TOWN OF PROVINCETOWN – BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Chairman Cheryl Andrews convened this special meeting at 4:00 PM noting the following attendees: Board of Selectmen members: Cheryl Andrews, Sarah Peake, Michele Couture, Richard Olson, David Nicolau
Other Attendees: Town Manager, Keith Bergman
School Committee Attendees: Terese Nelson, Peter Grosso, Debra Trovato, Molly Perdue, Burt Wolfman. Other Attendees: Superintendent Janice Lachowetz, Business Manager Betty White, High School Principal Ed Boxer, Elementary Principal Anthony Teso
Finance Committee Attendees: Matthew Clark, Virginia Ross, Thomas Thurston, Sue Buerkel, Alice Foley, Robert Vetrick, Gary Delius, Mark Leach, Ruth Gilbert, Edward Gage, Walt Winnowski
Recorder: Vernon G. Porter
The following are meeting minutes in brief.
1. WORKING
FINANCIAL SUMMIT – MEETING NO. 2
Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Finance Committee
All committee members were introduced and their committees were called to order.
Chairman Andrews – this is not a public hearing, however, we thank you all in the audience for attending and know that your interest is strong and ours is too, we are grateful for the help.
For those of you who missed our first Summit our general approach was how to avoid a Proposition 2˝ this year. Since that time the most significant event has been that the School Committee has held its Public Hearing and adopted a budget of $4,262,442.04. (2.6% increase)
The primary focus for today’s meeting is frankly coping with the numbers in preparing for Town Meeting. We did have originally an agenda item for discussion of the Community Center and Recreation Department - that is off the agenda today after a conference with Terese and myself. We’ve agreed that there is maybe a better way to approach that and separate it out from the Fiscal Summit that we are having at this point.
Finance Committee Chairman Ruth Gilbert announced that Committee Member Alice Foley wanted to disclose that she now has family members in the Provincetown School system but we feel there is no need for her to recuse herself.
Chairman Andrews asked if there were any opening comments from each Committee.
School Committee – None
Finance Committee – Chairman Ruth Gilbert related that the FinCom is concerned over the 2.6% increase and are hoping to achieve some discussion today that will help bring the School budget back to level funding budget.
Town Manager Keith Bergman - Two of the topics we had agreed at our first summit meeting, to bring forward today are: 1) Level Funded Budgets and 2) Controlling Group Health costs.
The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen met on January 5, 2006 to discuss Group Health and as a result of that meeting the Town has made a proposal to its Employee Unions which addresses the group health issues in the hopes of being able to save somewhere perhaps up to $400K a year.
Since our first summit meeting the additional wrench that has been thrown into our bottom line is the Cape Cod Technical High School assessment – which is still not officially know, to the extent that if it is at the same formula that we’ve been charged in the recent past the we are looking at a figure of $280K which is $152K more than the $118K we are paying this year. When you add that number, plus adjustment in the budget we are looking at approximately a $340K shortfall. Also, if we look at the $109K increase request by the School Committee it will bring us to about $450K over the levy limit.
Keith handed out a sheet containing figures related to “Proposition 2˝ Override Responsibilities – Proposed” and discussed the contents within. (See attachment #1)
Open discussion ensued. No motions made.
Motion to adjourn by Sarah Peake at 5:25 PM.
Minutes transcribed by: Vernon G. Porter
January 20, 2006
Approved PSC: 3/14/2006
Burton Wolfman