Meeting transcript
Board of Finance Special Meeting Part 2
August 17, 2023 · Watch on YouTube · All meetings
Yep. Oh, yeah. Okay. So I can record without being but now it says the meeting's in progress. Okay. So I guess it didn't matter. Hi, Linda. Hey. That was interesting. Yeah.
I think I was the first one out. Anytime I see anything anywhere I am, if I don't like what's going on, I leave. I I I was out of there pretty fast too, Linda. They just texted me. Figured at that point it was a lost cause. I don't think I have Bill's number on my phone. I did send an email, but No. I don't think I do. No. I don't have them either. And Brian, but not Bill.
That was really weird, the capability to hack multiple people at the same time and just jump from one
automatically jump from one to another to another. Is that what it was doing? I didn't stay on same page. Honestly didn't pay that much attention. Yeah. Just like, nope.
Can you guys hear me? Yep. Yep. Can you hear me? Yep. Yes. Can you not hear us? Can you hear us? So okay. Oh, dear. Okay.
So we need one more person for quorum to adjourn. Right? Yep. Joanne says she's, joining.
So we're getting back together just so we can say goodbye and leave? Yeah.
We have to we have to I mean, the circumstances,
Linda, that makes sense. We have a friend that lives out of the Okay, you're back recording.
Okay, so I guess we're going to try to make this quick clearly. I don't know, Celeste, do you any other public comment? No, just thank you for tonight. I appreciate it.
Given the timeliness of this, I do appreciate it. And I would just ask maybe perhaps for a future meeting that we, that the Board of Finance discusses the exact way this fund is supposed to work and all of that. Because obviously going forward, the school is going to have other things that it's going to need to work on. I think for everyone's benefit, it would be helpful if it's clearly spelled out. So I would just ask that it be put on a future agenda. Yep. Thank you. Thank you. Caitlin McIntosh, any other comment?
Just to echo what Celeste said. And then I think and again, going back to what Valerie was trying to say about the fund that does exist versus one that would be a capital account for the school. I'm wondering, and perhaps my memory is incorrect, if the account is on the town side versus on the school side because all of the accounts were separated. I think that's where some of the confusion is coming I
can answer that one. Account is on this town side. The town controls that money as it rolls back. It was just designated. It comes back into the town and then becomes designated for a capital fund.
For the school, not capital fund. And I and I get that this is like a more involved conversation, but then to me, it sounds like the town would be in charge of what it's used for as opposed to it being a capital account for the school.
Correct. This is Well, it's not at the clear it's not at the complete discretion of the school. Again, let's try not to get into the exact details here. Just No, I just echo what Celeste said, I think that needs to be further discussed. That's all. Yep. Absolutely. Thank you guys so much for tonight. K. Thanks. Okay. And, Erica, I'll just go around. Liz Lokich?
Hi. I am I'm fine. Thank you so much for being Thanks. Appreciate it. Kimberly Persson? Nothing at this time. Thank you. Okay.
Thanks. And, Jerry Kerme? Getting people jumping in, so just trying to catch up if you're still in. Okay. Can you hear me? Yep.
Great. Thank you. I wanna thank you for the meeting and for expediting the paving in the parking lot. I think as time goes on, we need some clear instruction, direction, and how to put money in, take money out, what's required. I do think we do need our own, capital fund and to keep it apart from the operational budget and the operational fund. Valerie does a great job of getting us grant money, and we have money to spend that way. And we don't have to ask town to to spend it for us. We we we have money that we've saved up, and I think that we need a way to save that. And when we have big expenses to be able to pull it out and to have a clear,
concise process for that. And I trust that the board of finance can do that for us. Thank you very much for this evening. I don't know what happened. I've never seen anything like that before. I
hope I never see it again. I Yeah. I don't know. What do you do when something like that happens?
We may have to start meeting in person. That's the last last resort. We'll see. Okay. Thanks, Jerry. Valerie, do you have a question or comment?
No. I did share earlier. Thank you. But I will just say I'm I'm reiterating. I think that that account, once it's set up, needs some guidelines, and, hopefully, the board of finance and the board of education will be able to sit down and, map that out so that when we have other projects moving forward, it's very clear, that it's not just what's in the charter. It's also the criteria for the account. So thank you. Yep. Agreed. Eric?
So just one thing real quick. When the Board of Finance recommended to the Board of Selectmen to set up the account, and they did set up the account, and that account is there currently, You also asked me to come up with a draft of a policy on how to administer that. I did do that. I gave that to the Board of Finance. I gave that to the Board of Education. So you have a draft to work on between the two boards. Now you'll still have to agree on the details, and you may not like my draft. That's between you, the boards to work out, but you have a draft that everybody's had to start with. That's it.
Okay. Thank you, Eric. Looks like we have everybody covered. So our last agenda item is adjournment. Would anybody of the board like to make a motion to adjourn? I will. Well.
Okay. Heard Rob first. Rob, Anybody do want me to second? Okay. Linda, thank you. Okay. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay. Hearing none, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you, everybody. Appreciate it. Take care.