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So, beginning tonight, my colleagues on the council and to all of the town staff who's here tonight, and to members of the public, both in person and on the Zoom platform, we'll start our meeting tonight with a call to order and pledge of allegiance to the flag. So I'll call to order the special meeting of May 5, 2025.

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Thank you, joining me on the day of tonight our town clerk Lee Cardi to my right by President Michael Donigan.

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I'm President of the Council Mark Schwager, Councillor Karen Cornthall, Councillor Rain of Engelhart and Councillor Michael Zurella will be joining us shortly.

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So, tonight we have a single item on our agenda under new business.

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This is the presentation from the town manager and discussion by counselors on the proposed

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operating budget for fiscal year 2026.

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So tonight we're continuing our budget process for the fiscal year 26.

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Our town manager Andrew Naughty will present his proposed operating budget followed by council

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discussion.

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The budget was publicly posted on May 1st as required by town ordinance, and tonight marks

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seats its official public presentation.

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Manager Nada and his team have been developing this budget since before Thanksgiving, incorporating

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various inputs, including most recently the town's proposed six-year capital improvement

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program, which the council reviewed back in February, and the school district's 2006 budget,

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which was submitted to the manager on April 15th.

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This evening is the town council's first opportunity

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to review the completed proposal.

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For residents who would like to participate,

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we will be holding one or more public hearings on the budget.

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The first of which will be held next Monday, May 12th.

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At is it six, 30, Lee for the six o'clock PM

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in Swift Community Center?

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After the public hearings are completed,

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the town council may approve the managers

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budget as presented or decide to add or subtract funding to various components of the budget.

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The council must vote to adopt this final budget on or before June 10th.

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So I'll ask our town manager to bring up his presentation and begin his discussion.

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Great.

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Thanks, Dr. Swagher.

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Members of the council, we're back again, the budget season seems like soon as we finish,

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we start a low for, at least to us it feels that way.

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So what I'd like to do tonight is I think there's always some confusion amongst the community

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in terms of kind of what the process is, when decision making occurs, when's the best night

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to come to talk on a given issue or evaluate certain programs in the community?

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And what we try to do is be as open and advanced with the dates, one of the dates for next

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Monday that Dr. Swaker just mentioned on the 12th to get those get that information out to the

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public so they know when to tune in, when to tune in from home, when they think they need to be

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in the room to comment on the issue. And we'd like to take our time tonight. This budget was just

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presented to the council in the community just four days ago. So there is no expectation

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than other than Karen that everybody has read the full document. I need all 200 in some on page.

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But it's an opportunity for us to just say this is how it's structured for us to articulate exactly what went into it.

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And then I'll stop at that point. It'll take me a couple of minutes just to run through a review of what's in each section and how we organize the budget document.

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And then we've got an abbreviated presentation that will run through at a very high level.

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that Trisha and I will cover in terms of just highlighting those key aspects of the budget that I think would be most pertinent to the community.

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Now, what we'll do at that point is we'll kind of wrap up tonight.

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We'll be happy to answer any questions that we can from the council.

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But you know, my recommendation always has been as based on the structure that we have in place of the meetings on the 12th and the 19th,

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which will be a combination of various departments,

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presenting in some level of detail.

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Their budget programs will be able to really dive

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into those specific aspects of those that would be

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the more appropriate time to do that clearly.

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We can answer some questions tonight

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if you have a burning question.

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I think the other thing for tonight is that if there's any

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particular area in the budget that you know,

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you are looking for some heightened level of detail.

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Let us know what that is, and we'll be sure either Trish and I, or a given department head, will be prepared to be able to dive into that level of detail at the appropriate time.

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So for the next two meetings, we'll be covering individual departments, plus other key areas within the budget.

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Could be a discussion on revenues, could be future projects, could be debt service, could be school construction.

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can be a number of those things that somehow affect this proposal,

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and then you have two additional

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meetings that are booked, right? So these are both council meetings. One of them is the Tuesday

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following Memorial Day, that's the 27th, where I think would be at a point in time, where we probably

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substantively could start to talk about changes, things that you might want to consider going forward,

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tax impact, setting of rates. They don't have to be decided on the 27th, but that would probably

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be it's a normal council meeting but we'll also have budget discussion a time when those kinds

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of topics would be raised in some substance at that point and then you've got we don't have

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a meeting the only week we don't have a meeting schedule is the first week of June which

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would be the second but we have one schedule normal meeting on the ninth so should you need another

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meeting to discuss any particular issue we could book the second on a Monday or another

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finalization to some of those key opic points, changes, specific questions of given departments

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that we may have in other projects and initiatives in town, setting of the tax rate.

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You'll see the proposals that we've made clearly for those that don't follow municipal budgeting.

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This is just the municipal, the professional staff, on the my direction, our proposal to the council.

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Nothing is defined. Nothing is approved in the budget, so as we've opted to present to you

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breakdown of residential and commercial tax rates and other impacts that clearly is under the

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auspices of the council to consider modifications to that as you've done in the past.

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So, and there really isn't going to be any decision-making.

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That's another piece that I think is lost on many in the community where we're having a budget

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hearing at followed a last big discussion that council's going to make a decision Monday night.

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So that should not happen until final budget adoption, which is most likely going to be

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on June 9th. So you've got basically a month of meetings to be able to provide input, perspective,

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the counsel to digest the full budget to hear from all our department heads and staff that are here.

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And so I would be remiss if I didn't think everybody really here on behalf of the

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town professional staff. This 230 page document doesn't put itself together. I think the staff

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did a fantastic job in doing that. I think what you don't see is a lot of compromises that occur

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every year, we're somewhat quiet about it because we really present our budget to you with one

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voice coming from the manager, but really there are perspectives and insight and priorities

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and needs, and all of those things are included. We try not to push that across the table to

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the council for you to debate those issues, but we really deal with them professionally and we present

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to you a budget that we think is workable, and that still advances all of the individual service

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areas, whether that's fire, PD, finance, IT,

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services and a myriad of other services that the town provides

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in our clerk's office and finance and some of the core

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services that really help make the town tick.

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So I want to just publicly thank everybody for that.

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What I'd like to do now is kind of work through the main

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document and I'm going to do this in a very high level and just kind of

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talk about the individual sections that the public who may

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or may not find the time to actually look at the document

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or get through it.

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They'll know the kind of topics that we cover.

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And what we're still trying to do,

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it's a work in progress.

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The document's not perfect,

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but I will say I think it does get better every year.

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And what our goal is to provide a comprehensive document

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that gives you somebody who really wants to dive in,

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gives you a perspective not only on what an individual

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department or service cost you as a taxpayer,

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but it also gives you perspective on other things happening,

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locally, regionally, in the state, and nationally, that show up in labor information.

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They show up in comparisons of the town of East Greenwich, as well as the state of

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Rhode Island.

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And lots of other nuances from organizations, well, from economists like Len Ladaro,

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who's a violin-URI economist, as well as through right-packed around a public, expenditure

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council, and other entities like that.

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That's not to say that we agree with their findings or disagree, but I think it's important

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I, other entities that are purely focused on the Rhode Island economy in the Rhode Island local and state budget. So you'll find a lot of that information as well.

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So I'm going to just run through the sections section one, which starts on page, which runs through page 165.

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It's a very large section. It includes a glimpse into the municipal organization, includes organizational charts, staffing levels, a program introduction for this budget program.

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labor information, budget and economic information, locally and statewide.

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The community of East Greenwich at a glance, historical information,

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plus added details on our school district, our school construction initiative,

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proposed budget and fund balance reserve use, as well as a comprehensive look at various town council's goals and objectives.

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at that section one section two through page two dash 34. That's a 34 page section

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includes the manager's message and ongoing future project considerations. This includes

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about 8 to 10 major projects that are either ongoing or step to take off in the near future.

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The message includes a focus on community objectives and long-term goals, general fund

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overview, future planning considerations, including the school construction initiative, the

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Highway Garage Replacement, the street lighting program, which is almost at its final stages

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of the installation has been completed, but we're still working through some bugs with the

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state of Rhode Island regarding them taking over costs for all the state street lights.

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Comprehensive plan, tenure, update, the ad-adaption, and resiliency to national hazards, the

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of front study and improvements, community services, master plan and improvements, municipal

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energy aggregation program, Main Street Rehabilitation, ARPA Project Funding, plus public

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engagement.

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There's a lot of other things I could have included there, like our parking study, which

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planning director is finishing up, we've got our two studies and both public safety that

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have been finished, but we've yet to have the consult to come back and report to the council.

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So there could be 15 to 20 major initiatives that we have, but we focused on a handful.

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It's probably a, again, it's a 34 page section as it is, so we needed to, we need to

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run the line at some point.

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Section three is a 45 page section includes the budgeting process overview, the budget

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calendar, basis of budgeting and accounting controls, operating budget policy, revenue practices,

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debt management practices, reserve fund practices, accounting, auditing, and financial

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The reporting policies, our capital program, the funds structure, including governmental funds,

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general debt service fund, capital projects fund, proprietary funds and permanent funds

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and fund structure in general.

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And in depth, look at the general fund revenue summary by category and source, expenditures

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by area of service level, expenditure by use type, expenditure for all funds, capital program

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CIP debt service detail, consolidated debt, general obligation bonds, and wastewater bonds, debt ratios, and debt per capita.

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We finished that section up with a position allocation and pay schedules for all full-time employees on the municipal.

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Section 4 is an eight-page section, which really starts to focus specifically on town departments.

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Each section is structured in a very similar way, which focuses on emission statement, the functions of that department,

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goals and objectives and their expenditure statements tied to the budget request for this coming year

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in FY26.

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We run through sections 4-13. This is specifically speaking about the town manager's

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office, prevention and support services, the town clerk's office that includes canvassing,

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probe municipal court as well as the town council and legal services.

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Section 5 is a 24-page section, including the Finance Department, Information Technology,

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Planning Department, and Community Services that includes Parks, Recreation, Harbour,

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and Human and Senior Services. Section 6 is a 5-page section, including the details on the

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Police Department, including Administration, Detective Division, School Resource Officers,

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animal control patrol officers dispatchers, fleet maintenance, accreditation, and administrative

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support. Section 7, it's an 11-page section, include the details on the public works department,

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including engineering services, building inspections, buildings, highway, the highway division,

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Code review, enforcement, public education, plan review, inspections, and fire alarm services.

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Stations 1 and 2, fleet maintenance, firefighters, EMS services, fire alarm services, command staff, and collateral duty support.

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Section 9 is a 3-page section, includes non-departmental functions, this includes functions, including municipal insurance,

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unemployment insurance, work as compensation, fun contingency and outside agencies, as an

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example.

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Commerce contribution that the town makes annually.

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Section 10 is another five-page section, including the school district.

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This information includes the school committee, staffing, or chart, expenditure statements,

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revenue for local and federal sources, and the proposed budget detail, as presented in

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approved by the school committee.

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We will follow up with not only the council members, but also other public, I'm sorry, for the council members, but also public boards and commissions at large resident population as well as other programmatic questions.

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There'll be a lot of questions that come from various sources is a significant amount of overlap that involves and it kind of emanates from those questions as presented based on the source that they're coming from.

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So as we work through each of the meetings, we'll do our best to focus and target our responses

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to address questions that you have.

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And actually, Trish and I will try to do starting tonight is questions we've already received

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topics we hear being discussed in the community, you know, as we start to work through this

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initial presentation, we'll try to start to answer some of those questions early on that

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we already know about, that a slide may lend itself to discussing and then clearly we have the

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time for the rest of the meetings this month that's dive into much more detail.

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I'm going to pause there where now we're going to stop and we're going to kind of move on to the presentation,

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which will really bring us through what I think are some of the highlights,

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and some of the course statistical data that for comparative purposes that you'll see as the spreadsheet

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adopted and projected for 25 and then the proposed for 26 and there are certain slides that go a little bit farther

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farther back than that. Andy, and I couldn't tell you what page it was on, but in the beginning

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when you were talking about, I guess, establishing the budget you mentioned, obviously, obviously economic

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challenges that we're going to have this year within for structure and education. And you said,

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And I think you said this is sort of a negative to look, we look backwards to make financial decisions.

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And could you just elaborate on that a little bit?

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So I think that was in the budget document when I talked about processes associated with budgeting.

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And I think it's an easy trap to fall into in government, right?

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It's the only look backwards, right?

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You look back and say, this is what I spent at this given period of time, this is the structure,

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this is the process we've used, these are the radius of individuals and agencies and others

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that I source my information from, but at times it can be, and there's value in doing that,

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right?

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Because what's the value?

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The value is trending, you can look back, but so that's one of the values and there are

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several that I've highlighted in that section within the larger budget document, but I think

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what gets lost in that is your adaptability to look forward.

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So that's a little more risky for municipalities

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in the state of Rhode Island to be looking forward

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and not having as concrete a basis

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for what had already occurred,

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but that makes a big assumption

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that what's happened in the past

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is gonna repeat itself going forward.

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And so clearly, I think we've got lots of examples

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every single year that that's just not the case

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and not only is our community changing,

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our demographic is changing, the type of services is changing, Tim Wheeler will tell you technology

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is changing by the minute, the way we deliver services, how we engage, of the public engages

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with us, programmatically Andy Weidel tell you that the services that our seniors need and others

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are youth populations need and what they're reacting to, where maybe 20 years ago they reacted

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to one type of program are different. So we have to try to be creative and be out in front at times

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as well. And that can be a little bit risky, but I don't think with the changes in which a great

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example is how people communicate with each other are so different today, right? So we still

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have to react where we don't just get the phone call like we used to get. We get a myriad of

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impacts and responses from people. Some of them are well grounded and there's a basis for a lot

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of them are not. They're just people's opinions, but we still have to process those and process

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those in due course and be respectful in terms of entertaining them and working through and researching.

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In this presentation today, to talk about the pros and cons about both looking back and looking forward.

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Andy, is that more of a philosophical, like from Faulkner's Requiem for a nun? The past is never dead. It's not even past.

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Not necessarily. So, no, it really comes from a lot of the professional information that I research and work with colleagues from around the country and kind of what some of the greatest challenges of government are.

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And if you only look back, which is very hard to be proactive moving forward, you know, it's like as recently it's kind of like responding to the emergency after it happens.

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But there are categories, right, where.

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That's right, where they're more stable, right?

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Exactly.

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That's what we're helpful on other areas.

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Yeah, right.

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Yeah, much more stable.

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And I think, you know, the more professional work that we do behind the scenes, the more we can rely on

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and trending, and backward-looking trending, and projecting forward, but there are some that

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that's just we don't have that luxury, and so we really need to branch out.

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But some of it is philosophical, Mike, in terms of management, different management approaches,

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and how we really think we should, I don't think you can rely solely on one without the other.

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I think you need a little bit of both, so and I don't, you know, a lot of times in my profession

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in here in Rhode Island.

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I see a lot of trending, lowly-looking backwards, so it's very hard to advance a community

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community, if that's all that you do. And plus there's the human element, right? So as we know,

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since COVID, our population in East French has changed quite a bit. There's a lot of new people

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that live here, right? Who didn't live here, who haven't lived here for 30 years. Still have a

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lot of those people as well, who live here for a long time. So now it's trying to take, everyone gets

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the same vote, right? So it's, you need to take all those different perspectives, and you need to find

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an even medium where you can still get to advanced community. I think being respectful of the past,

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but being cognizant that you know government today at the local state national level is different

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than it was just a few years ago. So keep changing.

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So Lee is going to kind of run us through

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the presentation. We just start off with a little background on the budgeting team.

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Thanks. We have reviewed the budgeting process in timeline and this is a snapshot and a summary

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of a lot of the information that the council has seen a number of times regarding our annual calendar.

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We look at long-term capital investment, we look at the annual departmental budgets and what in the timeline is associated with the one that process starts.

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Capital starts back in November.

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We finish up our initial presentation before the council in February.

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The departmental budgets don't really in terms of operating, don't really start until January.

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And they're really wrapping up in March prior to receiving the full departments proposed budget on a before April 15.

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Then you've got through another process, which is highlighted in the third column, you've got

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a management team review where we work with individual departments and other stakeholders

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and kind of work through those and refine the overall proposal as we gear up for budget

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submittal council review and public presentation, which we're starting this evening, which

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emanates beginning the May 1st, honor before May 1st delivery.

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So when we delivered that budget, what occurred on that day, on the, and it's very rare that we're going to be finished.

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Are in advance of May 1st, so it's always right around May 1st. This year it was on May 1st.

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We folded that to the council, we folded that to the school administration before that this document to local media.

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And then we also published it on the Secretary of State's site as well as our own website.

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So, that we felt met the initial, I think on Facebook as well, we also posted a

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time-light Facebook about 3,000 followers on that page.

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So, that really sets the tone for just two additional dates of importance.

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One is having a first public hearing on it before May 15th.

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So we're set to have ours on May 12th, and then we'll be the Council's final adoption

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on it before the 10th.

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Next page just gives you some high-level highlights in the overall program.

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looking at the overall fund balance, which is falling within the acceptable range that we have

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right now. We keep a very broad range and Trisha and I understand that our fund balance policy

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it's back to 2008. It needs an entire need of an update, but we still function and we follow

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the direction as provided by GFOA. So their guide is 10 to 17 percent for, I will call

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a standard communities, but communities that may face other potential risks the number gets higher.

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So it approaches 17 in some communities. It surpasses 17% overall.

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Capital accomplishments.

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You know, if you remember just a short time ago back in 19, we had a $100,000 annual capital program for a few years.

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That had been reduced from a...

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Eight to nine hundred and prior years. But I think once things have settled, we have now over multiple years, grown the annual pay-go capital program back to 1.1 million this year.

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It's a hundred thousand dollars increase over last year's proposal at one million.

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In addition to that, we've taken advantage of surpluses generated from increased revenues at year end.

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And so we've been averaging about a million and a half dollars in expenditures, which is we're starting to kind of fall into that line.

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We were able to keep up with our fleet replacement.

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We're able to keep up with other building projects, sidewalk road repairs and things of that nature.

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We're not quite there, but we're getting, we're getting much closer and we list a number of other projects that we fund using our capital annual pay-go capital.

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Collections really have been incredibly consistent and strong in and around that 98 percent, which is something that we want to be able to rely on.

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And we attribute that to nutrition, her finance team for making all the necessary adjustments plus.

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And we were just talking a short time ago about the integration of technology into that area, which has really done a tremendous job in lightening the amount of the public who used to feel they had to come into the office.

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We're now they can conduct their business more conveniently from their home, just jump on their computer.

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Some services come with an added fee, some do not.

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But that has been help in terms of our rescue billing, our meals and beverage program, our building permit, revenues, exceeding revenue expectations, as well as a number of other areas.

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I think in some areas where you think you were customarily expected to be included would be our

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town clerk's office, which has really dramatically improved, and you'll hear more about that

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at that time when Lee works through her department in a coming meeting community services.

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I think is now kind of like hitting the lottery as Andy describes it in terms of if you're not ready

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to go and online when programs open up, the programs fill within minutes, which is an incredible.

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And really shows us in terms of our analytics that there's still much more demand in terms of our young community and our older community that live in town for certain types of programs.

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And the final note here is just public safety investments as we've been talking with the council recently.

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Major investments in an old antiquated communication system that probably should have been upgraded 10 years ago, if not more, is, you know, put us in a position where that first domino, the council supported us.

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fallen and actions being taken to upgrade both our public our police and our fire department

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communication system is critically important and we appreciate the council's support and making that happen.

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Any quick question on that? Is that the program where you lost some grant funding?

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Correct. Right. How much we lost a lot? Yeah. We originally applied for over a million. I

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think our request was a federal appropriation. Yep. Which we lost that funding. And we had a pretty

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pretty reasonable confidence level on receiving that, right? So that's what we built that budget

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item on. So it's not just that as we build this budget this year, it's not just the loss

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of funding for the schools from the general assembly. It's we lost that and we still have to go forward.

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Understood. Yeah, and it was about at early on in the process, we felt it was going to be around

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a two million dollar project. The town had already budgeted and funded over multiple years,

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about a million of that. So the original request for over a million would have funded the second

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aspect really phase 2 and 3. Since that has moved on, the council had authorized. We're going to

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unbalanced reserve to front and then we will pay ourselves back with through surplus dollars

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over the next few years funding. But it's not a project that any of us professionally felt

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good weight and it will still take us about a year. It's going to take five to six months just to

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get all the equipment to get everything lined up between them. Jim and Colby working on the lead on

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project taking a lot of the management of it in house, saving us a lot of kind of general

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oversight costs. So I think we've got a good plan in place, it'll just take us about another

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year to really get it all implemented. So they are continuing to bandage together the system that

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we have. They feel confident that will be okay during this time period, but it was really,

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we waited as long as we could and it was disappointing, but we'll make future applications as well

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try to recover some of that funding, if we can.

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Not that hopeful next three years, but maybe after that,

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we can get some funding restored.

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I will say from when we first started working together,

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you have become much more hopeful.

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Over those six years, right?

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Well, say the truth, our federal delegation

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is on a really good job for our community.

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And when you talk to them, and they're all in despair,

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because there's really no seat at the table for them.

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That's right.

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to deliver good government for their states.

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Thank you.

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You

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Not that hopeful next three years, but maybe after that, we can get some funding or stolen.

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I will say from, I think, from when we first started working together, you have become much more hopeful.

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Over those six years.

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But the truth, our federal delegation is on a really good job for our community.

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And, you know, when you talk to them and they're all in despair, because, you know,

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there's really no seat at the table for them. That's right.

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The liver, good government for their states.

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Thank you, you know, you need to have a good sense of humor to get through someone, especially a bunch of process annually, so we try to

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five kids in a dog, I have that.

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The next couple of pages really just focus on metrics.

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Putting together it runs through police and fire and public works and community services and the library and it breaks down various metrics and we try to utilize these metrics annually.

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we look back. We're probably not using them as much as I would like, but I think as our organization,

357
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the culture starts to change and it continues to change. A lot of our decision-making,

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like I said, will not just be looking back at trending, but we'll be looking at analytics and

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metrics as we go forward to just better focus us so that it's more of an exercise than just adding

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a 1% or 2% or 3% increase to a given light item, which is really not based on anything,

361
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But we're going to go back and we're going to look at our EMS calls.

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We're going to look at our PD runs of different types.

363
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We're going to look at coverages in certain parts of town.

364
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We're going to look at all of those elements as it would apply to really every department.

365
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So the next right there, great.

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Trish, do you want to run through this page?

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So basically what this is showing you is just a summary of salary benefits in our operating expenditures.

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from the 2024 Actuals, as it ordered figures, the 2025 estimated figures, that's what I'm projecting for year end and then compared to the 2026 budget.

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It's just a roll-up of all salaries, which includes your regular salaries, your overtime

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accounts. It also includes dispatch, so it's not just regular full-time salaries.

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That's holiday pay included in there. Obviously the benefits are the benefits, the

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like the retirements, health insurance, dental insurance services are all the outside services

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that we procure related to the buildings related to all of our equipment maintenance contracts,

374
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areas and supplies are just that, all the materials and supplies throughout the offices.

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capital outlay is all the major and minor capital. This is pay-go plus all the minor accounts

376
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like purchases for computers or printers or associated with a capital account. And our

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other miscellaneous expenditures. That really is almost like a catch-all for items that are

378
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accounted for in services, materials and supplies.

379
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The bigger budget, obviously, will give you

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a lot more details in other miscellaneous expenditures, but this is just right here, it's just

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a summary of the overall municipal budget. And then below that are all the revenues, the tax revenues

382
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and all the other revenue sources that we receive included in the other revenue sources would be

383
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It would be rescue billing, all of our licenses, fees,

384
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departmental revenues that we collect.

385
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That's what this page is telling you.

386
00:34:18,180 --> 00:34:19,060
Do you have any questions on that?

387
00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:22,980
Sorry, I just, I'm may have spaced,

388
00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:25,640
but why are there no more transfers to capital?

389
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We're not. We're just doing pay go or.

390
00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:31,520
So, um, yeah, so those are done at your end.

391
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:32,840
Okay. Those are done at your end.

392
00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:34,240
So that's why it's booked as an actual.

393
00:34:34,240 --> 00:34:41,820
Okay. So, you know, at the end of the year, I typically, in June, I prepare year and transfers.

394
00:34:42,620 --> 00:34:46,320
Okay. So at this point, I don't have yet available for you.

395
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But it's typically been about between 5 and 600, 700,000. That's what we've been transferring.

396
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And most of that is actually related to the street lighting project.

397
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If you remember when we awarded that, that was a return on.

398
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It's a little bit lower than it's been 24 actuals or 25 estimates. Is that just caution or is there a source that is not coming?

399
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Well, a portion of that is this year in 2025, we received the statewide tangible tax phase out amount that was not originally budgeted.

400
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And it wasn't originally budgeted because they did not approve that until June 25th the last date of the legislature.

401
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So we had already adopted our budget and we did not recognize that as a funding source for tax appropriation because as an other revenue.

402
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Because we actually was seeing a loss until they changed the legislation.

403
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So because of our values went up, so the original legislation read along the lines of they compared it to the prior year.

404
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So if you were recognizing a loss from the prior year, that's what they were going to reimburse you at.

405
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But they changed that in the last meeting of the legislature to just say whatever your loss was based on the 50,000, not compared to the prior year.

406
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So, and so what happens for 2026, that becomes another revenue source, our increase in our tax levy.

407
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:45,920
Oh, it's higher in the estimated column because that's where we're actually recognizing the statewide,

408
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So we're recognizing that now in estimated 2025, that's why it's much higher than what was adopted.

409
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It's not ongoing.

410
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:01,540
No, it's annual.

411
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We're going to get that 546,000 every year until they change the budget.

412
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Same with Motivico phase out.

413
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But we're slated to get that annually.

414
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Obviously, up until the governor has some reductions in his budget, so I'm sure that's one of the numbers.

415
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but the estimated is higher there because that it wasn't budget originally there.

416
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Thank you. The only other two things on this page that actually show some consistency is when you

417
00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:35,360
look at the percentages as provided. You can see generally salaries and benefits are averaging 75-76

418
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:42,440
percent of the overall general fund budget. You find services are consistently at around 12 percent

419
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:49,200
materials and supplies are in the fours and you find other expenses are in that two to three percent range.

420
00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:53,540
So there is some, you find that consistency as you look across the various topics.

421
00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:58,240
Both at the top of the page, you find you see that out of the 20 and a half million dollar program

422
00:37:58,240 --> 00:38:04,840
about 18.7 million is tax-supported and the rest is generated from all of the other revenues that we were commenting on

423
00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:06,940
that are generated from the various departments.

424
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,000
So you can go to the next page.

425
00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:15,520
Here we just captured kind of the highlights that a lot of people like to focus on.

426
00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:18,220
So the proposed tax levian, I think we talked about this at length,

427
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,480
and received meetings with the council this year,

428
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,380
the town saw its first exception through that.

429
00:38:23,380 --> 00:38:26,540
Trish communicated with the divisional municipal finance received approval

430
00:38:26,540 --> 00:38:30,240
from the state just recently for a 4.93% increase

431
00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:33,680
or 3.0, just under 3.2 million dollars.

432
00:38:34,500 --> 00:38:39,800
As the council is aware, and the community is most likely aware, there's a full percent tax-level limit.

433
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:48,240
Unless you exceed that for an eligible reason, and this year we would be exceeding that, because it's the first year.

434
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:55,740
You'll see this later in our debt slides, the first year of incurring debt expense associated with the school construction initiative.

435
00:38:55,740 --> 00:39:03,800
So, as Chris prepares to issue debt and we prepared to meet with S&P and Moody's in the coming week,

436
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:10,880
bond rating firms that there'll be an interest expense that's probably in the vicinity of about gross

437
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:18,440
about 3.5 million and net about 1.8 million, which will show up in a schedule. So we needed that room to

438
00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:21,880
to see the 4% cap for that eligible purpose.

439
00:39:23,240 --> 00:39:25,420
In addition to that, our proposal,

440
00:39:25,580 --> 00:39:27,780
again, up for Council consideration and discussion,

441
00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:33,700
is an increase in the residential property rate from 1473 to 1546,

442
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:41,720
as in the prior year, we had a reduction from 2185 to 1473,

443
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:10,140
This is increased from $24.93 to $27 this past year or about 8.3% and we've recommended that that stay stable.

444
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:19,920
But again, that's a discussion, a more detailed discussion for the council in the coming weeks. Personal property tax is stable at 4550 is that has been set.

445
00:40:20,420 --> 00:40:23,700
And our tax will be funded programs are just under 68 million.

446
00:40:23,700 --> 00:40:30,560
In addition to that, our school department transfer that we're recommending is 4% which is the maximum under the state law.

447
00:40:30,900 --> 00:40:37,800
At this particular time without added council action, that's 1.65 million or total of 42 million,

448
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:42,440
in 1964, 65 for 4% transfer to the school department.

449
00:40:42,940 --> 00:40:47,920
General fund at 18.7 million, our debt service at 4.2 million,

450
00:40:47,940 --> 00:40:51,300
which is an increase of about 20%.

451
00:40:51,300 --> 00:40:53,900
But there are, as you see later on in the slides,

452
00:40:54,540 --> 00:40:57,000
that true cost is about 6.3 million,

453
00:40:57,340 --> 00:40:59,240
but we do have revenues that come in,

454
00:40:59,420 --> 00:41:01,760
which lower that amount as was done in the general fund.

455
00:41:02,140 --> 00:41:03,800
You'll see a $28 million program,

456
00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:07,960
but only tax support of 18.7 million.

457
00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,600
In addition to that, the library, which is a transfer,

458
00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:16,780
also is proposed to increase by $10,000 or $1.7 to just

459
00:41:16,780 --> 00:41:19,480
under $600,000.

460
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:20,860
Next slide, Lee.

461
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,040
So I'm going to run through a few of these slides quickly.

462
00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:26,460
And then I'll have Trish run through a few as well.

463
00:41:26,660 --> 00:41:30,220
As she developed the vast majority of all the slides

464
00:41:30,220 --> 00:41:31,080
in this information.

465
00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:41,420
Overall, all budgeted funds, including proprietary funds at wastewater, are just over $90,000,000, $90,000,000, $5,083,000,000, and $45,000.

466
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:47,140
It's an increase of about $3.6 million or 4.1% from 2025.

467
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:51,000
General fund is noted as at $28,000,000,000.

468
00:41:51,860 --> 00:41:55,280
As we went through the department, requests we like to include this information.

469
00:41:55,900 --> 00:42:04,780
Department requests were just between 29.1 and 29.2 million that was reduced by $627,000.

470
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:11,060
And so a lot of times we talk about kind of what departments feel they need and they want.

471
00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:17,220
So I think as we go through the process, although the next two meetings, I said I'd be happy to have our department head,

472
00:42:17,220 --> 00:42:21,760
talk to you about some of the compromises that we've made, how we've restructured schedules,

473
00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:25,600
things that we've viewed to be important. If we don't feel we can fund them this year,

474
00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:30,520
we've set up different funding patterns over a multi-year period to be able to fund them,

475
00:42:30,540 --> 00:42:37,260
but that we also go through an aggressive exercise of reducing the initial requests that come

476
00:42:37,260 --> 00:42:43,440
in from all departments because we really don't think. As you can see, if not for that school

477
00:42:43,440 --> 00:43:12,440
construction initiative. We'd be under the 4% but we'd be close. And so we're still hovering around that number just in terms of maintaining cost controls with inflation and other things that have been affecting affecting this operationally our debt services at 6.4 million. That was what I just noted is revenues that come in in terms of a credit as well as housing aid that help reduce that overall cost down to tax impacted dollars of about 4.3 million.

478
00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:42,300
Our library is just noted, the original library requested, they're overall budget, actually, I'm sorry, they're overall budget, so we're 800,000, but a library had requested from a town transfer a little over 618,000, the request this year is just under 600,000, that original request was 4.96%, I've spoken to the director at the library, so Adrian, I will be communicating with her and the library will be here represented by their staff and most likely at trustees and I'm coming to you.

479
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:45,940
the council on what their needs are in the library.

480
00:43:46,740 --> 00:43:55,140
School department overall budgets $15,185,000 or 0.41% increase of just $203,000.

481
00:43:56,260 --> 00:44:02,400
I think the council is well versed in why that request is so limited this year.

482
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:10,020
And that's really a revenue issue. So that's a loss of over $800,000 in state aid.

483
00:44:10,020 --> 00:44:17,200
It's loss of access to reserve funding at the level that had been used for multiple years.

484
00:44:17,740 --> 00:44:21,940
And it was an overestimating on revenues, which has been closed.

485
00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:23,180
That gap has been closed.

486
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:26,480
Some in the school departments budget proposal this year.

487
00:44:27,220 --> 00:44:28,840
But there's still a loss of revenue.

488
00:44:29,260 --> 00:44:31,660
So when you just those three, there are other reasons as well.

489
00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:35,180
But just those three along with the 4% increase.

490
00:44:35,260 --> 00:44:37,260
Pretty much neutralize each other.

491
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:27,180
Through this superintendent as well, worked through a number of very engaged and robust meetings with high attendance from the public, as well as employees to kind of work through and see where, you know, million and a half to million dollars of potential impact, cost impact in terms of expenditures on that program could be reduced. And so there was significant effort put forward by the district to be able to make that happen to balance their budget with a $200,000 increase.

492
00:45:27,180 --> 00:45:29,420
question for you.

493
00:45:29,420 --> 00:45:35,360
Well, Andy, I just wanted to say at this point, you know this, but to those of us, those who don't.

494
00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:39,480
So, our representatives in Toronto closed the gap in the school funding.

495
00:45:39,620 --> 00:45:41,480
We just tried to recover some of that.

496
00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:46,360
Our representatives, just being called well, and Evan Shanley,

497
00:45:47,100 --> 00:45:48,340
they introduced the bill.

498
00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:53,160
The way this will successful will end up in the, as a budget item.

499
00:45:53,940 --> 00:45:57,120
So it doesn't require the Senate, which is why Brigitte isn't on this.

500
00:45:57,420 --> 00:46:03,340
But there was a hearing at the State House on their bill.

501
00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:09,200
What the bill does is it changes the poverty loss stabilization formula.

502
00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:16,080
Whenever you lose more than 2% of your funding for school aid,

503
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:22,480
the what kicked in was a 50% of that is kind of made up as a leveling smoothing effort.

504
00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:29,700
They put it in legislation to make that 75% and it would apply to all municipalities, not just

505
00:46:29,700 --> 00:46:36,760
these Greenwich. So I think we talked about that at the last meeting and the teacher's union was here

506
00:46:37,720 --> 00:46:44,360
you know trying to work out the whole budget process and we indicated that there was that

507
00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:50,960
coming up and that everybody should attend. And I know the school committee had a representative

508
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:58,580
testifying. Kevin Wright was up there and Mark Schwager makes a relevant eye on one of the

509
00:46:58,580 --> 00:47:03,880
we testified. I know that Karen pushed and renewed sent a letter. I believe the school committee

510
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:09,480
Kevin said the school committee sent a letter in and Justin was organizing a bunch of community

511
00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:17,280
members to also send she's in the PTG. So there was really an all-hands effort and the first

512
00:47:17,280 --> 00:47:23,640
thing I'll say about that is that the environment at the state house is one of scarcity.

513
00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:31,620
So with the federal government as you read about it, they expect to have dramatic impacts to what

514
00:47:31,620 --> 00:47:38,340
they're doing and it's not just what they expect to receive on new funding. It's there in the

515
00:47:38,340 --> 00:47:44,580
of projects like we are where you have federal funding coming in in stages and they're funding

516
00:47:44,580 --> 00:47:50,950
pieces of it. And now they're getting those are being terminated but they're halfway in

517
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:57,220
and they've spent money and they just don't know what do you do? So go into debt and finish these

518
00:47:57,220 --> 00:48:03,020
projects. So there are a lot of losses to what to do and it's not where the tiny estates are

519
00:48:03,020 --> 00:48:10,660
tax or less than taxis, for instance, parents, but it really is sort of a, we love to help,

520
00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:16,000
we love to keep what we're doing. We just don't wear being hammered and there's no way to

521
00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:23,500
even understand what the reasonable settled expectation is for funding. Nonetheless, both just in

522
00:48:23,500 --> 00:48:30,980
Evan, when they put this in, they put it in as their priority legislation, which when a representative

523
00:48:30,980 --> 00:48:37,740
of does that. You're signaling to leadership and the whole body that this is your one. This is it.

524
00:48:38,780 --> 00:48:45,620
And so both of our reps put that in. So they're making their stand this year on this issue for us.

525
00:48:46,940 --> 00:48:52,300
And you know, I'd like to call that out and thank them for that. Hopefully, we'll be successful.

526
00:48:54,120 --> 00:49:00,020
Evan seemed to think that it had a very good chance because they both looked at it as our priority.

527
00:49:00,980 --> 00:49:03,340
and I appreciate the whole council support,

528
00:49:03,720 --> 00:49:06,040
the school committee sending somebody up there.

529
00:49:06,780 --> 00:49:09,220
I was told at Neary also sent a letter.

530
00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:11,300
So from the teachers, that went up there,

531
00:49:11,300 --> 00:49:14,560
I know through our Augusta manager,

532
00:49:14,760 --> 00:49:16,520
I know that the League of Cities and Towns

533
00:49:16,520 --> 00:49:17,980
was up there pushing the same thing.

534
00:49:18,140 --> 00:49:20,140
So we put a full court press on this

535
00:49:20,140 --> 00:49:21,940
and fingers crossed them hopeful.

536
00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:24,880
We won't know until after we do our budget,

537
00:49:25,660 --> 00:49:28,540
but I appreciate the team effort from everybody

538
00:49:28,540 --> 00:49:33,240
to try to make that loss at least mitigate the loss.

539
00:49:33,460 --> 00:49:34,960
So I'm just wanted to raise that, Andy.

540
00:49:35,240 --> 00:49:36,200
Yeah, you know, thanks for that.

541
00:49:36,340 --> 00:49:39,940
And I think what people don't understand the numbers, but going from 50 to 75,

542
00:49:40,100 --> 00:49:44,100
basically recovers 50% of our loss, right?

543
00:49:44,100 --> 00:49:50,720
So it'll be a little over $400,000, which I think would be funding well received by the district,

544
00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:51,780
especially this year.

545
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:55,800
We also made it clear that we were double the next town, and we're not a big town.

546
00:49:55,800 --> 00:49:59,860
So that's a lot of money 800,000 into to follow.

547
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:06,240
Out and they did not, just like during COVID, we had the funding challenges because if you're basing funding

548
00:50:06,240 --> 00:50:11,840
on how many school lunches are funded, you know, all of that and nobody's in school, the formula

549
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:17,940
breaks down, right? And this isn't working that well in this environment, a huge inflationary

550
00:50:17,940 --> 00:50:26,480
environment in a town that's growing in population. But anyway, I'm hopeful and we're going to

551
00:50:26,480 --> 00:50:30,840
to talk about this, Andy, through the rest of our budgeting, and recognize we're not going

552
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:35,140
to know the answer to after we gavl our budget, but fingers crossed.

553
00:50:37,100 --> 00:50:40,580
Oh, and by the way, Andy sent up a letter, too, on behalf of the town,

554
00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:44,080
to the next page.

555
00:50:44,840 --> 00:50:48,580
We'll kind of move through these fairly quickly, but we can definitely pause and answer questions

556
00:50:48,580 --> 00:50:49,240
as we go.

557
00:50:49,740 --> 00:50:54,540
So impacts on the expenditure side, I think, you know, clearly as is the case every

558
00:50:54,540 --> 00:51:02,320
here. It's employee cost, right? That's where it is. So it's salaries and benefits. We're

559
00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:08,300
seeing pretty consistent increases in retirement cost as well as healthcare and other

560
00:51:08,300 --> 00:51:16,360
benefit costs. We presently have our five union contracts up in negotiation. We've got four

561
00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:22,060
of those actively engaged right now that we're juggling weekend and week out and we're working

562
00:51:22,060 --> 00:51:25,900
towards that, but there's a good chance that we won't have

563
00:51:25,900 --> 00:51:29,140
those resolved as well by the end of the fiscal year.

564
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:33,100
So, Tris has provided for appropriate placeholders.

565
00:51:33,900 --> 00:51:35,820
And just as a point, this is one of those moments

566
00:51:35,820 --> 00:51:37,640
that we just want to pause for a second.

567
00:51:37,780 --> 00:51:38,920
And so as you look through the budget

568
00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:42,300
and as you try to calculate out what the costs might be,

569
00:51:42,580 --> 00:51:44,020
we haven't negotiated the contract,

570
00:51:44,260 --> 00:51:46,600
so there is no amount yet.

571
00:51:46,620 --> 00:51:49,320
We can tell you what our projected healthcare costs

572
00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:53,120
will be next year because through the interlocal trust we can tell you what some of our

573
00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:58,080
benefit costs are. But when you try to figure out the number it's really important to know

574
00:51:58,080 --> 00:52:02,560
that it's not just salary, right? So if I'm getting a 3% increase actually that cost is much

575
00:52:02,560 --> 00:52:08,220
greater because you add my retirement contribution and you add flake it to that if I work in public

576
00:52:08,220 --> 00:52:14,140
safety and there's probably some level of minimum manning which may prompt over time costs.

577
00:52:14,140 --> 00:52:18,020
is a lot of other triggers that come into our formal calculation.

578
00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:20,860
So when you see 3% in terms of a salary,

579
00:52:20,940 --> 00:52:22,680
the true cost is much higher than that.

580
00:52:22,820 --> 00:52:27,460
So you're going to, as you try to count out and back your way into what the place holders are,

581
00:52:27,760 --> 00:52:29,300
they're going to be significantly higher.

582
00:52:29,460 --> 00:52:34,300
So we hope to have some consistency in terms of how we negotiate those contracts in the coming

583
00:52:34,300 --> 00:52:39,100
weeks and months, and I think they're all, they're all very different groups,

584
00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:41,220
and they're all moving forward at a different pace.

585
00:52:41,220 --> 00:52:43,400
So, but those are continuing to move forward.

586
00:52:43,700 --> 00:52:47,480
Staffing wise, we have two staff positions

587
00:52:47,480 --> 00:52:49,320
that one was at a this year,

588
00:52:49,420 --> 00:52:51,100
one will be added most likely this next year.

589
00:52:51,440 --> 00:52:53,000
But they're in the proprietary fund,

590
00:52:53,140 --> 00:52:54,480
they're in the wastewater division,

591
00:52:54,840 --> 00:52:56,840
and it was a requirement in an agreement

592
00:52:56,840 --> 00:52:59,600
that we entered into with DEM associated

593
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:01,640
with additional support that we needed

594
00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:04,520
for our collection system.

595
00:53:04,860 --> 00:53:07,040
So, that was something that we agreed to

596
00:53:07,040 --> 00:53:08,480
and we're moving forward on that,

597
00:53:08,580 --> 00:53:10,680
but there will be no additional staff recommendations

598
00:53:10,680 --> 00:53:16,980
in terms of staffing expansion in FY26 from the, from the, from the municipal side.

599
00:53:18,160 --> 00:53:18,980
Next page, we.

600
00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:21,460
School contractual obligations.

601
00:53:22,280 --> 00:53:25,980
One thing we did want to explain, I was talking to Trisha about this a little earlier,

602
00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:31,700
is that the numbers that you see before you, it's as salaries and benefits as proposed decrease

603
00:53:31,700 --> 00:53:38,840
in a proposed increase of the 177 and the 849, and that is calculated a little differently.

604
00:53:38,840 --> 00:53:46,900
So, these numbers, as calculated, were kicked off of the last approved budget that the

605
00:53:46,900 --> 00:53:53,600
council authorized for 25, but then subsequent to that, there was an additional appropriation

606
00:53:53,600 --> 00:53:54,920
of over $200,000.

607
00:53:55,760 --> 00:53:59,760
So, the school departments budget, which neither is right, neither is wrong, they're both

608
00:53:59,760 --> 00:54:01,460
right, they're just kicked differently.

609
00:54:02,260 --> 00:54:06,340
So, the school budget is kicked based on the final budget, the school committee office

610
00:54:06,340 --> 00:54:11,260
approved, which included the additional appropriation from the state of a couple hundred thousand.

611
00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:16,040
So they're numbers a little bit lower. It's a little less than 177 and it's less than

612
00:54:16,040 --> 00:54:20,100
the 849, but just so you know, where those numbers are coming from, you can't take the school

613
00:54:20,100 --> 00:54:28,060
budget and Calcult those numbers. The 77.7% of expenses is accurate regarding overall salary

614
00:54:28,060 --> 00:54:31,900
and benefits, but those two numbers are just a little bit different based on how we calculate

615
00:54:31,900 --> 00:54:37,880
them versus how the school calculated it and just to go back to. So that that base year the

616
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:43,480
first year was that was that was the that was the year we were in for a cup of coffee right and

617
00:54:43,480 --> 00:54:49,780
there was a right we just got in and they were and they were doing it. Well I mean in the last two years

618
00:54:49,780 --> 00:54:53,900
they were just a couple of people apart in the nation. Twenty five yeah was twenty four and twenty five

619
00:54:53,900 --> 00:54:59,600
that after you had gavled the final budget the state reconciled its education aid and the district

620
00:54:59,600 --> 00:54:59,980
Thank you for watching.

621
00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:15,960
In the last two years, there was a couple of months before we reached 25. It was 24 and 25 that after you had gavled the final budget, the state reconciled its education aid and the district received 200 plus thousand in each of the last few years.

622
00:55:16,380 --> 00:55:18,280
So that came after you had already.

623
00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:20,040
No, I understand. Thank you.

624
00:55:20,100 --> 00:55:20,140
Yeah.

625
00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:21,480
You know, prom. Yeah. The other one's supplemental.

626
00:55:21,620 --> 00:55:23,080
We made good supplements like probation.

627
00:55:23,080 --> 00:55:24,340
I think you meant are 19.

628
00:55:24,860 --> 00:55:25,020
Yeah, yeah.

629
00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:26,280
I think you meant ours.

630
00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:27,160
Yeah. No problem.

631
00:55:27,640 --> 00:55:27,680
Yeah.

632
00:55:28,720 --> 00:55:34,720
And you can see the other information that runs through total out that an average total budget increase

633
00:55:34,720 --> 00:55:39,220
over the past five years was averaging for the school district about 1.5 million.

634
00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:43,420
And the average five year tax transfer was just under a million dollars.

635
00:55:43,840 --> 00:55:49,960
So the top number includes state aid and tax transfer, the bottom number includes just the tax transfer.

636
00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:53,780
So, again, we provide this information just for education.

637
00:55:53,780 --> 00:55:58,740
it's not to point fingers, it's not to say we're right you're wrong, it's just to provide

638
00:55:58,740 --> 00:56:03,760
information that these are the numbers. So over the past five years the district we talk

639
00:56:03,760 --> 00:56:08,100
about funding, we talk about under funding, we talk about all those things, we just need to provide

640
00:56:08,100 --> 00:56:14,740
context and I'm not really providing context to say 1.5 is enough. I'm just saying over the past

641
00:56:14,740 --> 00:56:19,900
years maintenance of effort would have been zero. So this is a million and a half,

642
00:56:23,760 --> 00:56:23,760
this is a

643
00:56:23,760 --> 00:56:28,940
past five years. So that's a million dollars over the minimum legally. And I'm not saying

644
00:56:28,940 --> 00:56:33,860
that that's appropriate for our district or that would have been satisfactory to our parents

645
00:56:33,860 --> 00:56:39,920
and students. But when you look at the numbers, it's important to recognize what the contributions

646
00:56:39,920 --> 00:56:43,800
have. And I think that's been noted by a number of people both at town and school in recent

647
00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:48,260
meetings in terms of the work of the council and the administration regarding support for education.

648
00:56:48,700 --> 00:56:53,280
It may never be enough, but it's important to know that we're functioning at a level

649
00:56:53,760 --> 00:57:01,100
Well above what the minimum requirements are by the Department of Education and the percentage of the town budget

650
00:57:01,100 --> 00:57:03,220
That's going for the school

651
00:57:03,220 --> 00:57:11,160
and roughly I wrote down 85 percent now 85 percent is how much of their budget comes from the local appropriation according to you

652
00:57:11,160 --> 00:57:11,740
How much?

653
00:57:12,380 --> 00:57:15,400
So it's 42 or 43 of

654
00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:16,360
six

655
00:57:17,770 --> 00:57:19,990
That's the percentage

656
00:57:19,990 --> 00:57:21,830
of the levee.

657
00:57:22,090 --> 00:57:22,130
Yeah.

658
00:57:22,250 --> 00:57:26,810
These five year numbers in terms of school appropriations,

659
00:57:27,310 --> 00:57:27,950
they include COVID.

660
00:57:31,530 --> 00:57:36,690
So that was all, you know, those were odd times, you know,

661
00:57:36,750 --> 00:57:38,970
some of the years you budget things, and then you're not in school,

662
00:57:39,090 --> 00:57:41,990
and that actually saved money, or cost money, or something, you know,

663
00:57:42,290 --> 00:57:45,390
so it was, anyway, yeah, those weren't steady state.

664
00:57:45,450 --> 00:57:45,610
Yeah.

665
00:57:45,730 --> 00:57:48,390
As I took point out, according to Yacoa,

666
00:57:48,390 --> 00:57:53,870
our our appropriation to them has grown over the past five years.

667
00:57:54,230 --> 00:57:59,970
We're now at 85% of their budget comes from municipal sources where they started out some

668
00:57:59,970 --> 00:58:05,850
more around 80% so we haven't creased our contribution to the schools and they haven't

669
00:58:05,850 --> 00:58:11,390
been the tax payers are paying higher percentage of the educational cost and they were.

670
00:58:11,630 --> 00:58:16,070
Yeah and the their revenue one for other items has not increased.

671
00:58:16,070 --> 00:58:20,950
Yeah, so those points are really important right now and not here locally for me.

672
00:58:21,110 --> 00:58:24,770
They're more important. I say this to people at the state level and that was some of

673
00:58:24,770 --> 00:58:28,410
the information that I got forward into the council. I recently talked about cost per pupil.

674
00:58:28,930 --> 00:58:33,350
And we hear locally I hear at the state level. You screenage campaign more, right?

675
00:58:33,470 --> 00:58:37,870
Your cost per pupil is really low and basically they take it out of context and they don't

676
00:58:37,870 --> 00:58:42,450
really know what they're talking about until you look at the numbers. So when you look at our

677
00:58:42,450 --> 00:58:45,450
local share, you compare every district in the state,

678
00:58:45,770 --> 00:58:48,330
and you look at what each community is contributing

679
00:58:49,070 --> 00:58:51,330
in thousands of dollars per student,

680
00:58:51,770 --> 00:58:54,630
each graduate was ranked 14th out of 36 districts.

681
00:58:55,470 --> 00:58:57,470
So I think that's not at the top,

682
00:58:57,490 --> 00:58:59,170
but I think it's a respectable number,

683
00:58:59,630 --> 00:59:01,450
especially when six of those districts

684
00:59:01,450 --> 00:59:04,010
are some of the smallest districts in the state,

685
00:59:04,390 --> 00:59:07,450
thus forcing the really the loss of economies of scale.

686
00:59:07,450 --> 00:59:09,150
They just don't have it because they don't have the numbers.

687
00:59:09,510 --> 00:59:11,230
So they're cost are dramatically higher.

688
00:59:11,230 --> 00:59:14,050
If you remove those, and I'm talking like the James Towns

689
00:59:14,050 --> 00:59:16,590
Little Comptons, Block Islands, and those are the ones

690
00:59:16,590 --> 00:59:20,390
that are dramatically higher foster, communities like that,

691
00:59:20,430 --> 00:59:22,230
even if they're involved in a regional basis,

692
00:59:22,310 --> 00:59:24,770
they do break them out individually, foster,

693
00:59:24,910 --> 00:59:26,230
foster, and a few other towns.

694
00:59:26,430 --> 00:59:28,530
Look at our incomparable Andy, it all.

695
00:59:29,430 --> 00:59:32,250
So when you pull those out and you look at Comps, we're in the top 10.

696
00:59:32,610 --> 00:59:34,990
So again, may not be enough.

697
00:59:35,250 --> 00:59:37,290
The council community might want to spend more.

698
00:59:37,570 --> 00:59:39,590
But when you talk about at the local level,

699
00:59:39,590 --> 00:59:42,710
And I point the finger at the council and I say, you're underfunding.

700
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:12,100
Like 32 or 33. So when you integrate what the community received in terms of state aid, we fall to the bottom. And that's what everyone refers to. And they say, boy, he's granted, you should be paying a lot more.

701
01:00:20,500 --> 01:00:28,000
Doesn't mean it can't be changed. But those are the kind of facts that I'm hoping that we can engage. And we can agree to disagree on what they mean and how they're interpreted.

702
01:00:28,000 --> 01:00:55,020
But I think it's important when he's going to charge over 13,800 per student, local share that that is competing with a lot of districts and I'll be honest with you the districts that are spending 22, 23, 24,000, many of them have a $2,000 local share, $3,000 local share and $4,000, that's what's being contributed by their local community to support their students.

703
01:00:55,020 --> 01:00:58,520
So, again, different towns, different situation,

704
01:00:59,240 --> 01:01:01,760
but I think it's really the state aid piece.

705
01:01:02,080 --> 01:01:04,640
And when we talk about equity, at least in my conversations,

706
01:01:04,860 --> 01:01:08,920
and I don't garner a lot of support when I talk this way with state officials,

707
01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:13,480
but it's important that, again, and I've noted this for the council as well,

708
01:01:14,000 --> 01:01:17,540
everybody has full respect to support those districts that need the added help.

709
01:01:17,940 --> 01:01:20,740
You just cannot, everyone wants to be a high performer.

710
01:01:20,740 --> 01:01:25,260
You just can't pull back communities that are high-performing.

711
01:01:25,400 --> 01:01:27,900
We all want to have a leg up and we all want to support.

712
01:01:27,960 --> 01:01:31,560
And I think the numbers play out that he screened it just contributing at a local level

713
01:01:31,560 --> 01:01:32,680
a decent amount.

714
01:01:32,800 --> 01:01:35,600
Doesn't mean it can't be improved going forward, but it's a good amount.

715
01:01:35,760 --> 01:01:40,220
So that's some of the educating that I'm trying to do at the state level, not always well

716
01:01:40,220 --> 01:01:40,640
received.

717
01:01:40,680 --> 01:01:46,260
I can tell you right now, but I think you've got to continue to stand for your community

718
01:01:46,260 --> 01:01:50,000
and the needs that you have, whether you're in each screened at your central falls.

719
01:01:50,000 --> 01:01:52,980
you have to continue to fight for your community. So that's what we do.

720
01:01:53,160 --> 01:01:59,460
In any of that, that point about the local share funding per student, I amplified that point

721
01:01:59,460 --> 01:02:05,860
you made in your letter and said that at the committee and kind of tried to put it in context with

722
01:02:05,860 --> 01:02:10,940
so don't look at cost per student. Cost per taxpayer per student is really the issue. What's the

723
01:02:10,940 --> 01:02:17,400
local share and we're spending it. We're taxing and we're spending it on the students at some

724
01:02:17,400 --> 01:02:22,660
highest levels in the state, especially when you take out block island in a little, those that aren't

725
01:02:22,660 --> 01:02:29,100
statistically comparable. You know, I also pointed out that when they're happy to let

726
01:02:29,100 --> 01:02:35,120
be those taxes pass them down locally, that they leave us in a position where you are income,

727
01:02:35,640 --> 01:02:42,840
our median income is used to reduce our funding. And the only way we can make that up is to

728
01:02:42,840 --> 01:02:46,780
property taxes, which is largely a regressive tax.

729
01:02:47,760 --> 01:02:54,140
It's not like we can pass on and do it as an income-based way locally, where the wealthier

730
01:02:54,140 --> 01:02:58,260
people with the higher income pay have bigger share than somebody who's living on social

731
01:02:58,260 --> 01:03:00,600
security on a country road in East Greenwich.

732
01:03:00,960 --> 01:03:03,300
We don't have the ability to do that, so it's regressive.

733
01:03:03,460 --> 01:03:10,100
Their house gets hit just like the people who are still working and could afford it.

734
01:03:10,100 --> 01:03:16,220
And it's just, it's not consistent with the way we in Rhode Island and the nation have decided

735
01:03:16,220 --> 01:03:19,200
that we fund sort of the public good.

736
01:03:19,440 --> 01:03:21,920
It's usually through a graduated income tax.

737
01:03:21,940 --> 01:03:22,800
That's how we do it.

738
01:03:22,820 --> 01:03:24,940
It's just, it fails at the local level.

739
01:03:25,260 --> 01:03:28,700
And when I was talking about that, I saw some heads not any at least understood the regressive

740
01:03:28,700 --> 01:03:31,520
nature of what they're doing when they kick it to us.

741
01:03:31,880 --> 01:03:35,940
At the state level, fine, raise taxes, income tax more, and you fund it.

742
01:03:36,040 --> 01:03:36,840
And then it's not fair.

743
01:03:36,840 --> 01:03:40,320
But doing it this way, it's not.

744
01:03:40,920 --> 01:03:46,960
Also, Andy, you said it in your, in this book here, but I think a lot of people in the

745
01:03:46,960 --> 01:03:53,220
public, and we've had people come here, say, we need to quote fully fun in the schools.

746
01:03:54,360 --> 01:04:03,430
And I don't really know what that means exactly, but when I, I've spoken numerous times

747
01:04:03,430 --> 01:04:10,250
to Mr. Andrade, Mr. De Silva, talk to them about lots of different things, and they laughed

748
01:04:10,250 --> 01:04:16,350
when I said that, you know, we funding, they feel we're doing a very good job. So can you just

749
01:04:16,350 --> 01:04:20,650
maybe address that fully funding comment that we hear quite frequently?

750
01:04:21,070 --> 01:04:25,890
Yeah, I'm not, I think my best guess is kind of what I refer to a little bit earlier, and it

751
01:04:25,890 --> 01:04:30,290
be similar to me saying, you know, the council should fully fund municipal operations. So that

752
01:04:30,290 --> 01:04:36,710
basically means that as my professional team stands before you and makes requests that to fully

753
01:04:36,710 --> 01:04:42,610
fund them would mean you need to approve of whatever they're requesting because as professionals

754
01:04:42,610 --> 01:04:47,570
they know what they need and you should just support them and anything less than that you're

755
01:04:47,570 --> 01:04:52,590
not fully funding them. And I would think that that applies to the district as well, right?

756
01:04:52,590 --> 01:04:58,390
So as you go forward, I think the challenge we have is that you're the public body that has to balance

757
01:04:58,390 --> 01:04:59,670
all those interests.

758
01:05:00,000 --> 01:05:08,020
Right? And the balance of our demographic in the community and put a plan together so that we can advance all those areas in a systematic way.

759
01:05:08,860 --> 01:05:16,420
Instead of the pendulum swinging where you have certain leadership, which have dramatic cuts, and then it swings back and you have dramatic expansion and services.

760
01:05:16,800 --> 01:05:27,060
That is really not, that's not a fair way for local patch bank residents, right? You want, they want consistency. I think most are comfortable spending a little more each year.

761
01:05:27,060 --> 01:05:32,320
they know costs only go in one direction, they only rise, generally taxes do the same, not always,

762
01:05:32,840 --> 01:05:38,260
but generally they do the same. So in that case, I think my best guest Karen is that that's

763
01:05:38,260 --> 01:05:44,520
what it's referring to. So for me, and I think the staff knows that, is that there is a balance,

764
01:05:45,020 --> 01:05:50,800
and they have to trust me when I, and our finance team and others, we make strategic decisions,

765
01:05:50,800 --> 01:05:55,300
and we know we know we're reacting to the school construction initiative.

766
01:05:56,280 --> 01:05:59,080
So not, it's a municipal function, a municipal initiative,

767
01:05:59,360 --> 01:06:02,720
but really emanating from one of the largest department that we have.

768
01:06:03,220 --> 01:06:11,440
And that that grease debt over the next 25 years is going to not only affect municipal program,

769
01:06:11,560 --> 01:06:15,960
municipal debt, but it's going to affect some things that we haven't even thought about yet

770
01:06:15,960 --> 01:06:18,060
20 years from now that the town may be facing.

771
01:06:18,060 --> 01:06:43,780
So, we have to find some balance in doing that and we need to be prepared both ways so that when the town is taking on a major initiative, whether that's a through pay-go capital or the bonding that there are other needs that can easily be defended in any of our larger departments that might have to be foregone for a period of time, it may take us three years to budget to get the ladder truck, you may not be able to get it in year one, right?

772
01:06:43,780 --> 01:06:48,540
So we need to be able to plan that out and that's most of the work that Tristas and Bird

773
01:06:48,540 --> 01:06:53,760
Department in terms of laying out the long-term schedule, manipulating and managing potential

774
01:06:53,760 --> 01:06:59,960
tax rates along with property values to be able to find a formula or a plan that we think

775
01:06:59,960 --> 01:07:02,600
will be palatable for the makeup or residents that we have.

776
01:07:03,320 --> 01:07:07,680
So it's much more complicated, plus the decision making is not fun, right?

777
01:07:07,820 --> 01:07:12,820
So that's hard decisions because everybody's an advocate, they're all bringing great things

778
01:07:12,820 --> 01:07:21,040
forward. Every department is no matter what. And so the chat and you know this because you've served for so long, all of you, is that that decision probably the toughest one you make.

779
01:07:21,460 --> 01:07:35,760
Where does the cut come? You got to cut the library because the police department needs a new vehicle. Where are you going to make those cuts? And I think the hope is is that we, the professional team are going to debate those issues and come up with a plan that you're comfortable with by the time you have to vote.

780
01:07:35,760 --> 01:07:40,480
But that's not a vote that anybody else in town has to make trading off services.

781
01:07:41,440 --> 01:07:51,020
Or trading off a service because you know that the tax impact is just too great for too many people in the town and needs to be spread out over a period of time.

782
01:07:51,100 --> 01:07:54,660
Those are the conversations not a lot of people want to have, especially advocates, right?

783
01:07:54,720 --> 01:07:57,760
Because it's important about the one issue that they're working on.

784
01:07:57,980 --> 01:08:02,360
But it is a challenge really in every municipality to make those hard decisions.

785
01:08:02,360 --> 01:08:06,780
and we try to do the best that we can as a professional team to make your job a little easier

786
01:08:06,780 --> 01:08:12,320
by compromising an advance and bringing you a program that we think will fit but still advance

787
01:08:12,320 --> 01:08:13,720
all those important services.

788
01:08:16,620 --> 01:08:20,060
I don't know if you want to stay in this area but um

789
01:08:20,060 --> 01:08:28,060
the other question that we get a lot that I've gotten a lot is we have a fun balance take the fun

790
01:08:28,060 --> 01:08:35,620
take money out of the fund balance and you know spread it around and as I read what you

791
01:08:35,900 --> 01:08:44,740
put in your report you can correct me if I'm wrong. Good government financial offices

792
01:08:44,740 --> 01:08:54,100
association says you need about two months of operating budget right to to be a revenues right

793
01:08:54,100 --> 01:09:03,560
revenues. That's one thing that we need. We have that right now, a little bit short, right?

794
01:09:03,780 --> 01:09:12,560
We're short because we're advancing the school bonds. We've already printed $4.8 million for

795
01:09:12,560 --> 01:09:17,700
that project, which means it's impacting my operating budget because that's money I don't have to

796
01:09:17,700 --> 01:09:24,080
invest, right? So we're a little short there. And I know a lot of people come and

797
01:09:24,080 --> 01:09:29,880
you know, that the bond rating, we want a high bond rating, I mean, that's, that's to the

798
01:09:29,880 --> 01:09:37,300
town benefit, right? You want to, yeah, right? And, and it costs money not to have it, right?

799
01:09:38,180 --> 01:09:44,260
And if you have, use your surplus for operating classes, now you have a structural deficit,

800
01:10:00,000 --> 01:10:04,600
Somehow, which means we're going to have to raise tax even more. The structural deficit is probably

801
01:10:05,080 --> 01:10:10,180
the worst thing at town or any budget could ever have. Would you agree with that? That just

802
01:10:10,180 --> 01:10:12,060
leads to disaster later on?

803
01:10:14,300 --> 01:10:18,460
I mean, I think it's just, it's, there is a cost to it, right? I

804
01:10:18,460 --> 01:10:22,220
know it's, it's not just the savings account. You take it a little bit of money. You can put it back

805
01:10:22,220 --> 01:10:28,600
quickly. We're talking big dollars, right? So this is, this is significant dollars at a time when

806
01:10:28,600 --> 01:10:32,100
communities borrowing the most, it's ever in its history, right?

807
01:10:32,140 --> 01:10:34,660
150 million plus dollars, they're going to be bonding.

808
01:10:35,220 --> 01:10:39,060
So if the rating is impacted, I can't tell you that the rating would be affected in the

809
01:10:39,060 --> 01:10:44,640
coming months, but if it was affected, there is a cost to that going forward.

810
01:10:44,980 --> 01:10:47,460
I just want to say, like I've heard people say we choose a bond.

811
01:10:47,580 --> 01:10:50,580
So let's use a million dollars of bond, right?

812
01:10:50,860 --> 01:10:56,020
Well, that's permanently in the budget, if it's if it's structural, which means that

813
01:10:56,020 --> 01:11:03,320
to 10 years, we have no money left at all. So to use our bond, unless it's a one time project,

814
01:11:03,900 --> 01:11:09,260
is absolutely crazy. And that's just my opinion. And this is one case that I would look back,

815
01:11:09,300 --> 01:11:14,680
because I think we could find around the country, thousands of examples of communities that have

816
01:11:14,680 --> 01:11:21,220
done something like that based on leadership's decision to use available funding. And you can easily

817
01:11:21,220 --> 01:11:24,340
see the impact that it's had on them.

818
01:11:24,880 --> 01:11:26,180
And I think even here, right?

819
01:11:26,580 --> 01:11:31,380
And I think the other piece to that Aaron is the whole issue of a fun balance, which is

820
01:11:31,380 --> 01:11:32,300
the whole town, right?

821
01:11:32,540 --> 01:11:33,680
It's really for a margin.

822
01:11:34,080 --> 01:11:35,820
It's for a nutritious note.

823
01:11:36,120 --> 01:11:39,620
It's a allowing project to go forward, like the school project.

824
01:11:39,800 --> 01:11:43,840
We can front dollars now in June when going into July when the debt is issued.

825
01:11:43,960 --> 01:11:45,100
We'll pay ourselves back.

826
01:11:45,380 --> 01:11:47,840
So at some point, then we'll have the five million back.

827
01:11:47,840 --> 01:11:53,260
So, but you're fronting dollars so you can save money, our consultant team can advance the

828
01:11:53,260 --> 01:11:53,760
project.

829
01:11:54,060 --> 01:11:55,600
We don't lose reimbursement from Rye.

830
01:11:55,640 --> 01:11:59,260
I mean, it's a complicated process, the decision making that goes into it.

831
01:11:59,460 --> 01:12:03,680
But we do that with a lot of projects, a lot of smaller projects, happenly a million dollar

832
01:12:03,680 --> 01:12:08,300
projects where we sometimes have to front dollars, like you decided to do on the communications

833
01:12:08,300 --> 01:12:09,160
for public safety.

834
01:12:09,600 --> 01:12:14,820
We thought that was deserving of advancing the project because of the potential ramifications

835
01:12:14,820 --> 01:12:19,300
if we don't of advancing that, so our public safety officials have the best communications that

836
01:12:20,540 --> 01:12:24,580
function to keep our residents safe. We're going to front that doll as we're going to pay ourselves back.

837
01:12:25,200 --> 01:12:30,580
So again, not setting up a short capital to one-time manufacturing expenditure. So it's important.

838
01:12:30,800 --> 01:12:34,480
It's not that we don't want to solve a problem, but I think it's important to look at

839
01:12:35,260 --> 01:12:41,060
other funds, how they've been used, and at times when you advance funds, and then you run out of time,

840
01:12:41,060 --> 01:12:44,380
in the funding is gone, you then have to replace the funding,

841
01:12:44,500 --> 01:12:47,160
well, you have to have a major service reduction.

842
01:12:48,000 --> 01:12:50,140
An example would be the state of Rhode Island

843
01:12:50,140 --> 01:12:51,940
with our opera funds, okay?

844
01:12:51,940 --> 01:12:55,000
So it's not as if all of the officials in Rhode Island

845
01:12:55,000 --> 01:12:57,220
didn't know that the federal money was not gonna keep

846
01:12:57,220 --> 01:12:58,520
coming year after year for year.

847
01:12:59,200 --> 01:13:03,740
You knew there would deadline set, commit it by the end of 24,

848
01:13:04,380 --> 01:13:06,460
use it, or lose it by the end of 26.

849
01:13:07,060 --> 01:13:10,820
That funding's gone, but if you wanna see budget growth,

850
01:13:11,060 --> 01:13:20,600
Look at the state budget over the past five years. I mean, the budget growth has been incredible and for a lot of good reasons right a lot of good public support service

851
01:13:20,600 --> 01:13:27,360
societal impacts that the money's being used for but everybody knew that the money was going to be gone and it couldn't be easily replaced

852
01:13:27,360 --> 01:13:34,440
So now the challenge which you heard at the state house last week was there is no money and there's going to be significant

853
01:13:35,120 --> 01:13:46,240
programmatic, not only capital, but programmatic cuts at the state level that it can affect a lot of fantastic organizations that do great work, but that's a structural deficit, might the money is just not there.

854
01:13:46,620 --> 01:13:56,060
And, as I say, also not only are there going to be cuts, I think there's going to be significant tax raises on people's state income tax from what I'm hearing.

855
01:13:57,440 --> 01:14:01,800
We're going down a long tunnel right now. I don't know how long until we get out.

856
01:14:01,800 --> 01:14:05,940
First, do you say, what do we have to now in advancing funds on the school project?

857
01:14:06,100 --> 01:14:09,440
I'll spend $5 million in that, until March.

858
01:14:09,860 --> 01:14:14,380
So I'll have another probably $750,000 for April.

859
01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:22,340
Right. So those who want us to spend our fund balance, we're doing that in a very, very big way,

860
01:14:22,500 --> 01:14:28,900
we're advancing that and we're doing it in a responsible way. This money is coming back. It's just

861
01:14:28,900 --> 01:14:33,840
laid. And the reason is the delay in advancing the school project

862
01:14:33,840 --> 01:14:38,560
caused us to lose the pay-go. Otherwise, we'd have 11 or 12 million dollars,

863
01:14:39,020 --> 01:14:43,240
right, of smoothing money that would not impact us in that way.

864
01:15:02,440 --> 01:15:11,940
So, that's what's causing. This is a double whammy for us, because we weren't slated to issue these bonds until next year. That was the plan initially. So.

865
01:15:11,940 --> 01:15:16,080
Right. And this in the end is to actually save. So we're spending the money to save money, right?

866
01:15:16,320 --> 01:15:25,260
Yeah, it's fine. And at this point, unless something changes in the process, the schools are most of that school work. It's expected to be finished going into the fall of 27.

867
01:15:25,260 --> 01:15:31,000
little over two years from now. So if we stay on a, on course with our approvals,

868
01:15:32,460 --> 01:15:37,180
we'll committee council ultimately approve the plans. We agree on a place where we're going to advance

869
01:15:37,180 --> 01:15:42,360
that that work is going to happen very, very quickly, which should save a significant money in the end.

870
01:15:42,480 --> 01:15:46,540
And hopefully some of those savings can be rolled back into address some of the other needs within.

871
01:15:46,920 --> 01:15:50,940
And for those who don't spend their time at our school construction committee,

872
01:15:50,940 --> 01:15:58,560
The part of working with Conceived League was that we can save money if we sprint.

873
01:15:59,380 --> 01:16:04,180
You know, we were at the initial assessment was $500,000 a month.

874
01:16:05,480 --> 01:16:13,240
And what that required was that we support their all hands-on deck multi-lateral effort.

875
01:16:13,920 --> 01:16:16,060
And that's what we decided to do.

876
01:16:16,060 --> 01:16:23,940
And so we are advancing those funds significantly, but there's just no escaping that it's a good project. I think we're going to land it

877
01:16:23,940 --> 01:16:39,680
I do think that the loss of pay-go simply means that there's going to be a three and a half four year impact on the tax rate that wasn't anticipated at a time when the state funding cuts occur at a time

878
01:16:39,680 --> 01:16:44,960
more in contract negotiations for all of our labor groups, right? At a time when inflation is up

879
01:16:44,960 --> 01:16:50,840
and when federal funding on all fronts is down. So it's a perfect conjunction of the spheres

880
01:16:51,380 --> 01:16:57,500
and that's why we're going above our 4% cap, all for good reasons, but we're going to do it.

881
01:16:58,480 --> 01:17:09,660
I'd like to reiterate that and also point out that I've also heard the same thing that

882
01:17:09,660 --> 01:17:14,580
We're using, this is what this bond was for, intentionally, to accept the school buildings

883
01:17:15,180 --> 01:17:24,160
and, you know, it's unfortunate that there was a delay with that cost us the pay

884
01:17:24,160 --> 01:17:24,580
go money.

885
01:17:24,620 --> 01:17:28,100
And it's unfortunate that it's going to cost it down because there are other projects that

886
01:17:28,100 --> 01:17:29,340
we should be doing as well.

887
01:17:31,040 --> 01:17:32,400
So, thank you for that, excuse me.

888
01:17:33,640 --> 01:17:37,880
As long as we're talking about the schools right now, I think it's also important to talk

889
01:17:37,880 --> 01:17:45,660
to say that I think, frankly, we need a better partner in funding, in budgeting,

890
01:17:47,720 --> 01:17:48,700
they overestimated

891
01:17:48,700 --> 01:17:57,180
the revenues by 600,000. The electricity line item was wrong. This year it was wrong. Last year

892
01:17:57,180 --> 01:18:08,240
and we told them not to count it. We might not even get the revenue until 26. The Medicaid money

893
01:18:08,240 --> 01:18:14,600
again, wrongly counted, and when I specifically asked that question,

894
01:18:15,840 --> 01:18:21,580
aren't you underestimating? She said, no, it's going to be $300,000, and it's not $300,000.

895
01:18:23,240 --> 01:18:33,600
So then we had the audit last week. The auditor said they had $100,000 deficit on

896
01:18:35,080 --> 01:18:44,520
school lunch program. They have to make that up. Don't know why. There was also an over $100,000 deficit

897
01:18:44,520 --> 01:18:53,320
in purchase services. That may be legitimate. We just don't know what that is. So, we, we here

898
01:18:53,320 --> 01:19:00,400
as a council, we get at least me. I get sort of angry when people say, you know, we're not fully

899
01:19:00,400 --> 01:19:08,180
funding, we should be taking out money, we're funding 4% this year, we funded 4% last year.

900
01:19:10,220 --> 01:19:16,580
And we've told them when they had, you know, millions of dollars in the budget to use some of it.

901
01:19:16,580 --> 01:19:21,660
And understand that their fund balance isn't the same as our fund balance. Those are different entities.

902
01:19:21,660 --> 01:19:32,600
And so I want to support the schools, I think we do support the schools, but we frankly need a better partner.

903
01:19:33,040 --> 01:19:37,620
I'm more reliable partner because what they're doing is unsustainable.

904
01:19:38,020 --> 01:19:41,100
They rely on fund balances unsustainable.

905
01:19:42,360 --> 01:19:44,560
So that sort of has to change.

906
01:19:47,510 --> 01:19:50,590
The engine or the next page, almost through some of these quickly.

907
01:19:50,770 --> 01:19:54,130
This is a great page to refer to, combined statement on sources and uses,

908
01:19:54,630 --> 01:19:59,970
as all the revenues, all the expenditures for all the various elements in the oil.

909
01:20:00,000 --> 01:20:06,740
We just have a card and not a card. And I'm a top part. You can see the history in terms of single

910
01:20:06,740 --> 01:20:14,520
studying with assessment dates, single households, net on taxes, overall real estate rates

911
01:20:14,520 --> 01:20:21,120
for residential tangible and kind of runs through there. Then at the bottom is normally a

912
01:20:21,120 --> 01:20:25,120
similar slide that we will engage the council on when you're actually setting the tax rates and we'll

913
01:20:25,120 --> 01:20:29,440
your residential commercial, what a vehicle and personal property, and so you'll you'll

914
01:20:29,440 --> 01:20:37,360
leave increase and this really covers from FY19 through FY25. So it shows last year and

915
01:20:37,360 --> 01:20:43,820
it's just for rounding reasons it says 3.99 or 4% the prior year we're at 3.96 but that

916
01:20:43,820 --> 01:20:49,500
was also a 4% so as things round and adjustments occur these numbers change slightly.

917
01:20:49,500 --> 01:20:51,060
That's from final value.

918
01:20:52,100 --> 01:20:58,220
So by the time you adopt the budget, we're still finalizing our tax roll.

919
01:20:58,660 --> 01:21:01,640
So that's why you adopt the budget, that's it.

920
01:21:01,760 --> 01:21:04,860
But we're still doing work in finance on the tax roll.

921
01:21:05,060 --> 01:21:07,920
So that's why it's not an actual 4%.

922
01:21:07,920 --> 01:21:12,680
We saw a little bit of increase in the value, which decreases that tax rate.

923
01:21:15,200 --> 01:21:15,800
Expagely.

924
01:21:16,860 --> 01:21:19,300
So this is a tax cap calculation.

925
01:21:19,300 --> 01:21:26,540
And so here, this is just focusing on the residential rate, which in the first column, for actual FY-25.

926
01:21:26,540 --> 01:21:33,280
It's $14.73. The maximum that allowed without an exception is 1525.

927
01:21:33,760 --> 01:21:46,130
We're proposing an increase to 1546, or 21 cent adjustment in terms of the exception that was requested by division of municipal finance.

928
01:21:46,130 --> 01:21:51,350
But the bottom of that page, it also shows the 4% tax cap impact.

929
01:21:51,670 --> 01:21:55,610
It shows your average home cost at about 726,000.

930
01:21:55,810 --> 01:22:01,870
It shows the two different rates and it shows you the differential of 525 dollars in 76 cents.

931
01:22:02,390 --> 01:22:06,650
So, should everything remain equal, the rates stay the same, the value stay the same.

932
01:22:07,090 --> 01:22:12,330
You're looking at about a $43.81 per month increase on the residential side.

933
01:22:12,590 --> 01:22:15,290
And that's assuming that the commercial side doesn't increase.

934
01:22:16,070 --> 01:22:21,310
That's a discussion that I'm sure the council will want to have in the coming weeks.

935
01:22:22,390 --> 01:22:23,030
Expagely.

936
01:22:24,190 --> 01:22:26,110
This is just a little more detail.

937
01:22:27,190 --> 01:22:30,590
As Trish had noted earlier, a town manager proposed general fund budget.

938
01:22:31,070 --> 01:22:36,270
A little more of a breakdown and this includes your actuals for 24 adopted and projected for 25.

939
01:22:36,990 --> 01:22:42,990
Your department request for 26 and then your proposed manager budget for 26.

940
01:22:42,990 --> 01:22:44,770
I'll install the individual department.

941
01:22:44,810 --> 01:22:47,490
These are all rolled up, and then later on,

942
01:22:47,570 --> 01:22:49,870
when the department's present, they'll be able to provide

943
01:22:51,150 --> 01:22:53,210
each individual line item.

944
01:22:55,320 --> 01:22:57,600
Next page is just a breakdown on expenditures

945
01:22:57,600 --> 01:23:03,720
by use type, same headers of the FY24 actual,

946
01:23:04,180 --> 01:23:06,880
adopted projected 25 and 26 proposed.

947
01:23:07,360 --> 01:23:10,200
This breaks it down by expenditure type

948
01:23:10,900 --> 01:23:13,820
by use type of salaries benefit services.

949
01:23:13,820 --> 01:23:22,220
Capital, materials, insurance, other miscellaneous, and transfers as previously plus as a pie chart to break it out.

950
01:23:24,760 --> 01:23:27,380
Next page talks about all budgeted fund expenditures.

951
01:23:28,660 --> 01:23:31,040
Same header, same years provided.

952
01:23:31,440 --> 01:23:37,140
This breaks down the general fund, which is general government, general services, public safety public works.

953
01:23:37,580 --> 01:23:39,960
Community resources, fire department.

954
01:23:41,300 --> 01:23:46,700
Now, on-departmentals in your capital outlay, you'll see in the final column you've got

955
01:23:46,700 --> 01:23:54,400
your $28,524,702 as proposed for the general fund, you've got a debt service fund, and

956
01:23:54,400 --> 01:23:59,300
again, these are just the expenditures side, not the revenues of $6.4 million.

957
01:23:59,540 --> 01:24:05,120
You've got the wastewater fund at $4.8 million, a school department at $50 million, 50.1,

958
01:24:05,120 --> 01:24:11,780
almost 50.2 million, the library funded just under 600,000 totaling out to that all fund

959
01:24:11,780 --> 01:24:21,170
expenditure amount of 90,583,000. The next page includes a breakdown, all budgeted funds

960
01:24:21,170 --> 01:24:26,990
summaries. So again, again, same header of the actual adopted rejected and proposed.

961
01:24:27,450 --> 01:24:32,590
You'd go to breakdown by revenue, in this case, which has general fund school fund debt service

962
01:24:32,590 --> 01:24:36,490
and wastewater fund, and these are just on the revenue side.

963
01:24:36,690 --> 01:24:38,630
On the top half of the page, on the bottom half,

964
01:24:38,730 --> 01:24:42,950
you have expenditures by fund, same for categories,

965
01:24:43,430 --> 01:24:45,230
so it gives you total expenditures by fund,

966
01:25:02,450 --> 01:25:07,570
Next page, you've got general fund revenues in a different diagram.

967
01:25:15,180 --> 01:25:18,160
Next page is state revenues. It's passed through when education aid.

968
01:25:18,200 --> 01:25:27,820
So at the top is the number is reflected in the reduction in aid of just under 66 million 100,000 down from the local, the loss of over 800.

969
01:25:28,160 --> 01:25:36,800
You've got municipal pass through aid categories of public service cooperation tax, hotel tax, meals and beverage, which continues to increase at a rating.

970
01:25:36,800 --> 01:25:39,200
the projection was even a little higher than that.

971
01:25:39,480 --> 01:25:42,880
Appropriated state aid, you're seeing an increase of over 105,000

972
01:25:42,880 --> 01:25:45,460
funding win-win-tech based on property value increases.

973
01:25:46,400 --> 01:25:51,740
We've got a pilot at Ken Hospital, just on the 13,700 motor vehicle,

974
01:25:51,840 --> 01:25:55,420
phase out at 2.4 million statewide tangible tax exemption.

975
01:25:55,540 --> 01:26:00,120
This is the new funding Trishard referred to at 546,000,

976
01:26:00,120 --> 01:26:02,360
so you've got a total of just over $5 million.

977
01:26:02,360 --> 01:26:08,940
But looking at an increase of about six hundred and eighty three thousand, mostly due to that tangible tax exemption.

978
01:26:09,380 --> 01:26:13,400
Can I ask a question, can we do our own meal and beverage tax?

979
01:26:15,660 --> 01:26:19,440
Like, you know, instead of doing the state amount, there's an abling legislation for that.

980
01:26:20,280 --> 01:26:28,120
Yeah. So pretty much, the state has the ability to tax and they give us a very limited ability for us to tax.

981
01:26:28,300 --> 01:26:31,220
Anything else would require an act of the general assembly?

982
01:26:31,220 --> 01:26:35,560
could be out from us you. They are not giving up tax on liquor to us.

983
01:26:39,920 --> 01:26:48,120
I was hoping they let us do income tax. You may recall that the years ago there was a

984
01:26:48,120 --> 01:26:55,480
suggestion from a school committee member that we have our property taxes also be somehow

985
01:26:55,480 --> 01:27:01,580
be reflective of our income, and we had to have a discussion about how that's an income tax,

986
01:27:02,160 --> 01:27:05,260
and the state would never ever.

987
01:27:05,500 --> 01:27:11,600
I see in that, I mean, the amount of beverages that this town sells and the amount of,

988
01:27:12,040 --> 01:27:17,400
you see that our public safety ends up going to directly affected by those,

989
01:27:17,600 --> 01:27:20,780
but those would make a really good offset quite honestly.

990
01:27:20,780 --> 01:27:39,780
The usual effort locally is a municipality start charging bees, wink, wink for certain things, which are taxes, you know, and then that's the litigation. So these people have done this. This has been done before people.

991
01:27:40,340 --> 01:27:40,860
I mean,

992
01:27:45,040 --> 01:27:46,260
why not?

993
01:27:46,280 --> 01:27:49,300
I think we're not getting enough for that.

994
01:27:49,420 --> 01:27:50,100
Try it, Renew.

995
01:27:50,240 --> 01:27:52,220
Well, it doesn't work for you to try it.

996
01:27:52,500 --> 01:27:58,220
That's one of the reasons why we're very supportive of the chamber, because we've been doing well.

997
01:27:58,480 --> 01:28:02,100
Now, again, there's a lot of expenses, operationally, that the town incurs,

998
01:28:03,560 --> 01:28:06,900
EPW, in terms of all the work they do on Main Street, and there's a plowings.

999
01:28:06,900 --> 01:28:08,940
we've been clean, it's a lot else that,

1000
01:28:09,100 --> 01:28:10,480
and this isn't the only commercial district,

1001
01:28:10,500 --> 01:28:13,500
as we know, there's other districts in town as well.

1002
01:28:13,880 --> 01:28:16,140
So there's a lot of other support that go into it,

1003
01:28:16,140 --> 01:28:19,240
but we try to support the organizing entity

1004
01:28:19,240 --> 01:28:21,240
of about a third of those businesses,

1005
01:28:21,340 --> 01:28:22,520
which isn't chambered, commerce.

1006
01:28:24,180 --> 01:28:26,420
But I think it's still showing that

1007
01:28:26,420 --> 01:28:28,260
it's a robust commercial district,

1008
01:28:28,380 --> 01:28:31,440
and it's still doing well, which is, which is.

1009
01:28:31,440 --> 01:28:33,040
I just want a piece of that.

1010
01:28:33,320 --> 01:28:36,280
It's not, you're getting one percent of that.

1011
01:28:36,280 --> 01:28:37,100
as we all do.

1012
01:28:37,100 --> 01:28:38,720
Can she put a toll booth on each and a

1013
01:28:38,720 --> 01:28:40,320
mainstream, so this is a great

1014
01:28:40,320 --> 01:28:40,880
job.

1015
01:28:41,280 --> 01:28:44,240
But the airport, those planes fly over us.

1016
01:28:47,310 --> 01:28:49,610
Well, we don't fall to for trying.

1017
01:28:49,790 --> 01:28:54,010
The next next page is somewhere you

1018
01:28:54,010 --> 01:28:55,150
by category and source.

1019
01:28:55,330 --> 01:28:58,630
So here you have the general property taxes as

1020
01:28:58,630 --> 01:29:01,230
brought across from 2425 and 26.

1021
01:29:01,910 --> 01:29:03,210
You've got state and federal aid.

1022
01:29:03,210 --> 01:29:04,730
It's a nice breakdown there where you see

1023
01:29:04,730 --> 01:29:11,150
the introduction in the projected 25 of the tangible property tax that Trish referred to, the

1024
01:29:11,150 --> 01:29:12,710
546,000.

1025
01:29:12,930 --> 01:29:16,350
You see the other numbers and you can see the trending that's occurred over time and you

1026
01:29:16,350 --> 01:29:19,910
can see where it's consistent and we can rely on and where it's not.

1027
01:29:20,430 --> 01:29:25,630
The addition to that, you've got licenses and permits, revenue from investments, as well

1028
01:29:25,630 --> 01:29:30,630
as department revenue finds and charges broken down at the individual departments to

1029
01:29:30,630 --> 01:29:33,110
just capture that for you over a period of time.

1030
01:29:33,110 --> 01:29:42,010
The fairly consistent in and around that 1.7 million dollar total, it's been below, it's been above, but it's a fairly consistent number in terms of the amount of business.

1031
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:10,620
Like, like, you know, the license, I know we raised our licenses on the beverage and now that stuff. But what if we made it higher?

1032
01:30:12,320 --> 01:30:19,260
Oh, good. I actually all I can see the thousand the golden dog license. That's what radio is going on.

1033
01:30:19,260 --> 01:30:21,780
No, not the dog licenses. Those can't be raised.

1034
01:30:25,840 --> 01:30:29,520
So those an impact and impact fees are the usual.

1035
01:30:30,880 --> 01:30:58,600
Next page covers a summary of accounts by category and source, following pace to that is just a little discussion on general fund revenues, talks about general property tax, the 4.93% levy request talks about the 4% tax transfer to the school, talks about a 20.51% increase in the tax transfer to the debt service fund, a minor overall to minor increase of 97,000,

1036
01:30:58,600 --> 01:31:04,120
$1,750 with the associated anticipation of issuing the $4 million road bonds,

1037
01:31:05,880 --> 01:31:09,280
number of other facts they are associated with just general property taxes,

1038
01:31:09,600 --> 01:31:14,700
prior year interest on taxes has been level funded, as well as the payment and lower tax,

1039
01:31:15,480 --> 01:31:18,880
as increased by the 105,000 is just noted for New England.

1040
01:31:19,880 --> 01:31:25,740
Some comments as well regarding state and federal aid, license and permits, is a lot more detailed

1041
01:31:25,740 --> 01:31:30,280
information and the larger budget document on all these subjects, and then the unassigned

1042
01:31:30,280 --> 01:31:36,480
fund balance use for the town this year is recommended at 500,000. Typically, our process

1043
01:31:36,480 --> 01:31:42,420
is ensuring as Trish noted earlier, there's around 600,000 anticipated at the end of the year.

1044
01:31:42,780 --> 01:31:47,780
That's after we repair ourselves for the 500. So we're not depleting the fund balance. We're

1045
01:31:47,780 --> 01:31:53,100
fronting those dollars with the expectation to keep our tax rate lower with the expectation

1046
01:31:53,100 --> 01:31:59,800
that if we function well in terms of revenue and expense management, we'll cover the 500, so there will be

1047
01:31:59,800 --> 01:32:01,580
no erosion of the fund balance.

1048
01:32:04,620 --> 01:32:08,160
That number had been as high as 600,000 in recent years, so we're

1049
01:32:08,160 --> 01:32:12,520
starting to slowly bring that number down and would like to get it a little bit lower than that

1050
01:32:12,520 --> 01:32:18,120
500 as well. Next page talks about on a signed fund balance, places at about 10.2 million,

1051
01:32:18,120 --> 01:32:26,360
or 13.78 percent. Again, as noted, you know, although the policy and generally for GFOA, it's

1052
01:32:26,360 --> 01:32:32,740
10 to 17 percent. This in no way means that we're comfortable in terms of where we should be and actually

1053
01:32:32,740 --> 01:32:38,200
those two months of expenditures is about 13.3 billion. We're only at 10.2 million. So we're still

1054
01:32:38,200 --> 01:32:43,720
about 3 million dollars off of, I think, where we would like to be at 17 percent. But again,

1055
01:32:43,740 --> 01:32:47,980
you don't need to rush to get there. We just need to plan it out accordingly, especially as we

1056
01:32:47,980 --> 01:32:54,020
with other local priorities that are more important than that goal would be at this particular time.

1057
01:32:54,560 --> 01:32:59,740
Next page is property taxes. Basically breaks down the current taxes generated prior to your

1058
01:32:59,740 --> 01:33:05,660
taxes, interest on taxes and payment and Louis taxes and totaling out cover for the overall tax

1059
01:33:05,660 --> 01:33:12,060
Libby impact, which is in and around that 6768 million dollar total. In the question on that, the

1060
01:33:12,060 --> 01:33:15,600
came in and Lou, it really affects us most with doing

1061
01:33:15,600 --> 01:33:17,320
on tech, right?

1062
01:33:17,960 --> 01:33:21,700
And he is the league getting any word about,

1063
01:33:21,820 --> 01:33:25,560
is this the area we're going to underfund on the general assembly?

1064
01:33:25,620 --> 01:33:27,620
I think this, they're setting up the percentage, right?

1065
01:33:27,760 --> 01:33:29,420
So I think the max is 27%.

1066
01:33:29,420 --> 01:33:30,240
It's 27%.

1067
01:33:30,240 --> 01:33:31,440
It's 27% as the maximum.

1068
01:33:31,920 --> 01:33:32,380
It's 27%.

1069
01:33:32,380 --> 01:33:32,800
Oh, too.

1070
01:33:33,180 --> 01:33:34,440
So usually it's not at 27.

1071
01:33:34,660 --> 01:33:35,360
It's not this year.

1072
01:33:35,620 --> 01:33:35,980
It was last year.

1073
01:33:35,980 --> 01:33:37,480
It's 24, 25.

1074
01:33:37,500 --> 01:33:39,240
It depends on how they set that.

1075
01:33:39,240 --> 01:33:59,920
And so are you plugging in the 27 for that projected revenue for the number that we budget from the governor is from last year, so this number is from last year, so next year once because our values on in yet so next year once we set the tax roll, the number that's appropriated at that time will become 2027.

1076
01:34:03,490 --> 01:34:11,870
Patricia over the past several years has it been at the less than 27% yeah, yeah, it's when did they drop it back from

1077
01:34:11,990 --> 01:34:19,640
27 lobbying to increase the number, but again, it only affects a handful of communities where

1078
01:34:19,640 --> 01:34:24,980
usually we're not in that pool. This one case we happen to be in the pool of the payment

1079
01:34:24,980 --> 01:34:29,720
and lower taxes and having an institution that qualifies, so there's only a handful around the

1080
01:34:29,720 --> 01:34:39,020
state, so it's very difficult to get the percentage increased. 24 was 27 percent, 25 was 26.65

1081
01:34:39,020 --> 01:34:51,090
percent in 26 is 25.89. That's from the governor's budget. Governors proposed budget. Yes.

1082
01:34:51,430 --> 01:34:57,490
It's so legislatively. That is an area. If there was funding and I know that the speaker didn't

1083
01:34:58,110 --> 01:34:59,970
the spous that there was a lot of funding available.

1084
01:35:00,000 --> 01:35:08,060
Ex-value was $129 million at 25.89% times our $27 tax rate for commercial property.

1085
01:35:09,980 --> 01:35:16,920
So we're up against a URI, a Rick, and stuff like that, brown. Other communities like that is that.

1086
01:35:18,280 --> 01:35:22,740
But they provide again more services for their students.

1087
01:35:22,920 --> 01:35:26,340
They also pilot agreements in a lot of those.

1088
01:35:26,340 --> 01:35:31,260
I don't have pilot with not at you are I don't have

1089
01:35:31,260 --> 01:35:32,900
Question yeah, I mean

1090
01:35:34,700 --> 01:35:45,440
I was a little different it's not a private school. Yeah, I'm just thinking about money I

1091
01:35:49,320 --> 01:35:55,920
Think in that respect so the state law does say 27 is the maximum so that's when we start lobbying to try to push the pilot up to 20

1092
01:35:55,920 --> 01:36:09,740
What about charging New England tech, for instance, I mean, I see that there's safety, you know, public safety, the fire department goes there, that was something they had promised to do when they had built the school, they have never.

1093
01:36:10,060 --> 01:36:16,020
I mean, I know they have a safety dude who rocks drives around, but I see that guy in the corner a lot of the time he's not.

1094
01:36:16,020 --> 01:36:20,260
So the pilot agreement, if I'm going to remember this correctly, that we haven't placed with

1095
01:36:20,260 --> 01:36:28,040
New England Tech as a total value of only 450,000. So if not for the pilot program with the

1096
01:36:28,040 --> 01:36:33,020
state of Rhode Island paying more than double that, we would be bound to the institution to only

1097
01:36:33,020 --> 01:36:38,760
receive the 450. I mean, then I'm paying any of it at this point. So it's a conversation that should

1098
01:36:38,760 --> 01:36:43,800
continue to happen. I think right now, it's probably a decent number. It would be great if we could

1099
01:36:43,800 --> 01:36:49,760
increase that. But I think our relationship with New England tech needs to be bolstered.

1100
01:36:49,860 --> 01:36:54,040
I've mentioned that a couple of times today are government relations people and I think

1101
01:36:54,040 --> 01:36:59,300
with the district construction product and this is a way to enter that conversation and I've

1102
01:36:59,300 --> 01:37:04,280
noted this for them already is we're going to lose field access in town for a number of years

1103
01:37:04,280 --> 01:37:08,300
and then we have to rebuild the fields and so we're very willing to work with New England tech

1104
01:37:08,300 --> 01:37:14,180
have access for some of our youth leagues and our school teams at their facility and we would

1105
01:37:14,180 --> 01:37:18,340
be happy to help them maintain that during that period of time for the opportunity for access.

1106
01:37:18,560 --> 01:37:23,900
So that's something that will aware and I think I'm hoping is a good neighbor in town would

1107
01:37:23,900 --> 01:37:27,740
be willing to cooperate with the town and that respect. There's a lot of other things about access

1108
01:37:27,740 --> 01:37:31,960
to the building and I think they provide that access for certain groups and they can like to

1109
01:37:31,960 --> 01:37:36,840
change chamber meetings or held into England tech and as well as the other Kennedy forums and events

1110
01:37:36,840 --> 01:37:41,660
like that. So there is a, there's a good relationship. And I think at some point, if the

1111
01:37:41,660 --> 01:37:45,860
council is interested, I would love to be able to schedule a town gown meeting with them,

1112
01:37:46,060 --> 01:37:49,140
just to maybe get up to speed, get everybody back in the same way.

1113
01:37:49,340 --> 01:37:53,460
I think that New England tech should be used more, should be more integrated into the town.

1114
01:37:53,500 --> 01:37:59,600
I've always felt that. I mean, they have, and I feel like their students should use more of

1115
01:37:59,600 --> 01:38:04,520
the town as well. I don't think that they, I think it could be bolstered on both sides, quite honestly.

1116
01:38:04,520 --> 01:38:15,400
Yeah, we did that. We met with them before, and it was an interesting time because it was right around the time that they were starting to feel the impacts of Gina Romando's free CCRI.

1117
01:38:16,380 --> 01:38:31,800
So that impacted them a lot. And so, you know, we negotiated, but the, it's when we go into those meetings it's important to understand that it's a mutual hostage situation in that.

1118
01:38:33,360 --> 01:38:39,240
if we can push, but they have state protection, right, in terms of, and we got to be careful

1119
01:38:39,240 --> 01:38:44,580
what we want, and one of the things is, they still hold a lot of property in these

1120
01:38:44,580 --> 01:38:53,300
runners that's not in their tax-exempt foundation, their tax-exempt entity, and so what happens

1121
01:38:53,900 --> 01:38:59,240
is, and what happened in Providence when Buddy C. Anzi decided to go after everybody,

1122
01:38:59,240 --> 01:39:07,560
Brown, for instance, held a lot of property outside of the tax exempt entity, so they just rolled it all in and took them off the rolls.

1123
01:39:08,020 --> 01:39:10,480
And so you got to be careful of that.

1124
01:39:11,360 --> 01:39:22,800
Our hostage is that the President has grand plans, right, to make this a significant national universe four year of college, right?

1125
01:39:22,800 --> 01:39:38,740
And so all of that is evident, not just in their narrative, but they also came before the planning board years ago when they started this and then over the years with their 500-year plan.

1126
01:40:00,000 --> 01:40:04,960
When they came and got that approval, they have the master plan approval and that's best to true.

1127
01:40:05,800 --> 01:40:08,940
What we didn't give them when the planning board was sewer access.

1128
01:40:10,460 --> 01:40:16,600
So you can build all the buildings you want, knock the other ones down and put it in a five-acre septic system, whenever you're ready to do that.

1129
01:40:17,900 --> 01:40:28,380
So we have a hostage in that of interest too, but, you know, our relationship is very good in all of that's going to be some given take over time.

1130
01:40:28,380 --> 01:40:35,500
but we don't, we have risk that they roll all the property into a tax-exempt entity and they

1131
01:40:35,500 --> 01:40:41,540
have the risk that at some point when they want to go and build more that they need our sewer

1132
01:40:41,540 --> 01:40:47,860
connection and we don't have a lot. Could they get to West Warwick and Coventry maybe? Yeah,

1133
01:40:48,440 --> 01:40:53,440
but so that's kind of the, but in even, it's a, it's a nuanced conversation one that we should

1134
01:40:53,440 --> 01:40:54,060
I revisit.

1135
01:40:55,520 --> 01:40:57,280
I'm just just brainstorming for money.

1136
01:40:57,340 --> 01:40:58,200
That's all I'm doing.

1137
01:40:59,700 --> 01:41:01,420
You can go to the next slide.

1138
01:41:02,180 --> 01:41:03,320
Next is just wastewater.

1139
01:41:04,320 --> 01:41:07,400
We've spreadsheet on wastewater and road assessment fees.

1140
01:41:08,740 --> 01:41:11,160
Next page covers state and federal aid.

1141
01:41:11,200 --> 01:41:12,500
Runs through.

1142
01:41:12,500 --> 01:41:14,720
Starting with school housing aid.

1143
01:41:14,720 --> 01:41:16,160
Public services tax.

1144
01:41:16,640 --> 01:41:17,180
The pilot.

1145
01:41:18,180 --> 01:41:20,900
Really all of those categories that we just noted.

1146
01:41:20,900 --> 01:41:25,220
for a total of 12.4 million in terms of state and federal aid.

1147
01:41:25,920 --> 01:41:28,000
Next page covers license fees and rents,

1148
01:41:29,340 --> 01:41:31,560
totaling out to just under a million dollars,

1149
01:41:31,720 --> 01:41:32,860
as proposed this year,

1150
01:41:33,640 --> 01:41:36,140
for rental of town properties, business licenses,

1151
01:41:36,260 --> 01:41:38,160
non-business licenses, reals.

1152
01:41:39,220 --> 01:41:39,860
Rentals,

1153
01:41:42,660 --> 01:41:45,380
next page covers departmental revenue fines and charges

1154
01:41:45,380 --> 01:41:48,060
of about 1.7 million, covering everything

1155
01:41:48,060 --> 01:41:50,500
from senior and near-men service fees,

1156
01:41:50,960 --> 01:41:52,940
town clerk's miscellaneous, finance department,

1157
01:41:52,940 --> 01:41:55,700
and police department municipal court, public works,

1158
01:41:56,160 --> 01:41:59,200
rescue billing at just close to a million dollars,

1159
01:41:59,720 --> 01:42:02,460
moring fees, planning department,

1160
01:42:03,180 --> 01:42:05,260
plating and subdivision than the wastewater permits

1161
01:42:05,260 --> 01:42:06,540
and connection fees.

1162
01:42:07,920 --> 01:42:08,940
Of a million.

1163
01:42:09,920 --> 01:42:13,080
Next page covers in brief miscellaneous revenue

1164
01:42:14,160 --> 01:42:17,920
of about 422,000, including general miscellaneous,

1165
01:42:18,020 --> 01:42:21,160
sewer use and sewer assessment, miscellaneous tuition

1166
01:42:21,160 --> 01:42:29,260
for other districts as well as school fundraising and other miscellaneous those max out at 422,000 projected

1167
01:42:29,260 --> 01:42:32,100
this year at about 373,000.

1168
01:42:34,250 --> 01:42:38,910
Next is a look at, again, the unassigned fund balance looking back

1169
01:42:38,910 --> 01:42:42,430
over a period of time

1170
01:42:44,600 --> 01:42:48,640
for the general designated fund balance for the town in terms of what we're using

1171
01:42:48,640 --> 01:42:54,720
each year and again that was in 24 the actual was 600,000 this year it's 500 it's proposed next year

1172
01:42:54,720 --> 01:42:58,540
for another 500 net assets forwarded to operations

1173
01:42:58,540 --> 01:43:00,880
at the wastewater plant at 50,000,

1174
01:43:00,960 --> 01:43:03,540
and the re-appropriated fund balance for the school.

1175
01:43:04,100 --> 01:43:05,480
We're in FY2040.

1176
01:43:05,860 --> 01:43:08,380
The actual expenditure was just over 1.4 million,

1177
01:43:08,980 --> 01:43:12,320
adopted in the present fiscal year as 842,000,

1178
01:43:12,320 --> 01:43:16,280
and in FY26 proposed it's 300,000.

1179
01:43:17,340 --> 01:43:19,160
Next page quickly highlights some of the things

1180
01:43:19,160 --> 01:43:20,440
we've talked about in the past,

1181
01:43:20,660 --> 01:43:23,880
and that is not recommended for any action this year,

1182
01:43:23,880 --> 01:43:30,280
but it's a continuation of tracking services that I think are felt that whether they rest

1183
01:43:30,280 --> 01:43:35,120
our rows, community services, in terms of parks, public work services, and plowing sweeping

1184
01:43:35,120 --> 01:43:39,200
sanding, tree work, and things like that, substance abuse prevention, and mental health

1185
01:43:39,200 --> 01:43:44,940
support, as well as communications and EMA work, which is an ongoing discussion, that that

1186
01:43:44,940 --> 01:43:51,320
number is about a half a million dollars of still expenses, and I think when I make these

1187
01:43:51,320 --> 01:43:56,980
comments, I don't want anybody to think that I'm not encouraging our joint effort because

1188
01:43:56,980 --> 01:44:02,040
I think if the town has the systems, the department, and the people in place, we can provide

1189
01:44:02,040 --> 01:44:07,380
that in the relationship already. We can provide that service more efficiently than others. It's

1190
01:44:07,380 --> 01:44:13,020
just about where the dollars show, where they expend it to show, and then communities that

1191
01:44:13,020 --> 01:44:18,140
in my opinion handle this the right way. They show the expense on the school side, and if the

1192
01:44:18,140 --> 01:44:23,820
provides the service or another vendor provides it, ultimately those funds are transferred to

1193
01:44:23,820 --> 01:44:28,360
that entity. So in the example of the parks department, if they're handling all grounds,

1194
01:44:28,540 --> 01:44:34,320
we come up with an MOA that talks about the percentage of grounds, we come up with an annual cost

1195
01:44:34,320 --> 01:44:40,600
to providing the service. That money is funded and is reflected in the school budget, transferred to

1196
01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:06,260
Our own, if the district still wants us or rows, it's going to be our own personnel in the police department that provide that service.

1197
01:45:06,640 --> 01:45:11,980
There are about $120, I'll just round $125,000 each. You've got two of them. It's quarter of an million dollars.

1198
01:45:12,540 --> 01:45:24,160
You know, we've talked about having an MOA where we just, because the offices are not there 24, 7, 3, 65, you split the cost. You pick up one, we'll pick up the other, but they're both going to be with you for the entire school year.

1199
01:45:24,160 --> 01:45:29,500
things like that. And we just continue to track them, but because of the other financial pressures this year,

1200
01:45:29,620 --> 01:45:35,200
I am not recommending that any additional costs be shifted. The last one we shifted was last year,

1201
01:45:35,500 --> 01:45:41,740
and that was about $80,000 for a trash removal and dumpster services, just dedicated to the districts that

1202
01:45:43,040 --> 01:45:49,140
in their budget. Next page, just as we're finishing up right now is really just a full time

1203
01:45:49,140 --> 01:45:55,280
employee listing the two employees on this first page at the very bottom are really not impacted

1204
01:45:55,280 --> 01:45:56,460
by the tax base.

1205
01:45:56,880 --> 01:46:01,260
This is our wastewater division as noted earlier in the agreement that we have with a DM

1206
01:46:01,260 --> 01:46:06,940
our permitting requirements for our wastewater plan and managing the collection system require

1207
01:46:06,940 --> 01:46:08,480
us to add to additional people.

1208
01:46:08,660 --> 01:46:13,980
When we've added the next one will be added shortly, all other positions will stay static.

1209
01:46:14,240 --> 01:46:18,740
We still have two positions that we are funding, but we have to get to fill them.

1210
01:46:18,740 --> 01:46:23,680
would be the town's purchasing agent and one would be a resiliency planner. So we're looking

1211
01:46:23,680 --> 01:46:30,080
up, we think they're both critically important. We just have yet to act, but those positions

1212
01:46:30,080 --> 01:46:31,160
are funded.

1213
01:46:35,440 --> 01:46:39,480
Last couple of slides just really wraps up with our capital programming as noted early

1214
01:46:39,480 --> 01:46:50,920
it's a $1.1 million program. As recommended for the next year we do anticipate that there will be a

1215
01:46:50,920 --> 01:46:53,400
so we have a better idea on year-end projections.

1216
01:46:54,900 --> 01:46:57,780
The next slide talks about a capital improvements in program

1217
01:46:57,780 --> 01:46:59,600
with related debt service,

1218
01:46:59,860 --> 01:47:01,300
which breaks out those numbers.

1219
01:47:01,500 --> 01:47:03,960
So in the second column in, you've been FY26.

1220
01:47:04,660 --> 01:47:05,820
You can follow that along.

1221
01:47:05,960 --> 01:47:08,200
You've got existing debt that's on the books already.

1222
01:47:08,700 --> 01:47:10,460
You've got proposed new debt.

1223
01:47:10,700 --> 01:47:13,560
You've got new municipal debt of 97,750.

1224
01:47:14,380 --> 01:47:16,600
You've got new school debt of the 2.4 million

1225
01:47:16,600 --> 01:47:20,200
into 150 million, which is just over 1.8 million.

1226
01:47:20,200 --> 01:47:25,200
but that's the increased cost as discussed previously in terms of the need for the tax

1227
01:47:25,200 --> 01:47:28,700
levee exception and kind of work your way down.

1228
01:47:28,800 --> 01:47:33,200
You can see school housing aid in the federal credit at just over 1.8 million.

1229
01:47:33,760 --> 01:47:42,880
So total impact is 4.67 in terms of the projected tax impact on capital program in terms

1230
01:47:42,880 --> 01:47:45,040
of debt service for the next year.

1231
01:47:46,350 --> 01:48:01,530
Last couple of pages just really continue to talk a little bit about our capital improvement program, the differences in general obligation bond versus our wastewater bonds, wastewater is really secured mostly through a Rhode Island infrastructure bank.

1232
01:48:02,930 --> 01:48:17,590
And then the last two pages really just are an example of the tax disclosure and tax rate calculations that we typically talk about before the council sets the sets the rate and you'll see here that

1233
01:48:17,590 --> 01:48:22,230
Basically, when you break that down, you've got the in the yellow column, you've got a levy increase

1234
01:48:22,230 --> 01:48:29,910
proposed at 4.93%. You've got a assessed value increase of about 0.77. And as you work your way down,

1235
01:48:29,970 --> 01:48:35,830
you can see the average home as the budget is presented before you. Home value at about 726,000,

1236
01:48:36,210 --> 01:48:45,750
a 1552 proposed rate cost average homeowner about 11,274 dollars in an increase of 75

1237
01:48:45,750 --> 01:48:48,550
if we were to take for the year,

1238
01:48:48,570 --> 01:48:51,230
depending on a lot of variables that have yet to be.

1239
01:48:54,360 --> 01:48:58,520
Really kind of captures the actual high-level summary,

1240
01:48:58,580 --> 01:48:59,940
if you can believe it.

1241
01:49:00,080 --> 01:49:01,840
There's a lot more detailed information

1242
01:49:01,840 --> 01:49:04,140
that all of the departments that are here tonight

1243
01:49:04,140 --> 01:49:05,760
are prepared to go through

1244
01:49:05,760 --> 01:49:06,880
in our next couple of meetings.

1245
01:49:06,920 --> 01:49:07,920
We're going to really focus

1246
01:49:07,920 --> 01:49:09,660
on preparing your questions accordingly,

1247
01:49:10,020 --> 01:49:11,720
regarding individual departments.

1248
01:49:11,920 --> 01:49:15,100
I'll try to release for you a listing

1249
01:49:15,100 --> 01:49:17,940
once I secure our information as to who I know

1250
01:49:17,940 --> 01:49:20,700
is absolutely going to be here on the 12th and the 19th.

1251
01:49:20,700 --> 01:49:24,700
We'll have that schedule put up, we'll provide for you a detail, so you'll know what's

1252
01:49:24,700 --> 01:49:25,360
going to be covered.

1253
01:49:25,900 --> 01:49:29,260
Then clearly at the end of those discussions, we can of course pick up whatever the questions

1254
01:49:29,260 --> 01:49:30,120
you may have.

1255
01:49:30,340 --> 01:49:34,780
We have other questions you want to get to us in advance for us to engage on those questions.

1256
01:49:34,820 --> 01:49:39,360
Please just let us know and we were sending out the same information to the local public

1257
01:49:39,360 --> 01:49:43,380
in the community so that we can make sure that we tackle all the important questions that

1258
01:49:43,380 --> 01:49:44,040
people have.

1259
01:49:44,040 --> 01:49:45,780
But I'm going to stop there.

1260
01:49:45,860 --> 01:49:47,320
I mean, myself or other department heads

1261
01:49:47,320 --> 01:49:48,720
that are here happening to answer any of the questions

1262
01:49:48,720 --> 01:49:50,080
that council may have for tonight.

1263
01:49:50,520 --> 01:49:53,880
If not, we'll gear up for the official public hearing,

1264
01:49:54,320 --> 01:49:56,440
not really any different than our other work sessions,

1265
01:49:56,600 --> 01:49:57,900
but a requirement of our charter,

1266
01:49:58,420 --> 01:49:59,960
that we have a formal public hearing.

1267
01:50:00,000 --> 01:50:09,140
11, and I saw, are we, we're not expecting anything for us, like I know for a school, they get some

1268
01:50:09,140 --> 01:50:13,500
Medicaid money at that. We had them, there was a Medicaid, the school does. The school receives Medicaid money,

1269
01:50:13,660 --> 01:50:21,000
but I believe it's obviously it's based on their special ed program and who authorizes reimbursement.

1270
01:50:22,900 --> 01:50:28,920
And then Irish here, if she would like to speak to that, but I'm not aware of any increase in that.

1271
01:50:28,920 --> 01:50:34,300
one of the lines was a Medicaid revenue line so I was just curious because that's a totality

1272
01:50:34,300 --> 01:50:40,580
of the budget, not just the general fund, that's why it's included in the total adopted budgets

1273
01:50:40,580 --> 01:50:47,560
proposed budgets. So we include the schools in there. And then I was curious to me if there's

1274
01:50:49,600 --> 01:50:55,920
I know on the revenue side, I know that I believe a couple of members of the fire department

1275
01:50:55,920 --> 01:51:01,400
have brought up to me before that, we could charge also the military base, I believe, because

1276
01:51:01,400 --> 01:51:07,740
we are responsible for camp boundaries, safety, or fire prevention, or whatever happens

1277
01:51:07,740 --> 01:51:11,000
like camp-overty, can we not get money from them?

1278
01:51:13,060 --> 01:51:13,320
Good luck.

1279
01:51:13,640 --> 01:51:13,880
Unclear.

1280
01:51:14,140 --> 01:51:17,060
I'm not sure that we can renew, but we're happy to look into it.

1281
01:51:17,080 --> 01:51:17,320
Yeah.

1282
01:51:17,700 --> 01:51:23,020
I mean, for responsible for there, you know, I don't think they have a fire department.

1283
01:51:23,020 --> 01:51:25,020
I don't do that for me.

1284
01:51:25,620 --> 01:51:28,960
I believe that you've been a fire department, but I...

1285
01:51:28,960 --> 01:51:29,620
You're the ability.

1286
01:51:30,580 --> 01:51:31,420
I mean they do.

1287
01:51:31,960 --> 01:51:34,660
We're responsible for their safety.

1288
01:51:34,820 --> 01:51:36,460
That's only for their fire, I think.

1289
01:51:36,800 --> 01:51:38,480
If they could get something for them.

1290
01:51:38,700 --> 01:51:39,400
They use it a lot.

1291
01:51:39,520 --> 01:51:41,080
They go by my house every weekend.

1292
01:51:42,360 --> 01:51:45,620
And also, do we have any concerns over the library, EG Housing?

1293
01:51:45,700 --> 01:51:48,500
Because I know that they had been concerned about their own revenues.

1294
01:51:48,900 --> 01:51:52,300
I know that both of them have big capital needs

1295
01:51:52,300 --> 01:51:59,600
and that they've been trying to, I know that they're sort of on their own as far as, you know,

1296
01:52:00,060 --> 01:52:06,120
their own budgets, et cetera, but I was curious if there's any way that the town could help them.

1297
01:52:06,200 --> 01:52:10,040
I think they're both sort of a little... I'd miss you. Who are we talking about?

1298
01:52:10,180 --> 01:52:17,060
Oh, but I think the local library, the library and the housing authority are both sort of like

1299
01:52:17,060 --> 01:52:27,040
under housing authorities of federal agency. Yeah, I mean, I know they're very much concerned about what's going to have. Yeah, they are. And then I know that library is also facing.

1300
01:52:27,300 --> 01:52:38,040
They've had some capital needs and I was wondering if we could work with them to. Yeah, no question. I mean, I had a conversation with Adrian. I noted that I would get back to her on the date. I told her to come prepared to kind of work through the whole program.

1301
01:52:38,040 --> 01:52:41,320
And we've been years past talked about increases,

1302
01:52:41,480 --> 01:52:44,260
although the percentage increase seems high,

1303
01:52:44,340 --> 01:52:47,440
of the original request, the dollar amounts are not high,

1304
01:52:47,460 --> 01:52:48,580
because it's smaller program.

1305
01:52:49,340 --> 01:52:51,240
So we had recommended one point last year,

1306
01:52:51,340 --> 01:52:52,980
they had a four or five percent increase.

1307
01:52:53,200 --> 01:52:55,080
This year we were recommending a 1.7,

1308
01:52:55,560 --> 01:52:56,360
they totally understand.

1309
01:52:56,540 --> 01:53:01,580
They also have a whole series of other funds and activities,

1310
01:53:01,980 --> 01:53:03,920
which I noted in the document,

1311
01:53:04,360 --> 01:53:06,740
broke those all down based on how much money

1312
01:53:06,740 --> 01:53:16,680
They generate, you know, the top of my head, I think this year, they're expecting to contribute close to 85,000 up from about 80, 1,000 this past year in terms of alternate revenue sources.

1313
01:53:17,420 --> 01:53:20,800
So I think it's important that the town is the contributor, right?

1314
01:53:20,800 --> 01:53:28,620
I think if I remember correctly, we're up about 7, I think it's 72% of the overall program where the state contributes.

1315
01:53:28,700 --> 01:53:35,060
I think around, I think privately about 10%, I think the rest is about 17, 18% of the state.

1316
01:53:35,060 --> 01:53:38,260
So, and most people think we own it.

1317
01:53:38,380 --> 01:53:38,520
Understood.

1318
01:53:39,000 --> 01:53:40,000
Yeah, most people don't have the public.

1319
01:53:40,000 --> 01:53:41,140
Yeah, that's right now.

1320
01:53:41,200 --> 01:53:43,280
Public in terms of, I mean, it's simply run, but it's not.

1321
01:53:43,380 --> 01:53:44,120
It's privately run.

1322
01:53:44,640 --> 01:53:46,080
So, we've had conversations.

1323
01:53:46,080 --> 01:53:47,780
I think they do a fantastic job.

1324
01:53:47,940 --> 01:53:49,840
The Board of Trustees is very engaged.

1325
01:53:50,500 --> 01:53:53,800
And I think Mike, just so, you know, and they'll come prepared to have that conversation.

1326
01:53:54,060 --> 01:53:58,280
I told them they should come prepared to address all of their needs and what they're facing.

1327
01:53:58,960 --> 01:54:03,020
We'd be happy to work with them on larger scale capital projects in the future.

1328
01:54:03,020 --> 01:54:05,800
where we really don't have, in my tenure anyways,

1329
01:54:06,000 --> 01:54:07,840
have not had that level of a relationship,

1330
01:54:08,080 --> 01:54:09,720
where we're communicating at that level.

1331
01:54:10,080 --> 01:54:12,340
We do communicate often in terms of budget process

1332
01:54:12,340 --> 01:54:14,680
and other needs, like the sidewalk work

1333
01:54:14,680 --> 01:54:17,400
that was performed around the library parking

1334
01:54:17,400 --> 01:54:20,040
and things of other impacts, their sewer work,

1335
01:54:20,220 --> 01:54:22,160
and others that we have a direct involvement in,

1336
01:54:22,540 --> 01:54:23,920
but should have been the council's desire.

1337
01:54:24,120 --> 01:54:25,220
I mean, there were overall requests

1338
01:54:25,220 --> 01:54:27,960
might have been 30,000 give or take.

1339
01:54:27,980 --> 01:54:30,160
Plus or minus, I think we have so far

1340
01:54:30,160 --> 01:54:31,380
have a placeholder of 10.

1341
01:55:00,000 --> 01:55:09,220
They would like the council rate. I think you'd already stated to stay flat because they saw a big increase from the year over year from the last year. So that was my other.

1342
01:55:10,300 --> 01:55:17,560
And right, right, just to give that some context or a little, I look at the two neighboring communities because that's what we compete with right for location.

1343
01:55:18,680 --> 01:55:29,300
And so we're a little higher than Warwick and significant little lower than West Warwick. I don't look at North Kingston because you can see when you drive down post road.

1344
01:55:29,300 --> 01:55:31,880
and you get to that point to make it so dead end.

1345
01:55:32,600 --> 01:55:34,640
And also, I don't look at their rates

1346
01:55:34,640 --> 01:55:37,100
because until somebody, until the federal government

1347
01:55:37,100 --> 01:55:40,780
gives you screen it, wants it, you know,

1348
01:55:40,880 --> 01:55:42,140
we have very different budgets.

1349
01:55:43,420 --> 01:55:44,040
I could definitely.

1350
01:55:44,380 --> 01:55:49,040
And then, I also, I really appreciate,

1351
01:55:49,080 --> 01:55:50,340
and I just wanted to mention this,

1352
01:55:50,340 --> 01:55:57,600
that on page 137, you had the open space parcels listed

1353
01:55:57,600 --> 01:56:07,120
with all the space that is actually preserved from development in East Grand Edge, which

1354
01:56:07,120 --> 01:56:12,640
totals about 545 acres, which I just wanted to highlight there, because people, I don't think

1355
01:56:12,640 --> 01:56:17,300
recognize that. So thank you for my questions. Great. I think the only other thing,

1356
01:56:17,580 --> 01:56:22,780
Trisha and I wanted to add, just so it's clear, is that the overall budget of the town, the school

1357
01:56:22,780 --> 01:56:27,520
only makes up 65%, it's not 85%.

1358
01:56:27,520 --> 01:56:33,740
No, 85% was the amount of the budget from the town

1359
01:56:33,740 --> 01:56:34,180
that goes,

1360
01:56:36,260 --> 01:56:39,540
that the schools budget, 85% is the amount

1361
01:56:39,540 --> 01:56:40,920
that's funded by the town.

1362
01:56:41,300 --> 01:56:44,980
And that's increased from 80 to 85 over the last five years.

1363
01:56:45,520 --> 01:56:48,460
So they get 85% of their budget from the town currently,

1364
01:56:48,680 --> 01:56:51,760
according to the 75% of the taxes

1365
01:56:51,760 --> 01:56:54,700
are transferred to the school department, right?

1366
01:56:54,700 --> 01:56:57,240
It may go for 85%, she's just saying,

1367
01:56:57,480 --> 01:57:03,440
which makes up 85% of their budget, up from 80%

1368
01:57:03,440 --> 01:57:04,420
a few years ago.

1369
01:57:04,580 --> 01:57:05,180
It just wanted to say.

1370
01:57:05,180 --> 01:57:08,620
So she's just saying that the tax payer support of that,

1371
01:57:08,640 --> 01:57:11,320
really not, that's not empirically, yeah.

1372
01:57:11,420 --> 01:57:13,240
And in ultimate dollars, it's irrelevant.

1373
01:57:13,560 --> 01:57:16,000
It's just when we make our case at the state house,

1374
01:57:16,200 --> 01:57:17,680
it's just we can point out that.

1375
01:57:18,100 --> 01:57:18,240
Exactly.

1376
01:57:18,240 --> 01:57:19,360
Yeah, and so we've been crazy.

1377
01:57:19,360 --> 01:57:25,120
players fund more of our students are part of their budget or their, you know, we've increased

1378
01:57:25,120 --> 01:57:28,820
5% over the last, you know, so many years. No point taken.

1379
01:57:29,220 --> 01:57:34,680
Chris, what did you say? 55 or 65? 65, yeah. It's been in that range over the years.

1380
01:57:34,860 --> 01:57:36,940
Foxley, pretty steady at that range.

1381
01:57:40,500 --> 01:57:41,020
My question.

1382
01:57:42,000 --> 01:57:44,940
There questions for our manager or finance director.

1383
01:57:47,960 --> 01:57:51,720
I do want to say I think it's been an

1384
01:57:51,720 --> 01:57:58,420
discussion, wide-ranging, covering a lot of ground. I do think that the schools took a little bit of heat

1385
01:57:58,420 --> 01:58:06,440
tonight. I would say that over time, if I look at our e-screens community and communities around

1386
01:58:06,440 --> 01:58:12,420
the state, the relationship between school committees and town councils tends to wax and wane.

1387
01:58:13,420 --> 01:58:19,800
I think at the current time that the relationship with the school committee is good, and I think that

1388
01:58:19,800 --> 01:58:27,200
improving. We do have now a budget workshop with the school committee which has been productive

1389
01:58:27,880 --> 01:58:34,420
and since we've met with them, the school committee has shared more information on how they

1390
01:58:34,420 --> 01:58:40,720
arrive at their budgets. The town has talked about its budget process and the school committee

1391
01:58:40,720 --> 01:58:48,580
has taken some suggestions from the town to improve some of their practices. I would say also

1392
01:58:48,580 --> 01:58:55,120
that the school committee really had a very, very difficult time with their budget this year

1393
01:58:55,120 --> 01:59:01,360
due to a variety of factors, one of the major ones, the big reduction in the school

1394
01:59:01,360 --> 01:59:07,520
aid education, the state aid education. They had to cut and eventually ended up cutting

1395
01:59:08,320 --> 01:59:15,480
932,000 dollars from their expenses, essentially eliminating capital improvements, cutting back

1396
01:59:15,480 --> 01:59:19,720
on hardware and technology, field trips have been on hold.

1397
01:59:20,220 --> 01:59:24,180
And that is a very, very difficult position to be in.

1398
01:59:24,180 --> 01:59:27,040
And I think that they handled it admably.

1399
01:59:27,660 --> 01:59:30,720
They also had to make major proposed changes in personnel.

1400
01:59:31,540 --> 01:59:34,860
So these reductions are not in extras.

1401
01:59:36,240 --> 01:59:39,380
These are in programs and in personnel.

1402
01:59:39,820 --> 01:59:41,100
They did cut personnel.

1403
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:25,260
School committee I think has had to make some very difficult decisions. The town I think is capable of trying to give them information that may benefit them during this process. They also have had to use some fund balance. We were hoping that they could use no fund balance. But without that, they would have had to eliminate athletics.

1404
02:00:25,260 --> 02:00:29,900
They would have cut the swim team athletics, I'm sorry, I'd call at the at the middle school.

1405
02:00:29,920 --> 02:00:37,820
They would have had to eliminate high school swim team and salad and reduction of important personnel.

1406
02:00:38,440 --> 02:00:44,580
So I think at the present time the groups are improving their partnership and I think we'll continue to work with them.

1407
02:00:44,640 --> 02:00:51,360
And as Mr. Nata had said that this budget process has got a long ways to go another month or so.

1408
02:00:51,360 --> 02:00:57,920
So we will continue to work with the school department to try to land the entire budget both

1409
02:00:57,920 --> 02:01:05,180
town and school at the best that we can provide. Otherwise, I just wanted to also thank Mr.

1410
02:01:05,180 --> 02:01:11,500
Jnada and his staff, Trish Sando and our finest director, Rosemilia, Emilio, the Administrative

1411
02:01:11,500 --> 02:01:18,080
Service Manager, all the department heads have been crucial in this process. I think each year that

1412
02:01:18,080 --> 02:01:23,840
do the budget and presentation. It gets clearer, more concise. I think the document that

1413
02:01:23,840 --> 02:01:28,760
you produced this year was very easy to get through. It's long, but it's almost like a reference

1414
02:01:28,760 --> 02:01:34,160
work. You can go and find whatever you need. Very clear, very concise, very thorough. So,

1415
02:01:34,400 --> 02:01:35,920
Kudos to you and your staff.

1416
02:01:38,160 --> 02:01:41,500
I'd like to thank you all as well and, you know,

1417
02:01:41,560 --> 02:01:48,020
like with sports programs, right, continuity of team is really important. And you guys have been together

1418
02:01:48,020 --> 02:01:53,060
a while, we've been together a while and we've been able to work through this, you know,

1419
02:01:53,080 --> 02:01:57,260
what I hear and I'm sure we'll hear this when we go through it with the department heads

1420
02:01:57,260 --> 02:02:03,000
is that you have a system where you work with the department heads, they make their ass,

1421
02:02:03,060 --> 02:02:05,480
they know what to expect, they know how to work with you.

1422
02:02:05,600 --> 02:02:10,200
So at least we move through the process in a way that's coherent and it's evident in

1423
02:02:10,200 --> 02:02:14,860
this document, it's evidence in our public discussions and I think it's evidence in the way

1424
02:02:14,860 --> 02:02:16,180
we're able to financially plan.

1425
02:02:16,560 --> 02:02:17,120
Thank you.

1426
02:02:20,580 --> 02:02:28,560
other questions. So Mr. Nader, the next step on the 12th, and that will be the public hearing.

1427
02:02:29,100 --> 02:02:36,260
It's PM and I'll get out in a couple of days on a preliminary agenda for that, which will note specifically.