2006-04-13
JOINT CONSOLIDATION COMMITTEE
OF THE
CITY COUNCIL AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes
April 13, 2006, 6:30 p.m.
City Hall Conference Room
PRESENT: Timothy Flaherty, William Coughlin, Miranda Gooding, Paul Manzo,
Maria Decker.
City Council Budget Analyst Kathleen Griffin was also present.
Mr. Flaherty called the meeting to order and introduced City Council Budget Analyst
Kathy Griffin.
Ms. Griffin summarized some of the consulting work that she has performed for other
communities considering the consolidation of school and municipal functions. Among
the communities cited were Longmeadow, Barnstable, Harvard and Reading and a brief
overview of the different approaches adopted by these communities was presented. Ms.
Griffin observed that each community had different goals to be achieved by consolidating
services and the goals influenced how and whether the consolidation was ultimately
adopted.
A general discussion of the pros and cons of consolidation followed. The committee
articulated three main goals of a potential consolidation in Beverly: 1) increased
efficiency in the delivery of services (for example building and ground maintenance); 2)
potential cost savings; and 3) better delivery of services.
Mr. Coughlin observed that owing to current and future budget projections, it seems
likely that cost savings will need to be found in the city and school budgets, and that
those savings would most likely involve lay-offs. Undertaking a consolidation plan now
would permit city and school officials to better plan for those inevitable staff reductions
in the future. Mr. Manzo commented that at the very least such an approach could map
out a contingency plan for those cuts.
The committee next discussed the process for evaluating a potential consolidation plan.
Ms. Griffin explained that some communities hired consultants to assist with the
evaluation, while others undertook it on an ad hoc basis. Mr. Flaherty stated that he
would like this group to focus on making a recommendation as to whether consolidation
should be considered and, if a positive recommendation is made, then the matter should
be evaluated more closely by a consultant with the input from the city and school finance
departments.
Members agreed that it would be helpful to meet with representatives from the
communities ofDanvers and Lynnfield to hear about their experiences with
consolidation. Mr. Flaherty stated that he had arranged an appointment for members to
meet with Wayne Marquis, the Town Manager in Danvers, on Tuesday, May 2nd at 11 :00
a.m. at the Danvers Town Hall.