Town of Warwick
Joint Meeting
Selectboard and Finance Committee
April 17, 2014
                                                               Minutes 
Selectboard Members present: Dawn Magi, Nick Arguimbau, Patricia Lemon
(arrived at 6:05pm) 
Finance Committee Members present: Rick Abbott, Bill Foote, Kevin Alden
Others present: Town Coordinator David Young, Town Secretary Rosa
Fratangelo Calcari, Highway Superintendent Larry Delaney, Police Chief
David Shoemaker, Warwick Police Sergeant Mike Gelinas, Firefighter Bill
Lyman, Moderator Miryam Williamson, Jon Calcari (arrived at 7:02pm)

I.   Call to Order 
Selectboard Chair Magi called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm in Town
Hall. 	
II.	Presentations and Discussions
1.   COLA (Cost of Living) Increases--Abbott wanted to know the
Selectboard's opinion on the cost of living (COLA). He noted that the
Finance Committee had not yet voted on the proposed FY15 budget.
	Young said that right now it does not look good for free cash. He
explained that outstanding FY 13 tax revenue from uncollected taxes, tax
abatements, and the possible Chapter 90 reimbursement in the $23,000.00
range will impact free cash. Young said that the 7-year average for free
cash is $74,020.00, but the estimate for this year is anywhere from $0 -
$35,000.00. He noted that if there is no certified number by the Town
Meeting, the figure will be $0.
	The discussion shifted back to the COLA. It was noted that the
current draft budget did not include an increase in wages for most
position. Magi said that the Police salaries reflected an increase;
Abbott added that this was at the Police Chief's request to bring the
wages more in line with other departments in Franklin County. Young said
that the Town's total payroll is about $384,000.00. A 1% increase was
suggested.
	Moderator Miryam Williamson requested that the impact of the budget
on the tax rate be presented at the beginning of the Town Meeting. 
	Young said that a 1% increase in wages would add 5 cents to the tax
rate. Alden said that 1% or 1.5% is not a large raise but he felt that a
1.5% increase would be a happy medium to help people survive. Foote said
that unfortunately this is a lean year overall, but he liked the 1.5%
increase. A 1.5% increase was favored by Lemon, Abbott, Alden, and Magi
as well; Arguimbau supported it if it was feasible.
	There was a consensus that a 1.5% COLA was acceptable, excluding the
Police and Inspector of Animal wages, which already reflect a requested
increase.
Lemon MOVED that everyone who has not yet had a raise in some other way
this year be given a 1.5% COLA. Foote SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 6-0-0
(full vote of Selectboard and Finance Committee members present).

2.   PVRS District Technology Budget and Financing --Young said that the
Bernardston Selectboard had voted unanimously to recommend this budget
be disapproved and voted down at their annual Town meeting. He explained
that the law says that the School Committee can vote to incur debt and
must notify the member towns within seven days. The towns then have 60
days from the date of the School Committee vote to repudiate it, or else
it passes by default. 
	Young said that currently there were 483 PCs in the District and 54
MACs, and that they need more than this. He said that most are from 2007
and run on the obsolete Microsoft Windows XP operating system, which is
no longer being supported by MS. Young suggested that this budget be
voted down and the District be encouraged to come back with a better
proposal, one with which he said he would assist. He said that the
District clearly needs more computers.
Lemon MOVED to recommend a vote to disapprove the PVRSD technology
budget and tell the Annual Town Meeting that the Selectboard and Finance
Committee do not support it. Magi SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 5-0-1. AYE:
Magi, Lemon, Arguimbau, Foote, Alden; Abbott ABSTAINED because his wife
is employed by PVRS. (Full vote of Selectboard and Finance Committee
members present).
	Alden agreed that PVRSD has a poor quality computer system, but that
clarification of the project is needed to move forward. He advocated
staying on top of the issue to get a better plan, as the students
definitely need better technology. Young pointed out that all inherent
costs of the project are unclear. Lemon wanted to see a spreadsheet to
show exactly what the $400,000.00 would be used for. Foote said that
technology has a lifespan of two to three years, and this plan is for
four years. He said that this plan was skewed, not well thought out, and
did not make much sense. Foote said that we need to get the District to
acknowledge that the current plan won't work and help them get back on
track with a better plan.  
3.   PVRS District Operating Budget--Young said that the numbers in this
budget do not recognize that we told them that Warwick could not abide
more than a 2.5% increase. He said that our current assessment reflects
about a 10% increase, which would raise the tax rate by about 80 cents.
Young said that the figure is about $60,000.00 higher than what they
were told that the Town could abide, and that it might have to be moved
on Town Meeting floor and then amended down.
Lemon MOVED to recommend the PVRS operating budget assessment with an
increase of only 2.5%. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 5-0-1.  AYE:
Magi, Lemon, Arguimbau, Foote, Alden; Abbott ABSTAINED. (Full vote of
Selectboard and Finance Committee members present).
	 
Review of Omnibus Budget Spreadsheet and Money Articles on Draft Annual
Town Meeting Warrant --Young gave a summary of the estimated revenue
projections and went over page 10 of the draft budget. He noted that the
Cherry Sheet receipts were up about $2,000.00. He explained that the
Enterprise funds were self-funding and in balance, and pointed out that
the proposed budget assumes that Town departments will no longer be
charged for Broadband. Young said that while he was hoping for
$20,000.00, free cash could be $0. He also said that the $40,000.00from
line #490, unrestricted grant program income, could be appropriated to
Capital Stabilization. 
Young said that the $3.2 million transportation bond bill item made it
through House/Senate Reconciliation and awaits the Governor's signature.
This would be used for the Route 78 project. He also said that every
town in the Commonwealth received a $40,000.00 supplemental pothole
grant, which must be spent by September of 2014. 
The warrant articles were reviewed. Articles for transfers from capital
Stabilization included Article 8, which was for repairs to the entryway
to the addition at the Library in the amount of $10,000.00; Article 7 
for a new snow plow, and Article 10 for the Police Department. Chief
Shoemaker reduced the amount in Article 10 from $5,450.00 to $3,800.00,
and Young said that grant funding could come through for the snow plow.
It was noted that if grant funding came through prior to the ATM, the
article would be passed over, and if funds came in afterwards, the funds
would be returned to Capital Stabilization. 
The spreadsheet for departmental budgets was reviewed page by page. The
Moderator line #7 was decreased at the Moderator's request. Line #90,
computer maintenance, repair and replacement, was reduced by $500.00.
The Conservation Commission asked for a $210.00 increase in line #114,
training and travel. Town Hall expense was decreased by $600.00 to
reflect discontinuance of the broadband fee. 
In the requested Police Department budget, lines #164 and #165 reflected
wage increases and #167 had an increase for cruiser maintenance. All
increases were requested due to doubling the on-duty hours for the
officers and the hours the cruisers are out.
Arguimbau had to leave the meeting for a zoning hearing, as he is also a
member of the Planning Board.
Abbott said that the Finance Committee had already voted to recommend
the Police budget.
Lemon MOVED that the Selectboard approve lines #164 and #165. Magi
SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 2-0-0. 
	It was noted that the 1.5% increase in requested wages would be
included in the next iteration of the budget draft spreadsheet.
	Magi inquired about line #323, training and travel for the Board of
Health, and line #360, Recreation Committee expense. Line #323 reflected
an increase of 650.00, and the Recreation Committee expense line showed
a requested increase of $820.00. Young explained that the Board of
Health wanted and needed to update their training.  Foote said that the
Recreation Committee, which has been operating with a budget of just
$500.00 for awhile, used those funds primarily for basketball,
exhausting the budget before soccer. Foote noted that the Recreation
Committee also wants to expand and add events. Young said that their fee
income has been lower due to less participation. 
	Lemon said that she wanted to ask the parents of the sixth grade
students whose artwork will appear in the FY 13 Annual Report to have
their children dress up formally and be introduced at the Annual Town
Meeting. She said that she would take of contacting the parents if Young
would supply the names.
5.	Proposed Article to Record Selectboard and Town
Meetings--Firefighter and Town resident Bill Lyman spoke to his proposed
article, currently Article 41 on the draft warrant. He said that it
would entail video and audio recordings being made of all Selectboard
and Town meetings, upload the content to the internet and archive the
recording of each meeting on DVDs at the Library. He said that it would
cost little to upload to the internet, and figured three hours for each
meeting at $10.00 per hour. He proposed a starting budget of $2,000.00
per year; $1,500.00 for the recording and archiving work and $500.00 for
equipment.
	Arguimbau returned to the meeting at this point in the discussion.
	Lyman said that most towns record the Selectboard meetings, and
while it may not be necessary it makes the meetings more accessible for
all, whether they can attend the meetings or not.
	Lemon felt that the article was premature and wanted to hold off
until fiber optic becomes available, as she was concerned that current
bandwidth required for streaming the meetings live is insufficient for
the task.
	Lyman said that it is important to have a full record of the
meetings and not just minutes. He admitted that streaming live might
produce some glitches at this stage, but the recording and uploading to
the internet could be done. Young said that $10.00 per hour discounts
what the work is worth. He said that $25.00 an hour would get someone
committed to the job. Young thought that $5,000.00 was a more reasonable
figure than $2,000.00, and that we could shoot for that in the future.
He pointed out that it would damage the concept if it were done poorly
at the start.
	Lyman said that recordings would provide full disclosure of
Selectboard and Town meetings, not the abridged version presented in the
minutes. He acknowledged the possibility that he had brought the initial
cost below where it should be, and suggested hiring a teen who wanted to
learn media technology.
	Magi said that we did not need to spend more money, and that the
minutes are good now. Lyman said that full and open meetings should be
full and open. Arguimbau said that Rosa (Fratangelo Calcari, who takes
the minutes at Selectboard meetings) is good, but she is not complete.
He saw no reason to wait for upgraded technology as people can use the
archived DVDs.
	Williamson said that videotaping is not a job for a high school
student, as it is much more complicated than it seems. She noted that
the cost of equipment had not yet been discussed, and recommended the
exploration of costs for equipment and a qualified videographer. Young
said that one site he had visited had a package of about $80.00 per
month, but the cost goes up with increased viewership. 
	Lyman said that the content of public meetings is real and valuable.
Lemon MOVED to table this until we have a complete written proposal with
all the figures including the cost of equipment and a professional.
Motion DIED for Lack of a Second.
	Young said that Lyman could get this article on the warrant by
petition, but the Selectboard had voted at the April 14, 2014 meeting to
allow the article on the warrant. Lyman said that he would be willing to
dedicate some time to the project.
	As Moderator, Williamson wanted to know if the wording of the
article is sufficient, or does a specific sum of money need to be
declared. There was a consensus that "a sum of money" is legal wording
when the exact amount is unknown.
	Lyman suggested that they try it and see how it works with a budget
of $2,000.00, and added that the content was more important than the
quality of the video.
	Abbott wanted the sum to be defined. Lyman asked for $2,000.00,
while Arguimbau favored a higher amount, at least $4,000.00. Neither
Magi nor Lemon agreed with Arguimbau.
Arguimbau MOVED the $4,000.00 be the defined sum of money. Motion DIED
for Lack of a Second.
	Arguimbau suggested obtaining a consultant's report and vote for
that instead of a video project, so we could find out what we can get
and for what amount of money. Williamson suggested contacting "Doc"
Pruyne as this is his area of expertise and he would be well qualified
and might be willing to give his advice. 
	Young favored phasing the project in by doing it in stages. He
suggested doing things in steps: first audio, then audio-visual, then
streaming live, then organizing and archiving, then DVD distribution. 
	Magi asked Lyman to speak with Pruyne; Young aid that he would make
the introduction.
	Magi proposed to change the language in the article from "Shall the
Town establish" to "Shall the Town investigate". Lyman did not want to
change the language. Young suggested softening the language to begin the
process.
Lemon MOVED that the wording of Article 41 be changed to read: "Shall
the Town raise and appropriate $2,000.00 to fund a pilot project to make
video and audio recordings of Selectboard and Town Meetings?". Magi
SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0.
 	Fratangelo Calcari read the motion aloud before the vote was taken.
6.	Continued Review of Warrant Articles--Williamson pointed out item
M in Article 4, the authorization of 13 separate revolving accounts. She
explained that she had requested this for the Zoning Board of Appeals to
fund ZBA expenses from fees collected as the Planning Board does.
	She also spoke to Article 6, which she had requested as Moderator.
The article proposes that a by-law be adopted allowing that when a
two-thirds vote of a town meeting is required by statute and the vote is
unanimous that the clerk can record the vote as unanimous without having
to take a count. She said that she had asked for this article because a
by-law would eliminate the need to take an annual vote.
	Abbott asked why Article 29 for dust abatement on unpaved roads was
on the warrant. Young said that by law the Town is allowed to apply dust
mitigation materials and charge the residents of the unpaved roads.
Highway Superintendent Larry Delaney said that this would have to be
done at least every time the roads were graded or raked. Lyman said that
the Fire Department might be able to assist in a bad drought season.
Magi noted that no one came forward willing to pay, and nothing was
received into the donation account established for this purpose. 
	There was a consensus of the Board to remove Article 29 from the
warrant. 
  
III.  Adjournment
At 7:48 pm, Lemon MOVED to adjourn. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED
6-0-0.
Minutes taken by Rosa Fratangelo Calcari