Meeting transcript
Board of Finance
November 16, 2022 · Watch on YouTube · All meetings
'22. Is 11/16/2022 Board of Finance regular meeting called the meeting to order recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the Republic, which it stands one nation under God and liberty of justice of all sorry, catching a cold here. Okay. All
right. Hopefully my voice holds out. Next agenda item is public speak. Are there any members of the public that want to speak? It doesn't look like we have anybody. You confirm that Eric, looks good.
Does not appear that we have any members of the public.
Okay. Go to agenda item three, which is additions and deletions of the agenda items. Does anybody have any additions or deletions to the agenda? Okay, hearing none, we'll move on to the town administrators report. Eric?
Okay, so we all got the written report. I'm just gonna touch on a few of the same highlights that I touched on with the Board of Selectmen, and then I'm available for any questions you may have on it. So there's a bunch of RFPs, request for proposals, will be going out shortly. We're about to finally get the one for the HVAC upgrades to the fire station out. I've also spoken to the Board of Selectmen at the last meeting, and I'm talking to CIP tomorrow with the intention of submitting a RFP for HVAC upgrades to the town hall. That'll be basically three parts. Part number one is installation of ductless split systems to replace the existing wall mounted units,
which are not that old, but a number of them are problematic. It will offer lower total energy usage, and it will also be a lot quieter and hopefully easier to live with. The second part of that would be replacing and doing a conversion from oil to propane. As you know, there's no real indication that oil is going to decrease in costs anytime soon. So, it seems to, propane has been financially a better fuel source for a number of years. And that trend is accelerated in the last year. So the goal will be to convert just the burner of the boiler downstairs to propane, and then at the same time, replace the heating system for the community room, the heating and cooling system. Those are both at this point, eighteen years old. We've had a lot of problems with the cooling system in that building. So it kind of makes sense to do it all at once. And the goal would be to put back in a heat pump with a propane furnace, what's called the dual fuel unit. So you'll use it as a heat pump as long as it's economically viable to do it. When it drops super cold, it's more efficient to convert over to propane. Part of the reason we wanna do that is we know we need to do some work down the Road on the electrical panel in the main furnace room, and there's enough code violations in that room that without getting rid of the oil tank and the fill tank lines,
we're gonna really struggle to do it. So this kills a lot of birds with one stone and sets us up for getting our pack of power in the town hall addressed. So that's in terms of like what's coming down the pike in the next six months or so. The other really good bit of news, which I also shared with the Board of Selectmen, is that the trip program, which is a state funding program that's meant to fund road improvements in rural communities, was originally put out with only allowing it to be used on roads that were major minor collectors and above. And I went on a really intense lobbying effort with Crogg and also with Council of Small Towns, and also with going directly to the program administrator for the program and showing him data that the towns they were aiming this program at couldn't actually use it because they set the program conditions such that the smallest of the towns could not benefit from it. So they did just announce Monday that they've retooled
the program and we're now going to be eligible. That's a lot more work for me because it means we got a grant submission due at the beginning of February for a trip grant, but it offers the chance to get a fairly significant amount of roadwork done and 100% funded. So, that will be the plan going forward, to do a reconstruction probably of Hendy in Skinner, not all of Hendi, but the section, the bad sections of Hendi in all of Skinner. So that's that. I'm also, in fact, I was doing a little bit of lobbying tonight just for this meeting, but I'm providing testimony to cost, which is council small towns for the legislative agenda. And I intend to reach out to both of our new representatives for the town, our new Senator, our new representative. And there's kind of three things I'm lobbying for. A tour roadwork related. One is to change the townie road formula, because right now it favors bigger towns and disfavors smaller municipalities, and I don't think that's fair. The second thing is to revise the LOTSIP program to make it line up with the federal guidelines that it's supposed to be lining up with, which would allow some spending on rural roads. Right now we're not eligible for LOTSIP funding. And to put it in perspective, the Capital Regional Council of Governments, which is about 35 towns, spent $38,000,000 last year of LOTSIP funding or awarded 38. And that's a typical year. So put it another way, there's roughly a million dollars of roadwork funding a year per municipality that Andover is not eligible for, even though a member of the organization or a member of the COG.
So that's that. Those are the major things. Does anybody on the Board of Finance have other questions related to my report?
Okay, thank you, Eric. Hearing none, I guess we'll move on to the finance department report. Any comments to make on that?
I don't. I did not get a nor did I really ask for a specific report from Cheryl since we only talked to her a couple of weeks ago.
Okay. Now we have the reports in the packet. I didn't personally see anything that was major cause of concern, I think. You know there's some minor there's a couple of accounts we've had 100% you know office supplies over the time garage stuff like that but it's a few $100 so I think we just need to manage that type of stuff somewhere else right so. Correct not halfway through the year yet so.
Right. Right. So what I did, one of the things we have not been showing the Board of Finance is the revenue information from Edmonds, and obviously US board should be seeing the town's revenue. So the problem is that we know we're switching to quickbooks so it doesn't make sense to burn the capital and the manpower or woman power in this case to put all that into Edmunds when we're a month away from switching away from Edmunds. And we know we're having to put it into the QuickBooks to get the revenue set in there. So what I did is I gave you the two things that have the most bearing and provide 95% of all the town's revenue, which is the money we get from the state, so you had a list in there of. You know, going back what all the the revenue that the town has received from the state town aid road arpa you know pilot municipal stabilization, etcetera, etcetera. So there's that. And then I also put the tax collectors information in there because that's the other half of the revenue puzzle, the money we take in for taxation.
So, good news is we seem to be where we should be in terms of getting money in from the state. I did get a notification two days ago that, or yesterday, that we, the check, the refund check for the roadwork for the steep grant from 2020 should have hit our account today. We got the notification from the state. So I've verified that it's hit our bank account, but the state said they've sent it. So that's good. I also put in the check register. So you can see pretty much, you know, a one month snapshot of every check the town writes. So if there's other things you want, let me know and I'll try to provide them until between now and when we go through the transition, which should be roughly a month from now, maybe a little less.
Yeah I had heard what you said, in the previous meeting and also you know that john was there to refer to board of select meeting but we're still on target for December 1 for that conversion. That's according to Cheryl yes.
Would be an impressive. Accomplishment to get there. Any questions for Eric. And on that Okay, we have no budget transfers, is that correct Eric. That's correct. Okay. We'll move on to item seven, which is old business. Any information on the audit status?
No, just I did have a conversation with Cheryl last Monday. Cheryl came in and we spent a couple hours. She had some more information she needed to get from the town. So I was able to provide that. We were able to find the information that she was looking for there. She did say she's identified a series of checks that were either weren't captured in the original audit or, you know, or were accounted for differently by when Jeff McGuire summed up the check register and when the auditor did. So, she was trying to work through that so she has a clean starting point for the reconciliations for last year. But she's already inputted all the data for the reconciliations. What she's really doing is making sure she's got an accurate starting value. And then she felt the reconciliations would go fairly fast since the info was there. It's just a matter of you need the correct initial starting value before you can do it. So that's kind of the status of that.
Okay. Any questions for Eric on that? Okay we'll move on to seven b so in the packet is the up, this is a review the updated draft of the purchasing policies and basically this is the same one that diane had revised. And sent around to everybody, and I think we were generally in agreement that the policy was solid and I don't want to mischaracterize it so you know if anybody has concerns speak up, but I there was still a question and she had it on to see the page. Page seven and nine, which is you know she had remembered this also so it's helpful to do that. Four thirty three. Looks like subsection da I might need to be re read down in terms of numbering but there was a question about whether it's somebody.
Or if the town administrator or respond or whoever was doing the evaluation on our P has selected other than the lowest bid that they had that they. It says the lowest bidder is not recommended to the Board of Selectmen the situation should be reviewed by the town attorney if after review by the town attorney lowest bidder not recommended a detailed letter accompanying the evaluating bodies recommendation must be submitted. And then it says more flexibility is allowed for design build contracts. That's kind of not clear, but I think Diane's question, I think it was a valid one or somebody's question that she had recorded here was do we do we really think we need to. Talk to the town attorney if we were to somebody was to make a recommendation for other than. Lowest bidder so anybody has any other input on that policy I do think it would be in our best interest to kind of get this past and bias, but I also don't want to rush it if anybody has any concerns or wants to reevaluate it.
I mean, my commentary on that particular question is I do think it's maybe excessive to go to the town attorney if we have a situation like that. You know, that's what the I mean, that's kind of what we're here to do, isn't it? As the board, we can consider that. And if we think there's a good justification for not selecting the lowest bid, you know, I think we can do that. You know, going to the town attorney just adds I don't I I worry about it adding so much complexity that it drag it'll drag the process out terribly. That's sort of my concern.
Yeah, I I agree, and I'm not sure it's a legal legal question as long as you know, such as you know, allowed by the Charter, etc. Either we have the authority or we don't right.
Yeah well, this is actually is you know isn't necessarily the know that it's a board of financing it's a you know it's something that if Eric went out to. To bid for an rfp for work right, you know for the heating and cooling system for the town building, for example, and then he got three quotes that were determined responsible, And you know one was $50 more than another, but it's through a proven vendor etc that he had a higher level of comfort with. I think it's reasonable that that wouldn't need to go to the town attorney for review, but I do think it does make sense that a detailed letter know, as it says, the detailed letter company and evaluating body's recommendation must be submitted because they need to explain why they would choose something other than the lower bidder. Yeah. If for nothing else, we want to document why,
you know, in case anybody has to go back later and figure out what happened, we can document that, we can pull that letter and say, this is the decision that was made and why. Yeah, that makes sense to me. And the Board of Selectmen then makes the final decision, I think, in that case, and then, you know, that's on the record,
Joanne did you have a That was just my only thought as long as we you know with the three bids and we don't and the lowest isn't chosen just that there's good reasons presented to the board or whatever That was my thought too. And I thought, like, Rob, it might be excessive to have to go to the town attorney as well. That was it.
K. The only other thing I think that was an open question when we were talking about it last time when we had Diane with us was that, you know, we still have this concept of the preferred bidder thing. Yeah. Preferred vendor thing. Sorry. And I don't know if we ever really nailed down what we wanna do with that. What are the parameters of that? What's the how how does that actually work? Because it's I think it's a great idea, but the devil's in the details on that. And how do we write it up? And, you know, I was
I thought Yeah. I agree. Sort of I know that. We're gonna we're gonna table that. We'll come back to it, but we we haven't done it. We haven't done that. Yeah. I know I'm one of the people that raised an objection because I think that that needs to be defined. That being said, I don't think we I think we can do it outside of accepting this purchasing policy, but it needs to be in place, you know.
So Yeah. I mean, we can't do that and then, like, take six months to finalize the other bit. Right? Because then it's in place and and then it's it's referring to nothing. Hi, Eric. Well,
I think actually we can. And the reason is, you know, we just don't use any preferred bidder option until we have an actual preferred bidder list in policy. I mean, you know, it's I look at it as a clause that kicks in when it actually is fleshed out and you will all have agreed, right? Because I can't just arbitrarily do it anyway. I still have to ask you and the Board of Selectmen as a board. So, you know, if it takes us six months to get a policy that we're all in agreement on, then it takes six months and between now and then we don't exercise it.
Yeah, that's a fair point. Think we would probably take exception to the
you submitting something to a preferred better without a preferred better list. It's been a problem. Right, yeah. Right. And I forget. Did we ask I can't remember, Eric, during our last meeting whether we asked if you had specific thoughts about what what we should put. Like, if you had your own thoughts as to what in your mind would be a good set of criteria to evaluate a preferred contractor? I mean, you're the one who often does the nuts and bolts here. Right. So, I mean, honestly,
you know, I go back to what I did before I was in the public realm, you know, and I was just working kind of as a, you know, managing a lot of contractors. And that is you get a series of contractors that you know are capable of performing the job and that you know you're going to have problems with or you're not going to have problems with. So, you have a comfort level of dealing with them that you know the town, they're going to provide good service, their prices are reasonable, and you're not going to get screwed. I mean, the, in the, At the end of the day, the biggest problem the town has had in past with going to rfp and taking the lowest bidder is we've gotten some really shoddy things done. By. You know, not being careful about how we did it, and so I do have a series of contractors that I know, for instance, you know if I'm doing if I need electrical or plumbing or things like that I know who to talk to that's going to treat us fairly. And I don't have to babysit and I know the work is going to be done correctly. You know, so that's what I would think about in terms of a preferred bidder.
You know, I get that. What I was saying is, because we have to that's all great. But when I think about sitting down to type up a set of criteria for a policy, that's difficult to translate and that's what I'm trying to get at. Are there a certain number of jobs they've done for us that should be a threshold? Oh, they've done at least two jobs for us. Something like that just as a starting point so we can start to kind of create a framework here that is flexible enough for your purposes, but is still some kind of formalized process other than Eric trusts them.
Right. No. And and I get that. I'm not I'm not, I don't have it. I have not had the time to sit down and really flush it out. But I also understand that until such time as I do, and we go back and forth with the board, that's just off the table until such time as as that has been done. Okay.
I mean, we may have to go to RFP to select a plumber and select an electrician and select a Mason and go through all the trades, you know and essentially pre vet. Know, and have one selected and on standby, which is what an awful lot of towns do. And I started to do when I first took over this job, I frankly just ran out of time. I mean, the problem with doing all that and then establishing a baseline contract with each of those companies is that it just chews up an awful lot of time. Well,
I think we can certainly, I think Eric makes a good point, we can probably still implement the policy and then we do need to follow it up at some point with the process to establish that preferred vendor list and then and then do it, but we we can as Eric said, we can give ourselves some time to do it because Yeah. Just keep it on the agenda as old business, you know, as just to kinda have it recurring as an old business. Hey. Where are we on this so that we keep it on the
on the burner? Yeah. Prefer the process or something. Yeah. So are we basically all agreed that we should delete the town attorney bit? Mean, I'm on board. Joanne's clearly on board. Mark, you sounded amenable. Linda, do you have any issues with that? No. I'm okay. Okay. Louise? I think that makes sense.
Okay. Then why don't we just do we need to quickly vote on that and then just Yeah.
What I would say is that we would change the language and I Eric, if you want, I can I can share my screen if you give me the power? Sure. I can show the language.
Hey. Hey. I you know, I was looking at the numbering mark and I'm not sure. It's a little unclear to me whether that actually keys off D or not. Anyway, sorry. That's a little. Yeah, it's not clear. I think it's a new section. ABCD and then ABCD
again. We may need to look at the numbering at some point. I think it's a different section and it's not really that much of a problem. But I mean, also, there's no harm in just switching it to numbering or something. Yeah. To make it clear.
So what I would suggest is that if we could have a motion, we could change the language to say if the lowest bidder is not recommended to the Board of Selectmen, and then we go directly down to this omit this line and go directly down to a detailed letter accompanying the evaluating body's recommendation must be submitted.
Right. So I I will move to go ahead and delete from this policy the bit that Marcus highlighted specifically right there, red lined it, that the situation should be reviewed by the town attorney. And if after review by the town attorney, lowest bidder is not recommended, comma, that all should come out. But, and then everything else remains. So that's my motion. Hopefully that's clear.
I think it is. Who is that Louise? Louise, yes. Okay. Any further discussion? Okay, hearing Yeah,
I was just going to add that originally we weren't going to have this meeting. So, I mean, I think it's okay that we hold it one more month. I mean, I like that we looked at that made and and I just was going to add for some reason it's not going to happen now, but I thought that maybe Diane and Eric were going to get together about that part on the preferred vendors. But maybe I'm wrong. I mean, I know that's not that might have been on our next steps list, but obviously that's yeah, thought that was the conversation and and clearly Eric has so much on his table as far as. Administratively, I guess you know, so I can see where you can't be writing policies all the time with everything else that he's asked to do at the town. I get that.
All right, that's all. I think we, you know, can look at it and, you know, move it forward as we talked about.
Okay, does anybody have any further comments on this specific change? Okay, hearing them we'll go ahead and vote all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, motion passes. So I guess the only other thing that I would suggest is we can do one or two things. If anybody has any other motions for changes, we can make a motion for that. We can make a motion to adopt the purchasing policy as it stands, or we can continue this on to our next meeting after people have had a chance to. At it a little more if you feel more comfortable, can send out the revised version with this language change and then we can just vote on the next policy unless you know Eric I have no problem doing that, you know I had intended to kind of send this out earlier, but I wasn't sure if we.
Okay, can I ask a question? About the policy. When I was reading it on page four of nine, three point two and down where the dots are, and even up above a little bit. It says, Those required to meet a public emergency as defined by the town administrator and reported to the Board of Selectment at its next scheduled meeting. Shouldn't it be brought to the Board of Finance too? I mean, if he's making expenditures, it just says Board of Selectmen. I felt left out.
You know that's a that's a really good catch Linda and I tend to agree. What this what this is saying that he still. Eric still has an opportunity to make the expenditure, but then he needs to report it.
And it should be to both the board of Selectmen and the board of finance. Right. So there's nothing in this provision that would because we're gonna add in that he needs to report it to us. It's not gonna delay him, which I think is the key, right? As it's an emergency situation. So, yeah, I agree. You're right. Good catch. And
also in the paragraph up above where it says the supplies, commodities, etc, it ends the same way. It says, anything not approved during the budget process must be brought forward to the Board of Selectmen for approval. And again we get left out.
Well, I think that the Board of Selectmen's the executive body right.
I don't know. I I understand. I can see it both ways. Mhmm. But it shouldn't be brought to the board of finance's attention.
Yeah. Mean, the the other one is very straightforward because it's literally telling us. This one is approval. So it's another hurdle Yeah. To get through. But, again, his gut reaction is we should be involved. Any new initiatives, policy, or procedure changes that were not approved during the budget process must be brought before it's the motorcycle. I'm trying to I'm I'm maybe I'm slow tonight, but I'm trying to envision this scenario here.
Like, the what that's getting at? What are what are we talking about? So we're talking about public public bidding, the public part of the public bidding process. So I think part of what this is is getting an approval for the board of selectins like a pre approval to even go to RFP to public bid. Eric, are you trying to get our attention?
No. I'm simply waving because the lights are on motion sensors. Okay. And one of them went off, means in about two minutes I would be in darkness if I don't pay I thought you were I thought you were over there like, I got a comment.
No. You'll send me this about three times three times a day at work. So Oh my goodness.
Oh, okay. Alright. Well, thank you, Mark. That's that makes it a little clearer for me.
You know, tend to agree with with Linda that it's at the least we should you know we you know I'm okay with the rest of it as is, but I think that. Yeah it would make sense for that second bullet item to be amended and say report of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance at their next regularly scheduled meetings.
Yeah, let's add that for sure. So I do mean, before before I make a motion, though, I guess we need to kinda decide because if we're gonna change both, then we just we move to change both. Are you saying, Mark, you're okay with leaving the other bit, the approval bit, just board of selectmen as the executive board of the town. That that's sufficient. I don't know. I'm torn.
Yeah, and supplies, commodity, service, construction listed below. Well, not required sealed bids, but do require the town administrator finance director approval any new initiatives, policy or procedure changes that were not approved during the budget process yeah you know again I think that it would not be a bad idea, you know to. Know, would be, I mean generally Eric's forming the Board of Finance about any financial issues anyway, but you know we could we could so state that because basically what they're saying is anything in that bullet point list. It's not approved during the budget process so. I think Eric wanted to make a comment. Eric?
So two things, I totally agree in the first paragraph where it says any new initiatives, policies, or procedure changes that were not approved during the budget process must be brought forward to the Board of Selectmen. That should be Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance. I totally agree with that. Where it says those required to meet a public emergency is defined by the town administrator and reported to the board of selectman as next regularly defined. Sorry.
REC negative regularly scheduled meeting, The one thing to keep in mind is it is, I almost wonder whether, know, I'm starting to wonder is what happens when we declare a public emergency of some sort, because a public emergency is declared by the first selectman, but then I'm given the power essentially to carry it out. So I'm wondering those required to meet a public emergency. If it's a two public emergency, there'll be a declaration. Then I hate to say it, even the regular board of selectmen is locked out, you know, for emergency, you know, that is really a board of, that is really a first selectman acting through the town administrator in a true town emergency. Well, maybe.
Yeah, I'm not sure I agree because what I think the intention of that bullet point is saying is that it says explicitly to meet a public emergency as defined by the town administrator. So what my guess is what this is trying to do is to give you as the administrator the authority to, you know, bid a major, you know, go to, you know, go to contract for some major I don't know sinkhole falls into the you know in the road and you've got to take care of it, like now. Going to some kind of sealed bid process that would stop any kind of reconstruction for sixty days. And that wouldn't be, I think, that case, a public emergency capital P capital E where you're that you're such a you're talking about right. Right. Yeah also. I see your point.
I was just gonna say the other change we could consider is whether what, you know, what is do we wanna lock it in as regularly scheduled, or what if they are are willing to have a special meeting
to speed things up? Do we want it? It's just a reporting thing. This is just a reporting thing. Eric makes the expenditure based on his defining this as a public emergency. He goes ahead and make the expenditure bypassing the public bid process because it's gotta happen fast. Right. And he just reports it to us later.
I I I guess, yeah, from the way it's worded, I I wasn't I mean, I I understand exactly what you're saying. I'm just wondering If it's worded well enough to that it's clear that the reporting can happen after. Also, is totally minor, but the the line two above that, those furnished by monopoly utility, I think there's supposed to be a bullet point in front of that. Yep. Good. Yeah. You're right. Yep. Kinda out of I I keep looking at it as as like a header for the whole thing, and it's it's not. Yeah. You're right. Yeah. That's a good catch too. It's driving me crazy. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Well, I mean, that all makes sense to me.
So sounds like we're we're talking about a couple of changes here. It is changing this text here to say and the Board of Finance to notify And also to add a bullet point this formatting but also add approval by the Board of Finance to anything that's not part of the approved budget process. So somebody want to make a motion to make those changes?
I'll make the motion to add the Board of Finance to both both of these entries where Board of Selectmen is right now just to just the border selectman. We're gonna add the border finance and also, of course, to just fix the formatting error and stick a bullet point in front of those furnished by monopoly utility. Second. I'll second it. Thank you, Linda.
Any further discussion? Okay, let's take a vote on that change. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Okay, hearing none, thank you. Okay, any further, points here? Linda, you got the Eagle Eye. The eagle eye award tonight. I just felt left out.
No. That was a good really good point, I think.
Yeah. It's just, know, at some point, it's good to have lots of eyes because you pick different people pick up different things. That was a good one. Okay. Thank you. But so do we wanna do we wanna try to pass this thing tonight, or do we wanna kick it to our next meeting in its final form once it's Oh, I I guess I would say if anybody has any reservations about approving it tonight, they'd to look through it again, I mean Joanne kind of expressed some concern maybe there.
I don't see any reason we couldn't just continue this to the next meeting. Don't think it's it's absolutely critical we do it now, but I'm open to alternatives as well.
Joanna, did you did you in fact want to get one moment? I always feel I'm a really good proofreader as well and I really don't feel like I devoted any time to it. I really thought we were going to be singular focused tonight so I I we I I know we weren't, which is fine. And I I should have looked at it more, but I I didn't. So I don't really feel comfortable passing it. K. Yeah. If we could just wait one more. We were we weren't gonna have a meeting tonight originally anyway. So yeah, that's fine by me. Yeah, thank you.
What's up, Eric? Mark, can can I just make one more comment? If you go back to page five. Stop, stop, go go down just a little bit where it says at a minimum all bids shall consist of technical cost components sealed in separate envelopes. Objected to that the last time and my objection still stands we never get bids, you know everything is in one seal that will and that's the way it should be.
Okay yeah there's there's a reason for that often having done a lot of proposal work etc rfp work in the previous previous job. And I don't think it applies here so I'm okay with that change but tick typically what happens in in a large rfp process or what often happens, especially with the miss large municipality or state. Or county or something like that is that you have a technical evaluation and then you have kind of an objective scoring that's separate based on cost so they'll score it technically on the merits and then they'll have a separate scoring system based on cost. And those two are often done independently and what they often don't want to happen is they don't want the evaluation committee to see the cost they want them to evaluate the. Submission submittals on their own merit michael and so they're not biased by you know paging to the end and looking for the bottom line saying okay lowest bid that's you know that's you know so there's there is there's a there's a reason for that.
Think it doesn't necessarily probably apply in our process here so I'm okay with combining that, but I just wanted to point out that there often is a rationale for that type of thing.
Fair. But I also don't wanna write something in a policy that is just literally not what happens. And then we're just constantly violating the policy. Yeah. We're not writing $13,000,000
contracts, but it leads very often here. Right? So. Right I don't tend to agree with you robin and Eric from a practical perspective, it probably makes sense, just to frankly strike that unless it we need to say leave the seal envelope thing in there. I mean, I'm finally striking the whole sentence. Well, I think we probably want it sealed. Oh, okay. Eric, what's your thought?
So we generally require when when we do actual bidding or an actual RFP, we require sealed bids. Okay.
You know, we have a specific procedure for opening them. You know, that's you know essentially signed by everybody that's present at the opening
so that we could. So we could potentially just write this as sorry. Didn't mean to strike that. In a sealed envelope yeah. In a sealed envelope right. Yeah.
Let's do that. I'll just go ahead and move that we change that line to the ending of that sentence to in a sealed envelope. And that way, we have it singular, which seems to comport with what we're actually dealing with typically. Okay. Admittedly, since I haven't been in involved in these sorts of things, the whole sealed envelope thing was just out of left field for me. I get bills at work in PDF form and an email. So
like what is going on? Part of part of it is to is to try to prevent the opportunity for somebody in the chain of handling these things to open it up, secure any confidential information and give another bidder, some type of inside info. Yeah, inside info. You're somehow harming the competitiveness of the bid. So it does make sense to keep it sealed.
Okay, so that's my motion. Let's just change it to singular. Do you have a second? Second it. Okay, Joanne.
Thank you. Any further discussion? Okay, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Hearing none, thank you. Motion passes. Eric, anything else? Nope. Or anyone?
All right. Why don't we push this to, you know, we'll bring this up at all business next meeting? Agreed. Works for me.
Okay, as long as nobody has any objections, we'll move on. Current status of staff searches for finance department. Eric, wanna give us a quick rundown?
Well, I would tell you that I was anticipating today posting that, but the board of selectmen has asked because of compressed schedules to wait and do it basically right after the holidays. So that's okay too. So January?
Yes. The only thing that gives me a little bit of pause with that is, you know, because the The actual finance person is a not the not the treasurer, but the actual finance person is a union position And I'm a little nervous about the union busting our chops over having somebody that's, even though it's the same person that was their union person, because they're now part time, they're now not a union member technically doing that job. So I wouldn't be totally surprised if I got a little bit of hot water with the union over it, because it has been a while, but if that happens, we'll we'll deal with it.
Alright. So that kicks us out a month and a half before that gets done. But if that's the board selectman chose to do. Alright.
It's real it's really hard to, you know, advertise, like they were talking about interview, get really qualified candidates at this time of year. That's really That's true. You know, with the holidays, you lose the whole Thanksgiving. You know, just myself, we're we're having trouble filling so many positions. So it's it would be tough. So I think it's kind of more to do with that too. Oh, it makes sense. Yeah. It does. Yeah. I
mean, I'm sure they'll advertise at least Eric, right, once the job descriptions are finalized. It can maybe get advertised in December. Is that what they were thinking? I didn't know. I
would push for that for advertising it, but Right. To get it out there. I think the thing you have to That's do what I was worried about. Yeah. We have to be ready to go. The one mistake we've made recently, in the last six months of putting out things, advertising of them before we were really ready and fully set up to interview. And time and time again, you know, the candidates were done and dusted by the time we, by the time we called them to bring them in to interview, they had either interviewed a bunch of places already and they canceled the interview or they interviewed. And by the time we made them an offer, they'd already taken another offer. So, I think we have to be prepared with the committee fully set up when we go to do this, you know, so that two weeks, a week and a half after we post, we're starting to interview and we're ready,
you know, to make a decision.
Just putting it out there, if you ever need anyone on your interview committee, I don't know if I'm even allowed. I mean, it's it's things that I'm familiar with the in accounting and all that kind of thing. If you needed anybody, I'd be willing to serve on that committee, but I don't even know if I'm allowed to bring that forward. But since we're discussing it, I I told I totally agree with you that right when you advertise too soon, have interest. And then if if you don't have the process ready to move forward it right it doesn't pay that way either got it
that makes sense yeah you need in today's day and age you need to be able to act I agree with your line on there yeah with this market that you can't wait. Right okay. Mike Okay, if there are no further questions for Eric on that item we'll go on to eight which is new business we don't have any on there and we didn't add anything during our discussion. We'll go on to item nine which is of course the resignation of Diane from the Board of Finance. You all know what a loss that is on it to tell you and you know Jeff expressed it during the board of selectman meeting and it's really unfortunate, but you know people have to take care of themselves and do what's right so certainly she's she's going to be missed no doubt about it. Already is so. I mentioned in the email that I had sent out, you know by definition, you know we're required to follow Robert's rules of order,
barring other procedural procedures we've adopted so that makes the Vice Chair automatically the Chairman in that case of the resignation of Chairman. Like I said, as far as I'm concerned, we are treated as as per Missouri and and you know, like the new chair and vice chair, I do think it's important that we have both you know, simply put people have obligations and something happens, you want somebody to quickly be able to step in and. Take over meetings and make sure that the town's business continues, so I think that it's important to have that. And one item that's not on here to which we probably should have had on here and my apologies for that I don't know what I actually saw it but it's we really should probably just touch on the replacement mechanism for a new Board of Finance Member. We can just chat about that it's not a decision process necessarily and we can we can kind of address that separately but I do think it's part of this topic if you will does fall under the resignation denture cut we didn't really miss that so I guess our first order of business would be to discuss or just select a new chair and vice chair you know I'm I'm
yep
I know there was a letter of intention from someone are we going to discuss?
We can so I guess what I would say is the. I had asked I took Carol Lee called me the town clerk and asked about advertising the position because we have to post it. What I told her is again in the interest of getting is you know casting a wide net and giving people the opportunity to think about it during a busy time with holidays included. I asked her to go ahead and post it in the River East bulletin through December 2 I think is that Friday so she's going to have recurring postings in the River East bulletin. The first one was in Friday's bulletin and it's a simple statement it's also on the town website saying that anybody who's interested in serving please. Write a letter of interest to the town clerk and we did have one person actually before that was posted who submitted a letter of interest, so I think that we what we do have to do is. Obviously wait for some period of time until the posting date is closed, which I think is the seventh. Mike And then we as a board would review the letters of interest. We only have one that it makes the decision easy.
We have eight or 10 it's a little tougher, but then we need to make that decision in a public meeting. Eric you and I chatted about this when we met the other day, but my you know we can go into executive session to discuss the selection of the next Member, but then the public vote or the vote to choose the next Board of Finance Member would have to be in a public meeting. So that's how that process goes again, we have sixty days in order to do that. Or then if we don't, in theory, the Board of Selectmen could make a selection and choose the next Board of Finance Member. I don't anticipate that that's going to be the case. Hopefully, you know, certainly we already have one letter of interest, so you know if we get. More I mean certainly we will have a candidate in that pool that we should be able to select. So that's that's kind of the pop the process as I understand it. Eric, do have anything to add to that? No, I don't.
I can just speak to it from personal experience. I may I think I'm the last person who was put into onto the board of finance originally to fill a vacancy. Or it was you? It was you. It was you. Oh, god. I've see, there's my memory for you. But in both cases, I I think it was just, you know, we brought you before meeting, and we heard what you had to say, and then we voted you on. That's what happened with me too. So totally agree that we should wait and see if we get any more interest. Having a candidate already is great because worse comes to worse, we have somebody who's thrown their hat in the ring. I can say that I did reach out to the DTC people just to say, hey, everybody. FYI, we have a vacancy. If anybody has anybody they're aware of that wants to put their name in,
let us know. So if I hear anything, you know, obviously, I'll encourage that person to submit something, but I haven't yet.
Yeah, it's actually a good point. If any of you know anybody you think would be a good candidate through, you know, through your social contacts or whatever, then I think that that's, you know networking always helps and people like to be asked. So, and or maybe they're I'd say they're more willing to serve their their asks and we you know you think they'd be a good candidate. One one thing I do think and I'll just make the comment is that. The I don't know if any of you looked at the letter of interest we had, so it was very basic it just had. Just had some just a statement of interest, along with the person's name and contact information, michael so what I would suggest is that. When you know prior to the time we make a decision, maybe what we should request from any interested party is that they write a kind of a personal statement give us a little bit of information about their background and their interest in the position. That way, you know we just have that ahead of time, and we can take a look at it, and that I don't want a formal resume but just a you know paragraph or two that kind of explains who they are and what their interest is, and maybe how long you know, we have to ask them how long you live in town, but just. You know, to get to know them a little bit to that'll kind of spur questions or you know kind of our opportunity to get to know the candidate during the meeting without taking a lot of extra time. I think that helps spur that so I think that would be appropriate to to request that from from people who have expressed interest.
Do you guys agree with that idea?
I was actually going to suggest that as well because it was a very basic request and possibly can that person that be appointed can that person actually take over as vice chair or board chair if they have the appropriate experience?
They could, I mean, it's just up to the board to decide who they want. Right. So, Joanne, you had your question up, took your hand up. I'm sorry.
Yeah, I was always I was just going to add the same thing that I think more information is good anytime you're applying or wanting to be part of something that it should come from the person wanting to express, you know, a little bit about them self. Clearly, we're not going to name names at this meeting, but we know this person had interest in this in the past. I mean, that's just without saying a name. So I think all of us have a little history, but I think moving forward part of, like you said, explaining the process, it's always good. Just like, you know, I review job applications all the time. Anytime, I don't care, and even myself, if I was gonna apply to something, even if you know me, I'm still gonna give you the full load. It just looks well, so I think that's good, getting the information.
The other thing I was just gonna add, since we're kind of on Part C, think we're explaining the process, we move to that right now, oh gosh what was I gonna say explaining the process, yeah I think recruiting is a good thing and it is a good tool but also people that just find out on their own really show an interest in the town really are involved. That always says a lot to me as well. I think someone who clearly wants it. I mean I really got the interest right? Things
and getting you know so that would show me if I, you know, saw people. So let's hope though. We're a very small town. That's those are my 2¢. Yeah. And then by the way, I want to just clarify something. I I was wrong. I, you know, got behind in my emails and actually, apparently,
we do have I don't know if this happens to be the person who already submitted their interest, but apparently, they're that the result of my request when I emailed around to the DTC folks that we had multiple interested parties. So we'll see. We've gotten one. We may get another.
So just FYI. Yeah. I haven't you know, I've only seen the one from Carol. So
Okay. Yeah. No. I I agree. I I I think there was there may be another coming. I'm not sure. Just saying that, you know, there was a response, and I just missed it until just now when I went and searched my email. My bad. Alright. More interest is good. Yeah. Agreed.
Michael I guess I can stop sharing something necessarily here you guys don't have already so That being said, I think we can we can kind of we'll just have to wait and see what we have in terms of our. Of our interest, but if long as everybody's in agreement, you know. What we'll do is I think as we get as we get close to that date we'll just kind of see what we have for just parties and then we'll reach out to them and and request that they share kind of a. Personal statement providing a little bit of their their background and explaining their interest in the position and that'll just give us a better basis on which to discuss that with them and have them talk to us when the time comes so. All right, I'm gonna stop sharing here so all right under the 9a which is to elect the new board chair and vice chair, you know this is as simple as making nominations and voting. Go ahead Joanne.
I would like to nominate you Mark to be chairman of the board of finance. I think you've done a great job in the past as our leader and I would like to nominate you.
And I'd like to second that. Oh, thank you. If you're willing to serve, sir.
I am. I am. It took a little bit of the heat off when I had my take care. Mike But you know, as I stated before. I might have a little maybe I have a little more, I have a lot more flexibility and availability in my time now as as opposed to what I've had over the last couple years, some in some ways, so I appreciate the confidence. You know, again, it is a primarily an administrative position and largely which just means you're moving the meetings along and trying to make sure you're following proceed procedures, so you know it's an equal vote everyone has a vote in fact. You know larger groups that Chairman doesn't actually vote and smaller group like this, it just makes sense, because you have to be there as a tiebreaker off and although it doesn't really happen in this committee so much or in this board. Further discussion. Okay I'll call for a vote all those in favor say Aye. Aye. Any opposed. Hearing none, I will abstain. I guess the motion passes, thank you. All right, does anybody have a nomination for the vice chair? They're very willing to be the Vice Chair. Even on a temporary basis. I mean
I would consider it but it depends how everyone feels about that. I didn't know if anyone had a strong feeling of wanting to come in and be the vice chair. I'll second the motion.
Yeah. I mean, it's really it's to be the the backup for the meetings and then as we just saw, if
something were to happen. Yeah. Yeah. If if people you know, and it's it's even if even in the if it is something like where the chairman doesn't, it's not you doesn't have to give a resignation situation or something like that, I mean if somebody's unavailable due to you know some other you know commitment then. It's it's good. You just need somebody to have a secondary fill there. Okay? I would nominate Joanne since she's so willing.
I'm fine with it. So wait. Let's let's actually I I don't know if that was a motion or not, but I'll I'll move to make Joanne vice chair. Let's just formalize it. Anybody got a second for me? I'll second.
Alright. Okay. Further discussion? Okay, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any abstentions? I guess I'm abstaining.
Yeah, you'd probably abstain when you're your interest, it's generally an Okay, motion passes. Thank you, Joanne. You're welcome. You can't miss too many meetings, Mark.
Speaking of which, no, yeah, I'm just kidding. All right, very good. Any other discussion on that topic? The next one we had there is a procedure for selecting a new chairman. Eric, do you know what that was there about? Didn't. You're on mute, by the way.
I think you just wanted to talk about what had to happen and what we really needed to do once Diane resigned.
I think you basically already covered that. Covered that, yeah. Okay. So it probably should have been the other way around, but. Right. Okay. Well, yeah, just so the procedure and there's a procedure for selecting the new bid. Well there isn't really a procedure for selecting a chairman per se because that's by definition it's already done but then we decided that we'd go ahead and elect it but for selecting a new board members that is that maybe what that was intended to be. Maybe. Okay, very possibly. I wrote it a whole week ago so.
Okay. Alright, I think I think I covered that and I said that is, it is available in the Charter if anybody wanted to look at it, think it's section section two away covers that area about vacancies of elected officials. I do want to make sure we do a good job at this. Know, when I was placed on the board it seemed a little bit too informal for my taste that you know the outcome was I was placed on the board and that's fine, but, I just think we need to make sure that we're fair and open etc about it. I mean, it was fine it wasn't anything untoward but but I just want to make sure that that it's done professionally and I think that we'll do that again just referencing back to the Charter section two zero eight we have the sixty days to do it. What I think will probably happen or what I would propose that we happen, I mentioned this in an email, is that what we would do is accept the letters of interest. And then. What we could do is either. Then go on to. Make a selection that our next next regularly scheduled meeting, is currently December 28 at 7PM. My preference would be would be to do that a little sooner in a special meeting I wouldn't mind. We unless we have urgent business to take care of I wouldn't mind canceling the meeting on the twenty eighth just because it's in the middle of the holidays. I personally have a little travel, personal travel back and forth
that makes it a little complicated, and plus I'd just like to get somebody on the board for that meeting, honestly, even if we do hold it. So my suggestion would be peskin: that we currently I think it says in the announcement that will be accepting letters of interest through the December 7, which is a And then, I would propose is that maybe we hold a special meeting the following week some point. The fourteenth, Wednesdays tend to be better for people I think in general, so the fourteenth might be a possibility. It would just be a likely a one one topic meeting just to select a new board member.
I'm I'm okay with that. That date, I think, should work for me.
I could do that as well. I think that's great if we could keep it a one topic unless there was urgent business that would be good yeah
yeah I think so we just do a quick and hopefully it would be quick, I don't want to I don't want to shortchange the process but I don't think we do one
topic would you know yeah keep it focused and yeah absolutely yeah
so back to the public public meeting like we did when you were there. You mean in person yeah
It's a really good question, Louise. There's a lot to be said for talking to somebody in person.
Illnesses are going, you know, that's right before the holidays and sorry. Being in person just brings up the whole COVID gets sick before the holidays and I had to miss Christmas with the family last year just because of family members. So I'm really, I I mean, I just wanna throw that out there with the in person meetings just after the holidays. All good once I see my family.
Well, think we can. Whatever you have to do, I guess. Yeah, I I think we can. I think we can decide that separately. It doesn't you know we don't need to decide that tonight. Let's kind of see where we are Honestly, if if we have one letter of interest, I don't know that we need to sit there and have some kind of in person meeting. Don't know that that's going to add any value. If we have three or four people look like strong candidates, then then I think we might want to do that, but we can decide, it can be a hybrid meeting, it can be virtual and and in person as well. So so that's what I would that's what I would suggest and we don't need to decide now we don't even need to set the meeting now that's something that the Chairman could just do on an ad hoc basis, the only thing is that we have to give sufficient notice and post the. Know post the agenda ahead of time, and then the other thing we can do with a special meeting is probably most of you remember is a special meeting. You cannot change the agenda so we can post a meeting, but once that agenda is posted, you cannot change that agenda. The agenda is what it is, so we cannot add topics, you know that night just due to, you know, freedom of information and participation,
public public participation requirements. So that fits with a tight meeting. Yeah.
Kind of It details with what we were just talking about. Peskin: I'm sorry. Go ahead, Louise. Michael What date was decided upon.
Well, yeah the fourteenth was proposed, I mean we haven't set it officially set it. I want to obviously set a date that works for everybody. I mean, that we definitely works a little better for me.
I could do the twenty first. I don't think that there's any clear conflict for me there, I'd rather do the fourteenth. Yeah, twenty first is not great for me and the week before. Well, we're
still we still have the posting open through the seventh. I don't want to do and I'll be I'll be traveling in Europe that week, so it would be tough for me, although not impossible. Think unless somebody has a clear conflict on the fourteenth, why don't we go with that date? Yeah, I think it makes the most sense and you know even if we can't get everybody there I think it helps. Okay, any other discussion regarding your replacement of the board member, Diane, who unfortunately had to leave or resign?
Just want to publicly, I know we already gave Diane her just due, but I just want to personally say you know I've learned so much from her and I really she's become a friend I really really you know I'm gonna miss her and really appreciate all she brought and it was a pleasure serving with her and just want to give her her just due she's a great person, yeah and I just wish her well though you know. Yeah absolutely I do wish her the best. Thank you for bringing that up. Help and, yeah, bringing me along too.
Thank you, Diane. You will be nice. Maybe we'll see her back again someday. Right. Right. I was gonna say, you know, if wouldn't we can always hope that we'll
have her back. Thanks, thanks, John. Any other discussion? Okay, we'll move on to item 10, which is the approval of the meeting minutes from October 26. Anybody have a motion to approve the meeting minutes? I'll make a motion to approve the minutes. Louise, thank you, Louise. Anybody want to second that motion?
I can second them, second them. Joanne seconds, any discussion?
Okay, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Hearing none yet, Linda. I abstain.
I did watch the movie, but I mean, it, but I wasn't here. Okay.
It's an interesting point. I wonder if you could still approve them based on the fact that you watched it in video. Okay. I don't know.
Legally and technically, even if you abstain from a meeting, you can still approve the minutes. Right. Oh. You don't, you're not obligated to, it's a courtesy and most people do, but you're under any obligation.
Yeah, it's just a, you know, are you in a position to effectively judge that? You know, the minutes would be like anything else, right? If you yeah, okay.
Okay, so I think we can let it stand as is though. Yeah, Joanne. I just was wondering Eric who is doing the minutes for various meetings right now?
Marina will I'm sure do the minutes for this meeting. Okay, thank you.
Alright, moving on to agenda item 11 liaison reports. Do you have anything to report?
You know, I think CIP is meeting tomorrow, so we don't I don't have anything for you from CIP. Right, Eric? We're meeting with you. Correct. In your office. Any others? Seven? 7PM. Seven. Alright. Okay.
Right, we'll move on to twelve, board open discussion. Do we have anything further to discuss?
Linda? I'm not sure if this is where to fit this in, but I just thought I'd mention that is having their online auction and they have some really nice stuff if anybody's interested. What's the website? Ahm.org or something?
Yeah, and you can find it, but they've got some really nice gifts. Okay, nice. Thank you. Anything else to discuss? I think it's youth.org.
Thank you. Yeah sounded too simple, That's what Google is for. Michael Okay I'm hearing no other points of discussion move on to item 13 which is public speak I don't think we have any members of the public. On the board right now around the recording on the zoom meeting, I should say. No, we do not. Okay, so last item is adjournment. Anybody like to make a motion to adjourn? I so move.
Okay, thanks Rob. I second it. Joanne seconds, any discussion? Hearing none, let's go ahead and take a vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, none. The motion passes. All right, thank you everybody. I know it wasn't a planned meeting, but I think it was good that we held.