CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Finance Committee this week reviewed budgets and capital outlays for the Department of Public Works and the Police Department. 

 

The largest capital expenditure for the DPW will be for the addition and upgrade to the town garage on Cross Road, which is being paid out of the $1 million infrastructure borrowing approved by town meeting last May. 

 

Highway Foreman Kyle Hurlbut on Monday confirmed the project had been bid and he was satisfied with the specs drawn up by the architect. 

 

"I'm a little worried about bid numbers coming back but there's nothing you can do until they come back," he said. The project had been estimated at $125,000 and will allow more equipment to be stored under cover. 

 

His capital budget is also seeking a new plow truck, an item he's had on the list for several years. Committee Chairman James Stakenas asked if state Chapter 90 road funds had been put aside for the vehicle but Hurlbut said no. 

 

"I don't recommend using Chapter 90 money, that should be going strictly to road work," said Hurlbut, adding usually the town takes out five-year loans. "We need that money for the roads."

 

The town only gets about $75,000 a year in Chapter 90 funds.

 

He estimated the truck with a wing plow would cost about $250,000 but thought he might have the price a little high. It takes almost a year to get the truck after ordering, he said. 

 

However, Hurlbut said there will be loans coming off the books this year, including the payments on the debt to redo Horrigan Road and another truck loan. 

 

The truck he would be replacing is a 2002; the newer trucks include 2012 International highway truck and a one-ton purchased in 2015. He would be looking to see if there was any trade-in value on the 2002 and also would be keeping the sander attached to it.

 

"It used to be 10 years on are larger trucks, they were rotating," he said. "The truck right now is over in New York getting $3,000 worth of work on it."

 

Hurlbut also said the shed at the Clarksburg Cemetery needs to be replaced because it's all rotted out. That should be able to be funded through the cemetery stabilization account, which has about $20,000. 

 

Stakenas asked if it would be same size replacement but Hurlbut said he would like something "a little bit bigger than the standard size." He had gone to Sheds-N- Stuff in Cheshire to get some idea of the cost involved. 

 

The committee raised the possibility of the DPW constructing the shed or asking McCann Technical School to build one. The school's students have sided and roofed the police garage and sided and painted the front of Town Hall as projects. Hurlbut said he hadn't considered building one. Town Administrator Rebecca Stone said she could work with Hurlbut to see what option was best. 

 

Another priority was the pavilion at Cook Veterans Memorial Field. The concrete pad of the pavilion has broken up and is a hazard. 

 

"The roof needs some [work] but you can just through metal over it, but the posts are good, the footings are good, the footings haven't moved at all," he said. "Whether we want to get rid of the concrete and asphalt in there, if it's allowed by the Conservation [Commission], that way we could easily cut out one section at at time and handle it easier."

 

Stakenas said it didn't sound unreasonable but thought Hurlbut needed a little more information on what it was going to take to fix it. Until it is fixed, Hurlbut recommended not renting the pavilion out, especially since one section of the pad had heaved up above the rest. 

 

While the DPW truck was taken under advisement, Police Chief Michael Williams' request for a new cruiser was put off a year to allow the town time to ensure its audits are in line with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's requirements. 

 

The USDA has asked for prior year audits and Stone said she was not comfortable applying for a grant for the cruiser from the department's Rural Development until one more audit year was on file. 

 

The Police Department's Chevy Impala needs extensive work and the mechanic who assessed advised it was not worth putting money into it because of the undercarriage rot and mechanicals, Williams said. 

 

"The Tahoe has been doing OK, we ended up putting around a little over $2,000 into it this year because we had all the rotors and brakes done on it," the chief said. An oil pressure sensor and the water pump was replaced and a pressure test found leaks in the radiator, so that was also replaced. 

 

The vehicle is about six or seven years old and has 73,000 miles. Williams said he was able to cover the repairs within the budget. He estimated a new vehicle would run around $50,000. 

 

"I would ask that you fine-tune what you might need on maintenance on the Tahoe for another year and it would probably behoove us to make sure you've got enough repair money to keep that one on the road while we wait out the grant issue," Stakenas said. "I appreciate your making us think about the new vehicle by putting it in as a capital expense."

 

The committee also asked Williams if the amount he'd put in for staffing was needed, as the department hadn't used that amount in some time. 

 

"When's the last time you've even come close to that number?" asked committee member Debra LeFave. Williams acknowledged "it's been a few years" and that he get those figures for the next meeting. 

 

 "At some point when we get close to the end of the budget cycle I think what's important is we go on record of funding what you're likely going to spend," said Stakenas. "It's our job to the budget that what we think we ought to spend in order to fill all the ranks."

 

 Williams said he currently has four staff but he should have seven total — himself and six part-time officers. The department is scheduled with Williams working full-time weekdays and part-time officers doing 12-hours shifts during which they're paid for four hours patrol and anytime they respond during their eight hours on call. 

 

"He has trouble filling those shifts sometimes, and then some of the people that we have on staff aren't yet qualified, and two maybe leaving anyway," said Stone. "So we're back to really having two people so there's no way we can have 24/7 [coverage]."

 

Last year, the police chief had advocated for a second full-time officer to provide stability and for coverage when he was not available. The Select Board rejected that proposal, feeling there was no need based on the number of annual calls. The backups for Clarksburg are the state police and the North Adams Police Department through mutual aid.

 

Stakenas said he didn't want the chief to be hamstrung in hiring officers but also wanted to make sure the town was budgeting appropriately. 

 

"So I think realistically, knowing the number of people that we have to have on call, we need to make sure that you have sufficient money in your budget," he said. "And I think the number that we will ultimately get to is somewhere between what you requested and what you're able to spend."

 

The committee also wanted to clarify that the town had approved $4,000 in the department's capital budget as a match grant for tactical vests. Williams said the town had received the matching grant and he could order the vests. The vests should be replaced every five years and the current ones are "a little over at the point."

 

The library had been asked to attend but Stone noted that because of programming on Monday mornings, it was difficult for the trustees and library director to make the meetings. Stakenas said he would be open to meeting with them and Stone on afternoon if LeFave was alright with that and she was.

 

 "I only put it out there to be practical here because their budget is pretty much level funded," he said. "There are a couple of things that we have questions about, which is painting, some construction work." 

 

Stone one of the questions should be about a line item for an information technology consultant when the town is already paying the same person to take care of all the town's computers. She thought it might be related to a one-time expense in setting up the library's new computers but would check on that. 

 

The Finance Committee next plans to meet with school officials on their fiscal 2021 budget.