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Finance Committee Meeting
Minutes of Meeting 12-10-18
Aquinnah Town Hall Selectmen’s Meeting Room
Members present: Chairman Allen Rugg, Mark Foster, Tom Murphy
Also present: Town Administrator Jeffrey Madison and Board Administration Assistant Sophia Welch
- The meeting began at 9:00am
- First on the agenda was a review of minutes. Tom made a motion to approve the 7/16/18 minutes as presented. Motion was seconded by Mark. The Committee voted 3-0, the motion passed. Next, they reviewed the 7/30/18 minutes. Tom made a motion to approve the 7/30/18 minutes as presented and amended. Motion was seconded by Mark. The Committee voted 3-0, the motion passed.
- Next the Committee met with Town Administrator Jeffrey Madison to review the Special Town Meeting Warrant. Jeffrey stated that the main reason for the Special Meeting was due to a recent State Park grant application to improve the lookout area at the Cliffs. The grant will match the $64,000 appropriated from CPC funds but there needs to be specific language adopted by the Town to maintain grant qualification. Jeffrey had also added additional articles (housekeeping items), and forgot some, that he felt were pressing enough to be addressed before the Annual Town Meeting. The additional articles required free cash certification, which Jeffrey had spoken to the Town Accountant about. Jeffrey noted that the Selectmen have already approved the warrant. The free cash amount has not been certified and will not be certified in time for the meeting. Jeff noted that he spoke with the State regarding the park grant and discussed the avenues that the Town has if a quorum is not present for the meeting. They informed him that the Town would still qualify for the grant if the meeting reconvened and a vote was done in January 2019.
The Committee felt that it was important that they meet prior to the January Special Town meeting to review the free cash articles and discuss whether they are pressing or not. The Committee calculated that the warrant is approximately $200,000 in expenditures and should be considered by the Committee in a future meeting. The Committee discussed potential Special Town Meeting January dates and concluded that they would all be on island January 22nd, 2019.
Jeff informed the Committee that there will be a second warrant for the January meeting. The second warrant will address the non-monetary articles that he forgot to add, including the land donation to the Town from Hannah Malkin on Lighthouse Road and adoption of MGL sections approving the Selectmen to appoint Committees such as the Parks and Recreation Committee. There was brief discussion regarding the Malkin donation and restrictions. The Committee agreed to meet on January 18th, 2019 at 9:00am to review both warrants.
- The Committee discussed adding issues raised by the Assessors to their January meeting agenda.
- The Committee discussed the 1st warrant article pertaining to the State Park grant and how it will be expensed. Jeff informed the Committee that the grant requires a budget narrative which speaks specifically to improving the lookout area at the Cliffs (where the monument is located). Jeff gave a brief outline of the proposed improvement: making the area ADA compliant and raising the area making it more visually appealing to visitors. The Committee also discussed article number 9 that addresses selling a land locked Town parcel on Lighthouse Road.
- The Committee revisited the issues raised by the Assessors. The Committee briefly discussed the issues that led to the submission of information that the Assistant Assessor gave to Fin Comm. The issues are based on the assertion that the Town is losing revenue at an unacceptable rate due to the abatement of real-estate taxes. The Fin Comm desires to receive more thorough information in regard to these issues. The Committee agreed that at their January meeting they would determine whether to conduct further meetings and if so, it will invite stakeholders such as Conservation Commission and Housing Committee to participate.
- With no other business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn.
The Committee voted 3-0 in favor, the motion passed.
- The meeting ended at 9:28am.
Respectfully submitted, Sophia Welch, Board Administrative Assistant
