[Speaker 9] (0:00 - 0:02)
We already have called our meeting to order, just so you know.

[Speaker 16] (0:03 - 0:04)
Recording in progress.

[Speaker 9] (0:13 - 0:18)
As I mentioned, we've already called our meeting to order. If you'd like, I'd be pleased to start with some introductions.

[Speaker 2] (0:18 - 0:27)
Yeah, just hold on one minute for us. Allie, can we get that thing off our screen? Yes.

And can you put us on attendees?

[Speaker 17] (0:28 - 0:28)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (0:28 - 0:34)
Por favor. We're going to do the whole thing. We're going to sing the National Anthem tonight.

[Speaker 17] (0:34 - 0:35)
Oh, that's great.

[Speaker 2] (0:39 - 1:02)
Please. All right, great. All right, good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the March 2nd, 2022 Select Board meeting. Our chair and vice chair are unavailable at the moment, so you'll have to suffer with me for a little bit chairing this. If you don't mind, for those with us here and at home, if you'd like to, please join us and rise in the Pledge of Allegiance.

[Speaker 10] (1:02 - 1:17)
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.

[Speaker 2] (1:21 - 2:34)
As is our standard, we're going to start with public comment. Public comment is an opportunity for members of the Swampscot community to come forward and talk about items that are not otherwise on our agenda tonight. We ask that if you have any questions or comments about anything to do with town personnel, that you please reach out to the Select Board or the town administrator outside of the public meeting, and that you also refrain from making political statements during resident comment.

You can make resident comment one of two ways. If you're here in the audience, which doesn't look like you are, you can raise your hand. But if you are on Zoom, you can raise your virtual hand.

Or you can e-mail me at pspellios, the word spell, I-O-S, as in Sam, at swampscotma.gov, and I will check my e-mail throughout the night to make sure that any comments that are submitted are shared publicly. So, again, you can raise your virtual hand or e-mail me at pspellios at swampscotma.gov. Seeing none, we're going to move. Actually, Sean, I think normally we do the town administrator's report, but I'm going to skip town administrator's report if that's okay.

[Speaker 16] (2:34 - 2:35)
Are you okay?

[Speaker 2] (2:35 - 3:21)
I want to get right to the real meat of the conversation tonight, which is a discussion with the town administrator and the financial team. Amy Sorrow and Patrick Luddy are here. Amy is our director of finance, and Patrick is our treasurer, who work really closely with the town administrator in putting together the town administrator's recommended fiscal year 23 budget.

And so they are here live with us, in addition to Allie Fisk, tonight to help us go through the proposed budget. We have on Zoom tonight with us as panelists the finance committee. I appreciate you all being here, and Tim Dorsey is the chair.

And, Tim, I thought we would start by you maybe making some introductions. I know you have some new members, so maybe we can start with that. Yeah, that's great.

[Speaker 9] (3:21 - 4:08)
And thanks for having us at this meeting today. We did call our meeting to order before, and I guess we will, if you'll allow, once we're done with the budget presentation, we'll close the meeting at that point in time. But in terms of the three, we do have three new members that have joined FinCom in the last month or so.

First, I'll introduce Suraj Krishnamurti. Suraj, I don't know if you can say a quick hello and a wave there. Suraj joined us about a month ago.

And if you want to say a quick hello, feel free to. Second is Eric Schneider, who is here as well. I think Eric, do you want to say a quick hello?

Hi.

[Speaker 2] (4:09 - 4:10)
That was pretty quick.

[Speaker 9] (4:11 - 4:30)
Eric, I believe it was an active town meeting member and joined us in the last couple weeks. And then the third new member of our team, who isn't here tonight, but maybe you'll get a chance at some point to get to know her, is Naomi Driven. She's joined our team as well.

[Speaker 2] (4:32 - 5:19)
Great. Welcome. Eric, there is a word quota, so you've only used one.

That's good. And each member has a different word quota, by the way. All right.

So anything, Tim, that you want to talk about or discuss before we get right into Sean's presentation? This is obviously just a really cursory overview for us to ask some initial questions based on feedback. As I mentioned to you folks earlier, we have in front of us, as we sat down tonight, a copy of the budget book.

It's been emailed to you just now, and so none of us have looked at it. And so we're all kind of hearing this first blush, and I'm sure there will be plenty of questions, and then we'll be going into our individual meetings and going through the usual budget review process. So with that, I think I'm giving it to Sean.

[Speaker 1] (5:19 - 7:37)
Thank you, Peter. Well, welcome. I certainly want to just echo Peter's comments that this really begins formally our FY23 budget process.

The budget before you is the town administrator's recommendation, and it really kicks off several months' worth of discussion about our priorities. With that, I'm going to ask Amy Saro and Patrick Lutter to join me with the presentation. We're all going to step through slides that we've put together in a format that we've used over the last few years, but it really will just outline the expenditures.

So if we can bring that up. So if we just go to the first slide, this is really a breakdown proportionally of where, you know, we spend the money. The budget as presented is $78,971,091.

That includes town and general fund appropriations. You know, general government reflects about 26% of the overall budget. Community development is 1%.

Public safety is 12%. Public services is 5%. Human services is 2%.

Public education is 39%. And our enterprise funds are 17%. This shows how the budget has grown over the last six years, and we've seen new enterprise funds, you know, be introduced.

This year we have a new enterprise fund with solid waste. Previous years we've included PEG or public educational access as a new enterprise fund, and this helps us kind of keep track of how each function of government grows or shrinks year to year. So next slide.

You know, this is an overview of the budget. We're going to go over the appropriations and changes, highlights of the 23 budget. We'll talk about capital projects and some of the ongoing challenges that we're facing, and we'll answer questions at the end.

So at this point I'll turn it over to Amy for review of our local aid.

[Speaker 4] (7:38 - 13:17)
Hi. So the governor's budget for fiscal 23 is out right now for our state and local aid, and it has increased about $122,000. However, our assessments have increased by $139,000, resulting in a net decrease of $16,000.

The House Ways and Means budget will be released mid-April, which will further this estimate. Our local receipts have decreased $175,000 from fiscal 22 to now, an estimate of 4.396. This reflects the transition of the solid waste-related fees out of the general fund and into the enterprise fund. We will continue to estimate receipts conservatively based on actual historic receipts collected, and we will update as we get new information from the state or anything else that changes.

As always, our fiscal 23 budget follows the policy of 2% plus $425,000 of new growth. That gives the general fund guideline of $66,119,160 for this fiscal year. This budget does include $9,844,890 for the enterprise budget, the PEG public access that you are watching this on right now, the new solid waste enterprise fund, and water and sewer.

We're also anticipating the need to use stabilization at a future town meeting to take care of part of the debt service for the new elementary school, and this was discussed during the proposals over the summer. I apologize for the wordiness of this slide. So, in October, we released the guidance to all town departments, giving them three different scenarios.

One to level fund their budget, one with a 2% reduction because we weren't sure how things were going to look with the pandemic, and kind of an optimistic budget, you know, a program budget. If we had additional funds, what would that look like for those departments? The budgets were due back from department heads mid-November, and myself and the rest of the finance team did these department meetings through January.

to work through what the department heads needed. After that, the finance team went through all the budgets, balancing it, before we presented to the town administrators to make his recommendation. The proposed budget includes an increase of $213,586, or an additional 7% to the administration finance line.

The bulk of this is for known retirements and contractual end-of-employment costs. We, on the town side, cover the end-of-employment costs for town and school employees. We also have increased the salary reserve because all five of our collective bargaining agreements are not in effect as of July 1st, 2022.

So, we have some additional reserve in there as a contingency for those. Our community development budget has decreased $15,000. This isn't a true decrease.

A lot of this was at one of our special town meetings. We had to give an additional $30,000 to community development for contracted consulting. That was part of the Windsor Park.

But, the health department has reduced the number of nurses that they had due back to pre-pandemic levels. And, we've increased the hours for the land-use coordinator and community development, who's been assisting Margie greatly. Our public services are down 4.4%, or $156,000. This includes five positions, which will be shared between town and school for the facilities department. It also includes some strategic adjustments in DPW related to landscaping, and a reduction to the ceremonial landscaping, because we're going to begin using that perpetual care fund. Public safety has decreased 2.62%, or $361,000. The bulk of this came from overtime costs that we will be saving with the reduction of minimum landing and leaving civil service. We are also in the process of filling six new vacancies for the first time between both departments outside of civil service. Our human services are up 1.67%, or $18,000. We're continuing to bring the senior center staff back up to pre-pandemic levels as they reopen. We've been working with the interim library director to support the development of their community programs, and an ongoing investment in public health and mental health. The education budget is up 2.53%, or $742,000. This reported increase in funding does not include funding from the non-resident tuition revolving fund, that was established back in fiscal 21, which provides an additional 1.69% to their budget.

[Speaker 1] (13:18 - 13:55)
I should just note that this is not the budget that has been approved by the school committee, and so this really reflects a financial policy guideline that was established by the board. I've shared that with the superintendent and the chair of the school committee. We've had several discussions, and certainly it's my hope that we can continue to work together as we finalize this budget, and hopefully we'll see some improved revenue, chapter 70 assistance, or other estimates for health care costs that would help be more favorable as we head to March.

[Speaker 9] (13:59 - 14:03)
Any questions on that right now? Can I ask a quick question on that?

[Speaker 4] (14:03 - 14:03)
Yes.

[Speaker 9] (14:06 - 14:15)
Slide, maybe. For 2.53%, I thought the guidance was 2.88%. Can you talk about that? Sure.

[Speaker 4] (14:17 - 14:33)
So the guidance is 2% plus 425, which is 2.66% for this year. There is a reduction in this due to sharing a portion of the increase in health insurance costs.

[Speaker 1] (14:35 - 15:23)
So we're projecting close to a 9% increase in health care costs as part of the GIC. 80% of the costs that are in the town budget for health care are related to school employees that are carried in the town's health care line. We simply asked the school department to pick up 20% of the increased costs.

So on the town side of the general fund, we're picking up 80% of that increased 9%, but at some point we have to share these costs. Otherwise, we have to lean harder into town budgets that have already paid or already been cut significantly over the last few years as we seek to just strike that balance.

[Speaker 2] (15:24 - 15:46)
But this doesn't include the increased end of contract costs that are sitting in the A&F budget, which led to a 7% increase in the A&F budget. We've said this in past years. At some point, we've got to figure out a way to talk about cumulative school spending and I can't remember what the...something 19. What's the form?

[Speaker 1] (15:46 - 15:47)
Schedule 19.

[Speaker 2] (15:47 - 16:24)
Schedule 19 is the one that they outline everything. But I think, for example, end of contracts can be very costly when you have 10 teachers retiring and they have accrued back time, unpaid time, and we're paying it out of the town side of it, so it's payroll, effectively, right? And it's really expensive.

I just think it's helpful that we just got to, at some point, get to the point. And we're getting there, right? But to be able to say, let's talk about the increases.

We can talk about multiple increases. This is 2.53 assuming these things. It's 3.something assuming these things. It's 4.something assuming these things. Because the reality is, I'm guessing it's closer to 4 than it is 2.53 if we were to really look at direct and indirect costs.

[Speaker 4] (16:24 - 17:01)
Yeah, we've been discussing different scenarios for fiscal 24 on how we can back out those shared costs and then get to a point where then it's divided town and school so that everyone rises and sinks together. Patrick and I have actually started talking about a model for that that we plan on proposing way, way early before we start anything for fiscal 24. But that is already in the works and in discussion.

And that was actually a recommendation that Martha Seibert, the Director of Finance for the schools, had because that was modeled in a previous town she was in.

[Speaker 2] (17:01 - 17:16)
It is going to take so much of the noise of the negotiation and budget away and just have us talk about what are the needs and where can we allocate resources as opposed to saying, but we have indirect costs. No, but we have these costs. I'm glad you guys are doing it.

Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (17:16 - 18:07)
I do want to just recognize the Superintendent of Schools, Pamela Angelakis, and our Director of School Finance. They did present a recommendation to the school committee to keep the school budget within the financial guidelines. And I do recognize it's the school committee's job to advocate as they need to for the educational needs of our students.

But we're just in such a difficult position to balance all the other priorities, whether it's our environmental stewardship, public safety responsibilities, pedestrian safety responsibilities, that we do have to draw a line at some point and hope that we can figure it out. And so over the next few weeks and months, hopefully there'll be ongoing dialogue and we'll be able to just strike that balance.

[Speaker 4] (18:08 - 18:20)
And just to see if everyone, a quick bit of math, this budget is about $103,000 less than the superintendent's recommended budget. Just because I already did the math, so everyone else will know.

[Speaker 2] (18:20 - 18:23)
Wait, $103,000 less than the superintendent's or the school committee's?

[Speaker 4] (18:23 - 18:33)
Than the superintendent's recommended budget. So the superintendent recommended a budget that was within the financial guidelines. Yep.

And this is $103,000 less than her budget.

[Speaker 2] (18:34 - 18:36)
And is that because of the other offsets?

[Speaker 4] (18:36 - 18:39)
That's because of the share of the...

[Speaker 2] (18:39 - 18:44)
So her budget just didn't take that in consideration. Yes. And you guys have taken that in consideration.

Yes. Gotcha. Okay.

[Speaker 4] (18:46 - 18:48)
I'm going to turn it over to Patrick Luddy on revenue.

[Speaker 2] (18:49 - 19:05)
Are there other questions since we've asked them from FinCom about the topics, the overviews here before we get to other revenues and things of that nature? All right.

[Speaker 4] (19:05 - 19:06)
Seeing none.

[Speaker 5] (19:11 - 24:55)
Okay, thanks, Amy. So I'm going to talk about some of the components of revenue that we incorporated into this budget. We touched briefly on net local aid earlier.

We're seeing a decrease in net local aid of about $16,000 this year. Some of the major components contributing to that are an increase in our charter school assessments and our school choice assessment, as well as a low increase to our Chapter 78. So those are all education-related items that are kind of driving this decrease.

And in mid-April, we'll get an updated version of the budget proposal for the state from the House of Ways and Means, and then we'll have a better insight into where we're actually going to land in terms of state aid for our FY23 budget. Local receipts, a couple items that I just want to note. There's an increase of about $83,000 in local receipts this year.

There's an accounting change for revenue related to solid waste, particularly bag sales and things of that nature. Those were accounted for as general fund revenue up until now, and now about $200,000 worth that we budgeted for this year. Those monies are going to be accounted for in an enterprise fund.

So that's just a little bit of an accounting change that we need to be mindful of. Motor vehicle excise tax continues to be our largest bucket of local receipts, and we're level funding that. Vehicle sales kind of drive that number, and MSRP.

We're not seeing commitments that are going to justify increasing that number this year, so I level funded that. And building permit revenue continues to be promising, and we got a good estimate from our building inspector of about $600,000. That's accounted for in the budget.

And we're also anticipating increased interest income on our deposits because we have a large bond issuance that will be on deposit, and we're anticipating a rise in rates over time, so that's accounted for in the local receipts this year. I'm going to switch gears over to capital. That's another part of the process that we've been undertaking.

I'm meeting with CIC every Tuesday this month. We started meeting February 22nd, and they're conducting their departmental reviews of the recommendations that we've made based on departmental requests. And we're working on a 10-year horizon for capital rather than the required five in the charter to give us more insight into what's coming down the pipe and what we need to account for and how that's going to affect tax burden and those sorts of things.

So we're conducting that process now. We're using methodology that was implemented over the last few years that was developed by the Collins Center, and this has a lot of different levers and things that are going to help us rate these projects and prioritize and develop an appropriate cadence for things when we're dealing with requests that go 10, 20, 30 years into the future, things we can see with our assets that are going to be changing and the costs that will be changing over time.

So this has been a really helpful tool, and we're continuing to use that as we conduct these reviews. And I've also worked to update our debt management plan. We have a really good workbook for that that lets us look out not only for existing debt but also for our future capital projects that we're projecting out, what the debt service might look like for those and how it fits into operating budget ultimately when we do our forecasting.

So that's been a really helpful tool, and that will be available for everybody as well. And that's just a snippet of what that looks like. And I have five-year projections just based on projects that are out there in the ether to consider for debt management.

So these are debt service figures that are projected out right now for projects that might be eligible for a debt exclusion, standard projects, and our water and sewer projects as well. And some highlights for projects that are up for consideration in fiscal 23. We have about $4.9 million of projects up for consideration that the CIC are deliberating on. The largest single project on the list this year is $715,000 to continue work on our seawalls at Kings Beach and Isands Beach. Geno Kress has been working very hard to repair those walls to an acceptable level, and he's going to be conducting the next phase of that work in the near term. We have about $675,000 worth of renovations and improvements to our schools that Max Casper, our facilities director, is overseeing.

We're looking to replace a street sweeper that is 20, 25 years old, and we're looking to do street paving worth $550,000, which is largely funded by Chapter 90 funds that we get from the state. And there's also $683,000 worth of water and sewer improvements that are in the plan this year for consideration. And I'm going to hand it back over to Shawn to talk about reserves and budget challenges.

[Speaker 2] (24:55 - 25:05)
Can we just stop there for a second? Anyone want to ask questions on the revenue side for now, including capital, since we went?

[Speaker 12] (25:05 - 25:23)
I have one question on the revenue. On the revenue from the trash bags and the stickers, you have that out of the budget and into the stabilization fund. Have you forecast, do you have an assumption of how much is going to come back from the stabilization into revenue?

[Speaker 5] (25:26 - 25:56)
So just so I understand, those funds were accounted for as revenue in the general fund up through this fiscal year. Next fiscal year, we're budgeting revenue for those things in the same manner other than the fact that they're going to be in an enterprise fund. So we're accounting for those just in a separate fund.

You'll see in your budget book that I emailed out on revenue for the solid waste enterprise fund, we did put a figure in there. And that will flow to offset the cost of trash removal and things of that nature.

[Speaker 12] (25:58 - 25:59)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (25:59 - 26:10)
So staying on the question, though, so did you apply any of the stabilization? Are you recommending any of the stabilization fund being used this year to offset the general expenses?

[Speaker 4] (26:11 - 26:12)
Not for solid waste.

[Speaker 2] (26:12 - 26:13)
For solid waste.

[Speaker 4] (26:13 - 26:31)
No, there is a general fund subsidy of it. So similar to how you see the school budget as a single line transfer, you'll see a single line transfer of $1.35 million from the general fund into subsidize the trash enterprise fund.

[Speaker 2] (26:32 - 26:36)
So the trash expenses then are paid out of the enterprise fund?

[Speaker 4] (26:36 - 26:36)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (26:36 - 26:36)
Now?

[Speaker 4] (26:37 - 26:48)
So all the expenses and all the revenue directly related to solid waste will be encapsulated in that enterprise fund, but to largely fund it because those revenues are not sufficient for the expenses.

[Speaker 2] (26:48 - 27:38)
So to say different, if you use your $1.5 million number, our expenditures, we haven't looked at the budget, so I don't know this, our expenditures are estimated at $1.5 million, and you're using 1.3 of general and $200,000 of stabilization. So this year we're using the entirety of the stabilization amount for this. I know we've talked about, right, so we're using the entire amount that we have currently in stabilization to pay our enterprise.

Sorry, thank you. In the enterprise to pay this. We've talked about establishing guidelines going forward to only use a certain portion of what's in the enterprise to offset disproportionate increases.

Did you guys get any thought of that this year, or did you just say this year we don't have that, we need all of it?

[Speaker 1] (27:39 - 28:48)
We need all of it, and I think we need experience, and we have to kind of think about, you know, are we going to be able to generate revenue related to some of the solid waste, you know, expenses or initiatives that would help us offset those costs. You know, we have an active solid waste committee. We've talked about potentially eliminating glass from the solid waste stream and finding a way to reduce the cost of the solid waste budget by eliminating the tonnage of glass because it's not being recycled.

It's going into landfills, and maybe there is a way for us to generate revenue with thinking about that stream. But we're seeding this with the hopes that we can actually come up with a better idea because the reality is even though we negotiated a solid waste contract this year and we've been able to mitigate the cost to the town this year, those costs are going to continue to go up in subsequent years, and so we're going to have to think about ways to address the financial pressure that solid waste and recycling are going to put on the town budget.

[Speaker 11] (28:49 - 29:02)
And so are we solid with or are we still evaluating what the price may be of each overflow bag or, you know, mattress and, you know, those types of things, Sean?

[Speaker 1] (29:03 - 29:40)
I hope because I don't want to be changing that level of predictability. I want the residents to get comfortable with that change. I think, you know, the type of initiatives that I think we're looking at is are there regional opportunities for us to think strategically about commodities in the recycling stream?

Are there other opportunities for us to really get more material out of the solid waste stream like textiles or, you know, mattresses or other things that really are putting significant tonnage into the weight of the solid waste?

[Speaker 4] (29:42 - 30:20)
We also currently have a grant that is funding the mattress recycling program that's going to run until October of 2023. So we do not have any expenses in the 23 budget because they won't be realized until fiscal 24, and our health director has been overseeing that. Currently, the fee for the mattress recycling would not cover the cost of it, but since we have the grant, the town has no cost right now.

So we are trying to establish that program, see what the interest is, get the kinks out before we actually have to reassess that.

[Speaker 2] (30:21 - 30:27)
So do you happen to know what are you paying now for the mattress disposal and what's the actual cost of disposal on average?

[Speaker 4] (30:28 - 30:36)
So it is about $55 per mattress on a conservative end, and the mattress sticker is $20.

[Speaker 2] (30:36 - 30:41)
And that's consistent, and $25 is our big item sticker?

[Speaker 4] (30:41 - 30:43)
Mm-hmm, $25 for both, yeah.

[Speaker 1] (30:43 - 30:47)
All right, thanks. If you leave it out in the rain, it costs a lot more.

[Speaker 4] (30:48 - 30:49)
They actually won't take it if you leave it out in the rain.

[Speaker 1] (30:49 - 30:50)
Understood.

[Speaker 4] (30:52 - 30:54)
I have one question.

[Speaker 12] (30:55 - 31:01)
Do the schools contribute to the trash fee at all?

[Speaker 4] (31:01 - 31:02)
Is that factored in?

[Speaker 16] (31:02 - 31:03)
No.

[Speaker 4] (31:03 - 31:15)
The school doesn't contribute. It is factored into their Schedule 19, but similar to like Peter said earlier, it's not an actual handover transaction. It is accounted for on the Schedule 19, though.

[Speaker 1] (31:17 - 31:22)
But I think your question is do we pay it all out of the general fund on the town side?

[Speaker 4] (31:22 - 31:23)
Yes. The answer is yes.

[Speaker 11] (31:24 - 31:32)
Thank you. Are we pushing for the schools to take the organic materials out of the solid waste stream? Sounds like a great meeting.

[Speaker 1] (31:32 - 32:21)
Yes, we've had our Solid Waste Committee has had a few conversations with the school department, and certainly that would be a best practice. And so, you know, unfortunately it still costs us money right now to implement some of those best practices. So the organics, it costs money to do the right thing.

And right now with all the pressure on our budgets, we're looking for ways that, you know, don't cost us more money to, you know, start to generate revenue so we can actually subsidize those types of best practices. And those things are getting rid of the textiles, getting rid of, you know, glass or other material that otherwise are costing us funds in tonnage out of the solid waste stream.

[Speaker 4] (32:23 - 32:54)
And when you guys do get a chance to look at the budget, the solid waste enterprise does break it down by the solid waste and recycling line, the yard waste, composting, metal recycling, mattress recycling. I tried to break it down as transparently as possible, including buying replacement parts for the carts, buying the actual bags that people have to buy. So it's all broken down in there to try to make it as transparent as possible.

I've also set the revenue lines up to be as transparent as possible also.

[Speaker 11] (32:54 - 32:55)
Thank you, Amy.

[Speaker 9] (32:56 - 33:15)
Can I ask one capital-related question quickly? It's just on the sewer and water investments. Does that assume that there's no federal funding, or would that number change if the federal funding starts to come in, or is that independent of the federal funding?

[Speaker 5] (33:16 - 33:26)
That's independent. That does not assume, but certainly there would be other projects that could be accelerated if funding was presented.

[Speaker 1] (33:26 - 33:45)
It's a good question, Tim, and I think we can talk more about that with the Finance Committee and the Capital Improvement Committee in terms of are there other priorities, and are there unique opportunities for us to think critically about how to move some things around?

[Speaker 4] (33:53 - 33:57)
If everyone is good on capital and revenue, I will turn it over to Sean.

[Speaker 1] (33:59 - 42:41)
All right. So just getting back to our financial policies, this past year the Select Board and the Finance Committee finalized our financial policies, and so we've used this to really set standards for our financial reserves. We've recently gone out to market for the largest capital project in the town's history.

Mr. Luddy was able to coordinate his first successful Vaughn sale. Congratulations, Pat. And it was recognized by S&P that, you know, Swampskate has really done a good job over the last five years building up our financial reserves.

So when we look at the recommendations in our financial guidelines, we want to have 10 percent of our general operating budget available in stabilization funds. This would be a figure of $6.9 million. Currently today our FY22 stabilization fund is at $7.7 million, $1.85 million. And for our capital stabilization, the recommendation is for about 4 percent of our operating budget, and that would be $2.7 million. Currently we have $1.7 million, and we continue to really be above those guidelines. This keeps us really, I think, in a position of strength when it comes to not only how we present to the Vaughn market, but in terms of risks that we might face financially.

It gives us tools. Amy had mentioned earlier we escalated the debt service for the new school, and it will be our recommendation that we use some of the stabilization funds this year when we set our tax rate in the fall to offset the impact to, you know, Swampskate's taxpayers. Because we have these funds, we can, you know, act nimbly and really address fluctuations in the market.

And we can do that and still be consistent with, you know, our financial guidelines. Next slide. We can kind of look at, you know, the reserve fund balances.

We can see the growth over the last five years. You know, we've gone from a little over 18% to 28.6%. Our focus on building our financial reserves really has, you know, presented Swampskate in a really strong financial position, but it's been a key focus of the Finance Committee and also the Select Board in town meeting over the last five years. When we look at the challenges ahead, we continue to see increased operating costs related to providing health care benefits to our active employees and our retirees.

These costs are significant. It's my hope that they won't be as high as 9% this year. There are some indications that it may be lower, but we have to take a fiscally conservative position at this time because it's always harder to add more money when you're presenting a budget.

We're seeing increased labor costs and costs for certain goods. We've heard about the transportation supply issue that is affecting global commodities. The town is seeing financial impacts from that as well, and we don't know exactly how that will translate, but we do know that it will impact our budgets.

You know, we're seeing increased labor costs. We're seeing increased operating costs regarding annual pension funds and pension funding requirements. Our Retirement Board did decrease the discount rate that increased the cost to the retirement line in the FY23 budget.

I've asked the Retirement Board to reconsider the schedule, and it's my hope that they will do that, but this budget includes over $100,000 worth of additional costs associated with the Retirement Board that places a lot of pressure on the town's general fund budget. Ultimately, you know, with that, you know, we're likely going to be seeing an increased tax burden with the new debt service and with collective bargaining contracts and other liabilities. You know, the town currently has other post-employment benefit liabilities that are in excess of $119 million, and we have to continue to employ strategies to pay that down.

We're mindful of these obligations. Certainly, you know, they're things that we can manage, and we're in a much better position than many communities, but they're certainly challenges that place pressure on the town's short-term and long-term finances. You know, we're also seeing rising costs in the municipal employment market.

We're seeing, you know, a number of challenges with staffing, and certainly negotiations are underway with a number of collective bargaining contracts, but it's going to be challenging, and my guess is we're going to see many cycles of contracts where we're going to have to really think critically about, you know, some of these costs. Rising utility costs are also a factor. You know, we've looked at the cost of gas and electricity, and, you know, we're going to have to continue to look at that closely over the next few weeks and months as we try to ensure that we are budgeting sufficiently for these costs.

Inflation is also a significant concern as we look at every other line in this budget. Unlike other years, you know, I'm pleased to report that this year we have a solid waste contract that stabilizes our solid waste budget, but we know that we have to make changes because we're going to see costs go up in subsequent years. We continue to see an erosion of our commercial tax base in Swampskate.

This continues to cause a challenge, you know, and as I've mentioned previously, we just simply cannot cut our way out of problems. We've really looked at every line tightly. You know, for a few years now, we've introduced zero-based budgets.

We've asked department heads to go in and really lean hard on every line of their budget, and at this point, I think we've got to really focus on that growth. I'm pleased that the select board has looked at having a land use board summit so that we can all have a conversation about land and really the value of land and the potential for us to really think creatively about where commercial development can exist in Swampskate, but certainly, you know, it's going to take some hard conversations, and we're going to have to really think carefully about, you know, budget priorities as we look forward.

In terms of next steps, I just want to remind everybody that this is the beginning of a process. I don't expect that the budget that you have before you will be the budget that gets approved at town meeting. This is your budget.

I'm charged with presenting recommendations, but ultimately this is the budget that gets recommended to town meeting by the finance committee and through the partnership with the select board and school committee, and it's my hope that we'll continue to look at revenue and expenses over the next few weeks and months as we attend select board and finance committee meetings. At this point, I'm happy to take any questions and respond to any inquiries that anybody may have.

[Speaker 11] (42:44 - 42:56)
Sean, there was a mention of OPEB liabilities of close to $120 million. How often do the actuaries come in and change that? Are they looking at that annually?

[Speaker 1] (42:57 - 43:05)
Yes, we have a consultant. Amy, you work closely with our actuaries.

[Speaker 4] (43:06 - 43:08)
Patrick works with the OPEB actuaries. Okay.

[Speaker 5] (43:09 - 43:21)
Yeah, so that's updated annually. That's required as part of our financial reporting requirements, and we use Stone Consulting. We've been using them for several years, and they do update that annually.

[Speaker 11] (43:22 - 43:32)
And that's a function of discount rate? That's a function of? Correct.

Got it. So as rates rise, theoretically, our OPEB liabilities should fall? Yes.

I think theoretically.

[Speaker 4] (43:34 - 43:36)
In theory on paper, yeah.

[Speaker 2] (43:50 - 44:54)
Questions from FinCom? There's obviously going to be a lot of time to explore. I guess I want to go back to something that you guys have heard me talk about before, which is I really think it's – I appreciate that first slide that says we have a $78 million budget, and it's gone up by X percent, but that takes water and sewer in it, which has its own funding mechanism, its own vehicle, and it just – I know that in totality that reflects something, but it's also – it makes the year-over-year increases look disproportionately big. And so we just – I just ask us to, again, think about how we show it, because it's just – it's a different tool, and it has its own problems. Don't get me wrong.

And I think that's actually part of why I think it needs to be out there by itself is because we've got some serious rate concerns in the future about the enterprise fund. So I guess I would just ask that to be continued to be – see if we can start isolating that in how we're talking about our budgets.

[Speaker 4] (44:54 - 44:58)
Since we are going to be revamping the budget for Official 24, we'll definitely do that.

[Speaker 2] (44:59 - 45:00)
That would be great.

[Speaker 1] (45:00 - 45:22)
Peter, I agree with you. I think sometimes it gets confusing when all these self-funded enterprise funds get – when it gets dropped into a general fund analysis. It's apples and oranges, and we should really separate those and look at the general fund expenses, you know, differently.

[Speaker 2] (45:24 - 45:36)
I guess my other question had to do with human services – sorry, public services. Can we actually – can you – you mentioned it's a 4.41% decrease. And remind me what's driving that decrease.

[Speaker 4] (45:37 - 45:48)
That was a mix of the reduction in contracted consulting for community development and – oh, wait, you're talking public services. I'm sorry.

[Speaker 2] (45:48 - 45:49)
I'm talking public services.

[Speaker 4] (45:50 - 46:07)
Public services. Okay. That's okay.

Too many departments.

[Speaker 1] (46:17 - 46:18)
So we're using – Public services.

[Speaker 4] (46:19 - 46:37)
It was 156 drops, so that was reductions in DPW landscaping and sidewalk repairs, shifting about – I believe it was 15,000 out of cemetery landscaping to be covered by the perpetual care fund.

[Speaker 10] (46:37 - 46:37)
Yep.

[Speaker 4] (46:38 - 47:22)
And if you guys remember, the fiscal 22 budget for facilities included full-time, fully on-the-town maintenance positions for facilities. Since Max is a shared employee, he spoke with myself and the director of finance for the schools that having shared employees under him would also be helpful. So we have a total of five shared positions in facilities.

One is the facilities director himself. Three are maintenance salaries. All four of those people are shared 60-40.

And then there's an administrative assistant that just got posted today, and that's going to be a 50-50 share.

[Speaker 2] (47:23 - 47:28)
So what's the reduction in the DPW landscaping and sidewalk? Real dollars? Real dollars.

[Speaker 16] (47:36 - 47:36)
Sorry.

[Speaker 4] (47:43 - 47:45)
About 14,000.

[Speaker 2] (47:46 - 47:47)
Out of a total of what?

[Speaker 4] (47:48 - 47:49)
Out of a total of 610,000.

[Speaker 2] (47:50 - 47:52)
Got you. Okay. Thanks.

[Speaker 4] (47:52 - 47:53)
You're welcome.

[Speaker 9] (47:56 - 48:04)
Question on the health care and how you arrived at the 9% assumption. That's what I heard. For health care increases?

[Speaker 4] (48:04 - 48:45)
So the GIC has indicated that we'll expect to see rate increases on the premiums of 3% to 7%, which last year we had an average increase of 5.75%. So the model takes the enrollment as of January 1st. We're projecting a 5.75 average increase for all of those premiums at the current enrollment levels and assuming that that's what's going to be. So it's a 9.04% increase on the health insurance line, but it's only a 5.75% increase on the premiums, 2.5% average increase on premiums for retirees.

[Speaker 9] (48:48 - 48:55)
I just said that last sentence. I didn't quite hear the last sentence. I got 5.35 on the point.

[Speaker 4] (48:56 - 49:44)
It's 5.75% for the active plans on average increase for the premiums and 2.5% increase to the retiree plans. And those are the actual averages and increases that we had last year for fiscal 22. So as we get those real numbers in, we'll be able to quickly correct that projection.

I'm continuing to annualize the enrollment numbers as they come through each month to see if we have any giant swings one way or another in enrollment. We're not too far off from the enrollment last year. There's only a net of about 14 additional people on the plans, so that's not going to be a big driving factor on that.

[Speaker 13] (49:58 - 50:08)
Amy, when do we expect to see kind of the annotated detailed budget where we put notes on the way you explain some of the bigger changes so we have fewer questions when we review?

[Speaker 4] (50:09 - 50:21)
I will have that circulated by the end of the day tomorrow. I'm still finishing up the footnotes. We did a quick pivot today to get that budget book out, so I will finish the footnotes, and you'll have it by the end of the day tomorrow.

[Speaker 13] (50:22 - 50:35)
Okay, great. One other question, I'm not sure who wants to answer this, but I think, Sean, you were talking about this $100,000 difference in the school budget, I think you said, versus what the superintendent submitted versus what's in this book.

[Speaker 4] (50:35 - 50:36)
That's what I said.

[Speaker 13] (50:37 - 50:44)
You said, okay. Can you just explain that one more time? I wasn't sure if there was a third version, like a school committee versus the superintendent.

[Speaker 4] (50:44 - 51:11)
The superintendent's budget was presented at 2.66% increase. The school committee recommended a higher budget of about a 3.2% increase, where they took the fiscal 22 budget amount, added the $180,000 that was cut out last year, and then applied the 2% plus 425 to that.

[Speaker 1] (51:14 - 51:23)
So their budget, the school committee's budget, it was approved at $32,095,000, and that's a 3.2% increase.

[Speaker 2] (51:23 - 51:42)
I think Eric's asking about specifically, correct me if I'm wrong, Eric, which is just explain again why we're $103,000 off of the superintendent's budget, right? So we're the lowest number, just put it there. Superintendent's the middle number, and the school committee's the highest number, but we're $103,000 less than the superintendent, and what was the cause of that?

Am I right, Eric?

[Speaker 4] (51:43 - 52:21)
Yes. So because of the share of employees from the school who are on the health insurance plans, we conservatively came up with 20% of the increase in health insurance. So when you see the annotated budget tomorrow, it's about $515,000 in increase to the health insurance line.

20% of that was the share that decreased the school budget, which is the $103,000, and the remaining $412,000 is covered by the town and cuts that we've made.

[Speaker 13] (52:21 - 52:30)
Okay. So we had an increase, and we somehow made a decision that the school should pick up 20%, and that's kind of what's up for—that's what causes the difference or what's up for debate, so to speak.

[Speaker 2] (52:31 - 52:42)
Yes. Eric, that's only for debate between the superintendent's number and the town administrative's number. The school committee is still, you know, point-something percent higher.

[Speaker 1] (52:43 - 53:51)
So, Eric, several weeks ago I met with the superintendent, the chair of the school committee, the director of the school finance, and Amy Sorrow, and we talked about the rising health care costs, and we talked about the financial guidelines that we were seeking to meet, and I asked the superintendent to work with us as we address, you know, this significant escalation in health care costs. I asked Amy Sorrow to meet with Martha Seibert, the school business administrator. They've met several times over the last few weeks, and they've talked about, you know, what would make sense, and I've tried to be reasonable.

We've tried to take a very fair position, 20%, even though the costs are closer to 80% for the school district. You know, the town's not looking simply to just, you know, shift the dollar-for-dollar costs, but, you know, this is something that previously, you know, we would have absorbed 100%, and I just we need to think differently about how these costs are shared.

[Speaker 12] (53:54 - 54:11)
Sean, I have a question. On the actual health insurance, what percentage is school overall and what percentage is the town as far as the employees? Or participants, the participants of the plan.

[Speaker 4] (54:12 - 54:19)
Out of the active enrollees, the school is about 79% of the enrollees, and the town is 21%.

[Speaker 12] (54:27 - 54:33)
And I have to ask, why is the number 20% so low? Why isn't that a little higher?

[Speaker 4] (54:34 - 54:58)
Because the health insurance is a town expense. We didn't want to shift too much of the burden onto the school, where it was already a reduction to the budget, and we were able to find places that we could cut it, not that it didn't hurt, but we were able to find them and didn't want to shift an unfair burden, but we didn't want to shift too much of a burden onto the school.

[Speaker 1] (54:58 - 55:12)
So my simple answer is we believe in education, too, but we have to make some tough decisions, and this seemed to be a fair way to address that fiduciary responsibility.

[Speaker 4] (55:14 - 55:35)
And I do just want to share that because we set it as a percentage, as those actual numbers come in, if we do get more favorable rates, since the GIC did indicate 3% to 7%, there is a chance the premiums come in lower, then that will be restored to the school at the same time as it's restored to us.

[Speaker 12] (55:35 - 55:37)
When do the premiums come in?

[Speaker 4] (55:37 - 55:51)
They come in usually early April in time for open enrollment. They'll also be released on mass.gov for anyone watching who's curious.

[Speaker 13] (55:56 - 56:00)
Could it be higher? Amy, would you share the overage the same way? Is that what you're expecting?

[Speaker 4] (56:00 - 56:28)
We're not expecting an overage. The 5.75% included one of our heavier plans coming in at a 12% premium increase last year, so not every plan will rise at the same amount. So I'm cautiously, conservatively hoping that we are going to be at or under, but health insurance is much like the trash budget where we hope and pray a lot.

[Speaker 2] (56:37 - 57:50)
So I think it would be helpful as we progress the conversation, just if we can carve out the, I think Eric and Mary Ellen are asking good questions, if we can just understand here end of employment costs, things of that nature, if we really can kind of create our own Schedule 19 of sorts so that when we're really talking about this, it may not change at all the outcome of the discussion because at the end of the day we're funding education, right? But it would just help us put real dollars on the table so that when we're talking increases, there's no winners and losers here. It's about we're going to do the right thing at the end of the day, but there needs to be somewhat of a constant reminder that school has been, and when we do this, certainly will be increasing double what the town likely is increasing, and that has been the theme for four or five years now, and that is not sustainable.

On the town side, never mind the school side, that's a different question, right? How do we deal with the school stuff? But on the town side, that's not sustainable.

The town can't continue to starve on the town side because the needs are growing on the town side as well, so it just highlights the issue for us that we have to solve.

[Speaker 1] (57:50 - 59:21)
I think if I had to kind of just point to some silver linings, we talked about our stabilization funds and our financial position on the town ledger side. We're in a pretty good position. If we had to look at a critical need, I would suggest, too, that the school department has some significant financial resources in ways and years that they've never had.

The ESSER II and III federal grants are extremely helpful. The special education stabilization funds that they have, they have financial tools at their disposal to address some of their significant challenges, and I by no means mean to suggest that they don't have some real fiscal challenges, just like every one of our financial priorities in our budget, but we are in a position right now to kind of think critically about where we draw from before we shift these costs to the taxpayers, and we're trying to present a budget here that meets, I think, some pretty tough but fair guidelines established by the Select Board and Finance Committee and, frankly, the school committee a few years ago when we sat down to think about how we balance the financial priorities for the town.

[Speaker 2] (59:29 - 59:33)
Other questions, comments, requests?

[Speaker 9] (59:35 - 1:00:21)
Well, I guess I'm going to put it out here on the table is typically in past years that I've been involved in Finance Committee, there hasn't been this level of a disconnect that we've seen, and in terms of the school budget, it's always been something we've been heavily focused on. This sort of three-tiered difference that Eric Hartman just flagged, and so when we talk about dialogue and getting to a resolution, happy for FinCom to be the place for that, but I'm interested in perspectives on how we do that for a two-month period.

[Speaker 2] (1:00:23 - 1:03:53)
So I think that's a great question, Tim. I think that from my perspective, I actually think this dialogue presents a healthy dynamic because it really does, for all the groups, we are able to see the choices we have to make. So we may all agree at the end of the day the school committee number meets the needs of the district, but then it also requires us all to consciously make choices as to how that's funded.

Are we going to do it on taxes? Are we going to make choices from other things and just have that conversation? And that's why I think it's important to have that Schedule 19 type thing in front of us so that we really do understand the actual expenditures to have that conversation.

I don't know where the outcome would come. I do think the superintendent and the town administrator have to, I think, take the lead in trying to advance the dialogue and figure something out. I think Amy and Patrick and Martha Seibert have developed a really good working relationship and have gotten really creative with each other and recognizing that in some ways it is a zero-sum game when we're fighting over dollars between budget and school, and so therefore they have been able to find creative ways to do things and to adapt to change.

So I think personally I would look first to the financial teams to maybe spend a bit more time together and come back with some ideas or not, but then otherwise I think it's going to be just some tough choices to bridge a gap in that. I do personally want to understand how federal funding and COVID funding and other funding has helped the school department do certain things, and I just want to know what did that build into our system that now we have to sustain outside of those grants. So technology, for example, I'm thrilled to death that we're a one-to-one district.

It's long overdue. We need to be a one-to-one district. So that's one where the federal government helped us get to a one-to-one, but something that I fully support the fact that we've got to find a way to sustain that because that is just a critical part of a 21st century education.

But there may be other things that they got the benefit of, just like at the town site, frankly, that I just think would be helpful to understand as well, which is are we trying to continue something that was subsidized initially by grants that are no longer available. And then the last part is the rub on assessments versus aid. The disparity on school choice assessment is significant.

Our assessment went up 58.88 percent, and our aid went up a mere fraction of that. So I think that those type of things we also, when we're looking at that Schedule 19, when we look at the revenue side of things as well, which is we're making up for revenue as well because of that disparity. And again, we are in the education business, so it's not us against them by any means.

So we have to figure this out. But I think having all those facts and understanding where they are sets the playing field correctly. But sorry for the long-winded answer, but I would like Amy and Patrick and Martha and Sean and Pam to spend the time right now and not have it be that we're making choices because it does feel somewhat arbitrary when we're making choices.

I'm not an educator. You're not an educator. And frankly, the better resolution is probably going to be found with them finding something and bringing it to us collectively.

[Speaker 1] (1:03:54 - 1:05:12)
You know, I did share today in an e-mail that, you know, with the superintendent, that if we do get premiums that do come in under that 9 percent, you know, we would work with the school district and try to share, you know, the benefit. Similarly with educational aid, you know, if the legislature sees fit to, you know, present some additional funding, I think we can think more carefully and mindfully about how we help the school district. You know, this year, you know, we're including, you know, one of the largest increases in the debt service, you know, in the town budget to build a new school.

And certainly we all have worked hard to advance that. And so we are, we do support education. We want to see excellence in education.

But we've got to really look at all the numbers. And we've got to really think critically about, you know, are we losing more students to, you know, charter schools and regional schools? And when those dollars go to those schools, what happens in Swampskate over years, not just one year?

You know, are there structural changes that need to happen? And are we asking the right questions about, you know, how we balance all these priorities?

[Speaker 2] (1:05:20 - 1:05:35)
Any further? All right. Thanks, Tim.

Thanks to everyone on the Finance Committee for joining us. Sorry we had a late start tonight.

[Speaker 9] (1:05:36 - 1:05:42)
Did I get a motion to adjourn? I moved. Motion is to adjourn at all.

[Speaker 12] (1:05:42 - 1:05:43)
Second.

[Speaker 9] (1:05:45 - 1:05:57)
Eric? Aye. Matt?

Aye. Aye, I think. Cinder?

[Speaker 7] (1:05:58 - 1:05:59)
Aye.

[Speaker 9] (1:06:00 - 1:06:15)
And I'm an aye as well. Eric and Siraj had to drop off. So thank you.

Thank you all. I think for FinCom folks, I assume you're welcome to stay on, but we're now not in a FinCom meeting at this point. Thank you.

[Speaker 12] (1:06:16 - 1:06:19)
Thank you, Amy. Thank you, Patrick. Thank you, Sean.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:20 - 1:07:27)
Thank you, and look forward to meeting with you all. And welcome to Siraj and Eric and Naomi. I do want to thank Amy and Patrick and Ali for all of the hard work of pulling this all together.

This is – and Jody Watts this afternoon. You know, this is Amy's first budget and Patrick's first budget officially leading the charge, and certainly it wouldn't happen without a whole lot of hard work from our department heads as well. When this budget was originally presented, you know, I made close to a million dollars worth of reductions to it.

We did ask department heads to give us their highest hopes, and while it was insightful to kind of see a vision for different departments, we know that we have to live within financial constraints, so.

[Speaker 2] (1:07:32 - 1:07:33)
Great.

[Speaker 3] (1:07:35 - 1:07:48)
Okay, we're going to move to our next agenda item on recommendation of the treasurer, approval of bond anticipation notes, and general obligation bonds.

[Speaker 5] (1:08:04 - 1:11:48)
So, I am here tonight to discuss bonds that were sold on the 28th, particularly large issuance related to the new school, as well as a bond anticipation note that was sold related to standard capital, and I have those results. So, as we went through this process, we met with bond rating analysts from Standard & Poor's, which is part of the standard procedure when we go for an issuance, and they reaffirmed our bond rating at AA+, and they – in their ranking, they have kind of subcategories that feed into the rank, and they upgraded our management rating to very strong, and we were told that that was a really good indicator. There are not many communities in Massachusetts that have the very strong management kind of sub-rating, so that was encouraging to hear when we were going about this.

So, the total of the bonds that were sold, we bid out for $68,795,000, $60 million of which pertains to the school construction project, and the remaining $8,795,000 pertains primarily to temporary financing for previously approved capital that was issued, and that ban's maturing on March 12th, so we opted to permanently finance those projects. Rates are rising, so it was kind of the key time, as we discussed last time I was here with you, and I got encouraging sentiment from the finance committee, too, to kind of accelerate this issuance. So, we got 11 institutions that bid on our bonds.

The highest total interest cost was at 3.097912%, and the winning bid, the total interest cost, was at 2.847721% on these bonds. I think, given the rising rates in the market and where we are, you know, this is a fair rate, this is the best rate that we could do, and we went out as soon as we could in advance of the project, because we're six months out from construction. So, I am pleased with these results.

I'm pleased that we got ample interest in these bonds. People are interested in Swampscot, so that was encouraging. So, I'm requesting approval from you on these bonds tonight, and I'm also requesting approval on $2,748,500 worth of bond anticipation notes.

That's temporary one-year financing for more recently approved capital that hasn't already been financed, and that's going to cover costs of those projects as they get off the ground. And the net interest cost on that came in at 0.9974%, and we had three bidders on that band. So, I'm happy to take any questions on this at this point.

There is lengthy language that bond counsel sent over specific to the votes that we need for these, but I was told that we can do one simple motion to approve all of the language, and Allie has that when we're ready, or you have it in your packet, which is even better.

[Speaker 3] (1:11:48 - 1:11:50)
It doesn't have to say all the amounts.

[Speaker 5] (1:11:51 - 1:11:53)
Nope, there's just one sentence. Yep.

[Speaker 11] (1:11:55 - 1:12:16)
So, Patrick, could you please clarify the interest rates that are on this vote? I mean, it looks like we're having 5% interest rates from 23 through 30, 4% from 31, 32, 33, 3%. The rate just kind of jumps.

[Speaker 5] (1:12:17 - 1:12:56)
Yeah, so those are coupon rates, so those are specific. So, there's a series of bonds in this issuance for different projects with different maturity dates, and the coupon rate is associated with that. But what we really look at when we do a bond issuance with multiple maturities like that, you look at your total interest cost, which takes into account premium that is offered and kind of the average life of maturities of the projects to get, you know, a calculation that represents, you know, in total out of this issuance, what's the total interest cost percentage-wise.

So, that's why you're seeing different values when you get into the kind of minutia of it.

[Speaker 11] (1:12:56 - 1:13:04)
Yeah, and for the band, the same thing. It's a 2% coupon with an interest rate.

[Speaker 5] (1:13:04 - 1:13:16)
Right, because there's premium and there's projects with useful lives, so you can finance based on useful life of the project. So, you could have anywhere from like five years to 30 years in that mix. Thank you for clarifying.

[Speaker 16] (1:13:16 - 1:13:16)
Yep.

[Speaker 2] (1:13:18 - 1:13:41)
Can I ask that we update the analysis that we did originally in projecting debt service for the new school and the determination of how much stabilization we would use to offset to see how much increased stabilization we would need to use based on these rates compared to other rates to keep to the same impact on the median single family?

[Speaker 5] (1:13:42 - 1:14:00)
So, I was excited to get these results. I've already started doing that. And we can definitely reconvene and have a larger conversation about that as we consider what we'll do because we'll certainly do something.

And I think we'll recommend stabilization use fall town meaning probably.

[Speaker 2] (1:14:00 - 1:14:11)
Right, so first payments are not until this doesn't hit fiscal year 23. September of this year. Right, fiscal 23.

Fiscal 23. Yep. All right.

Thanks.

[Speaker 3] (1:14:12 - 1:14:14)
So, it can be done.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:15 - 1:14:15)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (1:14:16 - 1:14:16)
Yes.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:18 - 1:14:26)
Patrick, when I asked you in January what you thought the interest rate would be, what did you answer?

[Speaker 5] (1:14:27 - 1:14:34)
So, conservatively, 2.9. So, we kind of landed on the happy end of that, which I'm pleased with.

[Speaker 2] (1:14:35 - 1:14:38)
I thought you were going to say 2.84771. You know.

[Speaker 4] (1:14:41 - 1:14:42)
He rounded for simplicity.

[Speaker 5] (1:14:43 - 1:14:45)
Up. Up. Conservatively.

[Speaker 4] (1:14:45 - 1:14:46)
You have to be conservative.

[Speaker 5] (1:14:46 - 1:14:50)
You never want to miss the mark. No. All right.

[Speaker 15] (1:14:54 - 1:14:57)
I guess I'm confused procedurally. Do we have to read this whole thing?

[Speaker 17] (1:15:00 - 1:15:02)
Yeah, and it says it's incorporating it.

[Speaker 3] (1:15:11 - 1:15:25)
All right. So, you checked. I just read the last paragraph.

It was filed with the clerk. This whole thing was posted 48 hours. All of that.

And it says that it's going to be included in full. But it doesn't. All of that language was checked, right?

[Speaker 5] (1:15:25 - 1:15:29)
Yes. Yeah. That's specifically from bond counsel.

All right.

[Speaker 3] (1:15:29 - 1:15:30)
Thank you. Is there a motion?

[Speaker 11] (1:15:31 - 1:15:40)
I move that the written votes presented to this meeting in connection with the town sale of its bonds and note be adopted as written and incorporated into the minutes of this meeting in full.

[Speaker 3] (1:15:41 - 1:15:42)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 11] (1:15:42 - 1:15:42)
Second.

[Speaker 3] (1:15:43 - 1:15:47)
Further conversation? All in favor?

[Speaker 5] (1:15:47 - 1:15:50)
Aye. Aye. Thank you, Patrick.

[Speaker 15] (1:15:50 - 1:15:51)
Thanks, Patrick.

[Speaker 5] (1:15:51 - 1:16:15)
There's one housekeeping thing I just want to mention. The closing papers have to be signed in person by at least three members of the select board. They're going to be delivered at town hall around noon tomorrow.

I'll send an e-mail out when they're delivered, and I would just ask that three of you, if possible, come by tomorrow afternoon or first thing Friday to get those signs so I can send them back because they need to be received by Monday. Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (1:16:17 - 1:16:20)
You've all been invited to town hall at 2 p.m. on Thursday, anyway.

[Speaker 2] (1:16:22 - 1:16:23)
You're just using us.

[Speaker 4] (1:16:24 - 1:16:24)
Hmm?

[Speaker 2] (1:16:24 - 1:16:28)
You're just using us. There's no better place to be. Feels right.

Okay.

[Speaker 3] (1:16:30 - 1:16:45)
The next item on the agenda is discussion and potential vote on the April 26, 2022 election polling location. Sue, thank you for joining us to update us and provide your suggestions. Good evening.

Thanks.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:45 - 1:16:45)
Evening, Sue.

[Speaker 6] (1:16:46 - 1:21:49)
So I did a quick PowerPoint, just a couple of slides. Just go over the polling locations. So there's three scheduled elections this year.

April 26th is the town, September 6th is the state primary, and then November 8th. So if you remember the last election, we set it as the temporary location of the high school for the October 19th special election. So before I leave, I'm working on trying to get as much done as possible for the April 26th election.

And one of the things, by law, we have to set the polling location at least 20 days before the election, but I don't want to wait that long. Because the polling locations are on the warrant. And also, due to the re-precincting, because we have a representative town meeting, we have to notify all the voters.

So I'm working on getting those notices out, and I'd like to also include the polling locations so we don't have to do it twice. So I'm working on those notices. So next slide.

So the past couple of years, we had that one location, which was great. And we were able to do that because we did away with the checkout tables, which we can also do moving forward. So the superintendent, Pam Angelakis, has said that we can use the high school again for voting for this year.

And what they did was they made those three election days, they factored in as early release days. So I have a couple of other proposals for polling locations. I didn't know if the board just wanted to vote for the high school for the April 26th election, or if they wanted to vote for this year for one location.

But I have some other suggestions that I was just going to throw at the board, just to keep in mind if they just vote for the April 26th election to just be in the high school and then revisit it at later dates for the other elections. So a couple of things, and if you do the checkout table, it takes up more space, obviously. We don't have to have the checkout tables.

The state says that we should have the checkout tables, but they're not required. I mean, you can split up the precincts and the polling locations. The first one is one location, which worked great for the past couple of years.

And then the other thing that I was thinking of, too, is if you put four precincts in the CAP and then two in the senior center, it's the same address. And then, you know, you could also do three precincts at the First Church and then three at the cafeteria. But the thing with that is parking at the First Church is limited.

Next slide, please. The first two is kind of repetitive, but the Unitarian Universalist Church was actually going to let us use their location for precincts five and six. So if the board wants to go back to splitting it up to three separate polling locations like we did, you know, three years ago, you know, these are just a couple of ideas.

You know, keep the senior center, one and two precincts, one and two at the senior center, and then three and four at the First Church, and then maybe five and six at the Unitarian Universalist Church. You know, the schools, the middle school, they want us out of that location. So and that would be an easy switch because the church is just up from the middle school.

So the other thing, too, is that there are some election reform bills at the legislature. But for now, there's no early mail-in or no in-person voting for the April 26 election. So it's just absentee voting and you go to the polls on Election Day.

So I'm just asking the board if they wanted to, if they could, at least vote a polling location for the April 26 town election so we can get the warrant ready and the postcards out to notify the voters.

[Speaker 3] (1:21:52 - 1:21:53)
Thank you, Sue.

[Speaker 6] (1:21:53 - 1:21:55)
Next slide. The next slide is the motion.

[Speaker 3] (1:21:58 - 1:22:01)
Well, yeah, we have to decide first, I guess.

[Speaker 6] (1:22:01 - 1:22:55)
And I'm going to do a robo-call. Tomorrow will be my last robo-call. But just to remind everybody of the deadline date on the date to submit nomination, obtain nomination papers, and submit nomination papers, which is coming up.

This Friday, March 4th, is the deadline to obtain nomination papers. And then next Tuesday, the 8th, is the deadline to return everything. And part of the robo-call will direct the residents to the town website, which has the new precinct map and a list of all the new precinct streets, and with all your updated election information.

Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (1:22:57 - 1:23:01)
Thanks, Sue. Any questions for Sue from anyone?

[Speaker 2] (1:23:02 - 1:23:10)
Sue, if we only do April, that means that we'll have to designate polling places for the primary and then send notices again to people, correct?

[Speaker 6] (1:23:12 - 1:23:26)
We don't have to send notices, no. They dispense with that. But I figured since we have to notify everybody of the precinct changes, it would be a good idea to have the polling location on there as well.

[Speaker 2] (1:23:26 - 1:24:05)
My personal gut is to do all three elections, just let's set the high school. Unless you are so focused on the checkout tables, I think people really, you did a great job, and you set up a system that was extremely well received, and I think there was minimal confusion. And personally, I think us setting that as permanent locations for now just to set the expectation, because that way people don't need to keep wandering election by election where the polling places are going to be.

And we put it in the high school, we'll have to work with the high school obviously, and they've been really amenable. But I think that predictability and the setup that you had in there was really great. To your credit, Sue.

[Speaker 6] (1:24:07 - 1:24:19)
Thank you. I think it would be easier just for the sake of, since the school is going to let us use the high school for this year anyway, and they've set aside half days for those three elections, that that would work well.

[Speaker 3] (1:24:21 - 1:24:22)
Other board members?

[Speaker 11] (1:24:23 - 1:24:24)
I'm in support.

[Speaker 3] (1:24:25 - 1:24:26)
Is there a motion?

[Speaker 11] (1:24:27 - 1:24:41)
Motion to approve Swampscott High School, 200 Essex Street as the one location, as the one location for all six precincts for the, for all 22 elections.

[Speaker 2] (1:24:41 - 1:24:48)
I think for all elections, period. Right? Until we change it.

Yeah, for all elections, period.

[Speaker 11] (1:24:49 - 1:24:50)
Second. I'm sorry.

[Speaker 3] (1:24:52 - 1:24:53)
Yeah. Second.

[Speaker 15] (1:24:55 - 1:24:56)
Okay. All in favor?

[Speaker 2] (1:24:57 - 1:24:57)
Aye.

[Speaker 3] (1:24:58 - 1:25:00)
Sue, thanks very much.

[Speaker 2] (1:25:00 - 1:25:01)
Thank you, Sue. Thank you, Sue.

[Speaker 3] (1:25:01 - 1:25:12)
Thank you. Sue, I think while we have you, sorry, Ali, I'm not, you asked me to do something.

[Speaker 8] (1:25:12 - 1:25:31)
Yeah, so on the consent agenda tonight, there's also a recommendation for an appointment from the Democratic Town Committee of Mary DiCillo for the Registrar Board of Voters. And Sue would be happy to speak really briefly to that and just give more information about that appointment, if you'd like, while she's here.

[Speaker 3] (1:25:32 - 1:25:36)
Sure. Thanks, Sue, for that offer. Does anyone have questions for Sue?

[Speaker 6] (1:25:42 - 1:27:08)
Well, we have a vacancy for a Board of Registrar. So, Sue Burgess did not renew her term, which actually expired last year. So, she was a Board of Registrar, I believe, since 2005.

So, the Board of Registrars has an equal party representation. So, you have Democrats and you have Republicans. And the town clerk, by virtue of the position, is a Board of Registrar.

So, the Board of Registrars are basically my eyes and ears at the polls. They're trained to deal with different situations on Election Day. They are extremely helpful at the end of the day.

We have calling to do, just get everything all wrapped up at the end of the night, make sure everything is all closed down. And Deb Friedlander, I'm sure you know, is the chairperson of the Democratic Town Committee, who is recommending Mary DiCillo. And she is a very active member.

Mary is a very active member of the Democratic Town Committee, who is well known in the town and has served the town for a long time and has been on many boards of committees. So, I completely support Deb Friedlander's recommendation to appoint her as one of the Board of Registrars. I believe Mary is here tonight as well.

[Speaker 3] (1:27:11 - 1:27:12)
Allie, do you see her in attendance?

[Speaker 8] (1:27:12 - 1:27:13)
She is in attendance.

[Speaker 3] (1:27:14 - 1:27:26)
We can just do that now, then. Do we have to? Go ahead.

Nope, I'm going to move it off the consent agenda and put it on our regular agenda and ask that we just take that vote now.

[Speaker 8] (1:27:28 - 1:27:50)
Okay. I'm just promoting Mary. So, Mary is being promoted.

And when you do make the vote, it's a three-year term expiring March 31st, 2025. Is that right, Sue? Yes.

That would be the vote.

[Speaker 3] (1:27:55 - 1:27:57)
Is Mary on? Let's see.

[Speaker 2] (1:27:57 - 1:28:00)
Her video is off, so you can't see her, but she can hear us.

[Speaker 3] (1:28:02 - 1:28:02)
Yeah.

[Speaker 2] (1:28:04 - 1:28:06)
She is. It's just her video is off, so you don't see her face.

[Speaker 3] (1:28:06 - 1:28:09)
Hi, Mary. Thanks for joining us. You don't have to...

[Speaker 2] (1:28:10 - 1:28:11)
There she is.

[Speaker 3] (1:28:12 - 1:28:51)
Hi, Mary. So, Mary, since you're here and Sue has given your high recommendation, which from my less personal knowledge of you, but from what I do know of you, I absolutely am excited that you're putting yourself out there to join as well. So, thanks so much.

If you wanted to say anything or share any thoughts, happy to hear from you. But absolutely no pressure to do that. You're muted.

Sorry. Sorry about that.

[Speaker 2] (1:29:00 - 1:29:08)
This is a test of all registrars, by the way. All registrars have to be able to unmute themselves. That's not a good sign.

[Speaker 10] (1:29:12 - 1:29:18)
By the way, Sue, for one of your last appearances, I'm disappointed we won't see you in your robes again. You could have worn a robe.

[Speaker 6] (1:29:18 - 1:29:20)
I have the robe right here. You want me to put it on?

[Speaker 10] (1:29:20 - 1:29:20)
Yes.

[Speaker 6] (1:29:22 - 1:29:24)
It's hanging right here.

[Speaker 2] (1:29:29 - 1:29:32)
Is she not there, Allie? She's still here.

[Speaker 8] (1:29:32 - 1:29:38)
She's just turned off her camera and her sound. Okay. It looks like she's...

[Speaker 3] (1:29:38 - 1:29:56)
All right. Sorry, Mary, if we missed an opportunity to hear from you. Otherwise, thank you again for putting yourself out there.

Is there a vote to approve Mary DiCillo to a three-year term expiring on March 31, 2025 to the Board of Registrar Voters?

[Speaker 9] (1:29:56 - 1:29:57)
So moved. Second.

[Speaker 3] (1:29:58 - 1:29:58)
All in favor?

[Speaker 9] (1:29:59 - 1:29:59)
Aye.

[Speaker 3] (1:30:00 - 1:30:02)
Thank you. Thanks, Sue. Thanks, Mary.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:02 - 1:30:03)
Thanks, Sue. Thanks, Mary.

[Speaker 16] (1:30:03 - 1:30:04)
Thanks, Sue.

[Speaker 3] (1:30:04 - 1:30:18)
Thank you. All right. We have our second reading of the Anchor Food Pantry Lease and Occupancy Agreement at 86 Burrell Street.

[Speaker 8] (1:30:19 - 1:30:23)
And Laura is on. I'm happy to answer any questions.

[Speaker 3] (1:30:25 - 1:30:34)
Margie, thanks for being here and for providing the use and occupancy agreement.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:35 - 1:30:37)
She's on scene.

[Speaker 3] (1:30:37 - 1:30:39)
On scene.

[Speaker 10] (1:30:39 - 1:30:40)
On scene. Wow.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:40 - 1:30:41)
On location. This is amazing.

[Speaker 3] (1:30:42 - 1:31:04)
Laura, so glad you can be with us. Margie, I have a question about the use and occupancy agreement before Laura tells us about all the amazing things she does and she and her group. I know that David had asked about trash and recycling being put into the provision at the last meeting, and I don't know whether it's in that catchall.

[Speaker 14] (1:31:05 - 1:31:31)
No, that was the only changes that are in the document that you received. It is related to internal cleaning and snow removal. I had an opportunity to have a discussion with Laura, and we were able to address the trash and recyclable issue outside of the contract.

Okay. So, you know, Laura can attest to that, that we were able to work through that. So, David, I do hope that you find it acceptable.

[Speaker 16] (1:31:31 - 1:31:32)
All good.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:33 - 1:31:51)
Great. Any other questions on the actual agreement? I guess that's a no.

No. All right. Is there a vote to approve the Anchor Food Pantry lease and occupancy agreement as presented?

[Speaker 10] (1:31:52 - 1:31:53)
So moved.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:53 - 1:31:53)
Second?

[Speaker 10] (1:31:54 - 1:31:54)
Second.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:55 - 1:31:55)
All in favor?

[Speaker 10] (1:31:56 - 1:31:57)
Aye.

[Speaker 16] (1:31:57 - 1:31:57)
Aye.

[Speaker 10] (1:31:58 - 1:31:58)
Aye.

[Speaker 8] (1:31:58 - 1:32:05)
And that authorizes the town administrator to sign it, right? Because it's signed by the owner, which is Sean.

[Speaker 2] (1:32:06 - 1:32:29)
Well, I think that technically, to be honest with you, the town administrator had the authority to do this anyway, so I don't know if we needed the vote to. Does the vote need to specify you being authorized? Yes, it does.

Okay. In that case, to vote to approve the lease and authorize the town administrator to execute it.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:30 - 1:32:31)
Second?

[Speaker 2] (1:32:32 - 1:32:32)
Second.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:32 - 1:32:33)
All in favor?

[Speaker 10] (1:32:33 - 1:32:34)
Aye. Aye.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:35 - 1:32:36)
Okay. Aye. Aye.

[Speaker 10] (1:32:36 - 1:32:39)
I think you should execute it in the presence of the clerk with the robes on.

[Speaker 1] (1:32:41 - 1:32:53)
I think as a matter of policy, you know, multiyear agreements on leasing town property should go before the select board. That may not have always been the case, but it's a best practice.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:55 - 1:33:09)
Laura, now that you have your lease agreement approved, I'm joking about that part. We'd love to hear from you anyway, but we're excited to hear from you and hear an update on whatever you want to share. I'm glad you could make it.

[Speaker 7] (1:33:10 - 1:35:15)
Thank you. I appreciate it. I know you guys have had a long evening.

I'm actually here at the pantry. We just closed up, and I had you on in the background, so I know you've had some heavy conversations this evening, so I won't keep you. Obviously, I sent you all an email with some of our updates and with our gratitude, obviously.

This space has been really amazing for what we're doing here for the community, so we really appreciate having the opportunity to be here and that you're trusting us to stay another year and to serve the community. So I just want to, like I said, email. Margie's here, too.

Margie's been amazing to work with. She's really helped us a lot, particularly securing funds, and we really, really appreciate that. And obviously, I acknowledge Max Casper, who is our facilities manager.

This place has been wonderful. The upgrades that town meeting voted on last year have pretty much all been completed, and he's just so responsive. But as for serving the community, just so folks know, we serve a little over 50 families a month here.

We get new families in new households almost weekly. We have some families that have been able to get on their feet and we haven't seen in quite a while. And, you know, we have all types of families that are here in our community and our neighbors that are just, you know, just need a little extra boost.

And they come here for that, come here for some emotional support as well. As I always say, a lot of families are coming. So, again, we just appreciate all the town's support in that, you know, in this area.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:16 - 1:35:41)
Is there anything else, you guys? You are such an amazing group of individuals doing amazing things. So if there's anything else you want to share that you don't have to, but I know that we all appreciate your gratitude to the town.

But if you want to, you know, talk more about any of your successes, challenges, things that are exciting for you guys that you've seen, I'd love to hear it.

[Speaker 7] (1:35:43 - 1:37:15)
I mean, I just don't want to, without giving out too much information about our visitors, I think it's just so, that is a challenge. You know, sometimes I feel like we can't do enough for some of our visitors. So I think that's the challenge, you know, again, that giving that emotional support and learning their stories and what's going on.

I think it's important to know, you know, everything that's going on in the world, in Ukraine, to remember we have a lot of residents here that have family in the Ukraine. And it's very difficult. So right now, that's where we are right now, helping those particular families and trying to figure out what they need.

I thought a lot about having families, their family members, close family members there. So that's something I would just like the community to be thinking about. But as for successes, I would say just working with everyone.

We're really close with the school department, with the veteran's agent, and the veteran's post staff, and the senior center. Just working together as a whole within the community to support our neighbors.

[Speaker 3] (1:37:15 - 1:37:22)
That's awesome. You guys are the best. Thanks so much.

I'm so glad you got to join.

[Speaker 7] (1:37:22 - 1:37:39)
I understand how important that Fairtown meeting vote was to upgrade here. The electricity is just about completed, if not completed. So we're ready to install our refrigeration and our freezer units so we can offer more.

[Speaker 3] (1:37:40 - 1:37:43)
Oh, that's really, really good. That's great.

[Speaker 10] (1:37:44 - 1:38:08)
You've heard this many times before, but kudos to you for recognizing a need, taking this initiative to get this rolling. You guys are clearly a terrific success and, sadly, a much-needed resource, but you do great things. I do have one question.

When you look behind you, it looks like Tony the Tiger on the Frosted Flakes box is horrified or petrified.

[Speaker 7] (1:38:09 - 1:38:57)
Is that a new brand? Actually, the Hadley School held a huge food drive for us recently and asked specifically items that we needed. So name brand cereals is one thing that's difficult.

We're affiliated with Greater Boston Food Bank, so we get about 3,000 pounds of food a month from Greater Boston, which is amazing. But we don't always get the good stuff, the brand name stuff. So Hadley did a huge drive and gave a lot of cereals and pasta sauce and hygiene products.

And so this is kind of our overflow inventory behind me waiting to hit the shelf.

[Speaker 10] (1:38:57 - 1:38:58)
Terrific.

[Speaker 3] (1:38:59 - 1:39:18)
And forgive me, Laura, for not knowing this, but I know just with pantries generally, there's items, like you said, that you have lots of, but others that I know like personal products and toiletries are more. Do you have a Facebook page? And do you post those things of what's needed so that people know they can maybe just drop stuff off?

[Speaker 7] (1:39:18 - 1:39:37)
Yeah, we usually, when we really need something, we'll throw out a Facebook page. Otherwise, on our website, we keep a list of items we're looking for. We have an Amazon wish list you can find on the website, and I update that all the time based on.

[Speaker 3] (1:39:38 - 1:39:54)
And for those of us who may or may not be a bit scattered in their regular lives, are there items that are regular needs, that if people feel like picking something up and bringing it by, it's like a guarantee that it's not something you don't need?

[Speaker 7] (1:39:55 - 1:41:07)
Yeah. I would say, thanks for that question. Gosh.

Personal hygiene products are always number one. They're a little more on the expensive side, and we can't get them from greater Boston, so we do ship them. They get shipped to my house, so my husband usually likes them.

None of them is on package. Period products, female products, shampoos, body washes. And then for food, it's always shelf-stable milk, almond milk.

Those are things we have trouble securing, but that are really important for folks to be able to eat meals. And then, as a treat, always snacks and coffee are another item that are hard for us to get from greater Boston, but I always think everyone deserves to have a good cup of coffee and a bag of chips.

[Speaker 3] (1:41:07 - 1:41:21)
Absolutely. That's awesome. Thanks so much.

Any other comments, questions? Everything. All right.

Thanks so much, Laura. Thanks for joining. Thank you, Margie.

Thanks for your help.

[Speaker 7] (1:41:21 - 1:41:24)
See you soon, okay? Thank you. Yep, we'll talk soon.

[Speaker 3] (1:41:24 - 1:41:34)
Bye-bye. Bye. The next item is a potential vote on the formation of the Tree Committee.

[Speaker 8] (1:41:36 - 1:42:57)
So I can speak to that one. The Tree Committee came before you, or the Tree Task Force came before you at the last meeting. It was Jim Olivetti and Verena Parnell to talk to you about what the task force has been up to and ask that the board vote to formalize their committee as an actual town board.

And you had all expressed interest at that time, or those in presence expressed interest in that moving forward. And so they were asked to come back with actual terms written out and more information about their membership. So I sat down with them and determined that they would like to put together a committee of nine members, one of which would be ex-officio Geno, or whoever the tree warden would be at any given time, and eight residents, one ex-officio for three-year terms.

So they haven't selected anyone to be on the committee as of yet. But, of course, the board would need to form the committee first, and then there would be a recruitment effort, which Jim and Verena and someone at Town Hall would head up in our usual way. So that is where it stands.

They also have a mission statement. I'm just going to pull up a slide really quickly so I can just show you the mission statement and confirm the terms that I had laid out here.

[Speaker 3] (1:42:57 - 1:43:09)
Can I ask about those? So by voting on the formation, it'd be the mission, the number of members, and the terms, right? That we'd be voting on.

[Speaker 8] (1:43:10 - 1:43:11)
That would be my understanding.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:12 - 1:43:12)
Okay.

[Speaker 8] (1:43:15 - 1:43:24)
I believe that Verena, and I called her Parnell, but that's not her name. That's someone else I know. Verena, I believe she is available if there are any other questions.

I think she might be in the meeting.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:24 - 1:43:28)
I didn't mean to interrupt you with the mission statement. I can ask in a second. Nope.

[Speaker 8] (1:43:31 - 1:43:34)
Did you need me to read the statement? No, no. Or the mission statement?

Does anyone have questions?

[Speaker 2] (1:43:36 - 1:43:44)
So, Allie, we'd post it, and then staff would ultimately recommend that to us, and we would be appointing nine people on staggered terms.

[Speaker 8] (1:43:44 - 1:43:44)
Exactly. Okay.

[Speaker 3] (1:43:46 - 1:44:44)
My question is nine seems like a lot. Yep. I feel like, well, the quorum issue, but also it seems like everyone would be, and I don't say this sarcastically, although it sounds like it, but would be on the same page with, like, the mission.

So just in terms of, like, sometimes bigger committees have, like, more robust, like, you know, I'm just wondering, I guess, if there's already nine members that would want to be on it. And also, I know right now there's a passionate group, and I hope it continues, but I just don't know what. Right.

I know with a lot of committees that are really important, including the Disability Commission, for example, I know it's slightly different, but there's, like, a chronic need to fill those, and I just don't want to see, I guess I don't know if there's, maybe there's not quorum issues, but if it's not going to be, if you appoint a lot initially, and then people don't show up or whatever, I just don't know maybe seven would be.

[Speaker 8] (1:44:44 - 1:45:44)
We did talk about that, I mean, one of them is an ex-officio, so that would mean six residents and one ex-officio. If you're an attendee right now, I think she might be logged in as something else. So we did talk about the number of members, and they had originally actually proposed a larger number, and then kind of worked their way down.

So they feel pretty confident that they are going to be able to fill those positions based on that recommendation of nine members. I think also part of it was that they have a pretty solid crew of people who are already participating, so factoring in those individuals as well as kind of the skills they're looking for to round it out, I think that's how they came up to the nine.

[Speaker 3] (1:45:45 - 1:45:49)
Yeah, if they have them now, it would be unfortunate to cut people out. Exactly.

[Speaker 11] (1:45:50 - 1:45:57)
I move to establish the tree committee under the terms outlined in our packet.

[Speaker 3] (1:45:59 - 1:46:01)
Is there a second? Second. All in favor?

[Speaker 11] (1:46:02 - 1:46:02)
Aye.

[Speaker 3] (1:46:05 - 1:46:10)
Okay, vote to appoint an interim town clerk. I assume this is Richelle.

[Speaker 1] (1:46:11 - 1:47:12)
It is. With Sue Duplan's resignation, we need to have a statutory appointed town clerk, and our director of finance and administration would be a wonderful interim. It's my hope that it will be just a brief interim period, but I really do appreciate Amy's ability and willingness to step in as needed.

I know this is a busy time and a complicated time, but I do trust that Amy can help us meet the statutory responsibilities that we have, and it's my hope that over the next week or two we will have perhaps another interim that would be available to help us manage the complexities of a very busy town clerk office.

[Speaker 3] (1:47:17 - 1:47:31)
So by interim, Amy being the interim, what are her expectations? What is the bare minimum that a town clerk office needs to have to keep town hall functioning?

[Speaker 1] (1:47:32 - 1:48:21)
We have to have a town clerk that can certify certain official documents, whether it's birth certificates, death certificates, nomination papers, work with town council on any number of official town postings and record keeping. A town clerk has certain statutory responsibilities. We do have an assistant to the town clerk working in the office that could help support many of those responsibilities, but my hope is that somebody has to be appointed officially to meet the statutory needs of the town.

[Speaker 3] (1:48:21 - 1:48:44)
So with Amy being, this is budget season and election season and town meeting season, and you are one person, and I'm concerned, that's all. And we have to appoint somebody, I think, right?

[Speaker 1] (1:48:44 - 1:49:38)
We do, and this helps us ensure that at least we'll have somebody that can statutorily support the needs while we actively seek to find an interim. I have been in touch with several retired clerks over the last week. They are busy serving in interim positions.

I have reached out to a number of other municipalities that may be able to allow us to share a town clerk, and we've posted the position, and we've got a candidate already that's a certified town clerk that we're interviewing. But right now, we just need somebody that has that appointment and can meet that statutory responsibility.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:40 - 1:49:45)
Is 30 days until there's another interim or permanent a reasonable expectation?

[Speaker 9] (1:49:45 - 1:49:46)
It is.

[Speaker 3] (1:49:47 - 1:49:48)
I would put that limit on.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:49 - 1:49:58)
So if you can make note that if we get 30 days from now, if we can revisit this just to make sure that we're not putting too much on any one person.

[Speaker 4] (1:49:58 - 1:49:59)
I appreciate that.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:01 - 1:50:04)
As long as at one point you wear the black robe and you marry somebody.

[Speaker 4] (1:50:06 - 1:50:10)
I don't have a robe. I have, like, a bathrobe at home, and I don't think that's very official.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:13 - 1:50:23)
All right. With that, I think I'm personally comfortable as long as we don't have a prolonged period until we have another interim. I think all those points are well made.

You make some very good points. I agree.

[Speaker 3] (1:50:23 - 1:50:24)
Is there a motion?

[Speaker 2] (1:50:24 - 1:50:34)
I would move to approve the town administrator's recommendation to appoint Amy Sorrow as the interim town clerk for a period of 30 days.

[Speaker 8] (1:50:35 - 1:50:36)
From today?

[Speaker 3] (1:50:37 - 1:50:38)
Or from when?

[Speaker 2] (1:50:38 - 1:50:39)
From today.

[Speaker 8] (1:50:39 - 1:50:41)
Does that mean in 30 days it's expiring?

[Speaker 2] (1:50:42 - 1:50:46)
Yes. Well, how about this? Until what's our first meeting in April?

[Speaker 3] (1:50:47 - 1:50:52)
Your first meeting in April is April 6th.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:54 - 1:51:03)
Until expiring on April 7th. That gives us the night of the 6th we can decide to continue it or not. Second.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:04 - 1:51:08)
Any further discussion? All in favor?

[Speaker 2] (1:51:08 - 1:51:15)
Aye. Thank you, Amy. A robe stipend?

A robe stipend.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:15 - 1:51:22)
Okay. The next item on the agenda is the town personnel update. I just...

[Speaker 10] (1:51:26 - 1:51:26)
Sorry.

[Speaker 3] (1:51:39 - 1:53:49)
I've asked Sean to give a town personnel update. I think there's been a higher than normal turnover rate of employees at town hall, so we have no doubt that there's numerous factors, but we just felt like it was prudent to have you give us an update on current staffing levels, what we need to do in the immediate future, what needs need to be addressed, how we're going to meet those needs. And I'll just say from my perspective, the board, you know, has essentially in this regard two responsibilities.

One is just to make sure that you can continue operating town hall. And the second is that we understand not getting in the weeds of any of your decisions or personnel decisions and hiring decisions, but also just making sure that we understand why, if we notice something, just as a plain fact, something might be happening in terms of experiencing turnover. So I think making sure we can keep running town hall and that you have the supports that you need and what we need to do to mobilize to get ourselves, you know, where we need to be if we're not already.

And then just making sure that we do our responsible jobs, which is to make sure that there's nothing behind this in terms of competitive salary rates or long working hours, too many night meetings, too many whatever. Whatever it is, I think we have a responsibility to just be informed. So that's my position.

And I hope tonight you can speak to the first issue, which is just current staffing levels, what you need help with and what you plan to do to sort of fill those. And I know it's a lot. It's a busy time of year.

So we appreciate you taking the time to do this.

[Speaker 1] (1:53:50 - 1:55:02)
Sure. Look, you know, it's not a mystery to, I think, anybody that we're seeing a significant amount of turnover. And, you know, it has been a very difficult challenge for, you know, most municipalities to deal with what has been referred to as the great resignation.

That said, you know, we've had an unusual level of turnover at town hall. Right now we've posted for an assistant engineer, and I'm pleased to report that, you know, we sent out a conditional offer for that position, but that position was vacant for about six months. We've posted for an HR director, and that position has been vacant since August.

We've posted for a building commissioner, and that position has been vacant for about a week. And, you know, we're going to be looking for a new town clerk and a new administrative assistant, and we've just filled a part-time assessing clerk position. You know, this is a busy.

[Speaker 3] (1:55:04 - 1:55:07)
I'm sorry, did you include HR? I was trying to get up the.

[Speaker 1] (1:55:07 - 2:07:26)
Yeah, we've posted the HR positions. So this is a busy schedule of staffing changes, and, you know, certainly it's not ideal, but we do have a very dedicated and talented staff at town hall. We've had to deal with transition a few times over the last few years, and I'm confident that we will fill these vacancies and prudently keep the town on track with continuity.

It does place additional challenges and burdens on staff, and we have to be mindful that, you know, we are at meetings two, three, four nights a week, and they do last long. These Zoom meetings can be challenging as well, and I've tried to think critically about mental health and training. We've had specialized training, and every one of the programs tell us that we have to, you know, keep these meetings shorter, and we have to really recognize that we all get fatigued during these meetings, and no one after two hours on a Zoom call is really at their best.

That said, I'm hopeful that we can think more critically about how we, you know, schedule these meetings and how we think about how we staff them. I really would like committees and boards in Swampscot to really think about keeping their meetings to 90 minutes, and if they have to run two hours, fine, but, you know, be okay with, you know, recessing meetings and trying to find time to find that balance. In terms of, you know, the hiring plan for the immediate future, you know, we've prioritized a number of positions, but certainly that HR director and the administrative and executive assistant position are critical.

We're currently, you know, moving forward with a hiring of a police chief, non-civil service police officers, non-civil service firefighters, and so, you know, this compounds an already busy slate of open positions, but we're looking for a new library director as well and a DEI director as well. Again, when we look at the next few weeks, two months, it's my expectation that we will fill all these positions. I certainly need to really think about, you know, what's happening in the workplace and what's happening in organizations.

We hear a lot about organizations trying to be more flexible and adaptable. We have a lot of, you know, challenges that are just based on the pandemic. Work-life balance has been really difficult for a lot of individuals, especially individuals that have young families, and thinking about how our workplace really flexes to the challenges of, you know, the needs of various employees is going to be important.

I do know that, you know, the schedule oftentimes can be very frustrating. You know, it is difficult to work night meetings and have busy, demanding day jobs that are seemingly never ending, and so finding that work-life balance is really difficult. I do have some ideas, though, and I really would like to discuss with the board ways that we can perhaps think differently about the schedule of town hall, think differently about making changes that would make town hall more attractive in terms of that work-life balance.

A number of municipalities have made changes to schedules that would be more conducive to recognizing the burden of night meetings, and it's my hope that we can talk about making some changes that would be more attractive as we seek to attract and bring individuals in to, you know, take positions that are going to be on the best of days demanding. Public service has gotten more and more demanding. It's clear over the last two years that folks are more and more critical of folks in government.

I know that as elected officials, you understand that better than most, but it happens on every level of public service, and, you know, I do believe that we have had some really extraordinary individuals that have done, you know, significant work, but it's been difficult to really support the type of teamwork and interaction over the last two years when everybody has been isolated, everybody has been forced to be, you know, isolated through the pandemic, and so it's my hope as we emerge from the pandemic, we can really think about ways that we can inspire the type of teamwork and type of engagement that really help, you know, bring various groups together. I think, you know, it is difficult to deal with, you know, Zoom and deal with, you know, a very impersonal type of, you know, connection in local government because it's, you know, a people business, and it's been a challenge to really, you know, just encourage and promote, you know, the type of engagement that most folks like. So I want to talk a little bit about workload because that's been, I think, a chronic concern given the size of staff we have.

We're a small town, but we're doing some extraordinary things. We've got more and more projects today. If I look back just a few years ago, you know, and just looked at the capital list or the list of changes that we're seeking to advance, you know, we've certainly taken on quite a bit of a challenge.

There aren't many communities that are ending civil service or evolving, you know, a new non-civil service hiring system. We've had a couple of key retirements in department heads that haven't happened for 20 years, and that brings a tremendous amount of change, and it brings a tremendous amount of anxiety and concerns about, you know, the future, and all of those really manifest at town hall as well. It's not like, you know, it doesn't impact the entire work culture.

And so, you know, it's important for us to really think, you know, critically about that. I will say that I'm incredibly pleased with the new hires that we have and the contributions that a number of our new staff have made. I think we're very fortunate to have, you know, some of the hardest working, most dedicated, you know, public servants that I've worked with.

We have some amazing department heads. We really do have some esprit de corps among a number of these individuals. But it's important that we really think about, you know, the roles of the boards and committees.

As the select board, I think we share the responsibility to work with our boards and committees to make sure that they're not placing undue burdens on our staff. We have a number of committees that want to be very busy, and they have certainly, you know, contributed much to Swamp Skip, but we have to really, you know, think about how that impacts staff and their priorities. At the end of the day, though, I do take responsibility for it all, both, you know, what has worked well but also what is continuing to be a challenge.

I do think it's important for folks to recognize that, you know, I have been a change agent. I've been, frankly, hired to be somebody that has come into Swamp Skip, and really I've looked at things differently. I've, you know, spent quite a bit of time reworking this budget, kind of rethinking priorities, trying to strike a balance between, you know, our ability to afford things and really the priorities in terms of, you know, how we meet, you know, all sorts of balancing priorities.

With that said, you know, there's no city or town, there's no organization that's not facing, you know, a certain degree of complexity when it comes to staffing right now. It is a huge issue, and I really, you know, have to think differently about, you know, the type of relationship that we have with a number of employees. I'm certainly, you know, mindful that I have to think critically about making sure that we, you know, listen to employees and really think about challenges that each, you know, employee faces.

I want to see individuals be successful. I want to see people commit their, you know, professional career to public service. It's hard, but it's also very meaningful work and purposeful work.

We've been recognized, you know, for a lot of the great work that we've done, but certainly it has been at a cost. That said, you know, I do think, you know, these are tough times, and I think, you know, we've got to, you know, recognize that, you know, it's important for us to have budgets that are nimble enough to recognize the market but also the performance. In this budget, I did present a recommendation to put back funding in the budget to allow the town administrator to recognize excellence and address a market that really is seeking to recruit and attract our excellent employees.

So, you know, it's going to be important for us to work together to really, you know, think about ways that we can continue to ensure that Swampstead is a place that is attractive to dedicated public service. With that, you know, we're aggressively looking to fill these positions. I'm filling positions every day.

I'm, you know, sending out conditional offer letters, hiring police officers, and dealing with the complexities of managing a busy municipality, and I have every confidence that we'll continue to, you know, address these issues as they come up.

[Speaker 3] (2:07:27 - 2:07:28)
Questions for Sean?

[Speaker 11] (2:07:30 - 2:07:42)
So, Sean, does the 23 budget, the 23 budget reflects the ability to reward, recognize, retain staff? And I didn't have a chance to review the budget.

[Speaker 1] (2:07:42 - 2:08:27)
Yeah, we did include $30,000 in a performance management line that would allow us to, you know, recognize non-union employees or staff that really go over and above to meet some of the needs of the town. I do think that that tool can be very effective in terms of, you know, helping a town just recognize, you know, some of our, you know, key contributions. I would love to have that available for all staff, but I have to bargain some of that, and to me it just makes a huge difference in terms of, you know.

[Speaker 11] (2:08:27 - 2:08:39)
Are there other, you know, non-financial, you know, some of the things that, you know, some of the things that you can do to manage work-life balance? I mean, what are some of your ideas to help?

[Speaker 1] (2:08:39 - 2:11:19)
So, you know, I know that, you know, our director of community development, when she worked in another municipality, you know, they had a four-day work week, and they, you know, all worked late one night. A number of municipalities have looked at, you know, closing on Fridays but staying open later on a weekday, and I think, you know, that does go a long way to recognize the night meetings that many of our department heads and more and more are compelled to be at, and I'd like to try a three-month schedule that would, you know, see how that meets the needs of the public. It's important for us to acknowledge that, you know, we want to be available to the public, and I would imagine many of the salary department heads would be available on Friday, but I think given the complexities and the demands of public service, it's important for us to just think about ways that we can balance the work-life.

We have a lot of younger families or younger employees with younger families, and certainly the time away from their families is a significant drain. And these night meetings can be a real burden, and trying to figure out how to, you know, find ways constructively to add more time to somebody's work-life balance is, I think, a really mindful and important investment in our people. You know, we've looked at and we've talked about, you know, frankly, you know, having a daycare program or incentivizing some daycare for our staff.

You know, we actually, you know, we have a recreation department, we have a library, we have a school district, and to me it would be a wonderful way for us to really think critically about the cost associated with daycare. It's incredibly burdensome, and, you know, frankly, I would love to think about ways that we could do something more, and not just to, frankly, support the town. I think this is something that would support town staff.

This would be something that our town citizens might find to be valuable, too. And if we had a program, you know, through recreation, maybe we could generate revenue. Maybe we could have a discount or do something that would really, you know, support that.

[Speaker 3] (2:11:21 - 2:11:26)
That reminds me, did you put the town planner? There's a senior planner vacancy, too, right?

[Speaker 1] (2:11:26 - 2:11:27)
There is, yes.

[Speaker 3] (2:11:27 - 2:11:29)
Has that been posted?

[Speaker 4] (2:11:31 - 2:11:40)
Yes, that was posted in January and reposted last week, because the ads only stay up for 30 days and we didn't get sufficient candidates.

[Speaker 3] (2:11:40 - 2:11:43)
Okay, and a customer service vacancy also, is that still?

[Speaker 4] (2:11:44 - 2:11:46)
Yes, that one was just posted on Monday.

[Speaker 3] (2:11:47 - 2:11:52)
Okay. Other questions for Sean? Okay.

[Speaker 2] (2:11:59 - 2:18:01)
So, Sean, you just talked about a couple of ideas. I guess it would be helpful to have you come back at a point certain, kind of with kind of your list of proposals of things that you would like to see different, so that we can kind of have a comprehensive, I appreciate you having the conversation tonight, but come back with a list of ideas and ask you to affirmatively talk to your department heads and your staff to solicit their ideas and come back and share with us their ideas so that we can have an open discussion and make decisions and find resources and make choices that can do it. I think that that would be really healthy.

So, I guess my hope would be that we could find a time to share a moment to you that sometime in the next 30 days where, you know, it's an agenda item, whether it's the next meeting or the meeting after, that we can hear. I want to give time, Sean, for you to talk with staff and to solicit ideas, because I think we'll be surprised at some ideas. That's where a lot of creativity comes from.

People have had other experiences and other life experiences, professional life experiences that will help. I will say that I want to, in the context of all this, I want to reiterate what you said, which was there have been some really, really good hires, and we are losing some really, really good hires. But the reality is I would rather lose them than never have them, and I think we all feel that same way.

So, I don't want you to feel here, and I don't believe the discussion here is intended to pressure you to lower your standards. You have done really well with bringing some incredibly talented people to this town, and you have been an agent of change. In my non-select board life, I sit on the Mass Select Board Association Executive Committee, which is also on the Executive Committee of the Mass Municipal Association.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've called a number of people that I've gotten to know on select boards, and I'm sure there's a lot of benefits to it. The one most interesting thing for me is I get to hear about other communities, because I don't otherwise do. And the feedback has been that vacancies are higher, but that's actually not their primary concern.

So, they all say vacancies are higher. Their primary concern is the lack of applicants they're getting for the vacancies, and that seems to be real. So, of the six that I talked to specifically about it, four had higher-than-usual vacancies.

All of them, though, were getting, in some postings, a response or two responses. And so, that seems to be a significant problem, and that reiterates the need for you to come back with some ideas. And we'll come up with ideas, too, and share them to see if they're constructive here.

I worry a little bit that we're in budget season, and we have a budget, and we're solidifying a budget here, because my gut is compensation has to be on the table. That's just my gut. My gut is.

And I know that in the social media world and in the newspaper, there's people all the time saying, well, high-paid town employees. I will tell you, there isn't anybody here in our town that's overpaid, and I think there are people that are remarkably talented that are underpaid. And I will continue to welcome that criticism from people, because they're just wrong on that criticism here, and we need to.

It costs more to lose people and to retrain people and to recycle people than it does to just invest in people. In the real estate world, which I'm in, we always talk about rent, but the truth is all the tenants that we rent to, the businesses that we rent to, they don't care about rent. Rent is really expensive.

What they care about is retaining our personnel, and rent relates to retaining personnel, so they want to rent a place that their personnel wants to be in. They create programs, incentives, so their personnel stays, because that's their biggest cost. It is our biggest cost for us, and so really urge, and a couple of staff are here tonight, and you, just be creative, like come to the table with ideas.

We can be different than other communities. The fact that other communities haven't done something, I personally don't care about. If it's a good idea, let's debate it, and let's see if we can find the resources, and we'll talk to the finance committee.

We'll talk to other things. I think your idea about thinking about daycare is interesting. I know the school department, for example, has voted in to allow teachers that live in other communities to have their children attend Swanscot schools, so that mattered, right?

Why? Because of pickup and drop-off and knowing where your kids were and what they were doing, so that was an incentive that teachers have to be able to do things like that, and so I think that those types of ideas, I think, are really good ideas, and we should be open to them. I know that, for example, educational incentives are greater in some other communities, right?

And so let's re-look at that and say, are we doing enough there? I believe in the totality, it's short dollars in a $78 million budget, and it will pay itself back. We will find the ROI on it if we find the right programs.

So I just ask you to really be creative but really collaborate with your department heads and staff and bring back all the ideas so that we can just banter about it and figure it out, because it's a problem that a lot of people are having, but we're all willing to work on it and roll up our sleeves and support you and your staff in any way we can.

[Speaker 1] (2:18:02 - 2:18:34)
Appreciate that, Peter. You know, I am kind of, you know, eager to kind of think about, you know, what is the mindful way for us to think anew about a 21st century workplace? Like, it is challenging, and it is demanding, and, you know, I want to make sure that, you know, we continue to, you know, offer a really exciting place but also a meaningful place for staff.

[Speaker 15] (2:18:37 - 2:18:38)
Other comments?

[Speaker 3] (2:18:45 - 2:18:46)
Don? No?

[Speaker 10] (2:18:47 - 2:18:50)
No, I don't need to add to it. You don't have to say anything.

[Speaker 3] (2:18:50 - 2:18:52)
I just didn't know because I was asking you something.

[Speaker 10] (2:18:52 - 2:19:14)
I appreciate the chair reporting this. I think we all recognize that, you know, that it's an issue. I know you do.

And I think the point of, you know, at this point, it's kind of all hands on deck, and let's get creative as possible to be able to recruit and, as Peter said, retain. So we're all rowing in the same direction on this one.

[Speaker 2] (2:19:15 - 2:19:47)
I think having a regular report, though, about vacancies, I really think that that needs to be part of your TA report to us going forward here so that we see it and so that we see the improvement and also the challenges, right? Because that tells us, and I think us understanding the number of applicants you're getting as well is helpful. It doesn't necessarily speak to quality, but oftentimes it does speak to depth and the ability for you to get the right candidate.

You may find one applicant, find your next rock star of doing it, but not often does that happen.

[Speaker 1] (2:19:47 - 2:20:07)
I think we're going to be more and more put in a position where we're going to have to recruit some of our future employees from positions that may not be as mindful about recognizing their abilities. But, you know, certainly, you know, we've been fortunate that we've been able to find a few.

[Speaker 3] (2:20:10 - 2:22:41)
All right, thanks for the update, Sean. So I just am listening to everybody tonight, and I hear, Sean, that you have expressed that you want to talk about ways we can attract and retain employees and make, I wrote it down somewhere, but make our workplace more conducive to staying. And then I hear Peter asking you to go talk to department heads and come up with a list of ideas of things that they want to see or they need, that you want to see, that you need.

And, you know, we have Amy as the interim town clerk, and, you know, I mean, everyone's doing, everyone has ten different roles going on right now, and I don't know when these talking about and the list of ideas and talking with department heads, I know you can do that. I don't doubt that you can do that at all. I just don't know when that's happening, and I'm concerned that it's going to stretch you even thinner.

And, you know, we can talk about it, but we meet every couple of weeks, and I'm concerned that that's not going to be enough conversation to get these timelines that Peter's suggesting, you know, regular updates and 30 days expiring with an interim town clerk. So it's not, it's literally just a plain fact that I'm concerned that there's just not enough time to do that. And then in terms of Peter's suggestion that he has no doubt that it's compensation, that is probably true.

I can guess that. But it isn't something we definitively know, and I'm confused why just getting more information is a bad thing. So I don't have the time.

We're volunteers. We're the board. We should not be asking these questions going around to department heads.

I don't know that you have the time. I know you can do this. I have 100% faith in your abilities to run this town in every direction.

If we could clone you, that would be good. Honestly, I'm not being sarcastic about that. But we can't, and there's, this conversation has generated action items that take days.

I mean, I don't know how.

[Speaker 1] (2:22:41 - 2:22:44)
I mean, if I have a staff meeting and I just say, hey, I want ideas.

[Speaker 3] (2:22:45 - 2:22:49)
But then we need to turn those into action items, or else they're just conversations.

[Speaker 1] (2:22:49 - 2:23:06)
No, I really do think I would have department heads and staff that would really welcome an idea, an opportunity to share a few ideas about how we could make the work-life balance better at Town Hall. I think we'll get some.

[Speaker 3] (2:23:06 - 2:25:58)
My point is this. I do believe it's the work-life balance. I do believe it's compensation.

I don't know that. We don't, you might know that. I don't know that.

I don't know if you guys know that. Maybe you're not curious if those things are actually true or aren't actually true. But I, and you don't have to be.

I am, and I just think we don't have the time. It's not that we couldn't do it. So my suggestion is just to have a consultant come in.

There's a lot of municipal consultants that can do this. And just have those meetings for us. It takes something off your plate.

Have the compensation analysis done. It takes something off whoever would do that analysis's plate. We don't, who is doing that?

That's my concern. It's not, and we get answers. Like, this isn't about finding things that are wrong.

It's identifying things for us when we're in it and we don't have the time to step out of it to do that work and come up with analysis and a report would have action items that were financially, had financial considerations tied to them that we know we could afford or timelines where we could do it. You know, all of these different factors that would put something in one place that would say, huh, which ones of these do we think are compelling? Which ones aren't?

Which ones can the town afford? Which ones could we do on our own? And it's done for us.

I'm not out for anything. It's just, I think we, you are all saying it needs to be done. That's what you want to do.

So I'm just reflecting that we don't have the time to do it. So that is my recommendation. I would put it, I cannot make a motion for an independent consultant to come in and look at the organizational, structural, managerial, salary structures of Town Hall and make recommendations based on that.

I think it would take a lot of work off our plate. I think it's an objective analysis, and I think it would be extremely helpful. Helpful.

That's all I'm going for. I would like more information from someone who's paid to have the time to do it. I don't want, I want you to do the budget and the warrant articles and the interviews to fill these numerous, very important positions.

I don't know when these conversations would happen with all of that going on. And that's my concern. I cannot make a motion, but I would, that's what I would request of my board members.

And I'd like whatever happens, that's my recommendation if it can be reflected in the minutes. And we don't have to, it's up to you guys what you'd like to do from there.

[Speaker 2] (2:26:01 - 2:28:18)
So it's Sean's job. Meaning, I agree, we're volunteers. We don't have the time, but it's also not something that we should be doing.

We can roll up our sleeves and help, and we can then advocate for budget changes and things of that nature to meet it, but it's our town administrator's job. So, Sean, in my view, as you sit down and you see there's a compensation thing, I think there's merit to what Polly says. If you get to a point where you think the compensation's material, for us to bring in someone that can help us do a true market survey, not just, oh, this is what I need for this person, a true market survey, I think there's some real validity to that.

But, you know, so I want you to be open to it. Polly said that getting information's a bad thing. I don't think anybody said information's a bad thing, and I don't think you have as well.

But I guess I would have you come back and say if you felt as though you needed to. Frankly, you don't need our permission to go out and hire someone to do a comp study. You have budget items, and you know how to spend money.

I think the expectation that Polly's setting is fair. Like, do we want good information? Like, it can't be, oh, this is what I think it needs to be, and I appreciate you putting back in the $30,000, but that's not really an answer.

That is a tool, but it's not an answer. An answer is one that accurately reflects the market, that says we are where we need to be in the market, and maybe we're above where we need to be in the market because we care and we want to retain. And so you're probably going to need that market knowledge, and I agree with Polly that you spending time dialing for comps is not the way to do it.

There are easier ways to do it. There are services. The MMA is willing to help.

There are so many other ways to do it. But I do think a lot of the stuff that we've talked about tonight is, frankly, your work. I don't believe that other people can sit with your staff and figure out the work-life balance, and I believe you have to do it.

I believe you're the leader, and you're the one that actually has to do it. Now, be open to third parties giving you ideas and consultants. Again, be open to that because that's where some great ideas can be, but I do believe you're the one that has to build that grouping as the leader.

I don't think it's a playbook that someone can give you and say, well, this is what we think it should be, and certainly not one that I would want to – I don't believe it's our role to say this is the playbook to you.

[Speaker 3] (2:28:19 - 2:28:20)
It would be their playbook.

[Speaker 2] (2:28:21 - 2:28:32)
I want it to be Sean's playbook because he's the town administrator. That's the only point I'm making here is that I believe he has to build that and work with staff and get the buy-in and feel confident with it.

[Speaker 3] (2:28:33 - 2:28:37)
So are we putting a timeline on that? And if we put a timeline on and it doesn't get done, then what is your suggestion?

[Speaker 2] (2:28:38 - 2:29:18)
Well, I don't know what my suggestion is because I don't think it's binary, but just like we did on other things, I have no problem. I think I said, let's come back in a month with this, but I don't want it to be next meeting because I want you to be able to sit down. I want you to be able to take the breath.

I want you to be able to find the times because you do have a billion things going on, and Amy has a billion things going on, and everybody has a billion things going on. So I want you to take the time. So why don't I ask you, what do you think is a reasonable time for you to come back for us to have a more holistic, comprehensive view?

Again, giving you time to solicit outside services because I do think the comp part of it, there's a real validity to that.

[Speaker 1] (2:29:18 - 2:29:52)
I think, frankly, six weeks would give me enough time. I'd spend a month working with staff and two weeks to kind of pull together some ideas that I could present to the board and say, hey, here's either a comp analysis, here's a work-life series of options that can help us really address some of the challenges that we're facing as a workforce.

[Speaker 3] (2:29:53 - 2:29:58)
I just think we need to ask the workforce the challenges they're facing.

[Speaker 1] (2:29:59 - 2:30:11)
Agreed. And I have had a few of those conversations. So I haven't just, you know, come tonight without having a few conversations.

[Speaker 3] (2:30:11 - 2:30:31)
No, no, I don't mean to imply that you haven't. I'm not asking this of you. I think it's way over the top to ask you to go do all these things and have all these meetings and come back with action items in six weeks with all of the things going on.

[Speaker 1] (2:30:31 - 2:30:33)
I just think it really is part of our job.

[Speaker 3] (2:30:33 - 2:30:35)
But you're the one saying that you're stretched too thin, like that you've got too much going on.

[Speaker 1] (2:30:35 - 2:31:08)
We are busy, but, you know, it's the busy time of year. I think things do cycle, and I think, you know, my thought is once we get through the, you know, the first few weeks of the budget meetings, and, you know, we'll get to a point where hopefully the budget will start to take shape, and we can then, you know, have a conversation about, you know, where we are. In six weeks, a number of these positions hopefully are going to be filled or on their way to be filled.

I think, you know, in six weeks we'll have a clear idea.

[Speaker 3] (2:31:08 - 2:31:10)
That won't answer the question you have about retention.

[Speaker 1] (2:31:10 - 2:31:34)
No, it won't, but I think we can come up with a few more ideas about retention and think about, you know, what are the better practices that may exist in other organizations that can help us address what is an evolving concern in the marketplace for retention. It's not just an issue that Swanscot's facing.

[Speaker 3] (2:31:34 - 2:31:53)
Well, that's what the, again, I don't, this isn't like, and I'm not suggesting this because I'm out for something, but it doesn't matter to me if it's not just a concern in Swanscot. It's a concern in Swanscot, so then I don't understand why we wouldn't do this. Like, we need the information, and we're all really busy.

[Speaker 10] (2:31:54 - 2:31:59)
So are you saying that Sean's capable of getting the information and doesn't have the time?

[Speaker 3] (2:31:59 - 2:32:01)
I've said that very clearly, yeah.

[Speaker 10] (2:32:01 - 2:32:09)
But I think it's incumbent on us to say, okay, Sean, we've all collectively recognized there's an issue. I agree.

[Speaker 3] (2:32:09 - 2:32:11)
I don't think that's been collectively recognized.

[Speaker 10] (2:32:12 - 2:32:19)
You don't think that we've had a consensus that there's an issue in terms of hiring, recruiting, retaining at Town Hall? You don't think we've had a consensus?

[Speaker 2] (2:32:22 - 2:32:35)
Sean, do you doubt that? No, I think we've all had a long conversation about that. I understand, and I'm asking the Town Administrator, because it's most important that he sees it more than anybody else, meaning you see it, Sean.

I do see it.

[Speaker 1] (2:32:35 - 2:32:38)
I see it, and I feel it, and I certainly, you know, I get it.

[Speaker 10] (2:32:38 - 2:33:24)
And I'd like my expectation, and the reason I say my expectation is because I know you will do this, is if, you know, over the next six weeks, we're three weeks in, and you're like, I can't do this, right, I would expect to come back and say, I can't do this, I need additional help. Or as part of this, to say, here's what we found from our grassroots, here's the resources I now need that are outside resources to help me identify these problems, right, and between the two, we ought to be able to come up with a solution. Now, if at that point, we're still in the same place, and we haven't been able to fill these, then I think, you know, we have to discuss another alternative, which I'm not, maybe it's a consultant, maybe not.

But I think at this point, if we hire a consultant tomorrow, we're not going to get feedback. Within six weeks? So I'm not suggesting abandoning it, but I'm just saying.

[Speaker 3] (2:33:25 - 2:33:31)
Okay, but if you can't get, if he, if Sean realizes he can't do it, and we give him six weeks, and then it's going to be six more weeks.

[Speaker 10] (2:33:32 - 2:33:37)
We're not going to sit here and say, Sean's not going to say, sorry, guys, nothing.

[Speaker 3] (2:33:38 - 2:33:50)
So I guess then my question is, what are the concrete things the board is asking from Sean, and what is the timeline for each of those concrete things?

[Speaker 2] (2:33:50 - 2:33:53)
So first of all, my perspective, this is Sean's job.

[Speaker 3] (2:33:54 - 2:33:56)
You were making recommendations, and I'm just wondering what they were.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:56 - 2:33:57)
I'm sorry.

[Speaker 3] (2:33:57 - 2:34:00)
No, I'm clarifying what my question is.

[Speaker 2] (2:34:00 - 2:35:36)
Okay. This falls squarely in Sean's responsibility. If Sean decides that he needs additional resources to answer things or to get information, unless there's a reason he has to come back to us, he doesn't need to come back to us.

He has complete authority under the charter to go do and get the help that he needs, and my expectation is that he doesn't come back in six weeks and say, oh, I need help. It's that I needed help, and I got help. I found help, right?

And you went out and did it. I think coming back in six weeks and saying, I didn't know this answer. We made this up.

We're not comfortable with that. I think it's a miss, and I think Sean has set the expectation of six weeks and come back, and the expectation is to come back with responses on compensation, work life, and organizational structures to be able to recruit and retain employees, and I think that's thematically what we've all talked about. In the interim, you're hiring, right?

Oh, by the way, while this is all going on, you've got to keep doing the hiring, and I hope that motivates you to get your HR director quirk, right? I mean, because to be honest with you, that's a huge part of it, but you're hiring in the interim, but I think those are the things that we're saying, and Sean came up with six weeks, and I just wanted to clarify that the six weeks isn't coming back and saying, oh, I couldn't figure it out. The six week was I went out and got more resources.

This is what I'm doing, and I need two more weeks because they're not coming back with their comp study for two more weeks or whatever it is. That's okay, but my expectation is that we're not coming back for a cold start. We're coming back saying this is what we've been able to do, and you've been able to do, Sean, and you have the resources.

If you need us and we are resources for you, you're always welcome to use us as resources, but it's your responsibility.

[Speaker 1] (2:35:37 - 2:35:37)
Understood.

[Speaker 2] (2:35:38 - 2:35:40)
Even if we had time, even if we weren't all busy.

[Speaker 1] (2:35:41 - 2:36:28)
Look, I've got some ideas, and frankly, what I need from the board is your support for just helping me address these issues and give me a chance to deal with it. I don't need a whole lot of interference with some of these issues. I need to handle these things, and I've got to deal with this directly.

I don't want to have too many expectations right now because I've got to be dynamic and I have to really be flexible, and it's going to take a lot of work to fill these positions and deal with the responsibility of onboarding staff.

[Speaker 2] (2:36:29 - 2:37:34)
I hear you. I just want to be clear because Polly's making some really good points, and so I want to reiterate them so that you hear them from other people as well, which is there's a difference between hiring and onboarding and what we're asking for. It's not or.

It's both. Understood. You could hire everybody by their next meeting, and it doesn't negate the need to do everything that we talked about.

That work has to happen regardless of your success in hiring here because we think there is a change that's going on in the market. There are challenges here. You demand a lot because we demand a lot, and you demand a lot on your own, and committees demand a lot.

There's a lot of demands, and so we need that analysis to happen even if you were to successfully hire the most wonderful people for every one of these positions. I just want to be clear about that. The other thing is I just want to make sure that you are open to the idea that you don't have all the information you need, that you probably are going to need to go out and solicit some help for some of this stuff, and I would be surprised if you came back and said you didn't because that I think Polly's spot on about, but I believe that's something you as the town administrator are responsible for determining and figuring out.

[Speaker 11] (2:37:34 - 2:37:38)
And this will be an agenda item in six weeks on April 13th.

[Speaker 2] (2:37:38 - 2:37:39)
Yeah, well, assuming that.

[Speaker 11] (2:37:39 - 2:37:40)
At the ball of the chair.

[Speaker 3] (2:37:42 - 2:37:55)
Yeah. Okay. So an organizational structure analysis?

Is that what you had suggested? A hiring status, comp studies, and work-life balance?

[Speaker 9] (2:37:55 - 2:37:56)
Sure.

[Speaker 4] (2:37:58 - 2:38:04)
Sounds good. I would just like to point out that it would probably be April 20th and not the 13th unless you plan on having meetings back to back.

[Speaker 2] (2:38:04 - 2:38:06)
Yeah, we have school vacation weeks.

[Speaker 3] (2:38:07 - 2:38:09)
Isn't the 20th a vacation week?

[Speaker 2] (2:38:09 - 2:38:24)
Yeah. Okay. I think 20th is a vacation week, so that's why it's the 13th.

But we can always, whatever. It's budget season, too, so we may have that. Yeah, we may have more than that anyways.

But that general time frame, you and the chair can, whenever the chair would like to have it, it's fine with me.

[Speaker 3] (2:38:27 - 2:38:31)
Other comments, questions, thoughts, Sean, or anybody else?

[Speaker 14] (2:38:35 - 2:38:37)
All right. Thanks. Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:38:39 - 2:38:45)
Polly, just so you know, we skipped the town administrator's report. All right. Since FinCom was here, so we haven't done that yet.

[Speaker 3] (2:38:46 - 2:38:53)
All right, Sean, go right ahead. I assume there's no public comment. I'm not going to ‑‑ there's no one actively waiting, right?

[Speaker 2] (2:38:53 - 2:38:54)
We already did public comment earlier tonight.

[Speaker 1] (2:38:56 - 2:42:16)
Okay. So we did have a conversation this week, you know, during our COVID call about dropping the mask mandate for town hall and town buildings. I expect that, you know, we will have a recommendation next week.

You know, I do want to thank staff and department heads for the work on the FY23 budget. Certainly that's going to kick off several months' worth of discussions. Putting this budget together has been a challenge, certainly harder this year than in any years past.

As we've cut these budgets, it gets harder and harder to find ways to sustain services and really meet the financial guidelines established. We have kicked off our HR assessment with CLA. We're looking at the organizational structure of town hall.

We're looking at different organizational charts and, you know, our focus on diversity and inclusivity. This looks at performance management, training, rewards, and human resources and policies. I expect that this work will complete over the next two months, and I do expect a number of positive recommendations will emanate from this report.

I continue to work with the Retirement Board to extend the schedule. As we discussed during the budget, this was a significant impact financially. If we can extend the schedule, that may open up some available funds in the FY23 budget.

Certainly we have a number of priorities, whether it's pedestrian safety or improvements for capital projects, but I'm optimistic. Again, I just want to recognize, I think, some extraordinary work by our town treasurer and finance team to get out and go to market for the bond. It's a lot that goes into coordinating that work, and he's really, Patrick Letty, really has impressed me with his diligence.

I did issue a number of conditional offers for police officers and firefighters last week. Chief Kurz has presented a few updates on radiator replacement training. Our officers really got a great training on emotional intelligence and continue to look at a mental health task force.

I have a meeting scheduled next Tuesday with Senator Crichton and individuals that participated in the meeting we held at Swanscot Town Hall a little over six weeks ago. This meeting really looks at the best way to utilize the $5 million that both Lynn and Swanscot received from the OPERA American Rescue Plan Act, and that's my report.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:19 - 2:42:52)
All right, thanks. Moving on to the consent agenda, it's designed to expedite the handling of routine and miscellaneous business of the board. We may adopt the entire consent agenda with one motion.

If anyone wants to remove an item and discuss it separately, you can, which we already did. But the consent agenda is a vote to approve the members to appoint members to a member, right? Yeah, I just put it on here because it has the specifics.

Somebody want to just move?

[Speaker 2] (2:42:52 - 2:42:55)
I would move to approve the consent agenda.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:55 - 2:43:00)
As outlined on the screen. Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (2:43:00 - 2:43:00)
Second.

[Speaker 3] (2:43:02 - 2:44:02)
All in favor, any further discussion? I just want to say about the peddling, just honestly, it's a terrible word, door-to-door solicitation. We've been doing it.

I don't think we can stop arbitrarily at this point, but I think at some point when we're not in the middle of approving these things, which I don't know when that would be, but I'd be interested in having a conversation about it. I personally can't stand it, but I don't know that we should prohibit it, but I think it's worth just having as an item to discuss when it's not a particular vote on a particular solicitation request to have a longer maybe conversation about it. But other than that, that's my only comment.

All in favor? Aye. Aye.

Sean, can I just ask you before we move on to select board time, who's running our next select board meeting?

[Speaker 1] (2:44:03 - 2:44:21)
We will get some assistance from a number of staff at Town Hall. I've talked to a few. I'm not exactly sure who, but I do know that we will have a couple of key staff available.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:21 - 2:46:16)
To do the agenda and the Zoom meetings and the hybrid and who should I be reaching out to to coordinate the agenda? Okay, select board time. I just want to say that on Monday night, forgive me, I think it was Monday night, the 28th, right?

Yeah. There was Sure put on an amazing event celebrating black history as our American history. And I am so bad with names and I feel so disrespectful not remembering his last name.

There was a poet and resident, Enzo, I forget his last name. If anybody else remembers, please chime in. And lots of people shared.

There was a student of the high school who shared his poetry. And it was just, I mean, I always enjoy those type of events, but it was really special. And it was really wonderful.

So I just want to thank, it's recorded. I believe it's available for viewing. I would really highly encourage people skip over the part where I shared.

There's some really good sharing that happened in that group. And I really want to thank Sure and everyone who was present and participated and made it happen. And hope that we can, I know they have some other dates of similar events coming up in the spring.

And hope that others will attend and we can grow the attendance and just participate and enjoy what they have to offer. So that's the only thing I wanted to share. Motion to adjourn?

[Speaker 11] (2:46:16 - 2:46:17)
I move. Second.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:18 - 2:46:19)
All in favor?

[Speaker 11] (2:46:19 - 2:46:19)
Aye.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:19 - 2:46:24)
Aye. Thanks, everyone. Good night.

Thank you, Joe and everyone in the back there.

[Speaker 11] (2:46:24 - 2:46:25)
Thank you, Amy.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:25 - 2:46:26)
And Amy and Allie.

[Speaker 11] (2:46:26 - 2:46:26)
Thank you, Allie.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:26 - 2:46:29)
And we'll miss you dearly. But we'll see you tomorrow night. Farewell.