Coming before a joint meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board and Finance Committee on March 10 were Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Howard Barber, ORR’s assistant superintendent of Finance and Operations, to review the FY23 school budgets.
For the layperson, the complexities, the numerous moving parts of the process used to create a school budget, can be mind-numbing.
In an effort to bring clarity and transparency to the process, Barber and Nelson gave an in-depth PowerPoint presentation followed by questions.
Transparency has been a keystone of the current administration’s financial planning, including work with the Tri-Town administrators and financial teams to thoroughly vet not only the process but the bottom lines.
That is not to say it has been easy. The amount of support the state will be providing has not yet been cemented or fully disclosed to cities and towns, leaving school administrations to make their best guess. Suffice to say, schools are funded by the taxpayers both at the local and state levels.
From Barber’s presentation, the Select Board and Finance Committee learned that Mattapoisett’s local schools, Center and Old Hammondtown, show an increased enrollment of 28 students for a total of 424 for FY23. Local school assessment is pegged at $8,039,560 for the upcoming fiscal year. ORR’s assessment is planned at $6,353,695.
Another moving part is a line item titled “Foundation Budget,” a calculation that includes multiplying the number of students in 14 enrollment categories by cost rates in 11 areas. From the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, we find the following regarding foundation budgets: “While allocations within the district budget are under the purview of the school committee, there is a statewide system of school funding that underlies the entire system. This is called the ‘foundation budget,’ as it establishes a foundation level of funding for each school district.”
That figure for Mattapoisett local schools stands at $4,913,934 and Chapter 70 state aid at $980,381. ORR’s foundation budget is $12,541,084 with state aid via Chapter 70 at $3,384,440. In a follow-up, Barber explained it this way: “The Foundation Budget is the required net school spending (NSS) to be budgeted per the state for the school department. It includes the Chapter 70 aid from the state and the minimum local aid required by the town/city.” He also pointed out, “The total Proposed Budget for ORRSD … is $20,845,272.”
Regarding capital needs and the development of a Capital Stabilization Fund, the draft budget shows Mattapoisett’s contribution to this fund at $152,567. When questioned by the Select Board on the price tag that the Tri-Towns are expected to pay into the fund, Barber said this is just for the repairs to the high school track, not the amount that will be requested annually. In the follow-up he said, “The current capital assessment in the operating budget for track is $152,567 for Mattapoisett. There is not a specified amount determined yet for future cycles to build into the Capital Stabilization account…”
Nelson and Barber were also asked for the current OPEB liability figure. In the follow-up, Barber stated, “As of (June 30, 2021,) the total OPEB liability is $24,802,731 with a current net liability of $24,691,449. Total assets included in the plan as of (June 30, 2021) are $111,282.”
Later in the meeting, the Select Board carried on with working sessions with department heads for the FY23 budget, meeting with members of the Board of Health and Mattapoisett Police Chief Jason King.
From Board of Health Chairman Carmelo Nicolosi, the board heard that the company which has purchased ABC Disposal will honor existing contracts without modifications.
Select Board Chairman Jordon Collyer asked how the Transfer Station, an enterprise fund that has needed financial support since its inception, is doing. Nicolosi said that receipts for every transaction are now mandated and that two new recycling programs have begun, one that accepts textiles including rugs and carpets and another for mattresses. He also noted that they are working with the researchers from the Collins Institute who is studying the operation to assist the town in making it more financially viable.
Collyer also asked about the possible creation of a “Dump Store” where people could shop for materials or swap items. Nicolosi said they were looking into that as well. BOH agent Gail Joseph said that up to a half ton of material can be removed from the waste stream this way. The FY23 budget for Transfer station expenses shows SEMASS at $212,000, rubbish collection $314,586, recycling $187,752 and landfill monitoring $11,500.
King reported that the Police Department has 17 full-time patrol officers and 3 part-time staff. He said that seven officers are ready to make the next step in their contracts with 2-percent pay increases. King also commented that the number of ambulance calls has dramatically risen.
In the category of what could help offset expenses, King said in the future, he hopes to have a plan to place solar arrays over the parking lot of the police station that are now in a design phase.
Regarding capital needs, King said he is requesting $50,000 for tasers, equipment the staff currently does not have, a police cruiser for $55,000, $110,000 for parking lot repaving, $25,000 to upgrade the department’s telephone system, $50,000 for a new radio system and $25,000 for a new police motorcycle.
This last request prompted board member Jodi Bauer to ask, “Is this a want or a need?” King pointed to the goodwill an officer on a motorcycle brings to the town including funerals. “Most towns have them and they are fully equipped to handle emergency calls.” He said the officer using the motorcycle is a highly-trained professional who teaches other police departments how to handle motorcycles, giving Mattapoisett prestige. He concluded saying a motorcycle can go places a cruiser cannot, including the bike path and that he also hopes to have a bicycle unit for warmer-weather patrolling.
Recreation Department Director Greta Fox was asked by Collyer to help plan a working session with the Select Board that would among other topics examine fees for various programs. Another area Collyer said he wanted to explore is more adult offerings. “We need to do a gap analysis to find the blind spots in programming,” he said.
Fox said part of the problem with expansion planning is the fact that the Recreation Department does not have a building. One thing all agreed on is giving Mattapoisett residents first shot at summer-camp enrollment before opening it up to other communities.
As she had during other meetings, Fox explained the challenges that the department experienced due to the pandemic and the fact that programs still are full.
The bigger concern facing Fox is the dearth of certified lifeguards for the coming season. She said all outreach pathways to encourage applicants are being used but are not very effective. She said only two lifeguards confirmed they are returning.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, at 5:00 pm.
Mattapoisett Finance Committee
By Marilou Newell