Chair Demaree called the meeting to order at 7PM. All members were present, including the Administrative Manager; members of the public in attendance were Mr. Joseph Gross and Mr. Randy Russell.
Administrative Manager Bush presented the December meeting minutes. Director Laubach moved to approve the December minutes. Director Dawson seconded the motion. No discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
Administrative Manager Bush presented the financial statements for the month, including a Recent Transaction List, a Profit/Loss statement for 2017 and a Budget Vs. Actuals: District Operating Budget. A discussion was held concerning the late payment request from Greater Gardiner Community Council in the amount of $6422.27 for the Entryway Project. Secretary/Treasurer Parks moved to approve this request, with a letter sent admonishing GGCC to make all future project requests on time to ensure payment. Director Laubach seconded the motion. No further discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
Secretary/Treasurer Parks moved to approve all outstanding bills for the month of January. Vice-Chair Dalling seconded the motion. No discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
Chair Demaree presented the Revised 2018 Budget. Quick Books fees needed to be added as they were omitted in the original version. Vice-Chair Dalling moved to approve the revised 2018 Budget. Director Laubach seconded the motion. No discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
Chair Demaree updated the Board on the Administrative Manager’s contract. The District’s legal representative suggested additional language be added to the contract in reference to outside contracts the manager may take on. Director Dawson moved to renew the Administrative Manager’s contract with the recommended revisions. Secretary/Treasurer Parks seconded the motion. No further discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
Chair Demaree updated the Board on the District’s Audit requirements for the State of Montana; as well as the costs associated with various types of audits offered to the District. A discussion was held of the merits vs. costs of the audits. Secretary/Treasurer Parks moved to choose the “Annual Financial Report” audit, at an estimated cost to the District of $900.00. Vice-Chair Dalling seconded the motion. No further discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed. The Administrative Manager will contacted the District’s accountant and work with her to get the audit completed. Secretary/Treasurer Parks will serve as the Board contact for audit purposes.
Chair Demaree led a discussion concerning Collections: Seasonal vs. Monthly Remittances that was tabled at a previous meeting. A discussion was held concerning the pros and cons of the various methods. Vice-Chair Dalling moved to maintain the current collection policy, making no changes at this time. Director Laubach seconded the motion. No further discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
Vice-Chair Dalling gave a statement to the Board concerning the appropriation made to the Gardiner Public School roof replacement project of $200,000.00 with stipulations. His concern is that the stipulations “put the school between a rock and a hard place” when it comes to balancing their budget during the next school year. He also feels that the current school board is working diligently towards a balanced budget in the coming years and “is it this District’s place to put constraints on how they balance their budget”? A discussion was held with Mr. Randy Russell, the school Superintendent and many questions were asked. Chair Demaree stated she had talked with Pat Baltzey, School Board Chairperson with regards to Impact Aid and the language stipulations. Chair Demaree asked Mr. Russell if the language was changed, would that not allow the school district to use to money from savings, rather than make the cuts necessary to balance the budget? Mr. Russell responded no. Mr. Russell explained some of the “funds” involved with the school funding and requested that the stipulation language be changed to allow the school to choose which funds it uses. He explained that the school district has put into place a new fund, a multi-district fund which will now allow the school to begin setting aside funds to better plan for the future. Chair Demaree then addressed the Board that there were possibly three options to consider: keep the stipulation as originally stated, change the language within the stipulation or to remove the stipulation completely. Chair Demaree moved to modify the language in the contract to “with the condition that the Gardiner Public Schools balance their 2018-2019 budget with funds that would not exceed the annual Impact Aid received." Director Laubach seconded the motion. No further discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed (Vice-Chair Dalling and Director Dawson abstained from voting). Motion passed.
Chair Demaree updated the Board on the upcoming Board Elections, stating paperwork is due to Park County by February 12, 2018 and to confirm that no applications have been received to date. Chair Demaree called for any public comment. Mr. Joseph Gross commented that someone should be providing snow removal in Gardiner.
The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, February 12th at 7:00 PM at the Gardiner Visitor Center. Director Dawson moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 PM. Vice-Chair Dalling seconded the motion. No discussion was needed; all voted in favor; none opposed. Motion passed.
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