Taunton finance panel approves payroll and warrants, OKs reserve transfers including $90,000 to schools

The Committee on Finance and Salaries met Jan. 14 and approved routine payroll warrants and several reserve fund transfers, including payment of a prior-year IT invoice and a $90,000 transfer to the school department.

The meeting approved a payroll warrant in the amount of $1,544,550.95 and a warrant totaling $7,262,746.30 for weekly vouchers and city department bills; committee members voted by voice on both items. Finance staff summarized the largest line items on the warrant as reported during the meeting, including payments for dental insurance, CTA construction, student transportation, site improvements for the school department, tuition payments to the May Institute, road resurfacing, electricity and pump-station improvements.

The finance department asked the committee to approve payment of a prior-year bill of $21,048.13 for IT services and to authorize a reserve fund transfer to cover it. Finance staff said the vendor did not invoice the city in the prior year because of an accounting error; after consultation with the city law department staff recommended paying the bill and covering it with a reserve fund transfer. The committee approved the transfer by voice vote.

The committee also approved a $90,000 reserve-fund transfer to the Taunton Public Schools budget. Finance staff said the transfer will bring the school appropriation to a stated total of $120,090,000 and that the transfer resulted from later reconciliation between the superintendent’s office and the city during the supplemental budget process. Committee members sought and were given a ballpark figure on net school spending, with staff estimating the city would be “around 104%” but stressing the speaker’s figure as an approximation.

All listed motions on the agenda were made, seconded and approved by voice vote during the meeting; the transcript records no roll-call tallies for these approvals.