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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
 Posted - 06/24/2008 : 8:22:25 PM
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The following is my best attempt to create a copy of the agenda for tonight's Finance Committee meeting since one wasn't available on-line. These items were taken from the list of items from last week's Common Council agenda that were referred to the Finance Committee. The numbering of the items may be a little off but I think it is close.
1.
To appropriate the amount of $150,000.00 from the Budgetary Fund Balance to the School Department's After School Program.
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To appropriate the amount of $60,000.00 from the Budgetary Fund Balance to the Personnel Department-Summer Jobs Program Account.
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That the sum of $2,000,000.00 be appropriated from the Fiscal Year 2008 Budgetary Fund Balance to be applied to the Fiscal Year 2009 Tax Levy to lower next year's property taxes.
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To raise and appropriate $35,000.00 to fund the FY 2009 Management Information Services Capital Outlay Account for Hardware/Software Equipment.
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To raise and appropriate $50,000.00 to fund the Fiscal Year 2009 Police Capital Outlay Account for New Patrol Vehicles.
6.
To raise and appropriate $35,000.00 to fund the Fiscal Year 2009 Management Information Services Capital Outlay Account for Data Processing Equipment All Departments.
7.
That up to $2,000,000.00 is appropriated for the design, remodeling, reconstruction, construction, furnishing and making of extraordinary repairs to the Parlin School and grounds; that to meet this appropriation the Treasurer, with the approval of the Mayor, is authorized to borrow up to $2,000,000.00 under M.G.L., Chapter 44, Section 7 (3A), M.G.L., Chapter 70B or any other enabling authority; and that the Everett School Committee is authorized to take any other action necessary to carry out this project.
8.
To authorize the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the School Committee to make operational by furnishing and equipping the planned Everett High School Cable Studio at the recently completed Everett High School. Further, that $375,000 be authorized for the project be funded as follows: Up to $150,000 be provided from funds available to the City's Cable Television ECTV Account; that a similar amount be provided from the Fiscal Year 2009 annual operating budget of the School Committee; and that the Mayor be authorized to borrow any additional funds to achieve the $375,000 first noted. In addition, the Mayor, may accept additional funds beyond the $375,000 offered by grants, matching programs, and by gifts.
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2008 : 9:00:49 PM
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I am going by Tetris's agenda numbers.
Someone please correct me if I am wrong. The impression that I received on items 4, 5, and 6 is that these were eliminated from the original budget to keep the levy under prop 2.5. The MIS Director said this has always been a line item in his budget in the past. It seems like a back door way of getting the money.
Item #2 If the Administration hasn't figured out the details of this program, how can they know how much money is needed?
Item #3 I think Rosa made excellent points on this issue. This robbing Peter to pay Paul is going to catch up with them and the taxpayers are going to get hit big time in the near future.
Item #7 I either missed or it wasn't on this agenda.
item #8 We will have to wait and see with this one.
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2008 : 9:03:19 PM
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| One piece of encouraging information, Mr Henderson will be staying on until he completes the new Health Insurance program. The Mayor said he should be working until September sometime. |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2008 : 10:09:07 PM
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1. Favorable Recommendation.
Missed most of this discussion but I'm not sure it really matters. This was going to pass no matter what. Did hear what I wanted to hear, though. This item should have been included in the budget and it probably will be in future years. This needs to be done so that the program can be considered for funding if there is not free cash available to fund it.
2. Unfavorable Recommendation
How can you come to a meeting so unprepared to discuss a program that is due to start within two weeks? All of the details of this program should have worked out long ago and the funding should have been secured a lot earlier as well. The only good thing that I heard was that an attempt was going to be made to keep patronage out of these jobs. May not matter now though.
3. Favorable Recommendation
I'm not buying that this is the best course of action. The "live for today" attitude is going to catch up with us sooner rather later. Will this city ever do any long-term planning? It takes real guts to vote against tax relief though. It shows courage of your convictions. I'm not sure what it shows when you rail against it and then cave in when it is time for a vote.
4 - 6. Favorable Recommendations
I still don't really get why the process had to be changed so much from last year. The bottom line isn't really any different from last year. The slight improvement that this change provided was to show the parking clerk's entire budget in the budget book. In order to accomplish this, a load of confusion occurred and an inordinate amount of time was wasted. And these items got separated from the other items that will insure that they will be a wash in the end. What a mess!
7. Favorable Recommendation.
O.K., borrowing this money won't increase the city's debt service because as the older debt pays down, this debt will just replace it. No cost savings in future budgets though. I don't think borrowing this $2 million is a problem because of the ability to absorb this debt within the existing debt service level. The problem that I see is that this is only the beginning of the money that going to be needed to upgrade the Parlin. It is certainly needed but I'm not sure that a piece meal approach is the best way to go about it. The School Department will be back every year, packing the audience to get what they need next and they will never be told no. Maybe they shouldn't be told no but shouldn't the entire project get laid out first before we start down this path? I still think that they plan to do the doors and windows this summer but I'm not sure how that happens.
8. No Recommendation - Mayor to provide more information at the Common Council meeting
How does someone put together an order like this without getting agreement from the School Committee first? Mr. Carlisle, you got some 'splain to do. And now you are definitely on FFF's list and it's not a nice place to be. Yeah, the school department got "screwed over" so that Mayor Hanlon could say that the school was built under budget but didn't they have a representative on the School Building Commission? Nice of the superintendent to step up and offer to make up for some cost overruns if they happened to occur. How much money is the city already paying for the building the new schools and improvements that have already been made to the Parlin and Whitter schools? The change in the usage of the stabilization fund is always the villain in this piece.
Maybe we're not missing as much as we thought by not having committee meetings televised. I thought there would be much more detail discussed at this session and certain areas would really get drilled down on. Pretty much the same stuff we see at a regular board meeting. Kind of disappointed. Not helped by the fact that Alderman DiPerri was unable to attend. Nobody really picked up his slack.
There will be a special Common Council meeting Thursday night to take up these recommendations; not sure of the time. Guessing that there will be a special meeting of the Board of Alderman next Monday; again, not sure of the time. Monday's Ward 2 meeting was cancelled. |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2008 : 10:15:43 PM
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Massdee,
If items 4-6 were included in the budget and the parking clerk's budget was only partially funded at budget time, as it was last year, these items would have just washed each other out. I don't know how else to explain it. It's really not that hard but with all the confusion that has been introduced around the issue, I can understand why people may not be able to get it. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 07:45:01 AM
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Tetris,
Thanks. That is how I first understood it but the more conversation I heard, the more I wasn't sure. They succeeded in making this very confusing. If it had been explained simply and to the point, there probably would have been no need for it to go to the Finance Committee.
One other thing, I think the Mayor doesn't realize he is invited to the city council meetings and should not be interrupting the members when they are speaking. I have been noticing it at the BOA and CC meetings and again last night at the Finance meeting. |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 08:02:18 AM
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1) Freddie wasn’t happy to be informed that he needs to include that item in his budget going forward. It’s time that man learned he can’t just decide he wants something, put his hand out, and expect us to fill it!
2) I haven’t been in favor of this for a long time so I’m pleased with the unfavorable recommendation. Now the question is will the council and aldermen accept or ignore it?
3) Like many others, I see this as coming back and biting us in the butt at some point. We need to control spending and stop using free cash like a piggy bank. Just because there’s money there, do we have to spend all of it?
4-6) The issue with items 4- 6 is that is clearly shows this administration manipulating the system while we haven’t seen it (with meter revenue anyway) previously. Money from meter revenue has been used to [partially] fund the Parking Clerk’s Office salary line item for many years. Unfortunately, because Mr Carlisle doesn’t know what he’s doing, the budget was put together without that transfer. As a result, we now clearly see that money being moved with the offset being capital improvements. It’s nothing new and had it been properly handled, no one would have thought twice about it.
7) I agree with Tetris’ assessment. Long term planning is needed for a lot of things in this city!
8) I didn’t see all of this however I did catch Freddie blaming Mayor Ragucci (several times) for the disappearance of the cable studio. I don’t see it as a big deal if they don’t have it. My view on it is it’s a fun place to play, and they’ll learn some things in the process, but there won’t be any adverse affect on their education without it.
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 08:39:07 AM
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On item #8: Is this how the school committee meetings are aired? If it is and the old EHS is sold they would need an alternative. Could the SC change their meeting night and use the Council Chamber to hold their meetings? It is really time to reign in some of this spending. When times get better and we have the funds, then add the studio to the new EHS.
Also, last night they were discussing the $3.5 million from the sale of the old city yard. At one point, I believe I heard someone from the administration saying they would apply it to the tax levy. I would rather see it pay off some of the city debt, as someone, I believe Rosa, said at the meeting last night. Would it make sense to add money to the under funded retirement plan so we could pay that down quicker? Just a thought. |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 08:53:58 AM
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| I never gave a thought to the school committee meetings since I very rarely watch them! If they're still using the old high school for that, can't they change it to city hall? |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2008 : 08:55:07 AM
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I watched most of the meeting and I while I concur with what has been already been posted, I just want to say that we have two terrific people as presidents on finance, Rosa & RVC. They are both very hard working people and they still find the time to do their homework and put a lot of effort into it and are truly there to help all residents.
Thank you!
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Finance Committee Meeting
