and started. So, hey everybody. It is the April 22nd regular board of finance meeting. It's 7:01. We'll get this thing the show on the road. Start with the pledge of allegiance. Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Liberty and justice for all. So that brings us to public speak. So we've got a few members of the public here. I'm just going to go who's on my screen first. Linda, how you doing? Ameritus board member.
All set. Just here to listen.
Very good. Joanne also ameritus board member.
Hello there. Just here to continue listening. Thank you.
Very good. Thank you. Okay. changes, additions, deletions to the agenda. Anybody got anything? We have a fair bit on there, although most of it is meeting minutes, I think. But I don't I can't right now. I got nothing. So I we'll move on unless I hear anything from you. Okay. Old business review of budget to actual. I haven't had a chance. I've been heads down in other things. So, I don't know if anybody had a chance to look through and had any commentary.
I skimmed through it, but I didn't see anything that struck really struck me or anything.
This anything?
You know, I'm trying I had this all pulled up before and now I can't find the my packet. So, if you want to go around and all
Oh, okay. Well, the the packet it's in our emails, but it's also it's on the website if you go to the calendar.
Yeah. Yeah. I just need to go back to the calendar. I was spending time looking at Oh, you know what? This must be it. This is the packet. Oh, you know what? I'm looking at the packet. I'm not looking at the agenda. I was trying to follow along on the agenda. Never mind. Forget. I just got home from South Carolina, so I'm a little
Oh my.
Welcome home.
Welcome back.
Okay. Well, we also have budget actual sorry, budget, sorry, check register.
Check register. Sorry, getting mixed up. the other thing I might mention is Lisa, chime in at any time while we're talking about this stuff. If there's anything you want to highlight for us that that you saw, I'm more than willing to
I'm just running to go get my token so I can sign into laptop in case you have any questions on a light item. I'll be right back in one second.
Okay. Do you want to share that so we can look at together or does it not matter? Oh, the
budget to actuals. You want to go over that first? Do you want to just share that?
Yeah, just
All right, hold on.
Yeah,
sure thing.
It's always nice we can look at together, especially if there is any questions on anything that we can.
Okay.
Yeah, if we see anything that's overexpended or
anything that looks wildly off, for sure.
I don't know where it is. Oh my goodness.
You see? Yeah.
Oh no. find it. And I I know I took it when I left the office.
Oh, you know what? I know where it is. I think it's out.
Well, let me know if you have any questions. Then I can go back to it.
Can you enlarge that a little bit? I'm sorry, Rob. I'm asking a lot tonight.
Hang on. Let me see if I can get it in such a way that
it stays on the screen. Is that good?
Yeah.
Yep.
this will be more updated. I just paid multiple to bills that I could not get to that weren't paid in February and March. so now they're all up to date up to the last week. So there'll be more expenditures because people are sp starting to spend their end of year money.
Did we expect to be overbudget in the registars salaries this year? There's it it's difficult to explain. Wally has come in a couple of times when the C the auditors give us audit entries and the CPAs I guess would be Cheryl last year. The end of the year you do a payroll acral and then you reverse it July 1st when the year starts and it doesn't look like she reversed it. So that's a possibility. The other thing is the other day I was in payroll and I they have an election line and then they have the registar line and they have a training line. So I'm wondering if something didn't go in the right line. So I mean it's possible that maybe
yeah I've got to take a look at it. Yeah cuz Wall-Ally mentioned it to me already too.
We might have talked about that last month too that it's starting to ring some bells. I could be crazy. I don't know. Well, I think we said because there was the early voting and I know he's looking for help with the early voting grant. so I don't know if something is there too if that's held separately in like the the the grant funds. So I I haven't had a chance to get there, but it looked okay except for that first acrruel entry. So it could be that just needs to be reversed as of July 1. So,
so I was looking at the revenue here. and it's just a couple things are just interesting. So, it looks like we've brought in a lot of clerk's fees, but also looking at the transfer station, it looks like way way lower than what you'd expect, but I don't know if we just
Yeah, we talked about that before, too. And there was a thought that the trash bags were being the income from that was being placed in the clerk line, but I'm I I went over that with the assistant clerk and and they collect a lot of of a lot of income in there of different kinds. So, I'm not sure if that's in the right place. Also, I don't know if people are paying for trash bags there or do they pay for those at the transfer station?
I haven't used transfer station in in years, but I don't recall that being a thing.
I use the stickers. Is it the stickers?
Stickers. Stickers for sure. And those correct me if I'm wrong, but I think those track the fiscal year, right? So, come July, you need a new sticker.
June. Yeah. End of June. Yep.
Yeah.
There's our
people are coming in for him already. Yeah.
Hi, Matt.
Do I have to let him in or is he already in? All right.
He's in.
Okay. Sorry with the screen screen share. I'm I don't see everything. okay. Well, that's
must be the stickers because we don't use bags, Lisa.
Yeah, that I'm probably thinking Salem, but I know people are coming in looking already, so it must be the stickers they're looking for.
Yeah. It's interesting cuz, you know, some of these it if you look at the the bottom line, you know, we're at 75%. All right, that makes sense. It's just the individual lines look kind of wacky. which is why I asked. So,
specifically the clerk fees and the transfer station lines. There's just one's way up and one's way down and it makes you think.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, I agree. I'll try and look into it.
Okay. I'd be surprised if people were going in and paying for their sticker early, but yeah, could be.
You wouldn't believe how many people have come and asked for them because my office is right there and they're asking already.
So, I haven't been to the dump in a bit, but usually they do have I'll go this weekend. Usually, they do post a sign and just warn people. And I don't know if that signs up, but last year I think I got mine in end of May or early June.
Yeah. They're just not in yet. Yep.
Yeah.
I usually get mine in like June 30th. right on the button
right to the end.
So the other thing that that strikes me as a little odd here is the AES line. I mean my recollection was that we dole out there budgeted 10 equal payments over 10 months.
Can you bring that line up? I don't see it.
Yeah. Where you here?
There.
Oh, I see. Okay.
28% 1.2 2 million out of four and a half given where we are in the year that
no yeah don't be right that big huge
February okay so this was there's possibly two more payments made it is done every month and I know it's gone I know it's gone up since February because I know I paid one already I paid the one for March
this is February 28th statement so
kay I I I just I just asked because I I my recollection is it's 10 10 equal payments. You know, there's two months a year we don't give them a payment and
Well, I thought there was a big payment that they got for the July and August. No,
I thought payments.
I think I think I think for ease it was 10 equal payments, but that's something they worked out with
Eric years ago.
Yeah, I think there's only April left for them to get. So, this has definitely been updated more than this.
Okay. I would hope so.
Yep. Yep.
No, I know it. I just wish I think my token is out in my I my code thing for my laptop is out in my cup holder in my car
because I can't get in and look at it, but I know it's more than that.
Okay.
You know,
All right. Sorry. I don't want to go too far here. Does anybody have questions? And we we already asked the question about the well we we sorry we have the the assistant town clerk salary. I think we've talked about that before.
Yeah.
Yep.
do we also give out RAM in in 10 monthly installments as well?
Yes.
Is it 10? Okay. I couldn't remember if it was 10 or 12.
I have this schedule in my office and I'm pretty sure theirs is 10 off also. I think they're similar. Yes.
That looks more on track. Y
that this is why when I saw these numbers I thought one should not be wildly different than the other,
right?
There's something off there.
so please do look into it when you have a chance. So
yeah, I will
I mean let me put it this way. If this was the real number, we'd have been the board of be screaming at us because they'd be out.
That's right.
Exactly.
Just the end, you know. All right. So does looking down here, town apartments, administrator, treasurer, clerk, everything. is there anything in here that anybody wants to ask about? I mean the only one that pops out is assistant town clerk seller and we've talked about that I think.
Shall I move on?
Okay.
Then there's the registars. Liz, you asked about that. Everything else?
Yeah, it looks
okay to me. yeah. Okay. So, I'm going to keep going down a little bit. Building department. Sorry. library looks fine. Hopefully, we're keeping them in
Yeah, I just made payments to the library and to the fire commission. So, they've gotten their two payments. So,
okay. it looks like I mean, unless I'm wrong here, we we might end up with a little bit of an underspend here. It's not a lot of money. It's just, you know, that'd be nice because I don't see any training being used or supplies. community center wages director. I I think I I think I know the answer to that one. Yep. Yeah. town office building looking pretty good.
Pretty good.
Office supplies are a little over.
Yeah, we're worried about paper and toner, but till the end of the year, that's
because we printed all the stuff for the town meeting. It's our fault.
Oops.
there's a couple lines we can probably, you know, move around.
Yeah. Okay. advertising. Somehow we're slightly over. Okay. I assume that's basically putting stuff in the River East.
Yeah, it's for zoning and for meetings and things like that.
All right. We'll have to We'll see how that goes next year. But, you know, maybe maybe that next next budget cycle we to look at whether 6,000's enough. okay.
All of this unemployment compensation.
Yeah, it seems a little high.
I Well, I mean, I don't know if we have people who left that are we, you know, that more people that we expected that are getting unemployment. no. No, this is us paying in, right? This isn't us paying out. That's right. The state pays it out.
So then why is that above
Well, it's interesting that you say that because I'm trying to work on payroll and see unemployment can be paid in two ways to prepare if we do have unemployed people. And one is to pay it as it comes, which is what I'm used to, or you can pay as the year goes. and I'm not sure. I'm trying to read through the payroll and I don't know if it's being done properly or not. So, I haven't decided that yet. But
let's put a pin in that then come back to it
o be continued. Lisa, when you get more information for us, we'll we'll talk about it again, I guess,
in the year 2028.
Let's go for 27. Come on.
All right. Okay. Okay.
As long as I can hire somebody. I've got three interviews. I was going to let you all know that I have three interview three people coming in on on Friday
for assistant treasurer. Great.
Yes. Yes. Yep.
Good. Good. Maybe we'll finally be, you know, staffed up.
Staffed up. Yes.
Hopefully.
We got We got Matt here. We have a full staff in that building there.
good. So, I can go to the Cape then. So, that's what I was.
Yeah.
town garage. This is be the testing is because we have some new people, right?
because that's way it's way up there. Yeah.
No, that again that is something that I was trying to work out with previous staff and I think there's something in there that's not supposed to be in there.
Okay.
So, I think it's going to come way down when I get that established.
But of course, if if it's something that was valid and just put in the wrong place going somewhere else,
right? But there's money in the other place. So,
right. No, I hear you. Yeah, let's let's figure that one out, too. That's
So, it should be fine.
Seems a little little
if if I can interject. I think that we we had seen something that was a medical payment that was put in there. So, I'm not quite sure. I know Lisa
No, I think it was it was I don't know if it was a medical payment. I think it was a dues of some kind to CCM. And I don't know why it was in there because we pay them like to print things for us too because they're a better price.
So I'm not sure why it was put in there, but it was a pretty considerable amount, but I'll take another look at it.
Okay.
I I just realized Matt was here. I didn't see that he was here.
I was I was going to pause at an opportune moment and pause.
Let's pause.
We can pause now. Welcome, Matt. It was It's good to meet you.
Yes.
Hello, finance committee. Hi Matt. Hi Matt.
week two here and it's good to meet you and I guess we got some
we got a lot of things on our plates here, but yeah, get rolling up my sleeves and I look forward to working with you. I've met some of you that have stopped in to see me. Everybody's welcome. I have an open door and
like Lisa said, we're going to be doing a few interviews on Friday. So, we'll hope we have some more information for you as we get closer to the referendum and hopefully things go the way they always go.
Yeah.
Well, that'll be good.
We're excited to have you.
I hope to get in there and meet you in person when I have a chance. Maybe on one of my on a Monday or a Wednesday when I'm working from home. Maybe I can pop in and say, "Hey." But
anytime.
It's good to have you on. thank you. It's been it's been a bit
since we've had the support
hat we need.
So, we're going to let you get your feet wet before we start beating you up.
Okay.
He's been here two weeks. It's time.
Oh, yeah.
Two weeks.
Learn the whole town of Andover in two weeks. No problem. sure.
why do we do things the way that we do them? Well, that's a research project. Yeah, I think I got about two hours. So, I think it's time.
All right. Right.
so do we wanna we want to polish this off, guys? We just get through this document. I don't see
I'm just slowly scrolling.
I'm sorry. I had said that was February, too. The months are just moving by me. That's March. So,
this is March. Yeah,
which again brings me back to the a the AES number cannot be right. Okay.
Yeah. So,
so the temp PW salary is up there.
315.
Yeah,
that one jumps out.
Is there something wrong there?
I want to say, did we have somebody? I'm not sure. Is that where Jay was while he stayed and helped with Eric?
Maybe he work time to help get Eric up to speed.
Yeah, I think so. I think that's what that is. Okay. I'll check.
I'm pretty sure it is.
because yeah, that one pops out.
all we're looking Okay,
the membership thing. What's the 844%.
yeah, we budgeted 75 bucks and spent 633. Yeah.
I think I think that was I wonder if that's where the tree warden training went because the tree wing tree tree warden training was I want to say $500 maybe something. It it was high and I don't know why it didn't go in
training. See if they have training. Yeah,
because it was a training budget but I don't see a training line.
I don't either. I knew one up above earlier and I thought there was one in another area where it showed training but maybe
Yeah, but it might not be training for public works is the issue. they may it may have been an issue where we don't have a great line to stick this in, so we'll put it under membership,
right? Yeah.
Yeah, I'll check.
Okay. Snow removal OT. I don't think anybody's surprised there. We we'd gotten lucky for a few years and didn't this year. It is what it is. everything else here looks reasonably good. In fact, low if anything. given where we are in the year, some of these are looking pretty good. office supplies. Resident trooper. Guess he needed some stuff.
well over double budget.
Got to crack the whip.
yeah, that 150 bucks. Well, I don't know. I'm I'm just assuming that's in the right place. okay. Everything else here, there's another one here. This is office supplies as well under fire marshall. Everybody's office supply seems to be in every department.
I don't know. Something happened with paper this year.
That or ink? Because ink is very expensive. I don't know if they got printers. Yeah.
I was shocked. I had to buy,
you know, this is one of these things where we're budgeting 50 bucks a year and if we if Okay.
Yeah.
so what are program senior citizens?
What is that? That's I'm trying to remember that's not associated with the community center, right? This is something else.
I we've talked about this.
yeah, it was in Tess gave a whole list of everything that they do. They do the lunches. Well, the lunches is separate, but they do
right
all kinds of programs. I don't know if Tess is on tonight or not, but
she did send us some information when we were doing the budget, the different programs they have. I don't know if it's crafts. I don't know if it's yoga. I don't know what it is.
But wouldn't that be under the senior center stuff?
You mean a community center?
Yeah,
community center.
I don't know. I I don't know. You'd have to stick with Tess.
I know we talked about it last month.
Yeah.
It's over. It's not egregiously over, but And they also have they have the L accounts, but I I haven't had time to get to those because now I'm trying to do all the payroll and all the payables until we fill this position. So, they may have money to cover that in their their L account, also their fundraising account. I'm not I I They call them L accounts, but I just I've never had L accounts, so that's what they're called.
I don't know what that means.
Yeah. veterans committee overage. Don't know what that is.
Where are you?
I'm sorry. I don't see it.
Lords and commissions under selectman veterans committee.
Oh.
Oh, under selectman.
Yeah, I've scrolled down a bit because there was wasn't a lot going on.
You think it has anything to do there's no there's no like 250th celebration this year, right? We're not doing anything like that. or I don't know. That's a good question actually.
Unless they took something somebody took something for Memorial Day and put it in there. I don't know. I'd have to look. But I don't think so because we have a Memorial Day line too, right? In recreck department,
don't we have No, right there. Memorial Day down there. Maybe. I don't know. There's that's there, but
I don't know because I don't remember putting anything in the vets committee. So, it might have been before I came, but I can take a look at it.
Yeah. I mean, it's 250 or so over. 275 over.
conservation commission membership. I mean, that just looks like a membership fee that went up. We might have to adjust that number going forward. zoning legal professional. I think we talked about this. We We have some legal issues.
Yep.
I'll try and email you answers. That way you guys have it.
That'd be great.
Super.
All right. Are we going to go through the check register as well? I like this the same way sharing screen and scrolling down.
Scroll up fairly quickly and just see if anything jumps out.
Sure.
I looked at a little earlier, but I didn't really see anything crazy.
I just want
quick. It's only three pages anyway.
Most of these are individual people.
most of it is payroll actually.
Payroll.
Hopefully when when and if I can get to a payroll company, you won't have all those names on there. That's not how I would do it at all.
Right. All right. Meeting minutes, folks. I've been behind. I haven't had a chance to sit down and and go through these. There's a lot of them. Have any of you manage to get through them?
I went through them tonight. the only thing I didn't go through is I noticed there was a note somewhere and I think it's in our agenda.
Oh, about the meeting that didn't get recorded.
Yeah. Yeah. Other than that, so I did look at them. There's a couple that I had some comments on. Otherwise, I don't know how other people feel about them. She'll just vote on them and approve them. if anybody else has had a chance to look at
I looked at them, but I'm not like you, Liz. I can't I don't see those little tiny I think I read too fast or something. I I don't see those little things.
Those things Well, some things just kind of jumped out at me. They're they're just little things and I'm like, "Oh,
I looked through them, but I didn't I didn't get through all of them. I saw a couple little things, but nothing big."
You know how when you read things are supposed to be read a certain way? We used to do this at work and if you read through it, you know what it's supposed to say.
Yeah.
So, you kind of like you look right through it and you don't I think that's what happens to me because I don't
Yes, I'm right there with the word.
I'll read I'll read right over the typo.
Yeah,
you're right.
Every time.
Okay. So, do you want me to just go show you the couple that I
Give me a date and I'll scroll to it.
Yep. So, the meeting minutes for 4:22.
Wait,
that's today.
This is today.
Today?
Oh, I'm sorry. 222. No,
she's clairvoyant.
I'm sorry. Let me say that again. March 24th.
Got it.
March 24th. I'm sorry.
No worries.
March 24th. Let me get get to it.
18th 24th.
Here we go.
page three of three.
Yep. where the reccomission section at 453 that last sentence that says a certain dollar amount to 3560.
Oh
yeah 36,785.
Oh that's got to be there's got to be an extra num digit in there.
Yes.
And I don't Oh you found that one.
Yeah.
And I don't remember like I didn't go back to find out what the original was. I said look and find out what the original was,
right? Whether the six or the seven is off. And of course, we changed this again later, didn't we?
We did. Last time we took a little more money away from them
to pay for the software that
Yeah.
what you call it needs
for the for the for the MV DMV lookups.
Yes.
So that's why not supposed to include pennies. That usually ends up doing that or you know that no number is a problem. So we should If you brought up the budget, we could eas
Why don't we hold this one out and deal with it next time? We We'll punt on this one unless we get the right I mean, you don't I don't have the right number ready to hand. So,
you know what? I might be able to find the budget.
I say I probably have it, but I don't have it with me.
It's got to be in there. Actually, you know what? Because we cut it, so we can take what we Yeah.
Feel like it was 356 bucks. something like that.
Well, it was
just for that software.
Well, no, no, no. So, this is the first cut, though. We're looking for
I'd have to go back and find my budget spreadsheet. I I probably have it.
I'm sure I am.
I'm sharing my screen right now. So, if I'm like monkeying around looking for that,
but I I should have a budget spreadsheet for 324 that reflects that. Let me Let me Let me see if I have it.
Yeah, I'm looking too. Oh, that's not it.
45 2019. No, that's not going to help us.
Oh, I think I found it. 45
Oh, 453 453.
I have March 11th. So, I'll go back and look there.
I have March 24th. It was it was from rec commission. Rec commission line.
What line?
It's three. It was originally $3,560.
Yes, that's it.
That's what we That's what we switched to.
That's what we cut it to.
The request was
Oh, darn it. I need to go back further. This is
3785 right there.
This is my 318 spreadsheet. Apparently, I updated it again. okay. I'd have to find an older one.
Oh, here. The 11th. I've got the 11th.
That's what I was going to say. That's where I was going. The 11th.
Yeah. Hang on. Ardon.
budget request 3,785.
It was in the last one, too. I was trying to tell you. It was in the last budget.
Sorry.
37.85. But no one's listening to me.
No. No, we
as usual.
So, it's the six that's wrong.
Yeah,
that has to come out.
Y
that was the only thing I found on that page.
Okay,
I mean in that in that month. Did Heather did you see anything else?
Heather's muted.
Sorry. No, I didn't see anything else there on that one. Oh,
should we vote on that one while we have No,
we can do a quick motion to just fix that
mo motion to fix it. I'll make the motion that we fix the
from March of what? March 24th
properly reflect the community garden cut from 37.85 85 from from what reads is 3675 to be corrected to 3785.
I'll second that.
Great. All right. no discussion is necessary, I believe. I vote yes. Bill,
yes.
Heather,
yes.
Liz,
yes.
Louise,
yes.
Kim,
yes. There you are. Sorry, I'm scrolling through my
Did you get Nick?
Nope.
But yes.
Yes. Okay. 70. Thank you. when I have the screen share up, I have this little limited screen and it's screwing me up. Apologies.
All right.
So, can I make a motion to accept the these meeting minutes for this for March 24th?
Yes. That's what I was going to say.
Oh, you want to just accept?
Yeah, right now. Let's do it.
Okay. Sure.
And I'll second.
Second. You seconded it, Bill. Okay. Yes. So, Liz motions. Bill seconds.
All right. Very good. I'm gonna go around this time. Nick, you go first.
You can't. He's chewing. I did. Sorry, you caught me. yes. I'm saying yes.
Hey, Kim.
Yes.
Hi there.
Yes.
Liz.
Yes.
Louise.
This is for all of them.
No, this is for this one. Just March. March 24th.
Okay. Okay. Yes. Louise. Okay. Liz,
yes.
Bill,
Me, yes. 70. Okay.
Very good. Do we have Liz, did you have anything else? You said you had a couple. So,
yeah. On March 25th, March 25th, page two of four. It's just a word.
on the line 305-912,
tree removal fund.
Yes. It says the third line down tree removal to should be prevent outages not present outages.
Oh yes.
I make a motion to change the word present to prevent.
I'll second that.
Okay. Louise seconds it. Very good. I'll go we'll go around. Nick, you're not chewing at the moment, so go ahead.
No, I'm going to say yes.
Okay, Heather,
yes.
Kim,
yes.
Louise,
yes.
Liz,
yes.
Bill,
Me, yes. I think that's everyone.
I make the motion that we Oh, is there any changes? Just I was just going to say is that clear enough for you, Rob, for you to be able to point to that or I guess for whomever is reading this to I guess they should be able to understand that page.
You you gave the literal you gave the page and you gave the Yeah, I think I think it's all pretty clear there.
Yeah. Okay, cool.
I vote
Okay.
to accept the minutes as amended.
The March 25th
for March 25th. You move that. Okay. Do I have a second?
I'll second it.
Great. Okay. Let's go around. Heather,
yes.
Liz,
yes.
Louise,
yes.
Kim,
yes.
Heather, no, you did it already. Sorry. Bill,
yes.
Okay. Who do I miss?
Nick, yes. And me? Yes. Everybody? Okay. Sorry again. I when I have you all up on my screen, it's easier. Okay. So, that's the 25th. Did you have further notes of typos or whatever? Liz,
no, I didn't. That's all I had. Yeah.
So, we have There were some other minutes in here, older minutes. do we want to do a
batch?
A bulk batch here. let me take a look. Hold on.
Yeah, I mean I read them all. I went through them all. I know last year we had a situation like this where we had a bunch of them
and Mark Mark had said, you know, we could just bulk approve them all and if anybody goes back later and finds something, we could always make a motion to update them if we needed to.
Yep.
so we have we just approved two, right?
Yep.
Right.
And then we have all these other ones. I make the motion that we approve the bulk
of the minutes beginning with January 28th through
March all the rest haven't been amended
right it's it's 128 through it's January 28th February 18th February 25th February 25th is two sorry
eah because that's March 4th March 11th March 18th and then April 1st and April Second.
There you go.
I'll second.
You'll second that, Kim. Okay. Thank you.
You're welcome.
So, the only the only discussion I have about this is that I noticed that there's a there's a typo in this agenda
where
22525 the regular meeting minutes. I just so I don't know if
I mean it's just O2 like I don't know if it's a typo. Oh.
Yeah. Yeah. So, that's the Okay. Well, we're approving 25. We're approving February 25th, 26.
I'm not going to worry about the agenda itself. I think we get the the right motion, though.
Yeah.
All right, let's let's go around the horn. Bill,
yes.
Liz,
yes.
Louise,
yes.
Kim,
yes.
Heather,
yes. Nick.
Me? Yes.
Huzzah. new business success.
We got into looking at the minutes and and kind of jumped over. So, I'm just going to back up.
The problem I have with this one, you know, this was my screw- up and I, you know, apologies again for not hitting the record button properly. is now I'm awfully fuzzy in terms of recreating that meeting. what we have for the public record of what we did on on March 25th the special budget meeting. I think that was the like the first hour,
right?
I think you had a bunch of first a bunch of select board on
and you know it was a bit of a joint meeting. Y
and I remember some discussions about where we were on the town administrator hiring a couple of the things and that's an I swear my memory is shot because we had so many meetings. So to the extent that other members of the board have better memories and can remember more about what we did there anything we can get Kate I guess would make sense. My recollection is as I've just stated, I remember we had multiple members. I I remember we definitely had Jeff and we Magguire and we definitely had
Annmeth I don't think Ann participated you know had a lot to say during that meeting and we had
Jeff Murray was I think too
ur former our former town clerk
Carol thank you. Why was I blanking? Carol, Carol talked a little bit again when we got to the issue of where are we on town admin search. I remember that being a a bit of the discussion, but that's that's where my memory taps out. I don't know that we took much action in that meeting like in terms of what we did to the budget. We might have had one vote. That's what I can't remember is towards the end if we adjusted something and that would be the most important thing if anybody can remember.
So are you looking for people to send notes over?
If you do if you have anything by all means circulate you know this is what I remember happening in that first hour. Remember we got the second one.
Yeah.
I don't think there was any motions made or passed. I have I have one I have this one little memory bill that we did tweak something in that meeting.
Well, we did tweak that garden one that we just corrected, right? We
No, I mean in that first hour though in the first hour. Yeah. I have a memory and it's not a great memory cuz clearly if I had it clearer I'd be telling you that we we voted on one thing in the unrecorded session. That's what I can't remember. so if anybody else does, that would be awesome. if not, we're just going to have to say egg on my face.
We could always ask those select people. We could always check in with the select men.
That's true. We could ask Carol and and and Jeff if they were again, lots of meetings have taken place, but
I keep I sometimes keep the budgets. I don't know if I kept that far back and I mark every budget what you guys change so I can go and see if there's something in there. My document for that night would probably be, you know, it would reflect everything we did,
including the stuff that got recorded.
So, I was I was sort of like, I don't know if it's going to help me. So, but if you've got something, Lisa, by all means.
I'll take a look. Yeah,
take a look.
does anybody does anybody recall an AHM discussion because Ann was on? I thought that was before the 25th.
I don't
Well, we were going to another meeting. There was another meeting AHM AHM had and I think we were talking about that. I think
yeah, whether that happened in that first hour or not,
I don't remember exactly, but I know because Ann was there and she participated in that is the only thing I can think of. Okay. Oh, I did find some notes that I took.
Matt, go ahead. Did you raise your hand?
Yes, I did. so just putting on my freedom of information hat. I would say just, if you can just come up with, you know, put put the minutes together as best as possible. mention that the recording did not record properly and that you you reconstructed them to the best of your knowledge. I really don't think you want to be emailing back and forth your own personal notes that might end up becoming public documents.
I see.
if anybody wants to stop in or if you want to have a couple members stop in and talk to me or so that it's you know that we can kind of reconstruct it. But I wouldn't go too crazy if you don't think any votes happened because really as far as action minutes if unless somebody recalls what the action was just to say there was just that you know the general discussions were just my two cents.
Okay. The only thing I rem I have written down here that I don't know if this happened with a vote. It said trans multiuse building zero out that fund for this for this year. Would that have been something we voted on or M
that might have been the vote that I'm talking about. because you know I know we talked that might have been the meeting where I
asked the select board, hey guys, if we zero if we don't load money into that fund this year, is that going to hurt? Is that going to stop us from doing something that you have planned? And the answer was no.
That might have been that very well may have been the thing we did. I just wanted to look
that could have been. So that meeting that was the 25th, right? So here's the
That was the 25th. That was the 1 hour special.
Yeah. I'm just
seeing if it's in the other 25th meeting notes
and that was on a trans
Oh, bingo. See, it's not in here.
Yeah, it's not in here.
So that might indeed be that that I think was the vote that that we're missing.
Can we go to that line item in the budget or What the matter?
We voted we voted to defund. How much did we vote to defund? What did we vote?
Oh, it was 50,000 I think.
Oh, it was 50,000. Okay.
Pretty sure in just verify that we didn't
I'm pretty sure in past years what it was was we were putting 50,000 a year into that fund and I raised the question because there was a pretty healthy balance in there if if this year we needed to add another 50 and we ultimately did. I know we cut it to zero.
Yeah.
So,
if we could just verify that on the budget and your notes, we'd be all set.
Oh, I I mean I I have zero doubt that we we did it. It's just a question of was that when we did it, you know, in that in that first hour that did get recorded, and I think that's right.
I think it is.
Kim, did you have did do you have notes indicating a vote for that?
Not right now. I have to look back. And the other thing is Kim, you were I can't remember. Did you come in midstream that meeting that early that six o'clock hour?
I think I came in Yeah.
A little late,
like 6:30ish or something. But we didn't take I think the the vote that we we're talking about happened after you joined
and I I don't recall any nos. I I recall it being ultimately unanimous, but
yeah, that was the last thing that was the last note on on the page. So, I've got notes like in the beginning we talked got we got the sermon numbers. Kate reminded us of the state law capping the mill rate on autos to that 32.6. and we would need to split out the mill rates. We talked about seven people with a stipend at 7,262. Six people with insurance 239,000. medical and dental, family insurance, $35 a year per family. contingency is not a fund per se. Scott mentioned we need mentioned we used to get monthly reports on the town a road fund. Can I interrupt you for just a minute, Liz? Joanne has her hand up. She might have something to remember. Can we
She probably has notes. Fine. Yeah,
she takes notes. I good.
Well, go ahead, Joan. What do you got?
You recognize Joan?
I'm sorry. I really didn't. I mean, I have lots of thoughts, but thank you.
Oh, your hands up.
Oh, everything that that meeting is important because you guys discussed a lot of stuff at that meeting. So, this is great that you're recreating it.
Okay.
Yeah.
All right. Well,
so these are notes that I have. They're not real specific other than the last note that said the trans multi-use building zero out that fund for this year.
Yeah.
So, I think that is the most important thing. And then those other I know it's going to be just quick bullets of discussion. I mean,
yeah,
I like the detailed minutes are great, but if we can just recreate in a in a simple form,
that that's better than nothing.
Sure.
Yep. And again I I recall rec discussing status of town admin search.
Yep.
With the the select board.
Town admin search. Yeah. At this meeting
because we kind of harped on them about getting it done. Remember?
Yes, I do remember because at the time we you know things were not progressing
right.
Luckily that's all resolved now. Okay. So, that looks like we've got, you know, 1 2 3 4 five bullet points, one vote. let's see if we can put that together. And,
we'll have it for next time.
Get it over to Kate,
right? And we can vote on it.
I owe her a couple emails. I got I should do that. And I also I want to send her a thing with the corrected slide from the budget the budget meeting where I had the percentage wrong on on one of the slides and and put a little blurb in there. I was going to have her post that.
So I'll I'll try to send her a couple emails.
You want me to type these notes up and send them over to Matt
o me or to Kate directly? I I'm cool with it. That'd be great.
I just want everybody's ideas together like Matt was saying. We don't want them to go all over the place. That's all.
Yeah.
So, if anybody has any other ideas,
recollections or notes, could you send them to me, maybe?
I mean, yeah, I've I've got I've given you what I've got. If anybody else has more email, you know, send them over to Liz.
I think we got
I'll look I'll look for mine, too. They're in the other room, so I'll look.
Okay, great.
And we can act on it next meeting. We can
vote on it.
Try to take Yeah, try to take action on that. Exactly. Oops. Whoopsy daisies. Sorry, guys. God, I am I have too many windows open. Okay, we did that. Leaison reports. I don't have anything for CIP this month. though I I hope to I hope we're next month we'll have something interesting to talk about but this this month I got nothing. Does anybody else have any liaison reports to bring before the board?
Okay hearing none. We already dealt with approval of meeting minutes. so that's sorted and that leaves board open discussion. so I'll I'll open it up if if people have things they want to talk about. I don't personally have anything at the moment. I've sort of gone through what I've got. Did we discuss what came in that email?
Sorry, what?
I'm trying to remember. Did we discuss what?
Oh, that one
mail from from
board of ed
or the or the fine for the tax the employment
fine. Yes, that's what I want to talk about. The fine. Thank you.
Yes. Yeah, that letter the fine. That is
there's something else.
Who called?
I was surprised and and I haven't had a chance to call them. I don't know when they said the inquiry that you sent and I'm like I didn't send an inquiry so I don't know where that inquiry came from. So I have to call them and find out. It's hard because I can't find a lot of things in the office. So I don't have much to go on but yeah I was surprised.
Okay. Well, I guess on the bright side,
what was the email?
It's not a huge It's not a huge hit.
No.
What was the Oh, I see it now. I see it now. I see it. It's It's the payroll tax memo.
Yep.
Yeah. So, it was like $1,300 or 1,600 or something like that.
1400. Yeah.
And penalty,
right? And that was from
March of 25. Yeah.
March. That's why I want it. That's why I want a payroll company. That's all.
That's why we need ADP.
Yes.
You're still working on that, right?
I am. I am. I'm trying to connect. I had I talked to somebody before the budget and Salem actually just went to them. So, I'm trying to connect with the HR person that I hired for me there. so I can get because she said theirs went very smoothly. So, they just did it in July and she said it was great. So, I'm I'm hoping I can do that. So,
I think it's a great idea, Lisa.
Yeah. I I just think it's
all straightened out, it's it'll be great for the town. I think
Yeah, I think so, too. And and everybody, you know, someone said something about, well, you know, if you people do it through your phone, and I said, but you know, that's the way of the world now. It's like, you know, everybody I know, they input their time. There's there's there's guards and everything to make sure people are at work when they're putting that in their in their phone. And if they're really uncomfortable, they can do a time sheet until they get used to it if that makes them feel better. I don't have a problem with that at all. I did that in Salem. But after people got it, they could go in there, check their time off that they
have left. They could apply, put in for their time off, and then their supervisor gets it, and then that supervisor approves it. So I don't have to worry about because their supervisor has seen it. So I I just think it's and the taxes are just FMLA. You've got the PTO stuff, the FMLA stuff. They're up on that. That That's why you pay them. You know, it's hard for me just supposed to be there one day a week and the other person with so much on her plate to keep up with the laws, payroll laws. So, let them worry about the payroll laws. That's just how I feel about it. So,
now would this be for the entire town, including the school, or would this just be the municipality? just the town as far I don't know what they use. I'm not sure what they use. I don't I'm pretty sure I mean is it they still have is it Edmunds they still have.
Yeah.
So I don't know if there's a payroll through that or if they have somebody else.
Yeah. Okay.
We'd have to ask Jody.
They had they had ADP and and the school had their own and it was ADP. We had Prime Pay. but we went to ADP because Prime Pay was not easy after they lost your They took away a dedicated person for every week and you had to reexplain stuff over and over and they couldn't.
This is This is your experience at Salem, you mean?
Yeah. Yeah.
Sorry. I just want to be clear for the folks watching the meeting or whatever, you know, Lisa sometimes talks about her experience in Salem and it's not we we being Salem in that instance.
No. Right.
so yeah. okay.
That all makes sense. keep us updated. unfortunate that we have a fine.
Yep.
okay. So yeah, sorry. Continuing on board open discussion. Is there is there anything further that we want to discuss or should we move on in the agenda? I would love to have a short meeting but if you've got something bring it up.
I have a question.
Yeah. Go ahead, please.
I was wondering if we have any type of strategy if the referendum comes back as a no. Is there something that we should talk about beforehand or is that something we want to wait and talk about later? Speaking for myself, it would depend, my strategy, my personal take and what I would argue for front of the board would depend on what the numbers are and what the advisory question numbers are. If it's a very close vote and a narrow failure, that pushes me one way. If it's a overwhelming result, that pushes me another way. So, I I don't know. I don't want to I can't really second guess it until I see the numbers. I mean last year as you may recall we had we had a failure. It was like 5545 or something along those lines. It was it was a defeat but not like a total landslide. And so we made a moderate cut. Whereas if if this year it comes back it bifurcates and there's like a a really clear signal that we should do something then I'll roll with that. It it really depends on what the public does. So, I I'll tell you, I mean, I don't know if I I'm I don't know about progress, you know, projecting what the public's going to do. I have my own gut feeling on what's going to happen, but I don't know that we can really game it out unless and until. So, I'd say for myself, I I don't have a clear game plan until I I know what the results of the referendum are. That's my two cents.
I think that makes sense. I mean we we do the board did have you know we're sort of on the record of recommending you know 7.5 increase for the school you know if if it comes back as a as a it's voted down it's bifurcated and we have to look at the school budget again in that in that context you know maybe that's where the the discussion starts I don't know that was that was one of the things we did in the past as you recall so
does anybody else Any thoughts on that?
I mean, I kind of I kind of agree. We got to see what the what are the rules or the questions called again? The
the advisory questions.
The advisory questions how they how they come out.
That's right.
Matt, Matt, did you have something you wanted to add to our discussion?
Yeah. Is there any discussion about setting up a special meeting like once you know for afterwards you could always cancel it if you if it passes but if on thea occasion that
so let me look at the
yeah I think I think we already have a
look at the calendar here for a second Matt but I I hope we already actually would have
I know we did
let me go to the budget referendums May 5th. We do not on the calendar right now.
Oh, I thought
have a board of finance meeting is there's nothing on the 6th, which is the Wednesday following.
I thought it was Thursday.
Tuesday referendum. I know we I I know we discussed it and I could have sworn I saw a note come from Kate. I think it was.
I thought so, too.
I know. I saw a note from Kate saying she was going to schedule the dates that we discussed.
I know I did. I I remember discussing Kate.
She did a really nice outline of what could potentially happen. Yeah, she really did.
Yeah. And she had all the dates and everything how that would fall.
Was very clear.
Well, is that email there? Maybe we should vote on it. Vote on getting that on the calendar. Maybe
I would say let's if it's not already, we could we could just put it we could just make a motion to have a special meeting set up for 7 o'clock on May 6th. I don't have it in my phone. I tried to put all of our voted on, you know, meetings in my calendar. I don't see it and it's not on the town calendar. So, my suggestion would be why don't we have a have a vote on setting up a special meeting? We can always not have it or or literally start it and adjourn it if if there's nothing to talk about if the budget passes.
I I have it on my calendar for May 6th. I don't know why 7.
For some reason, I don't have it on mine, but that's fair enough, guys. Little
Well, I don't know if that's right, but
I have written down May 6th.
I have it on May 6th. Yeah. I feel like the the easy way to do this is to say to the extent that it's not already we hadn't already done this we want to make sure that we have a meeting scheduled that week. Now the thing about cancelling a meeting is in order to cancel a meeting we have a certain time frame.
but wouldn't this be a special meeting?
This would be a special so I guess we cancel anytime. Yeah. All right. So, that would be my take is to let's make absolutely sure that we've got a May 6th meeting on the agenda on the calendar because it's just not on the town calendar at the moment
starting at seven. Wait, hang on one second.
Wait, we'll go ahead.
Can I I have the me the the email from Kate.
It says, "Per the town charter, if the budget fails, the board of finance will have one week until the town meeting 512 and 2 weeks 519 until the next referendum. This leaves only one Wednesday to prepare a revised budget. The subsequent town meeting will be for presentation and discussion only. No changes will be made. This process will re will repeat. Board of Fines will have one week until the next town meeting.
It's got to be the sixth. It's got to be the sixth.
Okay. So So Okay. I just Okay. So I plan to schedule a special budget meeting for May 6th. Unless there are significant conflicts. Please let me know as soon as possible if that date raises any major issues. So it's good.
It's already It should already be scheduled. I guess we just
maybe just want to confirm it. I I'll send her an email. Yeah.
and just say, "Hey,
confirm."
All right. I'll send her an email.
but I go for So I don't think we need a vote. She's already planning on that. Okay.
Matt, you earned your pay for the week already.
There you go. Good
call. Yeah. The the charter makes this very very tight. so we have we have that we basically have
those, you know, the Wednesday and the Thursday and then we're out of time. Perfect.
That's that. Okay. very good. Thank you for that.
let's see. So, any further board discussion? okay. I think the next thing on the agenda, which I'm out of now because I was looking at the town calendar, was correspondence.
Oh, correspondence. I'm sorry. there was a lot of emails. I don't know if I've caught up on all of them. I got way behind. Okay. Well, if if we don't have anything to discuss there at at this time, we can always come back to it. and I'm running out of steam. So, do we have is there anything else on there is or is it just a
No, it goes to community speak.
Oh, public speak. Sorry. Correct. We do two rounds. That's right. My fault. All right. Well, well, let's let's do that then real quick.
I think it's just Joanne.
Joanne, I think it's the only one left rying to unmute. I'm just going to say a couple quick things that were brought up, you know, in the course of listening to all of you. first of all, glad to see Matt Strereer there. Welcome again. And and and to that point, if you are recreating the minutes to that very important meeting where a lot of stuff happened, I think it is important that you do put a little thing in there that there was much discussion on you all asking about the process and what was going on and that Bill and I were both, you know, we had served on the committee to interview and all of that. So I think it's really important that you
know we were much in favor of bringing an experienced and qualified person forward for that position. You know we've got to you know represent what really happens at meetings and and that was clear and true. the other thing you guys had all talked about which me in all my years on board of finance I had never heard the term L account until this year. So, I'm glad you're all becoming aware of it because it sounds like it's an account where the community center and I'm only from listening to all the meetings and hearing the info, you know, that people have talked about these L accounts like Lisa said, sounds like the community center and maybe the wreck department when they had lunches or perhaps registrations or things of that nature, they might have collected funds and put them in those accounts. So, that would be interesting for you to learn about because I don't know where that money is represented. Maybe they have a little budget where they spend there. the other thing that I just wanted to bring up that kind of concerned me during your whole process and and it's something that's easy to fix, but another woman, another resident had brought it up in a town meeting talking about you all being able to look
at and I'm sure you do because we had in the past like just with all the new hires being happening, you know, the the ex the salaries that are being given given out to new town employees and if especially if they're a union employee that that union position salary is being represented correctly on your spreadsheet or wherever you get to look at that. That was just a concern because I know you guys all had made a few changes this year where you kept a few things in line items so these salaries kind of got bigger. I'm I'm sure you know. So, if you put little notes in the spreadsheet where you had maybe added that $5,000 stipen that the former assistant treasurer received, you put that in another line. I'm just concerned that without the right documentation. You just want to make sure that's correct. That's all. That's my only concern is because every year you might give a raise to that particular salary. So, you make sure you're representing the right
salary. That's all. thank you for your time.
Thanks, Joanne.
Okay. And then, you know, not exactly a member of the public, but Matt, did you have anything further you want to add?
nothing today, but, as I get into things, I'm sure I'll be able to give you more information. So,
Oh, definitely. I mean, as we go forward, once people settle in, hopefully we pass a budget. Once we get through that, we'll wanna, I think, as a board, think about what we want Matt to come to us with, you know, in a given meeting. You know, at one point I want to sit down and talk about a capital plan. you know, and we're not there, this isn't the time to do it, but, you know, when we look at our capital funds again, we get our audit back and that's all finalized, especially, you know, when we start to think about next the following budget. I I really want to tighten up and figure out what we've got for capital needs coming down the pike. We want to talk about those bridges and culverts and all of that. I'm sure that'll be something we can get to over the the months where we're usually not frenetic in the new fiscal year. So, but for now, just
welcome.
Thank you.
It's great to have you. And maybe we can give Matt, I'm sure he can find an example of what Eric used to present us with as far as the admin report.
Town administrator report. Yeah.
We always opened our meeting with the town administrator report, Matt. So, and that would Eric tell us like what's going on with the bridges and culverts and you know,
I mean,
this project, that project on Zoom, I can go back and look probably, right?
Eric Eric answered almost every question we had about the budget. Matt, it was fantastic.
It was amazing. So, next year you're going to be in the house. just give us a
We've also had Lisa helping, so we're not going to discount that. Lisa's done an awesome job.
Right. We
You can have it. You can have it, Matt. You can have it.
The
She really has. She really has.
Yeah, there were town administrator reports. So, that's that's actually something that I need to probably mention to Kate again once we get back to regular meetings through the budget to add that line back in town administrator's report because it just gave Eric would take whatever it was 10 minutes and run us through okay basically in the last month this is this is what's been going on in town. This is what we did. We we we started chip sealing this road. We did this bridge work etc. And you know, it just gave us the perspective of kept us kept us up to speed basically.
And if there was anything,
we spend the taxpayer money.
Yeah.
And the grand usually had good explanations for
any of those line items that we looked at tonight that we they were high or low, he could always say, "Oh, this is why that is that or this is why that's low." He always knew why a number was out of whack. He could always give us some kind of explanation.
I'll be focusing on that, too.
So,
good. Good. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And and and of course grant stuff.
Yeah.
That was another thing, you know. Oh, we got a grant for this. You know, we're going to be able to use it and you know, planning on doing that in the spring or whatever. So, that that's always good stuff to have.
Right.
Well, all right. Well, well, we'll give you we'll give you a chance to get your feet wet.
Thank you.
All right. I think that is we're at the point where someone can motion to adjurnn.
Bill motions to adjurnn.
I'll second it.
All right. Bill motions. Kim seconds. Let's go around. Liz.
Yes.
Oh, okay. Thank you. I didn't see it. Louise,
yes.
Heather,
yes.
Nick,
yes.
Kim,
yes.
Bill,
And I too am a yes. We will adjourn. Thanks everybody and we will see you soon. Hopefully not too soon, but well, we'll take our chances.
And again, anybody can stop in at any time to see me.
Oh, I'll try to.