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Advisory Committee
June 24, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Hingham Town Hall
Present: Committee Members Bierwirth, Asher, Barclay, Ellison, Farrell, Friedman, Johnson, Lauter, Manning, O’Meara, Port, Seelen.
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1.    Chair Joe Bierwirth called the Advisory Committee meeting to order at 7:30 PM.

2.    The Committee reviewed and approved the minutes from the April 15th and April 28th meetings.

3.    Town Administrator Search Update:
Laura Burns, speaking for the Board of Selectmen, reported on the status of the search for a new Town Administrator. An 8 member search committee has been organized, and the committee will engage an executive search firm to assist in the effort. A Reserve Fund transfer in FY ’09, estimated to be between $10,000 and $20,000, will be required to cover the unanticipated recruiting expenses. The delay between Charlie Cristello’s departure and the arrival of his replacement will result in some off-setting indirect savings for the Town in the departmental salary account. The current assumption is that the new Town Administrator will start work in late fall of this year.

4.    Reserve Fund Transfers:
The current balance, as of this date, in the FY ’08 Reserve Fund is $600,508.00. The Advisory Committee voted favorably to approve the following Reserve Fund transfers, all of which have been approved by the Board of Selectmen:
•    Assessors – Revaluation:         $ 16,668.00.
•    Assessors – Expenses:                1,789.00
•    Town Meetings – Expenses:         5,621.00
•    Legal – Expenses:                   150,478.00
•    Town Elections – Salaries:           2,525.00
•    Town Elections – Expenses:         3,586.00
•    Town Hall – Salaries:                  5,718.00
•    Police – Expenses:                   14,000.00
•    Bare Cove Park – Expenses:           150.00
•    Harbormaster – Salaries:            4,200.00
•    Harbormaster – Expenses:          4,900.00
•    Harbormaster – Expenses:          3,931.00
•    Engineering – Expenses:           21,935.00
•    Library – Expenses:                   6,000.00
•    Medicare:                                5,900.00
•    Veterans – Benefits:                60,762.00
•    Debt Service – Interest, School:    68,000.00
•    Debt Service – Wastewater:     24,308.00
The DPW has requested a Reserve Fund transfer of $38,357.00. Since the Committee did not find adequate detail to support this request in the Transfer Request Form, the Committee did not vote on this request. Instead, the Committee voted to authorize the Committee Chair to approve up to a $38,357.00 transfer from the Reserve Fund after the Chair receives a satisfactory explanation of the request from the DPW director.  
The Committee voted to authorize the Committee Chair to approve additional individual Reserve Fund transfer requests, not to exceed $10,000.00 each, until the end of the fiscal year. The Committee then voted to allocate all money remaining in the Reserve Fund at the end of the fiscal year to cover a portion of the excess expenses in the Snow and Ice Removal budget.
During the course of the discussion of the various Reserve Fund transfer requests, the Committee was in general agreement that the following issues need to be addressed:
•    Department heads will be asked to postpone non-critical discretionary expenditures to the end of the fiscal year.
•    Department heads will be directed to seek Advisory Committee approval prior to making significant off-budget expenditures, rather than after the expenditures are made.
•    Department heads will be asked to complete the Reserve Fund Transfer Request forms in a more transparent and understandable fashion. Department heads will also be asked to provide more detailed lists of the components of larger Reserve Fund transfer requests, so that the Committee can better understand the content of, and the rationale behind, each request.
•    The DPW director will be asked to provide the Committee with a better understanding of how the snow and ice removal process is managed.
 
5.    School Building Project Update:
Dennis Friedman reported that the school building project is under way, and that the initial bids for the new elementary school are within the budget estimate.
The Committee wants to remain informed of the project’s progress, particularly any cost updates, so that the process for expenditures of any contingency money can be transparent to all.

6.    Permanent Building Committee:
The Board of Selectmen will empanel a committee to study the process by which the Town undertakes major new building construction and renovation projects. The study committee will focus on other towns’ use of permanent building committees, and may recommend changes to Hingham’s process. The study committee will consist of former members of the Advisory Committee, and Jerry Seelen will serve as liaison for the Advisory Committee.

7.    DPW Project Update:
Irma Lauter reported that the DPW construction project is well underway. Two bid packages remain to be issued: Building 104 demolition and the construction of the playing fields. These bid packages will be issued in the near future; once the bids are awarded, the approximate total cost of the project will be known.

8.    Report of the Nominating Committee and Vote:
The Advisory Committee’s Nominating Committee nominated the following officers for the FY ’09 Advisory Committee:
•    Chair:        Irma Lauter.
•    Vice Chair:    Jerry Seelen.
•    Secretary:    Jonathan Asher.
      The Advisory Committee voted unanimously in favor of these nominees.
9.    New Advisory Committee Members:
John Cavoores, Dan Dwyer, Elizabeth Eldredge, Laura Marwill, and Andy Mooradian have been appointed to serve on the Advisory Committee.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Jerry Seelen, Secretary