HomeMy WebLinkAboutAd Hoc Fiscal Committee Minutes - July 15, 2009_201402060901507588
Town of Nantucket
Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
Minutes – Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee Meeting, held July 15th, 2009
Approved August 5th, 2009
A duly noticed meeting of the Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee was held in the conference room at #2
Fairgrounds Road on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009, commencing at 9:00 AM.
Present: Facilitator Dual Macintyre, Joe Aguiar, Rick Atherton, Jenny Garneau, C. Elizabeth
Gibson, Greg Keltz, Neil Paterson, Dr. Janet Schulte, Justin Strauss, John Tiffany, and Constance
Voges.
Absent: Dr. Robert Pellicone.
Also present: Malachy Rice, Steve Sortevik, Whiting Willauer and Craig Abernathy.
Call to Order:
Mr. Macintyre called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.
Review and Approve Agenda:
The agenda provided by Mr. Macintyre was approved as presented.
Approval of Minutes; 17 June 2009:
Mr. Macintyre communicated a request from Dr. Schulte to amend the minutes in order
to show Mr. Tiffany as the person speaking on employee fears when establishing performance
management criteria. Mr. Macintyre asked for unanimous consent to approve the minutes as
amended. So voted unanimously.
Discussion of Criteria for Essential Services Exercise:
Mr. Macintyre commented that he found the exercise very interesting in that it allows
membership to view services from the perspective of Town Administration, the Board of
Selectmen and the Finance Committee. He suggested that membership attempt to find
Minutes – Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
July 15th, 2009 Page 2 of 4
congruence in responses, and pointed out that using this perspective he was amazed at the
remarkable level of congruence found in the Committee’s first attempt at this exercise.
Mr. Macintyre then asked that membership have an open discussion of the criteria
exercise. Ms. Garneau explained that many recommendations concerning the School are items
that are required by State mandate. She cited Medical and Therapeutic Services as well as
Professional Development. Mr. Keltz added that this exercise is helpful in that it fosters
awareness of these mandates. Ms. Garneau noted that Operations and Maintenance are also
mandated due to State and Federal environmental standards. Ms. Voges stated that this is a
good example, as membership may not feel an item is essential if they don’t know that it is
mandated.
Mr. Keltz proposed that the pump‐out service provided by the Marine Department may
also be mandated. Mr. Atherton countered that he did not view the items in terms of whether
or not they are mandated but instead considered them using his feelings about the service and
the service criteria. Citing water quality sampling, Mr. Aguiar stated that he considered items
while asking if another entity could provide the service. Mr. Macintyre asserted that a
discussion of outsourcing should be a priority for the Committee.
Mr. Keltz proposed that membership should think about whether or not a service should
be provided by the Town while considering that voters may have asked the Town to provide a
service. Ms. Gibson cited water quality and shellfish services, stating that they may be
outsourced but even if they are outsourced the Town would still be paying for the service.
Mr. Macintyre offered that the ground rules for the application of the criteria need to
be clearly defined; commenting that if a service impacts the economy in the long term then it is
essential. He referred to road side mowing as an example, stating that if the Town suspended
the service for a short term without a problem but over a long period of time it would make
Nantucket less attractive. Mr. Tiffany disagreed and proposed that anything could be essential
when viewed from this perspective. Mr. Macintyre countered that the time commitment must
be used with this perspective.
Mr. Keltz asserted his belief that sometimes these questions become less about what is
essential and more about political decisions. Mr. Macintyre stated that he raised the issue of
clearly defining criteria because of the difficulties of making these decisions in the “real world.”
He asked that membership work to address vague areas in defining essential services pointing to
the need for functions to be defined accurately. Mr. Macintyre commented that union
contracts and legal requirements should be clearly stated in order to provide greater
transparency to decision makers. Mr. Tiffany suggested that the two be separated, as the Town
might exercise some control over union contracts but not over Massachusetts General Law.
Highlighting a need for greater awareness and transparency in these decisions, Ms.
Voges stated that she believes it is important to get this information out to a larger group than
Minutes – Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
July 15th, 2009 Page 3 of 4
just the decision makers. Mr. Macintyre suggested having a round table discussion in order to
allow peers to challenge decisions. He stated that these discussions would help screen out
personal feelings and reactions.
Mr. Aguiar suggested that membership discuss some of the items that enjoyed high but
not full acceptance by membership. Mr. Macintyre stated that this would allow those that
disagree with a service being classified as essential to explain their position. Mr. Aguiar added
that those who agree could also explain their position.
Mr. Macintyre cited fire alarm response as one example, stating that one respondent
believes the State should perform this service. He added that one person took exception to
patrol operations as being too broad of a category. Ms. Gibson asked about respite care for
senior citizens. Mr. Patterson answered that because he comes from a different country and
culture he feels the community has an obligation to look after senior citizens. Ms. Gibson added
that some services may not meet the criteria but the impact of the loss of service could be to
great to bear. Mr. Keltz asserted that private organizations such as palliative services can also
help to fill the gap when it is necessary to eliminate Town provided respite care.
Dr. Schulte arrived at 9:39 AM.
Mr. Tiffany stated that the issue is who is going to pay for services. He noted that in
other parts of the world communities rely less upon charities and more upon governments while
in the United States the situation is reversed. Mr. Aguiar continued in this line of reasoning,
commenting that he believes many members have too much information. He added that some
items may be essential but should not be financed by the Town. Mr. Keltz asserted that political
decisions should not be automatically included but instead should be decided at Annual Town
Meeting.
Discussion of Prioritization of Efficiencies
Mr. Macintyre presented a document in which he listed all priorities and highlighted
items that received a consensus of opinion. He noted that the only area of widespread
agreement is in the area of outsourcing services. Ms. Gibson noted that outsourcing may be
more efficient but it may also cost more. Ms. Voges added that private businesses have the
added expense of paying taxes. Mr. Keltz pointed out that privatization can also represent a
savings to the Town, citing Our Island Home.
Ms. Garneau stated that studying consolidation and outsourcing as a concept is a key
duty of the Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee. Mr. Rice spoke of the cyclical nature of outsourcing
discussions, pointing out that in times of financial difficulty these discussions become more
urgent but then in better economic times many services return to the government sector. He
added that even when cities and towns outsource services they still have to manage the service.
Mr. Keltz agreed, stating that contracts still need to be written and enforced.
Minutes – Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
July 15th, 2009 Page 4 of 4
Discussion of List of Potential Efficiencies
Discussion centered on the definition of terms, the breadth of certain concepts, and a
need for further information about certain topics. Mr. Aguiar suggested that membership look
at items that received a large number of responses. A number of items were identified as areas
in which Town Administration is already taking steps to improve efficiencies or areas where
extensive study has been conducted on several occasions. Mr. Macintyre asked that members
consider the list of potential efficiencies. He stated that he would rework the list and e‐mail it to
the Committee for further consideration.
Public Comment:
Mr. Willauer stated his concerns over comments regarding the Marine Department,
lauding the pump out efforts and their effectiveness in keeping the harbor water quality at a
high level. He added that pond openings are mandated by law.
Mr. Sortevik asked that in light of impending corrective action at Nantucket Elementary
School, references to removal of assistant principals and the kindergarten be omitted for the
time being. Mr. Aguiar disagreed, stating that they should remain on the list because in a
restructuring effort there may be better ways to use the money. Mr. Sortevik suggested that
this is a School Committee issue. Mr. Aguiar agreed, and pointed out that perhaps the School
Committee should look at efficiencies.
Date of Next Meeting:
The date of the next meeting was scheduled for August 5th, 2009, at 9:00 AM in the
conference room at #2 Fairgrounds Road.
Adjournment:
Mr. Macintyre asked for a motion to adjourn that was “so moved” by Mr. Strauss. The
meeting was adjourned at 10:38 AM.
COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES
1. Develop criteria for essential services.
2. Recommend expense reductions or efficiencies in current operations.
3. Recommend actions to increase municipal revenue.
Prepared by Craig Abernathy