The Sadsbury Township Board of Supervisors is conducting the October 21, 2020 budget meeting remotely on ZOOM. Chairman, Dave Reynolds called the meeting to order. Present was Supervisors John Moore and Earl Taylor. Township Treasurer, Tammy Russell was also present along with Accountants Chris Herr and Daniel Niehls, and Township Solicitor, Mr. O’Keefe.
Tammy Russell stated that after the last budget work session, she and Amy Boudoin looked to see if cuts could be made for the budget.
Chief Hawley said the plan was to get body cameras in place for 2021. He had a meeting with Watchguard, a subsidiary of Motorola on September 25th. Chief Hawley stated he could apply for the “Bern” grant, but he thinks he had to do that by the 15th of October. He wants to see about discounts and finance options and will have specifics by the end of the week.
Chief Hawley stated it is his understanding regarding PMRS that once the municipality funds 3 calendar years; they should be eligible for state aid. That should be in 2021. So if that is the case, it looks like the police is under budget. This should help to close the gap.
Ms. Russell stated the problem with PMRS is that a new person has taken over for Steve Vaughn, who is no longer there. She has received phone calls and e-mails that Jerry Ranck now has to be on the pension plan because at the time 3 full-time officers were needed for the pension. They are going back to look over our plan and we don’t know what will happen with PMRS financial obligations for 2021 or even 2022. Chief Hawley said other municipalities are experiencing the same confusion with PMRS.
Chief Hawley stated the one bright spot is the Township will be getting $2,500 stipend back for vest purchases. Chief Hawley asked Mr. O’Keefe about a resolution concerning body cam regarding policy and operating procedure.
Chief Hawley stated the round number on the body cameras without the grant is $20,000, but he is confident the “Bern” grant will be renewed for 2021. Mr. Reynolds stated we will not get the body camera without the grant, since Dan Niehls stated it will put us over budget.
Chris Herr stated it is all guess work with the taxes received this year. There might be a deficit of around $5,000. In 2021 the Liquid Fuels income should be $140,000.
Mr. Reynolds asked Chief Hawley about the police office renovations. Chief Hawley stated there might be another potential contractor and they will have to submit another proposal. Gilbertson Group has potential third general contractor. Mr. Reynolds stated we have been messing with this for 2 years. The Capital Fund has $750,000 and we can take $40,000 for the renovation project.
Mr. Reynolds wants to put it out to bid and hopefully get this job done before the 1st of the year.
Tammy Russell is having a scheduled ZOOM talk with Codes Inspection about how they are billing us. Have the billing broken down by permit number and how it is billed. Mr. Reynold would like to join in with the meeting and also Mr. O’Keefe for the informational meeting. Ms. Russell will set up a ZOOM meeting on Wednesday, October 28 in the morning.
Mr. Moore would like to think about using someone else in January.
On a budget perspective, it looks pretty balanced to be ready for November 4th. We will have a ZOOM meeting in the middle of December – just to adopt the budget.
Mr. Reynolds noted the concrete walkway to the back door is a trip hazard. Take another $10,000 out of Capital Reserve to get that fixed. The Public Works guys can do the demo and remove the old concrete. Mr. Reynolds instructed the auditors to make the Capital Improvement line item $50,000 and include walkway at police station.
The Public Works Department stated the John Deere gearing issue will be over $500.00 and can be done with this year’s (2020) budget.
Mr. Reynolds stated the Bentley property on the side of the Township Building consisting of 2.6 acres will cost $429,000. That would be $150,000 an acre plus we would plow Belaire Industrial Roads, and provide our own access out of the lot. We will still shop for land around the Township and look for a lot elsewhere.
Greg Vietri wants $9,000 a month to rent his garage. The Township cannot afford that.
The next budget meeting will be Wednesday, November 11, at 9 a.m. to finalize the budget and get it out for advertisement.
With there being no further business, Mr. Reynolds made a motion, seconded by Mr. Moore, to adjourn the meeting. With there being no questions, the Board voting “aye”, the motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully Submitted,
Linda Shank
Secretary