Finance Committee

CITY OF GARDNER CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF OCTOBER 29, 2015 Finance Committee Members Present: President James Walsh and Councillors Ronald Cormier and Marc Morgan. Other Officials and Participants Present: Mayor Mark Hawke; Human Resources Director Debra Pond; and, Assistant City Clerk Titi Siriphan. The meeting was called to order by President James Walsh at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, City Hall. President Walsh asked if anyone present planned to record the meeting, in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, as follows: Any person may make a video or audio recording of the open session of this meeting so long as it does not interfere with the conduct of the meeting. All documents and exhibits used or referenced at this meeting shall be submitted in duplicate to the City Clerk, as they become part of the minutes of the meeting. Is there anyone present who will be recording this meeting? No one responded. City Auditor Interview City Auditor position applicant John Richard appeared before the Committee. President Walsh introduced the members of the Committee and asked Mr. Richard to provide the Committee with information about himself. Mr. Richard provided the following details: • Born and raised in Gardner. • Passionate about a career in finance since his years at Gardner High School. • Graduated from Fitchburg State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. • In addition to accounting experience in the past 10 years, he expanded his learning through numerous HR and IT functions. • Is reliable, self-sufficient, easy to work with, hardworking, willing to take on any tasks, and a fast learner. • That he has no knowledge of the MUNIS System, but mastered various accounting software with prior companies. • Assisted in upgrading accounting systems with all the companies he has been with. o Made2Manage o Great Plains o Profit Maker o QuickBooks • Currently works at Birch Point Paper Products and supervises 7 employees. • Currently head of HR. • Worked at Fosta-Tek Optics for over 9 years prior to Birch Point. • Background is mainly in manufacturing, but is a quick learner. Page 1 of 3  CITY OF GARDNER CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF OCTOBER 29, 2015 Councillor Morgan asked Mr. Richard that if he accepted the position, would he apply himself and commit to the time necessary to learn the job and MUNIS. Mr. Richard replied, saying that he has no problem with the required time commitment, adding that when he took the position at Birch Point, it was a new system to him, so he worked 60 hours per week for about a month to familiarize himself. Councillor Ronald Cormier asked Mr. Richard to outline some of his strengths and weaknesses at his current position, particularly as it relates to finances. Mr. Richard stated that his strength “is sticking to budgets” as he “is a stickler if something isn’t hitting budget,” as “he needs to investigate it and correct it right away.” He continued, saying that his weakness is that he is a perfectionist, noting that it is very hard to give someone a task and “to let go.” President Walsh asked Mr. Richard to outline his involvement in developing budgets. Mr. Richard said that he looks to historical data, the numbers, and the bottom line, adding that at his most recent two companies, he operated “under budget” by 3%. President Walsh asked Mr. Richard to outline his supervisory experience and responsibilities. Mr. Richard stated that at Birch Point, he supervises seven people, with about half in the accounting department and the remainder in the shipping department. While at Fosta-Tek, he said that he supervised five employees and added that he will work with people until they understand and that he believes in “process and procedures.” Councillor Cormier asked Mr. Richard to explain what causes him stress and how he deals with it. Mr. Richard replied, saying that Human Resources is part of his job and that anything that happens on the production floor, he hears about it. When someone has a problem or complaint, he listens, adding that he directs his employees to see his HR Assistant, who will then report back to him in order to “get it straightened out.” Mayor Hawke asked Mr. Richard to detail the amount of time that it took him to learn the accounting software at Fosta-Tek and Birch Point. Mr. Richard responded, saying that it took him a couple of weeks “to get by,” and about two months “to master.” Councillor Morgan asked Mr. Richard if he has difficulty asking for help. Mr. Richard replied, saying that he does not have difficulty, noting that is he has an issue and knows that somebody can help him; then he will go to that person right away and ask. Page 2 of 3  CITY OF GARDNER CITY COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE MINUTES OF MEETING OF OCTOBER 29, 2015 Mayor Hawke informed Mr. Richard that government accounting is “stricter” and appeals to a particular personality, adding that Gardner has a General Fund and many Enterprise Funds, such as golf course, water, sewer, trash, land foreclosure. He then asked Mr. Richard if he is familiar with or has an understanding as to how all of the various funds operate. Mr. Richard replied that he did not; however, that he could learn. Councillor Ronald Cormier noted that the Auditor’s Office interacts with a great many people; then asked Mr. Richard if he feels that he can work well with many other individuals. Mr. Richard stated that that is not a problem, since he has done so throughout my career. He said that if there is something that is wrong or “flagged,” that I will go straight to that person to fix the problem. “I’m not shy. I’ll talk to any department that needs to be informed,” he said. Councillor Morgan asked Mr. Richard to state why he is interested in this position. Mr. Richard responded, saying that he desires to get into government accounting, that the position is situated six miles from his house and is ideal, and wants to learn a new financial sector. He added that he was born and raised in Gardner and I would love to work for the City. HR Director Debra Pond informed Mr. Richard that as City Auditor, he would also serve on the Gardner Contributory Retirement Board and therefore, work collaboratively with the Board’s Administrator and private auditors. She asked him that since the particular responsibility can be complicated, would he comfortable. Mr. Richard stated that it would not be a problem. President Walsh informed Mr. Richard that the Council plans to make a decision within a month; however, there is no specific time frame for appointment. He added that there is a vacancy during the current appointment term; so that the new Auditor would complete the current term and that the City Council appoints the position for three-year terms. Councillor Ronald Cormier asked Mr. Richard if he was aware that the appointment is made by the City Council and not the Mayor. Mr. Richard acknowledged that he was aware. ADJOURNMENT On a motion by Councillor Ronald Cormier and seconded by Councillor Marc Morgan, it was voted to adjourn at 5:30 p.m. Page 3 of 3