Back to Advisory Committee Minutes
March 9, 2010 Meeting Minutes
Hingham Town Hall
Present: Committee Members Seelen, Manning, Asher, Dwyer, Eldredge, Ellison, Farrell, Friedman, Innis, Johnson, Lauter, MacCune, Marwill, Mooradian, O’Meara
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1. Call to order
Vice Chair Jack Manning called the Advisory Committee meeting to order at 7:05 PM.
2. Approval of Minutes for March 4th
The Committee reviewed and unanimously approved the minutes for March 4th 2010.
3. Warrant Articles
The following proposed Warrant articles were reviewed and voted.
# Proposed Article Committee Vote
5 Zoning: South Hingham Overlay Modifications Affirmative Amy Farrell abstaining
8 Zoning: Changes of Use in Office/Industrial Park Districts Affirmative – Unanimous
9 Zoning: Farmers’ Markets Affirmative – Unanimous
37 Special Legislation – Veterans’ Assistance Tax-Bill Check-off Affirmative – Unanimous
99 Insurance Recovery Affirmative – Unanimous
4. Stimulus Money Statement Discussion
Committee members expressed their individual views regarding whether and/or how to address the Stimulus Money Statement co-signed on March 25, 2009 by the Committee, the Board of Selectmen, and the School Committee.
Updated figures for the FY10 circuit-breaker and State aid cuts were presented:
• $373K – circuit-breaker reduction
• $127K – State aid cut
$500K – Total State FY10 funding reduction
Were the intent of the Committee’s straw poll of November 17th, 2009 to be implemented using the updated figures, the $965K of ARRA stimulus money would be decremented by the $500K total State funding reduction, leaving $465K for operating override tax-impact offset.
5. Five-Year Forecast
Town Finance Director Ted Alexiades presented an updated Five-Year Forecast showing:
• A $25K increase in FY11 Local Receipts
• A corrected Sewer revenue figure of $2,228,125 (up $4,017)
• Updated Appropriations reflecting the Committee’s operating budget and capital outlay votes of March 2nd 2010
o Including the original, un-voted Education budget of $34,552,770
• A $400K decrease in the General Fund Balance Reserves contribution to $100K
• A $796,941 increase in the overall FY11 budget Excess to $912,406
6. Fund Balance Contribution/School Budget: General Discussion
Chair Jerry Seelen distributed a Budget Status Tally Sheet presenting four possible budget scenarios for Committee discussion, predicated on the following assumptions:
• FY11 budget appropriations voted to date
• $100K Fund Balance contribution
• Aggregate State aid cuts of $499K
• The remaining figures from the March 9th version of the Five-Year Forecast
• $466K available for tax relief in FY11
The four scenarios showed the effects of additional Fund Balance contributions of $0, $100K, $200K, and $300K on the Article 6 funds available for the Education budget.
The resulting Education budgets showed cuts below Level Funding ($36,478,853) of 0.14% ($52.6K), 0.42% ($152.6K), 0.69% ($252.6K), and 1% ($352.6K), respectively.
A number of members observed that the projected budget Excess of ~$912K would enable tax relief, a Fund Balance contribution, and a School budget not cut too much.
Concern was expressed regarding prognostications that FY12 could be an even tougher budget year than FY11 with the consequent need to strengthen the Fund Balance accordingly.
In response to a question regarding any possible year-end FY10 surplus in the Committee’s Reserve Fund, Ted Alexiades responded that the third-quarter departmental budget reviews should provide sufficient insight for the production of a realistic estimate by mid-April.
7. General Business
The Committee will next meet at 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 11th.
8. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 10:14 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jonathan R. Asher, Secretary