DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee made a number of interdepartmental and reserve fund transfers during its meeting last week. 

 

The reserve fund balance is currently $58,000, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said. 

 

The committee also approved a reserve fund transfer to the employee fringe benefits account for $1,200; the current balance is $183.55. The town originally appropriated $2,114.

 

It also approved the transfer of $1,500 from the reserve fund to the Medicare account, which currently has a balance of $4,510. The town originally appropriated $50,000. 

 

Finance Chair William Drosehn said these increases are due to additional hires, according to town Treasurer Dawn Fahey. 

 

Fahey said she feels confident that the requested amount will be enough, he said. 

 

Hutcheson said he does not foresee any more onboarding before June 30. 

 

Committee member Jeffrey Noble questioned why physical tests and drug tests fall under the employee fringe benefits account. 

 

Drosehn agreed and said he would advocate for that to be changed in the future. 

 

Changing the account name would be good. The physical and drug tests are things that have  to do with the employee handbook, and the handbook contains both benefits and obligations, Hutcheson said

 

Drosehn said it could be changed to employee fringe obligations. 

 

Committee member Thomas Irwin said he understands why it is called “fringe benefits” because if you go to CHP, you are paying for your own pre-employment physical and drug test.  

 

The committee approved a reserve fund transfer of $2,200 to the town collector account. The original appropriation was $16,500, and the current balance is $180.45. 

 

The reason for the increase is due to the more mail-in ballots, Drosehn said. During the annual town meeting, voters approved increasing this budget to meet the demand. 

 

The committee members approved transferring $8,440 from the Highway Expenses account and $2,691 from the Highway Department Salaries account to the Snow and Ice Salaries account.

 

These transfers are to pay for the snow and ice overtime deficit. More of the storms this season were not during normal working hours. 

 

The current balance for the expenses account is $8,440, and the salaries account is negative $11,130. 

 

They also approved the transfer of $12,000 from the Highway Salaries account to the Highway Expenses account. 

 

The reason for this is to have additional funds in the expenses account. In May, the Highway Department put in a new curb and top soil on Frederick Drive, Whippoorwill Lane., and Sleepy Hollow Drive, totaling $19,716.25 in expenses. The road stripping last fall was about double that of past years. 

 

In other news, Drosehn was re-elected as the chair, Scott Beaulac elected as the vice chair and Karen Schmidt as the Finance Committee clerk.