MEMBERS PRESENT:

Council President Higgins, Councilors Mutter, Morris, Albuquerque, Ackerman, Lemois and Kirkpatrick     

Also present, Daniel J. McKee, Mayor and Augusta M. Johnson, Deputy Town Clerk

MEMBERS ABSENT: 

OLD BUSINESS

FIRST PUBLIC HEARING:

1.   #07-08 – An Ordinance to Reopen and Amend the Existing Budget

Council President Higgins announces that this is the first public hearing on this ordinance and reads the proposed changes into the record.

MOTION BY COUNCILOR MUTTER, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR ACKERMAN AND UNANIMOUSLY VOTE TO AMEND ORDINANCE #07-08 BY REPLACING WITH #07-08A AS READ INTO THE RECORD.  VOTE 7/0.

Public Hearing opened at 7:08P.M.

Public Hearing closed at 7:09P.M.

Councilor Mutter explains that the budget amendment legislates executive staff salary under what was appropriated in fiscal year 06-07 that was a pre-requisite for the funding for the new Department of Children and Learning.  He also explains that it accounts for severance pay to executive staff, budgets for the Neves Property, the expenses of the payment of the legal judgment in the LA Ray case and accounts for the Rescue Department overruns that they are expecting.  He mentions that the Housing Aid Revenue allows for the changes without impacting property taxes.   He concludes by explaining that the School Department’s fiscal management has allowed them to remove the appropriation from the vehicle replacement fund which by ordinance they would have had to replenish in this budget cycle but instead allows them to appropriate $56,500 to the School Department for copiers.        

Mayor McKee thanks Patricia Anderson, the Deputy Finance Director, for stepping in and supply the Council with the detail description and reasons of each change in the absence of the Finance Director.  He explains that addition of the debt service is very important because it hadn’t been budgeted for in the last budget and there is payment that has to be made on April 1^st, this adjustment will give them the authority to sign this check.  He addresses the Rescue adjustment is being made so that they can end this year to reflect what the cost has been due to overtime but it is not their intention to fund it at that level for next year. 

Councilor Morris asks if in each line can be changed from “should be” to “is”.

Councilor Mutter suggests waiting until the next meeting to make any further changes in the language because the Solicitor is not present.   

ADJOURNMENT:

MOTION BY COUNCILOR MUTTER, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR ALBUQUERQUE AND UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN AT 7:22P.M.  VOTE 7/0.

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Augusta M. Johnson, Deputy Town Clerk

**A VIDEOTAPE AND MINUTES OF THE ENTIRE MEETING IS AVAILABLE AT THE EDWARD J. HAYDEN LIBRARY**