Spring Town Meeting - a series of evenings - begins tonight!
- Swearing in of the New Town Meeting Members
- Review of the procedures of the meeting
- Warrant (agenda) of the meeting
- Several motions moved to future nights for various reasons
- Full Natick Net Zero Update was given
- Transportation Advisory Committee (Note there is a vacancy) Full Report here. Related item to the schools:
Mr. Errickson gave a State of the Town
Naming this body as immensely productive by investing in:
- the first Town Master plan
- Updated Cannabis requirements
- Invested in major roadway projects - for example Rt. 27 from Sherborn to Wayland
- Rail Trail
- 2 parks
- Kennedy Middle School
- Absorbed enrollment
- Sustainability model
- PFAS
- & have mitigated a global pandemic with an excellent staff
This town comes together with action when there is a need.
In FY23, we are still relying on one time funds - a trend we need to address - free cash and stabilization funds that is concerning. Town and School administration preparing scenarios to work through a structural deficit and capital needs.
State Representative Linsky and former Town Meeting Member in Natick.
- $49 Billion State Budget is in the process
- Local Aid and Chapter 70 was voted yesterday in the House
- Good News to take into account into this article:
- Unrestricted Local Aid - 2.7% increase for all cities and towns in the Commonwealth
- Chapter 70- $12.5M an increase for 17.9% for Natick (above state average 4.51%)
- Increase amounts - in Metco funding, in Special Ed Circuit Breaker and others
Mr. Townsend gave an overview of the Natick Town Budget
Dr. Nolin shared this presentation to Town Meeting members.
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Mr. Evans, Principal at Keefe Regional Technical School, shared this presentation.
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| Town of Natick currently has 51 students attending Keefe |
Mr. Townsend then came back to the microphone and shared slides covering each departments budget, the new additions of town positions (1 Firefighter, EMT, Asst. Director of DPW, Increase Rec and Parks office position and create/rename the Sue Salamoff part time Internship program) bottom line FY 23 budget and looking ahead.... (sorry I can't find a screen shot of those slides)
Then, Town Meeting Members are allowed to debate the budgets....
1) Question about the Firefighter staffing budget - What is the thinking of adding 1 firefighter this year and not the possibly the desired 4 or 5?
Answer: It's difficult to absorb 4-5 in one year. Adding one will allow for reduced overtime. The recruitment processes post pandemic are also difficult. This is why the position is 1/2 funded in the budget
In debate: Town meeting members received a letter from the fire fighter union in support of adding more. This is something I hope we can honor in the future.
2) Question on the Police budget: A member asked about a difference between the parking revenue line and cost of parking attendant.
Post pandemic - Less people parking downtown. Business parking permits have come back but 12 passes out of 100 in the commuter lot have been sold. We are projecting less revenue from parking tickets but do expect this number to return to pre-pandemic levels at some point.
Then the vote for the Town Budgets except for Motion G.
From a show of hands, I could see a majority "Yes" vote with only a few "No" votes.
3) Motion G Question - A member asked for clarification about State Aid. Are we swapping the State Aid we just received with stability funds? Was this part of the Feb. 1 budget?
Answer - Offsets have to be switched out this way on the Cherry Sheet. This was already in the budget.
4) How much of our debt is short term variable interest rate?
Answer: 3.8M BAN
5) Continuation of a prior question by a new member - Representative Linsky shared late breaking news $1.8M in chapter 70 and this document I believe, preceded this. Is this $1.8 reflected anywhere on the Motion G chart?
Answer: Yes
The moderator then asked Mr. Errickson to clarify for the members because there were moving parts:
Answer: Total State aid is not different - it has always been $17+ but have to be accounted for in the cherry sheets. We utilized the information that came from Ways and Means.
Feb 1 - Prem. Gov. Budget April Ways and Means - They look similar but it has been updated.
Vote passed by a 2/3 vote. Again, vast majority hands were a yes. A handful of no's.
Meeting adjourned.
- What is an Omnibus Budget?-
(I imagine most of the town departments in a bus on the way to the bank...)
To determine what sum of money the Town will appropriate and raise, or transfer from available funds, for the operation of the government of the Town of Natick, including debt and interest during Fiscal Year 2023 (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023), and to provide for a reserve fund for Fiscal Year 2023; or otherwise act thereon.
To fund the operations of the various Town and School Departments, the Water & Sewer Enterprise
Fund and the Sassamon Trace Golf Course Enterprise Fund.
Also, something to note, transportation to our schools in subsidized by the town every spring town meeting... and that was passed in the consent agenda:
Consent Agenda & the Schools
ARTICLE 12 – School Bus Transportation Subsidy: Superintendent of Schools
MOTION: Move that the Town vote to appropriate the sum of $429,844 from Tax
Levy for the purpose of operation and administration of the school bus transportation
system for FY 2023, and to reduce or offset fees charged for students who elect to use
the school bus transportation system for transportation to and from school, said funds to
be expended under the direction of the Natick School Committee.
A huge shout out to our Town Moderator, Frank Foss,
All of the members of the Finance Committee and especially to the Chair, Linda Wollschlager, for all of the hours they have spent debating and voting a recommendation for every agenda item in this meeting - all found on this website.
To our Town and School Administrations led respectively by Mr. Errickson and Dr. Nolin
And to TOWN MEETING MEMBERS for your patience and dedication for a slow, but as local as you can get form of government!