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Assessor Department Budget Review (Link: 00:00:00 – 00:15:00)
Goolsby opened the assessor department budget review, noting scheduling constraints to complete library, assessors, and park and recreation departments before lunch. Todd, the assessor, joined the meeting along with other staff members. Goolsby confirmed there were no significant adjustments from the state of the town process and no cuts coming from that review.
Todd confirmed his department has three full-time employees, including himself. The salary line showed a 3.8% increase due to contractual obligations and step increases. Todd explained that the materials line item varies by year, with fiscal year 26 being a certification year requiring approximately $17,000 in additional expenses. This year the expense line decreased because the certification requirements from last year are not recurring, though they will return in fiscal year 31.
The overall department budget decreased by 2% despite having three employees. Goolsby emphasized the importance of the assessor function for revenue generation, particularly new growth, and stated that cutting anything from this three-person department would be catastrophic given their role in supporting the town’s biggest revenue line item.
Keezer highlighted the financial threat of not fully sustaining the assessor function, referencing past challenges with database maintenance that led to increased abatement applications. He credited Todd, Lee, and Victoria with cleaning up the process and returning abatements to normal levels. The real financial risk appears in increased abatement costs when the assessor function is not operating effectively.
Goolsby praised Todd for being actively present on-site at properties, which was reportedly lacking before Todd joined. Todd discussed coordination with the town inspector and actively monitoring OpenGov and permitting software to capture new growth beyond the 2.5% Proposition 2½ limit. He reported that abatement requests decreased from 300 in the prior year to 85 this year, indicating improved assessment accuracy.
Todd explained their use of Eagle View satellite software implemented the previous year, which helped identify $30,000 in new growth by detecting small additions like patios and decks that weren’t previously captured. The software provides overhead views and identifies changes between flyover periods, helping locate unpermitted improvements that generate new growth revenue.
Benjamin praised Todd’s work, noting improved efficiency, better integration with new Catalyst software, and upcoming Munis integration that will connect the assessor’s office with the general ledger and treasurer’s office. She highlighted Todd’s responsiveness to citizen requests and his personal handling of over 300 abatements.
Todd described his process of receiving direct emails from building permits and occupancy permits, checking property records, coordinating with Patriot Properties for inspections, and auditing their work. He emphasized the ongoing need to identify unpermitted improvements and ensure accurate property assessments.
Dube provided an update on the senior property tax exemption legislation that Todd and Lee helped craft. Representative Ermini reported the bill is progressing through the House committee in its third reading before moving to the Senate, with commitment from Representative Ermini and Senator Crichton to get it signed by the governor for fiscal year 27.
O’Neil motioned to approve the requested fiscal year 27 assessor budget of $388,003. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously by the committee.
Parks and Recreation Department Budget Review (Link: 00:15:00 – 00:32:00)
A committee member announced the opening of the Recreation and Parks public meeting with three members present and no one online. Goolsby began the budget review by noting significant budget adjustments from the original submission, with the main cut being a full-time park groundskeeper position worth $45,000. Jamie, the superintendent, confirmed this represents one full-time employee position that became vacant within the last four weeks due to internal promotions following a retirement.
Jamie explained the impact of eliminating this position, stating they would no longer have staffing capacity to service approximately 187 public trash barrels throughout town. This labor-intensive manual process requires significant staff time, especially during peak season. Trash pickup would continue only in areas where recreation and parks programming is actively taking place and at beaches during staffed seasons. She noted that eliminating this service also means they no longer need to replace their trash truck, which was a minimum $100,000 capital request for fiscal year 27, as the current vehicle is at the end of its useful life.
Dube asked about organizational changes following the department head’s retirement. Jamie explained they previously had two superintendents, one covering parks and herself covering recreation, both reporting to the commission. They restructured to have one superintendent of recreation and parks and created a new position called parks facilities and maintenance director. The reorganization resulted in savings due to a 39-year employee retiring from a grade 10 superintendent role, with Jamie having nine years of experience moving into the combined role. A working foreman with 20 years total experience moved into the parks facilities position, and a grounds crew member moved into the working foreman position.
Goolsby noted wages were down 6% due to the cut, and expenses were up 4.6%, which he considered reasonable given the department operates lean. Jamie confirmed they work with a revolving fund and noted rising costs of utilities, particularly with additional properties having irrigation systems.
A committee member highlighted that the department gives back to the town, with $268,000 returned to the general fund last year through local receipts including float permits, park permits, kayak permits, and split revenue with beach operations. Jamie explained they maintain resident and non-resident fee structures, with non-resident fees often nearly double to support both their function and the town’s share. The commission can set park permit fees and recently completed a five-year fee hold after significant increases in 2020 or 2021.
Dube praised Jamie and the board members for their work during the budget process, highlighting their reorganization efforts and minimal budget requests. When asked about the 187 trash containers, Jamie confirmed they would be removed once town meeting votes, though they plan to try filling the position with seasonal help rather than hiring full-time. She emphasized that trash pickup would remain for recreation and parks programming areas and fee-based locations like beaches during staffed seasons.
Amy from another department raised concerns about snow operations, explaining that other departments affect their operations when positions are cut. She noted that major routes have two people and are handled by DPW, while smaller neighborhood routes might have one person from other departments. Cutting this position essentially eliminates a whole neighborhood route, and she had to hold vacation time requests due to the vacant position affecting backfill capabilities.
A committee member noted it was interesting that recreation and parks has responsibility for 187 barrels around town, suggesting this could lead to community discussion about whether the position should return to recreation and parks or another department better suited for trash handling. Jamie acknowledged that the barrels mainly contain home trash and dog waste, which by town bylaw should not be placed there, and noted that people choose to litter when barrels are removed seasonally.
The committee discussed potential compromises, such as maintaining fewer barrels at strategic locations rather than all 187. Jamie clarified that the trash truck cannot plow and is separate from their plowing vehicles, so the personnel loss affects plowing capability but not vehicle availability for plowing operations.
Amy raised additional concerns about stormwater impacts, explaining that removing trash barrels would affect water quality since every catch basin runs to beaches, wetlands, or ocean directly. She noted that poop bags dropped down storm drains affect water quality at beaches, which is why warning signs are posted at Riverhead and Grace Oliver’s Beach.
Jamie addressed concerns about people using the barrels for home trash, noting this already happens with businesses and residents, causing overflow issues. She observed people stopping cars to dump large bags in barrels along the rail trail, acknowledging that staff cannot realistically open bags to determine ownership and that such enforcement would be wasteful of their time.
Library Department Budget Review (Link: 00:32:00 – 01:18:00)
A committee member motioned to adjourn the recreation and parks meeting. Goolsby then opened the library board of trustees meeting, noting three members present and one on Zoom. He began by explaining his tracking process, noting the library faced the largest cut in wages of approximately $530,000 from the original submission to the current budget, representing the most significant FTE impact on the town side. Goolsby sought clarification on the actual number of FTEs affected, estimating seven to eight positions based on wage percentage calculations.
Kim, the library director, explained the complexity of determining exact FTE cuts due to union considerations and the need to restructure operations. She noted they currently have 24 staff members with three unfilled positions, comprising 14 full-time and 10 part-time positions. With one additional departure expected, this would bring them down to 20 staff members. Kim indicated that if the proposed budget comes to fruition, much more consideration must be taken before committing to specific staffing decisions.
Kim began her formal presentation by showing a historical photo of the original Abbott Public Library established in Abbott Hall in 1877. She expressed being personally heartbroken and professionally shocked at the proposed budget cuts, emphasizing the library’s recent $10 million investment to bring 21st century service to the historic building. She highlighted the library’s achievements since returning to Abbott Hall, including reliable HVAC, strong Wi-Fi, sophisticated audiovisual equipment, and flood-free operations.
Kim reported strong usage statistics for fiscal year 25, including 80,000 visitors, 500 programs attended by 8,500 people, meeting rooms used by over 2,800 people, and over 205,000 items circulated. She noted the library was approaching its 150th anniversary and should be celebrating milestones rather than planning for their erosion. Despite being down to 20 staff members with three unfilled positions and a retiring full-time children’s librarian, the team continues providing exceptional services including the launch of 3D printing in the Thompson maker space.
Kim emphasized that the proposed budget represents the most significant threat to institutional continuity in 150 years, putting the library’s future at risk by not meeting materials appropriation requirements, salary needs, or hours of service requirements. She stated this would result in the town not qualifying for state certification. The expense line remained level-funded except for a $168,000 reduction in materials, but the total cuts left them falling short almost $600,000 in their Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR), which is calculated as the average of the last three years’ total municipal appropriations plus 2.5%.
Kim outlined six major consequences of the contingency budget: massive restructuring requiring significantly reduced hours making it difficult to keep the building open; a stranded $10 million taxpayer investment that would sit underutilized; loss of state certification meaning no state aid and no lending or borrowing privileges; forfeiture of access to the statewide resource sharing network creating an information silo; and disenfranchisement of residents who cannot afford private access to verified data and educational tools required for an informed electorate.
Goolsby asked about the state aid amount, which Kim confirmed was approximately $44,000 annually. Knight clarified that the loss of lending and borrowing privileges referred to access to libraries outside Abbott itself, while residents could still borrow from the Abbott collection but would lose interlibrary sharing and access to resources from other libraries.
Kim explained the Noble network’s vital role in library operations, providing shared cataloging systems, patron databases, bulk purchasing discounts for technology, database resources for research, interlibrary loan systems, professional services including staff training, and Internet connectivity. She estimated it would cost approximately $300,000 for the library to operate independently with its own systems. The Noble membership runs until June 2027, with decisions about continued membership required by June 2026.
Knight provided context from his conversation with the Board of Library Commissioners, noting that if Marblehead’s library becomes decertified, it would join only four other decertified libraries in Massachusetts, all located in western Massachusetts in towns too small to support modern libraries. He also clarified that even if funding were restored after decertification, it would require an additional three years before the commonwealth would recertify the library, and there was no guarantee Noble would allow readmission even with restored state certification.
Kim discussed the possibility of obtaining a waiver to maintain certification with reduced funding, explaining this would require presentations to the Board of Library Commissioners and providing three years of the town’s entire budget through an audit-like process. However, she noted that with the disproportionate cuts proposed, a waiver would be unlikely since the state looks for proportional cuts across all town departments rather than targeting specific services.
Dube questioned the state’s approach to proportional cuts, noting the selectboard’s need to prioritize public safety and make difficult rationing decisions. Kim acknowledged the state’s interest in protecting libraries from municipalities that don’t support them, as other Noble libraries don’t want to bear the burden of providing services to residents whose towns won’t fund their own libraries.
Kim presented an alternative scenario requiring an additional $310,000 (about a 25% reduction from the original request) that would reduce staff from 24 to 16 members, maintain 45 hours of operation weekly, but still eliminate Saturday and evening hours. This would meet minimum certification requirements including 13% of municipal appropriation for materials. However, she acknowledged this scenario was unlikely given budget constraints.
Goolsby pressed for clarity on the consequences of the actual proposed budget versus the alternative scenario. Kim explained that with the current budget proposal, the library would likely operate with 13 staff members, open only 25 hours per week with no evening or Saturday service, have no municipal funding for new materials, lose access to Noble network and interlibrary loans, forfeit state aid, and require at least three years to regain certification if funding were restored.
When asked directly about closure, Kim initially hesitated but ultimately confirmed that with the proposed budget, the library would close by the end of November or December 1, 2026, as they cannot survive on the allocated funding. Knight clarified this timeline, confirming the library would close in November 2026 if the budget is approved without additional override funding.
Dube emphasized the need for clear communication to taxpayers about exactly what services they would receive and what they would lose, requesting detailed comparisons between different funding scenarios. Goolsby noted the risk that staff attrition could accelerate the closure timeline, as remaining employees might leave before the projected closure date, making operations unsustainable even sooner.
Library Budget Discussion (Link: 01:18:00 – 01:26:00)
Goolsby emphasized the risk that staff attrition could prevent the library from delivering even the reduced 25-hour weekly service plan, noting that losing staff would create additional operational challenges. Knight added that sick and vacation time must be factored into staffing calculations, as employee unavailability could result in the library being closed on those days, representing a significant risk factor for townspeople to understand.
A committee member asked about benefits for departing staff, with Keezer clarifying that resigned employees would receive unemployment benefits if laid off, but nothing if they voluntarily resign. Keezer explained that the budget numbers were set based on a scenario of reduced hours rather than closure, and they have continued with that assumption despite ongoing discussions about alternatives.
Kim acknowledged the need to create a solid operational plan detailing 25 hours per week without certification, specifying exact hours, staffing numbers, and operational details. Goolsby clarified that even with this reduced service plan, the library would still face closure in November or early December due to budget constraints and potential staff attrition risks.
Goolsby requested that Kim provide specific FTE calculations comparing last year’s budget to the proposed plan, assigning numerical values to part-time positions (0.25, 0.5, 0.75) to help quantify the total staffing impact. He asked for a detailed scenario showing who would remain and how the library would operate during the 20-25 hour weekly schedule, including impacts on services and Noble network access.
Knight emphasized the need for clear quantification so taxpayers understand exactly what services they would receive for the appropriated money and what they would lose without an override. Goolsby noted that other towns have included library funding in override requests, mentioning that some overrides have covered 100% of library costs, and suggested researching how other libraries approached similar situations.
Dube mentioned Stoneham as an example of a library that faced a similar situation. Kim explained that Stoneham’s override passed, but they also applied for a waiver with a 13% overall cut and succeeded, though they were among the highest cuts in the state last year. Kim noted that Lynnfield also experienced significant cuts, but Knight pointed out that Marblehead’s 43% cut far exceeds Stoneham’s 13% reduction.
Goolsby discussed upcoming timeline considerations, noting the warrant hearing on April 6th and town meeting on May 4th. He encouraged Kim to participate in any override presentation at town meeting, offering to support her presentation as the finance committee’s watchdog to provide helpful context to taxpayers about the library cuts.
Kim acknowledged her assignment to provide clarification on the library’s situation, noting she had been trying to clarify the complex situation for the past month. Knight offered to help Kim prepare by bouncing ideas or role-playing as the liaison chair, referencing his earlier advice to keep presentations concise for attention span considerations.
Knight made a motion recommending that the finance committee approve the proposed library budget of $857,633 for fiscal year 27, despite expressing that he had never wanted to recommend a budget number less. The committee thanked the library trustees and Kim for their participation in clarifying the dire budget situation.
Cemetery Budget Discussion (Link: 01:26:00 – 01:45:00)
Kathy, the cemetery superintendent, provided paper copies of budget information she had forwarded to Knight. Knight explained that during their liaison meeting with O’Neil and Shotmeyer, it became clear that the budget numbers sent from the town and what the cemetery commission had voted were different, making it difficult for the liaison committee to review the numbers effectively.
Kathy explained that the cemetery board voted to fund positions through the sale of lots rather than cutting actual positions or hours. They planned to eliminate seasonal help but keep full-time employees by funding the department head and general labor positions through cemetery lot sales rather than the general fund. She noted they would be taking $84,504 from the sale of lots fund to cover these costs.
Goolsby clarified that while the cemetery would maintain full staffing through alternative funding, this still represented cuts from the tax base and general fund budget. The department head line item decreased from $119,957 to $59,978, and general labor decreased from $124,817 to $66,125, representing 1.5 FTE cuts from taxpayer dollars even though the positions would be maintained through other funding sources.
Benjamin explained that using the sale of lots fund would require the select board to increase the cemetery appropriation by $84,504 and offset it with this new revenue source, similar to how other departments use alternative funding. She noted this would require the select board to revote their previous decision to accommodate this funding structure.
Kathy provided detailed information about cemetery trust funds, explaining that the perpetual care fund of $139,133 represents interest available for town meeting appropriation, while the principal remains unexpendable. The sale of lots fund shows $234,000 available, which is fully expendable unlike the perpetual care fund that can only use interest earnings.
Kathy described the cemetery’s expansion plans, noting they currently have only 130 grave spaces available and have put a hold on pre-need sales. Once the new area opens with 200 or more graves, they expect the sale of lots fund to grow significantly since each two-grave lot costs $4,000, with $2,000 going to perpetual care and $2,000 to the sale of lots fund.
Dube questioned the sustainability of using $100,000 from the sale of lots fund for recurring salary expenses, expressing concern about whether this funding source could reliably support these costs long-term. Benjamin acknowledged this approach would work for the current year but noted the need to assess how to proceed in future years.
O’Neil raised a significant legal concern, sharing information that cemetery plot sales are legally restricted to cemetery maintenance, improvement, and accumulation of permanent care funds, and cannot be used for general town expenses or salaries. This revelation appeared to invalidate the proposed funding solution.
Following the legal restriction discovery, Goolsby suggested they would vote on the $410,539 budget as presented by the select board, with the understanding that if alternative funding solutions were needed, both the select board and finance committee could revote before the warrant hearing. Benjamin confirmed this approach would allow them to proceed while addressing the funding mechanism separately.
Knight moved to approve the fiscal year 2027 cemetery budget of $410,539 as presented. The motion was approved, with committee members thanking the cemetery commission for their efforts to maintain full staffing despite budget constraints.
Town Clerk and Elections Budget Discussion (Link: 01:45:00 – 02:07:00)
Keezer confirmed that the budget being discussed represents the entirety of all budgets to be presented at town meeting, noting that the school committee voted on their number the previous day and the select board voted on the warrant article. Goolsby attempted to connect with Robin, the town clerk, via Zoom but encountered technical difficulties with her being unable to unmute.
While waiting for the connection, Goolsby provided his standard budget tracking summary, noting that from the October through January submission process to the current budget, there had been some adjustments to six or seven line items, with the main actual cut being one FTE from the clerk’s office representing someone currently in a position. He calculated his running tally of defunded positions from the general fund at 21 FTEs, assuming 8 for the library and noting that 1.5 cemetery positions were potentially just cuts from the general fund to be funded from cemetery lot funds if legally permissible.
Benjamin explained that most adjustments made between the state of the town presentation and the current budget were based on prior year spending, bringing line items closer to actual expenditures. When Dube asked about increases in the other professional technical line, Benjamin confirmed these were based on actual needs.
After technical difficulties, Robin joined the meeting by phone. When asked about the full-time position cut, Robin stated emphatically that they cannot operate with two people and that the state would come in and run the election if staffing was insufficient. She explained that her office currently has two people with 17 years and 14 years of experience respectively, and referenced a previous review in 2001-2002 when evaluators determined they could not cut from the clerk’s office due to workload requirements.
Robin described the office’s responsibilities, including processing all vote-by-mail applications, entering applications, and serving as a retail business during the week for services like dog licenses, birth certificates, and marriage certificates. She noted that during her recent three-week absence from the hospital, the office’s operations were significantly impacted, demonstrating the need for adequate staffing.
When Goolsby asked about the ramifications of the cut, Robin explained that the state has taken over elections in other communities when staffing was inadequate, though she was uncertain about the financial implications of such intervention. She emphasized that with only two people, the office would have to close at some point during the day and would have reduced hours, affecting services like meeting postings and vital records.
Benjamin explained the significant increase in the elections and registration budget, noting that mandated mail-in ballots now require increased postage costs, with postage expenses rising by $15,000 based on previous year actuals. The budget increase also reflected the costs of state primary elections and other mandated election expenses.
Goolsby pressed for clarity on what state takeover of elections would mean practically and financially, similar to his approach with the library budget. Robin explained that state intervention occurred during COVID when offices lacked adequate help, and that once the Secretary of State called, she received the necessary staffing support. She emphasized that having the state run elections is not a good look for the town.
Robin stressed the importance of institutional knowledge in the clerk’s office, noting that staff cannot simply be floated in from other departments to handle state computer systems and specialized functions. She warned that with only two people, if both were out simultaneously, the office would have to close, affecting services like meeting postings and vital records processing.
Keezer acknowledged the challenges but outlined contingency plans, including floating staff from the select board office during peak election periods and having part-time or volunteer election workers assist during specific election timeframes. He characterized this as a worst-case scenario approach assuming all other budget restoration efforts fail.
Goolsby made motions to approve both the town clerk budget of $201,877 and the elections and registration budget of $132,200. Both motions were seconded and approved unanimously by the committee. The meeting then prepared to move on to the school budget discussion.
School Budget Discussion (Link: 02:07:00 – 02:29:00)
Goolsby noted he had the school budget bottom line number of $47,620,287 and turned the floor over to the school representatives. The superintendent thanked the committee for the ongoing dialogue and collaboration, noting that schools are committed to working with the town. The school committee had voted on their budget approximately 24 hours earlier, and while they had prepared a slideshow outlining their process, they did not yet have a line item budget reflecting the reductions made the previous day.
The superintendent explained they have a school committee meeting scheduled for April 9th where they would bring back an updated line item budget showing how they would achieve the additional $1.5 million reduction beyond their initial $1.7 million cut. Goolsby noted the timing challenge with the April 6th warrant hearing and suggested they could communicate the cuts made to reach level funding while noting that the additional reductions were pending the April 9th meeting.
The school representatives presented their budget progression, starting with their level service budget from November 2025 totaling $51,686,625, representing a $2.6 million increase or 5.22% over the previous year. This increase included contractual salary obligations with steps and cost-of-living adjustments, special education out-of-district tuition increases of approximately 6%, and 2% increases for supplies, contracted services, and professional development.
Before reaching level funding, the schools applied various offsets including increased special education circuit breaker allocations, reduced retirement savings projections due to fewer retirements, and nearly doubled the offset to the kindergarten/pre-kindergarten revolving account. Mike, the school business manager, noted this revolving account offset was not long-term sustainable and might only work for two more budget cycles before reserves would be depleted.
The schools also level-funded federal and state grants despite risks of 10-20% reductions, particularly concerning the IDEA grants worth $700,000-$800,000 annually. Mike explained they avoid putting salaries in federal grants due to the 9% retirement assessment, instead using grants to offset transportation, supplies, and equipment costs.
To achieve level funding at $49,120,285, the schools identified 14.75 FTEs from either unfilled or vacant positions that would not be filled moving forward. They also reallocated general fund budget items to special education grants and revolving accounts, achieved new copier lease savings, level-funded most supplies, removed the 2% increase for contractor services and professional development, and reduced natural gas and electricity budgets by locking in lower rates.
Mike explained they locked in natural gas supply rates for three years in February, achieving savings on the supply portion while the delivery portion remains subject to market rates. The final reduced funding budget totaled $47,620,285, representing a $2.566 million cut from level service, or exactly 5.22% down.
Goolsby calculated that with the school cuts, the town-wide total reached 35.75 FTE positions eliminated from the balanced budget, with potentially more to come from the schools’ additional $1.5 million reduction. He emphasized these were funded positions being removed, not scare tactics, and represented the reality of the budget situation.
Dube praised the schools for providing detailed FTE data throughout the budget process and noted that the cuts to reach level funding showed appropriate right-sizing of the cost structure to match enrollment trends. The superintendent acknowledged this alignment but warned that any further reductions would affect students through larger classroom sizes, reduced services and resources, and compromised safety and security.
Goolsby referenced DESE data showing that Marblehead schools are neither overfunded nor underfunded compared to comparable communities, with appropriate staffing-to-student ratios. The superintendent emphasized that maintaining quality staff and resources is essential for Marblehead to continue comparing favorably with other high-performing districts, warning that further cuts would lead to declining academic performance and competitiveness.
Both Goolsby and Dube praised their positive experiences with the Marblehead school system, with Goolsby noting his daughter’s happiness at school and Dube mentioning her boys thriving in the system. Knight, identifying as a Marblehead High School graduate, thanked the school representatives for their cooperative efforts in achieving difficult budget goals.
Dube acknowledged the good work analyzing shared benefits data and supported the schools’ long-term goal of shifting those expenses from the town budget to the school budget for fiscal year 2028, reflecting operational reality. The superintendent agreed this would be beneficial with early conversations and proper planning.
Goolsby raised logistical concerns about the timing of override discussions, noting that the schools hadn’t yet publicly deliberated or fully determined the details of their additional $1.5 million reduction. He suggested it might be difficult to vote on an override request at the April 6th warrant hearing without knowing what specific cuts were being restored, potentially requiring a delay until the second warrant hearing in late April.
Dube made a motion to approve the fiscal year 2027 general fund school budget of $47,620,287. The motion was seconded and approved, with the committee thanking the school representatives for attending the Saturday meeting.
Retirement Budget Discussion (Link: 02:29:00 – 02:33:00)
Keezer indicated they could close out of the meeting, and Goolsby moved to the last agenda item, retirement, with Linda present to discuss it. Goolsby initially looked for the retirement budget as a separate line item but Benjamin clarified it was included under contributory retirement within the other general government budget that had already been voted on.
Goolsby explained that the retirement budget is based on an actuarial report that gets refreshed periodically, with the current report done two years ago providing the assigned contribution amount. He noted that going forward, the budget would break out the schools’ portion since they had completed that exercise. The retirement budget showed an 8.6% increase of $462,735, but since it was part of the other general government budget already voted on, no additional vote was required.
During their liaison meeting, they had discussed the funding status, with the retirement system currently at 70.5% funded, placing Marblehead in the middle range among Massachusetts municipalities. The system is projected to reach fully funded status by 2036. Goolsby asked about options once the system becomes fully funded, noting that in the private sector there are ways to reduce obligations once 100% funding is achieved, though he was uncertain if similar options existed for public retirement systems.
Benjamin confirmed that once fully funded, there would be a significant drop in the required contribution, though not to zero, as regular costs would continue. She noted that O’Neil had made good points about mitigating risks from the large fluctuations in contribution requirements. Goolsby observed that while retirement funding might decrease after 2036, the town’s OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) funding, currently at $250,000 annually, would likely need to increase significantly.
Benjamin agreed they would need to develop a funding schedule and plan for OPEB. Keezer predicted that the commonwealth would likely make OPEB funding mandatory, similar to retirement funding, once municipalities complete their retirement obligations. Goolsby referenced an earlier discussion about OPEB liability being approximately $80 million.
Goolsby asked a clarifying question about why street lighting appeared first in the budget listing, wondering if it was code for something else. Benjamin and Keezer confirmed it was literally the electric bill for turning on and maintaining street lights throughout the town.
Goolsby confirmed they had already voted on the other general government budget, which included the retirement line item, noting they vote the same way town meeting votes. He asked for any final questions before concluding the meeting, noting they were finishing 51 minutes earlier than expected. The meeting was then adjourned.
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