Open Hearing

Dover Warrant CommitteeMonday, March 18, 2013

Open HearingWarrant Committee Meeting to present the Fiscal Year 2014’s (FY14’s) Warrant Articles, Budget requests and preliminary Budget.

Starting in the summer of 2012 and continuing through last week, the Warrant Committee met with Town departments and the educational entities as Town revenue expectations and expenditure budgets were developed.

Open HearingThe objective was to arrive at the FY14 preliminary budget, which we will present to you tonight. The annual Blue Book containing the recommended budget will be prepared and delivered in April a few weeks prior to Town Meeting on Monday, May 6.

Again, this year we have continued towards improving the budgeting process and communication among the entities.

Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting

• This year we have 24 Articles• 13 Articles are, basically, “housekeeping”

with 3 of those of routine and, largely, without financial implication and • 10 Articles are financial, but largely

routine in nature• 8 Articles are special (non-recurring): 3 of

which are, largely, non-financial and the remaining 5 have financial implications.

• 1 Article has been withdrawn as of the time of this meeting.

Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting

• Articles this year are brought forward by the following sponsors:• Selectmen (11)• Assessors (1)• Planning Board (1)• Regional School Committee (4)• Warrant Committee (4)• Town Clerk (1)• Citizens Petition (1)• Council on Aging (1, withdrawn)

Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting

• The primary financial Articles• Article 4

• Amount to raise and appropriate for salaries and expenditures by departments, officers, boards, and committees of the Town as listed in the Blue Book

• The bulk of the Town’s Operating Budget

• Article 5• Amount to raise for various capital

purposes listed in the Warrant and the Blue Book

Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting

• The financial Articles (contd.)• Special Articles (generally, non-recurring)

• Dover-Sherborn Regional School Committee• Middle School Air Conditioning

• Article 13 - Borrowing Authorization• Article 14 – Payment by Free Cash

• Authorization for Funding Various Future Capital Items• Article 15 – Through Free Cash• Article 16 – Either through Free cash or

borrowing (at the discretion of the voters of Dover, independent of how Sherborn funds it)

• Selectmen• Article 17 – Rail Trail feasibility study

Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting

• The Other Special Articles (3)• Special Articles (generally, non-recurring)

• Planning Board• Article 11 - Associate Member

• Citizens’ Petition• Article 12 – Town vote for Projects on town

property• Selectmen

• Article 18 – Medical marijuana treatment centers

Overview of Dover TownOperating BudgetFiscal Year 2014

(Preliminary, as of March 18, 2013)

FY2014 Budget Components

Operating Budget (Art 4)

(e) 90.1%Debt Service (Art 4) 4.9%

Special Articles 0.3%

Capital Items (e) 1.9%

Prior Year Snow & Ice Deficit 0.4%

Reserve Fund 0.7%

Misc (e) 1.7%

Total $33.4 M

Revenue Sources and Expenditures

FY2014 Article 4Spending by Category

Regional Schools (operating)28.9%

Chickering School (operating)

28.7%

Debt7.4% General Gov't

6.1%

Protective Services8.9%

Health & Sanitation1.6%

Highway4.2%

Other4.0%

Insurance & Pension10.2%

“Debt” includes Dover’s share of the Regional Schools’ debt

Total $31.8 M (+3.5%)

FY2012-2014 Article 4

Regional Schools

(Operating)

Local Schools

(Operating)

Debt General Gov't

Protective Services

Health & Sanitation

Highway Other Insurance & Pension

$0

$1,000,000

$2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$5,000,000

$6,000,000

$7,000,000

$8,000,000

$9,000,000

$10,000,000

$11,000,000

$12,000,000

FY12 (Approved)FY13 (Approved)FY14 (Budget) (e)

FY13 3.0%

FY14 +1.7

%

FY13 +1.3%

FY14 +8.9%

FY13 -1.8%

FY14 -

2.2%

FY13 +6.8%

FY14 +1.5

%

FY13 +5.6%

FY14 -0.3% FY13

+4.6%

FY14 +3.7

%

FY13 8.6%

FY14 +4.8

%

FY13 +6.2%

FY14 +5.3

%

FY13 +6.7%

FY14 +1.9

%

Summary of Spending by Category

FY2014 Estimated Revenue

Tax Levy79.7%

Debt Ex-clu-sion4.9%

Local Receipts

5.4%

State (e)4.1%New

Growth0.7%

Misc0.2%

Use of Free Cash

5.0%Total $33.4 M

(+1.0%)

FY2012-2014 Revenue

Tax Levy Debt Exclusion Local Receipts State (e) New Growth Misc$0

$5,000,000

$10,000,000

$15,000,000

$20,000,000

$25,000,000

$30,000,000

$35,000,000

FY12 (Recap)

FY13 (Recap)

FY14 (Estimated)

FY13: +3.9%

FY14:+3.8%

FY13: -6.5%

FY14:-2.8%

FY13: +6.1%

FY14:-8.7%

FY13:-0.9%

FY14:-0.7%

FY13:+2.1%

FY14:-

25.6%

FY13: flat

FY14:flat

Budget Gap

Expenses$33,436,186

Revenue$31,788,213

Gap$1,647,97

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Budget Gapas a Percentage of Expenses

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20140%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

5.6%

6.9%

8.9%

5.5%

4.3%

5.8%

4.3%

6.1%

4.9%

Open Hearing

• Thank you

Dover Public School

FY14 Operating Budget Presentation March 18, 2013

Dover Public SchoolFY14 Budget Overview

Where does the money go?

FY Operating Budget $9,102,492

SALARIES63.79%

ALL OTHER: SUPPLIES,PURCHASED

SERVICES, EQUIP-MENT, 3.67%

REGULAR EDUCATION TRANSPORTATION

2.13%

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS

4.08%

SPED TRANS-PORTATION

3.22% OUT OF DISTRICT TUITION

Pre-k-age 22 23.11%

Dover Public SchoolFY14 Operating Budget

FY13 Budget

FY14 Budget

% increase

Regular Ed. $5,555,856 $5,699,345 2.58In-District SPED

892,394 1,006,994 12.84

Total In-District

$6,448,250 $6,706,339 4.00

OOD $1,907,204 $2,396,153 25.64

Total $8,355,454 $9,102,492 8.94

Dover Public SchoolFY14 Budget DriversRegular Education

Increase of 2.58% $143,489 (increase 2% excluding World Language of $30,000)

Estimated enrollment is 487 with 27 sections. (7% estimated decline in enrollment)•Teachers are in third year of contract with no COLA for teachers on the matrix and 1.25% COLA for those at the top. Support Staff budgeted for 2%.

Salary increase of $185,000•Reductions in staff of .4 FTE – PE (.3) and Art(.1). Reductions were made to reflect enrollment and workload.

Salary decrease of $30,000•Other reductions were made in supplies, regular ED transportation and miscellaneous items.

Supply, transportation and other decrease of $35,000

Dover Public SchoolFY14 Budget Drivers

Special Education

In District- increase of 12.84% $114,600

Estimated # of Students on Individual Education Plans (IEP): 75 (FY13 actual is 71)

•Majority attributable to 3 additional SPED aidesSalary increase of $68,000

•Contractual services increased due to current IEP cohortSalary increase of $22,000

•Return of a teacher on leave and contract increasesSalary increase of $24,000

Dover Public SchoolFY14 Budget Drivers

Special Education

Out of District (OOD) – increase of 25.64% $488,949Estimating 29 OOD placements (Students 3-22 years of age)

(FY13 was budgeted for 24, actual is 26)•5 new OOD placements

Tuition increase of $310,000•Cases moving from day programs to residential

Tuition increase of $100,000•Current Tuition increases of 3%

Tuition increase of $50,000•Transportation costs resulting from 3% increases and new placements

Transportation increase of $25,000

Dover Public SchoolFY14 Operating Budget

New Initiative – World Language

Dover and Sherborn are proposing to add a Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) Spanish program

Implementation will include one grade per year, beginning in K. Full implementation (K-5) will be completed in FY19.

Program costs are being shared with SherbornTotal costs for Dover at full implementation is

estimated to be $135,000 ($275 per student based on current enrollment)

Total costs for FY14 is $30,000Complete presentation is available on the DS District

website

Dover Public SchoolQuestions

Thank you for your continued support for educating our children

DOVER/SHERBORN REGIONAL SCHOOLS FY14 BUDGETMember Assessments $18,622,416Excess and Deficiency $750,000Revenues $1,683,914Revolving Account Offsets/Transfers in $341,500

Total Budget Appropriations $21,397,830

Projected Revenues

FY13 FY14 Difference % increase Notes:

OperatingDover $9,035,226 $9,189,754 $154,528 1.71%

Sherborn $7,626,356 $7,842,898 $216,542 2.84%$16,661,582 $17,032,652 $371,070 2.23%

DebtDover $775,027 $870,873 $95,846 12.37%

Sherborn $629,771 $718,891 $89,120 14.15%$1,404,798 $1,589,764 $184,966 13.17% Includes two warrant articles FY14

Total Operating and DebtDover $9,810,253 $10,060,627 $250,374 2.55%

Sherborn $8,256,127 $8,561,789 $305,662 3.70% Sherborn: $108.5K is due to student population$18,066,380 $18,622,416 $556,036 3.08% shift; $73K is Sherborn’s increase in health

rate

Budgets % Increase FY13 FY14 Difference % increase

Operating $19,186,997 $19,808,066 $621,069 3.24%Debt $1,404,798 $1,589,764 $184,966 13.17%

Totals $20,591,795 $21,397,830 $806,035 3.91%

Assessments

Budget DetailSalaries and Other Compensation

63.2%

Benefits 13.7%

Debt Service 7.4%

Other: textbooks, supplies, contracted services. 6.7%

Building and Grounds (non-personnel) 5.1%

Transportation 3.4%

Insurance - Property 0.3%

Capital Cash Outlay 0.2%

FY DOVER STUDENT POPULATION

DOVER OPERATING ASSESSMENT

SHERBORN STUDENT POPULATION

SHERBORN OPERATING ASSESSMENT

TOTAL

2010 603 55.07% 492 44.93% 1095

2011 619 54.59% 515 45.41% 1134

2012 609 53.37% 532 46.63% 1141

2013 638 54.34% 536 45.66% 1174

2014 622 53.99% 530 46.01% 1152

Enrollments

Debt Borrowing Items

Warrant Article Middle School Air

Conditioning Project$853,000 If approved, schedule to be completed Summer 2013

Warrant Article Capital Equipment and

Improvement Items$122,000

Items: $47K Middle School VCT flooring; $22K masonry repointing at Lindquist; $16K lighting and walkways; $14K HS flooring; $7.5K irrigation valve maintenance; $6K snowblower; $5.5K exhaust kitchen; $4.5K High School service doors

Set rate for Utilities - no increase

Salaries - 3rd year of favorable contract

Transportation - contract extension 1 year

Health insurance rates 4%

New administrative hires - lower salaries

Favorables

$750,000 use of Excess and Deficiency fund to offset operating budget

Murky, incomplete figures from federal and state governments

Capital Needs Assessment Plan projects 20 years of significant funding

Staffing challenges as student population increases in high school

Challenges

Capital Request: AC for the Middle School• 15-20% of school year >78o in many classrooms

– 80o-85o (orange) is common in warm months– Example: one week in June 2010– Full data at doversherborn.org

• Severity and duration unanticipated during planning• Poor working and learning conditions

– Contract negotiation issue• No other options (fans, etc) solve the problem• $853,000 capital expense (5 year bonded); approx $10K

operating

“Recreational Path Feasibility Study”Presented by Dover Rail Trail Committee

Context

• Ad-hoc committee formed in 2011• At May 2012 Town Meeting, voters approved up to $5,000 for

miscellaneous expenses related to the Feasibility Study

Opportunity to Convert the 3.7-Mile Unused Rail Corridor in Dover to a Recreational Path

Dover Rail Trail Committee Working on a Feasibility Study to Understand Pros/Cons of the Path

Working Assumptions:• Appropriate for walking, running, casual bike riding, and skiing• Not paved• Preserve Town’s rural character• Local control• Limited cost to the Town

Feasibility Study – Key Questions

1. Is it feasible for Dover to convert the unused rail corridor into a Recreational Path? Includes financial, environmental, legal, public safety, citizen interest,

and community / abutter impact

2. If yes, then what are the Committee’s recommendations for the range of elements involved in creating the Path? Considers what would be an appropriate Recreational Path for Dover

and how it would be constructed, managed, and maintained

1

2

With the help of interested Dover citizens, the Committee identified over 80 items for review and study

Status Update

• Regular meetings with public attendance

• Community engagement (web page, email list, abutter mailings, open meetings)

• Engagement of Town officials (ConCom, Public Safety, etc.)

• Research of other town activities and best practices

• Knowledge sharing with Needham and Medfield on similar issues

Rail Trail Committee Activities Status as of March 2013

• Draft Feasibility Study, with some remaining questions and issues to explore

Draft Feasibility Study ContentsRecommendations for Town

ConsiderationA. Guiding PrinciplesB. SurfaceC. UsesD. RulesE. ConstructionF. Rail Trestle BridgeG. InfrastructureH. Partnership with “Friends”

GroupI. GovernanceJ. MaintenanceK. ParkingL. Public SafetyM. AwarenessN. Needham and Medfield

Coordination

Community ImpactA. Benefits to Town and Projected

UsageB. Public SafetyC. Community and Abutters’ InputD. Environmental Impact

Financial and Legal ImplicationsA. Projected CostsB. Projected Sources of FundingC. Legal and Insurance

Considerations

Warrant Article Request

Right-of-Way Review • Warrant Article request to fund sufficient due diligence on key items, i.e., hiring external professional expertise

• If approved, the Committee will work toward completion of the Feasibility Study in time for the May 2014 Town Meeting, as appropriate

The Committee Has Identified Five Key Items That Require Additional Research and Professional Expertise

MBTA Lease Terms

Engineering Analysis

Construction Contracting

Environmental Review

1

2

3

4

5

Who is SPAN-DS?• The Substance Prevention & Awareness Network

• in Dover-Sherborn • www.span-ds.org

• Since 2002

• Presently includes: Faculty and Administration from both DSMS & DSHS, Superintendent’s office, parents, local law enforcement, clergy, health and business professionals.

• Parent Representatives from both towns grades 6 – 12 (approx. 1,200 students)

50

SPAN-DSWhat do we do?

PREVENTION, PREVENTION, PREVENTIONWe seek to prevent and decrease substance abuse in our communities, especially among our youth. We do this in three ways:

• Providing Educational Opportunities • Raising Awareness• Building strong networks

• ———• Perceived risk and marijuana use are highly correlated. As the

perceived risk decreases, use among youth increases. Both decriminalization in 2008 and legalizing of medical marijuana in 2012 have lowered the perceived risk.

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Marijuana use in Dover Sherborn is 9% of 9th graders and increasses to 61% of 12th graders. (See Metrowest Adolescent Health Survey on span-ds.org)

The presence of treatment centers in a community legitimizes youth marijuana use, and increases youth access to the drug.

Lets look before we leap!

Open HearingConclusion

• The Blue Book for FY14 will be distributed in mid-April as usual.

• Town Meeting is Monday, May 6, 2013 at 7pm at the Alan Mudge Auditorium at the Dover-Sherborn Regional School.