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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - AC - 03/02/2017 Town of Cohasset Advisory Committee Minutes, March 2, 2017 PLACE: Basement Meeting Room, Town Hall ATTENDEES: Advisory Committee Also attending Nan Roth, Chair - Chris Senior, Town Tanya Bodell Manager Paul Carlson - Mary Gallagher, Finance George Chamillard Director John Chapman - Brian Joyce, Town Richard Fitzpatrick Engineer Leland Jenkins Helene Lieb Lynda Mooney 7:03 PM The meeting was called to order by Chairman Nan Roth The minutes for 2/16/2017 were reviewed. Lieb moved for approval as presented, Bodell seconded. The vote to approve was 7 - 0, Chamillard and Mooney abstained. Department of Public Works Brian Joyce discussed the need for improving street lines and adding safety training and equipment. Each employee will have a kit of necessary safety supplies. Also, there is growing need for licenses and fees paid on behalf of employees. Senior stated that there is a large increase in Joyce's salary due to his expanded responsibilities and to have his salary in line with surrounding towns. Jenkins and Lieb asked about guard rails. There is a trade-off between safety and ascetics. Most of our rails are not crash rated. Roth commented that the rails next to Treat's Pond are simple wooden ones that could not protect a car from going into the pond. Joyce prefers Code 10 rails for strength, but some people do not like the look. Lieb said she does like the look of the new ones on Jerusalem Road. Page 1 1 Jenkins also complained about people putting large rocks next to the roadway to prevent parkers. The town's property is wider than the road. Carlson commented that Forest Avenue which appears to be very straight, actually has a right of way that is far from straight. Thus, it is hard to know where the right of way is just by looking at the street itself. Carlson asked about the salary line being virtually flat for the year. Senior responded that changes in personnel resulted in the small increase. The actual people have received the normal wage increases. Snow and Ice Expenditures appear to decline, but that is due to some accounting requirements. We have used our budget for the year. Street Lighting Roth asked about the $19,000 increase in street lighting. Senior responded that we now own the lights. The town is looking to change over to LED's which will be available through a grant. Joyce said that the town owns 511 lights. Another 300 are privately owned, many are turned off. After a questions by Lieb, he said that the turned off lights do not represent a safety issue. Many were for personal convenience. Transfer Station Senior stated that prices for most recycled products do not cover the cost, but we are still better off sorting than not. Source separated yields better revenues that single stream recycling. The town is starting an educational program to encourage residents to be more thorough. Senior is looking into providing added security at the transfer station which may also catch some people using the facility who are not paying. In response from a question from Chapman, Senior stated that bag revenues are $206,610. Facility stickers generate about $217,000 in revenues half of which goes to the beach. Joyce commented that there have been some very good recent hires in the DPW. Facilities Lieb asked about the progress on the solar field.Joyce stated that it should be operative in May. In FY2018 we should be getting some credits. Senior said the budget does not include revenues from the credits since we do not know how it will Page 1 2 work. Bodell stated that the process for earning credits with National Grid is very opaque. Chapman asked about the expenses at the Senior Center. Senior responded that the estimates are very low since the town does not yet have a good fix on maintenance and operating requirements. Town Hall Budget The selectman's budget is declining as more expenses are being switched over to the Town Manager's account. Other expenses are being centralized to enable better purchasing. All merit increases are now under the Town Manager and Senior stated that the increases are no automatic, but must be earned. Succession planning is underway for the Finance Director/Town Accountant roles. Municipalities are having a growing problem hiring for skilled positions. Chamillard commented that with such low turnover, we may not need as much in incentives. Senior also mentioned that many of the more senior people are getting close to retirement. Under Human Resources the town is adding software which will greatly simplify payroll and other HR functions. Our payroll is currently done with paper time cards. Roth asked about the start date for the HR software. Senior stated that it would be ready July 1, 2017. Chamillard asked about the salary for Lisa Ugialoro, the HR head. Her hours are being ramped up. She is now working 75%. She has not been taking benefits since she is using her husband's insurance. Advisory Committee Roth asked about the line item for MMA. We are not being informed about their programs and services. Gallagher said she would ensure we are notified. Reserve Fund Senior stated that the Town's policy is to have 1% of town expenses including enterprise funds or approximately $300,000. Treasurer Collector Page 3 Jenkins asked if there will be a reduction in force with the new software. Senior stated that the people have been focusing on clearing up tax titles which generates revenues. Legal Most of legal is for labor negotiations as well as zoning and land use issues. The goal is to keep it to $150,000. Town Clerk Expenses were high in FY2017 as there were five elections. With only one in FY2018, expenses will be lower. The Town Clerk's salary has increased as she has more responsibilities for FOIA issues under state law. Permits and inspections Senior is trying to hire a Town Planner, but having trouble finding the right person. Jeffrey Summers is now a full time employee being paid $60,000. His predecessor was paid over $100,000. Roth announced that next week will review Water and Sewer and start on warrant articles. Capital budget is not ready and we cannot review the zoning articles until a public hearing. Chapman announced that the draft school budget is now on their website. 9:08 PM Mooney moved adjournment, Lieb seconded. The motion passed 9 - 0. Respectfully submitted: Paul Carlson Page 1 4