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Taunton finance committee approves payroll, sets election worker pay and requests ARPA follow-up
Summary
The Committee on Finance and Salaries approved payroll and accounts-payable warrants, set election worker rates and agreed to seek a future meeting with the finance team to review an itemized list of ARPA grants to nonprofits after the CFO said staff were unavailable.
The Committee on Finance and Salaries on Oct. 14 approved the weekly payroll warrant of $4,760,793.10 and an accounts-payable warrant of $1,179,465, the committee chair said.
The chair told members the largest accounts-payable items included $243,000 for a new boiler at the Taunton Public Library and $282,000 for electricity payments. Motions to approve both warrants were made, seconded and recorded as "so voted." The committee also approved a prior-year police invoice of $592.64 that was transferred from overtime to prior-year expenses.
The committee voted to establish election-worker pay rates that the CFO said were included in the FY26 budget: wardens and clerks at $20 per hour; inspectors at $18 per hour; and "enclosures" at $18 per hour plus a $50 stipend, per a written request that accompanied the meeting materials. The committee recorded the motion to set the rates and approved it without recorded objections.
Councilor Estelle Borges pressed the committee to obtain an itemized breakdown of all American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants awarded to nonprofits, saying the public deserves clear documentation about how funds were distributed and whether recipients were required to report back to the city. The committee received a same-day letter from the chief financial officer, Patrick Dela Russo, saying the finance team was not available to attend the meeting due to prior scheduling commitments and offering to coordinate a future date to answer specific questions. The chair directed the clerk to transmit the minutes and coordinate a date when finance staff can attend.
No further action was taken on ARPA at the meeting; the committee agreed the matter would return with finance staff present so members could review the requested itemized list and any supplemental documentation.
