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Date: 7/13/2022
WILBRAHAM – Tanya Campbell, a certified public accountant with the accounting firm Melanson, delivered the town’s fiscal year 2021 (FY21) audit report to the Board of Selectmen on July 11.
Campbell explained the purpose of the audit, which is done each year, is to provide “reasonable assurance” that the financial records of the town are “free of misstatement.” The audit is conducted based on standards from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.
Melanson included no discrepancies in its report. She stated that the town’s “unassigned fund” balance is “fairly healthy” at $4,914,356. This balance is made of the stabilization fund, which essentially acts as the town’s savings account, and other unappropriated funds. While the general stabilization account is “a little low,” at 2.4 percent of the town’s operating budget, the rest of the unreserved money makes up 6.6 percent.
Moving on to the town’s retirement liabilities, Campbell broke the numbers down into two portions. The net pension liability is the money that is placed in the Hampden County Regional Retirement Fund, from which town employees receive a benefit once they retire. Wilbraham’s share of the system’s unfunded liability is 7.33 percent, or $30.9 million. This is slightly less than last year’s numbers due to changes in the market.
The other portion of the liability is net OPEB liability. The acronym OPEB stands for “other post-employment benefits” and mainly consists of retiree health insurance costs. The balance on that account is $25.3 million, up by $1.2 million over FY20. The town contributed about $470,000 in FY21 and the account is 9.2 percent funded.
Board of Selectmen Chair Carolyn Brennan asked if Wilbraham was on track with its funding of the OPEB liability.
“It’s good from what I’ve seen in this part of the state,” Campbell said, adding that towns fund their OPEB on a range between 0 percent and 40 percent.
Investment
Assistant Town Administrator in Budget and Finance/Treasurer/Collector Barbara Hancock asked the board for permission to remove the town’s money from Money Market accounts and engage in low-risk investment with the help of investment management Bartholomew & Company. Hancock said she had worked with the firm while managing municipal finance in Northampton.
Hancock explained that a discount rate factors into the liability for which a town or city is responsible and that rate is dependent, in part, on what the municipality is doing with their money. Wilbraham’s liability was estimated to decrease from $26 million to $21 million if it were to invest its money.
“Have the money make money,” Goodrich commented. Hancock confirmed that was the premise.
The board approved Hancock’s suggestion.
Snow and ice
The board approved a request from Town Accountant Derek Geser to transfer $52,600 from unexpended funds to cover a deficit in snow and ice removal. The snow and ice account is routinely overdrawn as the severity of winter storms are not known when the budget is set.
Sergeant interview
Wilbraham Police Officer John Perry was interviewed for the open position of sergeant. Perry said it was “an exciting time” in the department because there had been a change in leadership and he wanted to “keep people motivated.”
The board members each asked Perry a series of questions. Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Theresa Goodrich asked Perry what he felt was the most important part of being a sergeant. He told her it was being the liaison between the chief and the officers and “leading from the front.”
Perry was asked to identify a high-pressure situation and he reflected on a call he responded to when in Northampton, in which a person was under the influence of narcotics and was climbing out of a third-floor window. Perry had to coax the person back inside and get them under control before other emergency responders arrived.
Board of Selectmen Clerk Susan Bunnell asked Perry how he feels about paperwork. He quipped that it was the part of the job they do not show on tv. “That is how we remain accountable to the people we serve,” he said. He added that there is a lack of trust in police in society and transparency is important.
When asked which law Perry would create or remove if able, he said juvenile first offenses are generally not processed, but that makes their records “murky.” He also cited a law that requires an assault and battery to be carried out in front of an officer in order to arrest the perpetrator.
Brennan questioned the candidate last. She asked about Perry’s best decision and one he regrets, he said that when someone under arrest says, “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” it “takes the wind out of your sail,” but he has had to trust that he is doing the right thing and come back to work the next day and that is the best decision any officer can make.
As far as a decision he regrets, Perry said, “I’ve lost my cool before,” and “reacted rather than responded.” He said he has had to take lessons from those situations and learn from them.
Finally, he described his leadership style as “easy to approach” and setting clear expectations.
The board will vote on Perry’s appointment at a future meeting.
Economic development
Resident Crystal Russo applied for the final open seat on the Economic Development Initiative Steering Committee (EDISC). She explained that she had a degree in economics and a professional background in investment. Russo told the board she would like to see empty storefronts become opportunities and to see the town “keep flourishing.”
Bunnell asked to postpone a vote on the appointment because a small business owner had expressed interest but had not yet submitted the paperwork.
Brennan said she felt it was unnecessary to wait because a qualified candidate had submitted their paperwork first. The board approved Russo’s appointment to the EDISC.
On a somewhat-related topic, Goodrich asked Police Chief Ed Lennon to update the board on what was being done about “derelict” buildings in town. Goodrich said she was concerned about squatters and danger to first responders who may have to enter the buildings.
The chief said a nuisance property group, with stakeholders from the Health, Police and Fire departments, as well as the treasurer’s office, had been informally convened to prioritize vacant properties in disrepair and pursue ways to rectify them. He also noted that a nuisance property bylaw was under consideration but would not be ready until the next Annual Town Meeting.
Public comment
During the public comment period, a resident took issue with the decision to move the recreation complex to Memorial School, despite residents voting at Town Meeting to locate it at 540 Stony Hill Rd. He said that the town had “disregarded” the “will of voters.” As a pickleball player, the resident said the town deserves a pickleball court, as many surrounding towns have built. “I’d like to see some shovels in the ground ASAP,” he said.
Proposed legislation
The board discussed a proposal by the state Legislature to mandate a remote participation component for open meetings. Until the law is passed, the temporary allowance of remote participation and quorums will expire on July 15.
Town Administrator Nick Breault said the Massachusetts Municipal Association objected to the proposal due to logistical difficulties. Brennan said the “backlash” is, in part, because small communities do not necessarily have the capability to host meetings with a remote component. She said the move to mandate remote participation was a “knee-jerk reaction” to public pressure to extend the option for it.
“What about funding,” Goodrich asked, pointing out that teleconference technology requires a subscription.
Additionally, Breault noted that not all committees and boards were comfortable or technologically savvy enough to run a hybrid meeting.