Meeting transcript
Board of Finance Regular Meeting
July 27, 2022 · Watch on YouTube · All meetings
So Okay, 07:00, we'll go ahead and get this meeting started I'll call the meeting to order this is the board of finance regular meeting on Wednesday 07/27/2022. So welcome everybody it's good to be back. We'll start with the pledge of allegiance, The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Thank you. We'll roll on to agenda item number two, which is public speak. Eric, do want to go around and see if we have any public that would like to speak? I do not believe we have any members of the public here.
I think phone number 5579 is Marina, and Nick Levine is recording this for CBC, so there is no public present.
Okay, very good. Let's go ahead and continue. Item three is additions or deletions of agenda items. Does anybody want to have any suggested additions or deletions to the agenda items? I do. Joanne?
Yeah, since it's July, are we going to be voting on like chairperson, vice chairperson on a regular yearly? I just wanted to I can we add that to the agenda? I don't know if that's something we do, but it's
it's not something we have done, but I'm certainly open to that. I don't think it's a bad idea if we want to go ahead and do that. So do you want to make a motion to amend the agenda item? Would suggest it probably go under 10 gs, which would be new business.
I'll make the motion to do our yearly vote on chairperson and vice chairperson.
Yeah, so it would be for the board to consider that as part of our procedures because we really don't have, I think, any kind of set procedure for that. Okay. We'll second it, for discussion. Okay. Kurt seconds it. Any discussion?
I honestly don't remember how we've handled this in the past.
I think by charter, all boards and commissions are supposed to do it every year or every other year, but I would have to review the charter to give you the exact
The fire the fire commission does it yearly, every July. We do our chairman and treasurer.
I think the board of Ed does it every year too. I think I've been at their meetings where they've done it every year.
By the I it's a good practice to have, so I'm not opposed to it. Well, this, again, the motion is to add it to the agenda. Yeah. Oh, okay. Well, let's just. Seems like an appropriate thing to add to the agenda. Does anybody disagree? No, okay. Well, I guess I'll call for a vote if there's no more discussion. All those in favor of adding the agenda item 10 gs, discussion of process for voting on chair and vice chair for the board of finance. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, hearing none. Okay, we'll go ahead and add that to the agenda item. Thank you, Joanne. Any other additions or deletions? Diane?
I wanna make a motion for deletion to delete the finance department report. I don't know if anybody's had a chance to look at it, the report is really inaccurate and I don't think it's even worth us having it on the agenda until we get it all corrected and everything and do it at the next meeting.
So you're talking about agenda item six in its entirety? Yes. Okay.
Anybody wanna second that? Is it Marina leaving also? Yes. Did she leave Eric? You know? August 0. Okay. So maybe that would help if we do.
Does anybody want to second the motion to delete agenda item six finance department report from the I'll second it. Okay, Kurt seconds. Any discussion? I personally haven't had time to review it. I just skim over it, but not to any significant degree.
If we do agree and vote on completing the report, are we still able to get some finance department news, you know, about the transition or I know Kru brought that up and that is a good point. If this is the last time we're gonna have her here at a meeting.
I guess I was just, my on this was not to spend time discussing the reports. I mean, we wanna discuss something else. I'm fine with that. Yeah. I just think the reports need to be fixed up a little bit. All for serving the meeting myself. If we can do it that way.
I can understand if the report isn't accurate, not discussing it in detail until it's correct, but that's good that we can still talk about the finance department in general.
Well, I I think we always have board open discussion and I think we have a, we have the discussion of the new treasurer on there. Right? Know, so that kind of can fit in. Yeah. That's my gut. Yeah. I mean, I I trust that Diane's been through this, and I I too haven't gone through it in detail. So if if you're telling me that we're looking at reports that really aren't accurate, then what is the point?
My personal feeling, I'll be honest, is that we should probably leave the agenda item on there for the finance department even if we don't discuss this particular report. But I think just getting a status update early in this meeting is probably, you know, probably appropriate just because it doesn't really fit under the treasurer. That's specifically about the treasurer position. You know, we could do board open discussion too. I'm I'm I'm okay with that or it could just be part of Eric's review. Right. But we could we could just part of the call that part of the town administrator's report. I guess we could cover that stuff. So I guess we could do it that way.
Can I interrupt for a second? Yeah. Go ahead. So I I put in a ticket with admins today. So the report is not showing the transfers that I did that you guys approved at the last board meeting, so that's why it's showing that it's off. It's almost like it's missing a column for transfers even though when I run the report, I put one of the columns to put transfers in. It's not pulling it correctly. So I put in a ticket with admins today. So I'm hoping tomorrow, you know, it's kinda late in the day. I did it today. Hopefully, tomorrow, they can connect with me and kind of I don't know if maybe I did something wrong with the transfers or if there's a way to rerun it showing those transfers in that report.
K. Yeah. We both spurred around with it for a couple hours today trying to figure out how to produce a report that accurately showed because the transfers are in and have been made, but no matter whether we we put adopted budget, original budget, or modified budget, it comes up with the same number. You know, and it's it's definitely pretty screwy. And we're not capable of solving it. I think that we had been since there's something in the process that's wrong.
To get back to our motion, yeah, I guess, I'll revise my comments and say I'm okay removing that finance department report since it clearly now we have, validation from Maria and they are both that this is not accurate. We could just talk about the summary from the budget, from the finance department under the town administrator section. That work for everybody? Anybody object to that? Sure. Works. Looks fine. Okay. If there's no further discussion, we'll make a vote on Diane's motion to remove agenda item six, finance department report. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed. Any abstentions. Okay we'll go ahead and move on Thank you, diane any further additions or deletions of the agenda items. Okay hearing none we'll go ahead and move on to item number four, which is the town administrators report Eric.
Okay. I'm gonna share my screen here, assuming I can grab the right one. K. So hopefully, you're looking at my administrator's report. I'm not gonna go through everything. I'm just gonna kinda hit on the highlights. As a number of you have talked about, you know, as far as town hall operations, Marina has submitted a resignation effective August 5. However, she's also indicated that she's willing to stay on part time and would either even consider other options. So, that would be something that, you know, as a board, both you and the board of selectmen, I'm sure we'll discuss. And whether you want to talk about it here or whether you want to talk about it later is kind of up to you. We did get our notification
from Eversource that we were awarded the grant for the chargers. So that's really good news from my perspective. However, as a board, you remember that that was one of the things you had somewhat of an issue with in terms of purchasing policy. So both CIP and Board of Selectmen have agreed that that's a reasonable thing. You know, there's a solid reason for waiving our purchasing policy for that. But you know you as a board are going to have to agree whether we do that or not. You do agree, we can order the parts and we can have it installed this month. If not, we're going be kind of back to the drawing board a little bit. Were also looking at the potential for a second charger installation at the library. When I talked to them a little over a week ago, let me back up. The library board came back finally and said, yeah, the board of selectmen asked me to ask the library board whether that was something they wanted to consider. They came back to me about ten days ago and said, yes. I reached out to the program administrator
for the charger program and asked them flat out whether they had money left in that program. And his answer to me was, as of today, we do. We're sold out on the rapid charger, on the DC fast charger, and we're sold out on the home charger portion of the program. But the level two, you know, charger that's available for municipalities, there is still, we are still taking applications and still funding. And then about
last week, they called and asked specifically about our first grant award and wanted to know whether we were going to actually go through with it. And I quizzed them and said, does that mean, you know, you're trying to find out whether anybody's going to back out of previous arrangements because you're, you've run out of money? And he basically said, he wasn't telling me that officially, but he was saying unofficially that we would not, if we submitted today, we would not get the charger grant for the library. So there is another grant program opening up September 15 that we can potentially fund that through. So, that's kind of where we're going to be pushing that one. If we do that, we'll be doing it through the Volkswagen settlement money. That's a different grant funding source through the state. So, good news, bad news on that one. Second thing, did get the bill for the resident state trooper. We actually got it earlier this year than we have in the past.
And the bill for the Resident State Trooper came in, I think Marina's got the exact number, but it was like $129,000 and we budgeted more like 175. So it came in a lot less than last year, which was a lot less than the year before. So, we have to figure out why. I mean, it's a good thing because that's $50,000 we don't have spend, but it's kind of annoying in that we can't get a firm estimate from the state on what our costs for that program are going to be because they don't set their indirect rates until So you can know roughly what your trooper makes in terms of salary, but what you don't know is what indirect rate they're going to multiply his salary by and what other things they're going to, you know, account for under the contract. Good news that it's cheaper, bad news that, you know, we're so bloody far off in our estimate. So, that's that. We have finalized the contract with one of our two unions with MEIU. That contract was signed basically a little over a year late. We have another contract that expired this July 1, but the Union has not actually even met with their members yet
and decided with a bargaining position. Until they do that and indicate that they're ready to talk about it, that's pretty much just sitting there. We do have a lot of projects going, and I'll talk about some of them a little bit later. Right now, as you know, we're in the middle of working on a steep grant application for the senior transportation, you know, vehicle storage. We're also, I'm also actively working, been involved with both Crogg and the state trying to get another grant program called Trip, which is a rural grant for rural communities essentially to do roadwork projects. So, that one has a potential of having a really high payoff for us. But we've got to get the state to agree to modify the program a little bit. So we've submitted comments to help do that. We also have stuff ongoing with the connectivity grant, the charger grant we talked about. And I think, did I mention at the last meeting that the federal local bridge program has been modified. The, that's a huge deal to the town of Andover. The implication of that is that the state has agreed to pick up the town's portion of the cost for both the Bunker Hill Bridge and the Long Hill Road Bridge. So between the two of those, which are both in the federal local bridge program. So between those two, that's roughly that's somewhere between a million and $1,200,000 in total cost savings to the town to do those two bridges. That's that's really huge. That was a little bit of good luck and a little bit of planning on our part. So,
so that's that. You guys had a lot of questions for me earlier in the year about transfer station stickers and why we were, you know, why we had collect, not collected all the revenue, you know, in the like May of this year. And just to put it in perspective, prior to July 1, we sold five fifty transfer station stickers. So those went on the books for the year that just closed. And then since July 1, between July 1 and July 22, we're now up to about a thousand stickers issued. So that's one of those things. The reason why we get so much money in very late in the year is because people who weren't procrastinators get it in the previous fiscal year. So, related to the finance office, we sent all of you a copy of the draft audit, the draft audit recommendations. And then I sent to the commission today the letter from the auditor, you know, basically the explanation letter. And we have audit on the agenda, so I don't necessarily want to touch it here. But I'm just saying we've got those documents.
I do have some questions, but if we're going to discuss it later, I can hold them till then. Sure, sure.
Yeah, that's the next item on the agenda is audit status. So I would say we handle that there. The only thing I would like to say is that, you know, from reading the audit findings, one of the things that I would like to do, I've already talked to our IT, is to establish a separate grants shared folder. You know, right now I store the grant information I have in a shared folder that's really only accessible to myself and my admin. And then the town clerk is storing some of the stuff for grants separately. And then the finance department has information related to grants. And we really need to get all of that in one central location that's accessible for all of us. So, pushed that as one of the things I want IT to work on in the next, you know, week or two is establish, you know, a common shared file that we could put all that in. And then, as Diane mentioned, you know, the other thing we do is we need some kind of master tracking list for all the grants we have going, you know, what the start date is, what the expected dates are, you know, conditions, amount of money, and whether it's a grant where we get the money upfront or whether it's a grant that we get reimbursed for after we spend money. You know, because that's, you know, we don't have a grant administrator.
That's, So, maintenance of that is shared between a number of us, and we need to kind of tighten up the way we're dealing with that. The second thing is, I already spoke to Wally from the fire commissioners. We're going to need a memorandum of understanding with the fire department for a yearly inventory. Because one of the things we got ding dong pretty significantly on the audit this year was the fact that we up to this point have never been including the inventory of fire equipment on our audit on our inventory list at the time. And, you know, that's a, you know, of course, the auditors been doing that this, you know now for five years in town, and he's just now deciding, you know, you know, that we should be doing that. But, you know, now that we're aware of it, you know, we need to make that happen.
Eric, if I may. Back when we purchased the when the town purchased the supplemental insurance policy, we had to itemize every vehicle and everything on every vehicle, and what we had for you know, on the shelf, in the, gear locker, things like that for the insurance for coverage. And it's astronomical amount of equipment that the town has in our little department. So that list should not be hard to get. Can you get it for I guess it's Smith Brothers Insurance, handled our supplemental policy. They they have that list. They have the inventory list of everything over there, including the facility. In their in their ideas that the whole place was just to, disintegrate and leave with all the trucks and everything on the shelves. So, that's that's readily available, to cut back on a lot on a lot of the work there. So, because we we got that when I was just, finishing my tenure as chief. That was one of the items that I pushed for and we got. So that that that went to bid. So I'd I'd I'd go to the the Smith Brothers in Glastonbury, and, they should have the list.
Right. But, I mean, it needs to be updated every year, and it needs we need to do the same thing we do with public works, is go down there and at least for the major stuff count, make sure we got everything that we have on our list and, you know, do a physical inventory.
I will say it'll be it'll probably be an issue to get Wally or probably any one of us commissioners to go through what we have bought and haven't bought. Ronnie may wanna take it on, but I think you're gonna have, you know, gonna have some issues with that. I'm just not not sure.
Got it. Yep. I mean, I've discussed it with Wally. I mean, I I think the the important thing is that, you know, one of the things the auditor said to me is he thinks we should be accounting for everything that's more expensive than about $1,500 for a set. And I think that's low because, I mean, this is really capital assets, you know, in in ultimately it's the Board of finances decision it's not my decision what that threshold is. Mean, I think we should be looking at a higher threshold, you know, than that or accounting for classes of equipment. Because, like, every set of turnout gear combined, one set is more than $1,500.
Oh, know, I have 1,500. That's just for a coat. I'm telling you right now, there's millions of dollars of inventory and apparatus and facilities next door. Millions. You know, just look at just look at look at the apparatus in in in cost today. That's what I have to go by is is cost today. Look at the the inventory of hose and nozzles and you name it. Everything that that we use over there to do what we do, it costs a lot of money. So I agree with you. You know, we gotta we gotta really perk it up a little bit because, if we ever lose everything and that can happen. It just happened somewhere down south, I think. They lost everything in the in the building. That's that'd be pretty expensive on the town. That's, kind of my my point.
Understood. Understood. So, as far as the building department, you know, as most of you know by now, we have been live online payments for all the land use agencies that seems to be going smoothly, although I was a little irritated that for my zoning board of appeals I actually had to write use the town credit card to pay the town to apply for the permit. But that's neither here nor there at least it got it got the money going in the right spot. You know, the only thing we're continuing to keep out of permit link is the bond payments for driveways. Just because I think it's easier to track those separately. You know, far as the you know, town engineer. I think that one of the things we should do. I mean, I've asked the Board of Finance to consider some changes to the purchasing policy. And one of the areas I think we're going to want to discuss is professional services. Now, you know, we did an RFP solicitation for a town engineer. And, you know, we know who we're going to hire. We don't have a contract yet. One of the things that contract is going to have to specify is at what level a project still has to go to RFP and what can I just go to the town engineer to get done? You know if I'm doing a design for road or I'm doing a design for bridge or something
what is the dollar threshold at which that I have to do an actual solicitation for the engineering work? So, I think that's something that we as a board really need to come up with, that number, because that's gonna impact what stuff we do automatically with them and what stuff we just prepare preliminary documents with them and then immediately go to RFP. I kind of think that's a whole, we should really sit down and spend an entire meeting discussing the purchasing policy and where we go as a policy and what the limit should be, if that makes sense. I'm just bringing up because this was one of the things, you know, that we've identified as being issued. The other thing is, you know, and I don't know what the solution for it is at this point, but we have kind of a debris management problem in Andover. And that is, if you look at the rules for getting reimbursed, you know, from FEMA, they're pretty crazy. And so far myself and the public works director haven't really spent the time to figure out how we can comply with all the regulations to get reimbursed with that. We've had a couple of moderately sized storms in the last three years,
but we've never made a FEMA claim for it. And the reason is you basically need somebody during the storm, a full time employee documenting as you go, because the level of detail you're required to provide is huge, you know, and it takes a lot of resources. So I think that's one of those things that we're trying to think through right now, because if we ever did get a really bad storm, we'd have to be able to claim for FEMA. And we clearly can't do it now. We don't have the procedures in place. But it also, it may require us hiring a firm, you know, just to be on call to do that in case of, you know, emergencies also. So, I'm just letting you know that that's probably also going to be a future subject of discussion with the Board of Finance. We are done with the roadshipping.
The next thing up is Gorman. Contractors will be in to chip seal, hopefully at the end of middle to end of August. So, that's coming up pretty quickly. We don't have, we haven't scheduled tree work yet. The next big thing we're gonna be doing is Gilead Road. Distinctive Tree Care has agreed to honor the pricing schedule that we established the last time we went out to RFP for tree work, which is now two years ago. So, that's a really good thing because they agreed not to put a price increase in this year. And the second thing is Eversource has agreed to partner with us and, you know, share part of the project cost for doing the work. We still haven't worked out exactly how much they're willing to contribute to it, but we're hoping that, you know, sometime in August, you know, we get rolling on that. So that's on the schedule, probably looking at it objectively by the time we did all of Gilead Road and maybe a little bit of a cone,
you know, gonna, we will have spent our entire town allotment plus whatever Eversource is willing to contribute. Because there's just a ton of dead trees on that section. So that's gonna need a lot. We are still keeping some money back to do, you know, singles, you know, problem trees that we identify. We typically do singles, you know, by collecting a whole bunch. And once we have a whole group of them that we know we need to do, we do it with tenant tree service. They seem to have about the best, you know, small, you know, groups and we hire them by the day. So that's kind of how we're addressing that. There we talked about the federal local bridge program, the news that the investment and jobs act is now, you know, willing to pay for the town's portion. So the town's no longer paying 20% of the cost of replacing both those bridges. And we did get the Long Hill Bridge in the program and we beat the big rush. So that was really good. So we stand a chance of
keeping that on track. Because now, as soon as the other towns realize that it was essentially free, everybody that's got a failing bridge is putting all their failing bridges into the program. So we fortunately got it before the program ran out of money. So that's good on our part. Small bridges and culverts, that's obviously gonna be our focus with the engineering firm. We're picking an engineering firm basically in large part and a person at that organization that kind of specializes in that, because that's what we know we need kind of the most work on. So, STEEP grant is ongoing. It is due April 15, so we're still running on a fairly tight deadline. I did submit an 08/24 referral to the planning and zoning commission because that's one of the statutory requirements. And at the July 18 meeting, they approved it. So I put it in in June, went to the June meeting, discussed it. They postponed a decision for a month and they made the decision July 18. So, we have a positive referral from Planning and Zoning Commission, which is good. We have the asbestos and lead sampling report back. We have estimates from multiple demolition contractors. We have estimates from multiple abatement contractors. So we know what our costs are there. We have a firm cost estimate for the materials for the shell. The survey is complete. I've got a copy of the survey. We had the preliminary survey done in time to apply for the zoning board of appeals. So we did that and we were granted a variance for front and side yard setbacks,
as well as a use variance for the structure. So, we're still waiting on final engineering design for the foundation. We've met with the Krog EZIQC vendor, which is Millennium Builders, and discussed the design of that. We still have to get the final engineering design before we can get a firm cost estimate from millennial builders. And at the next board of selectmen meeting, we're gonna need a formal resolution from the board of selectmen to do the project. But the good news is, is that it looks like by August 15, you know, we will have, you know, a fully cost estimated project that we can execute.
You know, as we know, the Board of Finance was not happy with me. Doing the survey without competitively bidding it, but the you know I we queried both the Cip and the Board of Selectmen and both of those organizations motion to agree to a waiver if the Board of Finance does. So that's where that is. And if you agree to the waiver I will refund myself the difference in costs that I paid into that motion for that now.
Sure, you can do a motion for that now or later, whenever you so desire.
It is on the agenda under new business. Oh, it is okay we can wait till then then, if it's there. Okay. Yeah.
Like I said, we're still working away on the connectivity grant. It's kind of slowed down a little bit. You know, we're still waiting on the contractor to install the timber rail fence that's holding up a bunch of other things, which is kind of annoying, but we did manage to get around our problem with the having the correct amount of funding for the minority set aside. And you know I've gone back to the state DEP because we do have some extra money for that project, and what I would like to do is I would like to do some lighting in the parking lot there at Central Street because I think that's. Know that's because it's a public enough area, just to keep people from parking there at night, I want some minimal lighting there. And I want to see if there's anything else. So we did fill out Marina and I Marina and I went through the paperwork required for OPM for applying for our next allotment of American rescue back funding. So it's still looking like the second one that's going to be the same as the first. They have not cut it back at all. So it looks like we'll be still be getting the full $478,000 for that. Which would be awesome since that's forecast for paying for the. Community Center slash senior Center. Recently in the town hall, we have installed a water bottle filler slash new drinking fountain because the old one was getting sketchy. You know, those are the kind of major issues there.
And other than that, that's it for my report, unless you have specific questions for me.
Eric, I have a couple of comments that I'd like to, revert back to the, resident trooper. First off, take the 50,000 and run with it if you have it in writing that they're that they're that much lower for the contract.
Yeah. We have the bill. So Sign sign it right away and get that going.
Yep. I may have mentioned before that Trooper Nessie had a new job in Middletown, was leaving, but he has since informed me that he's not leaving. He's got he likes it here. He wants to stay on as our resident trooper. So that was good news. He's a he's a really good guy. He spends a lot of time, especially at the school with the kids and stuff, and you always see him around town. I always see him. So I I just wanna, make that make that known. And I'd like to congratulate you personally for the amount of grant money that you have brought to this town since you took over your office or since you took that office over. Going back years and years in administrations all prior to this, that was never done as you as those of us that have been here so long have known. So you you looks like you're looking for every penny you can get, and, that's that's what needs to happen. You know, we've written grants next door specifically for the firehouse, things like that, and gotten them. They they don't they don't usually turn them down, but I would like to congratulate you on on what you've done so far. So
that's it. Yep. Well done.
Any other comments or questions for Eric? Okay, thank you, Eric. We will move on to item five, which is the audit status.
Okay. Most of you should have gotten a whole series of documentation for the audit. The bottom line is what I would like to share the screen again and hopefully I get the right one. Okay.
Do you want to lead with the OPM stuff about the the letter from the OPM? Yeah. I we can do that.
It doesn't matter to me. You you take it, but Yeah. So
the thing I wanted to show is kind of what the bottom line is. You know, we've been talking quite a bit about I'll ask one question before we go. This letter that you have up here, this management representation letter, did we sign something like this last year? Yeah, we sign one of these every year.
With all these conditions in it? I mean, this is the first time I'm seeing it, so. Yeah. I think that's that's been pretty typical.
Know it's pretty typical, but there's a lot of teeth in this one. And that's what I'm a little concerned about because I read through it and I couldn't honestly say that all those things have been done. I don't know. So that's my question. So I understand the process. I understand we may have signed one last year, but this one's, and I don't know. I don't remember seeing one last year. So that's why I'm asking. I just remember seeing the completed audit. I don't remember this step at all. Right. I mean Well, that's why I'm trying to ask for clarification.
Is this Did we do this last year? Yeah, I'm pretty sure we got one of these last year. I think this is part of the normal audit process. This is what we're certifying what we're doing, and they're certifying kind of their doing for the audit. The things I wanted to bring to your attention was, you know, the bottom line is under nine IIII. And, you know, it was a statement that there's a difference, you know, between the cash in the bank account and the cash, you know, in the audited result of $85,000 So there is a fairly significant. Now their their threshold for whether that's significant or not is 100,000 So, there's no, you know, they're not expecting it to match perfectly anyway. But the the good news is it's under $100,000 but there is a significant difference between those two that they're going to have to adjust, you know, for the year. So that's what I got out of that.
What about item I and item two? I mean, I was aware that we had cash differences, but I didn't know anything about these other two items that they're quoting in here.
So I think the two is, what I think two is that the school, when they, their reconciliation, they had the costs for information technology, you know, accounted for in the wrong in the in the general education fund. Not in. Basically, had some, they had a fairly, the cost basis for their IT in their general education fund when it wasn't supposed to be there. That's what I think that is. Know, we, you know, I talked to Michael about that months ago, but I don't really, it was a long time ago and I don't remember the exact details.
I'm only questioning it because at the last Board of Ed meeting, there was an exchange of information about moving it technology professional services around in the budget in order to qualify for a grant. So if we did something last year that we shouldn't have done and we're doing it again this year, that's and I don't quite know if it's the same thing or not, but it's just coincidentally, it's the same kind of consulting services that they were talking about. So I guess I just so that's something that we probably have to take up with the auditor to get about a little bit more complete explanation. Right. Okay.
And item I honestly I don't know what that is. You know why the payroll was incorrect, I mean I think if I were to guess it's the fact it's got probably got something to do with either one of the bloom payments for school because $34,000 at least on the town's level is certainly more than a month of. Should be more than a month, you know close to a month of our payroll and we should have had it at most one, you know, one payroll paid after the, you know, paid out after the June 30 quote and accounted for after June 30. So that that honestly I don't understand that's got to be a question for the auditor. Anybody else have any other questions about the letter? And then we'll go on to the the report from the the auditor or not the auditor from the state. Forgot where I put it in the packet. Okay, so we did get a nasty gram from the from office of policy management OPM because we did not submit one prior to June 30. You know, I think the more important thing is that we know this year has been screwed up. But to me, what's interesting is that, you know, between now and before I got here, we have basically never gotten an audit out anywhere close to on time we haven't met the deadline realistically, you know, in the last five years. So something systemically has to change, you know in that process, because you know if you look at it in 2018
we submitted it, you know, two days before we would have had triggered and got the nasty letter. 2019, the submission date was 05/07 and, you know in 2020 the submission date was sixtwenty two. So we're actually not that much later this year than we have been the last four years, but it's definitely unacceptable. Eric
can I just add something there it's actually been ten years since we've had an audit in on time? And part of it were when we when I was on the board of finance, we were told flat out that because we're a small town we're at the end of the line, so if. If the company that we hire has a bigger town they try to knock out all the big stuff first. And they had promised us, they would try to get to us in January, you know, and that they would file extensions as needed, but unfortunately because you know we're paying $30,000 and somebody else is paying $300,000 worth the end of the line. You know I mean we're certainly things we need to do in house to make that better, But I don't know that will ever get to you know I think the best we can probably hope for us to get it get it submitted in February, you know so just just historical knowledge.
Yeah, and we are by far not the only town getting this letter this year. There's a lot of them apparently.
Yeah, but he he said we were in good company when I talked to him. Had close to 80 towns that he knew of that were filing for late, you know, in April, still looking for extensions.
Right. And how many have gone past July 1? We don't know. That I don't know. I don't know. I think I think the problem is is we've tipped over into July.
Yeah. Very well could be. Either way, we I think Eric is right. There's this there's probably some things that we can do differently to make sure that this doesn't happen. And, we really all thought I think hope that this would be the year this didn't happen, but clearly it's actually gotten worse. So it's probably a separate discussion, but this is the problem, right? Yeah,
no question. So that's that now in terms of the audit itself. What questions did you have or what did you want to discuss?
I have one question. So, have a draft report. When does that report get finalized? When we tell them it's acceptable to us.
That's usually not how it works. We put those management responses that are in that report are our management responses?
Well, that's what they propose us using as management responses. We're not obligated to use those. We can change those if you so desire.
It is what it is, I mean. So, they're waiting for us to look at this, digest it, and then say yes.
Yeah, and either you could, on the one hand, say we wanna have a special meeting or we wanna have Michael, you know, come back in and talk to us before we do it. Or you could say this is acceptable to us. We understand we have some fundamental issues and then, you know, accept the audit and then we write, we have to write a corrective action plan for how we want to actually address this and, you know, account for the findings that they found that were in the document.
From my point of view, and only because I'm did this in previous jobs and things like that, audit compliance, things like that, I have a lot of questions. Sure. Questions that are really me needing to understand exactly what he found and, you know, some kind of general conversation. I don't know if it's something that has to involve the whole board or if the whole, you know, I mean, I know we'll get a presentation when the report is finalized from him, but I have more questions like, you know, how come, you know, didn't find these things? What what, you know, what is the root what his opinion of root cause is, I guess, is what I was kind of wanted to drag out from him. Because the report doesn't really tell us a lot of detail on that.
Correct. Correct. And I do think doing a wrap up with them is very helpful or would be So very
for me, you know, it's a need to know, to be able to understand this a little bit better. And I'm more than happy to have a phone conversation with the guy or I don't know if everybody has that level of detail of questions that they wanna hear it off, or if they just want to get the overview. I kind of want to have like a dialogue with him. So that's kind of where I'm sitting.
How long historically does it take? Like I said, this is my first full year on, and I know we started my first year last year at this time, kind of with the same conversation, questioning the audit and problems and how long historically Eric or Diane or Mark or anyone, till you do get back to the auditor and say, okay, we understand we certify it or whatever, do you have a good month to digest it, come up with questions? I mean, they've been working on it for a year, so they know every part, but for me looking at, you know, I want to take some time to look at it and see if I have questions. I know I'm not the primary person at all, but how long historically?
I think typically in the past, and you know, so you guys have been on longer than I have, but I remember getting this a few weeks before the meeting. They would do a presentation at the meeting that we followed up and we'd review it and we review the findings we'd ask questions. Then generally you know I guess say okay we're good with it, because you know, you know so we we'd have that opportunity typically. You know, late spring, middle of spring, it's varied. I'm not sure how much we got really last year, is that about right you guys?
I think last year, and I don't think I was at the meeting. I think last July is when we got the final report and we had that presentation. Last year was a different. Think it was. It it's usually about a month, but in the past,
prior to getting the presentation, the our our treasurer usually had a reply and a plan written out as to how to address the audit findings. Was also presented as part of it.
Well, I think our corrective action plan this year has to be much more robust than it's ever been. So I think some effort has to come into that. Is he looking for a corrective action plan prior to issuing the final report?
No, no. The corrective action plan comes out after we submit the final report, but we don't have a ton of time to, you know, we can't sit on it for six months, but you have a month or two to put out a corrective action plan.
I can say it would be that the only thing I want to add and I, you know, full transparency, I would hope that, you know, whoever comes into the finance office and, you know, whoever's going to run this show is a lot more proactive with bringing us the material instead of us always trying to pull it. You know, Diane asks questions all the time, I look at things and it's really hard to understand and it's not a criticism of Marina who's on the meeting right now, I just would expect a leader in that kind of capacity to be really proactive And I hope that's what we get. And know that Eric doesn't always have to try to be interpreting it for us when we're in these meetings. I think he has a lot more on his plate to handle.
Well, and if we have a set of cleaner books, you know, going into the end of the year, know, we're generally gonna, you know, going into the audit, I should say, you know, we'll, we'll, we'll be more successful coming out of it, I would think. You know, that's, that's been a problem. Obviously, we had the financial system changeovers. We had some issues trying to get the school and town financial department grouped and then ungrouped. So, you know, there, there are a lot of things playing into that. Now, again, not an excuse. It's just, I think, the reality of the situation. So I would hope that we're beyond that and we can we can knock this out and figure it out. But
We got a lot of work to do. Yeah. I think we can do it, and we just have a lot of work to do. Sure.
I guess I would ask this question to the board. Is there anything in here that would make you concerned about, I guess, giving Erica our blessing to move forward and signing this or moving, you know, this report? Typically at this stage, it's not likely to change. Is, as Diane says, it's probably kind of is what it is unless we see something that we just don't agree with. I don't think most of us have that level of information to be able to tell that. But I do think a follow-up and a wrap up would be very helpful for all of us.
Even if it's just a summary level and we could, as Diane said, can go into individual stuff detail later. I think the report is what it is and it's an accurate portrayal of what he found. Think that's his, I'm just looking for a deeper delve into understanding the hows and whys, but that has nothing to do with saying, not saying accepting this report and going forward. The only other question I have is this management representation letter is basically saying that we've made all these correcting entries and everything. And I don't know if that's been done or not. So
I just found that letter to have a little bit more teeth to it about putting all the accountability on the town. We're saying, yes, we're perfect. We did everything wonderful. And we know that's not true. So that's all. That's all I'm asking. So, I mean, report is what it is. So I'm okay with the report. I don't know how anybody else feels about the report.
Are we under a timeline to get this thing signed and back? Already getting threatened by OPM a little bit.
Oh, that that that was part of it, Yeah. Right. So we're definitely
we're under the gun to get this done. I mean
They're not they won't issue that final report until we sign that letter saying, here's our firstborn children. Yes. We did everything wonderful and, you know, we never did again. I guess we'll see.
And then once we sign it like you said or whatever then he comes to our meeting like you did last year presenting and then we can, yes, I'm concerned with is having enough time to digest it so that when he's here this year, if I have questions, which I will, or procedures or, you know, that I can ask those questions. So if that doesn't preclude me from really reading everything we were sent.
Because he won't come to the meeting until he issues a final report correct.
Right, So there's time. That's that was my He only
hasn't in the past we've always wrapped it up after you know, but to be perfectly honest, up to this year, I haven't been the primary guy dealing with the auditor. It's always been the treasurer or the finance, you know, person. I mean, this year is a little unique in that, you know, I've end up with a lot more interaction with Michael than I normally do. I mean, usually that that's not handled by me. So, I'm learning a lot of this too, to be perfectly honest.
Last year, the report was much simpler. We only had one finding. This year it's a little different.
And truthfully, Eric, let's put it out there. It shouldn't have to be you. I mean, I don't mind saying it. We should have had a finance director that was handling this and reporting back to you. So that's why we're in this mess. I mean, it's great that we're learning. I want to learn too. I always like to learn, but it's just a sad situation that we had to be in it again. Understood.
I'll just kind of say I'm okay with accepting the report as it is and then getting him to come to our next meeting, you know, with a final report to go over it. But I don't know how anybody else feels about if they want to talk to him before report is finalized.
Can I ask who actually is that have to be actually signed? May ask you a representation letter?
So, the signature block is town administrator, superintendent of schools, town treasurer, school business manager, which is what we've always done in the past. Now, this year it's a little questionable because we don't necessarily have. I mean we can move the titles around. But you know those are the normal signature blocks.
I just wanted to make sure So signed one of those last year.
I'm pretty sure. I mean, I'd have to look back through my audit file for last year to be sure, but you know, doesn't look unfamiliar to me at all. I was expecting to get this, which means I've definitely seen this before. Can we make changes to it after it's signed?
Not after it's signed, it's the document, right? So you could put an addendum or correction together probably. You can, okay, as an addendum? I would think so. Mean, it's just a letter to the auditor and Right. I don't know if it carries any weight, but it's would certainly be a document you could create and file.
I mean, nothing's going to change. I mean, I the report is pretty much the report. The only thing that possibly could change is if we found something after the fact. You know what I mean? Correct. Something across something. But
But he's we're repping and warranting that there is nothing.
But you're we're also stating that that's as of this date. You know? So, I mean, if you find something, mean, like, I'm pretty sure I signed this letter this year or last year, yet we restated our inventory for last year based on the fact that, you know, we weren't in previous years, we haven't been accounting for the fire department equipment. So our, you know, capital inventory list, you know is different and I'm pretty sure he corrected last year's to account for that also so. Yeah I signed that letter last year, there was definitely you know we later discovered something was incorrect right? I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if next year we found something, you know, about this year's audit, you know, that some expense we're claiming in 2021 that really should have been categorized to 2020, you know, in in the follow on audit, then that gets reclassified and it it affects the previous statements. I mean, I think the likelihood of there being zero changes is probably not, you know, not super great.
Well, line is we need to get an audit report completed and submitted. And
I think most of the certain agreements is not likely to change, right? So does anybody want to make a motion to just put the board of finance agrees with moving forward with the draft agenda once the action items are completed. Jimmy: I'll make them.
Okay, Louise, so you're gonna motions that the Board of Finance recommend that the town move forward with approving the draft audit once the action items are sufficiently completed, I guess would be a way to put it. That's what I would say. Okay, do we have a second? I'll second that. Okay, Rob seconds. Any further discussion?
The only thing I want to add is when we do the corrective action plan, I think the Board of Finance should review should review that. I know it's not part of the report, but I don't want a corrective action plan going out without our eyes getting on it.
Well, I think it needs to be more than a plan, you know, just a document, right? It needs to be something that we need to implement. I think we need to be part of that process for sure. Sure. Sure.
And I think there's a couple things there I want to tackle. I want to tackle the stuff regarding the physical inventory, because I think that's firmly in my wheelhouse to develop the the plan for addressing that. You know, lot of the other stuff is really not necessarily in my wheelhouse. It's more in the finance department's wheelhouse.
Any further discussion on the motion? Hearing none, will call for a vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, the motion passes, thank you. Okay, further questions or discussion about the audit status? Can I just ask? Yeah. Looking forward, when are we
going to start the audit that ended June 30 and who's going to are we gonna have the same auditor?
We don't know yet. I'm telling you, we can't even start an audit yet because we need to rebalance all the checking accounts for this last fiscal year based off of this audit. So we got a lot of work to do.
So So do we have an auditor lined up for the fiscal year we just finished, or is it the same gentleman firm. Well,
I don't think we have made that decision but typically you know we've made that through the year come to that agreement and sign that.
It's you know it's an advantage to us to get the same auditor because he knows what
how bad the audit was this year, so he should be able to be. This is the same auditor has done the town for years too. Right. I remember correctly, a lot of the concern was there just aren't that many auditing firms that are interested in doing small towns. No. There's there's everybody struggling with that. No question.
I would make I would make the suggestion that we not approach him about a contract until we've hired a treasurer because that may weigh in his decision as to whether or not he hooks onto us. That was kind of an issue in the past. Yeah, can I ask one other favor? Can I ask one other favor? Steven Fuss was? Yeah, I'm gonna bring that up here.
Yeah, or Adrian, sorry. Yeah, just because I don't think unless I I don't know if he got a copy of this draft report or any of that. He was nominated to be the liaison. Just I just wanna make sure he's getting looped in.
Yeah. So if well, let's, I guess so Linda, do we answer your question? Yeah. Okay so it's we're gonna.
Not yet. It's an ongoing thing there's no no. Right right so even brought it up, I was going to bring this up before before we left this agenda topic but I forwarded you all a letter that I got from Jerry creme and I apologize for sending it sooner it's something really controversial I don't think, but basically what the letter stated was that he would he's formally requesting to have a more member of the Board of ED as a full participant in the audit process, and you know. They'll help keep the Board of Ed abreast of any and all financial concerns as they pertain to the school board of Ed matters so they've been kind of receiving secondhand information and not not complete. Jimmy: And so they asked that Steve fuss be invited to this process, I guess, so I don't know how that kind of works. Jonathon From a day to day standpoint, I mean I would think the school finance director kind of would take the lead on that, and it should be open to anybody, I think that would need to be involved in it, but I I'm
so I think we've relayed that I you know I'm certainly absolutely fine with that I have no problem with that it makes sense if if the Board of Ed feels like they're not getting up to date and adequate information. Anybody have any other comments on that? So we're just talking about, and I have no problem with sharing information. They're informed, but they cannot be part of the audit process because they have to, they're being audited so we're the independent side, do you know what I mean, so there still has to be some segregation.
Yeah well they can't change the audit results right, you know the just the same way that the you know that cherry would respond to a question from the auditor, you know, certainly the Board of Ed would could be part of that discussion or if you know the town the town treasurer needed to respond to something that we would certainly would make sense to have if it was a significant item in particular we would be appropriate should be apprised of it and I I'm guessing and Adrian I'll let you speak as a member of the board of Ed that I'm guessing that that's kind of what we're trying to achieve here.
Yeah I mean I think I think they're just looking for maybe a little more articulation having someone direct way in the process. Share has been relaying information. But I think she had missed a couple of a couple of those audit meetings for whatever reason, I think at one point she was on vacation and then she was sick, so I think there at that point it was the idea. It was that maybe there was someone else as a backup to be at those meetings. At this point, I think that we have a liaison for facilities, we have liaison for some other things. This is something that would like so I just I just want make sure we could try to loop in.
Steve whether it's like that draft audit report, so he can
you know, have a look at it and and if we're having a you know, a meeting that's appropriate for him to be there, if he can be included that's all Yeah, I mean, Eric, Eric and Sherry I think would have to, in particular Sherry would probably have to monitor that and convey that that schedule because I don't think any of the other Board of Finance members are really aware of it we don't participate in it actively.
Joanne, you had a question. I have say because I am someone that loves to have worked with us too. It's just troubling. It should have never been a problem because there was a person that was hired during this tenure. I'm sorry that they, you know, so we have to publicly state that they weren't apprised of what they should have been apprised by the person that was in the perfect position to do it, who was going to be working with the town and the board of ed. And you know, I'm sorry if someone was on vacation or didn't make a meeting or something like that, that it's, you know, that should be part of our procedure going forward that they really have to get themselves up to speed
with things that are going on in their job. I know I have to do it in my job, we all do. So I would like to publicly state that let's do that. Let's make sure that the person that had the sole responsibility of informing the town side and the board of Ed side, although we have broken it apart or the town has broken it apart,
you know, it's a shame, and that's why they weren't getting the information they needed. They had the perfect person right there. Yeah, I I I can't. I can't speak to that. I'm not authorized to speak to that. I just wanted. I I've heard this discussion going on and realized that Steven wasn't on,
and so I I just wanted to make sure he was getting looped in. That's all. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got a letter from Jerry and yeah, I sent out the Board of Finance members and wanted to you know so we were going to talk about it here, and I don't see that anyone would have a have a problem with that. Jimmy: But any other board finance members have any concerns over that? I don't think we need to vote or anything. Is not really our process.
I'll speak for myself. I felt a little bit out of the loop of this audit process. It took a long time and we've got a lot of generic everything's, oh, everything's going fine and everything. You know, and then everything kind of blew up at the end. So we didn't even have a lot of good information coming to us. So we just got to improve our communication. Think that'll fix that. Other comments?
Now, if we could just make sure that Steve gets a copy of the draft report, that would be awesome.
Yeah, I sent Steve a copy of the FY21 single audit report and the FY financial statements. Thank you. I the haven't sent management rep letter because I just got that.
Make sure he sees that because the school will be signing that. Yeah. Will send that to him also.
Okay. Other discussion over the audit process or the audit status. Okay, thank you everybody hearing none we'll move on to the next agenda item we struck agenda item six from the men from the agenda, we will move to agenda item seven which is budget transfers and seven days budget transfers supplemental appropriations.
So there aren't gonna be any supplemental appropriations. There will be transfers. There was in the packet and you received separately a list of the transfers. I can probably try to bring those up here. I can share it too, Eric, if you want. Well, I'll share it. Okay. Sure. Oops. Sorry.
Okay. So are you seeing something that says budget transfers? Yep.
Okay, so that is the list of budget transfers that we are anticipating at this point.
It's just a cleanup of the last few ones that we have to do. Correct. Four thousand fifty eight dollars and sixty eight cents so
yeah, it's it's not a ton of money, you know, we've done most of the stuff already. Know.
The big ones are retirement benefits that just is some
shit. Yeah. Yep. And that's just that's really just yes. I don't have any questions. I'm good. Yeah, same here. Any other questions or discussion?
Yeah, I had one with Doctor. Eric. Under the cert, salaries, training, vehicle maintenance, is that the entire CERT program along with Hebron and maybe Marlborough plus us, or is that just Andover?
So, we the town of Andover allocates a thousand dollars a year for cert vehicle maintenance. Yep. They spent the majority of that right at the beginning of the year because basically they didn't do their end of year maintenance last year. So, they blew through their the majority of their budget almost at the beginning of this last year. So- okay, just wanted to. Yeah,
but they had a 100 something unspent from that. Yeah. All right.
Other questions for Eric or Marina on this? Anybody like to make a motion to approve the budget transfers?
I'll make a motion to approve the budget transfers in front of us. Kirk
motions to approve the budget transfers in the file. Joanne seconds. Any further discussion? Okay. Hearing none, we'll take a vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, hearing none, the motion passes. Thank you, everybody. Agenda Item 7B is over expenditure requests. Eric, anything there? Nope. I don't think so. Mike Okay we'll move on to agenda item eight old business there's nothing actually listed under there. Mike And then we have agenda item nine. Maybe this number and got messed up, maybe that was supposed to be a discuss and act upon the following budget transfers.
Items that will not be reconciled prior to the meeting. Yes, we had that held over from the previous because we thought we weren't going to we haven't reconciled, we haven't taken out the expense for the resident state trooper, I don't think that journal entry, while the check hasn't been cut. So there are some things that still haven't been addressed as part of this, but they're not things that require, you know, transfers. They're just things that haven't been finally paid yet. Do have the bill, so we should pay that the next couple of days. And as far as I know, after that, don't have, you know, we're probably, and Marina, you can correct me, we're probably waiting on one final Amazon bill, I would think, and probably one final credit card payment to pay off that month that that we may not have yet.
We'll have the final payment to the auditor. What? We have the final payment to the auditor. It's the final payment to the auditor. Yeah.
Yeah. I just got the last credit card bill this week, so I can take care of that and the trooper mill as well. You're on mute, Mark.
Sorry about that. Any further questions? Doesn't sound like there's anything really material to the folks there.
Are we going to have the final payment from the school before the end of the month? Do we know Marina?
Sherry and I were working on that last night, and I asked Eric if I could take a day next week, with her to just get that all settled so she can I think we're about two thirds of the way there? We're just trying to figure out one final piece, and then she should be good to have a check. What's the total amount that's coming back to us?
I know one chunk is the big payroll, which I think is 300 and something thousand. The hot lunch portion for payroll is another 30 something thousand, and then some grant accounts payable checks, I think, is another 33,000, I wanna say.
Because right now, we're off, like, 550,000. I just wanna make sure that there's nothing that's not accounted for. We can talk about it Okay, sounds good. Okay,
further comments on this agenda item? Hearing none, we'll move on to new business. 10b is interview panel for the new treasurer. Eric, you've got some
bullet points here. So what I really wanted to do is discuss with you potential dates. When, because I know Diane wanted to be part of it, Board of Finance had said Diane and Louise would be the representatives. I'll be there and Adrian is there. So all of us are on this call. So if we did interviews either late next week or the following week. What days are what days and times is everybody available to do interviews. We do have five candidates that will potentially interview. I will make myself available whenever.
So, Thursday, Friday of next week in any day the following week. I cannot do Monday through Wednesday, unfortunately. So you could do August fourth and fifth?
Yep. And then and then any day the following week is fine. And then potentially '8, 09/10, eleven, '12. Yep. Yep.
Diane, do you have any conflicts on those dates? Nope. Just mowing the lawn, weeding, watering the garden. Sorry about that.
Okay. And Louise, what are your conflicts? Do you have anything on those dates?
I'm good except for August eighth and ninth. I'm going to be doing the ninth. I'm going to be helping with the polls. So other than that, other those two days, I'm available.
Oh, yeah. We wouldn't want to be doing it. Oh, that's right. Winter elections, the eighth. Yeah.
Okay. So, we wouldn't want to do it the eighth either. So, we're probably looking at either the fourth, the fifth, or the tenth. Probably plan on five hours total.
Obviously, sooner is better than later at this point. So Actually, it's the ninth. Primary's on the ninth. Okay. It's Tuesday. Yeah. Tuesday. That's right.
So then we would be looking at fourth, fifth, or the eighth. Right.
Of those so of those Thursday, Friday, and the following Monday, what are all your preferred? When do you want to do it? I mean, we'll have to see with candidates, but but and what times do you want to do with it? Obviously, I could do anytime during that period. Do you have specific times, mornings, evenings, afternoons?
No, I mean, I'll be available when we need to get this done. Okay. So morning and Do it all in a day? Marathon.
Okay. I mean or yeah I mean or we if we if if a candidate a candidate has a conflict just you know, try to put them on the next day like you've been doing.
So I would plan, then probably on the morning of August 5 would be my preference. You know pending and then if August 5 starting we want to start at 9AM. And then.
That's fine, Eric, but I think a couple of the people looks like they were still employed, right? Maybe start with the maybe start with the employee people, and if they can't do that day, then push them. You know we're going to have to push them later, you know, maybe start later in the evening or something and do what I was gonna do a couple of those in the evening.
Yeah, I was gonna suggest you know morning on August 5, and if they can't do that, then plan on. Oh, we can't do evening on the eighth because that's board of selectmen meeting.
Well, mean we can't. We just can't go past seven, right? So True. True. So somebody can do five or six. Somebody can do five or six, then we'll do that, you know. Okay. Luis, is that okay with you? Luis, is that okay with you? Yeah, on the fifth. Well, if we need to do like an evening, say the eighth, if we need to do, because some of the candidates are employed, we need to Yeah, do like a the evening and the eighth is Okay.
I thought elections were the eighth though. Am I in the No, no.
No, it's the poll training is on the eighth. Got it. Okay. All right. No problem.
Okay. I will endeavor to set that up. I will reach out to all the candidates tomorrow and try to line that up. Other discussion or questions?
Question, is this treasury gonna be full time position and be paid for decently for a full time position?
Put it right out there. Right now, it's budgeted as part time. It's budgeted as part time. I mean, what we budgeted for is essentially a full time assistant finance officer and a part time treasurer. Okay, just wondering.
How are we gonna handle the questions? Is there gonna be a set of questions provided or are we gonna need to kind of put our heads together and get some questions ahead of time separately So, or
can certainly provide the last set of question lists we asked for the interviews the last time, but they're just what we used the last time. Whoever's on the interviewing panel, we would circulate those questions immediately, probably tomorrow. And I would ask for you to send comments or changes on those questions so that we get we have a set of questions that we're all agreed to beforehand. That'd great.
I mean, I'll be honest with you, I think we want to try to dig in a little more than we have in the past. You know, go through resumes and ask resume specific questions so. Yeah we certainly will do some of that but eric's been pretty good about providing a starting point list of questions so.
Okay, other questions or comments? Okay, an important subject. Okay, next we have 10c, it's listed on the menu, it actually is the second item in item section 10, but it's the steep grant submission waiver. So this is the item, Eric brought up earlier in his report, and we pointed out that we will talk about it later. Eric, do want to give a quick summary?
So basically what happened is that we were over the threshold at which we should have sent something out to competitive bidding, but we flat out didn't have the time to do. So it was kind of a compromise to get the board to agree to letting me do it. I basically wrote a check for the difference between the $5,000 threshold and what we actually cost because you know we needed it. Alan Because we needed that information time critically to go to the zoning board of appeals. So I did it knowing I might not get the money back, but I would certainly prefer to get the money back. The Board of Finance had asked that the CIP and Board of Selectmen concur with the decision to waive. You know, prior to the Board of Finance authorizing it so both those boards have met and at their regularly scheduled meeting and concurred that it was reasonable in this case to waive that report. So now it's in your hands.
Okay, thank you any questions or comments from the board.
You know, obviously I was part of the tip that approved that so I'm not gonna change my position now. It you know, there were I know there's some concern that, you know, every time we deviate from policy, you know, if we keep making exceptions, why have the policy? But this in this specific instance, at least I was convinced that it was reasonable and necessary.
I said that I had also I was on a on a CIP also when we did. Is a is a motion in order, Mark? Absolutely.
Yeah. I made when it was made in motion at the CIP, I'll make the motion here with us that we reimburse Eric Anderson the funds that he took out of himself for that purpose. I'm not sure exactly what it's gonna come out of, but I do make that motion. But aren't aren't we making a motion to approve
a waiver to the purchasing policy? Right. We need to include that too. Okay. Maybe it's a two part motion. I can do that.
Okay. So Kurt is is motioning to, grant a waiver to the purchasing policy to permit Eric to be reimbursed for the expense that we're discussing the steep grant pool submission. I'll second that. Okay, the next question. Thank you, Luis. Any further discussion?
I think he got his butt chewed, and he'd he'd never do it again, unless he, you know, absolutely has to put up his house or something. But, he, he got his he got his butt chewed pretty good, and, I don't think he'll do that much often again.
Well, the reality is that if we had abided by the policy, we would not have ZBA approval right now, and we would not have a shovel ready project. So the the reality is the policy as written, know, given the tight timelines for grants and the fact that we don't ever know when these grants are going to drop early enough to be able to prep for them. Know I I'm guaranteeing that we're going to run into this problem again. You know, unless we adjust the policy to be more flexible in some cases. So, I mean, I really Revise do think that policy to make it work for today's environment.
I think we, in some cases, ought to be thinking about adjusting the dollar amount thresholds. I think we ought to be specifically putting in, you know, some flexibility and you know, I'll be prepared to talk about that. But part of it is that putting out an official RFP is a big time consuming step. You know, frankly, there's a lot of things we don't do because I'd have to put out an RFP to do it. You know, so I think we just, we need to accept the fact that we, you know, we want to do things correctly. We want to account for the people's money as carefully as we can. But we also have limited ability to actually administer some of these things it often time and manpower is more of a limitation in our case that.
Eric Eric I mean, but to be fair to you, and to be fair to the policy as it's currently written if we had had you know our engineering done and had our in house engineer picked this way wouldn't have been an issue because technically that's the RFP that we're looking at that we needed right so once we get that settled that'll help a little bit in the meantime, we need to redo the policy which we hope that the Board of Finance can do for us.
Well, but even if we have an engineering firm established, the way our policy is written, that would have been a project that we would have done, and we still would have gone out and solicited bids for that for the survey work because it's over the dollar threshold that currently we have to do that. So.
But but technically you've already are you've already done a bid process when you when we pick our engineer right so technically you've already done that now, you start talking about we need a second tier that's a different conversation but at anyways.
Could could we consider when we do get into this,
not just looking at the dollar figures, but maybe a specific carve out for grant project projects that have a grant associated with them. Yeah I think that makes sense or something and you know Eric also mentioned, you know potentially looking at professional services as a category that we might treat a little bit differently than purchasing. So there's a lot to consider here I don't think we should make these changes lightly. No. Something we need to revisit.
And we've gotten better in the last you know, the three years that you know we've had Eric on board now to getting to the point where we have in house thing we have in house people that we're doing with on a regular basis it's something the board selectman asked Eric to go out and do and get you know some of these things kind of set up so hopefully that will alleviate some of this, you know. We got some really good bids on the engineering hopefully that's sorted here in the next week or so and we'll be able to announce that as well so.
Yep any further comments from the board or questions. All those in favor say Aye. Aye. Any
opposed. Any abstentions. The motion passes Thank you everybody. Mike Okay, the next item is listed as 10 be in your application, this is the ever source car charger application Eric you touched on this with your report a little bit. Yeah
so this is again concurrence from the CIP and Board of Selectmen to modify the purchasing policy. Of Finance for their approval now that we have a budget.
So we did get this grant. It is a reimbursement grant. So, we front the money and we get paid back for it. At the end of the day, you know, we're going to be out of pocket as a town around $4,500 which is half the cost of the physical charger. And all the installation costs and half the cost of the charger picked up by the utility company. Again, since the total costs exceed our threshold, you know there's there's a real question about whether this needs to be. Competitively bid or go out to rfp and my issue with this is that you know, again, we were under the gun. Fact, we missed the deadline for the second one of these for the library because they're definitely out of funding. So if we had waited a month, we would not have gotten that installation, number one. And number two, we need, we have one of two approaches. Either we pay upfront for design and engineering costs associated with doing that, and then go out to RFP, you know and solicit bids. After we get the grant or you know we get somebody that's willing to do the design work essentially for free with the understanding that they get the job once we get it, which to me, you know, our essentially what is our in house electrician
to do that, you know where he's doing the design. You know, and at the end of the day, it's costing the town less than $5,000 so think it's appropriate in this case to to use this methodology, because I think ultimately you know it's it's certainly faster and it's probably the same cost as sending the thing out to bid and separately paying for the design costs. So that's my argument for it.
I think whenever the audit was done, you'll find out that you actually saved money by using the same contractor that designed the system. And and it'd we've all used Lincoln Electric, you know, in town everywhere. So he's a taxpayer, and he's not gonna not gonna go way, way off off the tracks with anything. So I can vouch for him. Oh gosh. Sorry.
Maybe you've said this before, but how many electric vehicles does the town currently have? Or do we have any? Or is it a thing for the future?
We don't have any. There are four teachers at AES with battery electric vehicles. We are anticipating purchasing one volt EUV, you know, for senior transportation. But these these will are, be able to charge any town vehicle and they will also be available to the public, but the public will have to pay for it. They will be just charged at whatever. Our goal is not to make money on these, but we're not providing people with free electricity either.
Well, that was my point. I just wanted to understand the need. Obviously, there was a grant, so you wanted to be proactive with going after the grant and ascertaining it for the town. I just wanted to to know the yeah from from past meetings I thought that's what we said because we don't have to provide this forward it's nice that they'll be able to use it again. Okay thank you I don't want to get long winded on this or on this rest of way.
Well, if memory serves. Sorry, go on, Eric. Don't be. I think I was going say what you're about to say. So go ahead. So the other thing is that the state is pushing for
all new construction to have at least 20% of the spots have chargers available in those spots. And because it's a little unclear with the law, the language is, law is out, but the implementation language for it is not. So it's not completely clear whether the new community senior center is going to require electric chargers put in. But this gets us all the infrastructure, gets us two chargers now and everything essentially pre done so we could add two more chargers. So at least we would satisfy a portion of that, you know, if we end up having to do that. So I see that as kind of a two pronged thing. It's generally good for the public and it may lessen our requirements for the new building. But I don't know that for sure yet. Just, you know, we don't have the final language of that.
You say anything, see what the state's doing with that electric bus that just burned up on the on that highway between New Britain and Hartford. They're they're taking steps with the, the, you know, Connecticut Firefighters Association to, do something about it. That thing was, I mean, it was it was crazy on fire, mainly the battery and stuff. So, before we go signing anything, let's check and see what the state's going to do in regards to that. That's, you know, that's, that's a short ways off. Just to, just to brief, I don't if you've seen it on the news, but.
Yeah. Yep. I saw electric cars do burn really nicely. There's no question. Lithium ion batteries, well, they go. It's exciting.
Just a quick question. Now, if we do get chargers at the library meeting, we were talking about this the other night. Is it like a handicap parking spot? If you don't have a car that's being charged, nobody can park there or? Well how does that work because library has very limited parking so
that's how it's supposed to work but I can tell you driving around you see it ignored fairly regularly. I mean we would put up signage to that effect but.
That's the barrier who's got like a dozen of them at their senior center. They have markings on each each spot for the electric cars to park similar to a, you know, to an '88 sticker so. It's not like that. They'd have their police department come down here and write write people up too if they were parked there without a electric car so. Right. I want you to do now because I installed the overhead to underground power to feed those when that center when that center was built.
Yeah, and and I do think that. You know, I think if we were sitting here in ten years, you know, probably almost all our senior transportation vehicles are going to be electric. The state is pushing very hard, you know, both at the state level and for municipalities to be adopting electric fleets. So I think whether we want to do it or not, I think we're going to be stuck doing it. And the sooner we get the infrastructure in place to deal with it, the better off we're going to be. That's my personal take.
Believe it or not, our fire truck committee is looking at electric fire trucks now also because of the mandates coming from both the federal government and state. And, right now, on average, pumper's, $2,000,000 to replace one trust. It's $2,000,000. We the the company I work for builds them. We built the first, first four. And right now, they went from 1,200,000 to over 2,000,000. So I I highly doubt that that'll become long. I really do, but we'll see.
Are we taking action on this tonight? Are we just I'm just wondering where it where it's going.
Well, it'd be nice if you would agree to modify the purchasing policy to allow me to do it because we have the grant and I would plan on ordering the parks tomorrow. But I won't plan on doing it if I don't get the waiver and we'll figure out, I guess we'll go to RFP on it.
Basically just to clarify right Eric we're looking for a waiver of the purchasing policy in this instance to allow you to move forward to purchase the equipment for the charger
to allow the the grant to be utilized. Right. And and, you know, to clarify again, as Eric mentioned, the actual net cost of the town is 4,500 Roughly. Correct.
That's So there you know, we kinda debated whether the purchasing policy, you know, it's under it's it's under the threshold if you look at just cost the town. It's over the threshold if you look at the total project cost, which we're not paying.
Well, your initial direct The obvious case for a way. You're gonna have to put the layout, right? So it may not be clear. It might be something that needs to be clarified in the policy I
will move to grant a waiver for that project. I think that's a perfect case for a waiver, actually. Anybody like to second that motion?
Something that went to CIP and board of selectmen too? And they're okay with it already? CIP was okay with it. Yep. Yep. I'll second it then because I'm okay making a waiver to the policy as long as we have concurrence from the other two parties that are part of this purchasing policy. I don't think it behooves us to make it this on our own. I will second that. Cool. Okay, any further discussion or questions?
The only quick question I have, I mean, I'm okay with it too. I wasn't opposed or anything, but this was an item that wasn't budgeted this year, right? So the 45? It
was not budgeted, but it will come out of the building maintenance fund. Okay. So, it's funded. You know, there's not we don't really have any to do any gymnastics to come up with the money. Okay. Thank you.
Other questions or comments? Hearing none, I'll call for a vote. All those in favor, say aye. Aye.
Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? The motion passes. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to item labeled 10E in the agenda. That's a school request for paying the generator expense. Eric, do you want to address that or summarize that? Sure.
You had gotten the letter last month. No supporting documentation in our package for that. So there's nothing Well, in
you had gotten that documentation the month before, and you had chosen to say that was a Board of Selectmen decision. I think the Board of Selectmen has basically said that's a Board of Finance decision, although they're not really in favor of it. Adrian, would you agree that that was the summary of the Board of Selectmen
position? I don't think there was anything in our last packet either. So that's why I'm thinking we have I don't think we have I mean, I understand the concept of what's going on, but I don't remember. I just got copies in your office, but I didn't take any with me.
I cannot speak for the Board of Selectmen as a whole because we did not take a vote on it. But we did basically say that it needed to be discussed with the Board of Finance. Didn't feel it was within our purview. Especially, you know, we, you know, from the two, there was no one that was that was putting forward a motion to do it. I can say that, but I cannot say that the Board denied it or or what have you. So I have my own opinion on it, but I'll leave that. It's really up to you guys what to do with this. You know, I am. I have my own my own opinion, but I'm gonna leave it up to the Board of Finance to decide.
So Eric, in terms of you said their documentation, I mean, we received a note from Valerie covering the issue from her side, I don't know if there's anything firm other than that or was that while I was on vacation that came through? Let me just share my screen real quick. There were invoices. Hang on.
But I don't think they've ever been submitted in the packet.
So in in this can we can we also just summarize the situation?
So the the situation is this. Here's the letter from the superintendent. So basically this it was her ask that the town consider covering a portion all or a portion of the cost of the maintenance and repair of the generator because her opinion is that since the town utilizes that to allow the gymnasium to be used as an emergency shelter, the town should share some of the expense for it. That that was her rationale for it. And so she requested that we reimburse them for, you know, one $3,000 bill for, you know, repair and consider, you know, paying a portion of the funding going forward. That is her ask. If, you know, I could put my 2¢ into it or you can, you know, make your own, you know.
I'd like to ask, has the school board ever gone to, say, Lenco Electric? It says, how do we how do we light the school along with heat the school and even air condition the school with this large generator that you have? You know, how can we add on the lighting? Because that's the only thing that I'm seeing that it doesn't do, and that's why they can't run the school off the generator. They should be able to run the school off the generator with lighting and everything. And and now with the upgrades coming next door, you know, that that should all be figured in and and, you know, with them possibly doing their part, to do that. But do you know of any any study done on why the generator won't handle the load of of lighting at AES?
That's not something that I've had any input in. I mean, I can tell you that the generator backup runs their HVAC system and keeps the building from freezing. So it's not like it doesn't have any value to the school. It definitely has value school, but on the same time, recognize that it does have some value to the town too, because it does enable us to use that as an emergency shelter. So the question is just, is that something you want, you think is appropriate for the town to take some or all of the expense or not?
So to be to be clear, We were told that the school could not open on generator power. So even if the they had the lighting, they're not allowed to open for whatever reason. I I don't know that we weren't given the explanation as to what that was exactly or why, but.
I I would find out what that reason is. Yeah. Val didn't share that. She said she couldn't open on generator power, though, so Yeah, because right now, as far as she says it right in her letter, it will not it will not, you know, feed the lights. But if they change everything to LED, and of course, we know Eversource offers those grants to do the entire facility LED, they use Well,
they've already done most of the facility with LED. I think they have one wing left, because I was helping work with on that earlier this year. Okay. Well, if their HVAC
and heating run off their new systems that they just put in that came from town tax dollars, why can't they add the lighting? That's a that's a couple circuit runs or whatever.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't know, Kirk, but that's that's beyond this conversation. Yeah, we have to do some electrical work.
Yeah, for sure, for sure. But you know, for history,
the school wanted they needed a generator and. By having the school be an emergency shelter they were able to get some grant money to help put that in. But to be clear, we also have the town that the fire department and the Community Center has declared shelters as well, again, basically for the same purposes so.
I think it's always difficult. It's okay for the wrong generator.
That's my opinion because it's to preserve that building and the loss of power because it's, you know, keep the pipes from freezing and thing and it's part of maintaining that building. No different than the fire department, you know, keeping their generator running out of their budget or anything else. So that's where I stand on it.
Joanne, I think you had started to speak. Yeah, sorry about that.
Yeah, I just think it's always difficult coming in after the fact thing. Sort of see it as a school situation too, and to be asked at the end of the year kind of is putting us in an unfair situation. I mean, like this should always be discussed, budgeted for, talked about, you know, when things are over with and the fiscal year is ending in, you know, a couple weeks after it's it's difficult. There's always room to discuss things and like people have pointed out there's other places that could be the shelter so thus far to receive this after the fact. And then, you know, have to make a decision.
Just another piece of information for me I did attend the board of Ed meeting I think Joanna to where they were discussing this, and the school does have the money to pay for this. So they do have the money and they do have grant funds available. So it's not like they don't have the money to pay for this it's not like they're coming to us for an appropriation because they can't pay for it.
It'd be a good spot for the new town engineer to go over and study if they can add the lighting to the generator system or electrical system over there. Eric.
Well, that would probably be we would be talking about hiring an MEP engineer so that probably I mean I could ask whether the engineering firm as I can he could direct he could direct whoever
needs to handle it if he can't handle it. Well, think we're getting we're getting into tactical stuff here I think we probably should try to stick with the agenda item about whether we feel like we should we should reimburse for any of the. Generator repair costs it's not totally clear to me, so you know that because it almost sounds like from valerie's message that we couldn't keep it open as an emergency shelter. As cannot remain open on January, because the school so she's saying the school would have to close, but they are right. If there were power outages, but okay. That not necessarily that it couldn't be used as an emergency shelter.
The argument she's making is that it's that it's capable of being used in an emergency shelter, which improves the benefit of the town, whereas they can't open the school under generator power. So therefore we should pay for it. That's the argument. Right.
And then that's. Cost or something. I mean, you know, my, you know, You know my personal opinion is that is, I agree with Joanne I think that it's a little more complicated to come back in the middle of a year and for something that's not it's it's not insignificant I get that but it's also not a $20,000 bill. And these are the kind of things that frankly need I do think need to be budgeted for you know $3,000 is not insignificant but it's also. You know that is generally not going to break things. You know, maintenance contract might be one way to go that way if it's an issue with budgeting you end up paying more per year, but you, you know level load and yet you have you know accurate costs throughout the year so just some ideas of how we can get around that
you know. I would say that if the Board does agree to this or to maybe some partial reimbursement to the school for the use of this that should just be a one time thing with the expectation that going forward, this kind of thing should probably try to be budgeted and level loaded within the budget if possible. That would be my recommendation.
They do have grant funds available for this money. She said it in her meeting. Just as a general principle,
that's my feeling that If there's grant funds available, it shouldn't come out of taxpayer money.
Only thing I'd wanna add is if they do have money leftover, I think they are gonna finish the year with some money. They can pay for it. And then we talked about it could be discussed in the future or something. Like like we all said if they were if they were on you know if they had already expended their full budget had no money left.
Yeah. We can kick this around all night, can I can I move the question?
Yeah, I mean, do you want to make a motion? Mean, it's it's so that we can make a motion or we can just move on to the next agenda item to take no action.
I personally think we should just take action on it.
Anybody feels like we should authorize some reimbursement to the school, then you know let's let's make a motion to that effect. And and how much specifically you think would be appropriate to reimburse it we don't you don't generally generally don't vote to not take action, so you know we just leave it as is and move on. I agree okay.
We could consider if we did anything we could consider splitting it with them. If we did anything just throwing it out there.
Yeah I would say that would be kind of the I wouldn't be inclined to do the entire thing.
It's a multi use thing. So that was my only thought. I'm not I don't feel strongly about this either way, honestly, so I'll go with with others, but I just wanted to throw that out there as the possible compromise solution.
Anybody want to make a motion to reimburse the school district for any or all of this particular extra generator expense. Michael Okay hearing none, I think we we move on then to the next item. Okay, thank you item 10 F on the agenda is the school request for payment for the cool for the cool program fees. Think all of you got information from Valerie that shows the there's a letter about the cool fees and also the original agreement, as I understand it, these payments have been going to town instead of to the school district for the last few years and. Probably inappropriately deposited into the town's accounts so she's asking for a reimbursement for the funds.
Do we know why it was done incorrectly? Or was it just a No idea why. I mean, it really doesn't matter why. Done in error, obviously. Of course. Mean,
they signed an original contract, full program signed an original contract which specified that they write the checks to the Andover Elementary School and send them to Laura Edwards. But that's not what they did. Sent the checks to the town. And so the town has been happily depositing them since like 2018 pretty much. And not really thinking anything about it and the school hasn't really been tracking to understand that they weren't actually getting the money in. So the reality is, while the town has been receiving the money, you know, it's reimbursement for maintenance and lighting and other things for usage at the school so it's definitely not definitely should be going towards
the town. This is 150 per month for all twelve months, not the school year ten months, ten months, ten months, 150 for ten months. I was trying to find that in order to the agreement.
Okay. Right. And then separately since then, they've been saying paying that same monthly fee during the summer when the cool summer camp has been using it.
Couple things I want to point out. Number one, part of that, the cool money that has been in the past for audits and books that have been closed and everything, what's done is done. It's $1,500 is really, it's gotta stay there. I think they can have the money going forward. And this current fiscal year that we're just closing out now, they sent this list of checks that they got. But two of those checks that they said went to the town in their documentation that they put there, they were posted to a BOE account. So if you look at the detail on that, so I'm very confused on that. So it looks like two of the checks, $7.20 check was for cleaning for camp. It had nothing to do with the cool rent. It was cleaning for camp. That's what it's notated. So it may have been a side agreement that they had with COOL, but that was
tagged to BOE expenses account. It's right on their printout there. So So I'm assuming that went to their account. Now all the money was one account in the town anyway. So what bank account it got deposited into doesn't make a difference. It's where it gets journaled to. And then there's another check for $900 from last year. I'm talking this past fiscal year we just talked. That was for $900 And that looks like it went to town rental. So we can send that $900 to them because it got booked to town rentals. And then there's another check for $600 that they have in their packet from last August, but that one got entered to BOE expenses. So I don't think the town has that money. So right now, the way I look at from their documentation, there's $900 from the last fiscal year we just left that got credited town rentals account. That's how I read that report. Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know because I don't know where the source of that report is. That's supposed to be a journal entry report, I think. Marina can probably answer that. Marina?
Yes, so the 07/20, I believe there was a COVID case last summer during camp. So they used some town supplies to disinfect, sanitize, what have you. So they the pool was reimbursing the school for that. So that went to them. And then anytime I had gotten the cool rent check, I had just followed what Barbara had done of where she had put it to the town rentals account. So one of them did go there, and one of them I put to the board about expense, which I guess now in turn was correct. I think there's just that one check that you said, Diane, that would have to get cut back to the school.
Marina, you're saying that Board of Education expenses, you're confirming that that is a school account, Yes, yes, yes. Okay. Which is what Diane had suggested. Okay. So it sounds like then that just to summarize, it's what diane had suggested that the. The last three checks that apply in the last fiscal year if we were to look back that far, even though the years should be closed. Is one of them is not one of the cool reimbursement expenses, the one for $720 The one for $600 was credited to the school accounts and then there's one for $900 that was was credited to the town accounts. Michael I personally have some real concerns about going back more than in the current fiscal year or last fiscal year technically going back more than one fiscal year, because I think that it's a little problematic from a you know, maintaining the book standpoint, I mean certainly we could opt to do that. It doesn't really change our financials for the year, but. You know, again, I don't, I don't think it was really appropriate, but it was done and it's kind of water under the bridge, but I think it's something we should take into consideration as my. And
and that's and as we discussed, that's about $1,500 in the past that they're out? 900 for the last fiscal year. This was no. I mean, like, past.
Oh, beyond this go back and check them out because you'd have to check to see where they are actually credited to. Because if you look at what we were told in the documentation we have, not all of those checks got credited to the account, so Right. Well,
it's it's it's probably more like 2,500 based on that, Where the accounts posted to document that we received, along with our letter from Valerie so. Jimmy: it's probably $252,800 down looking at it.
The concern here is basically preserving our books as audited going back in time is problematic for that reason. I guess the only thing I would say is that the potential, the the obvious potential workaround is the one that Valerie kind of put in there about the generator. That's not going back and opening up like a past budget year. I think I agree with you on that. I don't think we do that.
We can go back to this last fiscal year we just finished because we haven't audited yet. Haven't finalized and closed out. That one, I don't think anybody
would disagree with that. Hopefully not. Think that's just very clear, right? That $900 I think, yeah, that just goes back to the school I'm just saying you know because obviously Val's request was more than so. You know, to address it fully we we're going to say no to that yes to this no to that I'm just talking it through.
I think it's good that she brought it forward and it should just be looked at, you know, getting accounted for correctly in the future and that the school gets to use whatever comes in for what they should use and refund them the 900 and put it where it needs to be. Agreed.
Should we make a motion, Mark? Are we at that point or? Yeah, we can make a motion at any time and continue discussion. I'll make a motion that
we return to the school the check from January 2022 for $900 that got credited to the town rental account incorrectly for $900 and we leave everything else as is.
I'll second it. Okay. Joanne seconds. Thank you. Any further discussion?
Yeah, I I don't think there's a as far as money goes with the COOL program, having a grandson in in both COOL and the COOL camp, They charge quite a bit because I hear from my son all the time about writing the checks. So I don't think there's any loss for money either either place. Yeah, we can vote on it.
Okay. Other comments? Discussion? Okay. Hearing none, I'll call for a vote. All those in favor, aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, the motion passes. Thank you everybody.
Okay, Nick. Before we get off that topic, I just wanted to say one thing. Did reach out to Amy Knox through her Jess Courier. And the first thing I said was, you know, last time you had any kind of agreement in writing was 2018. So the first thing they need to do is they need to update that agreement. But that agreement's not between the town between the school and cool program. And, you know, since the town has their own checking account now, they should write those checks directly to AES, which is what they should have been doing in the first place. And if you noticed, if you looked at the actual check stubs, most of the checks said, you know, to town of Andover in rent. So, I mean, Barbara, you know, and Marina, maybe they should have been done enough research to figure out that wasn't actually a legitimate rent check to us, and it was supposed to be the school. You know, if I looked at it that real quickly, I would have done exactly what they did, is dump it in the rental line item revenue and move on. So, I mean, I get it. I think that's a procedural problem between the school and cool, and that can be corrected going forward.
Yep. Okay. Question here. I know they use our buses, I think, to take the kids to the lake and stuff. You got you got two of the elderly buses parked up there. Is it is is the town reimbursed anything for that and the drivers? You have to pay the drivers. Correct? Yes,
yes, the town gets some reimbursement for that. So from the town's end, what I've asked the town's attorney is to redraft. There was kind of this crazy agreement in 2020 between the town and the school and the cool program and the lake association. And I want to simplify that what I want is I want a contract between the town and Kuhl so that the town basically subcontracts a summer camp program and hires Kuhl to do a summer camp program. And the reason why I want to do that is because they kind of ride on our town insurance while they're doing the camp and use town facilities. Now, I think maybe the school needs their own separate agreement with COOL, but that's between the school and them, not us and them. But I am working with the attorney right now to redraft an agreement
so we have something documented in paper what the town's relationship with pool is and what we provide them in terms of transportation and insurance and other things, if that makes sense.
There some towns around that do that, right, that help sponsor a recreational camp during the during the summer, you know, during the summer for kids in their town?
Yeah. It's a very common thing for towns to do. Most count towns do it through their own recreation commissions. But remember, we don't have any paid recreation staff. We have no rec director. We don't have the ability to implement that at the town level. So our only way, we're gonna, as a town, you know, we decided 2018 or '19 that it was important that we have some sort of summer recreational program for kids. The only thing we can really do is sub that out, and COOL is the logical organization to sub it out too.
K. Maybe we don't have it now, but who knows what's gonna happen in the future. I can remember playing soccer myself as a as a young kid in the Columbia Columbia organization, the, elementary school there up there. So they ran that every year, and they were invited the local kids, you know, from the area. So, great information. Thank you.
Yep. I was gonna say it's probably a big item to discuss and ask at a different meeting if there's a lot of questions.
You're muted, Mark. Thank you. Any other questions or comments on this topic? Okay, hearing none, we'll move to item 10 gs, which is not on the agenda yet printed. Is the discussion and I guess vote for a about voting annually for the chairman and vice chairman for the Board of Finance. I don't remember reading this in the. Charter, but it does seem like a reasonable practice I'll say either way I'll also say that I'm I'll probably abstain from any votes on this, we'll see, and I know I haven't, it's been a busy year for me over the last year, I expect this to get better. You know, obviously a lot going on with my last job and, missed some meetings and took some from Germany and, so it's been it's been a little bit of a then got back July 4 and vacation started a new job July 5 so it's it's been a little tough.
For me to make this and I have no problem if somebody else wants to step up as Chairman, or I will also willing to continue so you know I'm there but. No bad feelings or pride of ownership either way, I will say just as kind of a preface that I think whoever does service chair and preferably vice chair as well. It'd be a very good idea to attend the Connecticut conference of municipalities has a workshop that they put on from time to time. About running legal and effective meetings it's very eye opening I mean I had some I've had some experience with robert's rules of order before. You know I probably had some some insight into that before I got there, but it still was a very, very good and informative process and meeting, and so I think that that's important because we do run into freedom of information acts public participation. Issues, etc, that are important to be aware of and got some really good advice with that, so if anybody anybody on the board, I think that was I think offered at no charge. But it was well worth the ride out to Scotland or wherever it was that I think they held it that year, so I would recommend it it's it's a side opening it's only a couple hours in the evening so so that being said, I guess I'll open that up for discussion. I think the first thing is, we want to just set our internal rules, such that we will vote annually for a chair and vice chair of the Board of Finance
Eric, you said you thought it might be in the charter. I think it was you that said that. I'm not sure. It did say that and I could look real quick if you wanted to. I mean, I know on the Planning and Zoning Commission, we voted annually. You know, there's nothing that says you can't vote annually, certainly. I if you give me a few seconds and I'll punch out here real quick and do a little research, pull up the chart. I think it's just a good practice. If everybody agrees, why don't we just take a vote that we vote annually?
Mean, it's, know.
It certainly is not a bad practice, I think. So if somebody wants to make a motion, we can make a motions
and then either vote and discuss it further there. I think I'm the one that brought it up sooner earlier tonight just because I thought it was something we standardly did. Know any commissioner or committee that I've been on we've always done that too so I just thought it was a good idea. I appreciate everything that you said Mark there too, the suggestions and just since I brought it up I will be making a motion and I really think it is because I think we need to have someone that does have a lot of time and everything and it's not you know and then someone that can be really committed to it and I think we all are there's no one that I would say isn't so I don't know if we're waiting for Eric to give us more rules, but
that was my only thought. But we can certainly set our own right here. As Diane said, it's good practice, you know, we can just, you know, even if it doesn't say anything in the Charter, we don't, we don't think we want to contradict the charter, but I don't think the charter is going to prohibit this. I hope that we can decide to just have an annual vote and that kind of thing too.
Do we want to specify a time of year? Do we want to say, you know, July meeting, August meeting, just so it gets on a schedule instead of just saying, well, annually, we'll do it.
Right. Just for the fiscal year, so I will. That's why I brought it up tonight.
I would like to make a motion that we we have a vote for chairman and vice chairman if you want, every you know, in our July meeting. That's normally a regular scheduled meeting in July. Like, I think 90% of the boards and commissions in town do that. Like I said, the fire commission has done it long as I've been there. So that's that's close to fifty five years.
Anybody wanna second that motion? I'll second it. Okay, Joanne seconds it. Yeah, I think personally, I think the timing is good because not only is it the fiscal year, but it's also the generally the first, the first board meeting following the municipal elections. Right so do that also helps kind of introduce peskin: new members or if it's not right after it'll be the one following so it makes For you're on mute I don't know if you realize that.
No, I agree. I agree with everything you said. Further discussion?
Hearing none, I guess I'll call for a vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, hearing none, the motion passes. So that being the case, think, under this agenda item if you somebody wants to go ahead, and you know we can either discuss. And or nominate people for for either both Chairman and Vice Chairman.
I'm going to go ahead and nominate, I don't know if it will be seconded, but I'm going to nominate Diane Choket to be the Chairman and Mark Yu to be the Vice Chairman for this upcoming year. Unless you want to do it one at a time.
I think you can do both. That's that's your preference. I would say there's a reason not to. I'll I'll second that. Okay, Kurt seconds it. Do we have any discussion?
Just my discussion is I think Diane has proven not that you haven't Mark, but I always like to say I'm being just you know very direct so anything that I say in a positive to one is not a negative to another because I wouldn't be afraid to say a negative. So I just think that Diane has really dove in this year she's been behind the scenes she's been everywhere you know she's admitted she's had the time because she's retired she's just there, she gives us great information. I try, I mean, I work a big full time job too. I try to keep up, but I don't keep up half as much as she does. Yeah, I just think with this particular year coming off this audit with new, yeah so that's my discussion so it's not a negative towards anybody it's just a very big big positive towards her yeah understood
thank you yeah. A lot of it's run-in the meeting and don't forget I'll say generally it's the chairman who has to present the budget in front of the town at the town meeting so take that for what it's for. Know what you can always delegate it but that is the typical process. So Be careful what you wish for. You know?
Frankly, I think either way is gonna work great for the board, you know, the way we have it now or Jo Anne's perspective Jo Anne's proposal. I think Mark's done a great job. Diane's done a good job when she stepped in when he hasn't been available for travel reasons or what have you. So, you know, I'm neutral on this one. Yeah. Other discussion?
Actually, I'd like to ask Diane how she feels about that. Is she up for it. I think I would love the opportunity to do it for the next year. We got a lot to accomplish this year. I am getting more involved in the town and I'm just gonna bring this up at our open discussion, I'll just let you know. I'm working with Jeff McGuire because Marina's gone in a week, a little over a week. Well, guess who's learning payroll and accounts payable
over the next few days. And we thank you, Diane.
I mean, whatever I can do to help out to ease the transition and do whatever, and it's also a good learning experience for me to understand what happens behind the scenes and it'll help us be more effective as a board because we'll be able to share more knowledge that, you know, there's a lot of things we don't know unless somebody tells us and, you know, so I think we'll all learn from the experience. I'll tell you, you know, and I am anxious to look at Edmunds and seeing what it can do for us as a piece of software because I don't think we're utilizing it the way we need to use it and to make our lives easier.
It's another thing on my little agenda to look at. Good question Louise, I was wondering about that myself.
You know, if I go a little crazy, you know, but you know what, I have the time and there's a lot of need in the town right now. So I'm willing to put the effort in to do it and. Good. All right. Any other comments or discussion?
Okay, I just have one thing to say is that all I'm gonna say is that I looked at the charter I don't see anything. The only thing I really see is section six zero eight, which is rules of procedure. And the rules of procedure appear to allow you as a board to set any rules or procedures you so desire.
So if you have the board have decided that you want to vote every July, you have every right to vote every July. Yeah that's kind of what I suspected might be the case okay thanks yeah I think that I think that is the case here that you know and it's that's pretty typical, but I do think is, I do think it's a. Is a important thing to be addressed in our in our procedures and policies so Joanne thanks for bringing that up it's really not something we considered. At least I hadn't. Thanks, Eric. Any other discussion? Okay, hearing none, I'll call for a vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Very good. Congratulations, Diane. I think as of next meeting, we probably put this into effect. Makes sense everybody Okay, stop that she hasn't taken over meetings and might have or whatever so alright thanks everybody appreciate the candor and the support and thanks especially to Diane and Joanne and all the rest of you put the time in. Again, a lot of it's about making sure we manage the meetings too, and I'm sure it'll all go well. All right. Mark, thanks to you too. You're a great facilitator. Yeah. Thank you.
I can't say I'm gonna miss you because you're gonna still be there. I will still be here. Okay. We come not to bury him but to pray. That's a very ominous thing. Yeah I said that.
Okay. All right, so I guess any if there's any further discussion on that. Okay, very good we'll move on to agenda item 11 which is the approval of the meeting minutes for Thursday June 29 special meeting. I'm going to abstain from this because I was not at this meeting, but Eric I just want to point out that they're not posted on the town's website and they really need to be so. They're not posted at all.
I didn't see them, I guess, they are maybe as part of the packet if it's in the packet here.
No, I was gonna say I think I screwed up and didn't Usually a link to the usually, Amanda used to post a link that brought you to the minutes session. There
wasn't a link, but I did find them going under the Board of Finance. They were there. Nine. Yeah, I read them today.
Okay, so I went to the minutes of agenda for the Board of Finance for 2022, and there. I don't see any minutes the agenda is there for for June 29 but I don't. Let me refresh this and make sure that yeah I don't see it. Okay, let me see. Read something. Okay. Anyway, so they're not in here.
So I don't know I mean I'll take I did not read them so I just.
So they're not part of the packet. Unless people have found them or kept them separately or had them distributed
separately I don't know that we can really vote on them. Okay, yeah, I know board of finance June 29 special minute meetings. They were you had to look for them but I found them. I
found them the other day but I can't find them right now I have to admit. It says
if you go under meetings and agenda, no meetings and agendas. Minutes and agendas.
All board of finance meeting agendas. And somewhere, for some reason underneath there it says special meeting minutes. So they're kind of in the wrong place, but I did find you. All right, so But they're under agendas, not under minutes then. Right.
Okay because I'm looking at your minutes they're not under the minutes okay. Holly Holly So let me look. The agenda is there in the packets there.
Holly Now you used to be in the packet but it wasn't an attachment. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. They are. They're under the minutes.
Okay, so they're they're posted incorrectly. That's that's hosted in the wrong location. Okay.
So we wait to vote on them when we, you know, they're usually in our package. Absolutely. Yeah, I didn't
read them because they weren't in this package. Generally nothing pressing about approving the meeting minutes, so we can easily just defer this to the next meeting. All right, further discussion on that. Okay hearing none, I guess, we will move on to agenda item 12, which is any liaison reports.
Maybe center, I'll just give you a quick update, you know, we're just still working on getting that RFP pulled together. We're getting close so we can get it out for the design and build phase. And that's where we stand. Community center, we're still having our meetings, but nobody comes except me and Ed. But we sat under the tent last time and pretended we were in the building and said thank you to everybody who showed up for all their hard work. So, most of the hard work for the committee has been done, you know, so it's just a matter of getting to the next phase. And that's all I have on my stuff. Hello?
We actually kind of addressed much of what the CIP meeting was about by approving those deviations from the purchasing policy and whatnot. That was the meat I think of our CIP discussion. Am I missing anything? Eric, Kurt, I'm a little tired at this point, so make sure I'm not missing something that we talked about at length. Okay.
No, I'm gonna have something in a couple minutes when you get the board open discussion, something that we haven't really discussed. But
it's really early in the process and I'm certainly not expecting any action from the Board of Finance tonight, Don.
Rob, I did remove, I don't if you saw it in my email, but I did Yeah, the sign. The digital sign that I was proposing through the fire department to the school in town. I did not get backing from the board of directors at the fire station, and I, I nixed the whole project. So that's something else that we we we deleted.
Okay. Okay, if there's no other liaison reports will go on to agenda item 13, which is the board open discussion. Anybody has any Eric you said you had something so I guess shoot you can go first.
Yeah, and I don't know exactly where I want to go with it. I think it's got to go through Board of Selectmen's got to chew on it before it would even potentially come back to you. So I think you guys all know how difficult it's been purchasing equipment lately, vehicles and such not, because the build times, you know, get stretched out so far. We did. We're not obligated to do anything. I want to say that right up front. So Jay did get quotes on their replacement for one of the public works fire trucks. As you remember in our plan, in our capital plan, you know, we assume we're gonna replace one roughly every five years. Yeah. Was a dump truck, not a fire truck. I wanna I wanna make that straight. It's
it's late. I'm tired. So, we we really had no idea how far out we needed to to get this thing in the pipeline because the the the The supply chain has been so screwed up for everything I mean there's there's a lot of power equipment now that's one two years out to order. So the goal was never to have a new plow truck this fall. The goal was always at the earliest to have a new plow truck for next fall, just prior to plow season. However, we do have the potential to get one. We do have a slot if we chose to go for it this year, which would get us the chassis sometime middle of August, and then it would go to the body shop and we would have it probably November ish time frame, which gets it one year before we really had anticipated or wanted. And we haven't signed anything. We're not on any obligation
to do it. The question is just, is it worth it to do it a year early financially? And that I have a hard time answering. Mean, our original quote on it was $241,000 when we looked at it, when we pulled it out last spring, 241.76. They announced in May, they were adding a surcharge to each vehicle, which was bringing the price up to 245,556, which is what we would pay if we did it right now. We reordered right now under the same contract today, it would be $2.66. So the prices are still going up and the question is, is it worth even considering
doing it one year early? And ultimately I think that's a Board of Selectmen decision to approve and see IP before it comes back to board of finance. I'm just putting this back to you because Jay and I were both quite surprised when Freightliner came back and said, we actually have a build slot for you. If you want it, you can get the truck probably, you know, sometime in August, or the the chassis sometime in August. So that's kind of where we're at that. We don't have the money set aside for it. I don't think we even have the money to if we did say a four year lease on it to pay the first year of the four year lease out of what's left in in capital for public works after the purchase of the skids deer. So, I mean, while it would be possible to do it. I'm not really recommending it because we could spend money from Town Aid Road to help pay for the first year of you know, a five year lease. But the question is, is it worth going yearly potentially to save 20 to you know. 20 to maybe a little bit more $1,000 on acquiring. So that's the question I'm going to be asking the board of selectman to consider. And see IP and I'm not really weighing in either way I hadn't planned on getting this thing this year, and you know, but I do get you know jay's point that you know if we take the build slot right now it's $20,000 cheaper than if we ask for a build slot right now. So, that's all I wanted to say. I don't know whether you guys have any comments or questions or feedback for me.
Does Jay have any or any possibility of him taking maybe the 20 something thousand out of his salary temporarily? Can we pay him back later?
I don't think Jay would go for that. I I don't think I'm just wondering. And honestly, I mean, Jay's kind of ambivalent like me. You know, we were anticipating purchasing it this year. You know, we know we can go another year with the plow truck we have because we spent you know a fair bit of change repairing it last year. You know I'm just throwing that out there and saying we will be coming back next year for the purchase of the vehicle, and you know it's going to be at least $266,000 you know, and right now we can have it for if we bought it today, know, we could have it for about 20,000 less.
Seems like a big ask Eric is huge. Huge hitting it I mean I was gonna defer to everybody that's there and knows a lot more just seems like a big ask and to ask the town after the way our budget season gets and then to have this happen.
I I'm not disagreeing with you and I'm I'm right.
I I think it's great anytime you could save money just like if I knew I was gonna buy a house this year versus next year you know we could we could reason that with anything. Sure. I like the way that the town and I try to get really interested in equipment and trucks and all of that kind of stuff. I know my husband's an expert and all that kind of stuff, but you know, I do try to listen when you all talk and you know, listen about every little piece. Just, you know, it just seems that at what price will we say no? I mean, now we're talking 250,000 to spend, whereas before we're like, okay, so let's make a little waiver for this or something, you know, I'm like forget it. Maybe it's because it's so late and I'm exhausted and starving, so, but this is my truth. It just seems like a really big ask, You know? No. You had something you wanted to bring up. Like Right.
So Yeah. And and and we we wouldn't be wavering anything for this. No. No. I get that. Just to be clear, I I think this would require, you know, a special appropriation. We have to go to town meeting. Yeah. So just procedurally, this is a real bear. Yeah. No question. I mean, this is the reason one of the reasons I think we we let this ride. We push it. You know, we didn't expect to buy this truck this year. Right. Getting it through this year, basically crisis, go back in the budget, have a town meeting, do a vote, all that. We just got the budget passed. Right. I mean,
yeah, I'm anti trying to push it up. I I think we say thanks, but no thanks, and we we deal with this as we originally intended.
I I share the same thoughts as Rob, and basically, your numbers are right on the money because I I deal with not only Freightliner trucks, but I deal with international Peterbilt, Kenworth, and other trucks on on my end of the of what I do, and they're all going up. The, commodity surcharges and things like that are all costing anywhere from 20,000 and up. Not even some of them based on the the type of truck. It's it's it's like bimonthly it's going up that much. So, again, man, we don't have town. You know, we'd have to have town approval. We'd have to, you know, to Okay the funding, which we don't have in place. And I, I feel the same way. This this should just be moved on to and stay on a regular schedule for everything, and then let the townspeople speak.
That's a thing for us to keep in mind, you know, we'll see how it unfolds this year. But, you know, we have all this finance department stuff that we have to get straightened out. Do you know what I mean? Sure. I'm volunteering my time and I'm going to go in and help and learn and try to keep, you know, keep everybody paid and get the bills paid. But, you know, we have no idea what it's going to cost us to hire some of the people that we have. You know, we budgeted things, but we don't know if we're going to have to go over because of the market, or we don't know if we're going to have to incur some professional services fees because we may need to hire a professional consultant to help us set up admins or something. There's so many unknowns right now that we have to fix our operational issues. And so, you know, we have a lot of unknowns in, I think in this year to deal with. Sure. We don't know what's going to happen yet. Hopefully everything will work out and things won't be as expensive as we think, but you never know. Sure. Yep. Any other comments?
Do you have any? You're still chairman till next month.
I'll have a lot more to say once I'm not sure. You're supposed to thread that needle and be somewhat neutral. Not really. I got I got really nothing, nothing more I do tend to agree with you guys though that it's it's a big ask you know and they're like perk up when I hear savings but, and I know the supply chain thing is not going away anytime soon so. You know. If it were my business, I would say, know I take a hard look at it in this situation politically, since in terms of the budget and everything as everyone's pointed out, I think it probably is best to let sleeping dogs dogs lie there and just let it let it roll.
For the record, I agree with that. I just felt that I should at least pass on the option to the boards. Anything
else to be brought before the board as part of the board open discussion? Hearing none, we'll move on to public speak. I don't see any members of the public here that aren't already on the board or participating. With that, I think we move on to our next agenda item, which is adjournment. Anybody want to make a motion for adjournment? Make the motion to adjourn. I'm making
a motion to adjourn at the same time. Anyone want a second? Second. Kurt seconds, thank you. Any discussion? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And any abstentions? Hearing none, the motion passes. Thank you everybody. Thank you, Diane, for congratulations on getting to be chairman for at least a year. And you have any questions, by all means, just give me a holler. But sounds good everybody have a good, good month. Stay safe and we'll talk to you soon.