RCL Notes of November 16, 2017 Budget Committee meeting

RyeBudgetCteeNotes111617revCfinal

Memo to Budget Chair:  MemoReBCmbrship111517

1.     Shawn Crapo was seated and permitted to vote over the objection of one member who had provided a six page memorandum on why that would be unlawful.  It argued that the statute requires village district representatives to the Budget Committee to be appointed by their respective boards, and that Mr. Crapo is not a commissioner and thus has no “respective board†that may lawfully appoint him.

2.     Most proposed expenditures were approved and the meeting ended at approximately 3:00 p.m. despite being planned to end at 4:30 p.m. 

3.     There was one vote against $24,000 for the purchase of a town-wide vehicle to be used, in part, for the transportation of injured seagulls.  The member voting against noted the lack of economic analysis and conflicting information on the mileage of police cruisers when they are turned over for use by town departments.

4.     A member unsuccessfully sought to table most Capital Outlay requests so that they could be considered together with a possible $5.8 million in warrant articles. 

5.     The budget that would have added a “jack-of-all-trades†for Public Works was tabled pending further discussion between the department head and the Selectmen. 

6.     Unlike during consideration of the 2017 budget, Shawn Crapo recused himself from voting on the Recreation budget after a member so requested.  Mr. Crapo’s company holds the contract for mowing at the Recreation Area.

7.     The Library budget was not considered as there is, as yet, no consideration by the Selectmen of it. 

8.     There was one vote against, and one abstention, related to the Land Management budget because of reductions and/or insufficient funds to conduct water testing for PFCs and monitoring Parsons Creek for bacterial contamination. 

9.     There was one vote against the Legal budget by a member who felt that the town was not well-served by the current town attorney.

10.  There were two votes against the Town Hall budget by members asserting that there were insufficient maintenance funds to properly maintain the building.