Budget and Finance Subcommittee

By City Clerk at 1:08 pm, Mar 14, 2024 City of Amesbury Office of the City Clerk 62 Friend St. Amesbury, MA 01913 City Council Budget & Finance Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 7:30 PM Councilor Stanganelli called the meeting to order at 7:34 PM Roll was called, and present were Councilors Stanganelli and Hickok. Councilor Deschenes was absent. Also present: Chief Assessor Diana Caswell, Chief of Staff Ann Marie Casey, Chief Financial Officer Marisa Batista, and Mayor Kassandra Gove Minutes for Approval: September 19 Councilor Hickok made a motion to table the approval of the September 19 minutes to the next scheduled Budget & Finance meeting on December 19. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stanganelli, and passed unanimously (2-0) Communications & Updates • Monthly financial reports from CFO o Councilor Hickok thanked CFO Batista on the quality of the financial report, and asked if union increases for police officers are covered in fiscal year 2023 or 2024, noting an increase in police salaries from $859,000 to $1.12 million. CFO Batista answered that new rates reflect the new contract, and that overtime hours also play a significant factor. o Councilor Hickok asked why FY24 health, dental, life insurance is down year-to-date from the previous year, to which CFO Batista replied that the difference likely lies with individual vs family plans, and that spending is down, but not significantly so. o Councilor Hickok thanked the administration for the free cash number, and clarified that 200k has been appropriated for FY24 budget. o Councilor Stanganelli inquired as to why first quarter library expenditures were 46% in FY24 compared to 38% in FY23.  A: The increase is not alarming, and has more to do with timing. o Q: Stanganelli – Unemployment in FY23 at 23%, increased to 37% now. Is that a higher assessment of worker’s comp?  A: Higher number mainly the result of fraudulent claims they were told had to be paid out. o Q: Stanganelli – High percentage paid out for the Clerk’s Office (36% in FY23 – 64% in FY24) are public hearing notices included?  A: Yes o Q: Stanganelli – Free Cash: 5.94 million certified, how much rolled over from FY23?  A: Ended at 5.3 million, with an unappropriated balance of 2.5 million  • Ball Field/Diamond Fields Project o CFO Batista clarified that appropriations for the Diamond Fields were 250k, Stadium improvements were 100k, and the Middle School roof was 1.5 million and handled by the School. There have been no expenditures yet made on the Diamond Fields project, and nothing significant on the other projects either. o Q: Stanganelli – Could CFO provide a breakdown for the City Council?  A: A breakdown is available in the text of 2023-044 o Mayor Kassandra Gove added that the city is pursuing a 3rd party safety audit on the softball fields to determine exactly what improvements need to be made. o Q: Hickok – Where did the 70-75k number come from?  A: Gove – Number was a lump sum estimate from the contractor, and is included in the 1.5 million 2020 Town Park Fields project. Public Comment: • Michelle Leblanc (162 Elm Street) – Spoke on the topic of the Diamond Fields Project, saying that they had not received a line-item detail on expenditures on the project. • Pam Gilday (25 Monroe Street) – Voiced her belief that Budget and Finance meetings be televised in the future. • Crystal Sorgini (82 Prospect Street) – Appreciated the administration’s acknowledgement of the Diamond Fields project and the need for updated softball fields. Topics for Discussion: 2023-090 - An Order to authorize the Mayor to accept and expend a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the National Council on Aging Covid-19 and Influenza Vaccine Uptake Initiative. -Mayor Sponsor • Director of the Council on Aging Doreen Arnfield briefly summarized the order, saying that national Councils on Aging are given money to coordinate vaccinations for the flu and COVID-19, and the target is 100 vaccines by April 2024. Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-091 - An Order to Authorize the Mayor to accept and expend FY24 formula grant funding for the Amesbury Council on Aging from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) in the amount of $64,554. - Mayor Sponsor • Doreen Arnfield clarified that the money from this order would be used to pay salary. Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-092 - An Order to approve payment from the FY24 general fund operating budget for the below listed prior year invoices: Police Department $1,864.26. -Mayor Sponsor • Ann Marie Casey clarified the order, saying that this is the result of a late invoice and a clerical error. Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-098 An Order for the Amesbury City Council to vote to accept provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40, section 5B, and to dedicate Local Option Meals Tax receipts to the special stabilization fund created by Bill No. 2013-025- Mayor Gove and Councilor Frey Sponsors • Ann Marie Casey provided background, saying that a new section has recently been added to Massachusetts General Law that makes the funding mechanism for this order possible. • Councilor Hickok asked Ann Marie Casey about the magnitude of the fund o Casey: Approximately 250-300 thousand dollars. Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-102 An Order to request the City Council vote to hold the annual Classification Hearing to vote on four (4) separate items in order to establish the tax burdens for each class of property. -Mayor Sponsor 1. The Selection of a Residential Factor • Chief Assessor Diana Caswell stressed the importance of having 2023-102 approved at the City Council meeting on 11/28, noting that staff would need time to avoid delays. • Councilor Hickok stated that there have been increases across the board in the city’s residential property database since last year, and that he is not as inclined to support single factor as the residential tax base is assuming a larger share than they normally would. • Diana Caswell mentioned that the Commercial and Industrial base is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Councilor Hickok made a motion to return 2023-102, Section 1 to the full City Council with no recommendation. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stanganelli, and passed unanimously (2-0) 2. Open Space Discount Councilor Hickok made a motion to return 2023-102, Section 2 to the full City Council with a positive recommendation the recommendation of the Board of Assessors, which is no Open Space Discount. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stanganelli and passed unanimously (2-0). 3. Residential Exemption Councilor Hickok made a motion to return 2023-102, Section 3 to the full City Council with a positive recommendation the recommendation of the Board of Assessors, which is no Residential Exemption. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stanganelli and passed unanimously (2-0). 4. Commercial Exemption Councilor Hickok made a motion to return 2023-102, Section 4 to the full City Council with a positive recommendation the recommendation of the Board of Assessors, which is no Commercial Exemption. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stanganelli and passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-103 An Ordinance to increase the exemption on Personal Property Taxes from $3,000 as approved in 2020-035 (as amended) to $10,000 as allowed under MGL Ch. 59, Section 5, Clause.54 – Councilors Stanganelli, Rinaldi, Deschenes, and Hogg Sponsors Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-104 An Order to request the City Council vote to increase the exemption amount of qualified applicants. – Mayor Sponsor Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-106 An Order to authorize the Mayor to accept and expend a grant in the amount of $9,020.00 from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to be used by Amesbury Emergency Management Agency, which is managed by the Amesbury Fire Chief. – Mayor Sponsor • Chief of Staff Ann Marie Casey explained the grant and clarified that the grant money would go towards purchasing radiological equipment. Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-107 An Order to approve payment from the FY24 general fund operating budget for the below listed prior year invoices. - Mayor Sponsor • Chief of Staff Ann Marie Casey explained that these invoices were lost in the shuffle, with one being lost during a staff transition. Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-108 An Order to transfer $20,950.00 from DPW Salaries & Wages to DPW Other Expenses. - Mayor Sponsor Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). 2023-109 An Order to transfer $4,200.00 from Conservation Commission Salaries & Wages to Conservation Commission Other Expenses. - Mayor Sponsor Councilor Hickok made a motion to send the issue back to the full City Council with a positive recommendation for their next scheduled meeting on 11/28. Seconded by Councilor Stanganelli. The motion passed unanimously (2-0). Councilor Hickok made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:44 PM. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stanganelli and passed unanimously (2-0). Respectfully Submitted, Jess Manning December 7, 2023