HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-06-03
Town of Nantucket
Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
Minutes - Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee Meeting, held June 3rd, 2009
!Approved June 17th, 20091
A duly noticed meeting of the Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee was held in the conference room at 16
Broad Street on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009, commencing at 9:00 AM.
Present: Facilitator Dual Macintyre, Rick Atherton, C. Elizabeth Gibson, Greg Keltz, Melissa
Murphy, Neil Paterson, Dr. Robert Pellicane, Dr. Janet Schulte, John Tiffany, and Constance
Voges.
Absent: Joe Aguiar, Jenny Garneau
Also present: James Kelly, Irene Larivee, Malachy Rice, Marcus Silverstein, 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; 20 May 2009:
Mr. Macintyre asked for unanimous consent of the meeting to approve the minutes of
May 20th, 2009. So voted unanimously.
Reports on Research for Essential Services:
Mr. Macintyre asked Mr. Tiffany to begin by sharing his research of the Bylaws of the
Town of Nantucket. Mr. Tiffany stated that he looked through the Town's Bylaws for any
reference to a function and found the following items:
Minutes - Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
June 3rd, 2009
Page 2 of5
Implied Required Positions
.:. Gas Inspector
.:. Selectman
.:. Tax Collector
.:. Conservation Commission
.:. Town Clerk
.:. Lighting Enforcement Officer
.:. Shellfish Warden
.:. Tree Warden
.:. Sewage Disposal
.:. Building Commissioner
.:. Zoning Enforcement Officer
.:. Town Assessor
.:. Inspector of Wiring
Implied Required Functions
.:. Board of Public Works
.:. Board of Sewer Commissioners
.:. HDC
.:. Treasurer
.:. Marine Department
.:. Fire Department
.:. Police Department
.:. Solid Waste Disposal
.:. Harbor Master
.:. Nantucket Housing Authority
.:. Tax Collection
Ms. Murphy noted that school services are not required by the bylaws. Mr. Tiffany
stated that although he thoroughly examined the bylaws he could find no requirement or
implied requirement for a school. Ms. Voges proposed that perhaps Massachusetts General law
(MGL) dictates that municipalities must have schools.
Mr. Macintyre stated that he contacted State Representative Madden in order to
request assistance in researching essential services. He added that first staff and then General
Counsel researched MGL for any requirements for essential services, but both groups were
unable to find any requirements for these services.
Ms. Voges commented that many municipalities affiliated with the Government Finance
Officers Association have done studies regarding municipal services but none have identified
essential services. She noted that she was able to find a listing of public services on Wikipedia
and cited the following services to the Committee:
Minutes - Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
June 3rd, 2009
Page 3 of5
.:. Broadcasting
.:. Education
.:. Electricity
.:. Fire service
.:. Gas
.:. Health care
.:. Military
.:. Police service
.:. Public transportation
.:. Social housing
.:. Telecommunications
.:. Town planning
.:. Waste management
.:. Water services
.:. Public information and archiving, such as libraries
.:. Social services
Ms. Gibson stated that she contacted the Massachusetts Municipal Association
regarding essential services, and received information from Sandwich, MA. She noted, however,
that as services become identified often times the debate becomes a political exercise in which
every service becomes essential.
Mr. Macintyre asked Mr. Atherton to provide a quick update on the Town of Nantucket
Charter. Mr. Atherton stated that he scanned and highlighted items that he felt might require
action by the Town. In the end, he was only able to find a statement mandating that the Town
Manager must ensure inventory and maintenance of Town property and utilize centralized
purchasing.
Reports on Draft Criteria for Essential Services:
Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee members proposed and discussed items to be considered as
criteria for essential services. After initial debate and consideration the following criteria were
identified:
.:. Provides broad based benefits to the community in terms of the number of people it
helps and the cost for providing the service.
.:. Exists as a service or function required by federal, state or local mandates.
.:. Provides the community with something that is absolutely necessary for public good and
wellbeing.
.:. Delivers services only a local government can perform or can do most efficiently.
.:. Maintains and improves the physical wellbeing of the community (including
infrastructure) .
.:. Doesn't duplicate services provided by federal, state, or local governments, nor is it
something that can be provided more efficiently by the private sector.
.:. Involves a service or function that without which it would be impossible to govern.
Minutes - Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
June 3rd, 2009
Page 4 of 5
.:. Preserves unique characteristics of the municipality, and maintains an awareness of
services that can only be provided on the island due to unique geographic limitations.
.:. Provides value for tax dollars raised.
Mr. Macintyre commended the Committee on its work identifying criteria for essential
services. He asked that each member make comments on the list that could be circulated by
way of e-mail prior to the next'meeting.
Review Preliminary Town of Nantucket List of Services:
Mr. Macintyre directed those present to a document listing Town departments and the
services provided by each department. Mr. Atherton commented that the document lists what
each department does and does not list essential services. After discovering several omissions,
Mr. Macintyre asked that Committee members carefully review the document and
communicate any functions or services that they feel should be included.
Public Comment:
Mr. Kelly stated that he has identified other criteria for essential services and cited the
following:
.:. The service must support economic development.
.:. The service must support the community's recreational needs.
.:. The service must be a response to a mandate of the electorate.
.:. The service must be linked to the goals, objectives and strategic plan of the municipality.
Mr. Kelly then suggested that the Committee spend some time looking at other
municipalities that have started from scratch in building communities. Mr. Macintyre agreed
and asked if anyone would be interesting in doing some research in this area. Dr. Schulte and
Mr. Tiffany volunteered.
Mr. Willauer highlighted his desire to include transportation services, energy
management, communication services, and coastal management in the debate over essential
services.
Debate then briefly centered on whether or not the desired services should fit the
criteria for essential services or whether criteria for essential services should be strictly used to
identify desired services. Mr. Macintyre asserted his belief that the Committee is "not only
looking at the test but also peeking at the answers."
Mr. Silverstein stated his opinion that care must be taken when considering the
outsourcing of services, noting that "governments serve communities and people while
businesses serve stockholders; consideration should be given on whether or not a for-profit
Minutes - Ad Hoc Fiscal Committee
June 3rd, 2009
Page 5 of5
company can provide a service and also on whether or not it should provide a service." Mr.
Keltz agreed, stating that outsourcing can be a great way to create savings but it can also create
losses.
Mr. Macintyre announced that the Committee has the opportunity to move the location
of its meetings to the Town's offices at #2 Fairgrounds Road. In the interest of avoiding summer
traffic and parking problems all members agreed that future meetings should move to this
location.
Date of Next Meeting:
The date of the next meeting was scheduled for June 1 ih, 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. Keltz. The
meeting was adjourned at 10:31 AM.
COMMITTEE OBJECTIVES
,. Develop criteria for essential services.
2. Recommend expense reductions or efficiencies in current operations.
3. Recommend actions to increase municipal revenue.
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Prepared by Craig Abernathy