Finance Committee Meeting - April 30, 2026

Right.

She got the camera.

I want to call the finance committee meeting to order for Thursday, April 30th. Can you please join me for the pledge of allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Please note that this meeting is in person and we are being recorded.

Gary, so um thank you, Madam Chair, uh on to the members of the committee. So tonight we have um the uh FY27 warrant article review that's been uh circulated um to the chair. Uh we kind of did a rough uh overview uh last meeting. So this is kind of almost finalized. There's only a couple of more warrant articles that we have to wait for council to uh to review. So if you would like

Do you want to display the warrant or do you want me to?

Uh yeah. You have a if you'd like to I can do it if you like.

You might not want to mess with the You don't The only thing you need is the one we talked about with the waterways number.

Uh is that version five, right? We made we made a correction after that.

Okay.

I noticed a typo in act four. I sent an email off to you guys.

Yeah, Janina let us keep critiquing our work.

Yes. Oh, somebody has to.

I was just gonna say somebody's got to.

Bill gives it a close eye. Yeah, it's good.

Can never have enough eyes on occasion.

Only one. Only one.

Only one eye.

That's all I canare.

30 articles.

I can dedicate.

Why?

All righty.

Weird.

What? It just came in.

Yeah.

Let's just dive on in.

Is that big enough everybody can see it?

But I can make it larger if you'd like.

Make it larger.

Larger.

Larger.

So, um, madam chair, we is someone going to be writing the majority and minority opin ideally. Can you take notes on that, Carrie? Do you mind?

No, I don't mind. Let me pull it up.

Do we have a template or we just not at the moment? Just to what I would do if we're going to vote on it. When the committee votes, if it's if it's not majority approving it, they'll the committee typically writes a majority opinion and the minor and the minority opinion just let the residents know why someone voted why the majority voted yes and then maybe if in fact some people voted no, why they voted no

and so we're voting on each and every article within the war. Thank you very much.

Not all not all of them. There's a couple that we still we're still waiting on. Yeah, you you um will be in a position to vote on pretty much everything tonight except for a couple of the general bylaw that I'm just waiting council to finish their review, but everything else is it's not going to change.

Yeah.

And when we get to the petition articles, we'll talk about how uh what the status of those are.

Okay. Um I would just keep track keep track of the votes per article.

Okay.

Because there's six of us here now. So, okay, when we vote, keep keep track of how we voted basically um for what article because, you know, we're not going to be able to do all the rationale tonight as well. So, what we'll do is I I would suggest that after we vote during the week, get the template set up for the rationale so next week because a lot of them will be pretty

straightforward. I think it won't be a big majority minority discussion on them. I can start taking notes on the on the actual warrant on my copy of it and then we can it's really the vote that we have to track tonight and then next week we can go through the ration and see what needs to be tweaked or if we had something that we have to do a okay different opinion on anyway article one

see if the town will vote to appropriate from fiscal year 2027 community preservation fund annual revenues in the amount of $35,000 for admin administrative expenses as referenced in the community preservation fiscal year 2027 budget.

Somebody want to make a motion to a motion to uh recommend.

I will second it.

Just a comment, Madam Chair. In order to expedite tonight's meeting, we get along on the agenda. You I don't think it's necessary that we have to read the entire article. I think we could just go by title.

I agree. Actually, that was a short one.

So, I Okay.

No, I don't.

So, we don't And we've all seen it, so I'd rather just Correct. That was good.

I had no intention of reading the ones that are 75 amounts of money.

The tree bylaw.

Yeah, there you go. The tree bylaw. No, no, thank you.

Um, anyway, discussion. Gary, anything that we need to know detail on this? Uh, no.

I would only I would only uh comment that the the CPC when Buddy came in on these articles, I think they did a great job as we mentioned last week and brought all of the constituents in that pretty much recom you know behind all these articles. So I think these are pretty uh straightforward.

Any questions?

Not on that one. No.

Are we ready to vote? All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Six. So 600 Z motion to recommend article two, community preservation committee, community housing reserve.

I'll second the motion.

Any discussion? Any questions?

Are we ready to vote?

Yes.

All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Motion passes.

You my reader, John.

Motion to recommend article article three um CPC DCTV renovations phase three.

Do we have a second?

I'll second it.

Discussion and or questions.

Ready to vote.

All in favor?

I. Any opposed?

No. 6 0.

Motion to recommend article 4 CPC Deval Field.

This is when I found the typo and we kind of fixed it. You got me. It's all set.

Do we have a second?

Second.

Thank you.

Question.

Yes. Thank you. Um, is this the Russell Mills where the historic house?

No.

No. I'm sorry. Thank you.

That's No, I don't know what the I don't know.

Well, her question was it is it the is it the library?

No, it wasn't.

No, no, no. The question was about the historic house because that was a controversy at the meeting. That's what she's bringing up.

Maybe I could qualify my question.

There was a public hearing uh while I was away with respect to the house at Russell Mills. If I have that location correctly, could you update me on that, please? Go ahead.

Sure. the Russell Mills Historic District Commission um had a meeting and voted to deny the certificate to um de demolish the house. However, I'll note they made that decision without any findings of fact and so we anticipate the applicant to um appeal uh and with that I mean the the appeal process will go on go forward. I spoke with Buzzards Bay Coalition and uh Mr. Mr. Baker Smith, chair of the CPC and um the

Buzzards Bay Coalition would like for this to stay on the warrant is and um if for some reason they do not win their appeal and the house has to remain, then you know the money can always not be utilized at that point, but it's it's good to still have it.

Thank you, Cody.

Thank you for bringing that up because I've had that conversation with somebody and was thinking the same.

There's no condition from the CPC that says the house has to be torn down.

Correct. Y correct. It's just a Right.

So if they lose their appeal, they can keep the house.

They could, right? It'd be a do away with it being being a residence.

Yep. It's their So it would be their decision essentially at that point.

Exactly.

Yep.

Um right right. It's not a condition of and the house is not historic.

Correct. uh was built in 1972, but the way the uh Russell's Mills Historic District is written, it applies to every structure regardless of its age, which is a shame, but anyway, that's the way it's written.

Thank you.

Any more questions or discussion?

Are we ready to vote?

Yes.

All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

6.

Yeah. Motion to approve. Motion to recommend article 5 CPC crapo field lighting project.

Second.

Thank you. Any questions, discussion?

Are we ready to vote?

Yes.

All in favor?

I.

6 0.

So, Bill, when you're talking about typos, you talking about the commas after some talking about I had on article 4 said 575, 000.

Yeah, it was fixed.

Yeah, there's a bunch of them like on the sixth. There's one like that, too.

The comma after 300.

Yeah, that's the one I was citing, Brian, was article four.

Okay.

Yeah, six there's a comma. Should be should be just no comma.

Did you read that and lost?

We're at six, right?

We're on six.

Article a motion to recommend article six, CPC, the Dartmouth Cultural Center.

We have a second.

I'll second. Oh, there you go. Danger.

Discussion or questions?

Oh, the comma. We would keep the comma there because that's kind of splitting the sentence.

Oh, okay. I was getting confused. I thought that was after the more zeros after that.

Zero.

Maybe a semi semicolon maybe more appropriate. I don't know.

Doesn't matter. Um, nobody else was confused.

I'm sorry. Are we now questioning the commas?

No, I I withdraw my my uh anything.

Uh, any questions on this or discussion?

Oh, if I may, I had a question on this.

I should have asked it when Buddy was here, but we never actually Gary helped me follow up on this. Was a total amount of the project.

It wasn't listed as we never got the total amount of the project. We got what they were asking from the town.

And I Gary uh what was the total on that Gary? Remember because I don't have on a total project.

Yeah, the to the renovation.

Yeah, most of total.

Oh boy.

But that's not all coming from us.

Correct.

Oh, it's not curious. My question also I had also coming from the bank. They went to the bank and I never uh I should have asked the grates question how much they got for funding from the bank and there was any reservation by the bank. They didn't get the full amount that they wanted. Just trying to piece together the finances here.

There's a nice flyer that they had at the opening night of the cultural center that on the front has the design and on the back and it lists that. I didn't have it with me, but it lists the renovation project. It lists the highlights and it lists the financing of it as well.

Did it say it g the financing for the what the bank contributed?

I believe so, but what I'll do is get that at home and I will scan it to you.

I'm not sure if it's total, but they did have something available to that.

I wasn't aware of that.

I just went to the opening at night and I I had it.

All right. We we can confirm um too because there's also been prior phases that that CBC is funded.

Um I I believe it's around 10% that they're contributing through other sources and the primary source is CBC, but we'll we'll confirm it and get it to you next meeting.

Uh I don't remember from the CBC meeting and maybe one of you did. Um, they didn't talk about that as far as what other funding they'd received, did they?

They don't they talk about they had mentioned it, Janine, that they didn't give numbers.

They didn't give numbers.

Well, I'm sure we can get them. And always can be asked from the forum.

Yeah. No, it was my fault. I should have asked a question while they were here.

Any more questions or discussions on article six?

We have seven, right?

Are we ready to vote?

All in favor?

I what I abstain.

Okay. Okay.

I should have stayed. I didn't hear the conversation.

Motion to recommend article 7 CPC agricultural preservation fund.

Second.

Any questions or discussion?

I do have a question on this too.

Yes.

Okay. It's got to do with the um let me read it to be I'll read the whole thing if I may. uh to receive the town would appropriate 1.5 million for the community preservation unrestrict reserve for to the Dartmouth Agriculture Commission to be held in the town's agriculture preservation fund under master's general law chapter 40 section 8L and utilized solely for the acquisition of acqu of the u

agricultural preservation restrictions.

When they say acquisition, who are we act who are we acquiring this from? And I that's why I'm confused about private parties. They're looking to purchase farmland.

They're looking to purchase farm land.

Yeah.

So either the land itself private individuals or I don't think the state or the federal government selling much farmland.

But who who owns the farmland?

These are for f potential future private individuals. It's that it's not for a specific project. It's for a fund to have if something comes up. Oh, I see.

And they find it reasonable and it meets their criteria.

It's like a reserve fund.

It's a fun.

Well, that's so right. That would be nice if it would have that way because it sounded to me like they were going to acquire it right away from somebody. I wouldn't know who it was.

It's their goal to protect farmland if it's going to go to market.

The money could sit there for 10 years before they Oh, I understand that now, John. It's the way it was worded. It wasn't worded in that in that vein.

Thank you for the clarification.

Any more questions?

Are we ready to vote?

All in favor?

Any opposed?

My reader.

Um motion. Okay.

I don't want to you I don't want to overshadow anybody else.

We're in a good rhythm there. Keep it going. Keep it going.

Keep it going. I make a motion to recommend article 8 appropriation from the cemetery sale of lot fund.

Second.

Any questions or discussion?

No.

Ready to vote?

All in favor?

I I I. Any opposed?

Do we all agree that John Souza should continue to read each article for us?

We'll do that.

Keep it going. Second that.

I I second.

All in favor? I I'll make a motion to recommend article 9 established FY27 maximum spending budget for resolve revolving funds.

Second. Second.

Any uh questions or discussion?

Pretty much a housekeeping type thing that's on every spring warrant. The only change is we did increase uh parks and wreck just because we've we've been historically was it 250 or 250 but but this again this is it's revolving so it doesn't cost anything.

It's just how much you can spend of the money coming in.

All right. Good. Uh questions discussion ready to vote?

Yes.

All in favor of article 9.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 10, acceptance of capital planning committee report and funding of FY2027 capital plan.

Do we have a second?

I'll second it.

Questions or discussion?

Sure. You don't want to read each line, John?

I do not. But is there a reason why it's in red?

Is that just Mine's Mine's in black?

Mine's in black. We had two different versions sent to us today.

One came out earlier. Yeah, I'm looking at the earlier version.

Yeah, that's the one from last week, John. I think this is draft.

The latest one came out 12 years ago.

Thank you.

I had read in the newspaper that the legislature has earmarked $150,000 for the school bus. And I didn't know how the town might handle the funding for that while it's still on the capital list.

Great question. Um, so we recognize that we anticipate uh that was approved by the Senate um either I think it was early this month or late March. We anticipate a final decision as it goes through committee uh later in May. So obviously the warrant will be finalized prior to then. What we did was we had a comm a CIPC meeting uh last week where we essentially approved a backup if it

were to pass. So, if the state funding passes for the bus, there'll be an amendment on the floor of town meeting to move that 150,000 into an additional 150,000 for HVAC projects at the school.

They initially uh requested 600,000 for HVAC. So, this would get them to 550, pretty close to what they what they had requested. So, good. Thank you very much.

Good.

Any other questions or discussions on article 10?

Are we ready to vote?

Yes.

All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 11 salaries and stipens of elected officials.

Okay.

We have a second.

Second.

Questions, comments, concerns. Um just the logic behind this was um we had done the compensation and classification study. We applied the same methodology that we're applying to everybody else with the town clerk. So we essentially took her FY26 salary um took where she fell in the grade where the I'm sorry the position fell in the grade and step um guaranteeing at least a 2% increase and this is the step that it it

essentially it fell in. So we that were there we thought it was important to have a methodology um to it rather than just throwing out you know this percentage or that percentage.

What is the percentage? I didn't calculate 3.3%.

How much?

3.3.

Okay.

So that will um put her in a different position of not having to in the past uh town meeting has had questions about why and we she's kind of been on her own out there.

Yeah. that I think that's one of the I had a conversation with Sarah and obviously she can propose what she what she would like but you know having a methodology to it we both felt was important she agreed and I think that the goal would be to follow this going forward so um we as part of the compensation study we are adopting one townwide compensation plan so it's not going to be this union follows this

union follows this so it'll be hopefully much more simple um going forward usually our past discussions centered on whether it was equivalent to other department heads salary increases.

That's was really the concern every year. So, yeah. So, it's exactly the same methodology, right?

Okay. Good.

Any other questions?

Are we ready to vote?

All in favor?

I. Any opposed?

No.

Motion to recommend article 12.

Are we doing the schedule A yet?

Are we doing the schedule A?

No, we're not doing the schedule A today. We're doing it tonight.

You could vote on the budget tonight. Um you had seen the munus version of it uh a few a couple times. We've made some uh we at the last meeting I did I did send out the schedule 8 to the to the committee.

You received that I think last week.

So um we did talk about building in a little bit of a buffer for contract negotiations. We did that. So the number you see here 113 389515 is what we're recommending for town meeting. That also includes the 4 and a.5% increase to the schools. Uh and then you'll see a couple articles coming up that kind of gets them to the to the 5% that they were looking at looking for. So this budget is encompassing of

everything. Um obviously we're in the contract negotiations. Cody and I are working through that. So um if there is anything above that going into the fall, we have the um employee uh capital employee stabilization fund uh that we that we would use for that.

Okay. Motion to recommend article 12 schedule A FY2027 budget appropriation.

Second.

Do we have any questions or concerns?

Are we ready to vote?

Yes.

All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 13 funding sewer and septic system betterments.

Second.

Thank you.

This is another boil um I say boiler plate continually asked for at the Springtown meeting.

So any questions, concerns? Ready to vote?

Just a quick question. Why isn't the um DT DPW co-sponsored this? Is there a reason for it's only the select board?

That's a good question. Um it's just the way it's always been done. Yeah.

It's a financial question. It's a financial article. So Gary typically comes from his office. Um so they don't really But it I mean it does involve betterments. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm just curious. I would No, it's a good question. We never question it because it's always been that way.

The betterments um get initiated through the select board. So that if I were to guess why it's been done that way, that's that's probably what it is. But it's um it's a good question to look at for the future.

Yeah. Anything else? Any other questions? Ready to vote? All in favor?

I. Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 14 funding solid waste enterprise fund.

Second.

Any questions, discussion?

The next few the series are all the enterprise funds.

Ready to vote?

All in favor? I any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 15 funding water department enterprise fund questions.

Ready to vote? All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 16 funding sewer department enterprise fund.

Thank you. Uh, any questions?

We're being really ready to vote. All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 17 funding down with cable TV enterprise fund.

Second. Thank you. Any questions?

No. Ready to vote. All in favor? I.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 18 funding waterways management enterprise fund.

Second.

Question why it's still highlighted.

Well, that's just about to happen.

That's the one that that's the one we made the one change. So, okay. Uh, let me just confirm if everything 386 59 Yep. That this is fine. That's all accurate. So, you can disregard the comment and the note on the side.

Yeah. Right.

We've done our We've done our math.

Yep. They're all set now.

Okay. Ready to vote?

All in favor?

I. Any opposed?

No. Motion passes.

Motion to recommend article 19 appropriation for use of collective bargaining stabilization fund. Second.

Any questions? Ready to vote. All in favor?

I. Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 20 appropriation for use of full day kindergarten stabiliz stabilization fund.

Second.

Any questions?

Ready to vote? All in favor? I.

Any opposed?

Motion to recommend article 21 personnel bylaw amendment position title and compensation changes.

Second. Any questions?

I have a couple questions about the positions. I guess we didn't see them before.

So, these are all um there's no new positions here. Um, this is essentially all of the the schedule A is your non-union um non-contracted positions within the town. So there's not very many. It primarily consists of the staff at my office, the public health nurse, some COA staff, um the the administrative assistant at DPW and executive assistant the police chief. So confidential

positions primarily is what it's made up of. Um so the this is just the reclass um effective for those positions. The what that was recommended and adopted by the select board schedule E are all of those um part-time seasonal positions and um it's that's the same there is we took the recclass and implementing those. So did some of these titles change? Uh, let's see. The there are um

executive assistant to the police chief is technically a new title. It used to be administrative assistant to the police chief. Um, substance use is the same. Uh, it just looked different some of them when I scanned them. That's communications manager used to be communications coordinator. Uh, so it's manager instead of coordinator. Uh, executive assistant to the town administrator is now operations

assistant to the town administrator. Um those are the only changes.

Yeah.

Question. Why aren't we um are they new positions on these? So why don't we listen the old range? You know, I'm looking at this. Okay. You know, there's a range 26 to $34 an hour. But what was it for? Was it 24 to 32 before? Was it 8 to 12 before?

Yeah, sure. We can I looked at previous warrants and it's never been done. So I just follow the same way that it's always it's been done in the town. But if if I'm just curious I don't I don't know if that will someone else would caution that saying well yeah we'll I mean we have changes uh we we have the information available um and ready if there's a particular question

but if if the committee feels it would be so financially I'd be interested in um you know we know it's only going in one direction and that's up.

Yeah of course. So is it overall a 2% increase a 12% increase it just be well the the ranges vary right because the the position this is based on the reclass so it's all new range but the the methodology of application is the same as I had mentioned with the town clerk we take their current compensation we plug them in on the new range and so even though the range itself may you may

see a 10 or 12% increase in the range that doesn't mean the employees getting in no case actually is the employee getting a 10 or 12% Um so every individual will be different but the ranges generally are in that 10 to 12% range higher overall.

What might be helpful to do here is to say um maybe in our response that this is a response based on the study that was study which is why it looks different because it does look different. It's Yeah. So that might explain why that's there from before.

And maybe like you said, I'm not sure you would have range from before because you actually had people being paid one amount, right? It wasn't Yeah. So the schedule E positions were all I shouldn't say all. A lot of them were one amount. So um the we the range is is kind of a good thing. It can and it was less. It was fewer people too because it was usually just a sum of people

again strictly from a financial perspective. is okay, we've changed it.

We're putting in ranges, but still what are we handing out for raises? Is it 2% or is it 20%. I don't know. None of us know that by looking at this uh positions, not individuals that, you know, and we've done, right, maybe not as thoughtful as this one, as thorough as we've done reclassifications in the past. So I for one would want to ask the question, well if it's a 25% increase, yeah,

where do we fail in the past? You know, why was there such a a deficit there?

What did we do wrong at the last reclassification? What's changed?

Well, a lot of it is because, you know, we couldn't find people for a certain hourly rate and you had to just had to increase it to I'm just looking real abnormally. I think we all can get that that you know on average we better to go up x amount of percent but if there's an abnormally there where someone's going up 25 40%. It's like where where'd we go wrong? We don't see that.

I think too that some of in previous years the people in this section were not people that would be getting raises.

They were people who were just hired for the summer and it was a new crew coming in. But in this one we're including people who are here year round. So I can see why he's asking that question about that's why I asked about new titles because it's nowhere near the typical list that we see at this time.

Right. But I think when we do the ration, we have to think about a nice description of the compensation study so people understand it a little bit more clearly. That would have to get the right to say number one, it's not new positions. It's just maybe some changes in title, but number two that it's including some people that are normally on the payroll and that and it is including

I'm sure there's many people that have no idea there was a compensation study done.

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So there needs to be a whatever built into the rational into the rational and we do that a lot in the rationale. We tend to take whatever they wrote in the warrant article which can sometimes be almost foreign language and we have to put it into plain English so people say oh that's what it's for.

Yeah.

So anyways I can create a um a sheet for you you know for for everyone to have at town meeting the and the only I'm not trying to not be transparent. If I put it in the warrant it's going to add like seven pages. Well, we're not we're not implying that it's not prepared for the question.

Oh, yeah. We're prepared because if one of us is asking this kind of question, you're probably going to get the question from somebody in the audience also.

Yeah. Yeah. We have a full sheet of what the current, you know, ranges are and what the new ranges are.

I'd still like to see the information before Tom. I don't want to be up there looking like a fool. Wow. You people voted for a 60% increase in that. What were you thinking? You know, uh No, cuz that I agree. It looks startling when you see the titles and you think, hm, what's happening?

I understand. And I know you've probably already had this all approved or wouldn't be here by town council.

This wording is done. Yeah. So, the wording is done. We're not changing the wording.

No, we can offer up an explanation.

Um, any more questions? Ready to vote?

All in favor of article 21? I I Any opposed?

Okay.

Article 22.

Uh motion to recommend article 22 general bylaw member amendment chapter 134 section 15.

Second.

Thank you. Any questions about the dog hearing officer?

Are we ready to vote? All in favor?

I. Any opposed?

And motion to recommend.

You can skip 23. We're still We're going to say it's all highlight.

Still waiting on council to We're going to skip that right now.

Skip article 23.

You're going to skip 24.

Skip 24. Oh, 24 is not Oh, it hasn't been reviewed by the Okay.

So, 24 25 is in final format, which is the um the crypto ATM uh bylaw.

Wait a minute. I got to get past the tree.

Taking a while.

My eyes glaze over.

Uhhuh.

Crypto.

I'm sorry. So, article 25 we can vote on.

You can. Yeah. Um, in in essence, it bans the crypto ATMs within the town of Dartmouth. It gives uh any current locations, they have 60 days to for them to be removed. Um, $300 fine. It gives uh enforcement authority to um police department, public health, and inspectional services.

This is this comes from the police department recommendation. Uh FBI has come out as well. These are these are 99.9% used for crime. Um you know it's not it's not people who are looking to buy cryptocurrency and invest in it because people go through you know a trading brokerage. This is um what what's happening a lot is you this scam sometimes with elderly you know your grandson's in trouble. you need to go to

this ATM and send me five bitcoin to and those are the things that are typically happening with these ATMs.

Crazy. You want to make crazy motion to recommend article 25 establish establishment of cryptocurrency ATM bylaw?

Second.

Thank you. Um any more questions?

Are we ready to vote?

Yeah.

All in favor?

I.

Any opposed?

Okay, another one. Uh, okay. So, I know the language isn't in here. Should we vote on this I mean, you know, um I know we had the we had everything. I mean, so you should you should be able to make at least hopefully a decision at that point. The language is just the legal language for what what the article actually is, but it's not changing from what. But if you wanted to wait for it

to be inserted, you could. Um, I'd rather have the language before we vote on something personal voting on that. There's no language on in front of us. Just No. Right. I mean, I know we had a detailed presentation, but yeah, just in case.

I'd rather have it insured.

Yes, they voted on something that said Brian to insert language.

Uh next motion to recommend article 2 27 acceptance of general laws chapter 59 section 5 clause 22G expanded veterans exemptions.

Second. Thank you. Uh questions, discussions? I know this has something to do with accepting something that was done by state law. Is that correct, Cody? So, if we accept this, it's a state law. Essentially, right now, if you have a a veteran um who whose property is in a trust, they're not eligible to get the veterans exemptions through um real estate. This would allow it if even if it is in a trust for them

to still get it because a lot of older veterans, you know, put their homes in a trust. It's a typical thing. Um and technically right now without this adopted, they are not eligible for that uh exemption.

And the exemption gives them I'm sorry I'm just reading it again. What does it give? What are they exempt from?

These are our the um current exemptions that we already have in place. Oh.

Uh for veterans the ones we voted on in the last year.

Yeah, we expanded them uh the last town meeting I think in the fall. Um I don't have the exact numbers off my head, but it it doesn't change the amounts. It because I know there were amounts listed.

Yeah. It extends that to basically someone who lives in primarily we're seeing trusts and there's a trust excessive funds in that account, isn't there?

Our overlay account is very healthy.

Yeah. Yeah. Several hundred,000.

Any other questions?

Are we ready to vote?

All in favor?

Any opposed?

So hang on one second just before we So I know these three next coming are considered out of order if that's the correct term. I heard many times the other night.

So um a little bit they're each a little bit different in a sense that article 28 isn't necessarily illegal. However, if it passes it doesn't do anything because it lacks it lacks funding sources. It lacks the correct process of betterments. So, um, Tom meeting could vote on it, you know, but even if it passes, nothing happens. The way it's written isn't correct.

So, it won't get withdrawn.

Uh, I mean, it may we we Does it have to be withdrawn by the person who Yeah, the petitioner knows um the petitioner's council is aware. We've met with them. They know what what's wrong with um the article. Um, and they know that it will not accomplish anything.

and we've given them a process of how they can accomplish what they're looking for.

Okay, Jerry. So, this has come up before where somebody who may not know, although you mentioned they have an attorney, and I'm curious about how it it seems like it sends a bad message for somebody to do this and then hear that it's not going to work. And I wonder if there's some way for people to get advice on this before they or is it is it legal to give?

Yeah, we can't give legal advice. I know you can't do that, but it would seem like there would be some way to help people who are trying to we let people know. I mean, if they don't take the feedback um we can't, again, we can't write it for them, but in this case, the What were they trying to accomplish?

They they want to extend the sewer system um on Allen Street is what they want to do, but they don't want to have to pay for it, which is not legal.

And usually it's paid for by the people who live there.

So, either Betterments. So, there's two two options. One is Betterments, which you need twothirds of everyone who's affected in the neighborhood to essentially sign on to that. Um, and then and then at that point, the select board would approve it, put it on the warrant, and we would have to identify a funding source, right?

There I mean, you know how our our um retained earnings are in water and sewer. So, somebody was just trying to get this taken care of and the town pay for it completely, which doesn't which doesn't happen. And then the other one is is that is you have every right to hire um an engineer to designo and then you can you can hire a licensed utility later in town to do the work yourself.

They hired an attorney to help them with it. You know, that seems like we advised the attorney all along of what needed to be done.

Okay. And I'm shocked honestly that the attorney didn't know better or or maybe they just thought it was worth a try.

Yeah.

I guess but I mean approach DPW what in the past the committee has either uh voted yes no or um I think in some instances voted to make no recommendation.

I would move to make no recommendation on article 28.

Well first of all we have to uh put the motion on the floor. Dear drop we haven't we haven't opened up the we have open discussion yet.

Go ahead make the motion. Yeah, I'm sorry I jumped the gun by asking questions, but we can't make a motion on is my point, but go ahead.

Yeah.

28 um citizens petition Allen Street sewer extension motion to not approve, not recommend. I'm sorry.

Second.

Yeah, second. Second.

So, it's not Well, we're voting on it now, I guess. So, do we vote to not recommend or not? What was the other choice?

Take no action.

Take no action.

Make no recommendation. However you want to.

I'd like to make a recommendation that we take no action on article 28.

Need a second. I'll second that.

Um, on the motion, why don't we just say we we presented facts. They're clear enough to me to say we don't recommend.

Oh, no. I agree.

I don't see why we take no action. Let's be transparent of, you know, not that we're trying to hide anything, but let's just come right out.

Let's just come right out and say it.

I withdraw my motion to make a motion that we vote no on article 28.

Do not recommend. Motion to not recommend.

I mean, I agree because I would that would open up if it were even a legally written article. I'm sorry. The town cannot afford to put Yeah. Right.

That's why I was suggesting no action because it's an illegal article.

That's true. But that that's the only reason I suggested it in that capacity.

No, I understand what you said.

In our language at town meeting, we'd be addressing it by we've been advised that right doesn't meet the criteria.

Well, if somebody's going to um ask because they and I think we can Oh, no. Because there'll be somebody else that wants to do it. You know, we we are aware that there are other uh areas of town where people have had to pay for bedments and that's how it's been done cuz then there's they have skin in the game as well as the town and we think that this should follow the same procedure, same practice.

We could never get a petition for the, you know, very north part of town. Now we have to run miles of Terry Terry's point, the articles been written. They can still go ahead with a citizen petition and ask the town to pay for it. They just didn't do it properly by the funding source. So, all we need to say is it didn't meet the criteria for an article on town meeting

floor. Now, it could have met the criteria if they said here's the funding source and we still could have said we do not recommend because we at that point we say it should be paid by the right people taking advantage of it. But anyway we're I got to ask a question. As far as this petition goes, do they have to get signatures before this gets How many?

Well, how many how many? 10. That's all they needed. So that's just the neighborhood basically.

Well, but no, it wasn't just the neighborhood.

It was primarily outside of the neighborhood right?

So it was more than 10.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. They got 10 is the minimum.

Yeah, you need 10. If you get 10, that was my question. How many they had?

Off the top of my head, I'm not sure, but it was certified by the top. Somebody does a citizens petition and they get people to sign off on it who aren't going to be affected, but they're friends. So, no, no, understood. Go ahead, Carrie.

Do we know the motive for this? Why?

Well, there's a failing septic system that they don't want to have to replace.

Somebody wants to correct. And that's very expensive.

I mean, I have I I have a septic. I know what it entails. So, that's a bummer.

But done this many times in the past. Not in in recent history, but there were many of these in years past.

Yeah, sure.

Yeah. Especially probably before they did town sewage, I would think.

Right. Yeah. I mean, it makes sense.

It's a hardship. There's no doubt. But when you buy a house, that's why it had the same problem. We had a septic system and you just have to Hey, it is what it is.

Well, I really was no action on this.

We're not going to say yay or no. No action. We're out of it. and the betterments in the capacity conversations that you observed today this morning that were so great at DPW kind of ties into this. So I kind of would be hands off but it's totally up to the the committee obviously.

Well my preference is to vote to not recommend I can recommend but and I think did we agree on that?

Yeah, there is not recommended because you can come all the way down to my end of town too if you want.

Or I want a refund on the Betterment ones that I've had to pay.

Right.

Um anyway, are we ready to vote?

Yeah. Yeah.

Voting to not recommend.

Not recommend.

All in favor of not recommending.

I Any opposed?

All right. So, before we announce these, I just want to background because they seem identical. they're a little bit different. So, um the 29 came in um and it it's it's illegal. Um and the the the problems primarily with article 29 are um no one we can't we can't overstep Mass General law. Mass General Law Chapter 30B requires that the chief procurement officer of the town um is

the one that issues RFPs and and and um contracts. no committee is able to solicit RFPs. Um so that's that's the issue number one. Number two is it's it um it recommends that there be a membership which is uh three I think it says three members of the public. Where is it?

Three residents of the public three. It doesn't identify a source of appointment and that's the difference between the two.

So that's the difference. they took out um some of the RFP language and they took out the um they they they are clear that the moderator um in the second one is the appointing authority. I will note that article 30 um is still being reviewed by council. So I would recommend that you not do anything with article 30 tonight, but article 29 has been reviewed by council and deemed to be out of order

for for those reasons as I stated make a motion. So um we have we have to put a petition article on the warrant. We have to we have to put it exactly how it's written. Yeah, we've had them before where they're not written. Well, and it can't be modified.

You have to make a motion before you before 29 for 29 motion that we approve.

Just recommend article 29 citizens petition form police station reuse committee.

We have a second. Second. Any more questions before we vote?

Um yes. So the language that we currently have before us Mhm.

is incorrect.

I mean it's not it's it's not legal.

Yeah.

Not legal. So can somebody from can it be changed before town meeting or someone can make a motion from the floor at town meeting to make it accurate?

It can't be changed before town meeting because it's the citizens petition. So everyone that signed it basically is saying that's the language that we we um agreed to. as far as an amendment u mean amendments on the floor of town meeting can always occur. Um I don't know what because you you can only amend to some extent because it still has to be within the scope of the article. So that would

be a question for council to what extent they can amend it on the floor of town meeting like if if changing to adding an appointing authority in removing the language regarding 30b and RFPs is still within the original intent of the article. So is it illegal because one of the reasons it's illegal is because of the way it's written.

Yeah. The way Yeah. The way it's written.

The way written.

Yeah. The way it's written.

So I'm in favor of the concept and it's unfortunate.

Article 30 is the concept with those changes made.

Right. But that one's still not correctly written.

No. No. I didn't say that. It's still under review by wasn't finished.

No. No. It's still under review by legal. But it it certainly from from my review it addresses the concerns in article 29. Okay. So I anticipate it it should um so I guess I'm g So if they had written if they had written it differently to conform so that means that it has to take advant it has to really show an understanding of the um of the Massachusetts law that governs

yeah we so town meeting can't approve something that it's that's that is illegal.

Okay.

So they're trying to take away in this, as I understand it, they're taking away the uh authority of the town to put out an RFP and to appoint people to a committee. Is that correct? So that that can't they can't nobody it's not really the way it's written.

It's just violating the whole concept is violating.

Well, the concept isn't necessarily violating. It's the fact that it talks about the the committee itself will solicit requests for proposals in conformance with 30B. The committee has no ability to to solicit proposals themselves, right? They can recommend that the town solicit those proposals.

The only one that can issue an RFP is the chief procurement officer of a community. That's and that's a that's a state law. And then the other major component of that is they they say three residents of the town, but they don't identify how they'll be selected or how they'll be appointed. And so if you notice in article 30, they took that feedback which we we let them know why

it was ruled out of order and they addressed those two things. They don't they don't mention um that they will actually be the ones. So they'll be soliciting possible use concept proposals.

Um and then also they specifically mention that the moderator will be the appointing authority for the residents.

So do we know why they didn't withdraw 29? Then they would have to get everyone's signatures again.

Oh, okay.

Yes. Because right because you let's say you signed up a citizens petition that's your intent that it's going to be so one person can then not decide hey I'm going to take this out and if you got 10 signatures it's not as big a deal but if they went out and got 50 50 Yeah right they have to get all 50 to resign right and if they uh got ahead of the curve a

little bit and maybe got legal advice before they put this petition together then it wouldn't have been deemed illegal but they should have sought more legal advice before you know again if they make an amendment from the floor.

Mhm.

Some type. So, is town council at that point able to deem it legal or not?

Yeah. I mean, council should be that's that's their job.

Just curious.

There's two pieces to it. It's legal as well as binding. Sorry, John. Excuse me.

The way it stands now for me personally, I'm in favor of the concept, but I've got a positive I got a motion to recommend.

I'm going to vote that motion in the negative.

Right.

And and if anything, you would if that's your feeling. Yes. Exactly.

Because I'm being told, I'm learning facts that it's illegal. So, I will vote not no against that.

Right.

And then a positive vote for me at least on article 30.

Do we get to see these petitions at any point along the way?

Uh, as far as what? What do you mean?

Signatures.

I mean, they're public if someone requests them. We don't um I might request it just because there's been a lot of activity around this um building and I just wonder if this is just another effort to you know sidestep working within the town to resolve whatever issues there are. Who knows what the motives are. But I I just feel like this has been going on and on and on ever

since it was first voted to demolish the building. And I really understand people's concern about housing. I get that. But um I still think it has to be resolved within the town. It can't be taken out of the town to uh I think it's just a group trying to make an effort to move forward. If you listen to the discussion that happened at the select board meeting and I know Terry, you watch those meetings. Um

you know people want to do something. I mean their hands are tied in many ways because of the use of the property right now with the EPA 2029.

I remember a few years ago we had in front of us and they wanted to do something with a shelter council on aging was getting involved and there was various ideas that were you know concerned about what we're going to do with this building. We're just going to demolish it or should we just uh use it for something worthwhile? Well, in the effort to stop that was the uh designating it historical.

Yeah, absolutely. I remember I remember I just think it's a frustration of doing something and and as discussed at the select board meeting, there is no money to tear down the building. However you feel about the building, there is no money or not enough to tear down.

It was enough until it was put on hold, right? Um, so I mean then there's just a whole controversy about the land, the building, whatever, but it's still not the building is not in use at all if I'm correct from Monday night, but the land is in use.

Yeah. Yeah.

Through the EPA. Um, anyway, so we've been sitting on this building for quite some time. So I I understand why, you know, they're trying to make some sort of action.

Yeah. I mean, that's that's what it's based on.

Yeah, that's my two cents on it.

Yeah. And Terry, you'll find my signature on it.

I'm hard-hearted.

I'm But you know, like I have said before, I was not in favor of keeping the cultural center and they have done a great job.

Right. There you go.

Over time. So, right. You guess I don't know everything. You don't know sometimes.

I don't know.

But it's not written properly. So, it's not even an option at the moment. It's not. You're right. That's right.

So, are you ready to vote on article 29?

Yeah. Yes.

So, all in favor?

How are we voting first? Are we voting to recommend?

No.

Well, I just want to write.

No, that's the motion. That's all. But we can vote yes or no. So, yes recommends that this article be approved or no says no.

Okay. Anyway, but the motion on the floor is to recommend to recommend.

Yeah, that's what I was getting confused about. Thank you, Terry.

All in favor?

Any opposed?

Opposed.

Okay. So 070.

Okay.

So I'm sorry. So article 30 is still under review. So we should wait.

Yeah, you can wait till next week.

Okay. Okay.

All right. Wow.

Okay.

I feel like we've moved through this much more quickly.

This arrangement of you and John working together. It's ideal. I'll take notes.

We should do this some notes anyway.

Saves a lot of time reading the article.

Really does.

Everybody else can stay at home.

That actually went pretty fast.

I like being probably too fast.

Yeah. They shouldn't vote, but we can.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

My additional Oh, yeah. Vote because we're waiting for the question. Is the special town meeting warrant?

Yeah. So, we can review it. I'm going to have you hold off on voting because we're reviewing projections tomorrow with the with our team to confirm the final amounts, but we can give you the essence of what what it is.

Okay. So, this is the special town meeting. Warren, could I ask a question?

Yes.

So, I see that the town meeting is at 9:00 and then this is at 10:00. So, the special is within the town. It'll close it.

Goes first.

Thank you very much. Usually opens the town.

Yeah. What happens is she'll get as through as many articles she can and at 10 she'll recess and then we'll start with a special and then she and then she'll again I wanted to mention just cuz you haven't been there that we they we open the finance committee meeting before the the town meeting and we keep it open in case somebody does some silly amendments from the floor that we then have to vote on.

So prior to that we have uh if any line item transfers.

Yeah.

So you vote on any line item transfers.

That's true.

So we got to get there really early.

Anyway, special town meeting article one. Yes.

Yes. So these all three articles are supplemental appropriations to our enterprise funds. Um so as as we dealt with in the fall, right? So in the fall we had a prior year deficit in our enterprise funds uh solid waste and uh water going into. So obviously at that point the budget for 26 was approved already. It was approved in June of 2025.

uh as we reviewed it, our revenues are healthy as a result of particularly in the water department our rate increase.

Um but you still have to have had enough appropriated on paper, right? So using rough numbers, if we appropriated $5 million, even if our revenue was 10 million, technically if we spend we cannot spend a dollar more than 5 million without an additional appropriation. So, we have the revenues to cover the expenses this year, but the expenses have come in higher than than a budgeted in June of 2025. So, it's not a

a um a deficit. It's really just a a budgeting miscalculation from prior year that we're making up for. So, the number so it's for it's going to be for um water, sewer, and solid waste. And we're confirming the numbers. We have a meeting with the the whole DPW team tomorrow. Um, but you we're we're roughly in the range of 200,000, 100,000, and another 100,000. But but the revenues are healthy. We're actually

right where we should be, and we anticipate retained earnings starting to build back up in all these enterprise funds.

So, we done this in prior years.

Not in recent history.

I don't remember. So, this is the first time that in recent history. Yeah.

Yeah. But it has been done in the past.

Yeah. I'm not saying yeah, you can we're being proactive. We could wait. Um but then then you run a deficit and then we're back here in the fall making it a deficit appropriation from from certified retained earnings. Um so it it makes sense. We know we know we have an issue. We know revenues are healthy. We don't need to wait for retained earnings. So if we if revenues weren't healthy, what would have to

happen is we'd have to wait for retained earnings to be certified. Then we'd have to basically pull from that to cover the deficit. That's not the case here. We just just didn't budget enough on paper essentially.

So do we know for we've had problems with the water enterprise fund. We've got in trouble. Those are now revenues are healthy. Revenues are healthy. We just had a 13% increase in the water.

A midyear rate increase. Exactly. Yeah.

So even with the um additional appropriation, we will start to build up retained earnings u within the water enterprise fund which is which is good.

So that's, you know, we have to get the amounts. Um, we're we're waiting purposely last minute on this one because we want to get the most accurate numbers because obviously we take year-to- dates, project out the rest of the expenses, and then that's whatever we appropriated. That's the delta and that's what we need to appropriate. Um, yeah, we capture one more month. So tomorrow was obviously May 1, so we'll

be able to capture April.

So these levels close to where you think they're going to be? I believe so.

Yeah, we believe they're going to be close. Yeah.

You still can't vote without it being accurate, right? No, I'm just giving you an idea.

Yeah. Yeah. That we anticipate being being around here. Like I don't anticipate it going from 200,000 to a million. Um thank goodness.

Yeah.

So next week you can do the remainder of the articles from the annual and then these three for the special.

How many articles do we have open? Do you know from your notes?

Should be um only the three and the three was it?

You have three in the annual and then these three in the special.

Oh, okay. You have the tree bylaw.

It's not very many. The tree the tree bylaw, the site plan review, and then the article um 30, the petition.

Yeah.

Okay.

So, certainly the first two shouldn't be controversial. They probably have a discussion about article 30, but Okay.

And then this is is what it is. Okay.

Good.

Okay.

Aren't we efficient?

Really? No kidding.

Sometimes I won't.

Well, we're fishing when we don't have a task to perform, right?

Right.

But wait, now we can go to the fun of letter to town meeting.

Your letter, right?

The letter.

It's not my letter. It's our letter.

It's our letter. Well, yeah, that's right.

Everyone's letter.

You did all the work.

I want to hear from everyone about the letter.

No, we we do we do that together. We always do.

All right, here comes the letter from this is draft two which I sent out today because I had some time. So, you know, I went back to it because I can't control myself.

I apologize. I have not had a chance to read it.

Okay, we we're not finalizing it tonight by any means. I'm sure of last year.

All righty. Big enough for everybody to see. All right, I'm not going to read the whole thing again. Um, so I got some feedback from Patrick at some of the red things and then as I said I gave it more thoughts. So of course I had more thoughts.

Yeah.

So of course it did make sense to put in Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026 as the meeting.

Kind of an obvious thing to overlook, isn't it?

Yeah. D. So it's in there now.

Um, so this is the same kind of funny.

I know happens. We have a discussion before when you stare at a document as long sadly as I stared at this document you you miss it of course forget things overlook things you don't anyway so the key initiatives are basically the same I had one wild thought because I happened to see a glimpse to my right when I was sitting at a meeting the other night of the portal were you peeking at my screen

I was I'm sorry it was right there like was right there and I saw what the portal looked like.

A test, right? It wasn't a testing site.

I didn't think it was secret.

Anyway, I thought it would be nice if possible to use something from the portal in here. Not necessarily here in that location, but I'd have to see how it fit with everybody. Is that possible that we could show an example?

Uh, yeah. I don't see why not. It depends what you're looking for. Well, please, because obviously none of us have really seen it other than my sneaky look. Um, it would be nice to, you know, what's your recommendation on what would be a nice screenshot that people might find interesting, like how somebody's taxes break down.

I mean, I think that's one of the points of it, right, that we see.

Yeah. I'm just thinking we only have it built out through 25 at this point, though.

I mean, it would beain Yes. So, I mean, if you wanted, we could pull um like a chart. Um if you after this, I can I can plug my computer and and show you what Okay.

what it looks like to an extent, but we could pull a chart and you can type in we could type in the average um tax bill and then show the breakdown of, you know, $2,600 goes toward education, $300 go towards this, like that. So, that may be an interesting that wouldn't be that would be great.

And just put an aster based on fiscal 25 budget, right? That would be quite useful.

Actually, we haven't closed We haven't closed the fiscal years yet. So, no. No. Understood. But it's it's just sort of a a teaser of what's coming and I think that that would be really interesting for people to see. I know you're not launching it per se by town meeting but actually we're hoping to.

Okay. Well, good. Anyway, that was my thought. That's why there's a red line there.

Good.

Could there also be Yes, go ahead. Could there also be language within the same context about the we're calling it transparency and improved communications these charts your Facebook communications the the snowstorm communications so somewhere in here along with these accomplishments increased efforts in communi in effective communications even with it in interdep departmentally I've

picked up on on some wonderful things interdep departmentally and I don't know if that's typically finance, but that could be improved communications and efforts because of of of the outreaches that we've made and you've made.

So, are you suggesting a separate key initiative?

Either that or the the the improved comm community the word terminology improved communications or efforts in communications.

I hate to take away and I'm not saying that that's wrong. I just don't really want to take away personally from the portal because I think that's kind of its own thing.

I I agree and that's one of the downsize it to be blended in with other things that are good. Of course, they're very good. So, do we all think that that should be another key initiative?

Well, you also mentioned throughout the document about transparency and I think that goes hand in hand.

Well, I tried to keep the sort of the theme as we Yeah. I I think that covers I mean we can blend it in more somewhere else if you wanted to. Yeah, but I think you you know really expound upon it enough.

Maybe maybe included maybe you included um under budget advisory group like at the endput comma in an effort to in an effort to um you know improve transparency among something like that. Maybe it's well it says it in the first line of it establish support and enhance transparency.

Right. I just wanted to ask what can you can you um I I'm sorry I'm just trying to It's not important. It was just No, really trying to understand.

It was It was a suggestion cuz I'm trying to think where would it fit?

Yes. Yeah, that's really I suggest that uh you know Cody is the top top dog in far as responsibility and communication how well it's working and if he wants to toot his horn and come up with something to throw in there not to me it's a team effort but what's that I I understand but you know if you think it's key then come up with something if not mention it but you know we could try to

guess where it's been and if you think it's worth mentioning it then has put in there. But you know, this is a letter to Tom meeting that used to be a paragraph that's now four pages. And you know, we could go on and on and on forever.

Oh, we could.

And u you know, how many people are reading it is what my concern is. I think if you wanted to mention something like that, your best bet would be in that in the first paragraph just to say some if the committee felt that way that you could say um somewhere along the lines of you know advising support informed decision-m um you know that over the last fiscal year the committee has seen you know um

experienced or witnessed uh in increased communication and transparency or something. Yeah, that's you know something broad and then these initiatives some of the key initiatives I think are part of that overarching theme last year. Okay, you have to say that sentence again because I don't type with any skill.

I think witnessed over the past fiscal year fiscal that was the word I missed.

Um the committee to increase communications community communications.

Mhm.

All right. Beautiful.

Yeah. the finance committee has witnessed or um increased communication and transparency efforts or from the town something like that from town administration.

Yeah, transparency.

Yeah, it's it's it's a team effort but Yeah. Yeah. No, I it's a noticeable difference, Cody, with collaboration involvement. So, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Increased transparency and collaboration.

Yeah, because we I do feel like we have a lot more collaboration than we've ever had. And maybe that's question. Oh, no.

There's no question and it's really appreciated.

Yep.

And maybe some of these examples are here listed below.

Yeah.

Delete, you know, it all.

Perfect. Yep.

Yep.

All right. Obviously, it's not going to say FC.

Yeah, that's perfect.

Yeah. All right.

Okay. So the question that I had and I'm sorry to bother you again but was it about the communications person we were we talking about that work?

No I'm fully satisfied with the uh conversation uh that's been had and with the uh efforts of communications because I think it's an important point.

Yeah my my my com I'm sorry it's so I don't know why I struggle here.

Yeah you're not the only one. Believe me, you're not the only one.

All I am trying to do and say, Yeah.

is that we have increased and improved communication efforts.

Yeah.

To our community.

Yep. We have with respect to meetings that we have and what we ask what I ask of town administration. I can tell you and the efforts that we are making to on television provide as much information as we can to town meeting.

That's why I wanted to ask because I do think that that's important to mention.

I do I think it's very important. So I'm happy that the conversation had. Thank you for allowing me to have it and thank you for your considerations to have the the language of effective communications in some manner, shape or form.

You get a lot of people here at the table with a lot of opinions. So it's not easy to say what you think but that's why I cats so yeah you know thanks thank you leave me um okay so it is a very important thing I was going to suggest taking out economic development committee only because it hasn't happened and it's an idea and everything else that's on here has happened

well it does say to be formed later this year I don't think that's a bad idea to keep it in there Terry because I think it goes with the whole theme shows an initiative Okay.

It's a major initiative, so I would absolutely keep it in would be my thoughts as well.

And it's been mentioned a few times at this point. Um, I had two of these that had dollar amounts that I was hoping to put in something something, right, that show a savings or something some kind of figure, which would be the gas utility uh renegotiation and the improved legal council process.

Gas utility. I I think I wouldn't want to get any more spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe spe specific tens of thousands because it because it fluctuates, right? Because the market for gas fluctuates, but but I can confidently tell you if we didn't uh

settle when we did, it would be tens of thousands over the year more.

See, I would get away from dollar figures because No, but I'm just some kind of range.

I understand that, Janine, but you don't want to get pinned down with it either, you know. So, well, tens of thousands is pretty broad.

financially high.

If you want to say that, then fine. But I'm just trying to figure out how to say it in there. That's all.

I would I stay away from it. I've gotten Brimp before with dollar figures.

Well, I would never put in an exact figure unless two people here said it was exact and that was accurate.

Believe me, take one of those.

Uh, and the other one was legal counsel. Didn't we have a range?

May I make a suggestion there to the wording as well?

Of course.

Thank you. The current wording I'm reading is improved legal council process monitoring.

Yes.

Could it be changed or include in some manner approval process?

Because from what I recall and what I've pointed out when I hear to Cody is someone is bypassing Cody for approving and contacting attorneys. So I think it would be wonderful to add it says processing monitoring approval process as well if I heard correctly and understood the problem correctly in the fall.

If I did not then please I know I'm just asking for general opinion on that makes no difference to me frankly you know I want it to be Mhm.

However, it should be summarized maybe something like the town has been um more efficient in the utilization of outside legal services because like I to point to some of that's true, but a lot of it it was really um I think I gave the example of rather than than having legal review it, we would have legal draft it.

Like we shouldn't be having legal draft contracts for us, right? We should be drafting the contract. legal should be reviewing the contract. So that's why I think maybe efficiency improved use of legal utilization. Yeah, improved utilization.

That sounds better.

I'm sorry. Where for the heading that example is exactly what the wording should be because that's you know the the approval process. However, you're reshuffling how that approval process happens because the explanation says that approved legal council utilization. Is that what we want?

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Well, you could say improve process to utilize.

That's kind of an odd.

I like what she said.

Sorry.

Yeah.

Yes. We good.

Improved legal.

So, we don't want to add any dollar figure.

No.

No.

The minute we add a dollar figure, we'll end up in some expensive litigation in June. And sometimes Cody I go back and listen to meetings and I hear what you say and I know you said dollar figures that's the only well where we are to date is where what the dollar figures I've given in projections to date but somebody will come back and what happen so I added per Terry's suggestion

citizens academy and frankly I cut and pasted right from how it was promoted wherever on social media probably good initiative sounds good why would I rewrite That's right. You should.

Somebody obviously spent good time to write it. Well, yeah.

Do we have anything anything else we feel like we need to add to that description? The only thing that I might ask Cody about at the previous meeting, I think I heard, again, I was away, but I watched on TV, but I think I heard you talking about fiscal policy development and working with Lynn uh Foster Welsh with regards to fiscal policy development. And I think that that might be something that

could be highlighted particularly from the finance committee if that's something that is warranted. So like review of financial policies yet are you saying I think so you may want to do that next on the next one because we haven't done it yet. We plan on doing it this summer.

Okay.

But we um we haven't we haven't done it yet but yeah I think it'll be a very good um so it will be in our minutes we will remember that way.

The only way I remember most things Terry.

That's right.

Okay. So we're good.

The flow is whatever. It hasn't because this hasn't been put into our letter head yet. There's lots of spacing things because we all know what's going to happen when it gets floated to the letterhead.

Yes.

Uh okay. So then I had the section of understanding the town's budget and these are two um pie charts from Gary and yes I kept it simple.

I like to keep things simple. Um, there was a suggestion made about splitting the property tax to show residential and commercial.

Is that a possibility, Gary?

I can look into that.

Just different shade of blue or something. And then obviously a description commercial then you're going to have to do you have to split into residential commercial.

Yeah, we'd have to show uh the three show all three.

personal property, residential, commercial.

Uh, we can I can look into it.

Okay. So, that was a good idea though.

Yeah. Or we make or we make a footnote that says 71% of this is comprised of that's what I would do.

You know, 35, you know, whatever the percentages are.

Okay. I see% kind of like the way the description is down the side on the left. Have another or put it on the right because there's more space.

Yeah. No, that something that shows the breakdown.

Yes.

Okay.

Good idea. Yes, that is a good idea. All right. And then same simple approach where the money goes.

Um, once again, pie chart from Gary and it's been shown numerous times.

Yeah. And I think like you talked about in I think last meeting, it's important that they that the public keeps on seeing the same graphs over and over. I think the narrative so the narrative doesn't change, right? you know, we we're consistently bringing that home to them and and we're not showing multiple different graphs of this this information regurgitated in six different ways. I think it's Oh, I agree.

You see in one meeting, they see it at another meeting. So, it's consistent.

That's how you do messaging. You can't keep That's right.

switching around.

Repetition of the same message.

And we saw this section last week. Um I'm sorry. So, these are the only two charts that go in the fincom's letter.

No, no, no. No, there's only two right now, but there's other There's another one already in this and then I'm open for suggestions.

Y yeah. Um anyway, we discussed the Dartmouth financial policies and why they matter was last week's discussion.

Uh there was uh a suggestion from Patrick actually to add the as mandated by state law. So, put that in there.

Other than that, it's the same as we agreed on last week. Mhm.

And you can see it was difficult last week on the screen to read the what was um bold. To me, that's the if you see nothing, you see the things that are bold. And I'd like to think that that's how you learn. Um and I just added one sentence about the town's AAA bond rating at the end of this.

see it if I due to strong fiscal management, conservative budgeting, consistent operating surpluses, and a low debt profile.

Where did that description come from?

That that was that yours? Is that yours, Gary?

The AAA bond.

The one in red. The one in red.

Uh, no. I don't know.

I wrote it.

Yeah, Janine wrote it.

Based on my vast experience, I've learned from Gary.

Well, that's I It's wonderful. It's wonderful. I just wanted to make sure it's complies, if you will, with Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

Every statement that Yeah. Okay.

And and I mean, we can go I I wouldn't I know Cody and I have talked about this in a couple other meetings, too, about the statistics and where we rank in that out of the 351 communities out of the 70 out of the 351, there are about 78 that are AAA, and we're the only community in Bristol County that's AAA.

Should I say that?

I I wouldn't I wouldn't necessarily put that in there because that ranking changes consistently, you know, over the course of time. Well, that's just something that the committee should know.

And how long have you had the AAA? We I'm not you. We uh I believe 200 Oh, boy.

12. I I thought it was around 2012.

2013.

TripleA since then. Thank you.

2012. Yep.

I thought of Dartmouth the other day and their AAA rating because I heard the mayor of Taton give a presentation and and as she should be was very proud of their double A bond rating.

They just got upgraded to double A.

Yeah. Yeah.

And it was just funny cuz I looked at AAA.

Yeah.

There isn't much of a difference. I mean, when you go like if you're double A three or double A, there isn't really much of a difference between AAA. But if you're talking like single A, there is a big difference, you know. Uh so, but it's it's very um hard to become AAA community. It's even harder to maintain it.

Mhm.

So, well, that's why I thought we should add it since it was about financial policy.

I think that's a good that's a good basic section to get people to understand how the money is spent or whatever. I just think people need to know this. There's too many people who don't know it.

Yeah, that's a good good sentence to keep there.

Um anyway, so the fixed cost non-discretionary expenses which was once a much larger area if you recall I was I looked at a couple ways to make it into like a bar chart or something like that but that wasn't that appealing. So I decided to just kind of highlight some of the toss the top cost drivers so people would understand that these are basically fixed costs and you know we have limited flexibility. That

was my point.

Are you utilizing FYI27's figures?

I am utilizing whatever figures Gary used most recently when he showed fixed costs.

Okay.

Should I change them? Uh we just let's make sure they're accurate because for instance greater New Bedford vote tech we reduce to 6.11.

Um okay so the idea I think is good but we just want to obviously make sure that they reflect the schedule A budget.

Okay.

Okay.

So we'll we can confirm that.

Right. And I don't think I'm looking at the right letter because I don't see that box.

I did I sent one this afternoon. I'm sorry. Right late this morning.

This is draft two.

That's no problem. I got one comment Jenny. This goes back to everyday operating costs we have in prints like do we can we get away from where are you where everyday operating costs okay I'm going back give me a sentence or space okay it's the second se it's the first section Dartmouth's financial policies and then it skips down to everyday operating costs there's a bullet goes up the top of the page health insurance

okay okay could we get away from the word like and just keep it uh parents, schools, public safety in town. So, it was just want the word like gone.

Yeah.

Just a little bit of word smithing. I don't mind.

I've lived through it all my life.

Me, too. Phil words me. That's it.

I've been wordsmith to death my entire career.

Me, too. You want to update those numbers? I haven't.

Oh, yeah. Please. Hang on. just a little bit of a so uh health and life 10.2 two uh greater benefit vote 6.1 pension and retirement uh let's see it retirement 7.3 three 7.3 pension and um debt service 7.3 that's tech of 6.1 debt service debt service 1.9 1.9.

How about the health and life? What was that again?

10.2.

10.2.

And then property and liability insurance. Let me see. That's 1 uh four.

Okay.

And then um is that all of them?

Yeah. I didn't I went for the top ones.

Okay. Yeah.

I didn't want to consume half a page of this, which is originally what it was.

So, I just went for the ones that were literally a million or higher.

just so people understood. Anyway, obligations represent a substantial share of the budget and limit flexibility, blah blah. Um, this section, fiscal year 2027 budget, came right out of last year's letter with a few highlights on changing the fiscal year. I didn't enter all the numbers yet. I just started to. Um, so I need some help with some of those numbers, but this is literally a cut and paste

from last year's letter. That whole budget outlook section worked last year, so why not?

You um Well, it sums up all the cost included in this total.

You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to. I just Yeah, I'll we'll get those to you.

Yeah, it's not critical that we know it tonight. We're not not expecting to finalize this tonight. Um, I put in the numbers from the warrant for the capital budget.

Yes. Yep, that's right.

Just the splitting. Okay. So, the last section is certainly open for review. Um, I just fiscal year 2027 and beyond budget challenges.

I just, you know, I don't want to read it to you. you all can read right away would take out will soon um and instead because I think it was clear from listening to the budget advisory group that we're facing it right now and it's being patched together we have face yeah I agree with you I have one face we have one because it's this year it's been patched together from three different sources

face a structural revenue okay yep and then I just put that into three categories ultimately with description s uh which I sent in draft one. Draft two I added um the comment about state aid is in red. That's I I honestly liked what Deedra said at the at the in the open comments um the other night in terms of um the the big picture. if there's some some way to um

I wouldn't ask her to repeat it right now, but that that piece about don't kid yourself that this is about uh finding cost savings someplace. This is about um revenue. It's about revenue and it's about the the fact that we have fixed costs throughout the budget.

Yeah. because I think people still think, oh, we can find some savings someplace and and maybe they could find some little teeny bitty savings, but not nothing that's going to make the difference.

I don't disagree, Terry, at all, actually. But I and I don't think I say that here.

Oh, no, no. I was just thinking out loud that what I was think remembering what she said about the kind of let's look at this from another point of view. It's not, you know, I don't know. Could we call this a structural deficit? Because it is a structural deficit and we talk about structural deficits. We don't talk about structural ref revenue shortfalls.

No, it's a structural deficit.

It's the way we're spending more money than we take in. Make it sense.

So like many communities is facing a structural deficit.

Um hang on.

Facing a fiscal cliff. Rome is burning.

So, you know, I might recommend we all take a look at this and really kind of if you we want to put it our collective thoughts together representing each others or if we want to try and try to communicate our individual thoughts as one town, one Dartmouth, you know, I I I was at the bag the other night. It was the first time I was at the bag. I never saw the bag on TV and I

didn't think that that was the bag. What was that was what the bag was doing.

Obviously, if you could see me in the back of the room. Um, so my own personal thoughts as one individual member is I need a little more time with this one, but I'm happy to yield to everybody else's thoughts.

Well, there's no hurry, so we can we can have everybody give their Well, I'm not suggesting it's not a hurry, but certainly I'd like to have a final copy by next week's meeting.

There's plenty of time to do that, right?

I agree. If people submit comments okay cuz I sent out draft one on Monday 100%.

So what what exactly are we missing with this other than if you want to change structural revenue shortfall to deficit?

I mean that's I I think for just my opinion, Bill, I think that it it's we still have a difference of perspective about what's going on here. And I think we still have some thought process that if we just get somebody from the outside to come in and look at things closely, they're going to find where we're going wrong and they're going to correct it. And I I think others of us, including me, have looked

at it for long enough to know that what corrections we could have made have been made. and still we find ourselves in the same place. We need more money. We don't know where the money's coming from. It's not coming from where we would like it to. Um yeah, there might be some ways to collaborate or um uh regionalize some things. I don't really think that's going to save a lot of I'm not disputing that. I'm just

Oh, no. I know you're not. I know.

I'm just saying the way this is worded, you hit on rising costs. Absolutely.

Persistent in inflation.

Yeah.

Revenue constraints. Absolutely.

Proposition two and a half really is one by way of the dodo and it probably should be looked to be eliminated or replaced with something else. Totally agree. Yes. We also um imply in the beginning of the uh the uh letter here about economic development all that which should be in essence you would be generating revenue from that. Yes. All these things could be again mentioned here but we already have mentioned it.

If you you mentioned in the late latter part of this as well without getting so too much detail it's May I go ahead.

Thank you.

I just don't I would like to take the opportunity myself to talk more about the town as a whole with respect to budget challenges.

I would like to talk and represent to the community that minimum aid is the problem and minimum aid community is calculated by but here we're talking about the school the school the special education the school minimum aid is also calculated by the equalized valuation in land worth that's not the problem of the public school department we don't talk about the net school spending conversation that we had the

other day at the bag, but no one can answer. But the FY budget challenge beyond is because net school spending isn't moving.

Well, we also but I'm talking in respect to just taking some time and by next week finalizing this and maybe putting a little more terminology into why we're struggling as a community because we're minimum aid.

Yeah. So, why doesn't that's not the main reason. Well, you're struggling because the state formula.

Exactly.

But that's not the main reason.

Yes, Brian. It's not the main reason.

You're right. But that goes over and above our preview here. That's the state that's a state issue.

I'm just looking for a bullet or two that kind of explains it. That's all.

And I think that this area go talks about revenue constraints proposition two and a half. Revenue constraints are also the way chapter 7 funding formula is calculated. So, let's put chapter 70 funding formula calculations in there.

If you're going to throw the expenses of the school department out there, let's throw the revenue issues that we have out there, too.

That's all I'm saying. Mike did his I have no objection to feedback. I ask for it constantly.

So, but I expect to see it in an email.

You're going to have it. You heard me at the bag when I was jumping up and down trying to do a public comment.

Confuse what we have to write though with what the budget advisor.

I promise you I won't. I'm just looking for a little bit. No, of course I didn't write this with expectation that this was a final. Oh my god. No, just under revenue constraints in your red line there. I had done a while ago state had remained relatively flat and then we go on to say the increase in share of the financial burden onto taxpayers. Now, you and I both know

what that means, but to most people, it shouldn't be very simple, Dartmouth taxpayers, because we're talking about cuz the state aid is funded by me as a taxpayer and you as a taxpayer, right?

The burden is on the Dartmouth taxpayers on when it's flatlined like it is. So, okay.

Yeah. So, OB, I mean, this is going to take one more pass. So, I mean, why don't you just Of course. Oh my god. You know, write this with this. At this point, it's bullet point. I mean, it's ideas. So, if you send it out, you have to get you'll have better word.

I think we we looked at half of it and I think we're in agreement on half of it.

I think it's this this I want people's feedback and I appreciate the draft because honest to God that could take so much time.

I appreciate the work that was done on this.

Absolutely.

Saves us an incredible amount of time.

Yeah. And I think I think it's 100%.

It's it's really cons it's really thoughtful, concise, and it's and it's it's brief. I mean I want to say brief but it's it's very informative right it's it's all informative but also fit on straight two pages there's a lot there for someone who wants to know right and and as we mentioned I don't think every town meeting member is reading it but the people who want to know there's a lot all the time about

graphs it's about actually having to read the document that's kind of what we we talked about last meeting could I ask one more question and are the so sorry does the finance committee consider enterprise prize funds a budget challenge for FY27 and beyond to communicate out to the town meeting because I don't see that here. And so that was something that I would add. But if it's not something that should be

added, I guess I don't know enough what to not put in.

Increases.

They're going to increase.

But that's all that I would talk about as a budget challenge.

Sewer, water, it's doesn't they can vote themselves increases.

So I mean maybe maybe keep it as maybe put it as a separate bullet and something that says um bud enterprise fund budgets are are monitored or you know some something to that point we can come up with something. It's actually a good point, particularly as we c as we talk about um our capital costs, right? We all know we're going to be looking for significant debt um not just in the

general fund but through the enterprise funds. And so with that in addition to the operational costs um I mean we're looking at some some some potential debt within our enterprise funds as early as this fiscal year going into 27. So actually it's it may not be bad to mention I don't think you need to do a full page or or even paragraph we need a bullet. It's an important point description. Yeah, I agree.

I agree.

And and something that's going to impact the rate payers only.

Yep.

Right.

So, not only you know your future taxes going up, but Yeah. Right. Your rate your rates. Yeah.

Rates.

Just out of curiosity, how many people are actually rate payers in the town like on a percentage basis?

Well, it um for water and sewer we have about um 10,000 accounts.

Okay. How many? So the in in um in somewhere around 1,500 1500 commercial maybe around there.

Um 1,200.

Yeah, around.

So you have over 7,000 residential um accounts and that's account. So then you know you may have multiple people living in within the home. So um it's a it's it's a good amount. And then obviously the solid waste um is different because that's open to everyone. Uh and that's technically a rate that that people are paying. And keep in mind some are on water don't have sewer. So So it's a combination.

That's a hard.

Absolutely.

Yeah. Between all of them, we we probably touch at least 80% of the town.

You know, between solid waste, water, and sewer.

Well, you saw by the enterprise fund, it's the large budgets and they're growing. So waterways.

Oh, no. That should be in here. I agree.

In some some shape or form, your input on that is welcome. Your writing skills.

We can do that. Uh, all right. Just to go ahead a little bit. We come back.

We agree. We're going to uh with particular care for the last section, come back the next.

Yes, absolutely. And finalize the whole thing. Subject debate.

I of course.

Well, I would suggest if you have if you if anyone has any addition as you read it, send it to Janine.

Yes, please do.

But you can't have, you know, you can't have a conversation.

That's why you can in Oh, yeah. Not not through email, right?

Can't through email. But that's why I don't necessarily encourage it when I sent it out. I mean, you were welcome to send me feedback individually. It's fine, of course. Um, and then we can incorporate it to a degree somehow and then next week, you know, hash it out again.

Well, let me ask a question.

But I just think there's a difference between inflexible operational costs than, you know, mandated instead of inflexible. I mean, there's some some nice work to be done here.

You can word smith me to death. can't possibly hurt my feelings. As I said, I had a career in it. I just I'm really looking at this as one.

I will bring my synonym finder and find Frank. Go ahead, Frank. When I come, I can bring you back some of my old bosses. You can have them here, too.

They're very good with Oh, yeah.

Anyway, let's just move on a little bit more so we can maybe hash out a couple things. Um, but yes, please send me stuff.

Okay. So, this is the only other chart that I put in here. Doesn't mean that we can't put more uh also supplied by uh Gary. So, I think it shows ultimately what's happening with what we have that 96% is already committed to the existing base levy and that we have very little to be able to um help us.

What does that mean? for lack of a better word.

What does that mean? 96% is committed to the base levy. Weird.

It means that this is already accounted for the base levy.

So it's already if you're looking for opinions, I find that paragraph incredibly confusing.

Okay. All right. No, no, please. only I as I read it you know over and over I I see what you're saying but also I work in this every day so I'm no I mean it's ultimately that we not it doesn't deal with you know things that are rising that we have a figure and that's fine that's why yes please you know send me some other words I just wanted I needed to have something

to explain that chart Mhm.

What's the other 4%?

I guess it's new growth. new growth and that exclusion growth allow I think I think the chart speaks for itself and I'm not I think it needs something Gary right maybe underneath the explanation is um the total le maybe a um a paragraph on the the town's taxing capa uh ability or capacity is made up of and you could go into you know prior years levy limit which then you could say 96% of this year's

well I think I think I I've been doing this for six years and I find this confusing so I think has to be we really got to dumb it down before finding not it's got to be explained and pointing actually the use of bullet points is the best sometimes the narrative can become convoluting and I think we could try to do something like for instance I this section we're just talking about where it says FY 2027

and beyond To deer's points, we could uh sub bullet some of these under like revenue constraints about the state and all this and all that. Short and concise.

Mhm.

Not too wordy because you know you lose people if it gets too wordy and I've learned that in the past too. Sometimes brevity speaks a lot more than an overexposed narrative.

Like I I suspect most people don't even know what new growth is.

I agree. So there would be an So it should be maybe to Bill's point new construction maybe to Bill's point under the chart bullets like right new growth equals right what new growth is exactly and and the chart will speak for itself when they see the numbers exactly and what is because even in the bag meeting people were getting confused about what a operational budget over that whole conversation

I don't know how complicated you want to make this I don't want to make it complicated but if you're looking for um something like Yeah, I I think you're better off providing somewhere here a sheet or half a sheet commonly used terms and and here's what they mean document because I think if you put it in one spot you may reference it somewhere else in the document.

Yeah, I guess new new growth means this uh debt exclusion means this year.

No, I know what you're saying because I felt like I did that in not separate conversation in the explanation of our financial policies. I thought I pretty much doomed it down to Yeah. Right.

As simple as could be.

No, I mean I think it's good because it explains how how it works. But I think a lot of these words are jargon that people in government.

Yeah. The average person doesn't know.

I think we could put key definitions somewhere.

Yeah. Okay.

At the end of the document that people can reference. We're not going to define everything, but what we think is key, but I mean something like a debt exclusion, that's key to the understanding what's going on now. And like I said in the bag meeting, people were confusing what the way we're going to do this is we we can review and send it to you and then you put it together and I will attempt

to put together what I have received from everybody. Okay. So keep it simple.

Is that the last chie?

Yes, it is the last chart.

Okay. So maybe ask so if you had that in this document that glossery of terms would that be part of this document?

Yes, I think it should be. So yeah, I think you can as long as it's part of the document.

Yeah. Oh, it should fit in somewhere.

Glossery of terms.

You like glossy. Oh, thank god Brian likes it.

Could I ask a question about an additional chart or the potential of additional of a additional chart? I don't know if this board or an other board right might write a letter. So, forgive me if I'm in the wrong place.

What' you say?

Another chart for what? The current 40bs, Hathaway, Hawthorne, Sheerborn Farms, the number of units.

What?

Hold on. Hold on. I'm almost there. The Hold on.

Okay, dear. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.

Thank you. I'm looking to identify what is our requirement for 40B housing. Is it 2,000 units? How far off are we on those units? What's the financial potential impact to 40Bs? Now, you don't have to go there because you all know what it is. All I am looking for is the number of units for the current 30BS that were 40Bs that we're talking about.

And if I'm in the wrong place, I'll go somewhere else.

No, D. I just don't I can't really connect the dots to this.

You alert at the town meeting.

That's all I I know the information is important.

I was putting the crap before the horse.

reality.

Okay. The only thing that I think that we could we could make a very general statement that there are because we're pretty close to approving these these three developments. Correct.

Say we're close to a decision close to a decision to a decision on that.

That's true. You want to say and you're starting Sherborg. That's what happened tonight.

So tonight was um the public hearing toward the end of the public toward the end of the public hearing for uh Sherbrook. Correct. It's premature and I don't think it's going to be as bad in some ways as people are saying. Although I'm not looking forward to the traffic to tell you the truth because they're all in my area but nor is anybody else.

But I mean it is what it is.

So it I thought if we were closer then I think it would make sense to put it in but it's we're not close enough.

Well I mean okay. So are we saying nothing about 40B so we have something that might actually relate to the rest of this letter?

I wouldn't put that in. Why don't we wait and maybe somebody when they make their amendments and they write it will have a good I don't see the connection at this point.

I don't either honestly because we don't know the financial information.

First thing is I don't think I think we have to be careful about saying 40s.

Second thing is I think we have to be careful about what we assume that means because I I hear people say we're going to have so many needy kids.

No, I know what you're saying. It's true. Not necessarily. It depends on who moves in and the 40b part of these developments is only a third.

So there's still 25% even there's going to be more there's going to be kids and kids in general need these days.

I'm more focused on private roads. But I will take my thoughts about that and um communicate those out to Cody. Lucky guy.

Cody, you are the man. It's just a quick little dog, right?

That's a top dog. I'm telling you, we need to write that in our top dog. Yes.

Then we'll get to see if he likes rolling at the top, right?

Cody topling for us.

Top dog.

Stick a sticker on him. Top dog.

This was a good conversation and it is a difficult conversation. So, I give us all credit for getting through it cuz we survived it. All right.

Um, okay. So, assignments.

This is I I have to say this is a lot more. This is like the easiest one we've done.

Yeah.

Every year it's like a struggle to come out with this. Really good.

We're not done. Let's not, you know, let's not, you know, until, you know, we're not done.

Oh, except except when I'm stuffing the envelopes to mail it, then we'll say we're done.

All right.

Yeah. Yeah. Really? when it's printed and be put in an envelope and in writing out the uh addresses.

Yeah.

All right.

Are we on our last page?

No. Anyway, everyone, please, I want input from everyone. You all know how to write email. So, I know that you can put something together on this or just dissect it right on the document, however you choose.

Um, right now we're at approximately almost five pages, maybe four and a half. If we could get it down to four, that would be awesome. I think I agree with you.

I think it would be great to get it down to four. I think agreed.

Well, then you do two pages front and back, you know.

No, I agree. I love even numbers. Four is good.

You were odd number last year. It does use extra pages.

The glossery of terms.

That's right. That's a fifth.

Also, you lose people's attention after page two.

A page of terms argue that most of the ter you will.

Yeah. Then people just sort of skim and see if anything catches their eye. So if it's too long people I will say though I think town meeting members are getting more serious about reading what they get asking questions which is nice.

No I definitely because I hear that in the olden days a lot of people would be open them up right at the town meeting. I don't see that happening now.

Well not as much I only want to frustrate a lot of people but it walking in the door and fewer in between but it did happen you know cuz you could hear the envelopes.

Yes. Absolutely true.

So the goal is to finish this next week.

I would love to see it done by the end that we have.

Do we need to schedule another meeting to do that or do you think we can do it?

Well, it it it has to be finalized by next week because the packet needs to go to uh the clerk.

So it has to be This doesn't go in the packet.

But I mean unless you want we want to have an additional meeting, right?

I would like to Hang on a second. Just I need to look at the calendar for a second.

I would like to have it done next week.

So next week is the seventh. I think we can.

So how will we do it? We send our comments into you separately.

We have So next week we have very little to vote on. Is that correct? Right. We have very little to vote on that.

You'll have your rationale.

Right. So the that's a separate conversation. But yes, and I think we can get this done next week. I'd like to have it done so the copies can go to the select board before their meeting on the 11th.

So that's my one reason for you want to divide up ration to write.

Would that make it easier at all?

Well, let's talk about that. That's the next big task at hand. Um is the rationale.

So the goal the goal for the letter would be to be mailed no later than the 15th, right?

I would say so because that's way that's when was she when did the town I know it's two weeks before.

They received it two weeks before last year.

So she typically would be mailing. So that same time frame should be going.

Wow, that same time frame.

It'll have to the the the warrant has to be out by the 19th, right? Because we have to do two weeks because we have a special this time around and a special requires two weeks.

So she has to mail by the 19th.

Yeah. The latest. She she'll look to get it out probably around the 15th. We'll get her everything on the 12th. Takes her a couple days and she'll probably look to get it out the 15th.

That's two weeks from uh tomorrow, right?

Okay. Yeah.

Yeah.

That's different. So we're we're not in that packet. It's just understanding the timeline of everything because we still want to get it. So maybe it's a little bit before they get the packet.

So the plan would be get uh resolve it next next meeting.

Yeah.

Ideally, you think?

Think we can?

Yes.

Okay. Good.

Um so the rationale is a whole other project rationale and the pro it should be quick though.

Well I was not quick. Hello it's not controversial.

That's what I'm thinking. We agreed to everything. We've done them.

It's not about that, Brian. There's a lot of writing on that. It doesn't have to be. That's my point.

Do you think that we could do them in the meeting next week if the rational?

Yeah. Because I think if it gets done, this is how I work. If you don't know how I work by now, I write it and then wait for it to be chewed apart.

That's right.

If you want the Janine's method, here it is. I hate it. I don't hate it. It has a uh so you have a template from Yes, of course. Of course. And and it's a lot of cut and paste.

Do you want to divide them up and have people write the sections?

Let me look at it.

Okay.

And who is willing to do some?

I mean, I know you are, Terry, and I know Carrie is.

I She just volunteers.

I like to write, but I don't know if I like to write no. But if we're if we're dividing them up, I should be able to do some.

All right. Let me look at it.

Look at it and let us know.

Yeah.

Okay.

Feel myself cutting pasting already.

We're We're here. We're here to assist the esteemed.

But I know Terry helps.

Yep. I can help.

Thank you, Terry.

Brian, you can help.

I can help.

I'm feeling very frank about this whole process.

We'll take a few. They should fly through. It should hang on. If there was if there if we had controversy then that would take different then we have to write no we're lucky we don't have majority minority blah blah blah seven to nothing out of each one you lose no it's a lot of cut and pasting but it's it's a bit of work I just don't want to imply that it's

basically cut right out of the thing we recommend and then just recommend blah blah bl yeah she'll let us know I will I'll look at and see how I can split it and who accepts the responsibility that I assign.

I'll send you my notes that I just took, but it's not many.

Okay. No, that'd be good. Thank you.

Uh, do we have uh administrators update?

Always. Yeah. Do you want to hand me that cord and I'll give you a little sneak peek in the budget portal? It'll take about 2 minutes.

Can I time you pass it down?

Oh, okay. You know, I'm the shortest one here.

And and I got short arms.

Oh, that's right.

So far, it looks good.

Yeah. What do you guys think?

Simplify.

I know what that looks like. I looked at it for 20 minutes at last week's meeting.

3D glasses on.

Something's up with that cord. I think it needs to be replaced in the future or something because well I'll tell you because I came in early to get it to work. It had for my case his plugs right into his computer but we wait we waited on this. We let that sit and then plug in comes here.

It's not my problem this time.

Yeah. He said it was going to So you had to wait for that to catch up last recognized it. That was definitely recognized it. No problem. I came in early cuz at home no problem. I'm telling you, I have a remote monitor. I have a This afternoon I went and I tested everything. I test you have a remote.

That's what I said. Make sure that it's getting it has something to do with letting the power catch up on this first and then plugging it in. I went through it with him.

See, it's recognized.

I don't know. Now it's Cody's issue.

What do you see in the display?

I think that came.

That's what I think.

In the meantime, do we have any liaison reports?

No, nothing for me.

There's nothing anybody namely reports.

Yes, in the bag the bagistas just as long as bag meeting.

Um, we submitted an interim report for everyone in the uh bag group to review and then get back and rewrite a final document. It'll take a couple of rewrites for the select board. That's it.

Wow. Very brief. There was a very good there was a very good DPW meeting this morning. Uh Cody and Gary also attended a very good um meeting from the perspective of announcing to the board of public works what the debt schedule is for the first time. They saw their debt schedule for the first time.

Discussions on capacity were had and I've been worried about those. So thank you very much for those discussions in regards to that. Cody will touch upon some of the other conversations. Thank you.

You have it.

I don't have You can log in.

No one else. Carrie? No. Bill? No. Okay.

I will say uh while we're configuring here for a second, um Citizens Academy is going great. Um we are doing finance this coming Wednesday that we have one member of the finance committee looking to attend. If there's one other that wants to attend, um let me know. We're trying to keep it limited. So, if there's two up to two members of the finance committee, I think um is fine.

But it is it's Wednesday here at town hall at 6 pm and our finance uh division will be going. So, Gary will be going assessing, collecting, accounting. Um so, we'll have that on Wednesday where uh let's see twothirds of the way through as of this Wednesday already. So, the only ones left after this will be um education and DPW.

How's attendance? Attendance is it?

It's great. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's pretty good. maintaining or was it?

Yeah, I mean there's uh No, it's not falling off. There's classes, you know, someone has to miss one or two. Um but it's been consistently um we have about 23 people that attend on average. Um we had 25 that we accepted. So on average we have a couple that you know can't make various classes.

Is there a good range of age?

A very good range of of of folks. Um age wise it's a very diverse group in a sense. You have uh individuals who have lived in Dartmouth their whole life. You have some that are have lived here for two or three years. Um, you have some that have school-aged children, some retired. It's actually a really good and the I think one of the better if they're better would be parts is it's

a group that isn't um already involved, right? My concern initially was are we going to get the same faces that we get.

It's not at all. There's there's there was one or two people who I recognized and and have some involvement and everyone else kind of knew. So, it is great. Um, the COA kitchen is out to bid. We have a pre-bid, I'm sorry, not a pre- bid. We have a um a bid conference tomorrow for any prospective general bidders and um bids will be due back from all uh general bids in I think

miday. Uh so that project hopefully award a contract the end of May, early June and get that uh on the road. We talked about the school bus. We talked about the supplemental budget bill. The budget portal is ongoing. Um, yeah, that's that's pretty much it. Did I go ahead?

Sorry, the supplemental budget bill.

Oh, yeah. So, the supplemental budget bill also you pulled in your 9C cuts the conversation.

No, we do not anticipate 9C cuts because obviously they wouldn't be giving us supplemental funds if if they anticipated that. So, that's good. Um, within the supplemental budget bill is additional funding to help us address the snow and ice deficit that we experienced this year. Uh, so hopefully that passes. That's part of the bus, the 150,000 for the bus there. uh we should know by yeah midmay is what we're what

we're being told. Uh and that appropriates Dartmouth is um somewhere in the $400,000 range I think is what they're looking to additionally appropriate us to help us with snow and ice which is good. And then we will not have that on the um special town meeting. We're going to raise the snow and ice deficit on the recap which is one of our options.

Thank you.

All right.

Let's see if this works. But if not, you can Oh, no. He doesn't plug right in either.

Oh, he does have an adapter.

Yeah, he has an adapter like we have.

Yeah. I wonder if it Did you You have an adapter too?

I do have an adapter, but we sort of proved last week it wasn't the adapter since Yeah, cuz mine worked.

As does mine tonight again. Try this one.

So, that's two different adapters.

Interesting. All right. Here, let's plug in.

Yeah. Could be an Apple thing.

No, mine's on an Apple.

Oh, you're not an Apple. Then why do you have an adapter?

Well, I have an adapter because it's the ports.

You don't necessarily have You don't have an Apple either.

No.

Oh, that should be It's the ports they give you depending on what model you got and etc.

Okay.

Yay.

So, this is what once we launch um this is what the public will Let's see.

We'll see. Right. So, this is this is that kind of I think pretty cool part.

You can put in what your tax bill is.

So, I'm going to take the average tax bill this year in Dartmouth, which is 5,276 and show my contributions.

What's the average? 5,276.

Yeah, 5276. And so, um you can see right the breakdown percentage- wise, and this is just general fund. Um this is I'm going to change it to 25 because 26 it's only going to show us what's been spent year-to date, right? So, it's not really an accurate. It doesn't show you the full picture. So, up here you can go 25.

And so, yeah, what you have is the pie chart breaks it down by percentage. Um, and then this is where it gets pretty interesting. You can actually see your contribution, right, to each of these categories. So um if the average taxpayer based on that 5276 bill 381 is for education um 954 is for employee benefits and other public safety uh general government public works. This does not include enterprise funds

because it's just the general fund. So this would be you know highway primarily um debt service and how do so if I want to look at my tax bill I have to put some number in that's required identify your tax bill. Well, it's not your tax bill. It's just a number. Oh, okay.

Yeah. So, so it's not linked to anyone's tax bill itself. It's just a general number, you know. Yeah. A general breakdown based on Yeah. If you took your fiscal year's tax bill at the end, whatever. Well, I think you told us your goal is eventually that we can put in our number and actually see this is you can put in your number. Yeah. Yeah.

Not not your tax bill number. Your dollar.

I know. I paid $10,000 in tax. So you put in you put in I put in six grand.

Yeah. Yeah. So I put in So I Yeah. I put in 5276. It goes through the I could put in if if your tax bill was $6,000, you could put in 6,000 and it would break it out for you individually.

It just takes a percentage of it and just throws it off.

For this purpose, I just use the average, you know, so so you can see. Um and then what you can do which is pretty good is so okay you know let's look at um employee benefits and other what what is exactly what does that mean and so it breaks it down okay well I actually paid $449 of my tax bill to health and life insurance retirement contributions so each of those line items you can

continue to break it down further um when you hit view breakdown so uh so a question on this uh are you are you going to do any kind of uh prepping in terms of letting people know how to use this thing.

We'll do like a video once we post a link, you know, a video. Hey, uh a quick tutorial video.

Okay, good. It's pretty intuitive though because we we have we have talked to previous people about this and it's a very good idea.

Yeah. And so, right, this is a health insurance. It doesn't break down.

You don't have to know about financial stuff to do.

Yeah. It sits on the website so anybody can play around with it.

Yeah. Yeah. So, it's um Yeah. I mean, you can literally put it in there anyway. you have to it's all factoring you have to do which is Yeah. So I mean like if your tax bill worth $7,500 per year you put in $7500 show my contributions and then it it obviously increases it and then you know so you can hit education and it'll break down by Dart public schools by by our uh you know

vocational in Bristol AI regional schools and then if you wanted to dig in more um you can see right most of it goes to personal services um and then p personal professional technical but you get the Um so if you put in the entire budget as the amount would you get the department budget the immunis um you will not get the um the detailed breakdown I just got 113 million and I'm paying

yeah you won't you won't get the detailed breakdown but you can get to the level so if I go to like general government for instance because that's going to be where where there's the most granular level um or we could even say culture and recreation that's going to show you Right. Uh, library and then you can break down, excuse me, library budget into a little more detail. Right. So, personal services, supplies. Um,

so what do you think would be a good screen grab for the uh fincom letter?

Uh, let us think about that. Yeah.

Yeah, let us think about that. But Dedra, so this so this gets down, it doesn't show it in like a MUNS report, but this essentially is because if you take the library department's budget by line item, it's library broker materials. It's office supplies and so you can actually see what may maybe more than a screen grab.

Maybe a link when we get to that point, a link because I mean there's a we just seen I mean you just saw like a whole bunch of different variables.

Our letter is printed and a link is useless. It's good an electronic doc or a QR code.

Yeah. I mean, I I think the benefit of this this um is less about transparency and it's more about education because I think right now people are getting their questions answered on Dartmouth helping Dartmouth.

Oh, that's a good out of the goodness of somebody's heart who knows who says, "Well, this is what you can do. This is who you can call." the new website plus this I think is going to give people more control over the answers to the questions that they have.

You know, I don't think anybody's been hiding anything, but the the length of time that it takes to learn how these things work and we all know just from being on this committee that it takes a long time. So, this gives people a chance to really get the information that they're looking for more quickly.

I have another I have another question.

What else does uh Clear Government do?

Do you have is this like an app or what does it do?

They do a lot. I mean, we're we're only starting Yeah. Yeah. We're we're starting with the budget portal. Um and then next year, we're going to build the budget in this. So So there'll be a budget document. We're actually going to submit it for an award hopefully next year. Awesome. Um but and then there'll be a comprehensive budget document within this.

And then there's other things we've looked at. Uh there's a capital planning module that that they utilize. So what this is this is step one. Get this built out.

But uh yeah, it's a really powerful tool. They're they're Massachusetts is really um unique. So there's challenges when software companies come in to work with municipalities in Massachusetts.

It's not plug-and-play like it is most of the country. You need to have a a system that can work for Massachusetts.

Clear gov works for Massachusetts.

They're doing it in like a hundred other communities. So they are a platform that we likely stick with because we know it's going to work. It it directly links with Munice, our financial system. Okay.

So it's it's the data. It's the real data. you know, we're not having to upload all these things.

So, you could say it's the program, but I give credit to you both and to the select board for being open-minded enough to give it a try and put it out there because we people on the finance committee have asked about this for a very long time.

So, that's awesome. I think it is.

Yeah. So, I mean, it's it's a it's a pretty powerful tool. We're still kind of fine-tuning some of the the data. Not the data, but how we want to display the data. Uh, but like this is the revenue side. So, this is 25. It breaks down the revenue by each and then you can do the same level of detail. This obviously isn't a tax bill because it's revenue, but it'll show you per capita per year,

right? So per capita, how much we brought in in taxes and so on and so forth.

Maybe we show off a few of them.

Very nice.

You know, maybe a few slides.

Can you demo it at town meeting? Can we do a demo at town meeting for the group?

Maybe at a select board meeting.

Yeah, probably not town meeting. Just want to be cognizant of everyone's time.

But but um a slackboard meeting definitely pre meeting too maybe. We have a lot in that though too. I'm trying to be cognizant of everyone's time.

Did we talk about a pre-T town meeting for town meeting members at one particular point?

Yes, we are doing that. So, if the finance committee is available on May 27th at 6 p.m. Um, you know, it's obviously not a requirement, but I think the more of you that are able to attend, it's good.

27th.

Yeah. 27th, 6 p.m. at I believe the high school, but we're confirming the location.

It's so awesome that you're doing this.

May 27.

Does somebody want to make a motion to adjourn? I will make that motion.

We have a second.

A second. All in favor?

I love it.

There. Great job.