Finance Committee

Finance Committee Meeting Agenda & Meeting Packet Monday, May 8th, 2023 7:00 PM Meeting will be held at the Municipal Building 2nd floor, Council Chambers 355 East Central Street A NOTE TO RESIDENTS: All citizens are now welcome to attend public board and committee meetings in person. Additionally, in an effort to maximize citizen engagement opportunities, citizens will be able to continue to participate remotely via phone OR Zoom. The meetings will also be live-streamed by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast Channel 11 and Verizon Channel 29. ● Link to access meeting: May 8th, 2023 FinCom Meeting Link HERE -- Then click “Open Zoom” ○ Or copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86216373155 ○ Call-In Phone Number: Call 1-929-205-6099 & enter Meeting ID # 862 1637 3155--Then press # Agenda 1. Call to Order 2. Public Comments 3. Approval of Minutes a. December 7, 2022 b. December 7, 2022 - Executive Session c. January 11, 2023 d. February 8, 2023 4. FY24 Town Administrator Operating Budget Hearing: FY24 Town Administrator Budget Materials website a. General Government - i. Departments: 111 Town Council, 123 Town Administrator, 131 Finance Committee, 135 Comptroller, 141 Assessors, 147 Treasurer-Collector, 151 Legal, 152 Human Resources, 155 Information Technology, 161 Town Clerk, 164 Elections & Registration, 176 Appeals Board (ZBA), 177 Planning & Growth Management, 184 Agricultural Commission, 192 Public Properties & Buildings, 196 Central Services. b. Human Services - i. Departments: 510 Board of Health, 541 Council on Aging, 543 Veterans Services. c. Culture & Recreation - i. Departments: 610 Library, 630 Recreation, 690 Historical Museum, 691 Historical Commission, 695 Cultural Council, 696 Cultural District Committee.  d. Debt & Interest - i. Departments: 710 Debt Service - Principal, 750 Debt Service - Interest. e. Employee Benefits: i. Departments: 910 Retirement & Pension, 945 Risk Management (Liability Insurance). f. Department of Public Works (DPW): i. Departments: 422 Public Works ii. Enterprise Funds: 1. 450 Water 2. 440 Sewer 3. 434 Solid Waste 4. 460 Stormwater 5. Future Agenda Items 6. Adjourn  Finance Committee Meeting Date: December 7, 2022 Present: Chairman Conley, Vice Chairman Riley, Clerk Corbosiero, Koke, Hamilton, Hansen, Chuna (remote) 1. Call to Order: 7:01 PM 2. Public Comment 3. Approval of Minutes – 11/09/22 – approved 7-0 4. 2023 Finance Committee Schedule 5. Updates a. S&P Bond Ratings Report – maintained AAA bond rating – need to make sure we continue to prioritize maintaining this rate for any future borrowings that the town needs b. Stabilization Funds c. FY23 Budget Update – council approved adjusted budget on November 16, 2022 i. Energy stability is top priority right now. Inflation will start to have impact on the remainder of 2023 budget as well as we look to 2024. 6. The Bill Dowd “Deep Dive” Series – Franklin Public School Department a. Fiscal Year 2023 Budget i. Developed in support of Franklin’s Portrait of a Graduate ii. Plans for “pandemic recovery” to support mental health, academic interventions, technology, and growing needs within the student body b. Overview of Chapter 70 Funding calculation and how required net school spending is calculated i. FY23 required net school spending is approximately $74M ii. In FY21 Franklin spent $8.8M more than required net school spending c. Per pupil spend i. Franklin ranks in the 27th percentile for per pupil spend – 73% of other districts spend more per pupil ii. Discussion around effective spending compared to other districts and how we maintain to achieve the “Portrait of a Graduate” d. District wide enrollment continues to decrease while the budget and needs increase each year i. This is mainly due to the type of teachers that are needed (special ed, therapists, etc.) and other support functions ii. Classroom teacher have decreased over time with enrollment – this does not include specialists previously mentioned that have increased e. FY24 Budget Development Focus Areas i. Fiscal responsibility ii. Continued review of student enrollment iii. Review of all faculty and staff positions iv. Impact of redistricting analysis outcomes f. Redistricting Analysis Update i. Advisory Committee has been established ii. Proposed scenarios to be presented in February with community feedback during February and March iii. Presentation to the school committee will be in April iv. No decisions have been made to date 7. Future Agenda Items a. January – capital plan, compensation study results b. February – permitting department c. March – joint budget sub-committee meeting d. Storm water credit also in the pipeline 8. Adjourn – 9:45 p.m.  Finance Committee Meeting Date: December 7, 2022 Present: Chairman Conley, Vice Chairman Riley, Clerk Corbosiero, Koke, Hamilton, Hansen, Keophannga (remote) 1. Call to Order: 9:45 PM 2. Consider the purchase of real property – Approved 7-0 3. Adjourn: 9:55 PM  Finance Committee Meeting Date: January 11, 2023 Present: Chairman Conley, Vice Chairman Riley, Clerk Corbosiero, Grace, Wiech, Hamilton (remote), Keophannga (remote) 1. Call to Order: 7:02 PM 2. Public Comment a. Reinforce proper use of microphones of the committee. 3. Approval of Minutes – None 4. The Bill Dowd “Deep Dive” Series a. Discussion: Compensation & Classification Study – Gov HR, first time this has been performed in the town i. 87 positions were reviewed during the process. Questionnaire was provided to each individual whose job was being evaluated. ii. Classification plan was developed and new position titles were recommended in some instances iii. 18 communities were chosen as comparables iv. Salary data was gathered and represents the current market for the positions v. Compensation rates are calculated at the 75th percentile of the communities’ surveys vi. Future Administration of System – review classification and adjust pay ranges by comparable markets to stay competitive vii. Grade 15 and lower level grades were shown to have the largest gaps to the market and will be prioritized first for future adjustments. Overall adjustments will come over time to align with market rates. viii. 5. FY23 Capital Plan a. Town Administrator FY23 Capital recommendations memo – passed 7-0 i. Town Policy Requests 1. Snow and Ice Removal - $750,000 (HOLD) 2. OPEB - $432,000 3. Fire Truck Stabilization - $100,000 4. Recreation Fields Stabilization - $150,000 5. Budget Stabilization - $1,000,000 6. Property, Projects, and Facilities Stabilization - $0 7. Open Space - $0 ii. Department Requests 1. School Department - $480,000 a. K-5 Curriculum materials - $325,000 b. Replace teacher laptops - $75,000 c. Remington/Jefferson and Keller/Sullivan Security - $80,000 2. Facilities Department - $139,000 a. Davis Thayer cleanout - $50,000 b. Senior Center Van - $89,000 3. Technology - $20,500 4. Town Administrator & Building Commissioner - $120,000 5. Fire Department - $379,199 6. Police Department - $399,788 7. Public Works - $390,000  8. Water Enterprise - $1,237,750 9. Sewer Enterprise - $935,000 b. FY23 Department Summary Requests & Capital Plans c. Quotes (if available) 6. 2023 Finance Committee Member Committee Assignments – has been eliminated due to lack of use 7. Standing Updates a. Stabilization Fund b. FY23 Year to Date c. MMA Letter to incoming Governor Healey 8. Future Agenda Items 9. Adjourn – 8:57 p.m.  Finance Committee Meeting Date: February 8, 2023 Present: Chairman Conley, Vice Chairman Riley, Clerk Corbosiero, Hamilton, Hansen 1. Call to Order: 7:01 PM 2. Public Comment 3. Approval of Minutes 4. The Bill Dowd “Deep Dive” Series a. Discussion: Land Use, Permitting, and Community Planning departments i. Buildings and Inspections – Staff is excellent at what they do and long tenure allows for a seamless inspection process. Issue approximately 1,700 buildings permits per year. No restrictions on how many permits can be approved in any given year – demands of needs with growth are met with budget and resource review across all town departments. ii. Community Planning and Development – Approximately 55% of time is spent on the planning board, design review commission, and conservation commission. iii. Health – Enforcement of the state sanitary code, food protection law, environmental protection, prevention of dangerous diseases. Notable key initiative is a food waste diversion program in schools. 5. Stormwater Utility Updates a. Draft Credit Manual – Refer to the link in the agenda to access the draft manual on how resident’s can save money on the upcoming implementation of the storm water utility. Manual to be voted on my Town Council in a month. Residents are able to see the impervious area on their property to see what their utility charge will be. b. Town Stormwater Division website 6. Standing Updates a. None 7. Future Agenda Items a. March – Joint Budget Subcommittee – FY24 Budget model b. April – Community Preservation & ARPA updates c. May (8-11) – budget hearings 8. Adjourn – 8:56 p.m. Date: April 25, 2023 To: Jamie Hellen & Chris Sandini From: Kerri Bertone Subject: Stabilization Fund Balance and Three (3) year Comparison Through March 31, 2023 2021 2022 2023 General Stabilization 6,304,686.92 6,559,389.36 6,416,852.01 Recreation Fields 465,533.88 783,505.97 919,773.82 Open Space Acquisition 2,463,056.67 2,525,074.24 2,494,299.49 Budget Stabilization 869,298.71 2,040,284.17 3,004,525.00 Property Acquisition 280,805.53 288,513.63 283,456.96 Fire Trust Stabilization 16,304.48 16,752.05 116,458.46 MECC Stabilization 452,738.46 903,360.20 887,527.41 OBEB 8,925,964.01 11,491,897.45 11,885,540.66 Statewide Opioid Settlement - - 129,313.41