BOS minutes exec session 02-28-12

Source page 1

Motion was made to adj e meeting at 10:00 p.m. 
Respectfull lb 
Gerald A. Salvaton, 
Clerk 
Minutes 
Board of Selectmen 
Executive Session 
February 28, 2012 
Memorial Hall - Salah Meeting Room 
Present: John J. Connolly, Chairman, Avril T. Elkort, Vice-Chairman, Gerald A. 
Salvatori, Jr., Clerk, Robert E. Burr, Jr., Member, Victor D. Del Vecchio, Member, 
William T. Friel, Town Administrator, Jennifer Andrews, Administrative Secretary. 
The meeting was called to order at 8:45 p.m. 
Jim Murgia, Finance Director, John Bonnanzio, Superintendent of Public Schools as well 
as the School Committee members, John Bonnanzio, Cindy Thomas, Elizabeth Salisbury, 
Reuki Schutt, and Jill Stevens were also present. 
Jim Murgia started the discussion on the Town Budget and the allocation split between 
the School side and the Municipal side especially as it relates to funding contracts He 
informed the BOS and the School Committee that the Finance Committee had brought 
up the idea of adjusting the budget as an incentive to manage cost by giving each side an 
allocated amount going into contract negotiations. That would be the entire funding 
amount for contracts and schools could use any amount of those funds for contracts. 
There was a discussion concerning the current way of splitting the budget which allows 
for funding of steps and lanes initially and then divides the remainder of the budget in a 
66/34 split (schools and municipal). The new proposed way which splits the budget 
before allocating funding for steps and lanes. This proposed way would be a measure of 
putting pressure on the Unions to amend the steps and lanes by adhering to an allocated 
amount without changing the overall budget and to provide incentive to the schools to not 
agree to a contract without "step reform". 
The Board made the School Committee aware that they had made a decision to explore 
health care reform and that it will be part of upcoming negotiations strategy with a 
possible savings of about 1.3 million dollars over two (2) Fiscal Years (estimated).