Marion Finance Director Judy Mooney and Town Administrator Jay McGrail gave the Board of Selectmen an overview of the town’s budget for Fiscal Year 2022 during the February 2 selectmen’s meeting via Zoom.
McGrail said he asked the department heads in December to present level-services budgets with additional requests made separately and reported that no requests were made for additional staff. McGrail said Marion is starting to see the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on revenues for FY21 and referenced recent furloughs at the Senior Center.
Projected growth for FY22 is 3.55 percent, and the total town increase without schools is 2.3 percent, leaving McGrail confident that each department has done a solid job responding to the request.
Marion has draft numbers from ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson, but those figures will not be ratified until mid-March. Given Marion’s constraints, McGrail and Mooney met with the ORR administration, and McGrail said he hopes to see a new number from them.
Estimated total General Fund revenues for FY22 are projected to be $25,474,945, up from $24,772,528 in FY21. Marion’s FY22 level services budget is currently set at $25,617,604.
During a 4:15 pm appointment, Paul Naiman of the Capital Improvements Planning Committee summarized the CIPC’s methodology and made some observations as a prelude to McGrail and Mooney’s presentation of Marion’s FY22 Capital Budget.
The CIPC, explained Naiman, assists Marion’s departments in developing capital plans and 10-year projected capital plans. Items that qualify for consideration are those having five years or more of impact with a cost of at least $10,000. “We also try to visit town sites and see how money is being spent,” he said, referencing visits this year to the Town House and a meeting with the Old Rochester Regional School District’s new administration. “A lot came out of it, and we hope to do that again…. I hope this will prevent the track rehabilitation project getting approved by just our town and not even appearing on other towns’ warrants.”
The CIPC typically meets with department heads in the fall to collect information, and its members rate a department’s projects on a 1-10 scale by considering several factors: need, public safety, maintenance cost, funding source, its effect on the tax rate or fees, and its useful life span. The CIPC creates and averages scores and establishes a ranking of items to share with those departments, the Finance Committee, and the Board of Selectmen.
Marion’s share of ORR’s outdoor track project is $105,000 and is among seven school-related projects on the CIPC’s list. Four are projects related to Sippican School, and two are ORR. There are also five DPW projects, bringing Marion’s total capital projects for FY22 to $1,4 million. The next steps will include a review by Mooney, McGrail, FinCom, and the selectmen, and the process lands some items on the warrant for Town Meeting.
Mooney and Selectman John Waterman agreed that it would take a year to assess the financial impact of the town running the Benson Brook transfer station. “We’re not looking to make money; we’re looking to break even. But in a year, the cost could go up if we need it to cover costs,” said Waterman. Marion has provided 1,000 stickers to Rochester, most of which McGrail expects will be purchased.
A negative trend exists in public school enrollment that began before the COVID-19 pandemic.
ORR enrollment has dropped 50 students for all three towns (154 total), and Sippican School is down 41 students from last year, but Mooney said Marion saw 38 fewer students enrolled in public schools for the two academic years prior. “We are concerned about it; it’s not just this one year,” she said. In the two prior school years, Sippican enrollment decreased by eight and 13 students.
“We need to form a committee to look at enrollments because schools are a fixed cost. It may be one-offs for this year, but it got my attention,” said Waterman.
Water Enterprise expenses will go down a small amount, but sewer is increasing. Mooney said that the town is looking to subsidize the Sewer Enterprise increase with free cash.
McGrail reported no new debt.
In his Town Administrator’s Report, McGrail issued a Friday, February 12, deadline to submit articles for the 2021 Annual Town Meeting warrant.
McGrail was pleased to report that Marion was allocated 100 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and will distribute to Phase 2 citizens ages 85 and over. “We started at age 101 and worked our way backward. We offered the shot to every Marion resident at age 85 plus,” he said. The town called every eligible citizen using a census data list and assisted in the sign-up process as was necessary. Board of Health member Dot Brown made many of the calls herself, working through the weekend long.
“When we look back at this whole episode a number of years from now, it’ll be some of the most important work we’ve ever done,” said McGrail, crediting respective Police and Fire Chiefs Richard Nighelli and Brian Jackvony for their forward-thinking and lauded the efforts of Public Health Nurse Lori Desmarais.
Friday’s COVID-19 clinic is by reservation only with no walk-ups. McGrail is hoping with the 100-dose allotment per week that the town can vaccinate citizens ages 75+ over the next two weeks.
For more information, call the town’s COVID-19 hotline at 508-748-3509.
The 4:35 pm appointment scheduled with Heron Cove developer Ken Steen did not take place. McGrail reported ongoing negotiations with Steen with notice that he will appear on a future agenda. “We have a game plan,” said McGrail.
In other business, the selectmen discussed and voted to approve the Massachusetts Historical Commission 2021 Survey and Planning grant application.
They entered an executive session to consider the purchase, exchange, or lease of real property and did not return to public session.
The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, at 4:00 pm.
Marion Board of Selectmen
By Mick Colageo