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June 29, 2004
APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE MINUTES -- June 29, 2004
Present: Alan Levine, Sheldon Spector, Karen Dooks, Ron Pawliczek, Eric Michelson,
Richard Eurich
Also Present: Rick White, John Bartenstein (soon-to-be official member)
1. RE appointed/agreed minute taker.
2. Rick White presented two requests for transfers from the Reserve Fund pursuant
to M.G.L., c. 40, sec. 6. Both requests had previously been approved by the Board of
Selectmen on June 28, 2004.
a. $24,608.00 to be transferred to the Town Clerk’s Election account for
unanticipated expenses incurred in FY04 due to the July 2003 Special Town
Meeting, the November 2003 Special Town Meeting, and the June 8, 2004
Proposition 2 ½ Override vote. MOVED, SECONDED, AND VOTED (6-0)
TO APPROVE REQUESTED TRANSFER.
b. $125,392.00 to be transferred to the Town’s Legal budget for payment of legal
services for FY04. MOVED, SECONDED, AND VOTED (6-0) TO
APPROVE REQUESTED TRANSFER.
3. Rick White reported that the School Committee had reached an agreement with
the teachers union for a three-year contract. The Committee and the Union agreed
to a 1% increase (for Steps 7 – 12) and 1 ½% increase (for Steps 1 – 6) for the first
year of the contract. They have deferred agreement on the second and third years
of the contract, negotiations for these years to take place some time in the future.
Other features include: (a) a $300 longevity increase at 5, 10, 15 and 20 years’
employment; and (b) a sick leave buy-back option under which a teacher declaring
retirement 3 years in advance will be permitted to buy back sick leave not taken at
$3300 per year for each of the three years, thus permitting a total of a $9900 increase
in the individual’s salary base for pension benefit.
The only contract remaining to be negotiated is with the principals, where the
major issues seem to be money and the principals’ desire that only superintendents,
not teachers, evaluate their performance.
Medical Insurance benefits were not discussed or resolved in the agreement. Rick
intends to engage all employees in discussions regarding medical insurance costs and
percentage shares in September. He wants to reduce the Town’s share to 75 to 80%.
He also wants to reduce the Town’s percentage share for part-time employees, which
currently is at 50%.
4. Rick White reported that Sheila English has agreed to become the Town’s
Comptroller and is scheduled to start August 2. She will assume, as part of her other,
more menial, duties, the role of recording secretary for the Committee.
EXCELLENT NEWS!!
June 29, 2004
5. AL reported of the on-going discussions with the finance committees of Arlington
and Belmont.
6. There was preliminary and unstructured discussion regarding PH’s 6/23/04 e-mail
and his preliminary outline of a possible program for the Committee to consider
undertaking in the coming year. The summer having just begun, the evening wearing
on, and the full complement of the Committee membership not being present and/or
appointed, it was agreed to defer further discussion and comment until a more
potentially productive occasion.
7. Items to be included on the agenda for the next meeting include election of
Committee chair and vice-chair persons, goal-setting, Paul’s outline, and anything
else any member wishes to suggest.
8. MOVED, SECONDED, AND VOTED (UNANIMOUSLY) TO ADJOURN.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Eurich, MTPT (MinuteTakerProTem)
Approved September 23, 2004