MINUTES

WATERTOW= N TOWN COUNCIL

SPECIAL MEETING

POLK SCHOOL LIBRARY

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2003, 7:00 P.M.

PRESENT: &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Elaine Adams

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Lee Archer, Chairman=

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert Kane

= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Jean King

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Raymond Primini

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Richard Wick

ABSENT: &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Raymond Hebert, Jr., Vice Chairman

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Valenti

OTHERS PRESENT: &= nbsp; Frank Nardelli, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Meredith Robson, Town Manager

1.&nb= sp; Convene Special Meeting

&n= bsp;

Mr. Archer, Chairman, Called the Special Meeting to Order at 7:07 p.m.

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2.&nb= sp; Roll Call

Mr. Archer, Chairman, executed the Roll Call.=

3. = Public Participation

&= nbsp; None

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Special Meeting

August 28, 2003

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4. = Consider Fiscal Year 2003/2004 Budgets

&= nbsp; MOTION: (Mr. = Kane, sec. Ms. King) to approve the following budgets to be sent to Referendum:

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Town General Fund &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $18,6= 93,768

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; School General Fund &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $28,358,293<= /o:p>

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; General Fund Total &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = $= 47,052,061

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Town Road Aid = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; $ 74,670

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Water Operations &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; $ 1,270,507

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Water Capital = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = $ 224,000

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Water Extension &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $ 101,500

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Sewer Operations &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; $ 2,114,239

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Sewer Capital = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = $ 67,3= 00

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Sewer Extension &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $ 164,500

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Water and Sewer Debt = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; $ 141,450

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Crestbrook Golf Operations &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $ 883,003

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Crestbrook Improvement Trust &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; $ 68,7= 90

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Local Capital Improvement = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; $ 161,071

&= nbsp; Discussion: Ms. Adams: We are in really dire s= traits here with our budget, we’re losing teachers, we’ve had positions that we’ve tried to get in this budget, an extra parks person, and he= lp for Planning and Zoning, or extra highway crew we tried to put in, but it&#= 8217;s all been cut. The problem I h= ave with part of the budget is line #50120 on Page 6, a Temporary Secretary und= er the Town Manager’s budget. We had a person that we brought in about two years ago, when Lisa Cattaneo was going out on maternity leave. When Charlie had left we kept her because we were still short a position there a= nd they needed help. Then Chuck = was moved into the interim position and we still kept her on cause again we were still down a person. Now that person is working in the Town Clerk’s Office full time, Ginny hired h= er, and I think my problem is because we are so tight in our budget I would alm= ost view this, along with the part time data processing person as being we want= , we need, but I don’t think we can afford it right now.=

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: You were saying there = was a person there?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: What’s her name?=

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: Nancy, there’s a position that’s been there.

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&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: And now the person tha= t was in that position is now working in the Town Clerk’s Office?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: Yes, cause she wasn= 217;t sure that she was going to have this. One of the things that we’re working on between the Town and t= he School are shared services. T= he first area we’re trying to work on is Purchasing. We technically have two secretarie= s in the Manager’s Office at this time, two actual bodies at this point, a= nd had three. One of the secreta= ries does a significant portion of work for Purchasing and so she’s really= not available right now for the Manager’s Office work per say, and if we = take on a greater Purchasing role in this shared service arrangement with the sc= hool district, there will be an even greater demand on that person for the Purchasing function, so that’s part of the reason for wanting to keep that in there as well.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Is this something the = Board is sharing with us, the cost of this person?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: We haven’t narro= wed down the actual details of where we’re going with it yet. We’ve had a number of initial conversations and there was some follow up work that we had to do after the last meeting we had, so we haven’t come to terms with exactly what the structure would be or what each entity might or might not do yet.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: So right now the answe= r is no then, they’re not.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: The Purchasing Agent d= oes not have a secretary at all?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: Right.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: So the only secretaria= l help to Purchasing, to Chuck, is in fact part of this person who is in your offi= ce?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: Yes.=

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: Whether we meld at some= point or another?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: Right.

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&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: I just think that in t= his day and age with our budget, I mean Public Works has taken a huge beating, = the roads are in bad repair, I’m concerned about Planning and Zoning, the amount of complaints we’ve gotten from them not being able to respond= in a timely manner, that if we do decide we do want to hire an extra person th= at maybe that possibly might be a better place for them.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Kane: Meredith, if you would= , just go over the makeup of the office so I can understand this.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: Right now there is myself obviously, and Lisa Cattaneo is the Execut= ive Secretary, and Carol Roman. T= here is that position that’s been there for about 2 years, that because Na= ncy wasn’t sure what was going to happen with that position, there was another opportunity that came up in Clerk’s which obviously she’= ;d rather have more sure than that so the person has moved, but the position h= as been there for about 2 years.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Kane: So it’s not a new hire.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: No, it would be a new = person but not a new position.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Well, the position was= put in there because it started with Lisa Cattaneo’s maternity leave (inaudible). If we weren̵= 7;t in such dire budget straits right now, I understand you know, if you need the help, but can we justify in this budget time, in the dollars we have, bring= ing in that person?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Archer: I think if we’re= going to make a move towards shared services, sometimes you do need to go backwar= ds a little bit to go forward, and it’s just the confusion level that could potentially be there in converting to shared services, just in Purchasing c= ould be pretty significant if everyone is stressed to the limit.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Robson: We obviously do have L= ynn, too, but her predominant requirement is to get the Minutes done, so sheR= 17;s there for backup on phones but that’s pretty much the extent of it.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: She does a great job, = we don’t want her going anywhere.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Kane: So the budgeted amount= is $20,000?

&= nbsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Adams: $23,215 and then $15,600 for a par= t time data processing.

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&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: The part time data processing position was in last year’s budget and initially we were trying Nancy in that position also to try and help out on that. We’re interviewing right now= for that position and actually we’ve got one more interview tomorrow and we’re going to hopefully hire someone in that position, but that was budgeted last year. That̵= 7;s not a new budgeted position. = The only person we have right now is our Data Processing person and if he goes = on vacation and the mainframe goes down, we have to get him off the beach basically to try and help us do payroll or whatever is going on because he’s the only person. We’re trying to hire someone to help on the PC end of it and a= lso learn something on the mainframe so in case there is a situation where we can’t reach Doug, we can process payroll or whatever. That’s why it was put in. It was in last year’s budget= and it is also in this year’s budget.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Right here it was refl= ected as being a new position, there was no dollars spent on that line item, that’s why I questioned that.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Kane: (Inaudible) position?<= o:p>

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: It was budgeted last y= ear and it was budgeted this year also. We held off filling it because of the situation with Nancy, we were going to try and work a situation there that = just didn’t work out. We were trying to put Nancy into that slot.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Why it’s not ref= lected here is because we transferred it out somewhere else then?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: Yes.=

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: It’s showing a b= lank which leads me to believe just looking at the paperwork, and that’s w= hy I asked the question is . . . .

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: Yes, I see what you wh= at you’re saying. It was transferred out actually to cover this part time secretary in the Town Manager’s (inaudible).

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: The temporary secretar= y.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Nardelli: Yes.=

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&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: I think we have a syst= em in place that is working. We are= not talking about an increase really, we’re trying to keep going the way = we are. The other places where w= e had put positions in were new positions being added and I would certainly advoc= ate keeping what I think is a lean working machine at the top level there.=

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: If the Council feels t= hey want to keep the position I’m not going to hold out and say no on this one issue, it just concerns (inaudible).

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Primini: I think we should hold= off on that position there, if the budget does pass, if it doesn’t pass we’re screwed. If this = budget goes down and we’re approving that position and . . . .

&= nbsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. King: If the budget goes down the positi= on isn’t approved anyway Ray so it’s moot. I don’t think we’re hiring anybody until the budget is passed.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Primini: I just have a problem, we’ve been laying off people over at the Board of Ed and we’re hiring people here.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. King: But we’re not.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Yea, that’s bothersome.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Primini: I’m not going to hold out fo= r that one issue, but that’s my (inaudible). People got laid off over at the Bo= ard of Ed (inaudible) and we’re going to be hiring somebody over here. I just think we should have a free= ze right now if anything.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Yea, I agree.

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Primini: I agree with Elaine, I’m not going to hold up just for that one issue either.

&= nbsp; In Favor: &= nbsp; Ms. Adams, Mr. Archer, Mr. Kane, Ms. King, Mr. Primini, Mr. Wick

&= nbsp; Opposed: = Mr. Rinaldi

&= nbsp; Abstained: None

&= nbsp; MOTION CARRIED (6-1-0)

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Special Meeting

August 28, 2003

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5.&nb= sp; Consider Setting Ballot for Machine Vote on 2003/2004 Budgets

&= nbsp; MOTION: (Mr. = Kane, sec. Ms. Adams) that the budget question be placed on the voting machines as follows:

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 1. = Shall the fiscal year 2003/2004 School General Fund Budget be approved in the amo= unt of $28,358,293?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; 2. = Shall the fiscal year 2003/2004 Town General Budget be approved in the amount of $18,693,768?

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; And shall the following fiscal year 2003/2004 Budgets be approved in the amounts of: