State aid – Unrestricted General Government Aid, or UGGA – to Medfield has declined for decades, and today is at less than half the level of our real estate property tax revenue that it was in 2007. The declining state aid has increasingly moved municipal services from being funded by the state income tax to the local property tax.
Thanks to Steve Callahan, Chair of the Warrant Committee for circulating the link to the Massachusetts Municipal Association piece that Assistant Town Administrator, Brittney Franklin shared with him.
Thanks too to the Massachusetts Municipal Association for focusing on this issue of inadequate and declining state funding.
Comments Off on MMA Suggests Solutions to Declining State Aid
The Warrant Committee’s joint budget workshop with the Select Board and School Committee last night was ended by this tree on the wires along Main Street that turned off the electricity to the Medfield High School library, putting the meeting into darkness – the MHS’s emergency generator failed to come on. The meeting proceeded in the dimness for a short time illuminated only by the light from the computer screens and cell phones, and apparently was still being broadcast on backup power.
The workshop discussion will be re-scheduled and the discussions will continue.
Issue = only an additional 1.2% budget monies are available for spending increases for FY27, so even level funding is not possible. Plus large capital expenses required:
$120 m. required to repair town buildings over the next 20 years.
$100 m. required in next 5 years for priority building repairs – roofs and building envelopes.
This email will serve as a brief update to our December 11, 2024 communication to budget makers on the Department FY 2026 Operating Budget targets. The Warrant Committee has completed their review of the FY 2026 omnibus operating budget (forecasted revenues and shared/fixed costs) and voted at our meeting on February 26, 2025 to bring forward to Town Meeting an FY 2026 Operating Budget within the Prop 2 ½ framework.
This final FY 2026 Operating Budget (attached below) allows for a maximum increase in aggregate FY 2026 appropriations/expenditures for school and town departments of 3.4% and 3.5%, respectively over their FY 25 approved budgets.
A host of net unfavorable factors required a decrease in previously provided targets. The most significant matter was the recently updated estimate of health insurance costs from MIAA for active and retired employees of Medfield school and town departments (representing a 16.92% rate increase).
Accordingly, the FY 2026 Operating Budget brought forward by the Warrant Committee to the Town Meeting will allow for an aggregate limit on any increases in the FY 2026 school and town departments of 3.4% and 3.5%, respectively. The amount of COLA for non-contract employees who are not covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreements and salary increases as stipulated by relevant Collective Bargaining Agreements for contract employees are expected to fall within these aggregate limits. As previously communicated, any department requests above these aggregate limits are expected to necessitate a Prop 2 ½ override and supplemental budget.
The Warrant Committee looks forward to receiving final department budgets from the Superintendent, School Committee and Town Administrator on the details of their budget requests within these aggregate limits in the next couple of weeks in order to move forward with the preparation of the warrant report for Town Meeting. We remain committed to sustainable balanced budgets within the Prop 2 1/2 framework that continue to provide essential and important services, and that the Town’s overall costs and tax rate are controlled as well as possible.
Best,
Steve Callahan
This email is intended for municipal use only and must comply with the Town of Medfield’s policies and state/federal laws. Under Massachusetts Law, any email created or received by an employee of The Town of Medfield is considered a public record. All email correspondence is subject to the requirements of M.G.L. Chapter 66. This email may contain confidential and privileged material for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please contact the sender and delete all copies.
Comments Off on Final Warrant Committee FY 2026 Omnibus Prop 2 1/2 Budget Guidance
Posted onNovember 14, 2023|Comments Off on Warrant Committee FY 25 Budget Guidance
Email today from Warrant Committee Cochair, Stephen Callahan, with the Budget Guidance for the upcoming budget cycle (FY25) –
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Dear Medfield Budget Makers and Elected Officials
The Warrant Committee has implemented a new budget process this year that emphasizes upfront budget guidance for departments and elected officials and an earlier process to achieve our goal of a sustainable balanced budget within the Prop 2 ½ limits to bring forward to Town Meeting.
Last evening, we completed our due diligence on the FY 25 budget guidance and approved the attached communication to all budget makers and elected officials. In addition to providing overall budget targets for departments, it provides additional information on process, expectations, and timelines for FY 25. Feel free to reach out to me or Bob Sliney if you have any questions on these matters.
The Warrant Committee looks forward to our upcoming reviews and meetings with departments to better understand the important services and needs for the FY 25 Budget.
Please feel free to forward to others that you feel would benefit from this communication.
Hoping you all have a happy thanksgiving with your families.
Best,
Steve Callahan
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To: Medfield Budget Makers and Elected Officials
Date: November 13, 2023
From: Warrant Committee
Subject: FY 2025 Budget Guidance: Approach, Targets and Timeline
Summary and Background
A host of factors pushed up the growth rate of the Town’s budget in FY 23 and FY 24, including the inflation surge that began in mid- 2021. Fortunately, inflation has moved down from its peak last year but nonetheless, the space between our forecasted fixed expenditures and the Tax Levy allowed under Prop 2 ½ continues to be under pressure.
While the tax rate moved down in FY 23 to $15.43, average tax bills rose 3.2%, amounting to an increase of $402 on the average home in Medfield – and tax bills will move up again in FY 24. The property tax bills in Town have overall, risen about in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Given the anticipated ongoing slowing in housing prices and continued budgetary strains, the tax rate is likely to face upward pressure in coming years.
Taking all of this into account, the Warrant Committee intends to take a cautious approach to budgeting in FY 25. In summary, after a review of FY 25 forecasted revenue and fixed costs, the Warrant Committee is recommending an overall 4.1% budget guidance for school and town departments. Amounts of COLA for non-contract employees who are not covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreements and salary increases as stipulated by relevant Collective Bargaining Agreements for contract employees are expected to fall within this overall guidance.
COLA for non-contract employees (does not directly affect employees covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements)
Inflation has eroded everyone’s purchasing power since the surge that began in the middle of 2021, though inflation has moved lower recently, with the latest read on the CPI indicating that prices in the Northeast in September were 3.0 percent higher than 12 months earlier (3.7 for the US as a whole). Wages have also been rising more rapidly during this inflation environment. For example, the Employment Cost Index for State and Local governments employees rose 4.8% over the year ending in September. That figure incorporates pay increases that went into effect at the start of the fiscal year in many jurisdictions (July 1, 2023), corresponding to Medfield’s FY 24 COLA (3.0%) that also went into effect July 1st.
The COLA recommended by the Warrant Committee that will be brought forward to Town Meeting must balance the need to fairly compensate the hard work and dedication of Town employees against the burden of taxes. By way of background COLAs were 3.0 % for FY 24, 2.0 % for FY 23 and 2% for several years before that. As of this date, the Personnel Board has not decided on a COLA for FY 25.
Department Operating Budgets
As noted, budget pressures remain and are unlikely to abate in coming years. Accordingly, we ask the school and Town departments to prepare budgets that do not exceed the guidelines of 4.1% and 4.2%, respectively. Department heads should first work with the chief executives and elected boards (Superintendent/School Committee or Town Administrator/Select Board) in balancing the limitations of these guidelines with essential department needs and services in the face of unforeseen costs for essential goods and department needs. For line items where increases are necessary to maintain essential services, or where costs have increased in an out of the ordinary way, we ask budget makers to provide specific explanations to their Elected Boards and the Warrant Committee and to consider whether a decrease in another line item could offset the increase.
Lastly, if after review there are any unmet needs that could not be covered with either alternative revenue sources (grants, fees, etc.) or cost efficiencies, please identify these for the Warrant Committee along with specific explanations for essentials whose higher costs make Warrant Committee guidance inconsistent with providing an appropriate level of service. The Warrant Committee asks that any significant requests that fall outside of the above guidance be identified and communicated early, since it may trigger a Prop 2 ½ override request at Town Meeting.
The Warrant Committee looks forward to discussing particulars with the Superintendent, Town Administrator, and budget makers to ensure that essential and important services are provided, and that the Town’s overall costs and tax rate are controlled as well as possible.
Capital Budget requests should be handled through the Capital Budget Committee process.
Timeline
December, 2023 – FY 25 budgets are due to Town Administrator and Superintendent
January, 2024- Budgets transmitted to School Committee, Select Board and Warrant Committee
December 2023 – February 2024 – Warrant Committee Liaison Member due diligence
January 16th and 30th, 2024– Warrant Committee budget review meetings with Town Departments
February 13, 2024 – Warrant Committee budget review meeting with School Department
As always, thank you for the hard work you undertake on behalf of Medfield taxpayers and the long-term future of the Town. We look forward to working with all policy and budget makers to produce an FY25 Budget that provides efficient, quality services to Town residents while continuing to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer revenue.
Sincerely,
Medfield Warrant Committee
Stephen Callahan (Co-Chair), Deborah Cartisser, Emily McCabe, Peter Michelson, Brent Nelson, Jillian Rafter, Peter Saladino, Bob Sliney (Co-Chair), Edward Vozzella
Posted onAugust 23, 2022|Comments Off on Medfield Town Moderator is Reaching Out: Can We Talk?
From Town Moderator, Scott McDermott –
Medfield Town Moderator is Reaching Out: Can We Talk? Scott McDermott using a series of Open Forums and Open Letters to connect with the community. He has important appointments to make and would like to have ‘a conversation with the town.’
I have 6 or 7 appointments to make (4 SBC and perhaps 3 to WC), so it is an important time for me to have a conversation with the town.
Attached is the pdf. version of my first Open Letter. Here is a link to the Letter on the town website:
I appreciate any promotion on this effort. And, beyond the focus on the upcoming appointments (which are important), I also want to listen, learn, and discuss two other topics: (i) Town Meetings of the Future; and (ii) Power of Volunteerism in Community.
Please check out the video from the Warrant Committee Subcommittee meeting last night. We utilized the new “Owl” which allows us to conduct hybrid meetings via Zoom without having to bring Medfield TV in for assistance. Pete had attended a conference with MMA that discussed towns that were using the Owl, it took a few weeks to get it into place but it was worth the wait!
We intend to continue utilizing Medfield TV for the BOS and School Committee meetings but this offers more flexibility for smaller committees who would like to conduct hybrid meetings.
Your cloud recording is now available.
Topic: Warrant Committee Date: Aug 31, 2021 07:05 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.
![November 20, 2018 Carol Mayer, Town Clerk Town of Medfield Medfield MA 02052 Re: Appointments to the Warrant Committee Dear Ms. Mayer: I am very pleased to confirm the following appointments Robert Sliney to the Warrant Committee of the Town of Medfield. Bob will succeed Thomas Marie for a term expiring in 2021. Amanda Hall to the Warrant Committee of the Town of Medfield. Amanda will succeed Abby Marble for a term expiring in 2019. Kristine Barton to the Warrant Committee of the Town of Medfield. Kristine will succeed Thomas Mulvoy for a term expiring in 2019. The following represents the current composition of our committee as it prepares to address the laws, business, and policies of the town: Amanda Hall of 305 North Street [term expires 2019] Kristine Barton of 3 Jefferson Way [term expires 2019] Joanna Hilvert of 14 Pueblo Road [term expires 2019] Jeremy Marsette of 62 Colonial Road [term expires 2020] Sharon Kingsley Tatro of 12 West Street [term expires 2020] Michael E. Pastore of 6 Liberty Road [term expires 2020] John E. (Jack) Wolfe of 17 Harding Street [term expires 2021] Newton H. Thompson of 5 Evergreen Way [term expires 2021] Robert Sliney of 6 Overfield Drive [term expires 2021] On behalf of the town, I thank Tom Marie, Abby Marble, and Tom Mulvoy for their excellent service and deep commitment to Medfield. As always, thank you for your consideration. Very truly yours, Scott F. McDermott Scott F. McDermott cc: Town Administrator Board of Selectman Warrant Committee TOWN OF MEDFIELD Scott F. McDermott Town Moderator](https://medfield02052.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/20181120-smcd-warrant-committee-appointments-2018-2019-11-20-18.jpg)
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