FINANCE CONTROL BOARD, August 9, 2004

 

PRESENT: Thomas Trimarco, Alan LeBovidge, Mayor Charles V. Ryan, City Council President Domenic Sarno, Jake Jacobson

 

AL:  This meeting comes after we have spent the day touring the city and meeting with the School Department.  Let’s approve the minutes of our last meeting.

 

CVR: Moves approval of the minutes with two slight changes.

 

AL:  Proposes a motion authorizing and hiring an executive director, Philip Puccia, who has experience working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Department of Transportation doing these things, looking at organizational structure.  His salary would be $130,000 per year.

 

CVR:  I would have been happier if either Domenic Sarno or I had been involved in the hiring process.  However, I met with Mr. Puccia for three or four hours on Thursday for a free-ranging discussion.  He is a man of significant energy and experience, however a salary of $130,00 gives me serious pause.  It is not what we expect to pay in the Springfield area.  I would like to separate the motion hiring Mr. Puccia from the salary issue.

 

DS:  I am also concerned about the $130,000 and the message it sends to City workers.

 

**CVR’s motion to hire Philip Puccia as executive director is seconded by Jake Jacobson and passes unanimously.

 

JJ moves to pay Puccia $130,000, and TT asks CVR to suggest a salary figure he would find more appropriate.

 

CVR: The Boston labor market is not the Springfield labor market; the figure here would be $100,000.

 

**Motion to pay Puccia $130,000 passes 3 (Boston members) to 2 (CVR and DS).

 

CVR:  We decided last time that I might review and approve contracts under $500,000, and I am distributing today a list of contracts approved so far.  Our decision last time left unanswered what to do about contracts above $500,000.  I move that contracts about $500,000 will require signature by both chairman LeBovidge and me.  Motion seconded by JJ.

 

AL:  If it’s a really big contract, e.g. $10 million, we should all review it.

 

TT:  Either of you could bring it to the board.

 

**Motion approved unanimously.

 

CVR:  The legislation creating the control board gives the control board the power to sell or lease city property.  There are vacant lots owned by the city which are sold at auction and via RFP.  Generally these properties are of modest value.  I am seeking the authority to execute these contracts.

 

AL:  Secretary Kriss will hold the board accountable, but he appreciates these practical problems.

 

CVR:  We now have an executive director....

 

AL:  I like your idea to keep things moving.

 

TT: How does this currently work?

 

CVR:  A good number of conveyances are in the federal funds area where there are no City funds to begin with.  The amounts are in the $1000 to $100,000 range.

 

JJ: The Secretary will ask about a sheaf of documents he is given to sign; someone will need to explain each paper to him.  Let the executive director do liaison with the secretary.

 

TT:  Are these properties sold at auction? Are these tax title properties to be bought by a private person?

 

CVR:  Kathleen Lingenberg director of our Office of Housing is here and can answer any questions....

 

TT:  The Mayor and the executive director working together, the executive director will not be a signatory to the deed.

 

AL:  I have no problem with the mayor executing. The executive director will report to the board.

 

**Motion passes unanimously.

 

CVR:  Clerk will note in the minutes that a list of contracts signed between July 9 and August 6 has been given to the board.

 

JJ:  I would like to authorize the executive director for future board consideration to draft RFPs to cover orders, common council, police, fire, schools, etc. to execute or not, to hire someone to look at best practices from other cities....

 

AL: The highest priority is police and fire.

 

CVR:  I will work with the executive director on the needs of the police department.  I’ve asked the chief, who is out of town now, to come back on Wednesday to discuss this matter, a plan to hire officers and civilians to take on positions now filled by officers and cadets....  This is not to take away from Mr. Jacobson’s motion which is broader.

 

**Motion passes unanimously

 

DS: requests clarification of the city council’s role vis a vis the control board.

 

AL  We’re looking for constructive ideas from everyone.  I’d like to see both bodies involved in the budgets, to have the city council and school committee meet with the Mayor.  Elected officials should be involved; they are stakeholders.

 

JJ: We want to see if it is a constructive process.

 

TT:  We’re at the start of a process.  We would like—the elected officials and the people are the stakeholders—to feel we can draw on input from everyone.  We want everyone to feel they are very much a part of the process.  We have authority and will exercise it, but we don’t want to short-cut elected officials.

 

CVR:  So the city council will review the September 1/12 budget.  If the city council is to come first, then we need another date for the control board meeting, because the council needs to review and analyze.

 

AL:  August 16^th meeting is cancelled.  The next meeting of the Control Board is set for Monday, August 30 at 10am in Room 220, City Hall.

 

What about the School Committee?

 

CVR:  The School committee approves budgets on a perfunctory basis.  Budgets for July and August have already been submitted.  Their process will be different.

 

AL:  Should they be involved up front?

 

JJ:  If the School Committee is happy, OK.  If they have ideas, we’d love to hear them.

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:37pm.