City Council - Finance Committee

CITY OF EASTHAMPTON OFFICE OF THE CITY COUNCIL Easthampton Municipal Building Minutes 50 Payson Ave., Ste. 100 Easthampton, Massachusetts 01027-2260 City Telephone #: (413) 529-1460 Council Fax #: (413) 529-1417 Finance Committee Meeting, 6/28/2023 Attendees: Finance Committee Members: Councilor Dan Rist, Chair Councilor Tom Peake, Clerk Councilor Koni Denham (remote) Other Attendees: City Treasurer Jessica Hebert City Auditor Hetal Patel Mayor Nicole LaChapelle City Council President Homar Gomez City Clerk Barbara LaBombard Meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM. 1) Approval of Minutes: On motion made by Councilor Rist and seconded by Councilor Denham, it was unanimously voted to approve the minutes of June 14. 2) Mayor’s Communication: None 3) Public Speak: None 4) New Business a) $150,741.70 for a legal settlement with the South Hadley Electric Light Department. These funds would be used to settle a legal matter related to the city’s attempt to create a municipal internet system. SHELD and Easthampton had entered into an intergovernmental agreement to do the design work, but Easthampton terminated the agreement. Some work was performed by SHELD, but there was a dispute about the extent of the work. This had been discussed in executive session prior to this appropriation. Motion made by Councilor Peake and seconded by Councilor Denham. Motion passed 3-0. 5) Old Business 6) Continuing Business a) Quarterly fiscal reports from the City Auditor: City Auditor Hetal Patel presented the quarterly report. City Treasurer Jessica Hebert stated that Cherry Street money should be known soon. Auditor Patel stated that it was too early to know whether there were any deficits that might be deducted from state aid, as some grants were still closing out. She also stated that cannabis excise taxes are collected quarterly, with the fourth fiscal quarter still outstanding. b) Quarterly Report on Covid-19 grant funding and spending: This was not discussed tonight. By motion made by Councilor Peake and seconded by Councilor Denham, the meeting was adjourned at 5:39 PM