language is correct and legal that kind of thing. So mid July. Um so then this timeline um talks about an override webinar. We
would run we'd start really you know a bigger public engagement campaign. Once we have those numbers nailed down they're into the state and now you know we're moving. Obviously this is a public meeting. We'll continue to have public meetings and talking about it during select board and so
forth, but um we'll do a more of a campaign. Um there'll be a website, a dedicated landing page on the website. Um there'll be a form for people to submit questions for get answers. There'll be a calendar
of meetings. There'll be um an updated tax impact calendar that was a calculator rather that was very helpful for the debt exclusions. Um we'll offer we'll do a online webinar that can be recorded and shared by RCTV
and links on our pages. Um and so then we go through they're planning an in-person forum at the library in mid August, a virtual forum in late August. Now, a lot of folks don't really start paying attention to stuff until
fall summer's over and school's back on. So, September has um two sele regular select board meetings which would have override opportunity in them at the at the appetite of the chair and the rest of the board. There would be an in-person forum.
All inerson forums have virtual options. Um there'll be one at the library. There'll be a virtual forum. October, same kind of thing. Um the final information session would be October 28th and then you would have a state
election on the 3. Um some of the communication assets that we have some of our channels include the town website. Um we have email communication. So that includes things like the town manager minute, the writing public library
newsletter, the public schools newsletter, recreation has a newsletter, um our elder and human services department has one called pleasantries. Obviously we have social media. We can do press releases and and one-on- ons with local media. Um we, you know,
practice it media outreach. Um for public engagement, we'll do inperson and hybrid options. We've already covered that. Um, we can also, um, you know, attend community events, um, go, you know, to all the different
things. I already do office hours. I already do. I started a podcast. We'll talk about it then. You should tune in. It's fabulous. I've only done one. So, yeah. Um, and then, um, we'll have information, you know, printed materials that we can put out in
different places. We can put out QR codes people can scan. So, we have a lot of options that we can go forward. We are practiced um at what is acceptable with the Office of Campaign and Public Finance. So, there's there's things we can say, there's things we can't say.
Obviously, we can't say go vote for an override. That's not acceptable. Um but we put out factual information for people to be able to answer questions about what is being brought forward. Yeah. Just to follow up on that. So I
know that's uh those restrictions exist on the town slide. How does that extend to boards and committees? Just just to clarify. I I know there's some do we do we as a finance committee is it different than the select board
and school school committee? Just curious as far as >> there are some fine differences and we have information that we will give to all the boards committee and commissions. Um, if you're an elected official, you can say whatever you want. Um, you're elected. Um, if you're
appointed, you you know, it's a little bit finer. Um, and you know, like town staff can't advocate one way. We can't fund raise. We cannot go to a pro committee or or an against committee um
and and advocate to raise money for them. But we can go answer questions um and provide factual information. Um, and there's also limitations about what's done during working hours and non-working hours. So, that's a factor, too. But we have all of that already, and so we'll disseminate that.
>> So, I I think everything you proposed is great. I'm concerned you're just going to spring a number on the public and everything else is here's why, you know, you have two months to accept this number. I look at what we did with the past override with the
failed override with selling the recal killing project and I just I know it's very difficult to engage the public in the summer. Is there any way there can be some kind of anformational meeting like before the end of June with the
public because this is going to come out of nowhere to the public. I I don't know if anyone else shares my concerns about trying to sell this whole thing after the board after the after it's gone to the state and you know you've got a very
short time frame if you really want this to pass. >> You're not wrong. Um I I can definitely do a public forum before the end of June. Um I want to yeah we can do one but I want to just
temper sort of what the expectation is so like we haven't decided yet on this number the boards are talking about it but you know how we got here the structural deficit we can simplify it a little bit we put that budget video out we're going to do another video um that will speak to the override as well but it makes it a little easier
>> the headline out of here I see two people sitting in the audience who represent the local two local news sources And they're both going to show the image with like the override numbers per and everyone's going to treat that and there's going to be questions. >> Yep. >> So that's just
>> No, I think that's that's great. Yeah, we can add in a June. I don't have a problem with that. I'll go to anything. >> I would love if people actually pay attention to our meetings came because we haven't got the future agendas yet, but >> this was even short notice and we know
it was coming. Yeah. No, I would like to make sure more people know about the June meeting where so saying something here saying meeting like talking about the level one and level two budget preparation and then sharing that with us as soon as it's available and sharing the slide board as soon as it's
available in June. That will be one or two public meetings. Um I would certainly love to see more people at those because we really want to minimize the surprise. >> No, they're going to have questions. We're gonna have questions to begin. They are too.
>> It's true. And I know that we love a financial forum. We're riveted. >> I mean, >> yeah, you're you're right. There's probably there's probably a difference. There's >> what's needed is probably not the meeting that I'm talking about. What's needed is probably something a little more public facing, which is to say,
>> yeah, shorter, >> shorter, simpler um with the ability to dig into the details, but you know, we'll work on that. So, we can we'll come up with a date. I don't have a problem with that at all. That's a great request. >> Thank you. Um, one of the ballot
questions is a reduction in the state income tax from five to 4%. And, um, >> if you think about voters that some of them are maybe not that engaged, they're not really reading all that stuff that comes in the packet. And given the economy, I'm really not going to be
surprised if that passes. Um, so what that says is that the state revenues then it would be phased in over three years and the state revenue would see a cut about 10%. Which flows directly down to us. >> Right. >> So what I'm thinking I would be
mentioning that to people. I don't know if we want to >> just explain that to people in this communication. By the way, there's another there's another ballot question that can also throw that budget into chaos if this passes. Let them make their own decisions. But I understand
that the ballot question is very much linked to all the planning you're doing. >> No, that's a great point. And there's there's other pieces that tell this story. Sharon has explained to you what is driving our structural deficit. You all understand accommodating cost. People who don't go to town meeting, that's a harder concept to understand.
There are other pieces that speak to why we're where we are. Right? If you've read anything from the MMA this year, you understand that um unrestricted government, general government aid hasn't appreciably increased since 2008,
since 2009. Those cuts were made as part of those nine C cuts I was talking about in the middle of the year, and it's never really recovered. So the state is not Massachusetts is one of the worst states in supporting municipalities which seems bonkers for how you know
>> yeah and but also but for how we understand our government tends to be supportive of a number of things right we have excellent education we have the best state for education but our our state aid is really is really lagging other states in this country by far so
we're on the I don't remember Karen if you remember what that number is, but it's it's like in the 40s, I think Massachusetts that how poorly Massachusetts funds municipalities out of 50 states, we're way bad. So, um, so
that's part of the story that talks about this is as a state is not really caught up to where it used to be, the localities are filling that gap. And so, and we have other issues that are causing problems. So, yeah.
So, um, on the side of my um, in more engagement early is a fantastic idea. Um, and I love all the the effort that went into the timeline. Can you just remind me, um, is there, and I know you mentioned the town clerk about
having the, um, override with the, um, midterm election. Um, >> yeah. November. Yeah. And so that that November is um can you just remind me like is there any other drivers like
budgetary wise that we need to do it November versus another time? Um and just you kind of a little bit of like pros and cons as far as why to thread the needle on November 3rd. >> Pros and cons for November. >> Yep. >> So you mean like election costs related
election cost? What if so if it's so that definitely and then also um do we need to know that number and have that in or work our way back to what we need to do >> meanmber versus April >> or whenever I mean we can do a special
election I would assume at any time right >> I mean we just funded three elections in your FY27 budget and we have three elections in the FY27 so if you do a special election this is why I was saying we should always have re-election budget because special elections often
come up. Um you can do it you can do a special election. We have not budgeted for that for FY27. And if you think you know we're coming out of FY26 where we use so much more free cash. We're using less free cash in FY27. FY27
is thin. Do you know what I mean? So I would not want to spend extra money on an election that we have not budgeted. So there's that. Um there's >> what's the what like generally is it is the cost is it do I am I remembering
this right it's about 50 grand or is it more than that >> I think it's closer to 40 grand >> 36 yeah it's it's something that >> okay >> and then and if we did something in January or we did something at a
different like is there an impact as far as the application of that override to a budget like >> so so your normal budget timeline right >> Sharon and department had start their capital planning and it's the summertime
then there's a financial forum in September and typically what's happened in the last few years is that well we're going to limit the growth to this much use of free cash and so then department heads spend you know October November preparing for an early December presentations to the select board on
what their first budget is. Everybody, you know, kind of thinks about that for a while and then you start coming through to finance committee hearings and there's another round of capital planning that happens in January where everybody meets again. The numbers are
put into the into our financial system and that's done in December. And then the town manager takes a whack at it, then Fin takes a whack at it and then we have to put the budget book together for town meeting. We have to have that together in February pretty much, right?
Jackie puts that together. Um, and with with Sharon um, two amazing miracle workers. So, uh, so yeah, I mean, if we if we're waiting till January, that's impossible to bring that to town meeting in time. >> That's exactly what I wanted you to say.
>> Okay. >> I I that that's what I expected you to say. That's what I think people need to hear, >> is that it's impossible to do it later. That's why November makes sense. >> I mean, November is kind of as late as I'd want to go. >> Perfect. >> And then and then and then if it if it
fails then then we're building that lower budget and we have more conversations and see what the community wants to do. >> Yeah, that was a devil's advocate question. I just >> No, it's a great question. >> Yeah. >> And I'll I'll put that in the back of my mind to see that. >> That is asking questions of me, too. But
that's okay. I do that some >> public. venture. Um, I just think it doesn't matter when we do this, how long we do, we could have 35 meetings, all the webinars, whatever you want to do. And people still have no idea that the
crash thing was discussed for two, three years. And um the same thing with the old two, three years, it doesn't people know when they want to go and that's essentially it. The only advantage that
we have is that it's going on, you know, federal election kind of thing that's taking place. So that's where we're going to get the most voter input on which direction. That's how I think that we should gauge this. It's it's based
off maximum participation. You can put out all whatever you want and it's 2021%. I don't care. um >> 2012. >> Your personal growth is fantastic.
>> Thank you. So, thanks for >> um you're not wrong. What we know for sure, so when we were doing all of the uh public engagement for Recal and Kellum, we had very few people turn out to those meetings,
>> right? And especially kill them. Very few people came out and we're killing ourselves. They're they're walking notices to all of the hand delivering to houses in the area. Very low turnout. Um we also were doing at the same time the
MBTA communities public engagement. This was going on the same time all my staff and we had a hundred people on the regular come to those public meetings. People come out to what they care about and I think people will care a lot about
this. I will tell you I worked on the last overrides um in for FY 18. Let me when we did the 2018 overrides um it was 4.15
which was less than the previous override in 2004. >> I beg you for >> 2003 which was 4.75 >> less than 15. >> It was 15 years. >> No it was four four and a half. Um, and then we went with a lower price >> because the previous one had failed in
2017. So they brought back >> 2017. It's funny that that's the baseline number here. >> Is that scary? >> The select board conducted a survey over the summertime and I think I did that survey and we had
about 2,000 almost 2,000 responses. They had a really good healthy response from the community. Um, and we asked a number of questions. So, we have not done a survey here. Um, I don't know if there's an appetite to do that, but we we can do
that. Um, and that can be disseminated. We did have a really good uh response to that, but we were asking questions specifically about what had failed and where to come from. And I think some of the lessons learned from the previous override, at least for me,
was the 2017 ask, 2016 ask was kind of vague and it it was general government, but most of it was for just the school department. Um, and it wasn't real specific. When we came back or
2018, it was very specific as to what we were going to do, where what hire, what positions were going to be hired in the school department, finance department, police department. You know, there was hiring in different places. So, um there was a sense of a shared appreciation
there's something for everybody on that over. Um, so that was something that was talked about and it was very clear and we made a a concerted effort that, you know, there are promises made and promises kept. What we said we would cut
would be cut if it failed. What we said we would we would do with that money, we did with that money and we were transparent about that and talked a lot about that because that was something that was identified before as like something that I had called the trust gap if you went to that presentation 150
years ago. So, I think that the town's done a really good job and the select board, all of the different select board members over the years have done a really good job to protect that ethic. Um, the finance committee has done a lot to protect that ethic of transparency and, you know, we're going to do what we
said we were going to do and we're going to show you how we did it. Um, so, you know, that's a conversation. Do you think that the public would benefit from a survey now and then what do you want that to look like? um which is another way that we can um do engagement
um and get some data before we finalize the numbers. So I'm interested in what you folks have to say. I don't have all the answers. Did that for you? >> I can go first. No, I just saw her. That's the chair
now. >> Don't you recall in the one of the previous overrides I was on town meeting and there was a meeting where we even had a poll of town meeting members about amounts that we would approve. >> I I kind of wish we had done that in the last town meeting and had but we weren't
getting this level of presentation. It just took a lot to get that last one passed. >> Yeah. And with the fact that there was just a debt exclusion and there's going to be that CPA on the same ballot here and I don't know whether it's literally the
same ballot or whether we need CPA on a separate ballot. >> It'll go on the same ballot. It'll go on the same ballot. It'll be multiple pages. If it's 10 ballot questions at the state level, it'll be multiple pages and they'll be in there together.
>> But just the only thing I was going to raise is to the point of the third election or special election in if we look at our peer towns Melrose took two tries to get their override passed and the same with Stonem Lynfield held a small one and got it passed Winchester
failed. So, do we want to build in the possibility of having a special element to try like if our first try doesn't go if we come back a different story in different amounts? I mean, I don't know that that matches our history.
>> You're you're right. That is that is absolutely that's very common. You know, there's a backlash against the first pass, so we come back for another one. Um, and then how do you you bring one number forward first and then you bring multiple options later or vice versa?
So if there was going to be sort of a second bite at the apple, it could be in the April election, right? Because your three elections are your September primaries, your November state election, and then the April general election. Those are the three budgeted elections
for next year. So there is no budget for an additional >> Oh, right. September primary. >> The September primary. Exactly. able to do the second if >> that would be the best option is to is to do it that because you'll also be going heading into a town meeting you
could call an early town meeting for a particular to have a conversation about I don't know you don't need to do that but um talking about the budget you know that would be the timeline >> speaking that would be town meeting previous 11 meeting
uh because town meeting falls fairly shortly after Okay. um so I wanted to start by um saying that I was part of the last override and I'm happy that was there too but it's
very vivid in my mind and u I spent a lot of time trying to compare what's happening now with what's happening back then and I would say it's 95% exactly we're talking about we're talking about
staffing safety school uh accommodating cost. It's exactly the same scenario which is kind of in line because when that override when we were talking about that override few years ago uh the former minister back then said this
money the 4.15 it's going to last us four to five years >> right >> and then we're going to come back to the so we are in the same exact situation now uh the amount that's being put forward it's an open conversation but
there's logic behind there's a reason why that amount is there. It's a different conversation if it's going to pass or not. The prior one, the first try was at 7.5 was cut in half 4.15. There were specific reason what was
going to happen. It passed by 60 points. >> So, so 60 points is a pretty good pass. Okay. uh which shows that if you show the taxpayers what you're actually doing and why you need it specifically
>> and and follow through with that there is um people will understand the timing of it. Is it perfect? Definitely not. We have the u what Marian just talked about. There's a lot of things going on but also it's a different time right
now. So asking taxpayer for $800 more on top of what else what everything is going on it's tough but it's necessary and then what's I remember what what was said very well last time was
>> specific show where the cuts >> that was an eye opening for a lot of people I got a lot you know my neighbors when they saw what was going to be cut um they really saw the the true So, um
the conversation about how much it's going to be, it's different conversation, but the process that we went last night was fully transparent and it worked out well for the town. It lasted us five years. Maybe we're going
to have a bigger conversation. How can we um invest and try to figure out a way not to have an all right every five years, but that's >> way way 10 years since
>> 2018 is there, right? And we're asking for >> Yeah. So, so it lasted way more this >> longer. Well, this is why that's why you have so much more use of free cash, right? And because we also had a global pandemic that turned everything on its
head and we had ARPA funds in there, this infusion allowed us to last longer. So it would have been five years but you know how do you do that in the middle of a pandemic last stretch that a longer got from the smart
district that increase bringing Right. New growth. >> So is there anything? >> Well, >> could along those lines to your point, Eastern Gateway is the same thing. Eastern Gateway is a zoning changes, right, to drive new
growth. That is your engine for the next 10 years. That's the only thing that's going to stretch out. Reading is built out. So, you know, it's it's reszoning that area and seeing what can happen. And just because we reszone it doesn't
necessarily mean something it's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be one of the question that I have is we probably need to know there is more of how long the public at this needs to know how long you if if this all right
passes how long it will last. I think that's that's a valid proposition there like the last one years 2018. So then that's what sort of y9 10 years. >> So it's it's pretty good. It's a I think
it's lasted pretty well. the public needs to know that. Um, >> so feedback wise, I I um I like the idea of having multiple options um on the um with you know with one of them being you
know sharing spare bone number. I mean, in some ways, that's how you consol that if you're trying to figure out a way to consolidate and not have two bites at the apple. Maybe having two options gives you, you know, the voters >> like stone. >> Yeah. So, you have something at seven
and something at 11, you know, or 14. I don't know. You know, I don't think any more than three options is is wise. Maybe it's just two. Um but uh but I think something along those lines and you know and and I think to Andre's point like you know as you're presenting
those there's facts about you know this this will you know carry us for three this years this one will carry us for longer you know um you can equate more to um to to each of
those options but I think having having a couple would be a good idea. I also real quick just say like connecting that with Marian's point about like public input on the amount. I think this is practically speaking offering multiple options probably is
the way that we get public input on the amount because they're not going to come for long or informal as much as we'd like them to. Some some will, but I mean what do you but but I mean to get an idea of the range. Do we go you know seven 10? Do we do we end at
14 or do we end at 12? Like we may not know what the appetite is. I don't I don't know. >> Oh, yeah. I I see you saying it. I just really worry about two options. Like to Chris's point, I think a lot of people like don't read the news, you know? So I
worry about how many people are going to go to the ballot. Most of it's worded very very carefully. We got seeing the difference between you give yourself another chance to pass something. If you give them three choices and that you know that instead of two >> it's either yes or no. Now there's yes
A, yes B, or no. But I think a lot of people just kind of pick a lower number. Like I I think >> is it just the amount or the year? So if you if you do multiple options, you say one question. So it's multiple questions.
>> So it's I approve for whatever the language is, you know, an override of 11.8 million. And then the next one is I approve an override of whatever it is and whichever one gets the most amount or it's no no. So you know, >> can you be specific? For example, I
approved 7.5 that will last five years or that's >> the state the state dictates kind of out of languages. So, we have to be careful. I can't I don't think we can say this this will last this much. That's what that's voter education before they go into the ballot box. And a big part of
voter education is going to be ballot question committees. So, if there's a a ballot question committee that supports an override and if there's a ballot question committee that doesn't, they're going to put out, you know, information. We will work with any committee to give accurate information because
misinformation is bad news. So you know we will work with everybody to give out accurate information but that low number is probably going to be it fe it fills the structural deficit but it doesn't build anything back. You know you guys have
been lobbyed by number of members of committees to increase funding for conservation to increase funding for programming and this building eventually recount. That low number doesn't include budgets for that. So you're not changing
anything but it's it's keeping that structural deficit like the expansion of adaptive sports at recount. Is that in that number or not? That's >> the adaptive supports at recal that would be funded through um fees and the new stabilization funds. So new funding
for that at recal is not >> include anything. >> No, >> I'm asking department heads to put those numbers in. So we're looking at that higher level. We haven't brought that to you yet. Okay. These numbers that Sharon has don't have that.
>> Uh I see Shan's hand on Zoom. >> Yeah, just two things. Jane, I think I heard you say, and I may have missed I may have misheard you, but I think I heard you say that um you know, you have three questions on there and the one that gets the most votes passes. I think it's actually the highest number that gets a passing vote is the one that
passes. >> That's a fine point. Yes. >> Yeah. Correct. >> And then and then um you know, I I I hear all the concerns about sort of the marketing effort and everything. I I would say the good news if if there's any good news here um the good news is that you know, there are a few towns that are going through this now. I would
recommend folks take a look at for marblehead.org um which is is you know Marblehead has an override vote coming up in three weeks and they're doing a multiple choice option. They've done a phenomenal job of sort of detailing how you think about the three options. What happens if this one passes, this one passes, this
one passes. Um there's a template out there for how to do this at this point. So, you know, again, you still need a you still need a override committee and all that sort of stuff, but or a ballot question committee and all that sort of stuff to make it happen, but there's a template for how to do this and how to communicate it well at this point.
>> Thanks for that, Sean. Melrose did three options. Um, and they had a they had a ballot committee that did a a good job of communicating. What does that mean in a way that is not, you know, info dumping on people, but is relatable and understandable? So, um, so yeah, you're
right. Um Jackie, if you could put up on the on the board of page 38 of your packets. This is available online for anybody watching who knows. Um page 38
tells you what um recent elections have gone on and um if they passed or failed. And then there's a chart on the next page. There's one number that's wrong, but the rest of it is about right. And it tells you like going back to 2010 overrides that have
passed and failed in in the communities. So you can see reading is in red here in the middle and they failed in 2017, you passed in 2012. um a chart. What I thought was really great about this one is if you look at reading, which is about twothirds of the
way down the slide, the 2017 the 2016 effort, October 2016 was for general operation. For the uh April 2018 one, it said teachers, athletics, police, fire, public works, everything.
That's what's on the state website, how it was described, you know, we didn't we didn't this is not us. This is how it's put in. Um, so that's very >> Yeah, it's just, you know, it's interesting to see. But, uh, yeah.
And then if you go further in your packet, um, Joe, you know, more free cash. >> Yeah. So, I think that's helpful. You know, multiple options. We can we can present what those what we might recommend. You guys can pick them apart
from that. like these two slides 38 and 39 don't agree with respect to the fate of overrides in Winchester. That's the first one I noticed. >> No, the Winchester one is wrong. Okay. On the second >> The second one is wrong. >> Yeah, it passed in 2020. It was the
largest override to date. Um it was $10 million and they asked us how we passed ours in 2018, I think. I have no comments. >> Yes, >> this is this is the agenda there, but they put it down as 2027 for
some reason. >> Uh fiscal year. >> Fiscal year. >> These are fiscal years. >> Oh, sorry. I was looking at the Josh. You need the >> What did you do? It's fiscal year. >> Yeah. And the previous slide doesn't I think >> has dates. >> Yes. Right. Like
Initial packet was shared both fiscal year and both date and fiscal year. >> Yeah, >> but it doesn't show the options like so Melrose had three options you could vote on the second stone and one had two
options. Yes, it's right there. It's just off the screen. >> Jackie will move. >> It's kind of hard to see. Yes, I think it was all the way >> that's >> who had 11 million.
>> Winchester failed 11.5 million budget baseline >> much larger denominator. >> It did pass. >> It passed. Yeah. >> Looks like May >> 23.1 million. 23 >> 23 >> Yeah, Brooklyn is not. So, this is Yeah,
I'm actually um >> This is a bit of a This is a nit I wasn't going to pick, but if we're going to spend time on the slide, I'll go ahead and pick it. This is not specifically limited to nor is it covering all of our peer communities. >> Thank you. >> Not all of our peer communities have had
overrides. >> Yeah, but I also recently introduced our pure community concept to Mr. the lawn sitting over there. So I was like I asked the same like where did you get these pounds like how did it pick up >> printed out I have the list now
>> um yeah so we'll refresh that for you >> our friend >> so I I mean I think these numbers are interesting but you almost have to know the relative budget of the community the relative home value like that that Brooklyn override of 23 and a half
million when I looked at it it said you know the average home excessed home value in Brooklyn is double that of >> already. Yeah. Right. >> And so when they talk about the increase in taxes, it it was like almost 25% increase in taxes, but if you look at um
some of our override amounts and add them in to what we have for recal, we're looking at almost a 25%, you know, depending on the amount on us. My one thing I did want to point out with the 2018 override versus this >> Yeah. is I looked back and the
structural deficit we were trying to close back then was like under $2 million. Our override of $4.15 million was giving us new stuff. This override we're getting nothing new. We're just trying to keep our head above the water. >> And that I guess that's something to convey, but it's
>> that depends on that depends on the option. I think it >> are any of our options giving us anything new? They're just lasting longer. >> Well, I think that's I think that's to be determined. >> I think that's to be determined. So what we went through tonight is sort of here's your structural deficit. Here's what it looks like projected out.
>> Yeah. >> So yeah, I mean I look at that and I don't see how anything less than 10 or 12 would even work for us. Wouldn't get us more than a couple of years. But that's again giving us nothing new. So I guess it'll be great.
So, I think it would be great for us to know um and you can email me what you want to see or go through your chair um >> to you know what you want to see at our next meeting and then you could set a a meeting date.
Um budget budget is >> $450 million. That would be 7.0 million override proportionally. Any all right enough indulging my
arithmetic here at all right so okay you've asked a sort of scattering of questions and I want to make sure that we are actually doing our job of you know giving our answers to them >> or the question about schedule I mean
given that community outreach timeline it doesn't seem like we could possibly do anything earlier than November >> given your answer to Ed's question it doesn't seem like we could possibly do anything later than November wouldn't want to. >> So that's okay. There there's your answer. >> It's a sweet spot.
>> I mean, >> yeah. Um I don't see a heck of a lot of other good choices. So um like you asked about multiple choice, you know, I think everybody likes the idea of multiple choice both because it gives the voters a say, because it allows us to give the
voters a choice between do he wants to come back in three years or six. um you might potentially get this option to say like you would actually get something new with this. Um I mean strictly speaking by the way this does like recal is new so like yeah even the baseline
one does give us something new and we should definitely >> and and kill you know community is invested so that those will be care >> um anything we said that I didn't just summarize there
focus guarantee to China. >> Just one nonfincom member opinion. I I don't I don't think there's going to be an appetite for an ask that includes anything new beyond, you know, kill them and recal. Um to me, the only reason to do that would be if you're thinking there's like a goldilock strategy where,
you know, you have an option that's that gives something new and and expect that it's going to fail and maybe your second best option passes or your second highest option passes. So, um, you know, I think that becomes a tough cell when we're talking eight-digit
numbers. just a smaller thing because so if um so yeah that's an option is um board when you voted in in October um you voted to keep weekly recycling in um you would need to
vote again to move to bi-weekly recycling if there was that's an easy way to get a $400,000 savings. >> That's that's what we that's roughly what it would be. >> But that's how we could do like the options like
>> that's one people might care about this. >> No, no, no. They'd be like, "If we don't get this amount," Well, and the thing is is, you know, when we talk about it, when we structure this, if we're going for that lower amount, that might not include weekly recycling.
It might be a middle amount where you get the weekly recycling, you know, because public safety and teachers are a bigger priority, you know, than weekly recycling for some people maybe. I think I think
bullets around all of that like that spell out you know what's in what's out. I think the having some tangibles I think it's back to like what what a lot of the committee has said is the and again it's I think it runs um with our
history. The more transparent we can be the the more details that we can provide succinct ones um and that's not exhaustive I think it's going to help. Um, but I think having all of those options out there, pros and cons of that, you know, weekly to versus
bi-weekly, I I think there's enough also, even though there's probably not many people that are, you know, obviously in the room or maybe there's more that's watching on YouTube, but I think collectively for a lot of the elected boards and and folks uh in town meeting and otherwise, we know what the
hot buttons are. We know what people scream about. You know what I mean? you know, so I think if we kind of mine that, you know, kind of territory and um present these options along those lines, I think you'll you'll have more eyeballs
and more attention. But it's it's like you said, it's it's trash and recycling. It's, you know, uh it's the schools, it's public safety, things of that nature, right? But I think those are some of the things we need to talk to. One thing I want to mention is the finance while we're here and we're early
on in these conversations. You know, you're asking like what's in, what's out. Last time we included two new police officers, >> but fun fact I found out recently is that there has not been a um a staffing study for the police department since
before Jordan's furniture was >> Yes. >> There has not been a staffing study. So I said, "How fast can you do a staffing study >> for FY28? What does that look like? Um, by the way, we I wouldn't let them outsource that so they could do it on their own. Um, but seriously, like
you're not hiring a consultant. It it's not easy to do, but we're going to give it a shot, but with, you know, smart growth and and more density. You know, there was a time when there were more police officers around and available. Now, it's sort of like there's an accident here, there's an accident there
that, you know, this there's a domestic call that they're not sitting around. Not that they were sitting around before, but there's just not a lot of elasticity in the system, if you understand what I mean by that. So, a factor for people to be aware of.
I think we're well staffed in our police department. I think we're, you know, well staffed in our fire department, but people want a second ambulance. That's a conversation we have a lot like the west side. >> I want to thank Sorry
question. >> Yeah. I'm just want to make sure there is any surpris you're deducting it from your future and if that money comes in by September 30 if you don't have the deducted so that's a moving target until September 30th you
know I can give you an idea how I'd just like to thank the boards who made time tonight to come out to be real close um you know we're going to be spending a lot of time together um just saying. So, um, but I just want to thank
you for this. It's going to be a list. We've all got to work together. I'm going to try and give you everything you're looking for to help everybody make these decisions and feel real confident in what we're bringing forward to the community and then the community will decide. >> To talk about future agendas in terms of when we should be meeting together.
>> I feel it's a great time for you to quickly speak out of order from the agenda, but this is absolutely when we start. So, uh, yeah, when when I mean you you talked about getting level one budgets, getting a level two budget, coming back to the select board, coming back to finet
school committee would be in here. quantity. >> Wow. >> I laughed. It's cool. >> The select board has a meeting on June 23rd which could be a good joint forum. You could you could start it a little
early. we could, you know, I don't know, like a chair of satitus or something like that, um, to have a conversation at the the 23rd or that week would be helpful because that means I have to have everything to you by the 18th in your packet. So,
it gives me two weeks to do the work basically. It's not a lot. >> I think my only question would be, does it make sense to do it in a regular circular meeting or to do a separate meeting? do a se I love a separate meeting >> people to do a separate meeting but I'm just wondering if we can get more people
there kind of you know communicated as like a financial >> only yeah topic is >> you're not through a restaurant liquor licensing >> exactly that's my kind of my thought
>> but those are so there >> yep um and Josh just reminds me that um they do a June We can invite all members and pay attention to the >> we could you have to what
>> we could have it and then school will be out by the week of the 23rd >> 22nd the last day >> all that freaking snow which we also had to pay to remove. Uh >> and then it melts anyway. >> Not fast enough. >> Never.
Yeah. Okay. So, so uh may or may not be able to pass about that. So, but yeah. Okay. I think I'm hearing the >> being the first week of summer >> reduce the public. >> It means you can stay open longer because the sun will be
>> I don't know means >> it's like 23rd like board meeting. So, we're talking about the 24th or 25th of June. Um, I mean there going to be people like starting that week a non-trivial fraction of reading will be on vacation
every single week until Labor Day. Uh, nothing you can do about that. >> We can do a forum. >> We could do like a public engagement session earlier, but if to get to the numbers that you're looking for. >> Yeah. >> And I am taking vacation the first week in June.
>> Don't hate me. >> Yeah. >> But I I am taking vacation up. >> I'm very I got to go see my dad. I haven't seen him in two years. >> Uh probably we probably have a placeholder. >> That one's for last minute bills.
>> Yes. I mean, every year I've been on Sharon has needed us to something income reserves on a Wednesday. So that's probably what that money is looking for. Um assuming this year is not really in session.
>> So there's no you didn't have any knowledge of it miday last year either. So we might although again I'll maybe make it potentially yeah do that at the end of this >> 24th to 25th because anything earlier
we're not going to actually have information we want Um there birthdays are often scope meeting things that can be a scope meeting. >> Yeah, Joe, we have a I don't anticipate needing it, but we do have a placeholder
for a meeting on the 25th. So that's usually it's usually we do we're trying not to conflict with slight school >> right? >> So are there any concerns about I've heard concern with the 24th concern
about the 25th >> day of the week is Thursday. Yeah, >> if if we do need a meeting, Joe, we could potentially get creative and, you know, maybe have a 6:30 start, keep it short, and have have this meeting start
at 7:30 or something. You know, we could we can get creative if we have to. >> Appreciate that. Is there anything else? >> I think the 25th engagement,
>> right? >> Sorry. >> Yeah. So your point I'll take is public engagement just talking to us is not public engagement even if they're public good the public engagement target
message for that >> let's see I'm looking at our agenda Uh we talked about cash. We can only talk about cat objections some of that in slides here packet. Um we certainly talked about impact field override future agendas. Uh is this the part
where she's up where the floor wants to please? >> Yes. Yes. Thank you all. That'll resume here. So, we do have a spot for liaison reports. We put the end so other
people wouldn't have to sit through it, but I don't know if there are any that people want to share. Um I suppose I could give my final CPA study committee on report as you all were there meeting. You saw the CPA. It's on the ballot November.
That's it for that committee. Mark me and Joe sat through the uh audit committee for RMLD Tuesday night. Uh, clean audit. Sharon listened in and didn't have to say anything. So, it was good.
>> Good time. Just still waiting for them to give us a fine. They didn't do one last year. So, be >> Oh, boy. More long meetings. Okay. Of course, if any >> just on side, we um we've um Jen, you
can correct me on this too. We've extended bidding or uh for kil. So um now the bids will go through the end of middle of June. >> Y
>> um instead of three weeks prior. So it's >> they were originally due >> last Monday. >> And there was a problem with proprietary language in the specs. It's a we have a proprietary purchasing for few things um
which was the process was done correctly but some of the language in the specs um the attorney general's office said was unacceptable. So rather than go through the whole thing and again have a bid protest which would slow us down the decision was made to just rebid the
package. And so that's what that's what been done. It doesn't really put us off all that much time. It's just a few weeks. So, but if we had a bid protest, which we had a good inkling would happen, if we went forward and we lost,
then it would push us even further, way further into summer and throw everything off. So, out of an abundance of caution, it was language that the designers wrote and it's, you know, a 2300 page spec. So,
I'm exaggerating, but it's not by a lot, you know. So, they're huge. Oh yeah, that's >> I skipped the rec committee and co joint meeting last night to coach softball, but they did uh demo uh the new programming software. So now that the
ARPA funds have kind of dried up, they're re-engaging on collecting user fees for some of the programming in Pleasant Street Center and and records always sent into there. They're moving toward a new model which will help revenue generation.
>> Yeah, I don't know how the reaction was to something. >> We have 409 users in individual users from Elder and Human Services that are signed up on the system. >> We've already collected over $2,000 in program fees. Initially, these are $5
classes. So, that's a lot of >> I happened to listen to that meeting, too. What I was pleasantly surprised to hear is that the net cost of the new software is essentially the same as the combination of things what we're using now. It's like 15,000 a year. So, it's
not going to be a big increase, but it'll have more features. >> Yeah. And it seemed we've been looking at it at the um what are we called? Some working group that I'm part of. >> Operations. Thank you. Um I just go to stuff and they tell me to go. Um, and
it's definitely much more user friendly than the like the my wreck thing that WC was using. Um, and I think just having it consolidated like you said will kind of consolidate cost and it's a good thing going forward. >> Well, and you couldn't do any payments on my I'm sorry, you couldn't do any payments on the senior center system here,
>> right? Only on the my uh Eastern Gateway Exploratory Committee is recommendations that staff is not working with CDC to turn into uh zoning zoning bylaw language changes to present
to meeting uh we have uh one set of minutes motion to approve the minutes from the April 15 meeting as presented. >> Thank you Ellie. Thank you Ed. Any comments, questions, revisions,
concerns, or anything else? >> Just really quickly, sure. >> The point um for the 17th, should we still hold that date? We if we did have to vote on something for this year, just just combine that 25th. Uh let's get
back to that after we vote on that question. And so, get out here. We need help answering the question. So, let's vote with him. Anything else on the minutes? All right. All in favor?
>> Oh, yeah. >> Maybe six. >> Sorry. >> Okay. All right. There was a question about future agendas. Do we still need the placeholder for a meeting on June 7 to leave given the plan that we just made? >> Is that the one that we would have had >> on the 25th?
>> Yes, that is when we would have had that would have been our, you know, >> I don't know of a reason. We usually leave it there in case something more. >> I guess the question is if something comes up with meeting all sounds good. So that sounds like
>> perfectly fine with me. >> That sounds like we can remove our hold for the 17th. >> Yep. >> And because we're going to meet on 25th. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mark. All in favor? Cool.