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• 1 Article has been withdrawn as of the time of this meeting.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(1)• Regional School Committee (4)• Warrant Committee (4)• Town Clerk (1)• Citizens Petition (1)• Council on Aging (1, withdrawn)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.
51
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.