Coordinator Report June 23, 2011 Regarding vacation time accrued by town employees and our personnel policy, you will recall that we asked the Personnel Committee to review the policy. Tim, me, and our counsel all had somewhat different interpretations of the policy. The committee met and George Day will report on their recommendations and the clarifying language they propose to the personnel policy. Chief Shoemaker has provided the draft a new police mutual aid agreement between the neighboring towns of Northfield and Erving. He will have copies for signature at the meeting. According to the Town Clerk appointment of highway superintendent was for three years, is up June 30, and I failed to have it on the list on reappointments. It is on this agenda. It makes sense to me to handle this by your voting to add it to the list already voted. The Board of Health in their capacity of board of commissioners of the Transfer Station Enterprise Fund approved increasing the hourly pay rate of the attendant from $10 to $12. The funds are in the budget and this change requires Selectboard approval. I recommend you do so as the incumbent is doing a very good job and, most transfer station attendants are paid at parity with highway employees. This change won't even bring us half way to the level of our highway laborers. We reorganized the Highway Department last year and eliminated the position of machine operator. Subsequently we have our three laborer / truck drivers at pay parity. We have available 81 cents per hour under the level funded budget. I propose the board vote to increase the hourly pay of each of the four employee's by twenty cents per hour. Twenty cents isn't much of an increase but I favor it and it would come within this, the third level funded budget. The Finance Committee met and agreed with the Selectboard to transfer $1,780 from the Highway wage line item to the Highway expense line item. This was done because lightening struck the alarm system requiring extensive repairs. We have a $1000 deductible policy so will receive $780 from insurance proceeds which will be deposited into the general fund and become free cash provided the transfer is approved. You recall that MGL allows transfers of up to 1 % of the tax levy if approved by Selectboard and Finance Committee. If this had not been approved we would have used the insurance proceeds and will have be forced to purchase less gravel for secondary roads and delay some equipment repairs until after the start of the new fiscal year. The Fin Com discussed probable special town meeting articles. These included increasing the contributory (Health) insurance appropriation which was based on this current year and the amount was deficient. We will seek STM approval to set the amount equal to the FY11 actual expense, which is the appropriation plus the $6000 reserve fund transfer. Pioneer High School article needed as a project was approved for a Green Energy Grant from the MSBA. Warwick's share will be about $22,000 bonded over many years. 57% of our share will be paid by a state grant. The rules require us to vote the total amount not the net amount. I did not place this on the TM warrant because I want a solid number not a guess. We should increase our Ambulance amount by $177.25 to make this total voted correct / equal to the assessment. I will be meeting with Orange about ambulance service. The amount voted for the Highway roof could be reduced by nearly $5000 based on our lowest responsible bid on that job, by Bill Lyman of Town. The work will start in early July. Cemetery has an account that they can't touch without a vote of TM. It is comprised of funds from sale of burial lots and they would like it transferred to the Perpetual Care Account. An article to accept a local option law that sets the residency for Veterans a one year instead of five years to be eligible for tax exemptions. The state picks up the revenue loss in either case so it does not affect the local property tax rate. There is about $4300 in an account for admin of a loan program that we aren't using. The accountant says the funds may be voted for any lawful purpose. We could close it to free cash or use it as available funds for the above money articles. Finally the Finance Committee have begun to look at Community Development Block Grant Program Income Funds in the amount of $15k on hand and an additional $55k on account with the Housing Authority. You voted $10,000 to broadband accessibility grants. Some of the funds must be expended for grant eligible projects and some is unrestricted. I will work of getting an accurate breakout. I have in my life worked with these funds as an organizer, a project manager, and as program director. I hope we will use the funds to benefit low and moderate income residents whether restricted or not. The Finance committee has begun working on a capital plan and will meet again in about a month to pursue this.