Finance Committee Minutes
Wellfleet Finance Committee
Minutes of Meeting of January 21, 2015
Senior Center, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Stephen Polowczyk, Chair; Sam Bradford, Janet Loewenstein, Linda Pellegrino, Thomas Reinhart, Sylvia Smith, Liz Sorrell, Ira Wood
Regrets: Robert Wallace
Also Attending: Selectman Paul Pilcher; Town Administrator Harry Terkanian; Town Accountant Marilyn Crary; Human Resources Coordinator Suzanne Thomas
Chair Stephen Polowczyk called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Fiscal Year 2016 Budget
Town Administrator Harry Terkanian said there were still unknowns: the schools and the Cape Cod Municipal Heath Group rates. When these are in, the figures will be more definite. He said there are increases anticipated. The School System’s Capital Budget is also going up. To fit the Budget to Proposition 2 ½, several items can taken out and presented as override votes, he said. DPW Budget lines could also be removed in order to stay within the 2 ½ %. FinCom members asked about the anticipated 10% increase in Health Assessment and finalization of the School Capital Plan. Tom Reinhart said the School increase was due to the planned purchase of iPads for all students.
Capital Needs Memo from Nauset Regional Schools
Liz Sorrell said she would like to see the needs prioritized, but Tom Reinhart said the needs are all priorities considering the age of the high school. FinCom members discussed the possibility of constructing a new school; bringing Provincetown and Truro into paying their share; and the size of the school-aged population;
Pre-School Voucher Program
Selectman Paul Pilcher was present to discuss the plan for a voucher program for pre-school. He distributed an information sheet* that addressed several questions which FinCom had posed in advance. These dealt with: the rationale for the plan; presenting the plan as a Warrant Article; the importance of pre-school programs; reasons the plan is not being incorporated into WES; accreditation of qualified pre-schools; a Town Counsel review of the program proposal; registration procedure; and the initial amount requested for the 2015-2016 school year. Mr. Pilcher said that response from parents indicated they were in favor of the program.
Cash Receipts
The Auditors’ Management Letter mentioned that cash receipts need to be deposited in a more timely fashion. With the use of technology that deposits checks rapidly would be a possible solution.
Recreation Update
Recreation Director Becky Rosenberg submitted a letter from the IRS acknowledging the status of Friends of Recreation as a 501(c) (4) non-profit organization. Ms. Rosenberg discussed the increase in the Budget line 630 -Seasonal Wages. She said the summer season and hours had been extended, and the participants had increased. She said that Wellfleet tries to keep qualified summer help and needs to offer competitive wages. She and Suzanne Thomas answered questions on revenue increase to match the increase in wages, fee structure per child/family, and the off-season programs.
Shellfish Dept. Update
Harry Terkanian said he had put together an Operations Plan with the Shellfish Warden. This is posted on the Town website and was presented to the Board of Selectmen. Mr. Terkanian discussed the condition of the barge, the spreader for spat, sharing the use of the spreader with the Harbormaster, and other harbor vessels owned by the Town.
Liaison Reports
Liz Sorrell reported that reduction in the WES Budget was due to reduction in the students. Tom Reinhart said the Energy Committee was working on getting the Town to be a zero net user without installing solar panels at the landfill. They intend to offer a Solar Energy Fair to the public.
Minutes
Wood moved to approve the minutes of November 19, 2015. Sorrell seconded, and the motion carried 8-0.
The Police Department reports and the Beacon were in the mail.
Agenda for Next Meeting
Agenda for the February 25, 2015 meeting will include: Fiscal Year 16 Budget, Warrant Recommendations and Liaison Reports.
Adjournment
Sorrell moved to adjourn. Pellegrino seconded. The motion carried 8-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
__________________________ __________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Stephen Polowczyk, Chair
Finance Committee approved these minutes at the meeting held 3/11/15.
Public Records of 1/21/15
* Wellfleet Pre-School Access Initiative by Paul Pilcher