New Town Accountant Mike Ellis reviews CPC quarterly report; state match posted

Mike Ellis, the Town of Lakeville’s new town accountant, introduced himself to the Community Preservation Committee and presented the committee’s quarterly budget report at its Dec. 19 meeting.

Ellis, who said he has 12 years of municipal accounting experience, told the committee that expenditures have been largely unchanged since the prior report but that revenue figures increased after the town’s tax rate was certified. He said revenue posted to the town’s financial system through Nov. 30 is about $161,000 and that the committee’s original appropriation column (roughly $245,000) was entered into Munis.

Ellis also reported that the town received a state Community Preservation match for 2024. The committee reviewed a coalition printout showing the state match at $42,342. "A large portion of that is the state match," Ellis said during the presentation, highlighting why the revenue side looked different from earlier reports.

Committee members asked for clarification on how returned or unspent project funds are treated; Ellis said unspent amounts are returned to the original funding buckets (historic reserves or undesignated fund balance) and pointed to the line items on the spreadsheet included in the packet. He said he will provide updated revenue projections early in the new year to help the committee draft warrant language for spring town meeting.

The committee did not take formal action on allocations at the meeting. The next CPC meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16, 2025, when members expect to review projected figures to guide any allocation decisions.