2010-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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FF • Make recommendations to the voters on each Report of the Warrant Article presented at Town Meeting, Finance Committee even if the Article has no financial impact. To this end the Finance Committee members I To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and Citizens fully participated in the budget preparation processes of the Town of Mashpee: leading up to the final Fiscal Year 2011 budget pre- In the Town Meeting form of government under sented by the Town Manager to the Selectmen and � Town Meeting. In its report to the residents, the I which many Massachusetts municipalities, like Finance Committee recommended approval of the Mashpee, are constituted, the Board of Selectmen is Town Manager's$46,720,179,which was a reduction empowered with the responsibilities of the Executive of over $794,000 from the FY 2010 budget approved Branch of the town. Since as part-time elected offi- at Town Meeting. This reduction reflected a major cials,the Selectmen don't have the time to administer effort on the part of the Board of Selectmen,the Town the day to day operations of the town,a town's Charter Manager and all the departments who recognized the � or bylaws entrust those obligations to a Town very difficult economic and fiscal times the town, the j Manager,or other full-time, appointed position. Such state and the country were experiencing. is the case in Mashpee,through which the Charter cre- ated the position of Town Manager. Based on the approved budget, when combined with a further decline in residential and commercial Unlike in other forms of government which elect construction and an additional 5.5% decline in overall representatives to conduct the Legislative affairs of the property assessments from the declines in property municipality,in the Open Town Meeting form,the leg- values in 2009 and 2008, the Committee projected an islative business of the town is conducted at one or increase in the municipal tax rate of $0.67 to $8.43/ more Town Meetings at which the registered voters of $1,000 of assessed property value. The final tax rate the town assemble to vote on the business matters of struck by the Town Assessor in December was $8.37/ the town, which can range from the approval, or $1,000 of assessed value as the actual decline in prop- defeat, of the annual town budget, to zoning matters, erty assessments was 4.7% from the prior year's total or to the licensing of animals,for example. To provide rather than the 5.5 percent initially projected by the input to the Legislative Branch of municipal govern- Committee for the May Town Meeting. ment, i.e., the voters of the town, Massachusetts law provides for the establishing of a Finance Committee Despite this, Mashpee's over-all financial health to advise the voters on matters which will come before remained generally good. The town's bond rating them at the ensuing Town Meeting. stands at AA+, and the tax collection rate remained above 98%. In Mashpee the Finance Committee is a 7 mem- ber volunteer board appointed by the Town Moderator Going into the FY 2012 budget year, while there whose function is to become familiar with the work- are early indications that the economy is beginning to ings of the Mashpee governmental operations,provide turn around, it will be quite some time before it gets some direction and oversight to the Selectmen and back to the point where consumers regain confidence Town Manager, but primarily to act in an advisory and the housing markets begin to recover. And so as capacity to the voters on matters which will come this Committee participates in the preparation of the before them for their vote. new budget, there are a number of near and long term public policy issues that the town administration The Charter of the Town of Mashpee adopted in should address and plan for: 2004 specifically mandated that the Finance Committee annually perform three specific functions: With collective bargaining beginning in mid- 2011 with all the bargaining units, regarding • Provide the voters with a "concise and read- the rising Employee Health Insurance and able financial report" describing the revenues Pension Costs as well as the associated and consolidated expenses as part of the unfunded liabilities going forward, the com- annual Town operating budget. p gmittee strongly recommends including bar- • Calculate a projected municipal tax rate result- gaining positions consistent with policies ing from the adoption of the Town budget. adopted in the private sector, including higher 87