001[Music] today is Thursday February 15th I call this regular meeting of the Board of Finance for February to water fair will join me for the Pledge of Allegiance hopefully just due to the flag United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation thank you very much mr. treasurer you have a spot over here if you'd like to okay first of all your business public comment do you have any members of the public aren't crickets crickets crickets that would like to comment okay hearing none we'll move on to communications and correspondence received I receive we received communication from Christina Zimmerman Jane Jacquin Andrea Urbina Stephanie connect Gerald Hackman and Eric Meyerson okay any discussion on any of those you're not okay move on to the approval of minutes of previous meetings we
002have a lot of doesn't preclude you from we can do it and do my thing I'm good do the first thing I make a motion to approve the minutes for the January 10th January 17th and January 30th meetings of the Board of Finance okay any discussion on the January 10th 17th or 30th minutes as previously distributed for review okay hearing none all those in favor of approving the minutes for those three meetings gave us saying aye aye aye opposed abstentions motion carries sick so I make a motion for the approval February 6 special joint meeting minutes I'll second there any discussion on the February 6 2018 special meeting minutes as previously distributed okay hearing none all those in favor of approving the minutes as distributed indicate by saying hi hi hi folks abstentions I'm sane
003okay motion carries in four zero two with Lisa and Linda up standing okay next order of business report of the course allotment see the budget season is upon us and tomorrow we will be sending both the Board of Selectmen and the board finance the first elections budget most of you have already got the supporting documentation for the budget you can only stop by my office if you haven't gotten it yet and will hand those out Ginny has them for all the other board members there is a vote on February 27th for the new library appropriation we are driving on the mountain vote your conscience right do that we're going through the audit now the Audit Committee as we're working with our auditor as well as our finance staff that is on time we're still on
004target to what we said the last time we went through this and a lot of other things going on I found out today at a Westcott meeting that unless the state transportation fund these new revenue sources it's going bankrupt they can't borrow money to do capital improvements that is I didn't realize this but dramatically she said that if that does happen and they don't fix their funding problem that will lose Town Road eight next year water almost $300,000 cut to what the state gives it out so we'll see the Legislature's back in session so hopefully they'll be doing wonderful good things for all the towns in Connecticut but we don't know and that's pretty much it that's doesn't it tolls right for this data linkage a couple things we've seen polls too is increasing the
005price of taxes on gasoline the state lowered the price the tax on gasoline from 39 cents only 23 cents in 1993 and has not changed it since then as I already said at all if it was just indexed for inflation it would be back at 39 cents a gallon there we've had a number of different funding sources some of them make sense to me some don't tolls anybody's and favorite polls but if they don't find new funding sources bus passes are going to go up by 50% train rides are gonna go up 26% I believe he said over the next two years so it's it's they gotta fix it he's waiting for the legislature to come up with the facts easy implements right so he's waiting for the legislature to do that and hopefully when
006legislature given the bushes that they have will do something I don't know if anybody's in favor of polls since house they're necessary evil sometimes did I answer your question anything to report in four corners or anything going on in the design phase for phase two we went through state met in this state in December and we're insisting that we change our design to meet the state standards so we're doing that yeah and with not something I wanted to do but we're going to do that so Freeman is our consultant they're very good they're redesigning that we hope they go out to bid this fall to December period and then start person in the spring did you say last time that there's a little or no cost increase to do this except for the cost of
007additional asphalt yeah no there's no no no additional costs for Phase two and it's two thirds funded with federal tap grant which is good and that will go from Brooklyn village down to the hearth then phase three which are already working on we'll go from the intersection up to Newberry village and page four will go from federal road up lorilynn Road and also old route seven which connects Laurel Hill to federal road also where the Jerry's landing is and Angelo's dry cleaners as well put sidewalks in there too there is going to be a everyone is invited June 5th a celebration groundbreaking for the streetscape and moco village we're going to do a combination one we've talked to the developer of broker village and he will right now he's going to have the mother earth
008building and a subway building knocked down by then so that'll look a lot nicer make with some plants in there and things so it's not quite crazy his rentals are going very well for the apartments the commercial is moving along as fast as he'd like but it is moving along he does have one restaurant he's got an ice cream store he's got subway and a couple others he hasn't told us about we had three on development we have a development services team meaning at least once a month where we invite developers to come in and although our land use zoning health fire police Public Works sits around the table and helps developers okay this is what I want to do and then we say okay you can do this this is how you do that
009this how you do that just try to speed development we had three different projects come in this Tuesday one is a like tapas bar it's seven seven seven across one of the current Dunkin Donuts in the old pumpkin doughnuts and they have a pretty neat idea they want to do the garage doors and then outdoor seating and a fire pit which would be really nice and so we're looking forward to that it should be fun we have another Italian restaurant wants to come in right where the yogurt peach right is beach wave has a ton of space in there that until we change the zoning laws because they only had 12 parking spaces you can only have so many square feet of restaurant or facility we change the zoning on that because it doesn't make
010any sense in a town center people can park on the street and walk up so he's there's a pizza guy and it's going to be like a fast food pizza but not like a McDonald's but limited menu quick service you can eat there or takeout that should be interesting their pizza counter yes it I like pizza that's pretty much it okay not a lot they don't have any questions comments concerns for the first flex that question with the sweet seat is there any kind of I've heard people ask about the additional part the parking issues if there's potential for parking there is but I'd rather not discuss that in public you because we're talking about a contract you could call an executive session at the end of this meeting and we can discuss it this
011is a regular meeting right so you could add that if you want and I'd be more in the moment in fact I do want to discuss it where it's very early days but I'd like to keep you up to date I'm overdue thank you thank you all right next order of business report from our finance sector hi good evening at the period seven financial Negro race is at variance be brothers the main driver on the revenue is the tax collection 52 million the expenses we have recycling at 61% 23,000 469 operations in human resource at 71% sqc the volunteer fighter fighter - Fulminante outs and the service gift awards the regional service is at 84% sir also PP items Regional Animal Control probate court of king with a Kothari profile veteran sweetheart senior transportation and
012HUD CEO the video social services at hundred percent additional prepaids authorities beyond disabilities the Women's Center hospice employee benefits at 61 percent that's the life insurance Medicare the health insurance with a projected overage for the department at 90 K and the injury of memento of the open reserve which was the annual contribution was funded at 100 percent do you see it is at risk of going over well we had mentioned last time that the employee benefits line move over in two areas that would be in the health insurance and the life insurance right [Music] you that you new ones at this moment so it all pretty steady as she goes from last night right now yes the overage in benefits of 90k do we have somewhere else we have savings elsewhere for that and you
013keep on but we will have usually have some savings or I'm saying and we can make a determination at that point if we go over though the let's say next month and golden budget let me have address it application but we're not over yet we'll get get over until the last monthly public this soup here - just do you know every year that's the source of the projection inside very cute they came to the back of information and they re medical for them it's not as good as when you decide to come over to the town plan but usually you do that once a year for existing employees but when we get new employees and you know we're losing employees we lost another employee last week maybe not fixed expenses I anticipate some fluctuation throughout
014the year so no way under the last year was a big difference because I was just missing you her any other questions for the finance director on the period 7 financials was there food there anything else well actually yes I wanted to revisit this schedule of expenditures were capital that I had presented in September of 2016 because I believe it ruler is the schedule similar to what the other day we were looking for and I really do wish everyone a chance to view it and get some feedback to possibly reintroduce it so I don't know if I have enough coffee here as it [Music] no gears you know we've been doing capital projects one off is to keep track of all the pending projects in one place so you can see exactly where we are
015right yes where everybody can see it's not a novel idea but it's a good idea it's the best practice yeah I say yeah okay so this game in here would provide both illusions really only only tool because I'd be able to back into this and to walk us through this please sure so if every night they are depleted in my department in determining obviously usually three departments here but we would expand on it and it would have the agreeing budget and now the expended crew year today any open purchase orders delay total borrowing the type of borrowing we have and then the projected budget or balance and the ayatollahs spent today so this would be updated if we were to utilizes sheet I would probably like I'll plate up to be it every month and
016reported every quarter and then at the year at year n digit I out to that fund so we would go to those individual GL line items and be able to tie to these specific projects or asset purchase would just to make it a cleaner system so we're using capital projects module I'm you to snap so that feeds into this and this is just a more user-friendly format for it because munis reports are a little wonky and clunky we discover their own you know issue today it seems that when we did the you color conversion that so did the capital project through the schools that had previously been broken out and in alpha coding and have been combined into one jail line-item so now we have to go back and separate those out and reclass them
017and I'm going to set a project code so that we can track them so the idea then would be to go to these individual items and entire to the specific project codes okay would you anticipate having this updated well the Board of Finance gives the approval I'd like to get going on it right away like two scientists one of my staff to start implementation I already spoke to one of them today junior staff about I'm going back and doing the reclassification so I would say because I'm going through the budget the audit right now that we come to you after the end of the first quarter this setup they have any quick changes they'd like to recommend to this there won't only thing that I would add to this is grants a lot of projects
018we have grants Circo is a track that from the cost they're now getting pushed under notes bar nope I would like to see my person would like to see a separate comp because you got your budget while we extended so far right balance grants so we know the last column should be in total spent today and then total spent today by the town's which is important time so we figure out some way to to show the grants so we know exactly how much we're spending an example on Meadowbrook right is that the total cost was right around two million but 1,700,000 of that was paid for with a grant so this looks like this is back in 16 so this needs to be updated that there's still 1 million $163,000 right yet to spend and
019that project is finished and our total cards about 300,000 right this was for the board I think to review the format of not the necessary content from what I remember we looked at this last year the year before there was no easy way to look at this and see what's left mm-hmm what was to go for 4 projects right and I think that was cool the primary columns that wasn't there like this is the budget right this is what we spent on and regardless of the funding let's say so how much is left so the budget balance so usually there or no if we're not going to spend a dime more than the budget then yeah it would just be a spending to go remaining to spend balanced to spend like that so we know
020we know what's outstanding for these projects right how much how much commitment there is outstanding you know isn't that this cold here though with the green site and I can do that separate as amazing to over this board but now I'm going to be that would be mixing funds so to prove this out just to that particular capital fund and you have to vend you to several reporters every immigrants in but if that's if that's what you want want to see that I can I can do that because if you circle back to your line items that includes the grant in other words on your other report is that what you're saying the grants are the grantor track and a separate fund of this is for me this is capital so we're using the capital
021projects module for revenue and expense right gets associated with that capital project including the grant that's a separate report the light data and then just bars it may be reproduced many females for this particular project yeah I'm talking about something just for capital could this system that we had in place now is not good I'm gonna be honest with you so you know needs to be updated yeah I'm just having trouble kind of walking the numbers to me you know when I see the approved budget I expect that the end yet either to be what's remaining but even as I'm looking at each column I'm not really sure how they what the relationship is between Collins and I because the press release balance which is where expenditures Kearney here fashion that do you mean that's
022expended year-to-date I still yeah I fit right right sorry but if you look at like the Meadowbrook project right it says total spent to date 1 million nine hundred sixty three most people would say that's what the town spent that's not correct so somewhere you have to put the grandson even if we do it manually it's we don't have 3,000 projects right right and not all I'm all about 30 or 40 projects we have in the works they have grants easier I think let's play with it well we have we do have an ad hoc report committee you know that can I think take a look at this and come back to our March meeting is that does that sound good for those that run the ad hoc before committee yeah and then we can
023approve if you will a format on this with okay you know anyway wanted you to reports because I have to tie into fun date it has to be straight up so it's time to get to several funds one for the grants and one for the capital projects so what you're saying you want one report to tide your capital projects out pull it out of your ledger and then a second report to tie to your grants and then you could have something kind of puts them all together on some graphical presentation it's useful we can do that that's extensive but yes yeah give the little holder comes you said tighten up because I'm in it the map this is it make sense to go and turn in here okay that's right got it okay so our
024ad hoc reporting committee can take a look at and send some recommender put together some recommendations that we can assess in the prove that our March 19th meeting or whatever the meeting is I'm sorry I'll call that's it for me right okay thank you for that is there anything else to go over committee yeah and the question is for me I'd like Steve's idea where you have a notation that shows that the project is completed because that helps us see whether we came in under budget or where we landed so I like that idea Steve where you show that the project is finished yeah I think that support you can morph into the layout thank you every for I'm trying to try into the issue into the capital to have all three time so the
025issue book go to ban roll the bonds fun date so we'll have to anyone need to reports let's see what the CR okay ad hoc reporting committee comes back with it along this time okay alright if nothing else there move on to reports of our committees our audit committee editing has some things to report certainly so it's been a an active month for the audit committee as part of the best practice that we've implemented I'm sure it was done previously but we've had weekly update calls between the audit committee and the auditor without management on the phone which is a recommended best best way to do it so we can you know have frank conversations and made it and then we've also met with Steven Kimberly to go over just healthy to learn as well
026so it's been active the audit is is actually a bit delayed so we're going to need another extension the the schedule was to be finishing up the fieldwork this week doing the reports over the next couple of days and then you should eat to the to the board by the end of February per the auditor today at timeline is not to be met it's going to be first half of March days and you ready to go so well today we told me at noon well Claire will clarify that so he said that city another another full week of fieldwork okay and then a week for him to draft his report and then go over with a large committee and and presented to the board so that's that's a schedule I for this afternoon okay so
027well we still have another week or so for date a month but we should prepare for another extension the source of the delay and the source of some of the issues is combination of there's been some some unexpected stab absences due to sickness due to weather that caused some some delay in getting getting reports done and there's also been some some issues with some of the some of the auto work that took more time from the partner in the manager that was then was originally expected so we worked through that that seems to be back on track and now it's back to doing regular on at work starting next week get-get-get the thing doctor so that's where we are so probably going to be in the middle of our budget deliberations time timeline that we
028also give you a lot of presentation so it's gonna be very very busy March so have to figure out that schedule let's look at our own that our meeting calendar yeah can see we can squeeze in it will work with the new chair of the Audit Committee to make sure that we have a slot in there that agrees with Kimberly Steve our board mr. Lucas and do whose life all right is there anything for any any questions or comments for the audit committee all right if we have to do the extension because it was gonna be up this month wasn't it yes yeah so you might wanna make a motion tonight right not necessary we discussed with we discussed with the auditor and they don't there's nothing that requires us to do that we can
029be done between auditor I know how about that okay so I understand that yeah listen what happens I'll do tomorrow with accent okay well it seems to have been a formality that was carried forward without great purpose so let's not do busy work okay is there anything to report from the bylaws committee okay I think with folks being on the board for a couple months now you can start to few other our procedures and whatnot so if there are already recommendations that come forward these please below we can we can discuss them and take measures you know with Council to implement them seem a little business on the agenda we can move right on to new business we had a request from chief Purcell fold it to the board so I've been forwarded to equal
030to finance to fund sous Auckland and associate annual fees is there a motion on the floor for this and I get emotional sure album will be seven recommendations to prorate the bonds of a software okay okay so there's a motion on the floor to approve the request from the board selectmen for any amount not to exceed $4,000 from the police outside services fund to purchase software and associated annual fees as outlined in a memo that was distributed to everyone for a free read are there any questions chief purcell is not here to answer anything but i believe given the sculpt and it has been approved by the Board of Selectmen that Steve would be all dancer anything if there is yeah I talk to you chief result about this and this is really just an
031evaluation and tracking for the training of their officers the old system is dying it's not being supported anymore it's $4,000 this is a well known system and I think it's a reasonable expensive service board any further discussion on this item okay human I will call this motion - of all those in favor of the appropriation and then how not to exceed four thousand dollars and the police department outside services funding the first a software associated annual fees in making by saying hi I opposed abstentions great motion carries six so are there any other items to come before the board here no I make a motion to amend the agenda to include an executive session to discuss Yahoo the motion I was emotional Akana that's McIlvain 27 Longmeadow I'm chairman of the library board I'm here
032because at last month's meeting in the financial report the library salary line was listed as being a driver for being over budget by I think it was 58% at that point which we thought it's likely that the the budget would have gone over will go away for a little this year but certainly not by that amount and mr. Murray questioned whether or not the library had to make it up which is the logical question and the answer is yes which mr. Dunn said so it was our problem I went back to the director and we looked at her records and according to what she could get out of munis we were at fifty point eight percent but that might rather than fifty eight percent which meant that we would be fine doing it the way
033we were their wisdom there were some inconsistencies in reporting which is what what caused Kimberly to as being over budget I guess what what and if we're very conscious of it because we do keep track and if there is problems in and it will gets to see what then we need to know that the director clearly needs to up track the budget in the same terms that it's being tracked in town hall so so I think those have been ironed out now so we know what the problem was and we're finding with that I I guess what I would ask is that we you think about if something's going to be on that list for a driver with a problem that you let us know ahead of time so that we could clear that question
034up I mean I know it's it's not terrible but it is then particularly in the first year of Yvonne check being director she's very conscious about keeping us on track so I just think it would be easier if we looked at those things that a head of time I agree with you first time thank you thank you it's all resolved the issue in that yes so they were not over by 50 they were not 58% to budget as of last month I think as reported last month it was fifty point month before it was the higher different reporting techniques so we do go back and look but I believe economic corrected marginally to the finance to pick up where we are where we just were make a motion to amend the agenda to include an
035executive session to discuss a matter of real estate I'll second okay discussion okay all those in favor of amending the agenda indicate by saying aye aye opposed abstentions okay motion carries six oh and we will enter into executive session you need to invite myself more like you really in John Lucas absolutely you might not see life [Music]