[Speaker 1] (0:52 - 0:54)
That's what they're after me, that's exactly right.

[Speaker 1] (10:10 - 10:11)
I think I want to check for twenty thousand dollars.

[Speaker 2] (10:11 - 10:13)
That's what you said, like how are you at arrears

[Speaker 1] (10:13 - 10:14)
I find that.

[Speaker 2] (10:14 - 10:14)
or what? Just

[Speaker 1] (10:14 - 10:14)
Yeah,

[Speaker 2] (10:14 - 10:15)
sign here?

[Speaker 1] (10:15 - 10:15)
I have to call my insurance company.

[Speaker 2] (10:15 - 10:16)
Oh, I

[Speaker 1] (10:16 - 10:17)
I have to speak to my insurance

[Speaker 2] (10:17 - 10:17)
thought you

[Speaker 1] (10:17 - 10:17)
broker about this.

[Speaker 2] (10:17 - 10:19)
could just find one that says two C.

[Speaker 1] (10:19 - 10:21)
I thought you were supposed to sit here.

[Speaker 2] (10:21 - 10:21)
Oh no,

[Speaker 1] (10:21 - 10:22)
It's hard Gallagher.

[Speaker 2] (10:22 - 10:23)
so

[Speaker 1] (10:23 - 10:23)
Oh no, you're Look

[Speaker 2] (10:23 - 10:23)
sitting

[Speaker 1] (10:23 - 10:23)
at this.

[Speaker 2] (10:23 - 10:24)
in Gallagher.

[Speaker 1] (10:24 - 10:25)
I'm right next to a microphone.

[Speaker 1] (10:26 - 10:27)
I have to go to the presentation.

[Speaker 2] (10:27 - 10:27)
Oh, I see.

[Speaker 1] (10:28 - 10:29)
The presentation's over.

[Speaker 2] (10:29 - 10:29)
Oh, okay.

[Speaker 1] (10:29 - 10:31)
Oh, you just got back.

[Speaker 1] (10:31 - 10:32)
Mike just got back.

[Speaker 1] (10:35 - 10:35)
It's great.

[Speaker 1] (10:36 - 10:37)
I just got back.

[Speaker 1] (10:41 - 10:45)
I had to get 12.30 and I was arriving at 5.50, and I was like, oh, that's different.

[Speaker 1] (10:46 - 10:47)
What I'll take it.

[Speaker 1] (10:50 - 10:54)
No, it didn't actually. I thought you were thinking about that you had been detained.

[Speaker 1] (10:54 - 10:57)
Yeah. I actually, so they asked me if I had gotten

[Speaker 3] (10:57 - 10:57)
No,

[Speaker 1] (10:57 - 10:57)
detained

[Speaker 3] (10:57 - 10:58)
I'm fine.

[Speaker 1] (10:58 - 11:00)
and felt bad. That was the big question.

[Speaker 3] (11:04 - 11:05)
Hey. Hey, how's it going?

[Speaker 1] (11:05 - 11:06)
And then they they

[Speaker 3] (11:06 - 11:06)
Haven't

[Speaker 1] (11:06 - 11:06)
let you

[Speaker 3] (11:06 - 11:07)
seen you in a while.

[Speaker 1] (11:08 - 11:08)
Yeah,

[Speaker 4] (11:08 - 11:09)
I have a question here.

[Speaker 1] (11:09 - 11:11)
I think you should mention how sweet of a hat I just

[Speaker 4] (11:11 - 11:11)
Committee's

[Speaker 1] (11:11 - 11:11)
made.

[Speaker 4] (11:11 - 11:12)
gonna make me lose hair.

[Speaker 1] (11:12 - 11:14)
And I think that was like enough to get him like,

[Speaker 4] (11:14 - 11:14)
Pretty good.

[Speaker 1] (11:14 - 11:14)
not interested

[Speaker 4] (11:14 - 11:14)
Good,

[Speaker 1] (11:14 - 11:15)
in me.

[Speaker 4] (11:15 - 11:15)
good, good.

[Speaker 1] (11:15 - 11:15)
Yeah.

[Speaker 4] (11:15 - 11:26)
This is my first get back. I took like a 12 year break. I haven't seen, that's why I'm Yeah. taking a look. I'm saying, Well, I I wasn't, I needed a break from, deja yeah, vu all yeah, over again. yeah. I needed a break from this

[Speaker 1] (11:26 - 11:26)
And

[Speaker 4] (11:26 - 11:26)
when politics.

[Speaker 1] (11:26 - 11:27)
Ashley,

[Speaker 1] (11:27 - 11:29)
he asked me where I had been, and I said,

[Speaker 4] (11:29 - 11:29)
I

[Speaker 1] (11:29 - 11:29)
actually, I I I I

[Speaker 4] (11:29 - 11:32)
only came back because I'm involved in the head of his committee.

[Speaker 1] (11:32 - 11:32)
was in Turkey.

[Speaker 4] (11:32 - 11:36)
I didn't, I was ambivalent about even asking about that.

[Speaker 2] (11:36 - 11:36)
That doesn't look like

[Speaker 4] (11:36 - 11:36)
What?

[Speaker 2] (11:36 - 11:37)
that. That looks like you.

[Speaker 4] (11:37 - 11:40)
It was just the packing that needed to be filled.

[Speaker 2] (11:40 - 11:41)
But um, you'll

[Speaker 4] (11:41 - 11:41)
See this?

[Speaker 4] (11:41 - 11:43)
Hopefully you'll find

[Speaker 2] (11:43 - 11:43)
see the right.

[Speaker 4] (11:43 - 11:48)
right, no, the right peg to figure out what goes in there. I'll add piece of it. Yeah.

[Speaker 4] (11:49 - 11:51)
Maybe we will sell a piece of it.

[Speaker 4] (11:52 - 11:52)
Here.

[Speaker 4] (11:53 - 11:54)
If I have an ambulance here,

[Speaker 4] (11:55 - 11:57)
we'll do a sort of a multi-use,

[Speaker 4] (11:57 - 12:00)
you That's, know. I love the sound of that already. Yeah, the answer,

[Speaker 4] (12:00 - 12:14)
the answer A seven is no. billion, a seven million dollar empty space that can only be used for such a short period of No, time. the people who want a free park haven't looked at the cost of that, you know. And you have less of a parking process. It doesn't make any sense. You have to have monuments,

[Speaker 4] (12:14 - 12:15)
you've got a big opening, You know,

[Speaker 5] (12:15 - 12:15)
yeah.

[Speaker 4] (12:15 - 12:18)
you've got to put concerts on that.

[Speaker 4] (12:18 - 12:20)
You need a big empty open space.

[Speaker 4] (12:19 - 12:23)
Yeah, but space is also, it's got look bizarre. It's the, you know, downtown.

[Speaker 2] (12:23 - 12:23)
Coming

[Speaker 4] (12:23 - 12:23)
So

[Speaker 2] (12:23 - 12:23)
up,

[Speaker 4] (12:23 - 12:23)
I'm

[Speaker 2] (12:23 - 12:25)
so don't look down.

[Speaker 6] (12:25 - 12:25)
Yeah.

[Speaker 2] (12:25 - 12:26)
No, don't even, yeah.

[Speaker 4] (12:26 - 12:27)
I was like,

[Speaker 2] (12:27 - 12:27)
Oh,

[Speaker 4] (12:27 - 12:27)
don't, just like I did

[Speaker 2] (12:27 - 12:27)
really?

[Speaker 4] (12:27 - 12:28)
a man who

[Speaker 2] (12:28 - 12:28)
Yeah.

[Speaker 4] (12:28 - 12:31)
made it all up. I was like, my whole, just like, imagine that. You know,

[Speaker 2] (12:31 - 12:31)
I love specially that that's the expression.

[Speaker 4] (12:31 - 12:37)
it's still, it's still a key here. You know, and they, and they usually have a thing here on the fourth floor, too. Yeah.

[Speaker 4] (12:37 - 12:38)
So that would be a fun thing.

[Speaker 6] (12:38 - 12:39)
A multiple

[Speaker 4] (12:39 - 12:40)
I think we can run for it. Yeah.

[Speaker 6] (12:40 - 12:46)
a multiple functional would have a bench there in the front to say we can incorporate some of all these.

[Speaker 4] (12:46 - 12:48)
You talking about the symphony hall on the corner?

[Speaker 4] (12:48 - 12:49)
Oh, she's having a great time.

[Speaker 4] (12:51 - 12:51)
Yeah.

[Speaker 7] (12:51 - 12:53)
Yeah, yeah, I've I've been there.

[Speaker 4] (12:53 - 12:53)
Yeah, yeah.

[Speaker 7] (12:54 - 12:54)
So that's

[Speaker 4] (12:55 - 12:56)
That can generate income.

[Speaker 7] (12:56 - 12:56)
yeah.

[Speaker 4] (12:57 - 12:58)
If it's just giving me some

[Speaker 7] (12:58 - 12:58)
Just collect

[Speaker 4] (12:58 - 12:58)
income,

[Speaker 7] (12:58 - 12:59)
the microchip.

[Speaker 4] (12:59 - 13:02)
just drop it off. Or make it easy for more than just collecting. You have a benefit function,

[Speaker 7] (13:02 - 13:03)
Oh.

[Speaker 4] (13:03 - 13:06)
or a hotel function where you can bring your family in.

[Speaker 7] (13:06 - 13:08)
I mean, that's a very expensive building.

[Speaker 4] (13:08 - 13:09)
Oh yeah, yeah.

[Speaker 7] (13:09 - 13:11)
That's a really nice place to take on.

[Speaker 4] (13:11 - 13:14)
Well, you know, you have somebody who's going to address that.

[Speaker 7] (13:14 - 13:14)
Yeah.

[Speaker 4] (13:14 - 13:15)
Who's going to do it?

[Speaker 7] (13:15 - 13:15)
Yeah. Yeah.

[Speaker 7] (13:15 - 13:15)
Yeah.

[Speaker 4] (13:16 - 13:21)
Well, we'll be lucky, I mean, we'll be lucky if the town would agree to sell, like, the first third cheap,

[Speaker 4] (13:22 - 13:24)
because what I'm thinking is, and again,

[Speaker 4] (13:24 - 13:25)
the committee has to decide this,

[Speaker 4] (13:25 - 13:27)
but if they sell the first third,

[Speaker 4] (13:27 - 13:33)
you can make it a windmill ability so industry can be stored for the first month, condos on the second third,

[Speaker 4] (13:34 - 13:41)
and thanks be done. Right. Yeah, oh, I'm sure. And then you can do the parking behind it, and then you can have the back third be more. Because you'll never get presidential,

[Speaker 4] (13:41 - 13:42)
I mean, excuse me,

[Speaker 4] (13:42 - 13:42)
commercial.

[Speaker 4] (13:43 - 13:45)
They're, nobody's gonna spend the money. No,

[Speaker 4] (13:45 - 13:48)
no, no. You you residential you can get your money's

[Speaker 7] (13:48 - 13:48)
worth. Yeah. Oh my God.

[Speaker 4] (13:48 - 13:48)
Yeah.

[Speaker 7] (13:48 - 13:52)
Yeah. Oh if you did an excuse me. The developers are very comfortable with first floor,

[Speaker 7] (13:53 - 13:56)
the second floor shops, and then second and third and then...

[Speaker 4] (13:57 - 13:58)
It's z it's so little parking, huh?

[Speaker 7] (13:58 - 13:59)
Oh yeah.

[Speaker 4] (13:59 - 14:01)
To put a shop in there what the rent would have to be.

[Speaker 4] (14:02 - 14:03)
And you and you don't

[Speaker 7] (14:03 - 14:05)
Basically it has to do with the parking.

[Speaker 4] (14:05 - 14:06)
Yeah.

[Speaker 7] (14:06 - 14:07)
I know people don't like parking,

[Speaker 7] (14:07 - 14:11)
but realistically some amount of parking is gonna be...

[Speaker 7] (14:12 - 14:13)
part of those conversations.

[Speaker 7] (14:14 - 14:15)
The answer is going to be that.

[Speaker 7] (14:15 - 14:16)
I mean, they're talking about it.

[Speaker 4] (14:16 - 14:19)
The answer is going to be everyone's going to have to give a little if they want something.

[Speaker 7] (14:19 - 14:22)
That's right. But you will be better to begin with. The town will be very,

[Speaker 4] (14:22 - 14:22)
Oh,

[Speaker 7] (14:22 - 14:22)
very

[Speaker 4] (14:22 - 14:23)
I got you.

[Speaker 7] (14:23 - 14:23)
well.

[Speaker 4] (14:23 - 14:25)
But somebody's got to push this down there.

[Speaker 7] (14:25 - 14:26)
Well, I'm hoping,

[Speaker 7] (14:26 - 14:28)
you know, that's the...

[Speaker 7] (14:30 - 14:33)
So sustain and advance.

[Speaker 4] (14:51 - 14:52)
Good evening.

[Speaker 4] (14:57 - 14:57)
Good evening.

[Speaker 4] (14:57 - 14:59)
You can take your seats please.

[Speaker 7] (14:59 - 15:00)
Yes. Yeah, no problem.

[Speaker 4] (15:00 - 15:05)
As I'm sure you all heard when you were checking in or registering as a visitor,

[Speaker 4] (15:06 - 15:09)
I'm asking visitors to sit in the back sections,

[Speaker 4] (15:09 - 15:14)
town meeting members in the forward sections.

[Speaker 4] (15:14 - 15:15)
I have

[Speaker 4] (15:18 - 15:20)
lovely sound of music in the house, I believe, Mr.

[Speaker 4] (15:20 - 15:21)
Dullet.

[Speaker 4] (15:22 - 15:28)
Um I have a number of uh an uh preparatory remarks by groups around town.

[Speaker 4] (15:29 - 15:35)
I'd like to start with the um with Ann Driscoll Driscoll and the folks from the Swampscott Tides, Ms. Driscoll?

[Speaker 8] (16:04 - 16:05)
Thank you, Mr. Moderator,

[Speaker 8] (16:05 - 16:09)
for the opportunity to address this body.

[Speaker 8] (16:09 - 16:26)
I am so excited because many of you may remember we were here last year. I was here with a group of people who were the founding board members and we told you that we were planning to launch our own hometown paper,

[Speaker 8] (16:27 - 16:30)
a free digital digital

[Speaker 8] (16:30 - 16:40)
nonpartisan, independent news outlet dedicated to covering local news and I'm here to say we've done it and

[Speaker 8] (16:46 - 16:49)
we've done it because of you guys.

[Speaker 8] (16:49 - 16:58)
We had about 350 households that have contributed donations large and small some monthly.

[Speaker 8] (16:59 - 17:25)
People have subscribed and since we launched in the last two weeks we've gained another almost 25% subscribers so keep subscribing and to that end you can do this from your seat tonight right now just use your smartphone on that QR code it's really exciting to be able to

[Speaker 8] (17:27 - 17:29)
gotten to this point because,

[Speaker 8] (17:29 - 17:31)
as we all know,

[Speaker 8] (17:31 - 17:36)
the Swampscott reporter hasn't really been covering much in the way of local news.

[Speaker 8] (17:36 - 17:37)
Finally,

[Speaker 8] (17:37 - 17:40)
we have a paper,

[Speaker 8] (17:40 - 17:44)
the only one solely focused on our hometown.

[Speaker 8] (17:46 - 17:49)
So thank you all for your support,

[Speaker 8] (17:49 - 17:52)
for subscribing.

[Speaker 8] (17:55 - 17:58)
and tell all your friends to do the same.

[Speaker 8] (17:58 - 18:01)
And right now I'd like to introduce,

[Speaker 8] (18:01 - 18:04)
because this month was really important,

[Speaker 8] (18:04 - 18:10)
on March 1st we hired our first managing editor.

[Speaker 8] (18:11 - 18:13)
who started in our newsroom,

[Speaker 8] (18:13 - 18:18)
which we also signed a lease for on March 1st. So it was a very big day.

[Speaker 8] (18:18 - 18:20)
And eight days later,

[Speaker 8] (18:20 - 18:21)
we launched the paper.

[Speaker 8] (18:21 - 18:24)
So I'd like to introduce you now to Monica Sager.

[Speaker 8] (18:25 - 18:37)
She comes to us, she's already won national awards for her investigative journalism as a master's journalism student at Medill, one of the best journalism schools in the country.

[Speaker 8] (18:37 - 18:56)
She's also gotten her, you know, worked locally at the Eagle Tribune covering local news and most recently was working at Newsweek. So we're very lucky to have her and I'd like to let her say a few words.

[Speaker 1] (19:01 - 19:09)
Hi, everybody. Thank you so much. I'm so excited to now be a part of your community and tell us stories of everything Swanscott.

[Speaker 1] (19:09 - 19:15)
So I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and please be in touch with any stories that you may have as well.

[Speaker 1] (19:15 - 19:19)
You can find my email if you just go on that QR code.

[Speaker 1] (19:19 - 19:25)
But I'm looking forward to again meeting all of you and telling all the stories that we have here in these three square miles.

[Speaker 4] (19:28 - 19:34)
Thank you. And if I could, I'm just going to remind everyone, because I don't think I see it on there,

[Speaker 4] (19:34 - 19:39)
the URL if you're old school is swanscotttides.org.

[Speaker 4] (19:39 - 19:41)
Swanscotttides.org.

[Speaker 4] (19:42 - 19:48)
Thank you. I'm also remiss. I had one announcement I should have made prior.

[Speaker 4] (19:49 - 19:53)
Joe Doolittle and the team who are producing this evening.

[Speaker 4] (19:54 - 19:54)
Uh, Santa

[Speaker 1] (20:00 - 20:01)
You can see Mr.

[Speaker 1] (20:01 - 20:03)
Du let in the back of the room.

[Speaker 1] (20:04 - 20:05)
Finally,

[Speaker 1] (20:05 - 20:17)
I really would appreciate it if you would turn off the ringers on your cell phones and if you for some reason feel like you want to record what's going on I just I need you to let me know so we can inform the rest of the.

[Speaker 1] (20:17 - 20:18)
body.

[Speaker 1] (20:19 - 20:24)
That said, is Ms. Gallagher here? We have a report from the Tree Committee.

[Speaker 2] (20:35 - 20:36)
Hi everyone.

[Speaker 2] (20:36 - 20:39)
Tara Gallagher here from the Tree Committee.

[Speaker 2] (20:39 - 20:44)
This is our first ever report to the town meeting body about what we're up to.

[Speaker 2] (20:44 - 20:48)
So we really appreciate this opportunity to let you know what we've been doing.

[Speaker 2] (20:48 - 20:49)
We have been doing a lot.

[Speaker 2] (20:50 - 20:58)
The members are listed there and I just want to call out Jen Honig as chair and Richard Frankel as vice chair and go on to the next slide.

[Speaker 2] (21:03 - 21:04)
Next slide please.

[Speaker 2] (21:06 - 21:07)
So I'm just going to actually read the mission.

[Speaker 2] (21:07 - 21:19)
The mission of the Swampscott Tree Committee is to protect and promote the health of the town's public trees and to plan planting of trees to improve biodiversity and expand the town's tree canopy.

[Speaker 2] (21:20 - 21:24)
So we identified, we worked as a committee to come up with three priorities for planting.

[Speaker 2] (21:25 - 21:29)
High public usage areas like our parks and the train station.

[Speaker 2] (21:30 - 21:31)
Tree waiting list.

[Speaker 2] (21:31 - 21:38)
So neighbor residents put areas like right in front of their house on a tree waiting list and DPW will

[Speaker 2] (21:38 - 21:55)
get to that and plant a tree and we've identified neighborhoods that lack tree cover so we're trying to do planting in those areas so those are the three priorities we work together as a committee to and with the DPW to put together fall and spring planting plants

[Speaker 2] (21:56 - 22:23)
So I also want to note that public shade trees are a recognized benefit of the Swampscott Climate Strategy that was developed as you know through the Swampscott Climate Action Plan and you can see in the upper right-hand part of the slide that for 31 years running Swampscott has received tree canopy or what is it Tree City USA certification from the Arbor Day Foundation so

[Speaker 2] (22:23 - 22:24)
So, pretty exciting.

[Speaker 2] (22:24 - 22:25)
Next slide.

[Speaker 2] (22:26 - 22:28)
So this slide is important.

[Speaker 2] (22:28 - 22:31)
Why is it so important to plant trees?

[Speaker 2] (22:32 - 22:40)
We are losing tree canopy as beautiful old graceful trees with massive canopies die and we plant new small trees.

[Speaker 2] (22:41 - 22:57)
Two studies by Salem State University students have demonstrated that between 2010 and 2016 we lost 110 acres of tree canopy and between 2016 and 2023 we lost an additional...

[Speaker 2] (22:58 - 23:00)
29 acres of trees.

[Speaker 2] (23:00 - 23:02)
So we are gaining in some areas but we're losing.

[Speaker 2] (23:03 - 23:07)
The red in this image is tree loss.

[Speaker 2] (23:07 - 23:14)
To the left on the slide is Phillips Park and the neighborhood to the east of Phillips Park is the rest of that image.

[Speaker 2] (23:14 - 23:19)
That image is kind of typical to what the Salem State students found for all of town.

[Speaker 2] (23:20 - 23:23)
Red tree loss is happening throughout town,

[Speaker 2] (23:23 - 23:26)
not just where there's big developments occurring.

[Speaker 2] (23:27 - 23:27)
Next slide.

[Speaker 2] (23:29 - 23:32)
So as a result of tree canopy loss,

[Speaker 2] (23:32 - 23:34)
we are doing public shade tree planting.

[Speaker 2] (23:35 - 23:40)
So just to give you a sense of numbers, in 2023 we planted 75 trees.

[Speaker 2] (23:41 - 24:07)
in 2024 a hundred trees and in 2025 we are thrilled that Swampscott received a $95,000 cooling corridor grant from the state so that's going to allow us to plant 52 trees and we're still going to be able to do the regular 60 to 75 trees that the DPW normally does but the 52 trees will be targeted to the area around the train station and

[Speaker 2] (24:07 - 24:08)
and areas around our schools.

[Speaker 2] (24:08 - 24:10)
So very exciting.

[Speaker 2] (24:11 - 24:12)
Next slide.

[Speaker 2] (24:13 - 24:16)
Another thing that the Tree Committee does is we promote our

[Speaker 2] (24:17 - 24:17)
trees.

[Speaker 2] (24:18 - 24:24)
So in 1945 Swampscott established an arboretum and it kind of got lost,

[Speaker 2] (24:25 - 24:27)
knowledge about it got lost.

[Speaker 2] (24:27 - 24:35)
We rededicated it and reinvigorated it and it's in the area near the monument and there's plenty of information on the website about it if you're interested.

[Speaker 2] (24:35 - 24:42)
We also registered the Purple Beach at Town Hall as a legacy tree.

[Speaker 2] (24:43 - 24:56)
for its size so it's one of the largest purple beaches in the state next slide so this is the last slide and this is important so because we're losing tree canopy all over town

[Speaker 2] (24:57 - 25:03)
Replacing that tree canopy isn't just a matter of the DPW planting public shade trees.

[Speaker 2] (25:03 - 25:08)
It also has to involve homeowners who are able to to plant trees on their own property.

[Speaker 2] (25:08 - 25:10)
So what you can do,

[Speaker 2] (25:10 - 25:13)
there are several things that homeowners can or residents can do.

[Speaker 2] (25:13 - 25:18)
One is you can request that the DPW plant a shade tree in front of your home.

[Speaker 2] (25:18 - 25:22)
You can also honor someone through our memorial tree program.

[Speaker 2] (25:22 - 25:26)
Only $350. It's a beautiful way to memorialize someone.

[Speaker 2] (25:26 - 25:26)
someone.

[Speaker 2] (25:27 - 25:35)
You can also just make a donation to the tree gift fund and I actually want to just take a second and thank everyone who's participated in both of those programs.

[Speaker 2] (25:35 - 25:36)
It really means a lot.

[Speaker 2] (25:37 - 25:40)
You can adopt a tree simply by watering it in times of stress.

[Speaker 2] (25:40 - 25:43)
If it's like near your house, just adopt a tree,

[Speaker 2] (25:43 - 25:45)
just do this public benefit.

[Speaker 2] (25:46 - 25:48)
Our website,

[Speaker 2] (25:48 - 25:52)
the tree committee website and also the forestry division website have

[Speaker 2] (25:52 - 26:00)
have a list of preferred shade trees for planting in Swampscot so that can help you and then finally if you

[Speaker 2] (26:00 - 26:01)
Want to plant a tree?

[Speaker 2] (26:02 - 26:09)
We do tree giveaways. So we're indebted to the Swanscott Conservancy for funding tree giveaways that we do every April.

[Speaker 2] (26:09 - 26:15)
This year we gave away 50 gray dogwood and 50 red spruce and we'll be doing it again in April.

[Speaker 2] (26:16 - 26:20)
So it's a great way to get a tree for free that you can then plant on your property.

[Speaker 2] (26:20 - 26:21)
So finally,

[Speaker 2] (26:21 - 26:29)
on behalf of future generations who are going to benefit from the cooling benefit and the shade and the

[Speaker 2] (26:29 - 26:33)
And the beauty of the trees that we plant today on their behalf,

[Speaker 2] (26:33 - 26:34)
thank you.

[Speaker 1] (26:35 - 26:36)
Thank you, Ms. Gallagher.

[Speaker 1] (26:38 - 26:39)
Is Dr.

[Speaker 1] (26:39 - 26:40)
Lindsay Polisodi here?

[Speaker 1] (26:41 - 26:54)
I believe we had a news about an upcoming programme. If not, we can have that presentation tomorrow night. Very good. Moving on, is Ms. Schmidt here from the Climate Action group?

[Speaker 1] (27:12 - 27:13)
Ms. Schmidt.

[Speaker 2] (27:16 - 27:17)
Hello everyone.

[Speaker 2] (27:18 - 27:19)
Next slide, please.

[Speaker 2] (27:21 - 27:28)
The Climate Action and Resilience Committee maintains our climate action plan and promotes implementation of actions in the plan.

[Speaker 2] (27:28 - 27:34)
A Resilient Swampscot plan was approved at town meeting two years ago in 2023.

[Speaker 2] (27:35 - 27:40)
There are two main ways to combat climate change that are reflected in the plan.

[Speaker 2] (27:41 - 27:43)
The first way is to reduce emissions,

[Speaker 2] (27:43 - 27:46)
and the second is to mitigate impacts of climate change.

[Speaker 2] (27:47 - 27:49)
We work with municipal leads in town,

[Speaker 2] (27:50 - 27:50)
other committees,

[Speaker 2] (27:51 - 27:55)
and do outreach to deliver information and guidance to community members in town.

[Speaker 2] (27:56 - 27:57)
Next slide.

[Speaker 2] (27:59 - 28:06)
A recent change is that we decided to merge the Renewable Energy Committee into the Climate Action and Resilience Committee.

[Speaker 2] (28:07 - 28:32)
rec was established in 2010 and did a lot of significant work to reduce emissions especially in municipal operations rec has also promoted energy efficiency programs to residents in town rec also supported the town in becoming a green community and was the primary driver in completing our greenhouse gas inventory and leading the effort to create our climate action plan

[Speaker 2] (28:33 - 28:37)
Once we established the Climate Action and Resilience Committee,

[Speaker 2] (28:38 - 28:41)
we saw overlap in the activities of rec and cart.

[Speaker 2] (28:41 - 28:45)
The rec mission was primarily focused on emissions reduction,

[Speaker 2] (28:45 - 28:49)
which is a big part of our resilient Swampscot plan.

[Speaker 2] (28:50 - 28:54)
Our plan also includes actions to mitigate climate change,

[Speaker 2] (28:54 - 28:56)
which include resiliency measures,

[Speaker 2] (28:56 - 28:59)
for example to address coastal flooding.

[Speaker 2] (29:01 - 29:07)
So now we think that the merging of the two committees is the best step forward to streamline the efforts going forward.

[Speaker 2] (29:08 - 29:09)
Next slide.

[Speaker 2] (29:11 - 29:15)
In just a quick overview of CARK activities,

[Speaker 2] (29:15 - 29:17)
we've been involved in community outreach,

[Speaker 2] (29:18 - 29:19)
doing tabling.

[Speaker 2] (29:19 - 29:26)
We've recently set up a resilient swamps website to promote community engagement and with actions in the plan.

[Speaker 2] (29:28 - 29:31)
We continue to be involved with the Community First Program,

[Speaker 2] (29:31 - 29:37)
which offers free energy audits and greatly discounted installation deals to our residents.

[Speaker 2] (29:38 - 29:41)
We also supported, most recently,

[Speaker 2] (29:41 - 29:48)
having the town meet all the requirements to be designated as a climate leader,

[Speaker 2] (29:48 - 29:49)
which is a new Massachusetts law.

[Speaker 1] (29:54 - 30:00)
And achieving this designation makes our town eligible for significant new grant opportunities.

[Speaker 1] (30:03 - 30:04)
Next slide.

[Speaker 1] (30:06 - 30:10)
So just wanted to get your involvement in helping to reduce our carbon footprint.

[Speaker 1] (30:11 - 30:14)
Most of our emissions in town are coming from housing and vehicles.

[Speaker 1] (30:15 - 30:16)
Our new website,

[Speaker 1] (30:16 - 30:18)
resilient swampscot.org,

[Speaker 1] (30:18 - 30:22)
is tracking how our residents are taking action to reduce emissions.

[Speaker 1] (30:23 - 30:28)
There's a lot of good information and also free webinars available on the website,

[Speaker 1] (30:28 - 30:33)
so please register on the website and sign up for some actions that you can take.

[Speaker 1] (30:34 - 30:36)
So thanks for your participation.

[Speaker 2] (30:37 - 30:38)
Thank you, Ms. Schmidt.

[Speaker 2] (30:42 - 30:43)
Ms. Cameron,

[Speaker 2] (30:43 - 30:46)
are you ready to share with us your

[Speaker 2] (30:49 - 30:50)
many informative points?

[Speaker 1] (31:01 - 31:02)
Janelle Cameron,

[Speaker 1] (31:02 - 31:03)
child meeting member,

[Speaker 1] (31:03 - 31:04)
Precinct 3.

[Speaker 3] (31:04 - 31:07)
Okay, first thing is the 4th of July parade.

[Speaker 3] (31:08 - 31:18)
This year's 4th of July parade is on Sunday, June 29th. The same as before, we'll meet at the middle school and watch the town hall to the Strawberry Festival.

[Speaker 3] (31:19 - 31:24)
Brian May's band will be playing for us. Last year he had a little guest appearance with Barry Goodrow,

[Speaker 3] (31:25 - 31:26)
but I haven't heard about this year.

[Speaker 3] (31:26 - 31:28)
So that is upcoming,

[Speaker 3] (31:28 - 31:30)
and I have an email that will be going out with more information.

[Speaker 3] (31:31 - 31:34)
and anyone who wants to join us, all your town groups,

[Speaker 3] (31:34 - 31:35)
everyone is welcome.

[Speaker 3] (31:35 - 31:36)
The more the merrier.

[Speaker 3] (31:37 - 32:04)
for the farmers market the first farmers market is sunday june 8th i know we always started on the second sunday in june because graduation used to be on the first sunday but now that we have it on friday night we feel that it's hard for the vendors to get a lot of produce ready that early so we're sticking with the second sunday in june to the end of october as well as indoor market on the sunday before thanksgiving swampscott good education foundation

[Speaker 3] (32:05 - 32:14)
which was formerly called Success Swampscotts United Community Coalition for the enhancement of the Swampscot schools has finally been dissolved.

[Speaker 3] (32:14 - 32:16)
It makes me sad after 40 years,

[Speaker 3] (32:16 - 32:25)
but there's a lot of town meeting members that were on the board of Success or Swampscot Education Foundation over the 40 years, and I'd just like to thank Larry Beaupre,

[Speaker 3] (32:25 - 32:29)
Martha Caesars, Ann Driscoll, even though she's not a townie anymore,

[Speaker 3] (32:29 - 32:31)
how could I not thank her?

[Speaker 3] (32:31 - 32:32)
Glenn Pastor,

[Speaker 3] (32:32 - 32:33)
Phil Rotner,

[Speaker 3] (32:33 - 32:34)
Ken Schutzer,

[Speaker 3] (32:34 - 32:35)
Chris Winter,

[Speaker 3] (32:35 - 32:36)
Suzanne Wright,

[Speaker 3] (32:36 - 32:42)
Mike Devlin out in the hall who's doing town meeting check-in and anyone else that I might have forgotten to mention.

[Speaker 3] (32:42 - 32:44)
And a big thank you.

[Speaker 3] (32:44 - 32:45)
Oh,

[Speaker 3] (32:45 - 32:47)
just to let you know, we took the end of our money,

[Speaker 3] (32:47 - 32:56)
$34,191.41 and gave it to the Swampskate Schools and it was used for professional development.

[Speaker 3] (32:56 - 33:02)
So anyone who donated or worked on it, I just wanted you all to know where all the money went.

[Speaker 3] (33:04 - 33:15)
And lastly, I'd just like to thank the last out of a 30-member board that was down to the last five standing with me, and that's Megan Melig, Dave Ritchie, Christopher Winter,

[Speaker 3] (33:15 - 33:16)
Yelena Jopova,

[Speaker 3] (33:16 - 33:17)
Susan Sinrich.

[Speaker 3] (33:18 - 33:21)
Thank you all for your support over the years, and thank you all for supporting success.

[Speaker 2] (33:22 - 33:24)
Thank you, Ms. Cameron.

[Speaker 2] (33:25 - 33:26)
Dr.

[Speaker 2] (33:26 - 33:33)
Schultz has an interesting presentation for us. I think you will all enjoy.

[Speaker 3] (33:48 - 33:48)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (33:49 - 33:49)
That's the right one.

[Speaker 3] (33:51 - 33:51)
Perfect.

[Speaker 3] (33:57 - 34:05)
So I'm Nancy Schultz, Precinct 3 Town Meeting member and chair of the Swamp Scott Historical Commission.

[Speaker 4] (34:07 - 34:09)
Ralph Edwards, Precinct 1,

[Speaker 4] (34:09 - 34:10)
member of Shore Diversity.

[Speaker 3] (34:12 - 34:13)
Thank you Mr.

[Speaker 3] (34:13 - 34:15)
Moderator and all town meeting members.

[Speaker 3] (34:16 - 34:20)
for this time to do this brief announcement.

[Speaker 3] (34:22 - 34:30)
Mr. Edwards and I are very pleased to announce a town-wide reading of Frederick Douglass'

[Speaker 3] (34:31 - 34:35)
magisterial 1852 speech,

[Speaker 3] (34:35 - 34:39)
What to a Slave is the 4th of July,

[Speaker 3] (34:39 - 34:43)
to be held on Town Hall Lawn.

[Speaker 3] (34:43 - 34:44)
On Wednesday,

[Speaker 3] (34:44 - 34:49)
July 2nd, at 5 p.m.

[Speaker 3] (34:50 - 34:54)
The partners for this event include the town of Swampscott,

[Speaker 3] (34:54 - 34:55)
Shure Diversity,

[Speaker 3] (34:56 - 34:57)
the library,

[Speaker 3] (34:58 - 35:00)
the Nahant Historical Society,

[Speaker 3] (35:01 - 35:02)
the public schools,

[Speaker 3] (35:03 - 35:05)
and the Swampscott Historical Commission.

[Speaker 3] (35:06 - 35:09)
We will be seeking about 60 members.

[Speaker 3] (35:10 - 35:36)
to 60 readers to each read a brief section of Douglas's speech and hope that all of you will contribute continue will consider participating sorry the purpose of this announcement is to inform town meeting members of this event and invite you all to read with us

[Speaker 3] (35:38 - 35:41)
Former daily item reporter Tom Dalton,

[Speaker 3] (35:41 - 35:47)
who has written a book on Douglas's Lynn years,

[Speaker 3] (35:47 - 35:51)
which include 1841 to 1848,

[Speaker 3] (35:52 - 35:57)
during which time in Lynn he wrote his famous autobiography.

[Speaker 3] (35:58 - 36:03)
Tom Dalton will set the context for us before the reading.

[Speaker 3] (36:03 - 36:09)
And poet Enzo Salon Seren, our project scholar,

[Speaker 3] (36:09 - 36:18)
will moderate discussion for those interested in staying after the reading to discuss the text of the speech.

[Speaker 3] (36:18 - 36:27)
We will be using the town's large portable movie screen to display the text and we'll be setting up chairs and a tent.

[Speaker 3] (36:28 - 36:32)
There'll be free water and free ice cream provided.

[Speaker 3] (36:33 - 36:38)
And food trucks will be on site selling more substantial refreshments.

[Speaker 3] (36:39 - 36:44)
This is the first time that Swampscott has hosted such an event,

[Speaker 3] (36:44 - 36:51)
and as we were actually a neighborhood of Lynn until 1852,

[Speaker 3] (36:52 - 37:00)
we will celebrate Frederick Douglass for the first time as one of our very own townsmen.

[Speaker 3] (37:00 - 37:02)
We hope to see you there.

[Speaker 4] (37:09 - 37:13)
I just wanted to add sort of a personal note.

[Speaker 4] (37:13 - 37:19)
Just last week, my son and I went to Mount Vernon, the George Washington's plantation.

[Speaker 4] (37:20 - 37:32)
And one of the films that they showed was regarding Washington crossing the Delaware and how important his winning that battle was to

[Speaker 4] (37:33 - 37:34)
winning the revolution.

[Speaker 4] (37:35 - 37:43)
And of course, General Glover was featured, was mentioned as one of the people on the boat with Washington.

[Speaker 4] (37:43 - 37:59)
I had no idea who Glover was until a few years ago when the, you know, matter began being discussed here in Swanscott to save his home. And it just showed me.

[Speaker 4] (38:00 - 38:01)
the importance of history.

[Speaker 4] (38:01 - 38:06)
Probably everyone here knows Frederick Douglass,

[Speaker 4] (38:06 - 38:07)
but

[Speaker 4] (38:08 - 38:14)
Maybe people don't really know his larger story,

[Speaker 4] (38:14 - 38:20)
the fact that he was a statesman, an orator,

[Speaker 4] (38:20 - 38:25)
an advisor to President Lincoln,

[Speaker 4] (38:25 - 38:33)
and made a significant difference in the Civil War and the outcome of the Civil War.

[Speaker 4] (38:33 - 38:36)
This speech of his is one of the most...

[Speaker 4] (38:36 - 38:45)
famous speeches that he ever made and he was world known worldwide for his oratory.

[Speaker 4] (38:46 - 39:03)
We really want to encourage you to consider being a reader at this event and to bring your children and for most of us our grandchildren to this reading. It will help us all better appreciate.

[Speaker 4] (39:03 - 39:10)
the greatness of this country and the obstacles that we've overcome.

[Speaker 4] (39:11 - 39:21)
You will be able to sign up, well actually there's a QR code there that you could take a picture of that.

[Speaker 4] (39:21 - 39:25)
That code will also be available on the Shure website,

[Speaker 4] (39:25 - 39:27)
shurediversity.org,

[Speaker 4] (39:28 - 39:30)
and we'll have a sign-up sheet.

[Speaker 4] (39:30 - 39:36)
In the lobby where you can sign up at the beginning of tomorrow night's meeting.

[Speaker 4] (39:37 - 39:38)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (39:39 - 39:40)
Thank you very much.

[Speaker 2] (39:41 - 39:44)
I hope you'll consider signing up to be a

[Speaker 1] (39:45 - 39:46)
I already have.

[Speaker 1] (39:47 - 39:52)
Some of you remember when they did the Share Your Story last year.

[Speaker 1] (39:53 - 39:59)
Ancestors of mine were on both sides of that war and I find the speech incredibly moving.

[Speaker 1] (40:00 - 40:05)
That brings us to the end of our informal announcements and reports.

[Speaker 1] (40:06 - 40:09)
I have one more informal piece of business.

[Speaker 1] (40:10 - 40:22)
It is one of the distinct pleasures of this office that I get the opportunity to recognize someone who's made a significant contribution to our community.

[Speaker 1] (40:22 - 40:28)
And tonight I'd like to recognize someone who's lived in town over 35 years.

[Speaker 1] (40:29 - 40:35)
Who has been a fundamental part of the way our town operates for 20 years,

[Speaker 1] (40:36 - 40:46)
single-handedly essentially launching a department that has given a place for community,

[Speaker 1] (40:46 - 40:56)
a place for people to enjoy this town with all its natural and human resources. And after...

[Speaker 1] (40:57 - 41:11)
A long and successful run of increasingly expanded operations from the very tiny beginnings to the programs you know today and are excited about to see what happens going forward.

[Speaker 1] (41:11 - 41:19)
I'd like you all to join me in recognizing the immense contributions of Danielle Strauss as she retires.

[Speaker 1] (41:49 - 41:50)
Thank you for indulging me.

[Speaker 1] (41:52 - 41:56)
At this point, having been informed that we have a quorum present,

[Speaker 1] (41:56 - 41:58)
I do call this annual town meeting of 2025,

[Speaker 1] (41:58 - 41:59)
the town of Swanscott, to order.

[Speaker 1] (42:01 - 42:06)
All of the newly elected town meeting members who have not yet been sworn in,

[Speaker 1] (42:06 - 42:08)
could you please rise?

[Speaker 1] (42:09 - 42:10)
Mr.

[Speaker 1] (42:10 - 42:10)
Clerk.

[Speaker 2] (42:41 - 42:42)
Upon me,

[Speaker 2] (42:43 - 42:47)
duties and honor upon me as a town meeting member for

[Speaker 2] (42:48 - 42:53)
the town of Swampscott in accordance with the bylaws of the town,

[Speaker 2] (42:54 - 42:56)
the in accordance with the bylaws of the town,

[Speaker 2] (42:56 - 42:58)
the laws of the commonwealth,

[Speaker 2] (42:58 - 43:05)
and the constitution of the United States of America to the Constitution of the United States of America.

[Speaker 2] (43:06 - 43:07)
the best of my ability.

[Speaker 2] (43:09 - 43:09)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (43:10 - 43:11)
Thank you very much. You may be seated.

[Speaker 1] (43:16 - 43:22)
At this time, all of those who would like to pledge their allegiance to the symbol of our country,

[Speaker 1] (43:22 - 43:25)
I urge you to stand and join me.

[Speaker 1] (43:27 - 43:35)
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,

[Speaker 1] (43:35 - 43:36)
one nation.

[Speaker 1] (43:38 - 43:41)
indivisible with liberty and justice for all

[Speaker 1] (43:44 - 44:03)
all right so welcome to town meeting as many of you heard me remark before this is the same form of government that was practiced when the first European settlers landed on this shore in Massachusetts Bay they took with them their traditions from their country

[Speaker 1] (44:04 - 44:10)
Making it the longest continuously practiced form of participatory democracy on these shores,

[Speaker 1] (44:10 - 44:12)
you are part of a long and storied tradition.

[Speaker 1] (44:12 - 44:14)
Thank you for taking part.

[Speaker 1] (44:15 - 44:17)
We will have debate tonight.

[Speaker 1] (44:17 - 44:23)
We'll have discussion of a number of different articles. We have 28 of them in this warrant.

[Speaker 1] (44:25 - 44:27)
I have reserved this room for Monday,

[Speaker 1] (44:27 - 44:28)
Tuesday and Wednesday.

[Speaker 1] (44:29 - 44:36)
I have also reserved this room for June 2nd if we can't complete our business as next week is taken up by other programming.

[Speaker 1] (44:39 - 44:47)
During debate, it is not a, it's not a courtroom cross-examination, this is a parliamentary proceeding,

[Speaker 1] (44:47 - 44:51)
so you will stand and you will make your point. If there is a question,

[Speaker 1] (44:51 - 44:53)
I will do my best to find someone to answer it.

[Speaker 1] (44:54 - 45:02)
I do request that everyone observe the sort of decorum that would make your grandmother proud if she were watching you.

[Speaker 1] (45:04 - 45:09)
If you do choose to rise and amend a topic,

[Speaker 1] (45:09 - 45:13)
I do need that in writing so the clerk can have a full record.

[Speaker 1] (45:15 - 45:22)
I would also point out that our bylaws and charter allow for each member to rise for no more than 10 minutes.

[Speaker 1] (45:24 - 45:27)
No more than two times on any question.

[Speaker 1] (45:28 - 45:31)
I'll allow you to do the math on your own,

[Speaker 1] (45:31 - 45:41)
but if everyone takes 20 minutes on every issue, we will be here well past the June 2nd date I've laid out.

[Speaker 1] (45:41 - 45:44)
So it's okay if someone has made the point before you,

[Speaker 1] (45:45 - 45:48)
and you rise and you say, I completely agree with the previous speaker.

[Speaker 1] (45:50 - 45:58)
I'm going to have a quick note about one particular motion, and that is what is known as calling the question or moving the previous question.

[Speaker 1] (45:59 - 46:03)
That is a motion to end debate and move to an immediate vote.

[Speaker 1] (46:03 - 46:12)
It does require a second, and it does require two-thirds to vote. But if it is successful, we will end all debate and move directly to a vote.

[Speaker 1] (46:13 - 46:21)
I have of late adopted the practice of not recognizing someone calling the question after speaking substantively on a topic.

[Speaker 1] (46:22 - 46:24)
So if you intend to call the question,

[Speaker 1] (46:24 - 46:26)
that needs to be the first thing you rise to say.

[Speaker 1] (46:27 - 46:37)
I also reserve the right not to recognize that motion as being in order if we have only had a few minutes of debate on a lengthy and or weighty.

[Speaker 1] (46:38 - 46:39)
issue.

[Speaker 1] (46:40 - 46:41)
When it comes to voting,

[Speaker 1] (46:41 - 46:46)
I will attempt to declare the vote on all matters by a show of hands.

[Speaker 1] (46:47 - 46:57)
I am told that the adhesives for your stickers were unavailable, so I ask you to raise your registration receipts as you raise your hand to vote.

[Speaker 1] (46:58 - 47:00)
I will declare the outcome.

[Speaker 1] (47:01 - 47:02)
There are certain

[Speaker 1] (47:04 - 47:11)
Articles tonight that will require a two-thirds or even in one case a four-fifths majority.

[Speaker 1] (47:12 - 47:22)
Massachusetts law gives me a reasonable amount of leeway to declare a vote unanimous if there are only one or two or three dissenters in the hall.

[Speaker 1] (47:24 - 47:28)
If I am in doubt as to an outcome of a vote,

[Speaker 1] (47:28 - 47:30)
I can ask for a standing vote,

[Speaker 1] (47:30 - 47:42)
and I will appoint tellers to count as I ask first the yeas and then the nays to rise. You need to rise and remain standing until I explain that the vote has been taken.

[Speaker 1] (47:44 - 47:48)
If seven or more of you doubt my declaration of a hand vote,

[Speaker 1] (47:48 - 47:55)
you can also force a standing vote if seven rise immediately and ask for a standing vote.

[Speaker 1] (47:56 - 47:59)
The same thing applies to a roll call vote.

[Speaker 1] (47:59 - 48:05)
If 30 or more members demand a roll call vote after I've announced the outcome of a vote,

[Speaker 1] (48:05 - 48:07)
the clerk will call the roll.

[Speaker 1] (48:08 - 48:13)
With that said, I'm ready to proceed and we will take up Article 2,

[Speaker 1] (48:14 - 48:14)
Mr.

[Speaker 1] (48:14 - 48:14)
Hartman.

[Speaker 3] (48:22 - 48:23)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 3] (48:23 - 48:23)
Moderator.

[Speaker 3] (48:24 - 48:25)
Good evening everybody.

[Speaker 3] (48:25 - 48:25)
Eric Hartman,

[Speaker 3] (48:26 - 48:26)
Precinct 1,

[Speaker 3] (48:26 - 48:27)
Chair of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 3] (48:30 - 48:36)
The Finance Committee recommends the town vote to authorize payment of bills of prior fiscal years,

[Speaker 3] (48:36 - 48:41)
totaling $1,313.31 as detailed in the printed warrant,

[Speaker 3] (48:42 - 48:49)
and as funding therefore to transfer $1,313.31 from free cash,

[Speaker 3] (48:49 - 48:51)
I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 1] (48:51 - 48:52)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 1] (48:53 - 48:54)
Mr.

[Speaker 1] (48:54 - 48:54)
Hartman.

[Speaker 3] (48:55 - 49:04)
This is a routine recurring article that we typically have every year for a handful of invoices that came in after the end of the fiscal year from last year.

[Speaker 1] (49:06 - 49:08)
Is there any discussion on Mr. Hartman's motion?

[Speaker 1] (49:11 - 49:14)
Seeing none, this is one of those articles that requires a four-fifths vote.

[Speaker 1] (49:14 - 49:15)
All those in favor of Mr.

[Speaker 1] (49:15 - 49:16)
Hartman's motion,

[Speaker 1] (49:16 - 49:18)
all those opposed,

[Speaker 1] (49:18 - 49:19)
it is unanimous.

[Speaker 1] (49:22 - 49:23)
Article three,

[Speaker 1] (49:23 - 49:26)
to amend the current year operating budget,

[Speaker 1] (49:26 - 49:26)
Mr. Hartman.

[Speaker 3] (49:27 - 49:34)
The Finance Committee recommends that the Town vote to amend the FY 2025 departmental budget as shown in the printed warrant.

[Speaker 3] (49:34 - 49:36)
I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 1] (49:36 - 49:37)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 1] (49:38 - 49:39)
Mr. Hartman.

[Speaker 2] (49:38 - 49:39)
Mr. Hartman.

[Speaker 1] (49:39 - 49:45)
So every year or most years we carry certain dollars in the budget in a salary reserve line item,

[Speaker 1] (49:45 - 49:55)
knowing that we have contracts to be negotiated and approved in the upcoming fiscal year so the dollars are not carried specifically in the lines related to those contracts.

[Speaker 1] (49:56 - 49:57)
This year is no different.

[Speaker 1] (49:57 - 50:02)
So we had reserves for contracts related to the police and fire chief,

[Speaker 1] (50:02 - 50:04)
the treasurer and the facilities director.

[Speaker 1] (50:05 - 50:07)
So again, those dollars were in the budget.

[Speaker 1] (50:07 - 50:14)
They're just being allocated by this article to the appropriate line item where the cost will exist.

[Speaker 1] (50:14 - 50:22)
There's also $17,000 stipend being paid to the current interim town administrator for his role in that.

[Speaker 1] (50:23 - 50:24)
In that position.

[Speaker 2] (50:24 - 50:32)
Thank you, Mr. Hartman. Are there questions or discussion for Mr. Hartman's motion amending the current year's operating budget?

[Speaker 2] (50:34 - 50:36)
Seeing none, all those in favor.

[Speaker 2] (50:37 - 50:38)
All those opposed.

[Speaker 2] (50:38 - 50:40)
Motion carries unanimously.

[Speaker 2] (50:41 - 50:49)
This brings us to Article 4, the FY 26 operating budget. So for those of you who've not been through this before.

[Speaker 2] (50:51 - 50:59)
The operating budget represents a number of individual line items. They are the bold and numbered items in your printed warrant.

[Speaker 2] (51:00 - 51:17)
We will discuss page by page. I will ask for comments on the initial pages and then subsequently we can always go back and revisit them. But I urge you to speak as we get to that page as more people will follow along more readily.

[Speaker 2] (51:18 - 51:25)
The vote taken at the end will adopt the entire set of line items in bold,

[Speaker 2] (51:25 - 51:31)
whether amended or as originally shown in the warrant in a single vote,

[Speaker 2] (51:31 - 51:36)
but you are actually appropriating those individual line items.

[Speaker 2] (51:36 - 51:37)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (51:37 - 51:37)
Hartman.

[Speaker 1] (51:39 - 51:41)
Thank you, Mr. Moderator.

[Speaker 1] (51:41 - 51:53)
The Finance Committee recommends adoption of each separate numbered line item as printed in the column entitled Finance Committee Recommended FY2026 as found in the printed warrant with the following exceptions.

[Speaker 1] (51:54 - 52:06)
Line 5, Finance Committee Reserve Fund decreased by $15,000 from $125,000 to $110,000 and line 23,

[Speaker 1] (52:06 - 52:08)
Community Development Personnel.

[Speaker 1] (52:09 - 52:20)
increase by $30,000 from $261,376 to $291,376 and line 26,

[Speaker 1] (52:20 - 52:21)
building personnel,

[Speaker 1] (52:22 - 52:28)
increase by $10,000 from $219,446

[Speaker 1] (52:28 - 52:31)
to $229,446.

[Speaker 1] (52:34 - 52:35)
Am I going too fast?

[Speaker 2] (52:38 - 52:38)
It's okay,

[Speaker 2] (52:38 - 52:42)
go back to line 26, building personnel.

[Speaker 1] (52:42 - 52:44)
Line 26, building personnel,

[Speaker 1] (52:44 - 52:52)
was an increase of $10,000 from $219,446 to $229,446.

[Speaker 1] (52:54 - 52:56)
Line 39, snow and ice.

[Speaker 1] (52:58 - 53:04)
There we have a decrease by $30,000 from $240,000 to $210,000.

[Speaker 1] (53:06 - 53:08)
Line fifty seven,

[Speaker 1] (53:12 - 53:13)
employee benefits,

[Speaker 1] (53:15 - 53:18)
increased by one hundred and seventy five thousand,

[Speaker 1] (53:19 - 53:27)
from fifteen million four seventy four two thirteen to fifteen million six forty nine two thirteen,

[Speaker 1] (53:27 - 53:28)
and

[Speaker 1] (53:30 - 53:31)
then line fifty four.

[Speaker 1] (53:32 - 53:45)
Swampscott Public Schools decreased by $130,000 from $33,931.013 to $33,801.013,

[Speaker 1] (53:47 - 53:50)
and further that the sum of $83,680.

[Speaker 2] (53:50 - 53:51)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (53:51 - 53:52)
Yes, sir.

[Speaker 2] (53:52 - 53:54)
Just making sure everyone's tracked.

[Speaker 2] (53:57 - 53:58)
Six different line items.

[Speaker 2] (53:58 - 53:59)
Go ahead.

[Speaker 2] (54:00 - 54:03)
Uh is there a question following that?

[Speaker 2] (54:07 - 54:12)
Certainly point personal privilege from the House. Mister DeLoach, could we increase the um house lighting?

[Speaker 2] (54:20 - 54:22)
Alright, I'm that is in progress.

[Speaker 2] (54:25 - 54:26)
So with those six line items

[Speaker 1] (54:27 - 54:37)
And so, and then further that the sum of $83,687,714 be

[Speaker 1] (54:39 - 54:41)
raised and appropriated as follows.

[Speaker 1] (54:44 - 54:48)
Raise and appropriate from taxes and other local receipts and state aid,

[Speaker 1] (54:49 - 54:54)
$75,531.

[Speaker 1] (54:54 - 54:55)
229,

[Speaker 1] (54:59 - 55:08)
not including state assessments and offsets, of $1,817,685 that do not require appropriation.

[Speaker 1] (55:13 - 55:14)
Sewer rates,

[Speaker 1] (55:15 - 55:17)
$3,279,708.

[Speaker 1] (55:20 - 55:21)
Water rates,

[Speaker 1] (55:21 - 55:24)
four million four seventy four five hundred ninety three dollars.

[Speaker 1] (55:29 - 55:32)
Public educational and government cable TV access funds,

[Speaker 1] (55:33 - 55:35)
one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars.

[Speaker 1] (55:38 - 55:42)
PEG retained earnings forty nine thousand four hundred fifty six dollars.

[Speaker 2] (55:42 - 55:44)
And because I got a question on that earlier,

[Speaker 2] (55:45 - 55:49)
PEG refers to that same public educational and governmental cable TV.

[Speaker 1] (55:50 - 55:52)
And solid waste funds,

[Speaker 1] (55:52 - 55:55)
$177,728.

[Speaker 1] (55:57 - 55:59)
I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 2] (55:59 - 56:00)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (56:01 - 56:02)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (56:02 - 56:02)
Hartman.

[Speaker 1] (56:07 - 56:08)
Okay, good evening everybody.

[Speaker 1] (56:09 - 56:12)
Before we dive into the details of the budget, which we do every year,

[Speaker 1] (56:12 - 56:19)
I want to start by briefly bringing the town meeting members through what the process has been to get to tonight's budget.

[Speaker 1] (56:21 - 56:26)
As is normally the case, the discussions and planning for this budget really began back in late 2025.

[Speaker 1] (56:29 - 56:37)
This is when town finance staff distributed memos to internal staff with an outline of what the budget process was going to be.

[Speaker 1] (56:38 - 56:42)
Those instructions included preparing two budget scenarios for each department.

[Speaker 1] (56:43 - 56:46)
One would bring level-funded services to the town.

[Speaker 1] (56:47 - 56:50)
The second was to represent an optimized budget.

[Speaker 1] (56:51 - 56:55)
Although there were no guarantees of funding being available for an optimized budget,

[Speaker 1] (56:55 - 56:56)
that's what was requested.

[Speaker 1] (56:57 - 56:58)
Ultimately, as we'll learn tonight,

[Speaker 1] (56:59 - 57:01)
funding was not available for that optimized budget,

[Speaker 1] (57:01 - 57:04)
and we will discuss that in detail as we go through the operating budget.

[Speaker 1] (57:05 - 57:07)
So later in January and into February,

[Speaker 1] (57:08 - 57:09)
town staff met with department heads,

[Speaker 1] (57:10 - 57:11)
they reviewed the submittals in detail,

[Speaker 1] (57:12 - 57:16)
and ultimately prepared the consolidated budget that was recommended by the town administrator.

[Speaker 1] (57:17 - 57:18)
Around the same time,

[Speaker 1] (57:18 - 57:22)
the Capital Improvement Committee and the school budget were also being developed and reviewed.

[Speaker 1] (57:24 - 57:25)
Then in February,

[Speaker 1] (57:25 - 57:30)
the Finance Committee began having public meetings to review and debate the proposed budget with town staff,

[Speaker 1] (57:31 - 57:42)
and we invited certain department heads to discuss their specific concerns about their budgets and their ability to provide the services that they're responsible for within those proposed budgets.

[Speaker 1] (57:43 - 57:45)
We met with the Capital Improvement Committee.

[Speaker 1] (57:46 - 57:51)
We had meetings with the superintendent and school business manager to work through the school budget request.

[Speaker 1] (57:52 - 57:54)
We also had joint meetings with the select board.

[Speaker 1] (57:55 - 58:03)
All of these meetings were public and available for people to join virtually or in person in some cases and to offer public comment.

[Speaker 1] (58:04 - 58:09)
There was also a joint meeting between the Finance Committee and the School Committee where no numbers were discussed.

[Speaker 1] (58:10 - 58:13)
Instead, we focused on the budget process itself,

[Speaker 1] (58:13 - 58:24)
and we really wanted to get a better understanding as Finance Committee members about the complexities of budgeting for and operating a school department in the current environment.

[Speaker 1] (58:26 - 58:28)
This meeting had not happened in the past,

[Speaker 1] (58:28 - 58:34)
and there was a lot of general agreement that it was very productive and should be a recurring part of our ongoing budget cycles.

[Speaker 1] (58:35 - 58:39)
So I would say that the level of discussion and collaboration was robust,

[Speaker 1] (58:40 - 58:46)
with discussions continuing literally right up to today to further refine and finalize the recommended budget.

[Speaker 1] (58:47 - 58:50)
But at the same time, there's always room for improvement.

[Speaker 1] (58:50 - 58:55)
And our process did have some inefficiencies, and we can always improve our overall communication.

[Speaker 1] (58:57 - 59:04)
The Finance Committee fully supports that the town hold the long-discussed financial summit well in advance of next year's budgeting cycle.

[Speaker 1] (59:07 - 59:11)
So, but I will say that even as the preliminary budget discussions were getting underway,

[Speaker 1] (59:12 - 59:15)
there was an expectation that this year's budget could be very challenging.

[Speaker 1] (59:16 - 59:23)
Both the school committee and town staff had many, many rounds of budget reviews, and these included reductions.

[Speaker 1] (59:24 - 59:33)
Multiple scenarios of the town budget were considered, and all of them contained some combination of staffing cuts and the use of excess levy.

[Speaker 1] (59:35 - 59:40)
So why is this year as challenging as it has proven to be?

[Speaker 1] (59:41 - 59:48)
Why are we not able to recommend a budget that lives within the town's guidelines of 2% increase plus new growth?

[Speaker 1] (59:49 - 59:50)
Can we kick off the presentation,

[Speaker 1] (59:51 - 59:51)
please?

[Speaker 1] (1:00:33 - 1:00:34)
Next slide, please.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:41 - 1:00:43)
I think you can go to the next slide.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:47 - 1:00:53)
So I think where I left off is what are the reasons why we're not recommending a 2% plus new growth operating budget?

[Speaker 1] (1:00:53 - 1:00:55)
There are a lot of reasons.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:55 - 1:00:57)
For starters, let's remember back to 2021.

[Speaker 1] (1:00:59 - 1:01:03)
When we had a town-wide vote to fund a new consolidated elementary school,

[Speaker 1] (1:01:03 - 1:01:07)
this was an authorization to bring on what's called excluded debt.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:08 - 1:01:10)
Excluded debt is debt the town pays,

[Speaker 1] (1:01:10 - 1:01:14)
but it does not become part of the annual tax levy base.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:14 - 1:01:16)
So when the debt is paid off,

[Speaker 1] (1:01:16 - 1:01:17)
the levy disappears.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:18 - 1:01:25)
This excluded debt became available to the town for inclusion in the tax levy in fiscal year 2023.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:26 - 1:01:30)
But the actual levy did not increase by this additional $3 million.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:31 - 1:01:39)
This is because the town continued to work towards controlling our expenses and living within our fiscal policies to the extent possible.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:40 - 1:01:47)
But that wasn't all. There was also some significantly higher than typical other receipts that the town earned during that time.

[Speaker 1] (1:01:48 - 1:01:52)
This was largely due to having floated a bond for the new elementary school,

[Speaker 1] (1:01:52 - 1:02:00)
and those monies sat in our accounts available for investment for many months, and these produced significant interest income for the town.

[Speaker 1] (1:02:03 - 1:02:07)
And we also continued to leverage and use some of the free cash,

[Speaker 1] (1:02:07 - 1:02:08)
capital reserve,

[Speaker 1] (1:02:08 - 1:02:16)
and stabilization reserves that the town had put aside over the years to mitigate the impact on the average taxpayer.

[Speaker 1] (1:02:18 - 1:02:23)
So that wasn't by mistake. People should recognize that we had that debt exclusion many years ago,

[Speaker 1] (1:02:23 - 1:02:28)
and we have not really used all of those available levy funds until now.

[Speaker 1] (1:02:30 - 1:02:35)
And as a Finance Committee commented at the last couple of annual town meetings,

[Speaker 1] (1:02:35 - 1:02:38)
we were not expecting to be able to keep up with this indefinitely.

[Speaker 1] (1:02:39 - 1:02:46)
But as I said, the point for town meeting members to be aware of is that we voted for a tax increase to fund the new school.

[Speaker 1] (1:02:47 - 1:02:51)
That could have been felt in annual tax bills as soon as fiscal 2023.

[Speaker 1] (1:02:53 - 1:02:56)
But by leveraging the additional interest income and our reserves,

[Speaker 1] (1:02:56 - 1:03:00)
we've essentially deferred those higher tax bills for several years.

[Speaker 1] (1:03:01 - 1:03:05)
This is not to say that we've thrown in the towel and resigned ourselves to higher taxes,

[Speaker 1] (1:03:05 - 1:03:08)
but it's an important context for town meeting members to be aware of.

[Speaker 1] (1:03:09 - 1:03:11)
What are some of the other reasons?

[Speaker 1] (1:03:12 - 1:03:13)
Can you advance the slide,

[Speaker 1] (1:03:13 - 1:03:13)
please?

[Speaker 1] (1:03:18 - 1:03:24)
So let's start just by quickly understanding what do I mean when we say we're going to increase the tax levy by 2% plus new growth.

[Speaker 1] (1:03:27 - 1:03:39)
So this table shows if we take the previous year's tax levy and we apply the $2.5 million that's allowed by Prop 2.5 and an estimated new growth of $425,000,

[Speaker 1] (1:03:40 - 1:03:43)
that's going to produce about $1.9 million of increased levy.

[Speaker 1] (1:03:44 - 1:03:46)
So all else being equal,

[Speaker 1] (1:03:46 - 1:03:53)
if our local receipts stay the same, if our net state aid stay the same, that's how much we have to cover any increased cost in this year's budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:03:58 - 1:04:09)
Another key item that may help our future finances relates to the increased tax revenues from many developments that are underway currently but are not currently giving us any return yet.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:09 - 1:04:11)
These would be the Westcott.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:11 - 1:04:15)
the potential have the hotel in any future Vin and Square development.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:16 - 1:04:24)
So the town needs to continue to support the thoughtful and controlled development to help increase the tax base to support the growing needs of the town.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:25 - 1:04:29)
But keep that $1.9 million number in mind as we go through the rest of the slides.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:30 - 1:04:31)
Next slide,

[Speaker 1] (1:04:31 - 1:04:31)
please.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:35 - 1:04:41)
So the proposed general fund budget that's on the table tonight is increasing by $3.5 million,

[Speaker 1] (1:04:42 - 1:04:44)
or 4.8% over last year.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:45 - 1:04:51)
So that's a $3.5 million increase. I just mentioned that the levy will give us $1.9.

[Speaker 1] (1:04:53 - 1:04:56)
So the next table, if you advance,

[Speaker 1] (1:04:56 - 1:04:57)
the

[Speaker 1] (1:05:00 - 1:05:04)
next table gives a high-level view of what's driving some of the changes in the 2026 budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:06 - 1:05:09)
So keeping in mind we are one town and we have one operating budget,

[Speaker 1] (1:05:09 - 1:05:22)
but the town has kept to the practice of funding several of our larger expense items that provide value for both the town and the school on the town side of the budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:23 - 1:05:26)
If we look at this list of items here, I've selected some of the larger ones,

[Speaker 1] (1:05:27 - 1:05:32)
we can see that some of these larger cost drivers that support both town and school.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:33 - 1:05:37)
They include health insurance for both existing and retired employees.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:38 - 1:05:42)
This number is increasing $1.2 million or 17% over last year.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:44 - 1:05:49)
This is clearly an unsustainable increase and is significantly higher than last year's 4% increase.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:50 - 1:05:52)
Next is our pension cost.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:53 - 1:05:56)
We continue to be on a path to be fully funded in 2031.

[Speaker 1] (1:05:57 - 1:06:00)
And at that point, this line item will decrease.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:01 - 1:06:04)
But we also have a warrant article tonight that, if passed,

[Speaker 1] (1:06:05 - 1:06:07)
could impact our costs in that final year.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:08 - 1:06:18)
Our general non-healthcare related insurance costs are increasing nearly 22%. And the last significant cost item in this category is our debt service,

[Speaker 1] (1:06:19 - 1:06:21)
which is actually slightly down from last year.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:22 - 1:06:22)
So again,

[Speaker 1] (1:06:23 - 1:06:24)
all in,

[Speaker 1] (1:06:24 - 1:06:28)
the costs in these categories to support both the town and the school.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:29 - 1:06:30)
And as I think you've heard,

[Speaker 1] (1:06:30 - 1:06:39)
in some ways are not discretionary year over year and are increasing and account for about 58% of the entire non-school budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:41 - 1:06:42)
Next slide, please.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:42 - 1:06:43)
I just want to advance.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:45 - 1:06:47)
So next we'll talk about the school budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:48 - 1:06:56)
The school budget also had many rounds of reviews and reductions and presentations of their budget to the select board and the finance committee.

[Speaker 1] (1:06:58 - 1:07:02)
As one would expect, the school budget is heavily weighted towards salaries and compensation expense.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:03 - 1:07:06)
81% of the school budget relates to compensation,

[Speaker 1] (1:07:06 - 1:07:10)
and 74% of that compensation is for teachers.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:11 - 1:07:20)
The collective bargaining agreement for the school is in the midst of renegotiation, as the existing contract will expire at the end of this fiscal year.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:21 - 1:07:27)
For that reason, there's less clarity to what the actual cost of running the school will be for Fiscal 2026,

[Speaker 1] (1:07:27 - 1:07:31)
and we will not know that entirely until a new contract is signed.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:33 - 1:07:38)
The school also continues to spend significant amounts of its budget on special education.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:39 - 1:07:43)
In 2026, it accounts for 32% of the school's operating budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:45 - 1:07:52)
The good news is that the increase expected for special education this year is not as significant as it was last year.

[Speaker 1] (1:07:54 - 1:08:02)
But we're still recommending a $400,000 use of free cash to fund the existing special education reserve fund that we created previously.

[Speaker 1] (1:08:03 - 1:08:10)
And essentially all of those dollars are expected to be used to offset tuition expenses that the school will have in the current fiscal year.

[Speaker 1] (1:08:13 - 1:08:18)
The schools are also impacted by the cost of running a state-of-the-art elementary school that we discussed earlier.

[Speaker 1] (1:08:19 - 1:08:25)
To that end, the warrant also contains an article to fund an additional $200,000 of free cash.

[Speaker 1] (1:08:26 - 1:08:30)
This is to help mitigate the costs of the utilities at the new school.

[Speaker 1] (1:08:31 - 1:08:36)
It has been the plan that this supplemental funding would only be needed until the new solar,

[Speaker 1] (1:08:36 - 1:08:37)
rooftop,

[Speaker 1] (1:08:37 - 1:08:40)
and canopy projects are completed,

[Speaker 1] (1:08:40 - 1:08:46)
as those projects are expected to create electricity that will greatly reduce the cost of utilities for the school.

[Speaker 1] (1:08:48 - 1:08:53)
But this may need to be revisited, because as we will learn tonight when we discuss the capital article,

[Speaker 1] (1:08:53 - 1:09:02)
The solar canopy project is expected to be delayed and will not happen in fiscal 2026 due to National Grid's availability to execute the project.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:05 - 1:09:10)
The discussion on the school budget was in-depth up to a level that we haven't experienced before.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:10 - 1:09:17)
The school committee and school business manager were very responsive and thorough with the myriad of questions that were asked by finance committee.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:18 - 1:09:21)
And after initially voting to fully fund the school committee's funding request,

[Speaker 1] (1:09:22 - 1:09:26)
we're ultimately proposing a $130,000 reduction to that funding level,

[Speaker 1] (1:09:26 - 1:09:29)
which still provides them with a 5% increase that you see on the screen.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:31 - 1:09:32)
Uh advance a slide, please.

[Speaker 2] (1:09:35 - 1:09:38)
Just a note of information, this is article four we're talking about.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:38 - 1:09:39)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (1:09:39 - 1:09:39)
Yep.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:39 - 1:09:39)
Yep.

[Speaker 3] (1:09:40 - 1:09:45)
Could you take this figure next time around please. Um there's no reason why it's got that

[Speaker 1] (1:09:48 - 1:09:49)
Yep, we will, thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:51 - 1:09:54)
The last grouping on this table is essentially all other town services.

[Speaker 1] (1:09:55 - 1:09:58)
This includes town departments like police,

[Speaker 1] (1:09:58 - 1:09:59)
fire,

[Speaker 1] (1:09:59 - 1:10:00)
public works,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:00 - 1:10:01)
senior center,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:01 - 1:10:01)
the library,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:01 - 1:10:03)
and town hall staff, among others.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:03 - 1:10:06)
This grouping is going to grow just under 1%.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:08 - 1:10:15)
It also should be noted that there are no less than four collective bargaining agreements or union contracts that are still in the process of negotiation.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:16 - 1:10:17)
This includes the teachers' union,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:18 - 1:10:18)
police,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:18 - 1:10:19)
fire,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:19 - 1:10:19)
and the library.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:22 - 1:10:27)
The 2026 budget carries provisions for the expected costs of all of those CBAs. But again,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:27 - 1:10:29)
until those contracts are actually negotiated,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:30 - 1:10:33)
we cannot be 100% confident that we fully funded those contracts.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:35 - 1:10:40)
So tonight we're presenting the culmination of the discussions that resulted in a balanced budget,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:40 - 1:10:48)
but one that anticipates using some excess levy capacity that the town's fiscal policies have allowed the town to accumulate for times such as these.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:50 - 1:10:51)
At the end of fiscal 24,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:52 - 1:10:56)
the town had accumulated an excess levy capacity of 7.7 million dollars.

[Speaker 1] (1:10:57 - 1:10:59)
For newer town meeting members,

[Speaker 1] (1:10:59 - 1:11:05)
this means that the town could have taxed those dollars in previous years and still been within the limits of Prop 2.5.

[Speaker 1] (1:11:06 - 1:11:18)
But making the decision to approve the budget tonight is likely to lead us to tap into that excess levy capacity at tax rate setting time in the fall to the tune of about 2.1 million dollars.

[Speaker 1] (1:11:19 - 1:11:25)
This will still leave an estimated $4.7 million of excess levy capacity available to the town.

[Speaker 1] (1:11:27 - 1:11:29)
As stated in the Finance Committee's letter to town meeting,

[Speaker 1] (1:11:30 - 1:11:37)
had we planned to simply increase the tax rate by the allowable 2.5% plus 425 of new growth,

[Speaker 1] (1:11:38 - 1:11:44)
The impact on the tax bill for the medium single family home would have been an increase of $416.

[Speaker 1] (1:11:45 - 1:11:55)
That's based on the previous assessment values for the town, as we don't have current values available. But if we assume your value is the same as last year, it would have been a $416 increase.

[Speaker 1] (1:11:57 - 1:12:03)
Using the excess levy capacity is estimated to cost that same home an estimated $317.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:05 - 1:12:08)
So while these increases are not attractive to any taxpayer in town,

[Speaker 1] (1:12:08 - 1:12:13)
the Finance Committee feels that this budget provides for an acceptable level of services within the town,

[Speaker 1] (1:12:14 - 1:12:18)
funds some of the larger expenses that are in many ways non-discretionary,

[Speaker 1] (1:12:19 - 1:12:23)
and appropriately funds the school committee's ask to run a modern-day school department.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:24 - 1:12:26)
So that was the high-level overview.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:26 - 1:12:28)
Let's dive a little bit more into the details.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:37 - 1:12:38)
Could you advance the slide, please.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:48 - 1:12:49)
Keep one more. Yep. You can keep going.

[Speaker 3] (1:12:52 - 1:12:52)
Another way.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:52 - 1:12:53)
Go on the other way.

[Speaker 1] (1:12:57 - 1:12:58)
There we go. Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:00 - 1:13:05)
So tonight's general fund budget of $75.8 million, excluding enterprise funds,

[Speaker 1] (1:13:05 - 1:13:08)
represents a 4% increase over the 2025 budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:09 - 1:13:13)
This is a breakdown of what some of the larger components of this budget are comprised of.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:13 - 1:13:16)
We can see that the largest component is the cost of our schools,

[Speaker 1] (1:13:16 - 1:13:18)
which is about 45%.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:19 - 1:13:27)
Employee benefits like health insurance and the pension costs that I spoke about for both the town and school employees accounts for about 21% of the total budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:29 - 1:13:33)
Then we have public safety, which is effectively our police and fire departments, make up 11%.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:35 - 1:13:39)
And debt service, although slightly down this year, accounts for about 10% of the budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:41 - 1:13:46)
Then we have our town hall staff, administrative and finance team at 5%, etc.

[Speaker 1] (1:13:47 - 1:13:56)
So the takeaway here is that a large portion of our cost base is contractual and in many cases not discretionary, at least not on a year-to-year basis.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:00 - 1:14:00)
Next slide.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:07 - 1:14:11)
The town also has four enterprise funds, which are mostly funded through user fees.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:11 - 1:14:13)
These are mainly water and sewer rates,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:14 - 1:14:15)
but we have the water,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:15 - 1:14:15)
the sewer,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:16 - 1:14:18)
the solid waste, and the PEG.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:20 - 1:14:21)
Next slide, please.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:25 - 1:14:26)
Let's talk a little bit about our pension liabilities.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:28 - 1:14:31)
So we're now one year closer to fully funding our unfunded pension liability.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:32 - 1:14:34)
We expect to achieve that in 2031.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:35 - 1:14:39)
The 2026 operating budget carries a 5% increase in pension costs,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:39 - 1:14:48)
which covers both the current liability that we incur for current employees and also a component of catch-up from previous years when we were not fully funded.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:49 - 1:14:55)
We also continue to be in a holding pattern with regards to dealing with the town's unfunded OPEB liability.

[Speaker 1] (1:14:56 - 1:14:59)
This liability currently sits at $101 million,

[Speaker 1] (1:14:59 - 1:15:05)
and the town is not making any attempt to put funds against this liability currently.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:05 - 1:15:09)
We're not setting aside our building reserves in the current budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:10 - 1:15:10)
Instead,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:10 - 1:15:16)
the town intends to begin dealing with this around the same time that the unfunded pension liability gets funded.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:16 - 1:15:20)
So we currently have about $3.9 million reserved against this liability.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:24 - 1:15:25)
Next slide, please.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:30 - 1:15:31)
Okay, there's a lot on this slide.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:32 - 1:15:35)
So, but as I discussed at the beginning of the presentation,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:35 - 1:15:44)
the town has various reserves that help protect against unexpected events and also help us minimize the impact on the taxpayer of important town projects.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:46 - 1:15:51)
We also have established desired ranges for each of these accounts as part of our financial policies.

[Speaker 1] (1:15:52 - 1:15:55)
These reserves include our general stabilization fund,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:56 - 1:15:58)
which currently sits at $6.8 million,

[Speaker 1] (1:15:58 - 1:16:01)
or just under 9% of our operating budget,

[Speaker 1] (1:16:01 - 1:16:06)
and just below the desired range of 9% to 10%. Our

[Speaker 1] (1:16:09 - 1:16:14)
capital stabilization fund currently sits at $1.5 million, or 2% of our operating budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:14 - 1:16:20)
This is also right at the lower end of our desired range of 2% to 4% of the operating budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:22 - 1:16:27)
We also have desired ranges for the retained earnings for both our water and sewer enterprise funds.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:27 - 1:16:32)
The goal for these accounts is to maintain 20% of operating expenses in retained earnings,

[Speaker 1] (1:16:33 - 1:16:37)
but we are significantly behind with both of these desired reserve levels,

[Speaker 1] (1:16:38 - 1:16:43)
largely due to decreases in retained earnings that have happened since the last rate setting process a year ago.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:45 - 1:16:51)
This implies that our current rate setting process, and perhaps our consumption estimates, were off the mark.

[Speaker 1] (1:16:52 - 1:17:03)
I can tell you that the select board has already been briefed with a preliminary view of the 2026 rate setting process and is working on a strategy to restore these reserves through rate adjustments.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:05 - 1:17:06)
Then we have free cash.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:06 - 1:17:08)
Next slide, please.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:11 - 1:17:19)
So the town maintains a free cash balance that we like to maintain somewhere between 3 and 5% of our operating expenses.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:20 - 1:17:23)
Free cash is effectively surplus revenue.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:24 - 1:17:31)
The last free cash certification that we've received from the state came in at $3.7 million in March of 2025.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:32 - 1:17:37)
But since that time, we've used $850,000 to limit the tax rate.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:38 - 1:17:42)
We funded the UU church settlement of $490,000,

[Speaker 1] (1:17:42 - 1:17:47)
and we appropriated about $80,000 of additional uses as shown in this chart.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:49 - 1:17:56)
So tonight, we also have some articles that you'll vote on that if approved will further reduce our balance to $1.7 million.

[Speaker 1] (1:17:57 - 1:18:03)
That would bring us to 2.25% of our operating budget, which is below the low end of our preferred range.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:04 - 1:18:05)
However,

[Speaker 1] (1:18:05 - 1:18:14)
the town has already received a million dollars of rebates from national grid related to energy efficient activities at the new elementary school.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:15 - 1:18:23)
So the plan has always been to restore the 490,000 that we used for the UU church settlement with these national grid proceeds.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:23 - 1:18:26)
So once that settlement is applied to free cash,

[Speaker 1] (1:18:26 - 1:18:28)
we will be above our desired minimum threshold.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:30 - 1:18:35)
So forecasting for next year's free cash is always going to be challenging.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:35 - 1:18:40)
And with the scrutiny that we continue to apply to our operating budgets each year,

[Speaker 1] (1:18:40 - 1:18:45)
we're expecting less extra money or unspent money to fall to free cash.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:45 - 1:18:53)
So there is a general concern in the Finance Committee that we will probably have less dollars available for free cash use in the coming years.

[Speaker 1] (1:18:54 - 1:18:59)
So while the use of excess levy in this year's budget is not a recommendation we take lightly,

[Speaker 1] (1:19:00 - 1:19:07)
The Finance Committee feels that the budget presented tonight supports an acceptable level of town services and appropriately funds the town schools.

[Speaker 1] (1:19:10 - 1:19:11)
Happy to open it up for questions.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:12 - 1:19:13)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:13 - 1:19:13)
Harvin.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:13 - 1:19:15)
Thank you for the detailed presentation.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:16 - 1:19:18)
I have Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:19 - 1:19:20)
Phelan first,

[Speaker 2] (1:19:20 - 1:19:24)
and then we'll start moving into general conversation.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:33 - 1:19:33)
Good evening,

[Speaker 2] (1:19:34 - 1:19:39)
Katy Phelan, Precinct 3 town meeting member and chair of the select board.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:39 - 1:19:44)
We motion to amend FinCom's recommended budget.

[Speaker 2] (1:19:46 - 1:19:55)
It was voted four to one this evening in the following fashion. If you guys want to take out your budget books, we can make our recommendation.

[Speaker 1] (1:19:56 - 1:19:59)
I'm under the understanding that people will

[Speaker 2] (1:19:59 - 1:19:59)
Oh,

[Speaker 1] (1:19:59 - 1:19:59)
have

[Speaker 2] (1:19:59 - 1:20:00)
yes. I'm sorry. If you

[Speaker 1] (1:20:00 - 1:20:00)
a

[Speaker 2] (1:20:00 - 1:20:00)
have your

[Speaker 1] (1:20:00 - 1:20:00)
green

[Speaker 2] (1:20:00 - 1:20:01)
green sheet

[Speaker 1] (1:20:01 - 1:20:01)
handout

[Speaker 2] (1:20:01 - 1:20:01)
of paper.

[Speaker 1] (1:20:01 - 1:20:02)
which

[Speaker 2] (1:20:02 - 1:20:02)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:20:02 - 1:20:07)
will reflect the numbers that Ms. Phelan is about to move to amend.

[Speaker 1] (1:20:08 - 1:20:10)
And the amendment thereto is

[Speaker 1] (1:20:12 - 1:20:15)
from Mr. Hartman's original motion,

[Speaker 1] (1:20:15 - 1:20:21)
which refers to exactly what's printed with the exception of the six line items we went through with Mr.

[Speaker 1] (1:20:21 - 1:20:21)
Hartman.

[Speaker 2] (1:20:22 - 1:20:26)
So for those following at home, this is the motion as amended as amended.

[Speaker 2] (1:20:27 - 1:20:47)
So line 14 information technology decreasing by $3,000 line 16 legal and insurance decreasing by $18,000 line 18 human resource expense decreasing by $1,000 we will skip lines 23 and 26 because FinCom already recommended them in there

[Speaker 2] (1:20:49 - 1:20:51)
in their recommended amended budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:20:51 - 1:20:52)
Let me just underscore that.

[Speaker 2] (1:20:52 - 1:20:52)
Sorry.

[Speaker 1] (1:20:53 - 1:20:58)
Lines 23 and 26 are already part of Mr. Hartman's initial motion.

[Speaker 2] (1:20:59 - 1:21:00)
Line 27,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:00 - 1:21:02)
building expense decreased by $500.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:03 - 1:21:03)
Line 29,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:04 - 1:21:06)
health expense decreased by $1,000.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:06 - 1:21:07)
Line 36,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:07 - 1:21:09)
cemetery expense decreased by $500.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:10 - 1:21:11)
Line 38,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:11 - 1:21:15)
DPW expense decreased by $11,500.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:16 - 1:21:17)
Line 46,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:17 - 1:21:19)
the fire expense decreased by $3,700.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:20 - 1:21:21)
Line 52,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:21 - 1:21:24)
the library expense decreasing by $2,000.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:25 - 1:21:26)
And line 54,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:26 - 1:21:32)
Swampscott Public Schools, increasing by $130,000 for a sum of,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:32 - 1:21:37)
yes, line 54,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:37 - 1:21:41)
Swampscott Public Schools, increasing by $130,000.

[Speaker 2] (1:21:42 - 1:21:54)
For a sum of $83,777.14 to be raised and appropriated from taxes, the increase of other local receipt estimates,

[Speaker 2] (1:21:54 - 1:22:10)
and state aid increasing to $75,621,299, not including state assessments and offsets of $1.817,685 that do not require appropriation.

[Speaker 2] (1:22:11 - 1:22:16)
The existing line items two through five will remain as FinCom has recommended.

[Speaker 1] (1:22:18 - 1:22:19)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 1] (1:22:21 - 1:22:24)
Okay, so I'm just going to clarify what we're talking about, and then I'll hand the floor to you, Ms.

[Speaker 1] (1:22:25 - 1:22:25)
Phelan.

[Speaker 1] (1:22:26 - 1:22:33)
The select board has voted to amend the Finance Committee's recommendations for 1,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:33 - 1:22:34)
2, 3,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:34 - 1:22:34)
4,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:34 - 1:22:35)
5, 6,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:35 - 1:22:35)
7,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:35 - 1:22:35)
8,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:36 - 1:22:36)
9, 10.

[Speaker 1] (1:22:37 - 1:22:38)
different lines.

[Speaker 1] (1:22:38 - 1:22:41)
You have those in your green handout,

[Speaker 1] (1:22:42 - 1:22:43)
Ms.

[Speaker 1] (1:22:43 - 1:22:44)
Phelan.

[Speaker 2] (1:22:44 - 1:23:02)
Yes. So the select board spent the last meeting, last Wednesday's meeting and this meeting going through the anywhere where possible decreases could be made to share the expense of the increase of the health insurance line item,

[Speaker 2] (1:23:02 - 1:23:04)
which would have been $175,000.

[Speaker 2] (1:23:05 - 1:23:23)
um between the schools and the town and has requested the following local tax receipt estimates be increased and these expenses be decreased such that the public schools would not see a decrease of 130,000 dollars in their budget and that was vote supported four to one by the select board

[Speaker 1] (1:23:23 - 1:23:24)
Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 1] (1:23:24 - 1:23:25)
Phelan.

[Speaker 1] (1:23:25 - 1:23:30)
Because it's financial amendment to a financial article's motion.

[Speaker 1] (1:23:30 - 1:23:35)
Mr. Hartman, uh can you describe, if you will or Mr. Schneider, the

[Speaker 3] (1:23:35 - 1:23:35)
Mm.

[Speaker 1] (1:23:35 - 1:23:37)
uh discussions of the Finance Committee?

[Speaker 1] (1:23:45 - 1:23:50)
Good evening. Eric Schneider, Vice Chair of the Finance Committee, town meeting member, precinct five.

[Speaker 1] (1:23:51 - 1:23:54)
The Finance Committee voted to recommend the budget Mr.

[Speaker 1] (1:23:54 - 1:23:55)
Hartman, our chair,

[Speaker 1] (1:23:55 - 1:24:02)
presented to town meeting and we did not support these changes and amendments to the budget that were proposed at last week's select board meeting.

[Speaker 1] (1:24:03 - 1:24:06)
Before I get into detail of why Finance Committee opposes this motion,

[Speaker 1] (1:24:07 - 1:24:08)
I wanted to say a few things.

[Speaker 1] (1:24:09 - 1:24:13)
I love this little town and we're not just a small town,

[Speaker 1] (1:24:13 - 1:24:15)
we are a compact community.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:16 - 1:24:18)
It seems like we all know each other,

[Speaker 4] (1:24:18 - 1:24:20)
and if we meet someone we don't know,

[Speaker 4] (1:24:20 - 1:24:22)
then we definitely know someone in common.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:23 - 1:24:28)
This compactness and closeness has made me, as someone who did not grow up here,

[Speaker 4] (1:24:28 - 1:24:30)
feel at home and as part of this community.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:31 - 1:24:39)
And I think most people in town, and most certainly everyone in this room right now, is passionate about this town and our community.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:40 - 1:24:41)
And at least at a high level,

[Speaker 4] (1:24:41 - 1:24:43)
we all want the same.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:43 - 1:24:46)
We want to do the right thing for the town and its future.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:47 - 1:24:50)
But when we get into the details of what the right thing is,

[Speaker 4] (1:24:51 - 1:24:52)
opinions and priorities differ.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:53 - 1:24:54)
That is normal.

[Speaker 4] (1:24:55 - 1:24:59)
A passionate debate and disagreement on these issues is okay.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:00 - 1:25:01)
Unfortunately,

[Speaker 4] (1:25:01 - 1:25:02)
in recent times,

[Speaker 4] (1:25:02 - 1:25:08)
disagreement over the details seems to have become not just contentious, but personal.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:08 - 1:25:10)
And when things become personal,

[Speaker 4] (1:25:10 - 1:25:14)
it's easy to lose sight of how narrow the disagreement really is,

[Speaker 4] (1:25:15 - 1:25:17)
which makes it hard to find a compromise.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:18 - 1:25:26)
I hope that tonight we can all overcome our personal feelings and past grievances and focus on that we are in this all together.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:27 - 1:25:32)
I believe if we can do that, then we will find a compromise and pass a budget.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:33 - 1:25:38)
The Finance Committee's recommended budget is a compromise on many issues and priorities.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:39 - 1:25:40)
Like every budget,

[Speaker 4] (1:25:40 - 1:25:48)
both the town and the school budget are based on a mix of hard math and the best guess of what curveballs the future will throw at us.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:49 - 1:25:53)
Developing a budget in a normal year is a hard work.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:54 - 1:25:56)
This year was exceptionally harder.

[Speaker 4] (1:25:57 - 1:25:59)
So I wanted to quickly thank Ms. Stella,

[Speaker 4] (1:25:59 - 1:26:02)
the School Department Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance,

[Speaker 4] (1:26:03 - 1:26:03)
and Ms.

[Speaker 4] (1:26:03 - 1:26:03)
Sarrow,

[Speaker 4] (1:26:04 - 1:26:06)
the Town's Director of Finance and Administration.

[Speaker 4] (1:26:06 - 1:26:10)
These two professionals are some of the hardest working people in town,

[Speaker 4] (1:26:10 - 1:26:13)
and both have gone above and beyond this year.

[Speaker 4] (1:26:13 - 1:26:14)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:15 - 1:26:16)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:16 - 1:26:16)
Schneider.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:22 - 1:26:26)
Before I proceed to general debate and discussion on Ms.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:26 - 1:26:28)
Phelan's amendment to Mr.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:28 - 1:26:28)
Hartman's motion,

[Speaker 1] (1:26:29 - 1:26:32)
I am indebted to our director of finance,

[Speaker 1] (1:26:32 - 1:26:33)
Amy Serrault.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:34 - 1:26:38)
We need to make a few corrections to the totals on your green sheets.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:39 - 1:26:43)
In the haste to get a last-minute change done,

[Speaker 1] (1:26:43 - 1:26:49)
there's been some arithmetic errors. The total...

[Speaker 1] (1:26:50 - 1:26:56)
of $83,776.514 to be raised and appropriated.

[Speaker 1] (1:26:56 - 1:26:59)
I'll take a second and repeat that for you.

[Speaker 1] (1:27:00 - 1:27:14)
$83,776.514 for a difference of $1,200, which then changes increasing the taxes to 75...

[Speaker 1] (1:27:15 - 1:27:18)
62002029,

[Speaker 1] (1:27:20 - 1:27:23)
75620029.

[Speaker 1] (1:27:25 - 1:27:26)
Again, apologies,

[Speaker 1] (1:27:26 - 1:27:29)
moving fast and breaking things.

[Speaker 1] (1:27:32 - 1:27:35)
Is there discussion or debate on Ms. Phelan's

[Speaker 4] (1:27:35 - 1:27:35)
Wait,

[Speaker 1] (1:27:35 - 1:27:35)
motion

[Speaker 4] (1:27:35 - 1:27:36)
I'm

[Speaker 1] (1:27:36 - 1:27:36)
to amend?

[Speaker 4] (1:27:36 - 1:27:37)
not done yet.

[Speaker 1] (1:27:37 - 1:27:40)
You have, Mr. Schneider, you go ahead.

[Speaker 4] (1:27:40 - 1:27:43)
Finance committee's final changes to the budget as

[Speaker 4] (1:27:43 - 1:27:46)
read into the record by our chair,

[Speaker 4] (1:27:46 - 1:27:46)
Eric Hartman,

[Speaker 4] (1:27:47 - 1:27:52)
is a proposed compromise to allocate a budget shortfall between the town and the school budget.

[Speaker 4] (1:27:53 - 1:28:00)
This shortfall is due to higher than anticipated health insurance costs and enrollment numbers that were just recently finalized.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:01 - 1:28:04)
The town's health insurance covers both town and school employees.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:05 - 1:28:06)
Therefore,

[Speaker 4] (1:28:06 - 1:28:11)
Finance Committee decided to recommend allocating the shortfall between school and town budgets,

[Speaker 4] (1:28:11 - 1:28:13)
rather than increase taxes.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:14 - 1:28:22)
It is our view that we're all in this together and both town and school should share the burden in covering this shortfall for line item that benefits both.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:23 - 1:28:24)
That said,

[Speaker 4] (1:28:24 - 1:28:25)
this is a narrow issue.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:26 - 1:28:37)
The remaining shortfall allocated to the school budget of $130,000 on a $40 million school budget, that is just about three-tenths of one percent of their total budget.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:38 - 1:28:45)
We believe this compromise is preferable to simply adding the shortfall to this year's already large tax increase,

[Speaker 4] (1:28:46 - 1:28:51)
and also preferable to allocating all of the shortfall only to the town side of the budget.

[Speaker 4] (1:28:52 - 1:28:56)
In February, the school committee voted to approve a $40 million budget,

[Speaker 4] (1:28:57 - 1:29:01)
of which 33 are funded through the appropriations in this budget we're voting on tonight.

[Speaker 4] (1:29:02 - 1:29:06)
The remaining $7 million are funded by grants and other outside funding sources.

[Speaker 4] (1:29:06 - 1:29:13)
The school committee has repeatedly stated that this $40 million budget is their final non-negotiable budget.

[Speaker 4] (1:29:13 - 1:29:19)
It's the school department's position that not a single dollar can be cut from their $40 million budget and that any...

[Speaker 1] (1:29:23 - 1:29:31)
This past Wednesday the select board went line by line through the town budget in an effort to make as many budgetary cuts as necessary to fund the shortfall.

[Speaker 1] (1:29:32 - 1:29:35)
The select board proposed cuts are small but numerous.

[Speaker 1] (1:29:36 - 1:29:43)
To name a few and to get into further detail on the Motion Ms Phelan, they include cuts to free flu shots clinics for seniors,

[Speaker 1] (1:29:44 - 1:29:46)
cuts in maintenance of the fire department truck and fuel,

[Speaker 1] (1:29:47 - 1:29:50)
cuts to professional development and training for town staff,

[Speaker 1] (1:29:50 - 1:29:52)
cuts to janitorial services at the library,

[Speaker 1] (1:29:53 - 1:30:05)
and just to be clear, that means less toilet paper in the library, and cuts to legal costs below running five-year, the five-year average. However the select board proposed cuts would only cover a portion of the budget shortfall.

[Speaker 1] (1:30:05 - 1:30:07)
To recover the remaining shortfall,

[Speaker 1] (1:30:08 - 1:30:10)
the Select Board did not propose cutting the school department budget.

[Speaker 1] (1:30:11 - 1:30:11)
Instead,

[Speaker 1] (1:30:12 - 1:30:13)
the Select Board is proposing increased taxes.

[Speaker 1] (1:30:14 - 1:30:19)
The Finance Committee does not believe that these one-sided proposed cuts are either fair or prudent.

[Speaker 1] (1:30:19 - 1:30:22)
We ask the school committee to reconsider their position,

[Speaker 1] (1:30:23 - 1:30:32)
and we appeal to their relief for community and unity and ask them to agree to a compromise and cover the remaining portion of this budget shortfall.

[Speaker 1] (1:30:33 - 1:30:41)
Accordingly, the finance committee opposes this amendment and the proposed cuts by the select board and asks the town meeting to vote against this motion and the amendments to the budget. Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:42 - 1:30:43)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:43 - 1:30:43)
Schneider.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:50 - 1:30:54)
Who would like to rise to speak to Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:30:54 - 1:30:55)
Phelan's motion to amend?

[Speaker 2] (1:30:58 - 1:30:59)
Mr. Pastor.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:20 - 1:31:22)
Good evening. Glenn Pastor,

[Speaker 3] (1:31:22 - 1:31:23)
Precinct 2,

[Speaker 3] (1:31:23 - 1:31:24)
Chair of the School Committee.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:28 - 1:31:29)
You're right.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:29 - 1:31:36)
What's $130,000 on a $34 million budget?

[Speaker 3] (1:31:37 - 1:31:41)
It's pittances. It's pennies. It's change in your car.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:43 - 1:31:45)
The unfortunate thing for us on the school side

[Speaker 3] (1:31:46 - 1:31:49)
is what you saw at the select board meeting,

[Speaker 3] (1:31:51 - 1:31:52)
very last minute,

[Speaker 3] (1:31:52 - 1:31:54)
difficult cuts.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:55 - 1:31:58)
The school department's already done that six different times.

[Speaker 3] (1:31:59 - 1:32:01)
So we've taken our pennies.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:02 - 1:32:05)
We've taken big ticket items that we wanted,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:05 - 1:32:06)
health care,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:06 - 1:32:07)
teacher at the middle school,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:07 - 1:32:09)
another SRO,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:09 - 1:32:11)
excuse me, student resource officer.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:12 - 1:32:13)
Those are the big tickets.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:14 - 1:32:17)
But we've also looked at every line item ad nauseum.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:18 - 1:32:21)
And where we could take out 50,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:21 - 1:32:21)
100,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:22 - 1:32:23)
250 dollars,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:23 - 1:32:23)
we have.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:25 - 1:32:26)
So we've already done that.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:27 - 1:32:33)
I apologize if no one tuned in to our meetings, but we've done that.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:33 - 1:32:36)
And the meetings were intense.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:37 - 1:32:39)
The meetings were disappointing.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:40 - 1:32:43)
But at the end of the day, we had to live within a certain budget.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:46 - 1:32:52)
All you have to do is turn on the news and listen to what's going on in the Commonwealth.

[Speaker 3] (1:32:54 - 1:32:56)
Towns like Brookline,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:56 - 1:32:57)
Milton,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:57 - 1:32:58)
Danvers,

[Speaker 3] (1:32:59 - 1:33:00)
five,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:00 - 1:33:01)
six,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:01 - 1:33:02)
seven,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:02 - 1:33:04)
eight million dollars in the hole.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:06 - 1:33:08)
Wholesale layoffs.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:08 - 1:33:10)
Closing schools.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:11 - 1:33:12)
Teachers going out on strike.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:15 - 1:33:17)
That won't happen here, thankfully,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:17 - 1:33:26)
because of the hard work of the finance committee and have passed select boards that we stand only 130,000 apart.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:27 - 1:33:30)
The challenge with this 130,000 dollars

[Speaker 3] (1:33:32 - 1:33:33)
We don't have it.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:35 - 1:33:41)
What that will mean for us is reductions to core staff.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:42 - 1:33:44)
We don't know who that core staff is going to be.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:45 - 1:33:46)
Certainly wouldn't say it here.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:47 - 1:33:49)
But that's what's going to happen.

[Speaker 3] (1:33:50 - 1:33:52)
The other thing I do want to mention is,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:53 - 1:33:58)
although I understand splitting the additional cost of the health insurance,

[Speaker 3] (1:33:58 - 1:33:58)
which

[Speaker 3] (1:33:59 - 1:34:02)
Really, no one knows what that final number is going to be.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:02 - 1:34:05)
We've not been able to get information about that.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:06 - 1:34:08)
So we split 75-25.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:13 - 1:34:14)
I don't really know if those are true numbers or not.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:17 - 1:34:19)
And yes, there are questions on the school budget.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:19 - 1:34:22)
We don't know what happens with special education. We can make a really good guess.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:23 - 1:34:26)
Martha Raymond has done this for a very long time.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:27 - 1:34:29)
Martha knows her stuff.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:30 - 1:34:32)
Ms. Stella knows her stuff.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:32 - 1:34:34)
She's answered every question a hundred different ways,

[Speaker 3] (1:34:35 - 1:34:36)
not only from us,

[Speaker 3] (1:34:36 - 1:34:38)
but from the finance committee,

[Speaker 3] (1:34:38 - 1:34:39)
from the select board.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:40 - 1:34:43)
So I don't blame anyone here. There's no blame at all.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:45 - 1:34:48)
But I am here to tell you that we've already done the dirty work.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:51 - 1:34:54)
If the money is not returned to the school department,

[Speaker 3] (1:34:54 - 1:34:55)
there will be layoffs.

[Speaker 3] (1:34:56 - 1:34:59)
Whether it's your son or daughter's kindergarten teacher,

[Speaker 3] (1:35:00 - 1:35:03)
whether it's your son and daughter's AP teacher,

[Speaker 3] (1:35:04 - 1:35:05)
I've no idea.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:07 - 1:35:08)
But we have nowhere else to go.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:08 - 1:35:13)
We've already done it. We've already reduced $125 in the paper line.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:15 - 1:35:26)
We already have our educators spending on average $500, $600, $700, $800 a year out of their own pocket to make their classroom look whatever they like their classroom to look.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:26 - 1:35:27)
So yes,

[Speaker 3] (1:35:27 - 1:35:28)
we can all say, don't do that.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:29 - 1:35:31)
But then we're going to walk into the room where we're going to complain,

[Speaker 3] (1:35:31 - 1:35:34)
well, how come the classroom just looks like four cement walls?

[Speaker 3] (1:35:36 - 1:35:38)
Our teachers bust their ass.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:40 - 1:35:44)
So yes, $130,000, spit in the bucket.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:45 - 1:35:46)
on a 34 million dollar budget,

[Speaker 3] (1:35:48 - 1:35:50)
we have nowhere else to go.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:51 - 1:35:52)
I wish we did.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:53 - 1:35:58)
We don't. I recommend that you accept as amended the budget.

[Speaker 3] (1:35:58 - 1:35:59)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:36:04 - 1:36:05)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:36:05 - 1:36:05)
Pastor.

[Speaker 2] (1:36:06 - 1:36:10)
Anybody else care to rise? Uh, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:36:10 - 1:36:11)
Angelakis.

[Speaker 4] (1:36:17 - 1:36:25)
I wasn't going to speak tonight, but I really feel the need to speak about this. It is $130,000. I appreciate, Eric,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:25 - 1:36:27)
everything you said about the collaboration this year,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:27 - 1:36:32)
and Mr. Schneider, everything. We did collaborate. There was a lot of communication.

[Speaker 4] (1:36:32 - 1:36:36)
The school department starts their budget in October, November.

[Speaker 4] (1:36:37 - 1:36:40)
By the time we present it to school committee,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:40 - 1:36:45)
it's January. We lock it in in January and now we're in May.

[Speaker 4] (1:36:46 - 1:36:50)
So the $130,000, if you fully fund our budget,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:50 - 1:36:53)
we're about $300,000 in the red already.

[Speaker 4] (1:36:54 - 1:36:58)
Because after that budget was voted on in January,

[Speaker 4] (1:36:58 - 1:37:07)
we found out that we're $105,000, we're receiving $105,000 less in Title I funding.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:07 - 1:37:10)
So those grants you talk about that were...

[Speaker 4] (1:37:11 - 1:37:12)
Banking on?

[Speaker 4] (1:37:12 - 1:37:15)
There's $105,000 that were already in the red.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:16 - 1:37:18)
On top of that, there's been special education changes.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:19 - 1:37:21)
That's another $200,000.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:21 - 1:37:29)
So if you give us back that $130,000, we're already $305,000 in the red that we have to find a way to make up.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:30 - 1:37:32)
There is nothing left to cut,

[Speaker 4] (1:37:32 - 1:37:37)
and I understand and appreciate the select board going line by line through the town budget.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:37 - 1:37:42)
We've done that for the 11 years I've been superintendent.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:42 - 1:37:45)
We don't became a big to-do.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:46 - 1:37:50)
We don't have company cell phones. We haven't for six years.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:50 - 1:37:52)
If you call my cell phone,

[Speaker 4] (1:37:52 - 1:37:57)
you're calling my personal cell phone. You're calling everybody's personal cell phone.

[Speaker 4] (1:37:57 - 1:37:59)
So we have gone line by line.

[Speaker 4] (1:38:00 - 1:38:02)
through our budget for 11 years.

[Speaker 4] (1:38:03 - 1:38:06)
So when Select Board did it to the town budget,

[Speaker 4] (1:38:06 - 1:38:09)
for the first time in my tenure I thought, wow,

[Speaker 4] (1:38:09 - 1:38:13)
they're doing the same exercise we've done for 11 years.

[Speaker 4] (1:38:13 - 1:38:15)
So if you fully fund that 130,

[Speaker 4] (1:38:16 - 1:38:20)
we still have a budget gap of $305,000 today.

[Speaker 4] (1:38:21 - 1:38:25)
That could change tomorrow if a special education student comes in.

[Speaker 4] (1:38:25 - 1:38:30)
So I feel like if you're going to make an educated decision and take an educated vote tonight,

[Speaker 4] (1:38:31 - 1:38:32)
you need to have all the facts.

[Speaker 4] (1:38:32 - 1:38:33)
That's all.

[Speaker 2] (1:38:34 - 1:38:35)
Thank you Ms. Angelakis.

[Speaker 2] (1:38:41 - 1:38:42)
Mr. Spritz.

[Speaker 3] (1:38:47 - 1:38:47)
Hi,

[Speaker 3] (1:38:47 - 1:38:49)
Wayne Spritz, Precinct 3.

[Speaker 3] (1:38:49 - 1:38:50)
Tell me your number.

[Speaker 2] (1:38:51 - 1:38:57)
There was an article written that Representative Armini, this is just last week in the Tides, thank you very much Tides,

[Speaker 2] (1:38:58 - 1:39:05)
talked about a proposed 6.7% increase in Chapter 70 funding over last year.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:05 - 1:39:10)
Has any of, this seems to be newer news than before what the budget had,

[Speaker 2] (1:39:10 - 1:39:12)
the timing of the budget had been laid out.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:12 - 1:39:14)
Can someone please explain to...

[Speaker 1] (1:39:25 - 1:39:28)
make out with more revenue than we thought we would have?

[Speaker 2] (1:39:29 - 1:39:30)
So if I understand your question,

[Speaker 2] (1:39:31 - 1:39:35)
it's do these numbers incorporate the latest understanding of Chapter 70 funding?

[Speaker 1] (1:39:35 - 1:39:36)
Yeah, a new funding.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:37 - 1:39:37)
Okay, thank

[Speaker 1] (1:39:37 - 1:39:38)
I've

[Speaker 2] (1:39:38 - 1:39:38)
you.

[Speaker 1] (1:39:38 - 1:39:38)
increased funding, yeah.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:38 - 1:39:41)
Thank you, Mr. Spritz. Perhaps our Director of Finance, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:39:41 - 1:39:42)
Sarro.

[Speaker 3] (1:39:45 - 1:39:47)
Sorry. Um yes,

[Speaker 3] (1:39:47 - 1:39:59)
what you have in your warrant tonight is inclusive of the governor's proposed increases which have already gone through House and Senate so that increase over last year is already reflected in the numbers in your warrant

[Speaker 2] (1:40:00 - 1:40:01)
Thank you, Ms. Sarro.

[Speaker 2] (1:40:03 - 1:40:04)
Ms. O'Connor.

[Speaker 4] (1:40:08 - 1:40:15)
To answer your question, Mr Spritz, if additional monies come in, it does not come to the school, it stays with it with the town.

[Speaker 4] (1:40:16 - 1:40:30)
Um one of the things that I wanna raise about splitting the costs for this um for this insurance is that if there are tailings at the end of the year, that stays with the town side, that does not come back to the schools. So

[Speaker 4] (1:40:30 - 1:40:40)
What we're doing here is essentially cutting based on what we understand is very conservative revenue generation.

[Speaker 4] (1:40:41 - 1:40:44)
But for us it's a real cut.

[Speaker 4] (1:40:44 - 1:40:53)
We don't get that money back at the end of the year, whereas for the last two years there have been $200,000 that returns to free cash from the insurance line item.

[Speaker 4] (1:40:54 - 1:40:58)
If that money came back to us in the same way that it would go back to the town,

[Speaker 4] (1:40:58 - 1:41:00)
I think we would look at this a little bit differently.

[Speaker 4] (1:41:01 - 1:41:03)
But just like Chapter 70 money,

[Speaker 4] (1:41:03 - 1:41:04)
it does not come to us.

[Speaker 2] (1:41:07 - 1:41:09)
Further discussion or debate?

[Speaker 2] (1:41:09 - 1:41:11)
Yes, I can't. Oh, Ms. DiCillo.

[Speaker 5] (1:41:22 - 1:41:24)
I'm Mary DiCillo, Precinct Four.

[Speaker 5] (1:41:25 - 1:41:32)
I also served on the school committee back in two terms from 2001 to 2007.

[Speaker 5] (1:41:35 - 1:41:37)
So I

[Speaker 5] (1:41:40 - 1:41:42)
ran for school committee because I wanted a new high school,

[Speaker 5] (1:41:43 - 1:41:46)
and here we are sitting in a new high school.

[Speaker 5] (1:41:47 - 1:41:55)
Um, shortly after we got the new high school we also had a two and a half override because of budget issues.

[Speaker 5] (1:41:58 - 1:42:05)
Um so those of us who've been in town for a while have heard this story and heard this watch the movie of all of this.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:05 - 1:42:17)
My concern here and my support of defeating this amendment made by this select board is that in past years,

[Speaker 5] (1:42:17 - 1:42:20)
the Finance Committee has really had,

[Speaker 5] (1:42:21 - 1:42:24)
all of us have turned to the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:24 - 1:42:25)
I know I have.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:27 - 1:42:30)
Eric's comments tonight were very heartfelt.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:30 - 1:42:32)
It really hit me because

[Speaker 5] (1:42:34 - 1:42:38)
I would not want that job for all the tea in China,

[Speaker 5] (1:42:38 - 1:42:39)
as they say.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:41 - 1:42:45)
And there are people here who have served on the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:45 - 1:42:45)
Mr.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:45 - 1:42:46)
Perry,

[Speaker 5] (1:42:46 - 1:42:48)
look around this room.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:49 - 1:42:53)
I am concerned about governance in this town.

[Speaker 5] (1:42:54 - 1:42:56)
And I'm concerned that the continuing,

[Speaker 5] (1:42:56 - 1:43:01)
continuing each year of the school side and the town side.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:03 - 1:43:05)
And I don't know what the answer is.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:05 - 1:43:13)
There is a wave of placing all finances under one rubric in a town. You can do that.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:13 - 1:43:26)
I was advised by someone in this audience to make it a much more streamlined CFO kind of, a CF.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:27 - 1:43:30)
chief financial officer in the town.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:30 - 1:43:33)
We are going to continue this battle each year.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:34 - 1:43:38)
And the schools, I know this because I've done it.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:39 - 1:43:41)
We rallied the troops.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:41 - 1:43:46)
We rallied the troops back in the early 2000s for the school,

[Speaker 5] (1:43:46 - 1:43:47)
for the override,

[Speaker 5] (1:43:47 - 1:43:48)
for all kinds of things.

[Speaker 5] (1:43:48 - 1:43:51)
And sometimes it's still not enough because

[Speaker 5] (1:43:52 - 1:43:54)
The argument is always going to be for the children,

[Speaker 5] (1:43:55 - 1:43:55)
right?

[Speaker 5] (1:43:56 - 1:44:09)
But the argument can also be for those town employees who it was suggested the other night that they just should forego contractual raises or that the town side doesn't really matter that much.

[Speaker 5] (1:44:09 - 1:44:11)
The town side matters.

[Speaker 5] (1:44:11 - 1:44:23)
I would say equal, and I think the suggestion by the Finance Committee saying that it should be the split equitable and fair in terms of numbers of employees,

[Speaker 5] (1:44:23 - 1:44:26)
the school has a lot more employees than the town side,

[Speaker 5] (1:44:26 - 1:44:29)
so proportionate-wise I think it makes sense,

[Speaker 5] (1:44:29 - 1:44:31)
but I don't...

[Speaker 5] (1:44:32 - 1:44:48)
I can't foresee every year coming back. Last year we had, if anybody was sitting here last year, we had two nights of back and forth where we finally had, there was a vote taken and then it was rescinded and there's all kinds of hoopla about that.

[Speaker 5] (1:44:48 - 1:44:50)
I don't think that shows.

[Speaker 5] (1:44:51 - 1:44:54)
discipline on the part of the adults in the room.

[Speaker 5] (1:44:54 - 1:45:03)
I think the school committee has a right has a right to advocate for the schools but it also has a responsibility to the town.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:04 - 1:45:12)
It has a responsibility like the select board has a select the responsibility to do what is financially prudent for the town for the whole town.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:13 - 1:45:19)
Schools can put their thumb on the side of the schools the school committee can but when it's constant

[Speaker 5] (1:45:19 - 1:45:20)
Like this,

[Speaker 5] (1:45:20 - 1:45:23)
it serves nobody.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:23 - 1:45:25)
I don't know what the answer is,

[Speaker 5] (1:45:25 - 1:45:28)
but I think I appreciate the comments that Mr.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:28 - 1:45:31)
that Eric's, I can't remember his last name,

[Speaker 5] (1:45:31 - 1:45:33)
a member of the Finance

[Speaker 2] (1:45:33 - 1:45:33)
Mr.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:33 - 1:45:35)
Committee just spoke about.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:36 - 1:45:40)
Shame on us if we can't figure this out year to year.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:40 - 1:45:41)
And the boogeyman.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:42 - 1:45:48)
are among all of us. There's been bad behavior on lots of, I will put myself in that category.

[Speaker 5] (1:45:49 - 1:46:03)
When things feel so frustrating and the collaboration is so difficult, I worry about committees functioning and governance functioning in this town.

[Speaker 5] (1:46:03 - 1:46:08)
It's like nothing I've ever seen this last cycle,

[Speaker 5] (1:46:08 - 1:46:10)
so hopefully we'll all clean up our act.

[Speaker 2] (1:46:11 - 1:46:13)
The mistake shall I.

[Speaker 2] (1:46:16 - 1:46:17)
Further discussion.

[Speaker 2] (1:46:17 - 1:46:18)
Yes, is that Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:46:18 - 1:46:18)
Baker in the back?

[Speaker 6] (1:46:26 - 1:46:27)
Robert Baker,

[Speaker 6] (1:46:27 - 1:46:28)
Precinct 6,

[Speaker 6] (1:46:28 - 1:46:32)
and in another century I was a chairperson of the Finance Committee,

[Speaker 6] (1:46:32 - 1:46:47)
and my understanding is that the reason that the school committee budget is such a lump sum item is that state regulations prevent us from micromanaging the school committee,

[Speaker 6] (1:46:47 - 1:46:53)
whereas in the police department we've got an issue with one

[Speaker 6] (1:46:53 - 1:47:06)
one line item after another after another and and it may not be a correct process but I think some of this comes to people not necessarily process thank you

[Speaker 2] (1:47:07 - 1:47:07)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:47:08 - 1:47:08)
Baker.

[Speaker 2] (1:47:11 - 1:47:11)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:47:12 - 1:47:12)
Iannacone.

[Speaker 1] (1:47:20 - 1:47:21)
Steve Iannacone.

[Speaker 7] (1:47:22 - 1:47:23)
precinct four.

[Speaker 7] (1:47:23 - 1:47:27)
Thank you all. It's been a very hard time for the select board,

[Speaker 7] (1:47:28 - 1:47:29)
for finance committee,

[Speaker 7] (1:47:29 - 1:47:30)
everyone has,

[Speaker 7] (1:47:31 - 1:47:32)
school committee,

[Speaker 7] (1:47:32 - 1:47:33)
everyone's been doing hard work.

[Speaker 7] (1:47:34 - 1:47:49)
I want to just bring up the attention to all that currently the health insurance coverage for the town employees is completely covered by the town if you look at the town side of the budget.

[Speaker 7] (1:47:50 - 1:47:57)
And it would seem to me that right now, if we were going to go into this process that the Finance Committee is looking at,

[Speaker 7] (1:47:57 - 1:48:08)
we would look at and say, well, 75% of the employees that we are covering without this increase are in the school district.

[Speaker 7] (1:48:08 - 1:48:11)
So why don't they cover all of that?

[Speaker 7] (1:48:11 - 1:48:16)
But we're not, we don't do that because we made a decision somewhere along the line.

[Speaker 7] (1:48:17 - 1:48:20)
that in terms of this particular item,

[Speaker 7] (1:48:20 - 1:48:30)
that the town would take the responsibility to cover the health insurance of the employees of the school and of the other town departments.

[Speaker 7] (1:48:30 - 1:48:32)
And that has been our custom,

[Speaker 7] (1:48:32 - 1:48:34)
that has been our rule,

[Speaker 7] (1:48:34 - 1:48:35)
I think it's a rule,

[Speaker 7] (1:48:35 - 1:48:38)
but it's a process that we've had and hasn't been,

[Speaker 7] (1:48:38 - 1:48:42)
I think, a question about how that would be funded.

[Speaker 7] (1:48:43 - 1:48:52)
So if on that basis the select board is going to come up with a solution that keeps the cost on the town side,

[Speaker 7] (1:48:53 - 1:48:58)
I think that's appropriate and I urge people to vote for that amendment.

[Speaker 7] (1:48:58 - 1:48:59)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:00 - 1:49:01)
Mr. Anaconi,

[Speaker 2] (1:49:01 - 1:49:01)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:01 - 1:49:01)
Pinkerton.

[Speaker 1] (1:49:06 - 1:49:07)
Good evening, Don Pinkerton,

[Speaker 1] (1:49:07 - 1:49:07)
Precinct 3,

[Speaker 1] (1:49:08 - 1:49:09)
former finance committee.

[Speaker 1] (1:49:16 - 1:49:30)
Um I guess I I really like the idea that we can resolve this hundred and thirty thousand dollars with these with these changes to the budget, but I guess having been on the finance committee I'm just wondering I'd like to ask the select board

[Speaker 1] (1:49:31 - 1:49:36)
Have these changes been discussed with departments and, I mean, these are line items.

[Speaker 1] (1:49:36 - 1:49:49)
I'm just, some of these seem non-discretionary, like how do you take out $18,000 from legal and insurance and all these other things. So I'm just wondering if these have been vetted, you know, thoroughly with the departments and if these realistic cuts that can be made.

[Speaker 1] (1:49:49 - 1:49:50)
That's all. Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:50 - 1:49:51)
Thank you, Mr. Pinkerton.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:53 - 1:49:53)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:49:53 - 1:49:55)
Valen, someone from the select board?

[Speaker 3] (1:49:59 - 1:50:02)
I would ask Chino or Amy Tsaro that question.

[Speaker 4] (1:50:02 - 1:50:03)
Yeah.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:04 - 1:50:05)
Mr. Cresto

[Speaker 3] (1:50:05 - 1:50:06)
I mean

[Speaker 2] (1:50:06 - 1:50:06)
or Ms.

[Speaker 3] (1:50:06 - 1:50:12)
a good portion of them came from the DPW line item, so they were discussed with that department head. He was at that meeting.

[Speaker 5] (1:50:15 - 1:50:17)
The short answer is no.

[Speaker 5] (1:50:17 - 1:50:22)
All right, thank you. The short answer is no. They weren't discussed with the department heads prior,

[Speaker 5] (1:50:22 - 1:50:25)
but we talked to them afterwards and most of them just seem to be on board.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:27 - 1:50:28)
Thank you Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:28 - 1:50:28)
Christa.

[Speaker 2] (1:50:29 - 1:50:33)
Uh did I see one hand way in the back and f uh next to Mr. Baker?

[Speaker 6] (1:50:37 - 1:50:39)
Hi, I'm Sarah Playmate, Precinct Six.

[Speaker 6] (1:50:40 - 1:50:52)
I just want to say with Article 4 and with keeping the $130,000 in the school budget that I have, well now I have two high schoolers and an elementary school student, but I've also had a middle school student.

[Speaker 6] (1:50:53 - 1:50:56)
And we have seen, especially in the high school,

[Speaker 6] (1:50:57 - 1:51:09)
because my daughter can very much vocalize and talk about how the high school has changed in the past four years, especially last year when there was that $500,000 cut.

[Speaker 6] (1:51:08 - 1:51:18)
Cut. So you make these little changes, you think, oh, it's just $130,000, it's not a big deal. Well, you keep making cuts, eventually it's really gonna bleed.

[Speaker 2] (1:51:21 - 1:51:21)
Thank you, Ms. Planet.

[Speaker 2] (1:51:24 - 1:51:25)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:51:25 - 1:51:25)
Lorber.

[Speaker 2] (1:51:28 - 1:51:29)
And then Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:51:29 - 1:51:30)
Draven.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:40 - 1:51:40)
Thank you.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:41 - 1:51:42)
Terry Loeber, Precinct 5.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:44 - 1:51:47)
Let's acknowledge that we stand in the land of Ms.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:47 - 1:51:49)
Quamskate as called by the Wampanoag people.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:50 - 1:51:52)
So we're here to talk about Article 4.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:54 - 1:51:58)
I'm proud to live in a town that can support a 5% increase to the school budget.

[Speaker 5] (1:51:59 - 1:52:00)
Thank you.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:00 - 1:52:01)
We've done well.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:01 - 1:52:04)
The issue here seems to be health insurance costs,

[Speaker 5] (1:52:04 - 1:52:04)
which...

[Speaker 5] (1:52:05 - 1:52:11)
To everyone's point on both sides have said we aren't quite sure what they will actually be.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:12 - 1:52:13)
My concern,

[Speaker 5] (1:52:13 - 1:52:17)
and I think I echo Ms. DiCillo,

[Speaker 5] (1:52:17 - 1:52:23)
is that the process seems to have failed yet again, less spectacularly than last year.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:23 - 1:52:30)
But once again, we're offering amendments from people on the committees who have been elected to serve and thank you for your time.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:31 - 1:52:33)
Thank you for volunteering to be on these committees.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:33 - 1:52:36)
It's a lot of work. It's a lot of time. I watch you on YouTube.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:37 - 1:52:40)
The process seems to have failed again.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:42 - 1:52:44)
I have one clarifying question.

[Speaker 5] (1:52:45 - 1:52:47)
Actuals in 2025,

[Speaker 5] (1:52:47 - 1:52:48)
school in town,

[Speaker 5] (1:52:48 - 1:52:56)
how much have we spent so far of our budgets for 2025 and do we expect a surplus or a deficit?

[Speaker 2] (1:52:57 - 1:53:01)
in our operating budgets on both the town and the school side.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:02 - 1:53:03)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:03 - 1:53:03)
Lorber.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:04 - 1:53:05)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:05 - 1:53:05)
Sarah,

[Speaker 2] (1:53:05 - 1:53:08)
was that something you and or Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:08 - 1:53:09)
Deller in a position to answer?

[Speaker 6] (1:53:11 - 1:53:17)
So in health insurance for FY25, due to vacancies that were not filled on the town side,

[Speaker 6] (1:53:17 - 1:53:21)
we're anticipating about a $200,000 surplus this year.

[Speaker 6] (1:53:22 - 1:53:24)
Obviously, as part of this budget amendment,

[Speaker 6] (1:53:24 - 1:53:25)
it does fill those positions.

[Speaker 6] (1:53:26 - 1:53:28)
we've not anticipated repeat.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:30 - 1:53:32)
Yeah, I'll reiterate. I mean, look at the numbers again.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:32 - 1:53:35)
$130,000 over $40 million.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:35 - 1:53:36)
It really is a small amount.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:37 - 1:53:43)
I think this conflict is better handled in committees.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:44 - 1:53:51)
And I would, you know, there's a lot of talk about a financial summit which would move the conversation up earlier in the year.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:52 - 1:53:58)
I think one of the things that we should be doing is, you know, just if you're in a hole,

[Speaker 2] (1:53:58 - 1:53:59)
stop digging.

[Speaker 2] (1:53:59 - 1:54:02)
So if the process is failing,

[Speaker 2] (1:54:02 - 1:54:04)
I really wish I could, this was about the right height.

[Speaker 2] (1:54:04 - 1:54:06)
If the process is failing,

[Speaker 2] (1:54:06 - 1:54:09)
we should, like, don't vote to...

[Speaker 1] (1:54:10 - 1:54:18)
incentivize the process of fail so I urge you to vote against this motion to amend and I urge you to take Fincom's recommendations thank you

[Speaker 2] (1:54:18 - 1:54:19)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (1:54:19 - 1:54:20)
Lorga.

[Speaker 2] (1:54:20 - 1:54:20)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:54:20 - 1:54:21)
Dreeben?

[Speaker 2] (1:54:27 - 1:54:28)
And then Ms. Marshall.

[Speaker 7] (1:54:28 - 1:54:29)
Thank you.

[Speaker 7] (1:54:29 - 1:54:36)
Naomi Dreeben, Precinct 3 meeting member and member of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 7] (1:54:36 - 1:54:44)
So I just want to bring you back to our chairs presentation which showed sort of the bigger picture.

[Speaker 7] (1:54:47 - 1:54:51)
We really, really struggled with

[Speaker 7] (1:54:52 - 1:54:53)
making this budget work.

[Speaker 7] (1:54:53 - 1:55:08)
And I just want to remind you that the school department budget, one department in the whole town, is going to be increasing five percent and all of the other departments in the town are increasing less

[Speaker 7] (1:55:09 - 1:55:25)
than one percent and as one of the more recent speakers said if you keep making cuts it's really going to bleed and so I just want to bring that up to keep the proportionality in front of all of us thank you

[Speaker 2] (1:55:25 - 1:55:27)
Thank you, Ms. Drieben.

[Speaker 2] (1:55:27 - 1:55:29)
Ms. Marshall and then Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:55:29 - 1:55:29)
Smith.

[Speaker 6] (1:55:33 - 1:55:35)
Thank you, Karen Marshall,

[Speaker 6] (1:55:35 - 1:55:36)
Precinct 2,

[Speaker 6] (1:55:36 - 1:55:37)
formerly school committee.

[Speaker 6] (1:55:38 - 1:55:42)
I just want to say, in terms of process,

[Speaker 6] (1:55:42 - 1:55:43)
as of a month ago,

[Speaker 6] (1:55:43 - 1:55:46)
all three committees were in agreement.

[Speaker 6] (1:55:46 - 1:55:52)
And so it really looked like we were going to walk into this town meeting united and that this wasn't going to happen.

[Speaker 6] (1:55:54 - 1:55:54)
Unfortunately,

[Speaker 6] (1:55:54 - 1:55:57)
at the last minute, at the 11th hour,

[Speaker 6] (1:55:57 - 1:55:59)
however you want to characterize it.

[Speaker 6] (1:55:59 - 1:56:04)
It sort of fell apart. And most of that came in the form of new information,

[Speaker 6] (1:56:04 - 1:56:07)
which was this health insurance numbers.

[Speaker 8] (1:56:08 - 1:56:09)
which, again,

[Speaker 8] (1:56:09 - 1:56:20)
are still not hard numbers. We do not know. We've just heard that in the past couple of years there's been extra money in that line item to the tune of a couple of hundred thousand dollars each year.

[Speaker 8] (1:56:20 - 1:56:33)
I would ask if these vacancies that cost that two hundred thousand dollars, was that all on the town side? Because that seems like a lot of vacancies to be filled to bring up that amount of money.

[Speaker 8] (1:56:33 - 1:56:43)
And also, I would just like to remind everybody that we did work really hard this year and we were united and we were together up until last week.

[Speaker 8] (1:56:43 - 1:56:47)
So I would hope that we could look at this amendment.

[Speaker 8] (1:56:47 - 1:56:49)
If you look at it,

[Speaker 8] (1:56:49 - 1:56:51)
these are small items that do not touch people,

[Speaker 8] (1:56:51 - 1:56:55)
but the 130,000 on the school side will absolutely touch people.

[Speaker 8] (1:56:55 - 1:56:56)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (1:56:57 - 1:56:58)
Thank you, Ms. Marshall.

[Speaker 2] (1:56:58 - 1:57:03)
I understood there to be a question about the balance of the unfilled positions.

[Speaker 2] (1:57:04 - 1:57:06)
Is that something you have ready to hand, Ms. Harrell?

[Speaker 2] (1:57:07 - 1:57:08)
I don't believe we have that.

[Speaker 2] (1:57:08 - 1:57:09)
If that's material,

[Speaker 2] (1:57:09 - 1:57:13)
I'm happy to ask that you come back with that information later.

[Speaker 2] (1:57:13 - 1:57:13)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (1:57:13 - 1:57:14)
Smith.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:19 - 1:57:19)
Hi,

[Speaker 8] (1:57:19 - 1:57:20)
Liz Smith,

[Speaker 8] (1:57:20 - 1:57:21)
Precinct 3.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:23 - 1:57:26)
I want to agree with the gentleman who spoke before Ms. Drieben spoke.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:27 - 1:57:29)
The process did not work very well.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:29 - 1:57:34)
I believe firmly that the school committee has been working on this budget since last fall.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:34 - 1:57:43)
The select board did not have a public joint among themselves discussion of the budget line items until last week.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:43 - 1:57:48)
They didn't discuss the budget at all until March 5th.

[Speaker 8] (1:57:50 - 1:57:56)
The financial summit that was promised after last year's meeting did not happen, and that was a huge, huge miss,

[Speaker 8] (1:57:57 - 1:57:59)
and it put us behind the eight ball,

[Speaker 8] (1:57:59 - 1:58:00)
and then...

[Speaker 8] (1:58:01 - 1:58:08)
Pick your reason why they didn't discuss it for the months between January, February, and March, but it didn't happen until last week.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:09 - 1:58:14)
And at that meeting, if you go back and watch it, there were many items where they said,

[Speaker 8] (1:58:14 - 1:58:15)
well,

[Speaker 8] (1:58:15 - 1:58:17)
we don't have time to figure this out by next week. Well,

[Speaker 8] (1:58:17 - 1:58:21)
we don't have time to understand whether our legal costs really should be going up this much.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:21 - 1:58:23)
We don't know if the insurance cost is really right,

[Speaker 8] (1:58:23 - 1:58:24)
not health insurance,

[Speaker 8] (1:58:24 - 1:58:25)
but casualty and liability.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:26 - 1:58:30)
There were a number of items they could be looking at what other towns...

[Speaker 8] (1:58:30 - 1:58:31)
The towns have in their financial reserves.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:32 - 1:58:35)
They could be looking at what other towns are paying for legal costs.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:35 - 1:58:37)
None of that work happened.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:38 - 1:58:40)
There were some behind-the-scenes meetings.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:40 - 1:58:43)
There were some suggestions made by individual select board members.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:43 - 1:58:49)
There was no public open discussion of that budget until last week.

[Speaker 8] (1:58:50 - 1:58:57)
How could they possibly have figured it all out by tonight? I believe that the school committee did the work. I believe that

[Speaker 7] (1:58:57 - 1:59:04)
Eve Miss Angelakis when she said more than once enough is enough we've been cutting year after year we

[Speaker 1] (1:59:04 - 1:59:07)
We've gone through our budget item by item by item.

[Speaker 1] (1:59:08 - 1:59:12)
Do not penalize the schools for the work that they've done,

[Speaker 1] (1:59:12 - 1:59:17)
for the honesty with which they're telling you this is what we need.

[Speaker 1] (1:59:18 - 1:59:23)
Do not penalize them for the work that hasn't been done in the rest of town.

[Speaker 1] (1:59:23 - 1:59:24)
Thanks.

[Speaker 2] (1:59:25 - 1:59:27)
I can ask Nick Mr. Perry,

[Speaker 2] (1:59:27 - 1:59:28)
is

[Speaker 3] (1:59:31 - 1:59:33)
I will stand and call the question.

[Speaker 2] (1:59:34 - 1:59:34)
there a second?

[Speaker 2] (1:59:36 - 1:59:45)
Mr. Perry's motion to call the question would end debate on Ms. Phelan's amendment to Mr. Hartman's initial motion. This requires a two-thirds vote.

[Speaker 2] (1:59:45 - 1:59:48)
It is not debatable. All those in favor of closing debate,

[Speaker 2] (1:59:49 - 1:59:50)
please raise your hands.

[Speaker 2] (1:59:51 - 1:59:52)
All those opposed?

[Speaker 2] (1:59:53 - 1:59:54)
It is unanimous.

[Speaker 2] (1:59:55 - 2:00:03)
We now move directly to a vote on Ms. Phelan's motion to amend Ms. Tartman's original motion.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:04 - 2:00:06)
All those in favor of Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:07 - 2:00:07)
Phelan's motion,

[Speaker 2] (2:00:08 - 2:00:09)
please raise your hands.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:10 - 2:00:11)
All those opposed?

[Speaker 2] (2:00:14 - 2:00:15)
The motion fails.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:16 - 2:00:17)
We return now to Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:17 - 2:00:19)
Hartman's original motion.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:20 - 2:00:21)
Mr. Pastor,

[Speaker 2] (2:00:21 - 2:00:26)
if six others rise right now, I will move to a standing vote.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:27 - 2:00:31)
Very good. Could I please see the following tellers up front?

[Speaker 2] (2:00:32 - 2:00:33)
Ms. Sullivan,

[Speaker 2] (2:00:33 - 2:00:33)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:33 - 2:00:34)
Pinkerton,

[Speaker 2] (2:00:34 - 2:00:36)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:36 - 2:00:37)
Berdoff,

[Speaker 2] (2:00:38 - 2:00:38)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:38 - 2:00:39)
Barton, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:39 - 2:00:41)
Mark Barton, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:00:41 - 2:00:42)
Munoz and Ms. Marshall,

[Speaker 2] (2:00:42 - 2:00:43)
could you please come up front?

[Speaker 2] (2:01:08 - 2:01:10)
Ms. Marshall. Yes.

[Speaker 2] (2:01:12 - 2:01:14)
Can you guys count that side?

[Speaker 2] (2:01:15 - 2:01:16)
Can you guys count the center?

[Speaker 2] (2:01:17 - 2:01:19)
And can you and Mary count that side?

[Speaker 2] (2:01:19 - 2:01:22)
Once you've agreed on your totals, come and tell me in the corner.

[Speaker 2] (2:01:23 - 2:01:25)
All those in favor

[Speaker 2] (2:01:27 - 2:01:30)
of the motion to amend,

[Speaker 2] (2:01:30 - 2:01:31)
please rise.

[Speaker 2] (2:01:32 - 2:01:34)
Remain standing.

[Speaker 2] (2:02:22 - 2:02:24)
Please remain standing while you're voting.

[Speaker 3] (2:02:25 - 2:02:26)
I'm not singing right now.

[Speaker 3] (2:02:33 - 2:02:35)
Does everyone know what that means? Do you know what it means?

[Speaker 3] (2:03:09 - 2:03:11)
What was I supposed to put on this one?

[Speaker 3] (2:03:20 - 2:03:20)
Just a moderator.

[Speaker 3] (2:03:24 - 2:03:26)
Can I ask a question of clarification? I don't know what this one stands for.

[Speaker 2] (2:03:36 - 2:03:37)
Please be seated.

[Speaker 2] (2:03:37 - 2:03:38)
All those opposed,

[Speaker 2] (2:03:38 - 2:03:39)
please rise.

[Speaker 2] (2:05:26 - 2:05:27)
Thank you. You may be seated.

[Speaker 2] (2:05:37 - 2:05:41)
By a vote of 134 to 98, that motion carries.

[Speaker 2] (2:05:43 - 2:05:48)
We now return to the initial motion as amended the way that we will do this.

[Speaker 2] (2:05:49 - 2:05:56)
is I will go page by page in your printed warrant and ask for anyone who wishes to raise a question.

[Speaker 2] (2:05:58 - 2:06:05)
The way that I'm going to do this is to go page by page and ask if anybody needs to ask a question.

[Speaker 2] (2:06:07 - 2:06:08)
Is it you have a point of order,

[Speaker 2] (2:06:08 - 2:06:09)
ma'am?

[Speaker 2] (2:06:11 - 2:06:15)
Rise and state your point and if it's in order I will do my best to address it.

[Speaker 4] (2:06:21 - 2:06:27)
I have a question actually about something that Mr. Hartman reported on earlier, and I didn't wasn't sure when I could ask that.

[Speaker 2] (2:06:28 - 2:06:30)
Will we get to it on one of these pages or is it

[Speaker 4] (2:06:30 - 2:06:31)
No,

[Speaker 2] (2:06:31 - 2:06:31)
not,

[Speaker 4] (2:06:31 - 2:06:31)
it's

[Speaker 2] (2:06:31 - 2:06:31)
then

[Speaker 4] (2:06:31 - 2:06:31)
not.

[Speaker 2] (2:06:31 - 2:06:33)
it's then it's not germane to

[Speaker 4] (2:06:33 - 2:06:33)
Okay.

[Speaker 2] (2:06:33 - 2:06:34)
this budget.

[Speaker 2] (2:06:38 - 2:06:39)
If it's germane to the budget,

[Speaker 2] (2:06:39 - 2:06:40)
it's on these pages.

[Speaker 4] (2:06:44 - 2:06:48)
So if I understand what you were saying earlier correctly about the debt exclusion.

[Speaker 4] (2:06:51 - 2:06:53)
We did not, in 2025,

[Speaker 4] (2:06:53 - 2:06:57)
we did not tax for that debt exclusion.

[Speaker 4] (2:06:57 - 2:06:58)
Is that true?

[Speaker 5] (2:06:58 - 2:06:59)
2025,

[Speaker 5] (2:06:59 - 2:06:59)
no.

[Speaker 5] (2:06:59 - 2:07:00)
I didn't say the point.

[Speaker 5] (2:07:00 - 2:07:05)
I said what happened is when in 2023 we could have started using that debt exclusion.

[Speaker 5] (2:07:05 - 2:07:10)
We did not tax up to the amount that we could have inclusive of that.

[Speaker 5] (2:07:10 - 2:07:15)
I think that the increase was something like $1.3 million was the increase in the levy that year.

[Speaker 5] (2:07:16 - 2:07:19)
And we had a $3 million increase in the debt exclusion alone.

[Speaker 5] (2:07:20 - 2:07:21)
So instead of taxing up to that,

[Speaker 5] (2:07:22 - 2:07:24)
we were able to use those other receipts I mentioned and other reserves.

[Speaker 4] (2:07:25 - 2:07:25)
But

[Speaker 2] (2:07:25 - 2:07:25)
Thank

[Speaker 4] (2:07:25 - 2:07:25)
if

[Speaker 2] (2:07:25 - 2:07:26)
you both of you.

[Speaker 2] (2:07:26 - 2:07:29)
We'll move on to the budget because that is outside the scope of this question.

[Speaker 2] (2:07:31 - 2:07:32)
On page two,

[Speaker 2] (2:07:32 - 2:07:35)
any questions about the moderator's budget?

[Speaker 2] (2:07:35 - 2:07:37)
I get $200 a year.

[Speaker 2] (2:07:37 - 2:07:39)
I have never spent a dime of it.

[Speaker 2] (2:07:41 - 2:07:42)
Page three.

[Speaker 2] (2:07:43 - 2:07:45)
Page three includes the select board,

[Speaker 2] (2:07:45 - 2:07:47)
administration of finance.

[Speaker 2] (2:07:47 - 2:07:49)
Any questions or comments there?

[Speaker 2] (2:07:55 - 2:07:57)
Page four, treasury and collection,

[Speaker 2] (2:07:57 - 2:07:59)
IT,

[Speaker 2] (2:08:00 - 2:08:01)
parking enforcement,

[Speaker 2] (2:08:01 - 2:08:02)
legal insurance,

[Speaker 2] (2:08:02 - 2:08:05)
the beginning of human resources.

[Speaker 2] (2:08:09 - 2:08:10)
Yes, in the back.

[Speaker 2] (2:08:10 - 2:08:11)
Is that Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:08:11 - 2:08:11)
Duffy?

[Speaker 2] (2:08:15 - 2:08:19)
Either the lights in here have gotten better or my eyesight's improving, and I doubt it's the latter.

[Speaker 6] (2:08:25 - 2:08:35)
Hi, uh Neil Duffy, Precinct three town meeting member. I'm just hoping somebody can explain the plan for the diversity inclusion coordinator since it's um zeroed out this year.

[Speaker 2] (2:08:37 - 2:08:43)
Thank you, Mr Duffy. Would someone from the Select Board like to discuss policy around the DEI coordinator?

[Speaker 2] (2:08:45 - 2:08:48)
Miss Darrow, do you have a response?

[Speaker 7] (2:08:50 - 2:08:51)
Hey Neil, nice to see you again.

[Speaker 7] (2:08:52 - 2:08:54)
So our DEI coordinator,

[Speaker 7] (2:08:54 - 2:08:57)
we had a consultant do work this fiscal year.

[Speaker 7] (2:08:58 - 2:08:59)
It is their recommendation after...

[Speaker 1] (2:09:04 - 2:09:13)
We're going to have their report at the end of this fiscal year, um and that will give the Select Board time to review with the public to discuss um what they're going to do moving forward.

[Speaker 2] (2:09:14 - 2:09:15)
Thank you, Ms. Carroll.

[Speaker 2] (2:09:16 - 2:09:18)
Any other questions on page four?

[Speaker 2] (2:09:21 - 2:09:22)
Page five is.

[Speaker 2] (2:09:24 - 2:09:25)
the end of human resources,

[Speaker 2] (2:09:25 - 2:09:28)
the town clerk,

[Speaker 2] (2:09:29 - 2:09:32)
the beginning of community and economic development.

[Speaker 2] (2:09:34 - 2:09:35)
Yes, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:09:35 - 2:09:36)
Baker.

[Speaker 3] (2:09:43 - 2:09:44)
Robert Baker,

[Speaker 3] (2:09:44 - 2:09:46)
Precinct 6 Town Meeting member.

[Speaker 3] (2:09:47 - 2:09:51)
Town meeting is fully responsible for voting approval of a line item budget.

[Speaker 3] (2:09:53 - 2:10:03)
And I'm a little bit confused about where we would fund a very large severance payment.

[Speaker 3] (2:10:03 - 2:10:05)
If it's in line item.

[Speaker 3] (2:10:06 - 2:10:22)
Line number 19, end of employment. Why is last year's the same as this year's when in fact it's my understanding that we paid either $176,000 or $250,000 in severance to the departing.

[Speaker 3] (2:10:22 - 2:10:41)
uh, town administrator. So uh if this isn't the right place for it, where is? And uh if we were gonna reoccur such an amount, if this is the right place, uh what are we doing so that we don't get into trouble with uh a a end of employment? Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:10:41 - 2:10:42)
Thank you, Mr. Baker.

[Speaker 3] (2:10:42 - 2:10:44)
Now, I'm just hoping someone would like to answer it.

[Speaker 2] (2:10:44 - 2:10:45)
Ms. Sarah.

[Speaker 1] (2:10:46 - 2:10:48)
So the um former town administrators

[Speaker 1] (2:10:50 - 2:10:55)
Payment was made out of three lines in the FY25 budget. It was the town administrator's salary,

[Speaker 1] (2:10:55 - 2:10:59)
the other compensation in the town administrator personnel line,

[Speaker 1] (2:10:59 - 2:11:03)
and this end of employment hyphen town that you see in line 19.

[Speaker 1] (2:11:03 - 2:11:07)
If that line is not sufficient to cover in FY25,

[Speaker 1] (2:11:07 - 2:11:17)
we do have the previously established compensated absence reserve fund which that money can be funded out of. So all of that is residing solely in FY25.

[Speaker 1] (2:11:17 - 2:11:19)
not affecting the FY26 budget.

[Speaker 3] (2:11:21 - 2:11:32)
How do you spread this out if it's one item and you found different places to put it, for example, salary to a person who's not working?

[Speaker 1] (2:11:32 - 2:11:36)
The settlement includes multiple settlement items,

[Speaker 1] (2:11:36 - 2:11:39)
so they are under the appropriate item for each item in it.

[Speaker 3] (2:11:40 - 2:11:41)
Thank you very much.

[Speaker 1] (2:11:41 - 2:11:42)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:11:42 - 2:11:43)
Thank you, Mr. Baker.

[Speaker 2] (2:11:44 - 2:11:44)
Ma'am.

[Speaker 4] (2:11:47 - 2:11:48)
Oh dear.

[Speaker 4] (2:11:48 - 2:11:50)
This is going to be way too high for me.

[Speaker 4] (2:11:51 - 2:11:52)
That's okay.

[Speaker 4] (2:11:53 - 2:11:53)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (2:11:54 - 2:11:54)
Kate Green,

[Speaker 4] (2:11:54 - 2:11:56)
Precinct 4,

[Speaker 4] (2:11:56 - 2:12:00)
Capital Improvement Committee and Community Life Center Committee also.

[Speaker 4] (2:12:00 - 2:12:03)
I had a question on the salary reserve line.

[Speaker 4] (2:12:03 - 2:12:10)
I think it was said that that's for any anticipated changes if we have contracts coming up.

[Speaker 4] (2:12:11 - 2:12:19)
We have contracts coming up next year. Can somebody just kind of on a high level explain how this was calculated and how we think that that's an okay thing?

[Speaker 4] (2:12:19 - 2:12:27)
And then just as a follow-on, I noticed throughout here there's a line called longevity. If someone could explain that. The amounts in some cases are fairly significant.

[Speaker 4] (2:12:28 - 2:12:29)
And that was it.

[Speaker 2] (2:12:29 - 2:12:30)
Sure. Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:12:30 - 2:12:30)
Grian.

[Speaker 2] (2:12:31 - 2:12:31)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:12:31 - 2:12:31)
Sarah.

[Speaker 1] (2:12:32 - 2:12:35)
I'll start with longevity first because it's easier.

[Speaker 1] (2:12:35 - 2:12:39)
In the personnel contract as well as in our collective bargaining agreements,

[Speaker 1] (2:12:39 - 2:12:40)
there are longevity tables.

[Speaker 1] (2:12:40 - 2:12:43)
So for employees who have been here five years or longer,

[Speaker 1] (2:12:43 - 2:12:46)
going up to the extent of their tenure,

[Speaker 1] (2:12:46 - 2:12:50)
there are contracted amounts in that longevity table to reward them for...

[Speaker 1] (2:12:51 - 2:12:52)
longer service.

[Speaker 1] (2:12:53 - 2:13:02)
With regard to salary reserve without affecting our bargaining position we do have three collective bargaining agreements that are coming due so police, fire and library.

[Speaker 1] (2:13:03 - 2:13:12)
So there is an amount in there for each of those three unions that was determined by the select board for the appropriate amount they want to reserve in there.

[Speaker 1] (2:13:12 - 2:13:18)
As such there's also monies in there to for the vacancies such as the town administrator.

[Speaker 1] (2:13:20 - 2:13:23)
And items like that also included in there.

[Speaker 1] (2:13:23 - 2:13:24)
I hope that helps.

[Speaker 2] (2:13:25 - 2:13:25)
Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:13:25 - 2:13:26)
Farrell.

[Speaker 2] (2:13:27 - 2:13:27)
Any other?

[Speaker 2] (2:13:27 - 2:13:28)
Yes, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:13:29 - 2:13:29)
Spalding.

[Speaker 5] (2:13:36 - 2:13:37)
Jane Spalding,

[Speaker 5] (2:13:38 - 2:13:38)
Precinct 3,

[Speaker 5] (2:13:38 - 2:13:40)
and I'm also on the town election committee.

[Speaker 5] (2:13:41 - 2:13:48)
And I was wondering about the cuts to the election-related costs and the poll workers as well as the general election expenses.

[Speaker 2] (2:13:51 - 2:13:52)
Thank you, Ms. Spaulding. Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:13:52 - 2:13:53)
Sarah?

[Speaker 1] (2:13:53 - 2:13:57)
Those reductions were made to align with the election cycle,

[Speaker 1] (2:13:58 - 2:14:01)
so it is still going to cover the elections that are happening in FY26.

[Speaker 1] (2:14:02 - 2:14:04)
There's just lesser of them than there were in the prior year.

[Speaker 2] (2:14:05 - 2:14:05)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:14:08 - 2:14:13)
Moving on to page six,

[Speaker 2] (2:14:13 - 2:14:15)
the balance,

[Speaker 2] (2:14:15 - 2:14:16)
sorry,

[Speaker 2] (2:14:16 - 2:14:17)
the building department.

[Speaker 2] (2:14:18 - 2:14:19)
Public health,

[Speaker 2] (2:14:19 - 2:14:23)
the beginning of public services, specifically facilities.

[Speaker 2] (2:14:25 - 2:14:26)
Yes, sir.

[Speaker 2] (2:14:38 - 2:14:39)
A few years ago,

[Speaker 2] (2:14:39 - 2:14:42)
I'm sorry, just begin with your name and your precinct.

[Speaker 6] (2:14:42 - 2:14:44)
James Andrews, Precinct 1.

[Speaker 6] (2:14:45 - 2:14:46)
A few years ago,

[Speaker 6] (2:14:46 - 2:14:52)
the school committee got a lot of flack for delivering Medicaid services and not billing Medicaid for it.

[Speaker 6] (2:14:52 - 2:15:00)
I see in here we have a line item for flu shots, which are in fact covered by Medicare and in fact are required by every commercial insurance company in the state.

[Speaker 6] (2:15:01 - 2:15:03)
Why are the taxpayers paying for that?

[Speaker 1] (2:15:05 - 2:15:06)
I would kick it to Jack.

[Speaker 2] (2:15:07 - 2:15:10)
I believe the health director is here.

[Speaker 2] (2:15:10 - 2:15:11)
Mr. Vaughn,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:11 - 2:15:12)
I

[Speaker 2] (2:15:14 - 2:15:15)
don't believe I have an answer for you.

[Speaker 2] (2:15:16 - 2:15:16)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:15:20 - 2:15:23)
Further questions on this page?

[Speaker 2] (2:15:27 - 2:15:29)
Moving on to page seven,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:30 - 2:15:33)
the balance of facilities,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:33 - 2:15:34)
cemetery

[Speaker 2] (2:15:35 - 2:15:37)
General Public Works,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:37 - 2:15:38)
snow and ice.

[Speaker 2] (2:15:44 - 2:15:47)
Moving on to page eight.

[Speaker 2] (2:15:48 - 2:15:49)
Police,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:49 - 2:15:52)
inclusive of constables,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:52 - 2:15:53)
harbormaster,

[Speaker 2] (2:15:57 - 2:15:58)
Mr. Barton.

[Speaker 7] (2:16:06 - 2:16:08)
Mark Barton, town meeting member,

[Speaker 7] (2:16:08 - 2:16:09)
precinct three.

[Speaker 7] (2:16:09 - 2:16:10)
I was just wondering,

[Speaker 7] (2:16:10 - 2:16:12)
the harbormaster is not getting a raise?

[Speaker 2] (2:16:14 - 2:16:15)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:16:15 - 2:16:19)
Barton. Does anyone know the disposition of the stipend paid for the harbormaster?

[Speaker 1] (2:16:20 - 2:16:25)
The budget recommended in the warrant does not include an increase in the stipend for the harbormaster.

[Speaker 2] (2:16:29 - 2:16:30)
Any other questions?

[Speaker 2] (2:16:32 - 2:16:41)
The budget in the that has been moved does not include an increase to the Harbormaster stipend any

[Speaker 2] (2:16:44 - 2:16:50)
other questions on police and that portion of public safety yes Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:16:50 - 2:16:50)
DiCillo

[Speaker 4] (2:16:59 - 2:17:07)
Mary Ciullo, Precinct 4. I just had a question about body-worn camera stipend.

[Speaker 4] (2:17:10 - 2:17:15)
Is there a police officer, somebody that can give us an explanation?

[Speaker 2] (2:17:15 - 2:17:19)
Let me see where you are referring.

[Speaker 4] (2:17:19 - 2:17:19)
It's

[Speaker 2] (2:17:19 - 2:17:19)
Which line

[Speaker 4] (2:17:19 - 2:17:19)
under

[Speaker 2] (2:17:19 - 2:17:20)
is

[Speaker 4] (2:17:20 - 2:17:20)
about

[Speaker 2] (2:17:20 - 2:17:20)
that a portion of?

[Speaker 4] (2:17:20 - 2:17:23)
40.

[Speaker 2] (2:17:23 - 2:17:26)
Which bolded line is that a portion of?

[Speaker 2] (2:17:26 - 2:17:26)
40.

[Speaker 4] (2:17:26 - 2:17:30)
for it's no it's an it's above 40 and

[Speaker 2] (2:17:30 - 2:17:33)
Right, it's part of 40 body-worn camera stipend.

[Speaker 4] (2:17:34 - 2:17:34)
yes

[Speaker 2] (2:17:34 - 2:17:36)
I just want to make sure people can find it.

[Speaker 2] (2:17:36 - 2:17:38)
And your question about it is what?

[Speaker 4] (2:17:38 - 2:17:45)
what what does that mean does it mean is that the equipment or is it they get

[Speaker 4] (2:17:46 - 2:17:47)
The police officers get paid to...

[Speaker 2] (2:17:47 - 2:17:54)
That's a personnel line, so it would be a payment to the individual associates of the force.

[Speaker 4] (2:17:54 - 2:17:55)
Is it required?

[Speaker 1] (2:17:55 - 2:17:57)
It's in the collective bargaining agreement,

[Speaker 1] (2:17:57 - 2:17:57)
yes.

[Speaker 4] (2:17:57 - 2:17:59)
It's part of the... Okay,

[Speaker 4] (2:17:59 - 2:17:59)
thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:00 - 2:18:01)
For those,

[Speaker 2] (2:18:02 - 2:18:04)
if you did not hear it, it is part of the collective bargaining agreement.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:04 - 2:18:07)
Any other questions on police?

[Speaker 2] (2:18:09 - 2:18:11)
Moving forward to page...

[Speaker 2] (2:18:12 - 2:18:12)
8.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:13 - 2:18:19)
The Fire Department and the beginning of Human Services, including the Senior Center.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:25 - 2:18:27)
Continuing to page 10.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:27 - 2:18:29)
Veteran Services,

[Speaker 2] (2:18:29 - 2:18:29)
Library,

[Speaker 2] (2:18:30 - 2:18:32)
the Public Schools as amended,

[Speaker 2] (2:18:33 - 2:18:34)
debt service,

[Speaker 2] (2:18:34 - 2:18:35)
employee benefits.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:37 - 2:18:41)
Note that the state assessments are there for your convenience,

[Speaker 2] (2:18:41 - 2:18:43)
they are not part of an appropriation.

[Speaker 2] (2:18:43 - 2:18:45)
Any questions on page 10?

[Speaker 2] (2:18:47 - 2:18:48)
Yes, Mr. Chillo.

[Speaker 1] (2:18:56 - 2:18:57)
Still married to Chilo,

[Speaker 1] (2:18:57 - 2:18:59)
Precinct 4.

[Speaker 1] (2:19:00 - 2:19:03)
Under veterans agent services,

[Speaker 1] (2:19:03 - 2:19:06)
how is that broken down between,

[Speaker 1] (2:19:06 - 2:19:11)
it says veterans agent services 32, 33,200,

[Speaker 1] (2:19:11 - 2:19:16)
33,200 and assistance 50,000.

[Speaker 2] (2:19:17 - 2:19:20)
So the question is which falls, what falls into which of those

[Speaker 1] (2:19:20 - 2:19:20)
What

[Speaker 2] (2:19:20 - 2:19:21)
two sub-lines?

[Speaker 1] (2:19:21 - 2:19:22)
falls into which category?

[Speaker 2] (2:19:22 - 2:19:29)
I remind you you're appropriating the bolded line, but for purpose of information, can you give us a breakdown, Ms. Arrow?

[Speaker 3] (2:19:30 - 2:19:34)
The $33,200 is with the Veteran Service Agreement that we have with Lynn.

[Speaker 3] (2:19:35 - 2:19:42)
So Mike Sweeney is our Veteran Service Agent contracted through that. The $50,000 is what's paid directly to the veterans in Swampscott.

[Speaker 4] (2:19:44 - 2:19:44)
Yep.

[Speaker 2] (2:19:45 - 2:19:45)
Oh,

[Speaker 3] (2:19:45 - 2:19:46)
Oh, I'll make

[Speaker 2] (2:19:46 - 2:19:46)
and

[Speaker 3] (2:19:46 - 2:19:46)
sure you we get

[Speaker 2] (2:19:46 - 2:19:46)
have

[Speaker 3] (2:19:46 - 2:19:47)
it.

[Speaker 2] (2:19:47 - 2:19:47)
Mike Sweeney.

[Speaker 1] (2:19:47 - 2:19:48)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (2:19:52 - 2:19:56)
Thank you for the record. My name is Mike Sweeney. I'm the director of Veteran Services for Lynn and Swampscott.

[Speaker 4] (2:19:57 - 2:20:02)
That $30,000 is the agreement between Lynn and Swampscott.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:02 - 2:20:04)
What it gets you is three full-time staff,

[Speaker 4] (2:20:04 - 2:20:08)
and I think what we wanted to make clear, or at least I wanted to make clear,

[Speaker 4] (2:20:08 - 2:20:12)
is that sometimes in passing we'll say it's $30,000 for the veterans agent.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:12 - 2:20:13)
That's just not true.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:14 - 2:20:15)
The services,

[Speaker 4] (2:20:15 - 2:20:17)
it provides three full-time people,

[Speaker 4] (2:20:17 - 2:20:20)
so even all those years where Swampscott Town Hall was closed on Friday,

[Speaker 4] (2:20:20 - 2:20:22)
Lynn was still open and you had those services.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:23 - 2:20:27)
The $55,000 in there, it will change from year to year.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:27 - 2:20:31)
That is a mass general law chapter 115.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:32 - 2:20:36)
That's direct assistance to indigent veterans and their families in the community of Swampscott.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:37 - 2:20:42)
Actually, if you looked at it in the state budget that came out last week from the House,

[Speaker 4] (2:20:42 - 2:20:50)
you saw that that went up 20%. It was in one of the – so that's gone up last year. The legislature voted the HERO Act.

[Speaker 4] (2:20:50 - 2:21:18)
expanded chapter 115 but I also I think that those three staff that we have those full-time staff had done a good job of making sure the veterans in the community and their families are getting the assistance they need not only in that 55,000 and we've been doing it with if I could do a little humble brag here not just myself but whether it's the other service organizations in the community I know the DAV is very active but last year alone here in the town of Swanskot the number we just received from the VA is 250.

[Speaker 4] (2:21:19 - 2:21:45)
and fifty thousand dollars in direct assistance and disability money came from the VA to residents in the town of Swampscott and that's just due to the hard work of you know humbly my staff I know I see Jeffrey Blonder in the DAV they do good work but that thirty thousand dollars I can't speak to the individual personnel in my office but that's broken down for three people or two people frankly leave that one out there but that's just to provide not just for

[Speaker 4] (2:21:47 - 2:21:56)
For excuse me for our personnel but for staff and for how we you know what we buy flags things like that throughout the community Is that and

[Speaker 2] (2:21:56 - 2:21:57)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:21:57 - 2:21:57)
Sweeney.

[Speaker 4] (2:21:58 - 2:21:59)
a shameless plug

[Speaker 4] (2:22:00 - 2:22:06)
Monday Memorial Day May 26th at 10 a.m. Please come down to the cemetery as we honor the fallen.

[Speaker 4] (2:22:06 - 2:22:09)
It's this year is the 50th anniversary.

[Speaker 4] (2:22:09 - 2:22:12)
We always talk about a Vietnam But I want to say thank you to the community.

[Speaker 4] (2:22:13 - 2:22:14)
Everyone's been very supportive, but once again

[Speaker 4] (2:22:15 - 2:22:22)
And it's going to be with, and I want to say thank you to the, I'm going to get the hook soon,

[Speaker 4] (2:22:22 - 2:22:29)
but I want to say thank you to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who came out this week in the rain to flag the graves over at Swamp Scott Cemetery.

[Speaker 4] (2:22:29 - 2:22:30)
So I think they deserve a round of applause.

[Speaker 4] (2:22:30 - 2:22:31)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:22:31 - 2:22:32)
Thank you, Mr. Sweeney.

[Speaker 2] (2:22:37 - 2:22:37)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:22:37 - 2:22:38)
Schutzer?

[Speaker 3] (2:22:51 - 2:22:53)
Hi, Carol Schutzer, Precinct 6.

[Speaker 3] (2:22:53 - 2:23:02)
So under state assessments there's something called RMV Non-Renewal Surcharge. Would someone

[Speaker 4] (2:23:02 - 2:23:02)
Hmm.

[Speaker 3] (2:23:02 - 2:23:07)
explain exactly what that is and then I have one other question after that.

[Speaker 2] (2:23:07 - 2:23:13)
Sure, just with the proviso that we are not appropriating that amount, but as a point of information if you

[Speaker 3] (2:23:15 - 2:23:28)
This is just a surcharge that is assessed to all communities um because we have to utilise the R_M_B_ to do the assessments for the motor vehicle and boat excise. It's a surcharge that gets passed through from the state.

[Speaker 5] (2:23:28 - 2:23:39)
They passed through, okay. And then this is going back a few lines, but do on the budget, um I know we have eighty thousand dollars in here for a planner, and I don't think it was last year, but

[Speaker 2] (2:23:39 - 2:23:39)
Which

[Speaker 5] (2:23:39 - 2:23:39)
it was the

[Speaker 2] (2:23:39 - 2:23:42)
just direct us all to which line you're discussing.

[Speaker 1] (2:23:42 - 2:23:42)
Oh.

[Speaker 3] (2:23:50 - 2:23:50)
I believe you're

[Speaker 5] (2:23:50 - 2:23:51)
It's

[Speaker 3] (2:23:51 - 2:23:51)
looking at

[Speaker 5] (2:23:51 - 2:23:51)
the

[Speaker 3] (2:23:51 - 2:23:52)
line 23.

[Speaker 5] (2:23:52 - 2:23:55)
Planning Community Development Line 22 so

[Speaker 2] (2:23:55 - 2:23:56)
Very good.

[Speaker 2] (2:23:56 - 2:23:57)
Yes,

[Speaker 2] (2:23:57 - 2:24:01)
line 22 or 23 on page 5 for your convenience.

[Speaker 5] (2:24:02 - 2:24:17)
I see that there's $80,000 for a planner and I know we had a big discussion a couple years ago about we didn't have a planner in town and we had so many things going on and I know the sense of the meeting I believe we took a vote on the sense of the meeting

[Speaker 5] (2:24:18 - 2:24:23)
to make sure we did get a planner in. And I'm just asking the question tonight,

[Speaker 5] (2:24:23 - 2:24:30)
is that position filled? Is it funded? And how is there an update on that? Because the money's there,

[Speaker 5] (2:24:30 - 2:24:34)
but I'm uncertain as to what happened after that,

[Speaker 2] (2:24:34 - 2:24:34)
Sure.

[Speaker 5] (2:24:34 - 2:24:36)
because we did take a sense of the meeting, as I recall.

[Speaker 2] (2:24:36 - 2:24:37)
That's correct.

[Speaker 2] (2:24:37 - 2:24:42)
I'm just going to remind you that you all just voted to increase that line to $110

[Speaker 3] (2:24:42 - 2:24:43)
One ten point two.

[Speaker 2] (2:24:43 - 2:24:44)
thousand.

[Speaker 5] (2:24:45 - 2:24:47)
And so, is it, there's no one in there yet,

[Speaker 5] (2:24:47 - 2:24:48)
is that what we're saying?

[Speaker 3] (2:24:48 - 2:24:52)
That position is currently posted and vacant and does not have someone in there at this time.

[Speaker 5] (2:24:53 - 2:24:54)
Okay, thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:24:56 - 2:24:58)
Okay, we're still up to page 10,

[Speaker 2] (2:24:58 - 2:25:01)
but I'm happy to go back if there are questions.

[Speaker 2] (2:25:02 - 2:25:06)
Moving on to page

[Speaker 2] (2:25:08 - 2:25:09)
11,

[Speaker 2] (2:25:09 - 2:25:12)
the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund.

[Speaker 2] (2:25:14 - 2:25:26)
And if I could move on to the other enterprise fund, the PEG and solid waste enterprise funds found on page 12, that would take us through the entire budget.

[Speaker 2] (2:25:30 - 2:25:31)
Yes, ma'am. Ms. Atkin.

[Speaker 1] (2:25:32 - 2:25:33)
Barry Atkin,

[Speaker 1] (2:25:33 - 2:25:34)
Precinct 6,

[Speaker 1] (2:25:34 - 2:25:36)
and I'm killing the mic.

[Speaker 1] (2:25:38 - 2:25:38)
Sorry.

[Speaker 2] (2:25:38 - 2:25:41)
It's okay to hold it. They'll switch out.

[Speaker 5] (2:25:42 - 2:25:49)
Yes, somebody will need to put it back. I actually have a question about line 51,

[Speaker 5] (2:25:49 - 2:25:53)
the library positions.

[Speaker 5] (2:25:53 - 2:26:10)
Could somebody please explain why the reference librarian position went away and is it correct to assume that circulation librarian refers to more than one people and does children's librarian refer to one person as well?

[Speaker 2] (2:26:12 - 2:26:24)
Okay, so the question as I understand it, even though we're appropriating line 51 at 632,000, some detail around how the amounts are moving around within the informational lines?

[Speaker 2] (2:26:26 - 2:26:27)
Ms. Sara,

[Speaker 2] (2:26:27 - 2:26:28)
is that something you can speak to?

[Speaker 3] (2:26:28 - 2:26:34)
So there is no change to the FTE or headcount in the library. This is just reclassifying the employees.

[Speaker 3] (2:26:35 - 2:26:47)
And yes, there are multiple employees in the children and circulation librarians as well as in the AV processor. Those are multiple employees, but there is no change to the headcount or FTE in the library.

[Speaker 2] (2:26:51 - 2:26:54)
Any other questions on any other lines? Yes.

[Speaker 6] (2:27:02 - 2:27:04)
Andrea Moore, Precinct 3.

[Speaker 6] (2:27:04 - 2:27:20)
I'd also like to ask about the library specifically. I'd like to understand what goes into the $7,500 building expenses charge because it feels like there are a lot of room for improvement that I know that people in town in the library would appreciate.

[Speaker 2] (2:27:20 - 2:27:23)
Can you can you please restate what line you're discussing?

[Speaker 6] (2:27:24 - 2:27:28)
Yes, it is line 51.

[Speaker 6] (2:27:29 - 2:27:32)
Excuse me, line 52, the very top of line 52.

[Speaker 2] (2:27:32 - 2:27:34)
The building expenses?

[Speaker 6] (2:27:34 - 2:27:40)
Yes. I am just curious what goes into that, 'cause it seems very low to maintain a building for seventy five hundred dollars.

[Speaker 2] (2:27:42 - 2:27:51)
So those are expenses, those are not capital investments, but uh I'll defer to Ms. Sarah or Mr. Cresta in terms of the state of repair.

[Speaker 2] (2:27:52 - 2:27:52)
Of

[Speaker 3] (2:27:52 - 2:27:52)
Yep.

[Speaker 2] (2:27:52 - 2:27:53)
the library.

[Speaker 3] (2:27:53 - 2:27:58)
So the majority of those are the janitorial service uh supplies. So that

[Speaker 1] (2:27:58 - 2:27:58)
Okay.

[Speaker 3] (2:27:58 - 2:28:04)
was part of the motion that was on the floor as well. So um that seventy five is being reduced

[Speaker 2] (2:28:06 - 2:28:06)
Too

[Speaker 3] (2:28:06 - 2:28:09)
by a thousand, it looks like. Um

[Speaker 2] (2:28:09 - 2:28:09)
I believe it's

[Speaker 3] (2:28:09 - 2:28:09)
but

[Speaker 2] (2:28:09 - 2:28:09)
a

[Speaker 3] (2:28:09 - 2:28:13)
decrease that is for the janitorial supplies um at the library.

[Speaker 2] (2:28:13 - 2:28:16)
I believe you decrease that by two thousand, so fifty five hundred.

[Speaker 3] (2:28:17 - 2:28:17)
Fifty five hundred.

[Speaker 6] (2:28:18 - 2:28:19)
Thank you for clarifying.

[Speaker 2] (2:28:20 - 2:28:21)
Yes, Ms. Graham.

[Speaker 2] (2:28:22 - 2:28:23)
And then Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:28:24 - 2:28:24)
Ring.

[Speaker 1] (2:28:25 - 2:28:28)
Sorry, I'm going back a couple of pages as well.

[Speaker 1] (2:28:28 - 2:28:29)
Kate Green, Precinct 4,

[Speaker 1] (2:28:29 - 2:28:30)
and two committees.

[Speaker 1] (2:28:31 - 2:28:32)
On line 45,

[Speaker 1] (2:28:32 - 2:28:34)
this is under the fire department.

[Speaker 1] (2:28:35 - 2:28:46)
There is a line called overtime minimum manning, which is about five hundred sixty hundred five hundred sixty thousand dollars out of a total of three point eight million.

[Speaker 1] (2:28:46 - 2:28:49)
And if you look at the number of firefighters salaries.

[Speaker 1] (2:28:54 - 2:29:00)
Due to understaffing or do we have a lot of open positions there or is that, am I misunderstanding?

[Speaker 2] (2:29:00 - 2:29:02)
Okay, it's my understanding that's a contractual element.

[Speaker 1] (2:29:03 - 2:29:04)
Oh, okay.

[Speaker 3] (2:29:04 - 2:29:20)
So the minimum manning provision is the winter staffing so we are required to staff higher in the winter for the safety of the firefighters and officers we also have apparatus minimums so in order to operate the ladder truck or the other

[Speaker 3] (2:29:20 - 2:29:26)
apparatus, they do have minimum of persons that have to be on it in order to safely operate that equipment.

[Speaker 3] (2:29:26 - 2:29:29)
So this is the overtime for when someone is on vacation,

[Speaker 3] (2:29:29 - 2:29:36)
out sick, or additional emergencies to ensure that we are fully staffing those apparatus at those minimums.

[Speaker 1] (2:29:36 - 2:29:39)
Are we, I guess it would lead to my other question,

[Speaker 1] (2:29:39 - 2:29:44)
are we fully staffed in the fire department or are there open recs there in terms of

[Speaker 1] (2:29:45 - 2:29:46)
And firefighter needs.

[Speaker 3] (2:29:46 - 2:29:48)
At this moment we are currently fully staffed in the fire department.

[Speaker 1] (2:29:48 - 2:29:49)
I'm sorry?

[Speaker 3] (2:29:49 - 2:29:52)
At this moment we are currently fully staffed in the fire department.

[Speaker 1] (2:29:52 - 2:29:55)
Okay, so that wouldn't have anything to do with it. Okay, thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:29:57 - 2:29:57)
Mr. Rean.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:00 - 2:30:02)
Thank you. Brendan Rean, Precinct 6.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:02 - 2:30:05)
Just looking for clarification on page 10,

[Speaker 4] (2:30:06 - 2:30:08)
line item 57, about four up.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:08 - 2:30:10)
It's injury police slash fire,

[Speaker 4] (2:30:10 - 2:30:12)
110,000.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:12 - 2:30:17)
Is that something that is under the education department and just get a clarification as to what that means?

[Speaker 2] (2:30:18 - 2:30:23)
So this is a portion of line 57 which is a benefits subtotal.

[Speaker 3] (2:30:24 - 2:30:38)
So the injury police-fire, it pays for the claims administrator and the direct claims. So when uh police or firefighters go out on injury and they have those claims, um we pay those claims directly.

[Speaker 3] (2:30:38 - 2:30:42)
It um obviously due to the nature of the work, they're not covered under regular workers' comp.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:43 - 2:30:46)
Okay, am I just misreading it because it's under education? Is that

[Speaker 3] (2:30:46 - 2:30:48)
It's under employee benefits.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:49 - 2:30:50)
Okay, further up I saw

[Speaker 2] (2:30:50 - 2:30:51)
education. Line fifty seven is

[Speaker 4] (2:30:51 - 2:30:51)
All

[Speaker 2] (2:30:51 - 2:30:51)
employee

[Speaker 4] (2:30:51 - 2:30:52)
right.

[Speaker 2] (2:30:52 - 2:30:52)
benefits.

[Speaker 4] (2:30:53 - 2:30:53)
Okay, thank you.

[Speaker 2] (2:30:56 - 2:30:59)
Any other questions on any of the pages, any of the lines?

[Speaker 2] (2:31:02 - 2:31:04)
Seeing none, unless I'm missing somebody.

[Speaker 2] (2:31:05 - 2:31:07)
We will now move to a motion,

[Speaker 2] (2:31:07 - 2:31:17)
a vote on Mr. Hartman's motion as amended to bring in a budget of a total of $83,776,514.

[Speaker 4] (2:31:20 - 2:31:31)
The sum to be raised and appropriated from taxes, other local receipts, and state aid being $75,620,029.

[Speaker 4] (2:31:38 - 2:31:41)
All those in favor of Mr. Hartman's motion as amended.

[Speaker 4] (2:31:42 - 2:31:44)
All those opposed.

[Speaker 4] (2:31:44 - 2:31:46)
The motion carries unanimously.

[Speaker 4] (2:31:47 - 2:31:48)
Thank you for your diligence.

[Speaker 4] (2:31:48 - 2:31:49)
Mr. Perry,

[Speaker 4] (2:31:51 - 2:31:56)
uh we have no motion on the floor. To what do you rise as a point of order, point of personal privilege?

[Speaker 5] (2:31:56 - 2:32:05)
Thank you, Mr Moderator. I rise uh, Cherry Perry, Precinct one. I rise to make a motion for reconsideration of article four.

[Speaker 4] (2:32:07 - 2:32:11)
Mr. Perry, I must ask, did you vote in on the prevailing side?

[Speaker 5] (2:32:12 - 2:32:12)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (2:32:14 - 2:32:17)
Seeing no ability to challenge that, is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (2:32:18 - 2:32:21)
Mr. Perry would like to reconsider the vote that we just took.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:22 - 2:32:24)
Speaking on the motion, Mr. Moderator.

[Speaker 2] (2:32:25 - 2:32:26)
Please, Mr. Perry.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:26 - 2:32:29)
We've spent about an hour and a half in this and really vetted this pretty well.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:31 - 2:32:33)
Seeing how I'm the guy who keeps trying to push this along,

[Speaker 5] (2:32:33 - 2:32:36)
I do not want to repeat what happened last year.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:36 - 2:32:38)
I think tonight is the night we should do this.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:39 - 2:32:42)
I am urging my colleagues to vote no on my motion.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:43 - 2:32:44)
If you vote no on the motion,

[Speaker 5] (2:32:45 - 2:32:46)
the budget is done,

[Speaker 5] (2:32:46 - 2:32:53)
there will be no further reconsideration, and we will not revisit this again. So I ask my colleagues to please vote no on my motion.

[Speaker 5] (2:32:53 - 2:32:53)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (2:32:55 - 2:32:57)
Having had a second,

[Speaker 4] (2:32:57 - 2:32:59)
I just want to clarify.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:01 - 2:33:06)
By charter and bylaws, a motion cannot be reconsidered a second time.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:07 - 2:33:12)
Therefore, this would preclude a further reconsideration of the matter.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:13 - 2:33:19)
A yes vote will bring the budget right back to the floor right now. We can continue talking about it.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:19 - 2:33:25)
A no vote will dispense with the budget and will preclude anyone from being able to reconsider it tomorrow.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:26 - 2:33:30)
All those in favor of Mr Perry's motion to reconsider, please raise your hand.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:32 - 2:33:33)
All those opposed?

[Speaker 2] (2:33:34 - 2:33:36)
The motion fails.

[Speaker 2] (2:33:43 - 2:33:46)
Moving on to Article five, Mr Schneider.

[Speaker 4] (2:33:49 - 2:33:54)
Eric Schneider, uh vice-chair of the Finance Committee, town meeting member, precinct five.

[Speaker 6] (2:33:55 - 2:33:59)
The Finance Committee recommends the town approve Article 5 as set forth in the printed warrant.

[Speaker 6] (2:33:59 - 2:34:02)
I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 2] (2:34:02 - 2:34:03)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (2:34:04 - 2:34:05)
Mr. Schneider.

[Speaker 6] (2:34:06 - 2:34:09)
This article is a repeat article from last year.

[Speaker 6] (2:34:09 - 2:34:10)
As you may recall,

[Speaker 6] (2:34:11 - 2:34:20)
the new elementary school's operating costs are higher than the costs to operate the three old elementary schools. But the exact costs of operating the building are unknown.

[Speaker 6] (2:34:20 - 2:34:25)
Most of these additional operating costs are being covered by the school department's budget,

[Speaker 6] (2:34:26 - 2:34:33)
including by using outside revenue from the YMCA after school program at the elementary school to offset some of the utility costs.

[Speaker 6] (2:34:34 - 2:34:36)
Even though the school opened to students in the fall,

[Speaker 6] (2:34:37 - 2:34:43)
many of the building systems were still being calibrated and operated by the contractors for a while after the opening.

[Speaker 6] (2:34:44 - 2:34:49)
As a result, we do not have 12 months of normal operational data or billing data.

[Speaker 6] (2:34:49 - 2:34:58)
This has made it hard for Max Casper to accurately estimate operating and utility costs with confidence. It is anticipated that with better and more data,

[Speaker 6] (2:34:58 - 2:35:00)
the exact operating costs will be known.

[Speaker 6] (2:35:01 - 2:35:09)
Further, because the additional utility costs are expected to be largely offset by the solar panels on the roof and the solar canopies over the parking lot,

[Speaker 6] (2:35:09 - 2:35:11)
these additional utility costs

[Speaker 6] (2:35:11 - 2:35:13)
or expected to be temporary.

[Speaker 6] (2:35:14 - 2:35:22)
Therefore, it did not make sense to increase the school budget by the temporary additional costs and rather use free cash to pay for these temporary expenses.

[Speaker 6] (2:35:22 - 2:35:26)
It also did not make sense to create a separate reserve fund for a limited time.

[Speaker 6] (2:35:27 - 2:35:36)
Like last year, these funds sit in a separate account and are covered by an MOU between the school and the town and can only be used for utility costs at the elementary school.

[Speaker 6] (2:35:36 - 2:35:39)
Any unused funds are returned to the town at the end of the school year.

[Speaker 2] (2:35:40 - 2:35:50)
Thank you, Mr Schneider. Is there discussion or debate on Mr Schneider's motion regarding the utility transfer of free cash of $200,000?

[Speaker 2] (2:35:50 - 2:35:51)
In the back.

[Speaker 3] (2:36:07 - 2:36:10)
Hi, it's Lucia Vassilio, Precinct Five town meeting member.

[Speaker 3] (2:36:12 - 2:36:20)
Um I have a couple questions. Do we know the actual cost so far of the utilities for the new elementary school?

[Speaker 2] (2:36:22 - 2:36:28)
So the question is, do we know the costs so far of the actual utility bills year to date, let's say,

[Speaker 2] (2:36:28 - 2:36:29)
for the school?

[Speaker 2] (2:36:29 - 2:36:33)
Obviously that's part of a single line item for the schools.

[Speaker 2] (2:36:35 - 2:36:39)
Uh I can see if there's an answer that Miss Stella or the team have.

[Speaker 3] (2:36:42 - 2:36:45)
Yeah, you can go we get plenty of chairs.

[Speaker 3] (2:36:47 - 2:36:48)
Do you want them in this thing?

[Speaker 3] (2:36:54 - 2:36:54)
Good evening. Hi.

[Speaker 3] (2:36:55 - 2:36:56)
So right

[Speaker 2] (2:36:56 - 2:36:56)
Do you want to

[Speaker 3] (2:36:56 - 2:36:56)
now,

[Speaker 2] (2:36:56 - 2:36:57)
just introduce yourself

[Speaker 3] (2:36:57 - 2:36:58)
sorry,

[Speaker 2] (2:36:58 - 2:36:58)
so the folks Cheryl at home know.

[Speaker 3] (2:36:58 - 2:37:03)
Harris-Silla, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations for the Swampside Public Schools.

[Speaker 3] (2:37:03 - 2:37:09)
As of today, we're estimated to spend $215,000 in electricity for FY25.

[Speaker 2] (2:37:10 - 2:37:10)
Thank you.

[Speaker 7] (2:37:10 - 2:37:15)
And do the schools have a line item for utilities in addition to this?

[Speaker 7] (2:37:15 - 2:37:18)
I mean, that's how it's been explained.

[Speaker 7] (2:37:18 - 2:37:19)
So there is.

[Speaker 7] (2:37:20 - 2:37:23)
Can you tell us how much is budgeted by the schools to cover?

[Speaker 3] (2:37:23 - 2:37:28)
The only budget for the schools is this money that sits in the reserve fund.

[Speaker 7] (2:37:29 - 2:37:31)
Only the $200,000 that we're allocating right now? Okay.

[Speaker 3] (2:37:31 - 2:37:32)
That's correct.

[Speaker 7] (2:37:33 - 2:37:35)
Um, but we're at $215,000 already.

[Speaker 3] (2:37:36 - 2:37:38)
We anticipate to end this year at $215,000.

[Speaker 7] (2:37:41 - 2:37:45)
Okay, so that s those numbers aren't jiving, but um

[Speaker 7] (2:37:46 - 2:38:06)
Is there, I live near the school, the Ewing Woods are between my home and the school and I can see the lights on at the school all night through my windows and I'm wondering is there a reason why we're leaving the lights on all night long that feels very non-environmentally friendly and wasteful.

[Speaker 2] (2:38:06 - 2:38:09)
If I understand the question you're asking,

[Speaker 2] (2:38:09 - 2:38:11)
is there a policy in place regarding

[Speaker 2] (2:38:12 - 2:38:12)
light usage.

[Speaker 7] (2:38:14 - 2:38:15)
They're on all night,

[Speaker 7] (2:38:15 - 2:38:15)
yeah.

[Speaker 7] (2:38:15 - 2:38:17)
So I'm wondering is that for a reason?

[Speaker 7] (2:38:17 - 2:38:20)
And can we turn them off and save some money?

[Speaker 2] (2:38:21 - 2:38:21)
Ms. Stella,

[Speaker 2] (2:38:22 - 2:38:24)
is that something that we can turn off and save money?

[Speaker 3] (2:38:24 - 2:38:26)
I'm going to defer to Max Caspar,

[Speaker 3] (2:38:26 - 2:38:27)
the Facilities Director.

[Speaker 2] (2:38:28 - 2:38:29)
Mr. Casper.

[Speaker 6] (2:38:34 - 2:38:35)
Thank you, Tasia.

[Speaker 6] (2:38:37 - 2:38:44)
Our goal is to have all the lights off at night. We've had some issues with some select lights with the lighting control system.

[Speaker 2] (2:38:56 - 2:39:00)
Okay, yeah they are very bright. I have walked through the woods at night and they glow.

[Speaker 3] (2:39:01 - 2:39:07)
Okay, I think we can move on from this topic. Do you have other questions regarding the two hundred thousand dollars for the utility fund?

[Speaker 3] (2:39:06 - 2:39:06)
Fund.

[Speaker 2] (2:39:08 - 2:39:12)
Well, it just seems that we're paying for we're spending a lot of money on utilities for

[Speaker 3] (2:39:12 - 2:39:12)
I

[Speaker 2] (2:39:12 - 2:39:12)
only

[Speaker 3] (2:39:12 - 2:39:12)
welcome

[Speaker 2] (2:39:12 - 2:39:14)
24 hours a day

[Speaker 3] (2:39:14 - 2:39:19)
you to argue that it should not be this much money or something else regarding the motion on the floor.

[Speaker 3] (2:39:20 - 2:39:21)
Mr Spritz.

[Speaker 4] (2:39:25 - 2:39:27)
Wayne Spritz, Precinct Three.

[Speaker 4] (2:39:28 - 2:39:30)
So, I

[Speaker 4] (2:39:31 - 2:39:32)
there's one point six million dollars.

[Speaker 4] (2:39:33 - 2:39:58)
in the budget or not in the budget in the capital budget right for funding of the solar panels 25% of it is accredited from the Inflation Reduction Act so that's 1.2 million dollars there's a debt service on that right now I know that that may be a separate line item right but I don't want it to be just feeling those it's free but it's not there is a cost to that there always is

[Speaker 4] (2:39:59 - 2:40:15)
Have you accounted for that moving forward as opposed to where you're moving the $200,000 out for let's say something $50,000 worth of every year for the next 20 to 30 years of that service?

[Speaker 3] (2:40:17 - 2:40:24)
Can I I'll try to restate the question please correct me because I'm not sure I'm following and perhaps the audience is not

[Speaker 3] (2:40:25 - 2:40:29)
Your question is, this money for the FY26 expenditure,

[Speaker 3] (2:40:30 - 2:40:33)
how does it relate to a future capital expenditure?

[Speaker 4] (2:40:34 - 2:40:36)
No, not exactly.

[Speaker 4] (2:40:38 - 2:40:47)
Where will the money come from if we're not, because you're saying this is a temporary association to pay for energy costs,

[Speaker 4] (2:40:47 - 2:40:53)
we're default paying for that energy generation through capital expenditures.

[Speaker 4] (2:40:54 - 2:40:55)
It's still going to cost money.

[Speaker 4] (2:40:56 - 2:40:56)
So

[Speaker 5] (2:40:56 - 2:40:56)
So

[Speaker 4] (2:40:56 - 2:40:57)
I guess it's all about,

[Speaker 4] (2:40:57 - 2:41:02)
is it is it in the presentation to town meeting that no, it's not necessarily going to be free.

[Speaker 4] (2:41:03 - 2:41:05)
Are you accounting for that debt service?

[Speaker 4] (2:41:06 - 2:41:07)
Where does that get accounted for?

[Speaker 4] (2:41:08 - 2:41:10)
I guess is a better way to ask that question.

[Speaker 5] (2:41:11 - 2:41:19)
so the it's a temporary use of free cash for this year's utilities and then once the project

[Speaker 5] (2:41:20 - 2:41:36)
To build the solar panels on the roof and the canopy are approved and funded, then the cost of that electricity would be funded through partially inflation reduction act and partially through debt service. That is correct.

[Speaker 3] (2:41:36 - 2:41:40)
And the debt service, of course, would be in the budget that you just voted for next year,

[Speaker 3] (2:41:40 - 2:41:41)
the following year.

[Speaker 5] (2:41:42 - 2:41:43)
And then we would

[Speaker 5] (2:41:43 - 2:41:49)
Presuming to line up the term of the debt service with the light term of life with the solar panels.

[Speaker 4] (2:41:49 - 2:41:50)
Correct.

[Speaker 4] (2:41:50 - 2:41:50)
Correct.

[Speaker 4] (2:41:50 - 2:41:51)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (2:41:53 - 2:41:57)
Any other comments on Mr. Schneider's motion?

[Speaker 3] (2:41:58 - 2:42:04)
All those in favor of Mr. Schneider's motion to transfer $200,000 in free cash to this utility fund,

[Speaker 3] (2:42:04 - 2:42:05)
all those opposed,

[Speaker 3] (2:42:05 - 2:42:07)
the motion carries.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:07 - 2:42:09)
Moving to Article 6.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:10 - 2:42:12)
Transfer free cash for the special ed reserve fund.

[Speaker 4] (2:42:13 - 2:42:16)
I make a motion to reconsider article 6.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:21 - 2:42:22)
Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:22 - 2:42:22)
Pastor.

[Speaker 5] (2:42:29 - 2:42:30)
Thank you, Mr. Moderator.

[Speaker 5] (2:42:30 - 2:42:30)
Glenn Pastor,

[Speaker 5] (2:42:31 - 2:42:32)
Precinct 2,

[Speaker 5] (2:42:32 - 2:42:33)
Chair of School Committee,

[Speaker 5] (2:42:34 - 2:42:37)
parroting the previous speaker.

[Speaker 5] (2:42:38 - 2:42:42)
That I'd like to, we've talked about it,

[Speaker 5] (2:42:42 - 2:42:44)
we've talked about it at God,

[Speaker 5] (2:42:44 - 2:42:46)
and I'd like to make a motion to reconsider.

[Speaker 4] (2:42:48 - 2:42:48)
One more time.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:48 - 2:42:50)
did you vote in favor of the

[Speaker 5] (2:42:52 - 2:42:55)
Yes, so that a no vote would end debate permanently.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:55 - 2:42:58)
Did you did you vote in favor of the motion?

[Speaker 5] (2:42:59 - 2:42:59)
Yes.

[Speaker 3] (2:42:59 - 2:43:00)
Okay,

[Speaker 3] (2:43:00 - 2:43:04)
is there a second to reconsider seeing a second

[Speaker 3] (2:43:05 - 2:43:07)
Does anyone wish to discuss Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:43:07 - 2:43:08)
Pastor's motion?

[Speaker 3] (2:43:10 - 2:43:12)
This would have the same effect of Mr. Perry's motion.

[Speaker 4] (2:43:13 - 2:43:13)
Point of order.

[Speaker 4] (2:43:14 - 2:43:14)
Point of order.

[Speaker 3] (2:43:14 - 2:43:16)
Mr. Lorber, point of order. State your point.

[Speaker 1] (2:43:19 - 2:43:30)
Terry Lorber, Precinct Five. Uh Mister Moderator, I understand um you rely on a town meeting time uh a specific dated version uh that

[Speaker 4] (2:43:31 - 2:43:33)
lays out what a motion to reconsider,

[Speaker 4] (2:43:33 - 2:43:36)
how that is allowed.

[Speaker 4] (2:43:37 - 2:43:39)
And if I'm remembering correctly,

[Speaker 4] (2:43:39 - 2:43:53)
part of it relies on the moderator's discretion in determining that the person rising to reconsider actually genuinely and does in fact want to reconsider the motion.

[Speaker 4] (2:43:54 - 2:44:08)
So far we've you've accepted two motions to reconsider by two members who I would say maybe we're not being really truthful frankly in wanting to reconsider the question.

[Speaker 4] (2:44:08 - 2:44:12)
So I would ask that maybe instead of this parliamentary

[Speaker 3] (2:44:12 - 2:44:13)
I don't

[Speaker 4] (2:44:13 - 2:44:15)
chicanery we move forward.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:15 - 2:44:15)
understand

[Speaker 4] (2:44:15 - 2:44:15)
Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:15 - 2:44:16)
your point,

[Speaker 3] (2:44:16 - 2:44:18)
but thank you. It is.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:21 - 2:44:24)
Given your, given your, Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:24 - 2:44:34)
Pastor, I think we're good. Given your uh close reading you will have also noted the footnote that says it is difficult for any moderator to read into the heart of the intent of an individual.

[Speaker 5] (2:44:34 - 2:44:34)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 5] (2:44:34 - 2:44:35)
Moderator.

[Speaker 4] (2:44:35 - 2:44:36)
Are these two, are these two the real?

[Speaker 3] (2:44:37 - 2:44:38)
Are there any

[Speaker 4] (2:44:38 - 2:44:38)
No, any?

[Speaker 3] (2:44:38 - 2:44:43)
other discuss please, order gentlemen. Both of you, enough.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:44 - 2:44:47)
If we have to go through with this, let us get it done.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:48 - 2:44:53)
All those in favor of reconsidering Mr. Schneider's motion that just carried, please raise your hand.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:55 - 2:44:56)
All those opposed.

[Speaker 3] (2:44:57 - 2:45:00)
The motion fails. It will not be reconsidered.

[Speaker 3] (2:45:01 - 2:45:03)
Now moving to Article 6,

[Speaker 3] (2:45:04 - 2:45:06)
the transfer of free cash to a special ed reserve fund,

[Speaker 3] (2:45:06 - 2:45:07)
Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:45:07 - 2:45:07)
Schneider.

[Speaker 5] (2:45:11 - 2:45:15)
The Finance Committee recommends the town approve Article 6 as set forth in the printed warrant.

[Speaker 5] (2:45:15 - 2:45:18)
I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 3] (2:45:18 - 2:45:19)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 3] (2:45:21 - 2:45:22)
Mr. Schneider?

[Speaker 5] (2:45:23 - 2:45:37)
A few years ago town meeting created a special education reserve fund. This fund is mostly funded with free cash and supplemented by Medicaid reimbursement the school department applies for and receives on account of services they provide to eligible students.

[Speaker 5] (2:45:38 - 2:45:42)
The purpose of this fund is to act as an additional buffer to pay for special education costs.

[Speaker 5] (2:45:43 - 2:45:47)
Pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between the town and the school department,

[Speaker 5] (2:45:48 - 2:45:55)
the school department can access these funds after the school department's own education, special education reserve fund, also called the circuit breaker,

[Speaker 5] (2:45:56 - 2:45:57)
drops below $600,000.

[Speaker 5] (2:45:58 - 2:46:02)
These funds will allow the school department to address large-scale funding needs.

[Speaker 5] (2:46:02 - 2:46:06)
These needs could result from outplacement services and other intensive services.

[Speaker 5] (2:46:07 - 2:46:24)
While the school department expects to end this fiscal year with a positive balance in the reserve fund, based on current student data and projected needs, this additional funding to the reserve fund is needed at this time to maintain a sufficient balance in this reserve fund through the end of next school year.

[Speaker 5] (2:46:25 - 2:46:28)
Any balance in this fund can be carried forward to future years.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:29 - 2:46:41)
Thank you, Mr. Schneider. Apologies for the misprint on the slide. We are talking about Article 6 and the amount set forth in printed warrant of $400,000 to the Special Education Reserve Fund.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:42 - 2:46:44)
Is there discussion of Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:44 - 2:46:45)
Schneider's motion?

[Speaker 3] (2:46:51 - 2:46:59)
All those in favor of Mr. Schneider's motion to transfer $400,000 from free cash to the Special Education Reserve Fund please raise your hand.

[Speaker 3] (2:46:59 - 2:47:02)
All those opposed? The motion carries.

[Speaker 3] (2:47:06 - 2:47:11)
This brings us to Article 7 the transfer of free cash for a transitional audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:47:12 - 2:47:20)
Um I'm given to understand that there may not be a positive motion coming from the select board, or certainly not from the finance committee on this,

[Speaker 3] (2:47:21 - 2:47:28)
rather than wait and debate a motion for indefinite postponement. If there is no positive motion made, I can move forward. Mr Hartman?

[Speaker 4] (2:47:34 - 2:47:40)
Eric Hartman, chair of the Finance Committee, Precinct 1. Mr. Moderator, in tonight's meeting before town meeting,

[Speaker 4] (2:47:40 - 2:47:43)
Finance Committee voted favourable recommendation on this article.

[Speaker 3] (2:47:46 - 2:47:48)
Is there uh w what would your motion be?

[Speaker 4] (2:47:50 - 2:47:51)
You maybe have it, Amy.

[Speaker 4] (2:47:52 - 2:47:53)
I probably have it on my papers here.

[Speaker 3] (2:47:53 - 2:47:54)
It's okay.

[Speaker 4] (2:47:54 - 2:47:59)
I think Amy wrote it up for me, but effectively was to spend up to $30,000

[Speaker 4] (2:48:00 - 2:48:01)
uh on a transitional audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:48:01 - 2:48:02)
Okay.

[Speaker 3] (2:48:02 - 2:48:03)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 3] (2:48:09 - 2:48:10)
And this would be from free cash.

[Speaker 4] (2:48:11 - 2:48:11)
Sorry?

[Speaker 3] (2:48:11 - 2:48:13)
This would be from free cash.

[Speaker 4] (2:48:13 - 2:48:14)
From free cash, yes.

[Speaker 3] (2:48:14 - 2:48:15)
Okay. Having a second.

[Speaker 3] (2:48:16 - 2:48:17)
Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:48:17 - 2:48:17)
Hartman.

[Speaker 4] (2:48:18 - 2:48:39)
Um so there's been a lot of discussion about, you know, given the fact that we're transitioning from um a town administrator who was with the town for many years uh to a new town administrator whether it made sense to execute a transitional audit. Um we actually had some assistance or some input from a town meeting member, uh Jerry Perry, who's kinda had it mo most of his career involved.

[Speaker 1] (2:48:41 - 2:48:57)
Um and he did some work to put a recommendation together about a s scope of service. Um at this point there's been a r th we've re the town has reached out to a handful of auditing firms and we've got some quotes, uh the Mac the w the they're in the twenty five to thirty thousand dollar range.

[Speaker 1] (2:48:59 - 2:49:04)
So, there is a draft scope of services that has been put together. I'm going to read just briefly what it says.

[Speaker 1] (2:49:05 - 2:49:05)
It's only three items.

[Speaker 1] (2:49:06 - 2:49:16)
One says examine the water and sewer enterprise fund accounts to determine whether revenues are properly matching expenditures by evaluating the past three years fund balances,

[Speaker 1] (2:49:16 - 2:49:17)
review expenditures,

[Speaker 1] (2:49:18 - 2:49:19)
test purchase orders,

[Speaker 1] (2:49:19 - 2:49:21)
and determine whether appropriations have been voted upon.

[Speaker 1] (2:49:23 - 2:49:28)
The next one is test procurement invoices to determine that the town is adhering to Chapter 30B procedures.

[Speaker 1] (2:49:28 - 2:49:34)
And third is to review the recreational revolving funds to determine whether receipts are appropriately posted,

[Speaker 1] (2:49:34 - 2:49:37)
expenditures conform to state and local guidelines.

[Speaker 1] (2:49:37 - 2:49:44)
So there was a lot of discussion about this. I know the select board didn't vote favorably for it, but the finance committee felt it was a good opportunity,

[Speaker 1] (2:49:44 - 2:49:47)
given the transition from one long-standing leader to another,

[Speaker 1] (2:49:47 - 2:49:49)
and that the cost was...

[Speaker 1] (2:49:50 - 2:49:52)
was reasonable compared to the potential outcome.

[Speaker 2] (2:49:53 - 2:49:54)
Thank you, Mr. Hartman.

[Speaker 2] (2:49:55 - 2:49:56)
Discussion or debate?

[Speaker 2] (2:49:56 - 2:49:57)
Mr. Thompson.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:08 - 2:50:14)
As was noted, the select board voted once again to not favorably recommend this article.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:15 - 2:50:17)
We sincerely appreciate Mr.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:17 - 2:50:19)
Perry bringing this to our attention.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:20 - 2:50:23)
It has been discussed a number of times in some detail.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:24 - 2:50:29)
And while in a more luxurious time it would be nice to do this,

[Speaker 1] (2:50:29 - 2:50:33)
we do not see it as a critical need at this moment.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:33 - 2:50:34)
There have been...

[Speaker 1] (2:50:34 - 2:50:38)
A couple of questions raised about a couple of the items Mr. Hartman just brought up,

[Speaker 1] (2:50:38 - 2:50:41)
and we've actually already investigated those.

[Speaker 1] (2:50:43 - 2:50:49)
So if as time goes on with our interim town administrator or a new town administrator,

[Speaker 1] (2:50:50 - 2:50:53)
the need is deemed to be critical,

[Speaker 1] (2:50:53 - 2:51:02)
we can't take it up at that time. A finance committee reserve could be used in order to pursue what element is.

[Speaker 1] (2:51:03 - 2:51:04)
necessary.

[Speaker 2] (2:51:06 - 2:51:07)
Thank you, Mr. Thompson.

[Speaker 2] (2:51:08 - 2:51:08)
Mr. Perry.

[Speaker 2] (2:51:14 - 2:51:15)
Jerry Perry,

[Speaker 2] (2:51:15 - 2:51:16)
Precinct One.

[Speaker 2] (2:51:16 - 2:51:22)
Thank you, Mr. Moderator. With regard to this, first off, thank you to the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 2] (2:51:22 - 2:51:23)
We agree on this one here.

[Speaker 2] (2:51:24 - 2:51:28)
Last time meeting we had in December,

[Speaker 2] (2:51:28 - 2:51:28)
I believe it was.

[Speaker 3] (2:51:29 - 2:51:31)
When we were doing some free cash transfers,

[Speaker 3] (2:51:31 - 2:51:33)
I was looking at the balance sheets,

[Speaker 3] (2:51:33 - 2:51:39)
some things caught my attention about the fund balances associated with both the water and sewer enterprise funds. It was quite a bit dropped there.

[Speaker 3] (2:51:40 - 2:51:41)
I don't think many of our leaders,

[Speaker 3] (2:51:42 - 2:51:45)
some of the finance folks were aware of it, but not a lot of people were.

[Speaker 3] (2:51:45 - 2:51:47)
As a result of that, I did do a deeper dive.

[Speaker 3] (2:51:49 - 2:52:00)
Came up with one page recommendation for the interim town administrator and shared that with the chair of the select board as well as I believe the chair of the finance committee got that as well.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:00 - 2:52:01)
Bottom line folks,

[Speaker 3] (2:52:01 - 2:52:04)
in this industry this is considered the best practice.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:04 - 2:52:06)
We are going to have a new town administrator.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:07 - 2:52:08)
The ability,

[Speaker 3] (2:52:08 - 2:52:15)
I'm not aware of anything really wrong other than the drop off of the fund balance on the enterprise funds does crap my attention.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:15 - 2:52:21)
But the idea of this is if we do it, and it comes out of a clean slate,

[Speaker 3] (2:52:21 - 2:52:23)
whoever our new town administrator is,

[Speaker 3] (2:52:23 - 2:52:24)
whoever he or she is,

[Speaker 3] (2:52:25 - 2:52:27)
that's one less thing to worry about.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:27 - 2:52:29)
And it gives a clean slate.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:29 - 2:52:33)
Now if there are internal control problems or issues that need to be addressed,

[Speaker 3] (2:52:33 - 2:52:35)
we can do it. The new administrator can address that.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:35 - 2:52:42)
I've heard quite a bit tonight about flawed processes here on the finances and we need to do better.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:42 - 2:52:53)
This is a good example of good best practice in the area of municipal finance to do this and this could be, in my view, as the Finance Committee has articulated and Mr.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:53 - 2:52:54)
Thompson and himself, I think.

[Speaker 3] (2:52:55 - 2:53:13)
said the last year with this financial summit this could be part of the financial summit it would be a great idea among the host of other things I would suggest so I would respectfully hope that you will vote in favor of the recommendation of Mr. Hartman I think it serves the best interest of the town of Swampscott thank you

[Speaker 2] (2:53:14 - 2:53:14)
Thank you, Mr. Perry.

[Speaker 2] (2:53:16 - 2:53:17)
Further questions?

[Speaker 2] (2:53:17 - 2:53:18)
Yes, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (2:53:18 - 2:53:19)
Nevels.

[Speaker 4] (2:53:25 - 2:53:27)
Mary Jean Nevels, Precinct 4.

[Speaker 4] (2:53:27 - 2:53:36)
I have a question on page three under line item nine or above line item nine.

[Speaker 4] (2:53:36 - 2:53:42)
There's a line for audit under the accounting department for $67,000.

[Speaker 4] (2:53:44 - 2:53:48)
Would an audit of this nature catch?

[Speaker 4] (2:53:50 - 2:54:01)
Some inconsistencies or irregularities, rather than having to allocate extra money to do an audit sort of off-balance, and then not at the same time.

[Speaker 2] (2:54:02 - 2:54:09)
My understanding is that they would be different, but if Ms. Sarah would like to talk to the nature of the con types.

[Speaker 2] (2:54:11 - 2:54:14)
of audits, we do have, we are audited regularly.

[Speaker 2] (2:54:14 - 2:54:16)
This would be an extraordinary audit.

[Speaker 4] (2:54:16 - 2:54:28)
Right, and I'm asking wouldn't the regular audit catch all the regularities rather than having to have a special audit at a different time to look at something specific?

[Speaker 5] (2:54:29 - 2:54:36)
Our annual audit does encompass the water sewer funds procurement and all of those items,

[Speaker 5] (2:54:36 - 2:54:37)
not to the extent.

[Speaker 5] (2:54:39 - 2:54:41)
And no, much to Mr. Perry's point,

[Speaker 5] (2:54:41 - 2:54:46)
no issues have been raised in those audits, but audits are based off a sample size,

[Speaker 5] (2:54:46 - 2:54:52)
so it does just take a subset of it and they extrapolate that through the entirety of the fund.

[Speaker 5] (2:54:54 - 2:55:01)
You know, I believe the transactional audit would be a deeper dive into that specifics. But yes, it is covered as part of our annual audit in the operating budget.

[Speaker 4] (2:55:01 - 2:55:10)
And that's part of the standard procedures of an audit and that's the way they're conducted and if they found anything wrong they would go deeper at

[Speaker 5] (2:55:10 - 2:55:11)
Yes.

[Speaker 4] (2:55:11 - 2:55:11)
that time.

[Speaker 4] (2:55:12 - 2:55:18)
So this is just an additional expense to take a deeper dive into a specific portion.

[Speaker 4] (2:55:19 - 2:55:19)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (2:55:19 - 2:55:22)
Yes, I believe there were three specific areas,

[Speaker 2] (2:55:22 - 2:55:23)
but Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:55:23 - 2:55:23)
Perry,

[Speaker 2] (2:55:23 - 2:55:27)
if you can shed any light from your long experience with the DOR on

[Speaker 4] (2:55:27 - 2:55:40)
I guess what I'm saying is that $67,000 to do a complete audit and now we want to spend half that amount to do a very specific audit seems maybe a little frivolous.

[Speaker 2] (2:55:43 - 2:55:44)
Thank you, Ms. Nevels. Mr. Perry.

[Speaker 3] (2:55:44 - 2:55:46)
Thank you, Mr. Moderator. If I can answer that a little bit.

[Speaker 3] (2:55:46 - 2:55:48)
There are three components to an audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:55:48 - 2:55:49)
One is the financial component,

[Speaker 3] (2:55:49 - 2:55:54)
the second part is what they know as the A133, which is the Federal Awards Program,

[Speaker 3] (2:55:54 - 2:55:56)
what we get from Washington,

[Speaker 3] (2:55:56 - 2:56:02)
D.C., and the third component is known as the Management Letter. The Management Letter does reviews of internal control systems,

[Speaker 3] (2:56:02 - 2:56:08)
looks at processes and makes recommendations for staff to improve certain things here.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:09 - 2:56:13)
A traditional audit only covers seven or eight percent of the totality.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:13 - 2:56:15)
I'm sure some folks have heard the word forensic audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:15 - 2:56:18)
That's a real deep dive and it's extremely expensive.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:18 - 2:56:26)
The dollar amount of about sixty seven thousand dollars is about the industry standard for a town of this size of about eighty eight million dollars.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:26 - 2:56:30)
The difference here on the transitional audit is one, a deeper dive.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:30 - 2:56:49)
It'll do a much more thorough review the areas that at least I suggested some of these scopes again I articulated the issues with the water and sewer enterprise fund but the risk assessment is important when you look at municipal finance and the two big areas of risk assessment are procurement

[Speaker 3] (2:56:50 - 2:56:54)
And the second one is associated with cash. When you collect cash,

[Speaker 3] (2:56:54 - 2:56:58)
revolving fund, the recreation department collects, as I understand it, a fair amount of cash.

[Speaker 3] (2:56:59 - 2:56:59)
Again,

[Speaker 3] (2:56:59 - 2:57:01)
I'm not aware of anything,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:01 - 2:57:04)
but you go in and what you're doing,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:04 - 2:57:05)
if you do agree to this,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:05 - 2:57:06)
you're eliminating risk,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:07 - 2:57:08)
you're improving internal controls,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:08 - 2:57:12)
you're ensuring that your money is taken care of wisely,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:13 - 2:57:14)
and again,

[Speaker 3] (2:57:14 - 2:57:15)
it's a best practice.

[Speaker 3] (2:57:16 - 2:57:19)
I don't believe it frivolous at all. I guess I'm a little biased.

[Speaker 3] (2:57:19 - 2:57:28)
But I am assuring you that this is going to serve the best interests of this community and it protects your money and that hopefully that answers some of those questions.

[Speaker 3] (2:57:28 - 2:57:29)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (2:57:30 - 2:57:44)
But I'm an accountant as well, and I'm just questioning why those things aren't looked at on a regular basis rather than, and why when the town administrator is.

[Speaker 4] (2:57:45 - 2:57:50)
transitioning do we do we is the only time we feel that's necessary

[Speaker 2] (2:57:54 - 2:57:55)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (2:57:55 - 2:57:56)
Hartman, do you have anything to add to that?

[Speaker 2] (2:57:56 - 2:58:02)
And that's fine if you don't. I'm just seeking the body's understanding than Ms. Strauss.

[Speaker 6] (2:58:07 - 2:58:34)
danielle Strauss recreation director also precinct one town meeting member I just want to clear one thing out the record department does not collect cash we don't handle cash at all so just wanted to know that so most of our revenue that comes in is through the rec revolving account and then other than that it's pretty much checks but usually everybody pays for things out of the revolt out of the

[Speaker 1] (2:58:36 - 2:58:37)
storms got wrecked dot com account.

[Speaker 2] (2:58:39 - 2:58:44)
Thank you. Uh any further comment from the Finance Committee or I'll move on to Ms Smith.

[Speaker 2] (2:58:47 - 2:58:48)
Ms Smith?

[Speaker 3] (2:58:52 - 2:58:53)
Liz Smith,

[Speaker 3] (2:58:53 - 2:58:54)
Precinct 3,

[Speaker 3] (2:58:54 - 2:58:55)
Chair of the Water and Sewer Committee.

[Speaker 3] (2:58:56 - 2:59:01)
One thing I want to say is it's a good question about the regular audit versus the transitional audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:59:01 - 2:59:05)
We still do not have our Fiscal 24 regular audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:59:05 - 2:59:07)
It's about four or five months overdue.

[Speaker 3] (2:59:07 - 2:59:16)
So it might make sense to wait and see what that reveals before we make a decision about spending another $30,000 on yet another audit.

[Speaker 3] (2:59:17 - 2:59:17)
Thanks.

[Speaker 2] (2:59:18 - 2:59:19)
Thank you, Ms. Smith.

[Speaker 2] (2:59:20 - 2:59:21)
Mr. Baker.

[Speaker 4] (2:59:28 - 2:59:31)
Sorry about three times, but I haven't said anything in a couple of years,

[Speaker 4] (2:59:31 - 2:59:33)
so it might balance out.

[Speaker 2] (2:59:33 - 2:59:35)
It's always a pleasure to hear from

[Speaker 4] (2:59:35 - 2:59:35)
Yeah,

[Speaker 2] (2:59:35 - 2:59:35)
you, Mr.

[Speaker 4] (2:59:35 - 2:59:37)
in another century I served on a committee,

[Speaker 4] (2:59:37 - 2:59:43)
a special committee that was called to review the work of the auditor,

[Speaker 4] (2:59:43 - 2:59:48)
the town had employed an outside auditor as we do now and as we're supposed to,

[Speaker 4] (2:59:48 - 2:59:51)
and there were some questions raised as to whether the audit

[Speaker 4] (2:59:53 - 2:59:57)
It possibly was biased and overlooked some things.

[Speaker 4] (2:59:57 - 3:00:03)
And the result of our work was the termination of the auditor and then the hiring of a new auditor.

[Speaker 4] (3:00:03 - 3:00:06)
So to have a second pair of eyes,

[Speaker 4] (3:00:06 - 3:00:09)
particularly at a time when we're changing managers,

[Speaker 4] (3:00:10 - 3:00:22)
may just be good for everybody. And it's not a lot of money out of our entire budget. So I recommend that we do in fact bring in this extra auditor and begin a process of auditing our auditor.

[Speaker 4] (3:00:23 - 3:00:23)
And

[Speaker 2] (3:00:23 - 3:00:24)
Thank

[Speaker 4] (3:00:24 - 3:00:24)
I

[Speaker 2] (3:00:24 - 3:00:25)
you, Mr. Speaker.

[Speaker 2] (3:00:27 - 3:00:35)
Further discussion of Mr. Hartman's motion to appropriate $30,000 from free cash for the purposes of the transitional audit as described.

[Speaker 2] (3:00:37 - 3:00:39)
All those in favor of Mr. Hartman's motion?

[Speaker 2] (3:00:40 - 3:00:42)
All those opposed?

[Speaker 2] (3:00:42 - 3:00:44)
The motion carries.

[Speaker 2] (3:00:47 - 3:00:49)
We'll move to Article 8.

[Speaker 2] (3:00:52 - 3:00:55)
Authorizing an increase for retirees in their COLA base.

[Speaker 2] (3:00:55 - 3:00:55)
Ms.

[Speaker 2] (3:00:55 - 3:00:55)
Dreeben.

[Speaker 3] (3:01:11 - 3:01:16)
The Finance Committee recommends the town vote pursuant to the provisions of General Law 32,

[Speaker 3] (3:01:17 - 3:01:32)
Section 103J, to approve the acceptance by the Swampscott Retirement Board of an increase of up to $2,000 in the maximum base amount on which the cost of living adjustment is calculated for pension payments,

[Speaker 3] (3:01:33 - 3:01:40)
which would increase such base amount from a base amount of $14,000 to a base amount of $16,000.

[Speaker 3] (3:01:40 - 3:01:42)
as of July 1,

[Speaker 3] (3:01:42 - 3:01:42)
2025,

[Speaker 3] (3:01:43 - 3:01:46)
and which once accepted may not be revoked.

[Speaker 3] (3:01:46 - 3:01:49)
I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 2] (3:01:50 - 3:01:51)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (3:01:53 - 3:01:53)
Ms. Draven?

[Speaker 3] (3:01:55 - 3:02:00)
So just to explain what our recommendation is, you'll see that Article 8 in your warrant

[Speaker 5] (3:02:02 - 3:02:08)
is talking about an increase of $4,000 to increase the base amount to $18,000.

[Speaker 5] (3:02:08 - 3:02:15)
That was the maximum that the Retirement Board described.

[Speaker 5] (3:02:15 - 3:02:21)
The Retirement Board met with the Finance Committee and gave an excellent presentation.

[Speaker 5] (3:02:21 - 3:02:25)
And we had some very lively,

[Speaker 5] (3:02:25 - 3:02:27)
significant debate.

[Speaker 5] (3:02:28 - 3:02:45)
What we ended up finding in terms of our consensus was that $16,000 COLA is the state average and that is what the Finance Committee really felt was appropriate. The last increase...

[Speaker 5] (3:02:47 - 3:02:48)
Which I think, yeah,

[Speaker 5] (3:02:48 - 3:02:57)
we can see in the comments from $13,000 to $14,000, so a $1,000 increase was just in 2021 at this town meeting.

[Speaker 5] (3:02:58 - 3:03:08)
And so we think a $2,000 jump at the moment to get our COLA to be average in the Commonwealth would be an appropriate level of change.

[Speaker 2] (3:03:09 - 3:03:10)
Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (3:03:10 - 3:03:18)
Dreven. Before I proceed to comments, I'd like to ask our Director of Finance to help the audience who may not have followed all of that,

[Speaker 2] (3:03:18 - 3:03:20)
what the change will,

[Speaker 2] (3:03:20 - 3:03:23)
who it will affect and how it will affect them.

[Speaker 3] (3:03:25 - 3:03:27)
So just for full disclosure,

[Speaker 3] (3:03:27 - 3:03:29)
while I am your director of finance administration,

[Speaker 3] (3:03:29 - 3:03:30)
I am also on the retirement board.

[Speaker 3] (3:03:32 - 3:03:34)
This would increase the base,

[Speaker 3] (3:03:34 - 3:03:46)
so when you hear the retirement board giving a COLA to the retirees of 3%, it is only on the first $14,000 of their pension each year.

[Speaker 3] (3:03:46 - 3:03:52)
So this would increase that eligibility from the first $14,000 to the first $16,000.

[Speaker 6] (3:03:52 - 3:04:02)
So they're going to receive 3% COLA just on that first $16,000 or up to that if they are one of the retirees who is receiving less than that base.

[Speaker 6] (3:04:03 - 3:04:07)
That will not impact the operating budget for FY26.

[Speaker 6] (3:04:08 - 3:04:15)
We're 27 and you actually won't see an impact on the operating budget until 2031 on that

[Speaker 6] (3:04:16 - 3:04:20)
So I just wanted to make sure that's clear and if anyone has any questions,

[Speaker 6] (3:04:20 - 3:04:21)
please do ask

[Speaker 2] (3:04:22 - 3:04:23)
Thank you Ms.

[Speaker 2] (3:04:23 - 3:04:23)
Sarah.

[Speaker 2] (3:04:23 - 3:04:25)
Yes, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:04:25 - 3:04:25)
P.

[Speaker 2] (3:04:25 - 3:04:25)
Luck.

[Speaker 4] (3:04:33 - 3:04:34)
Dennis Pilon, Precinct 4.

[Speaker 4] (3:04:35 - 3:04:37)
I understand it's not going to be till 2031,

[Speaker 4] (3:04:37 - 3:04:41)
but how much is it going to cost us whether it's now or later?

[Speaker 4] (3:04:41 - 3:04:49)
What's it like? What's the projected addition to the budget that we're going to be absorbing based on the change that we're making today?

[Speaker 3] (3:04:49 - 3:04:49)
So,

[Speaker 7] (3:04:49 - 3:04:50)
Roughly,

[Speaker 3] (3:04:50 - 3:04:50)
absolutely.

[Speaker 7] (3:04:50 - 3:04:51)
I know it's hard 2000,

[Speaker 7] (3:04:51 - 3:05:04)
you know that far to project something but I think for a lot of us we have no idea are we talking is this a $100,000 increase is it a $50,000 increase roughly give us some sort of context of what we're voting on

[Speaker 2] (3:05:05 - 3:05:05)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:05 - 3:05:05)
Biela.

[Speaker 6] (3:05:05 - 3:05:12)
So 2031 is the last year that the unfunded liability is set to be funded.

[Speaker 6] (3:05:12 - 3:05:16)
So it would bring that last year from 5.37.

[Speaker 6] (3:05:17 - 3:05:28)
up to 7.05 million dollars and then in 2032 when we're fully funded is only a $20,000 impact on the normal cost year over year.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:29 - 3:05:30)
Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:30 - 3:05:31)
Sarah.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:32 - 3:05:35)
Further questions or discussion on Ms.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:35 - 3:05:35)
Draven's motion?

[Speaker 2] (3:05:39 - 3:05:39)
Seeing none,

[Speaker 2] (3:05:39 - 3:05:40)
all those in favour of Ms.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:40 - 3:05:47)
Drieben's motion for the increase in the cola base for retirees from fourteen thousand to sixteen thousand.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:48 - 3:05:50)
All those opposed,

[Speaker 2] (3:05:50 - 3:05:52)
the motion carries.

[Speaker 2] (3:05:55 - 3:05:57)
Coming to Article 9,

[Speaker 2] (3:05:57 - 3:05:58)
it's only 10.05.

[Speaker 6] (3:06:00 - 3:06:01)
I wonder if I can get this.

[Speaker 2] (3:06:01 - 3:06:07)
And Article 9 is part of a an omnibus consent agenda.

[Speaker 2] (3:06:09 - 3:06:12)
that you have in your canary handout.

[Speaker 2] (3:06:18 - 3:06:32)
Recommendation from the Finance Committee in conjunction with the assessors, board of assessors, to consider nine through fifteen as consent agenda articles where such articles are routine or typically approved without significant debate.

[Speaker 2] (3:06:32 - 3:06:43)
And that all of these articles be set forth in the prim adopted as a set forth in the printed warrant with the funding numbers in articles fourteen and fifteen so describes.

[Speaker 2] (3:06:44 - 3:06:52)
So the way this would work if you adopt the um motion to consider it as a consent agenda will proceed

[Speaker 2] (3:06:54 - 3:07:10)
with a vote, but if anybody wants to remove any of these articles for separate debate and vote, just raise and, rise and tell me which one. We'll take that out of the consent agenda and then present, proceed with the consent agenda as amended.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:11 - 3:07:16)
With that in mind, do I have a motion to consider the consent agenda?

[Speaker 2] (3:07:17 - 3:07:18)
Actually,

[Speaker 2] (3:07:18 - 3:07:22)
I don't know who, from whom I'm looking for a motion from the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 5] (3:07:23 - 3:07:24)
I got it.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:24 - 3:07:25)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (3:07:26 - 3:07:26)
Okay.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:27 - 3:07:31)
Is there anyone who wishes to pull any of these articles out of the consent agenda?

[Speaker 2] (3:07:31 - 3:07:32)
Yes?

[Speaker 2] (3:07:34 - 3:07:35)
Article 11.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:36 - 3:07:37)
Okay.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:37 - 3:07:39)
Strike Article 11 from the consent agenda.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:40 - 3:07:44)
Would anyone else care to rise and remove anything else? Yes, ma'am.

[Speaker 2] (3:07:46 - 3:07:46)
Sir?

[Speaker 2] (3:07:46 - 3:07:47)
Point of order,

[Speaker 2] (3:07:47 - 3:07:48)
certainly.

[Speaker 1] (3:07:50 - 3:07:52)
At Judy Locke Precinct 6,

[Speaker 1] (3:07:52 - 3:07:56)
I don't understand the difference between Article 6,

[Speaker 1] (3:07:56 - 3:07:57)
up 9,

[Speaker 1] (3:07:57 - 3:07:58)
and Article 10.

[Speaker 1] (3:07:58 - 3:08:05)
It seems like Article 9 covers the veterans,

[Speaker 1] (3:08:05 - 3:08:06)
which is in Article 10.

[Speaker 1] (3:08:07 - 3:08:10)
And Article 9 also covers surviving spouses,

[Speaker 1] (3:08:10 - 3:08:11)
children,

[Speaker 1] (3:08:11 - 3:08:12)
and blind.

[Speaker 1] (3:08:13 - 3:08:16)
Can you explain what the difference is?

[Speaker 2] (3:08:18 - 3:08:20)
In hopes of keeping them in the consent agenda,

[Speaker 2] (3:08:20 - 3:08:23)
I will ask the sponsors,

[Speaker 2] (3:08:24 - 3:08:25)
Ms. Basilio, to explain.

[Speaker 1] (3:08:25 - 3:08:25)
to explain.

[Speaker 2] (3:08:41 - 3:08:42)
Hi, to save us a little,

[Speaker 2] (3:08:42 - 3:08:45)
Chair of the Board of Assessors, town meeting member of Precinct 5.

[Speaker 2] (3:08:46 - 3:08:53)
Article 9 and Article 10 do have some duplicates, other duplicate in some aspects regarding the veterans.

[Speaker 2] (3:08:53 - 3:08:55)
Um the act

[Speaker 2] (3:08:56 - 3:09:05)
The HERO Act gives us the opportunity to accept a local option to double the exemption for veterans.

[Speaker 2] (3:09:05 - 3:09:14)
We are already requesting that very same exact change in Article Nine. So we did not include it in Article Ten.

[Speaker 2] (3:09:15 - 3:09:20)
Um if Article Nine doesn't pass, I'm prepared to make a motion to include it in Article Ten.

[Speaker 2] (3:09:22 - 3:09:34)
So it there is there is some duplicate there's a duplicate factor there but it's we're only asking that it be addressed in Article 9 and not in Article 10.

[Speaker 3] (3:09:34 - 3:09:37)
So can we get rid of Article 10?

[Speaker 2] (3:09:37 - 3:09:47)
Article 10 actually there are two factors in the HERO Act one of them is to apply a COLA and the other is to double

[Speaker 2] (3:09:48 - 3:09:50)
the uh exemption.

[Speaker 2] (3:09:51 - 3:09:56)
And so we are with Article 10 we are asking to apply the COLA.

[Speaker 2] (3:09:58 - 3:09:59)
Okay. Does

[Speaker 3] (3:09:59 - 3:09:59)
Okay.

[Speaker 2] (3:09:59 - 3:09:59)
that help?

[Speaker 3] (3:09:59 - 3:10:00)
Okay.

[Speaker 2] (3:10:00 - 3:10:00)
Okay.

[Speaker 4] (3:10:01 - 3:10:02)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (3:10:02 - 3:10:03)
Mr. Belonder,

[Speaker 4] (3:10:04 - 3:10:06)
do you wish to take something out of the consent agenda?

[Speaker 4] (3:10:06 - 3:10:07)
Do you wish?

[Speaker 4] (3:10:09 - 3:10:10)
Very good.

[Speaker 4] (3:10:11 - 3:10:12)
Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Speaker 5] (3:10:16 - 3:10:24)
Jeffrey Blonder, precinct two town meeting member, also a member of Governor Healey's Advisory Commission on Veteran Services.

[Speaker 5] (3:10:25 - 3:10:36)
Last year under Governor Healey and the legislature they passed what's called the HERO Act which increased veterans benefits in Massachusetts the most in 30 years.

[Speaker 5] (3:10:37 - 3:10:44)
Unlike local towns and cities and currently the federal government who are attacking federal...

[Speaker 5] (3:10:45 - 3:11:07)
attacking veterans benefits daily this act article 9 basically currently now veterans disabled veterans receive $400 for real estate exemption if they are less than 100% disabled if you are 100% disabled you get a thousand article 10 doubles that amount to 800

[Speaker 5] (3:11:07 - 3:11:27)
and two thousand dollars article 10 of the hero act increases it every year by the cost of living so basically as a veteran um we're not looking for a handout this isn't a handout it's recognition of service and sacrifice that veterans have made

[Speaker 5] (3:11:27 - 3:11:33)
And this also helps with the increased costs that a disabled veteran would have in the housing.

[Speaker 5] (3:11:33 - 3:11:34)
But like I said,

[Speaker 5] (3:11:34 - 3:11:42)
Article 9 increases the exemption by 100%. Article 10 allows for a cost of living raise.

[Speaker 5] (3:11:42 - 3:11:45)
The exemption has not been raised in 20 years,

[Speaker 5] (3:11:45 - 3:11:50)
so basically Article 10 would allow it to increase every year by the cost of living.

[Speaker 5] (3:11:50 - 3:11:51)
Thank you.

[Speaker 4] (3:11:51 - 3:11:52)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 4] (3:11:52 - 3:11:52)
Blonder.

[Speaker 4] (3:11:54 - 3:11:59)
Does anyone have another article they wish to hold and discuss and debate separately?

[Speaker 4] (3:12:01 - 3:12:11)
Seeing none, I'll take a vote on the original motion to adopt the consent agenda as amended by removing Article 11.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:11 - 3:12:13)
This will adopt Articles 9,

[Speaker 4] (3:12:13 - 3:12:13)
10,

[Speaker 4] (3:12:14 - 3:12:14)
12,

[Speaker 4] (3:12:14 - 3:12:15)
13,

[Speaker 4] (3:12:15 - 3:12:15)
14,

[Speaker 4] (3:12:16 - 3:12:23)
15 as shown in the printed warrant with the inclusion of the numbers found on the canary handout for 14 and 15.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:24 - 3:12:25)
All those in favor of Ms.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:25 - 3:12:27)
Drieban's article to adopt the consent agenda?

[Speaker 4] (3:12:29 - 3:12:30)
All those opposed?

[Speaker 4] (3:12:31 - 3:12:32)
The motion carries.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:37 - 3:12:39)
Let us now turn to article 11,

[Speaker 4] (3:12:39 - 3:12:45)
and perhaps if we can get through that in a timely fashion, we may consider we've made good progress this evening.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:46 - 3:12:47)
Article 11, Ms.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:47 - 3:12:48)
Sicilio.

[Speaker 6] (3:12:49 - 3:12:50)
Glad you're going to do this.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:53 - 3:12:58)
I'm sorry, I'm gonna get the Finance Committee then turn it over to you. My apologies.

[Speaker 2] (3:12:58 - 3:12:58)
To sure.

[Speaker 4] (3:12:58 - 3:13:02)
Ms. Driscoll, Finance Committee needs to report on it, then we'll turn to the assessors.

[Speaker 7] (3:13:07 - 3:13:14)
The Finance Committee recommends the Town approve Article Eleven as set forth in the printed warrant. I move the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

[Speaker 4] (3:13:15 - 3:13:15)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 5] (3:13:16 - 3:13:16)
Exactly.

[Speaker 4] (3:13:16 - 3:13:19)
Ms. Driscoll, if no further comment, I'm happy to

[Speaker 7] (3:13:19 - 3:13:20)
I defer to

[Speaker 4] (3:13:20 - 3:13:21)
hand it to Mr. Cilio.

[Speaker 2] (3:13:33 - 3:13:34)
Bear with me one second.

[Speaker 2] (3:13:37 - 3:13:40)
Okay, I'm still to see Celia, Chair of the Board of Assessors.

[Speaker 2] (3:13:41 - 3:13:48)
Article 11 refers to a tax deferral. Basically, if you are a senior citizen and you meet certain income requirements,

[Speaker 2] (3:13:49 - 3:13:57)
you have the option to defer your taxes partially or in full until you know

[Speaker 2] (3:13:58 - 3:14:03)
uh permanently until you sell your home or you pass away.

[Speaker 2] (3:14:05 - 3:14:07)
Currently the

[Speaker 2] (3:14:08 - 3:14:12)
this article as asking us to change two things.

[Speaker 2] (3:14:13 - 3:14:20)
First of all, the um the income limit right now is forty thousand dollars. You need to make less than forty thousand dollars to be able to deter uh defer your taxes,

[Speaker 2] (3:14:21 - 3:14:27)
which is an incredibly no num low number. So what we're asking is that instead of relying on that

[Speaker 2] (3:14:27 - 3:14:33)
statutory $40,000 that never moves and there's no cost of living increase applied to it,

[Speaker 2] (3:14:34 - 3:14:41)
we would like to rely on the circuit breaker which applies a cost of living, it's the state circuit breaker,

[Speaker 2] (3:14:41 - 3:14:44)
and that income limit right now is $72,000.

[Speaker 2] (3:14:45 - 3:14:46)
In addition to that,

[Speaker 2] (3:14:46 - 3:14:48)
when you defer your taxes,

[Speaker 2] (3:14:48 - 3:14:55)
they accumulate interest that is paid to the town at the time that

[Speaker 2] (3:14:57 - 3:14:58)
they come out of deferral.

[Speaker 2] (3:14:59 - 3:15:06)
So when they go into deferral there's a lien placed on the property and the tax accrues the statutory limit it's eight percent.

[Speaker 2] (3:15:07 - 3:15:13)
What we're recommending is that we lower that to four percent and the reason why is because the income limits exist.

[Speaker 2] (3:15:13 - 3:15:15)
You have to be very low income to do this.

[Speaker 2] (3:15:15 - 3:15:24)
Most people who come and inquire about putting their property in tax deferral, the thing that stops them is the interest rate.

[Speaker 2] (3:15:25 - 3:15:27)
They really,

[Speaker 2] (3:15:27 - 3:15:36)
it deters them and there are people struggling and this is an opportunity for us to help them be able to stay in their homes longer.

[Speaker 2] (3:15:36 - 3:15:42)
So if we can encourage them to do it with a 4% interest rate rather than an 8% interest rate,

[Speaker 2] (3:15:42 - 3:15:44)
we think that would be very helpful,

[Speaker 2] (3:15:44 - 3:15:47)
especially since their income is already low to begin with.

[Speaker 2] (3:15:49 - 3:15:51)
One other thing I wanted to say about that is

[Speaker 2] (3:15:53 - 3:15:56)
The limits are that you have to be over age 65,

[Speaker 2] (3:15:56 - 3:16:00)
you can't have any liens on your property,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:00 - 3:16:01)
you have to own it straight out,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:01 - 3:16:13)
you have to, there are lots of, there are lots of other criteria, but some of them are also that you have to have lived in Massachusetts as your primary domicile for 10 years and in your home for five years.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:16 - 3:16:17)
The lien is placed on the property,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:17 - 3:16:20)
like I said, they accrue interest and

[Speaker 2] (3:16:22 - 3:16:25)
Once you do pass away or the property sells,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:25 - 3:16:27)
if the taxes are not paid immediately,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:27 - 3:16:30)
the interest rate immediately rises to 16%.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:31 - 3:16:32)
So currently,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:33 - 3:16:38)
in 2025, we have four properties that are in tax deferral.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:38 - 3:16:45)
The total dollars that are deferred right now in tax dollars are $21,983.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:46 - 3:16:48)
At 8% interest,

[Speaker 2] (3:16:48 - 3:16:50)
that's $1,759.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:50 - 3:16:54)
To drop it to the 4% would be $879.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:56 - 3:16:58)
Last year we had four properties as well.

[Speaker 2] (3:16:58 - 3:17:03)
The numbers were very similar and in 2023 we had three.

[Speaker 2] (3:17:03 - 3:17:08)
The idea is that there are a lot of people in town who are aging in their homes,

[Speaker 2] (3:17:08 - 3:17:15)
struggling to stay in them, and we'd like to be able to be more welcoming to them and make that happen for them.

[Speaker 4] (3:17:17 - 3:17:18)
Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 4] (3:17:18 - 3:17:18)
Vasilian.

[Speaker 4] (3:17:19 - 3:17:20)
Comments or discussion,

[Speaker 4] (3:17:20 - 3:17:21)
sir?

[Speaker 5] (3:17:27 - 3:17:29)
Neil Sheehan, Precinct 4,

[Speaker 5] (3:17:29 - 3:17:38)
a member of the Board of Assessors. I think it should stay at the 8%. By going to the 4%, it still puts a tax burden on everyone else in the town,

[Speaker 5] (3:17:38 - 3:17:44)
and it's not affecting the homeowner right now. It's when he sells his house or she sells the house.

[Speaker 5] (3:17:45 - 3:17:50)
And I don't think 8% isn't a bad deal to let your taxes go on for a number of years.

[Speaker 5] (3:17:51 - 3:17:55)
I think it's something the town should benefit from it if we're doing it.

[Speaker 5] (3:17:56 - 3:17:58)
And I think it should stay at the 8%.

[Speaker 4] (3:17:59 - 3:18:01)
Is that an amendment you are offering?

[Speaker 5] (3:18:01 - 3:18:02)
Yes, it is. I'll write it up now.

[Speaker 4] (3:18:03 - 3:18:05)
Thank you. Is there a second to Mr.

[Speaker 4] (3:18:05 - 3:18:06)
Sheehan's motion?

[Speaker 4] (3:18:07 - 3:18:08)
Seeing the second.

[Speaker 4] (3:18:10 - 3:18:14)
Is there discussion on Mr. Sheehan's motion to amend Ms.

[Speaker 4] (3:18:14 - 3:18:24)
Vasilio's original motion to change the reduction in interest rates and set them at 4% and instead leave them at 8%. Mr.

[Speaker 4] (3:18:24 - 3:18:24)
Spredd.

[Speaker 1] (3:18:24 - 3:18:24)
Mr. Spritz.

[Speaker 2] (3:18:28 - 3:18:44)
Wayne Spritz, precinct three. I would um support the uh the the four percent as is. In fact, I would even add to it for consideration of tying it to the ten or fifteen year Treasury rate. So as it floats uh it's fair to everybody.

[Speaker 2] (3:18:45 - 3:18:51)
be that a percent to that or not so in times of high interest or in times of low interest it stays relative to the town being able to at least

[Speaker 2] (3:18:52 - 3:18:56)
you know make appropriate income off of whatever money is being set aside

[Speaker 2] (3:18:57 - 3:18:58)
so Are I I'm

[Speaker 1] (3:18:58 - 3:18:58)
you proposing

[Speaker 2] (3:18:58 - 3:18:58)
not I'm

[Speaker 1] (3:18:58 - 3:18:58)
an amendment

[Speaker 2] (3:18:58 - 3:18:59)
in favor of

[Speaker 1] (3:18:59 - 3:18:59)
to Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:18:59 - 3:18:59)
the current amendment

[Speaker 1] (3:18:59 - 3:19:00)
Sheehan's amendment?

[Speaker 2] (3:19:00 - 3:19:01)
not in favor of it.

[Speaker 1] (3:19:01 - 3:19:03)
Are you proposing an amendment to Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:19:04 - 3:19:04)
Sheehan's amendment?

[Speaker 3] (3:19:05 - 3:19:05)
Yes.

[Speaker 2] (3:19:05 - 3:19:11)
No I'm I'm voting against the amendment and will be happy to make a new amendment after that passes or not.

[Speaker 1] (3:19:12 - 3:19:16)
Thank you, Mr. Spritz. Further discussion, Mr. Powell.

[Speaker 2] (3:19:30 - 3:19:33)
Robert Howell, Precinct four, town meeting member,

[Speaker 2] (3:19:34 - 3:19:38)
member of the Community Life Center Feasibility Task Force,

[Speaker 2] (3:19:38 - 3:19:39)
Chair of the Council on Aging.

[Speaker 4] (3:19:40 - 3:19:42)
Co-chair of the Small Scope for All Ages,

[Speaker 4] (3:19:42 - 3:19:43)
member of the Retirement Board,

[Speaker 4] (3:19:44 - 3:19:46)
member of the Master Plan Committee,

[Speaker 4] (3:19:49 - 3:19:52)
former treasurer of Lynn Youth Hockey.

[Speaker 4] (3:19:55 - 3:20:00)
I would not vote in favor of this amendment for a couple reasons.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:01 - 3:20:05)
One is that at present we have about...

[Speaker 4] (3:20:06 - 3:20:09)
25% of Swanskot's population is 60 and older.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:09 - 3:20:11)
That's roughly 3,250.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:13 - 3:20:24)
And according to AARP, somewhere around 90% of senior citizens want to age in place in their home, in the home that they raise their family.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:25 - 3:20:32)
And we have looked at this at Swanskot for all ages, this notion of tax deferrals.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:32 - 3:20:34)
I've spoken to, for instance,

[Speaker 4] (3:20:35 - 3:20:37)
the town staff at Lexington,

[Speaker 4] (3:20:37 - 3:20:43)
and that program has been ongoing for several years now with great success.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:43 - 3:20:49)
It allows people to forego maybe $10,000 in real estate taxes,

[Speaker 4] (3:20:49 - 3:20:56)
$10,000 or so that could be used for home modifications to allow them to stay in place.

[Speaker 4] (3:20:56 - 3:20:59)
And those home modifications are essential,

[Speaker 4] (3:20:59 - 3:21:01)
especially in a town like Swampscott,

[Speaker 4] (3:21:01 - 3:21:03)
which is not considered to be age-friendly,

[Speaker 4] (3:21:04 - 3:21:04)
right?

[Speaker 4] (3:21:04 - 3:21:08)
We have a town where there's very few zero step entrances homes,

[Speaker 4] (3:21:08 - 3:21:18)
but if we allow a senior to age in place and get them the money that they need to live in their home and live there safely, that could go a long way.

[Speaker 4] (3:21:18 - 3:21:21)
Raising it to 8% creates another burden.

[Speaker 4] (3:21:22 - 3:21:23)
As was mentioned,

[Speaker 4] (3:21:23 - 3:21:45)
that interest rate is prohibitive. People are saying I don't want to have the tax parole and have it increase to 8%. I think the tying it to the 10-year U.S. Treasury would be a good idea. But certainly 4% in the current environment seems like a fair and reasonable interest rate for someone to pay who is 65 and just wants to stay in the community where they raise their family.

[Speaker 4] (3:21:45 - 3:21:46)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (3:21:46 - 3:21:47)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:21:47 - 3:21:47)
Powell.

[Speaker 1] (3:21:51 - 3:21:53)
Further discussion,

[Speaker 1] (3:21:53 - 3:21:56)
yes, in the back. I'm sorry, is that Ms.

[Speaker 1] (3:21:56 - 3:21:57)
Cassidy Driscoll possibly?

[Speaker 5] (3:22:04 - 3:22:06)
Tara Cassidy Driscoll, Precinct 6.

[Speaker 5] (3:22:07 - 3:22:13)
I'm also a local insurance agent. I've dealt with many seniors in regard to this, as you have all seen over the last year,

[Speaker 5] (3:22:13 - 3:22:14)
year and a half,

[Speaker 5] (3:22:14 - 3:22:17)
significant increases in your homeowner's insurance,

[Speaker 5] (3:22:17 - 3:22:19)
which is due to the reinsurance costs at the coast.

[Speaker 5] (3:22:20 - 3:22:21)
In addition to inflation,

[Speaker 5] (3:22:21 - 3:22:28)
I have sat with many seniors who are really struggling with the increase in their home insurance,

[Speaker 5] (3:22:28 - 3:22:30)
which has been significant in addition to their auto,

[Speaker 5] (3:22:30 - 3:22:31)
which has also gone up.

[Speaker 5] (3:22:31 - 3:22:34)
I rise against the motion.

[Speaker 5] (3:22:34 - 3:22:42)
I think making things more affordable for seniors is super important right now, especially at the coast where we're looking at very significant increases in insurance.

[Speaker 1] (3:22:43 - 3:22:45)
Thank you, Ms. Cassidy Driscoll.

[Speaker 1] (3:22:47 - 3:22:51)
Any other discussion on Mr. Sheehan's motion to amend Ms.

[Speaker 1] (3:22:51 - 3:22:52)
Vasilio's initial motion?

[Speaker 6] (3:22:52 - 3:22:53)
Can I make one more point?

[Speaker 1] (3:22:54 - 3:22:55)
Certainly.

[Speaker 6] (3:22:55 - 3:22:58)
There are some communities that do go down as far as zero percent,

[Speaker 6] (3:22:58 - 3:23:00)
and again,

[Speaker 6] (3:23:01 - 3:23:02)
I did mention this earlier,

[Speaker 6] (3:23:02 - 3:23:04)
but if once the senior dies,

[Speaker 6] (3:23:04 - 3:23:07)
the interest rate changes to 16 percent by statute.

[Speaker 6] (3:23:08 - 3:23:10)
So until that estate is settled,

[Speaker 6] (3:23:10 - 3:23:12)
it's accumulating 16 percent.

[Speaker 1] (3:23:15 - 3:23:15)
Thank you, Ms.

[Speaker 1] (3:23:16 - 3:23:20)
Vasilio. So in the, yes, I believe that's Ms. Amour again.

[Speaker 6] (3:23:24 - 3:23:26)
I'm Andrea Moore, Precinct 3.

[Speaker 6] (3:23:26 - 3:23:37)
I just want to kind of ask a clarifying question about looking at kind of like the worst case scenario for this, for approving the original motion.

[Speaker 5] (3:23:38 - 3:23:45)
So if we consider the fact that 25% of our community could soon qualify,

[Speaker 5] (3:23:45 - 3:23:49)
not necessarily with the income but with the age requirement.

[Speaker 6] (3:23:51 - 3:23:56)
What could we be looking at in terms of a fluctuation in the medium term?

[Speaker 6] (3:23:56 - 3:24:07)
Because I think I'm just sort of thinking ahead to like 10 years down the road when my kids are in school and will we not have sufficient funds because we have created...

[Speaker 5] (3:24:08 - 3:24:30)
perhaps a situation that is too favorable to opt into because I just want to make sure that you know in ten years we don't have to have really really difficult conversations tonight's conversation about the school was already difficult but are they going to become incrementally more difficult if we approve something like this it's just a general curiosity so

[Speaker 1] (3:24:30 - 3:24:32)
So if I understand the question,

[Speaker 1] (3:24:32 - 3:24:37)
has there been modeling done to understand what the impact of

[Speaker 1] (3:24:37 - 3:24:44)
an increase in the population that qualifies by age but not by income.

[Speaker 6] (3:24:45 - 3:24:47)
No, I think it's by age and income.

[Speaker 6] (3:24:47 - 3:24:53)
I was just going off of the fact that she mentioned somebody mentioned that 25% of the population qualifies by age.

[Speaker 1] (3:24:53 - 3:24:57)
So have you modeled the potential growth in the number of properties at four?

[Speaker 6] (3:24:58 - 3:25:00)
We have not been able to model that. However,

[Speaker 6] (3:25:01 - 3:25:04)
this is a statute that we could change year by year.

[Speaker 6] (3:25:04 - 3:25:11)
So if we do see that it is having a negative impact on the tax levy, we can certainly revisit it within a year.

[Speaker 7] (3:25:11 - 3:25:15)
So then hypothetically, if somebody does qualify this year,

[Speaker 7] (3:25:15 - 3:25:19)
but let's say inflation goes nuts and we have to raise it,

[Speaker 7] (3:25:19 - 3:25:22)
would that then mean that for the people who qualified,

[Speaker 7] (3:25:22 - 3:25:25)
they would have paid 4% in 2025,

[Speaker 7] (3:25:25 - 3:25:30)
but then perhaps 7% as voted by town meeting in 2026. Is that correct?

[Speaker 6] (3:25:30 - 3:25:30)
That's correct.

[Speaker 7] (3:25:30 - 3:25:31)
Okay,

[Speaker 7] (3:25:31 - 3:25:31)
thank you.

[Speaker 6] (3:25:31 - 3:25:37)
I just want to point out as well that people very much do not want to place a lien on their house after they spend their.

[Speaker 6] (3:25:37 - 3:25:39)
They're 30 years paying it off.

[Speaker 6] (3:25:40 - 3:25:45)
So there are a lot of obstacles for them to overcome in order to use the tax deferral.

[Speaker 6] (3:25:45 - 3:25:49)
We do get a lot of inquiries about it, but very few that take it up.

[Speaker 6] (3:25:49 - 3:25:50)
Currently,

[Speaker 6] (3:25:50 - 3:25:56)
you know, going from 8% to from 4% to 8% would be $800.

[Speaker 1] (3:25:57 - 3:25:59)
Mr. Berdow and then Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:25:59 - 3:26:00)
Pilat.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:11 - 3:26:13)
Aaron Burnoff, Precinct five.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:13 - 3:26:20)
I do want to speak against the current amendments and for the original article as it stands.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:21 - 3:26:30)
But I think Mr. Moore brings up an interesting point. This is a temporary solution and articles nine,

[Speaker 2] (3:26:31 - 3:26:34)
ten and thirteen we'll get to as well are also temporary solutions.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:34 - 3:26:35)
I think they're great.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:35 - 3:26:36)
I think they're ethical.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:36 - 3:26:39)
I think they are fair. I think they're just and we should do them.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:39 - 3:26:39)
him.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:40 - 3:26:45)
But as Mr. Hartman stated earlier during his finance report,

[Speaker 2] (3:26:45 - 3:26:49)
this town needs thoughtful growth.

[Speaker 2] (3:26:50 - 3:26:56)
to continue forward. And there is, I have to explain a meme at 10:30 at night to a town meeting,

[Speaker 2] (3:26:56 - 3:26:58)
there's a meme online, it's a Venn diagram,

[Speaker 2] (3:26:58 - 3:27:04)
one circle is low density, the other circle is great services,

[Speaker 2] (3:27:04 - 3:27:06)
the other circle is low taxes,

[Speaker 2] (3:27:06 - 3:27:09)
the three things that every community in Massachusetts wants.

[Speaker 2] (3:27:10 - 3:27:12)
And you can see if you want, you know,

[Speaker 8] (3:27:13 - 3:27:26)
better services you're going to have to pay more taxes or you know if you want low density you're going to have to pay more taxes and you have to lower your services in the middle though is a great circle and it says does not exist you can't have all three

[Speaker 8] (3:27:27 - 3:27:34)
And I want us to remember that because we were just arguing about $130,000. And to Ms. Moore's points, we're going to be back here again,

[Speaker 8] (3:27:34 - 3:27:37)
not because of these.

[Speaker 8] (3:27:37 - 3:27:39)
I think we should do them.

[Speaker 8] (3:27:39 - 3:27:45)
But they're not going to help that $130,000 discussion next year.

[Speaker 8] (3:27:45 - 3:27:47)
Okay, they're probably going to make it a little bit worse.

[Speaker 8] (3:27:47 - 3:27:53)
But we need to start thinking about what we can do for growth and accepting more density in this town.

[Speaker 8] (3:27:53 - 3:27:58)
And that way we can do things like this and feel good about them and still pay for the things that we need to do.

[Speaker 8] (3:27:58 - 3:27:59)
So thank you.

[Speaker 1] (3:27:59 - 3:28:00)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:00 - 3:28:01)
Berdoff. Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:01 - 3:28:01)
Pilaf,

[Speaker 1] (3:28:01 - 3:28:02)
then Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:02 - 3:28:04)
Demento, and Mr.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:04 - 3:28:04)
Dooley.

[Speaker 9] (3:28:09 - 3:28:10)
Dennis PILOT, Precinct 4.

[Speaker 9] (3:28:11 - 3:28:11)
First,

[Speaker 9] (3:28:11 - 3:28:14)
I want to say I certainly appreciate the thoughts of Mr.

[Speaker 9] (3:28:14 - 3:28:18)
Sheehan in terms of trying to understand the impact that it will have on our town.

[Speaker 9] (3:28:18 - 3:28:19)
But I guess for me, when I look at this...

[Speaker 1] (3:28:25 - 3:28:26)
low-income senior housing,

[Speaker 1] (3:28:26 - 3:28:33)
and in many ways to me one of the best ways to increase senior housing is having people stay in their own house.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:33 - 3:28:37)
And in a small way this will allow us to do it at a relatively low cost.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:37 - 3:28:41)
So certainly I understand the need to be physically responsible and I certainly appreciate.

[Speaker 1] (3:28:41 - 3:28:43)
Appreciate the efforts to try to do that,

[Speaker 1] (3:28:43 - 3:28:49)
but we'll need less senior housing if we have these kind of programs to do that. So for me, that's the way I'm looking at it.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:49 - 3:28:50)
Thank you, Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:50 - 3:28:51)
Peeler.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:51 - 3:28:51)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:51 - 3:28:52)
Demento.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:54 - 3:28:54)
Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:55 - 3:28:58)
Demento would like to call the previous question which would end debate at this point.

[Speaker 2] (3:28:59 - 3:29:00)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (3:29:00 - 3:29:01)
There is a second.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:01 - 3:29:07)
This is not debatable. It requires two thirds vote. All those in favor of cutting off debate and moving to a vote. All those opposed,

[Speaker 2] (3:29:07 - 3:29:08)
the motion carries.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:09 - 3:29:12)
We now move to an immediate vote on Mr.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:12 - 3:29:28)
Sheehan's motion to amend Ms. Vecilio's initial motion by essentially striking the language in your printed warrant that says, and further to establish the interest rate for deferred taxes in any given fiscal year commencing in FY 26 at 4%.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:29 - 3:29:31)
All those in favor of Mr. Sheehan's motion.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:34 - 3:29:35)
All those opposed.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:35 - 3:29:46)
The motion fails. We return now to discussion of Ms. Vasilio's original motion, which is to adopt the language in the printed warrant under Article Eleven. Is there further discussion?

[Speaker 2] (3:29:49 - 3:29:53)
Seeing none, all those in favor of Ms. Vasilio's initial motion.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:53 - 3:29:55)
All those opposed.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:55 - 3:29:57)
The motion carries.

[Speaker 2] (3:29:58 - 3:30:03)
We have now made our way through 15 of 28 articles.

[Speaker 2] (3:30:05 - 3:30:07)
It is 10.30 on a Monday night.

[Speaker 2] (3:30:08 - 3:30:14)
I would welcome a motion to adjourn to 7 o'clock, the specific hour,

[Speaker 2] (3:30:14 - 3:30:15)
7 o'clock tomorrow night.

[Speaker 2] (3:30:16 - 3:30:17)
Is there a second?

[Speaker 2] (3:30:17 - 3:30:19)
All those in favor?

[Speaker 2] (3:30:20 - 3:30:23)
Anyone opposed can stay here all they want.

[Speaker 2] (3:30:25 - 3:30:25)
Yes.