Back to Advisory Committee Minutes
Town of Hingham
Advisory Committee
November 17, 2009 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
Chair Jerry Seelen called the Advisory Committee meeting to order at 7:32 PM.
2. Approval of minutes for October 13
The Committee reviewed and unanimously approved the minutes for October 13th.
3. Financial and Budget Update
Five-Year Forecast
Town Finance Director Ted Alexiades highlighted updates to the Five-Year Forecast from the previous version reviewed with the Committee on October 13th.
• $256K additional FY10 New Growth which will flow to the FY11 Levy
• $465K less in FY11 Local Receipts due mostly to lower motor-vehicle excise tax revenue
• $262.8K less in debt exclusion receipts due to financing/refinancing at lower interest rates
Combined with other smaller changes, the net decline in FY11 Total Sources revenue is $465.4K. Consequently, all Town departments have been directed to present 5%-reduction budgets for FY11, as previously discussed.
Tax Levy/Tax Rate
Given the need to set the FY10 tax rate by December 1st, Ted signaled that the Board of Selectmen will likely apply the full $1.1M operating override to the Tax Levy for FY10, since the $955K in expected Federal stimulus funding has not yet been received.
In the spirit of the Statement on Use of Potential Federal Stimulus Money signed on March 25, 2009 by the Committee, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee, the Committee agreed that any Federal stimulus funds ultimately received will be applied against FY10 full-year actuals—net of any further reductions in State aid— in determining the FY11 Tax Levy.
4. Town Economic Forum
Ted reviewed the Board of Selectmen’s draft ‘Medium-term financial strategy’ dated November 12th.
Items discussed and agreed upon by the Board to date are:
• Avoid operating override to address immediate situation
• Fund entire OPEB liability going forward
• Identify savings in departmental reorganizations, efficiencies, and lowering fixed costs
• Fees should cover costs, in general
Ted also noted that at least 12 other Massachusetts cities or towns are currently contributing to their respective OPEB Trust Fund.
The Committee requested that Ted provide a ‘primer’ on the General Fund, with particular emphasis on what is included.
5. Cable TV – Vote to go to Town Meeting
The Committee discussed a draft Warrant article questioning whether the Board of Selectmen should permit Comcast and Verizon to charge their cable subscribers in Hingham a monthly cable “access fee” for the purpose of establishing a Public Access channel.
Cable TV Advisory Committee Chairman Sandra Peavey foresaw problems with such language, since the cable access fee funds all three cable-broadcast elements: Public, Educational, and Government. Also, the impact of access fee reduction on rates was unclear.
A suggestion was made to the effect that the Committee vote on a ‘recommended’ access fee which would cover services the Committee felt were appropriate.
The Committee voted unanimously in support of the Chair authoring a letter recommending that the Board of Selectmen submit such an article for Annual Town Meeting consideration. Jerry will draft a letter for the Committee’s review and approval at its next meeting.
6. DPW Reserve Fund Transfer Request
DPW Superintendent Randy Sylvester explained the request for $25,455 to purchase both a Remote Terminal and an additional five years’ warranty for the Transfer Station Scale.
Without the remote terminal, the inability to backfill a retiring employee will not allow proper coverage and operation of the scale while maintaining service levels in other areas.
In response to questions from the Committee, Randy indicated that a service-level reduction would be required—such as closure of the Swap Area at the Transfer Station—were the Transfer Request not approved. He also stated that more stringent enforcement of existing rules for Hingham-resident commercial vehicles at the Transfer Station could yield additional fee revenue.
A majority of the Committee voted that the Chair would sign the Transfer Request subject to the approval of the Capital Outlay Committee. If Capital Outlay did not recommend approval, the Transfer Request would again be discussed at the Committee’s December 8th meeting.
7. Rules Amendments
Rules Subcommittee Chairman Jack Manning reviewed suggested modifications to the Advisory Committee Rules.
A spirited discussion ensued, particularly with regard to the:
• specific forms of prohibited public commentary (Rule #7)
• ability of a Committee member to speak as an individual taxpayer (Rule #9)
• definition of ‘sponsor or proponent’ (Rule #10)
• consequences/remedy for violation
Suggested changes should be directed by email to Jack’s attention prior to the Committee’s next meeting on December 8th.
The suggestion was also made that, when possible, a few copies of Committee handouts be available for public review during meeting presentations/discussions.
8. SSCC – Abandoned Structure
The Chair informed the Committee that the Hingham Affordable Housing Trust (HAHT) is evaluating moving the abandoned historic structure at the South Shore Country Club for renovation on the Amego property at 80 Beal Street. The HAHT is considering purchase of the 3.2-acre Amego property containing an unoccupied—and currently uninhabitable—dwelling.
The HAHT is tentatively scheduled to appear at the Committee’s December 8th meeting to discuss this venture as well as other initiatives anticipated or underway.
9. General Business
• The observation made by a taxpayer at the Committee’s October 13th meeting to the effect that all the off-season DPW equipment would not fit in the new DPW Cold Storage building was investigated by the Committee’s DPW liaison, Andy Mooradian. Andy reported back that the interior and exterior storage space for DPW’s equipment is more than adequate in the new facility.
• The Chair indicated that the Capital Outlay Committee should be included in the evaluation of the Ward Street fields initiative, particularly with respect to ascertaining total life-cycle cost funding.
• The Chair directed Committee liaisons to encourage their respective committees to post meeting minutes on the Town website.
• Karen Johnson has been tasked by the Chair to evaluate the Town’s contract-review policy.
• With the Chair’s approval, the Planning Board has committed $10K towards a $50K enhancement of the Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan study to encompass the Hingham Industrial Park.
• The School Department will host a meeting on Saturday, December 5th at 8:00 AM to present the preliminary impact of proposed budget cuts. Questions that Committee members would like addressed should be emailed to Amy Farrell.
• The next Committee meetings will be on Tuesday, December 8th and Tuesday, December 15th at 7:30 PM.
10. Adjourn
The Committee meeting adjourned at 11:02 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jonathan R. Asher, Secretary