Finance Committee — 08/18/2021 Page 6
today but! was unfortunately tied up in a series of meetings. | will be addressing each and every one of those
questions tomorrow but if there is a charge to account 11500 overlay, it’s either a consultant person which |
think this isn’t or it’s the charge that gives them back their amount of abatement but | can check tomorrow.
Alderwoman Lu
| thought that the abatement was coded 217807 In the past it has been.
John Griffin, CFO
Right. Just for clarification, the 21780 is we’ve talked a lot about it over the last year or so. That’s the refunds
that includes overpayments, abatements, etc. The charge to the overlay account is generally for abatements
and any consultants that work on behalf of the city but | will definitely verify and get an exact number and | will
also check to see 21780 if it was coded as arefund. I'll definitely get an answer.
Alderwoman Lu
If you'd like, we can talk wnen you have a chance to review my questions.
John Griffin, CFO
Sure.
Alderwoman Lu
Okay. Thank you. I'll wait to vote on it after lve reviewed.
Mayor Donchess
Okay. Any other questions or comments?
MOTION CARRIED
GENERAL DISCUSSION - None
PUBLIC COMMENT
Laurie Ortolano
Laurie Ortolano, 41 Berkeley Street. Hi. Good evening. | just wanted to talk to you a little bit about the use of
subcommittees when we’re making big changes on items like our Charter. You know our Charter is like our
city constitution and it requires a lot of close and careful vetting before we make these changes. | really feel it
was a mistake to push a petition through the way it’s going through right now and not having this subcommittee
meet.
| wanted to let you all know that I’m on an Assessing Standards Boards subcommittee up in Concord. The
committee was formed as a subcommittee to address releasing sanctions against assessors who are
sanctioned by the DRA. This became a little bit of a hot issue wnen we had some of our assessors down here
fall in the category of having some sanctions issued and the Assessing Standards Board realized that those
sanctions were not being released publicly and they had anticipated wen they set up the regulations that they
would be released publicly. Nowto address that, they didn’t put it through and rush it through this year as a
board change. They formed a subcommittee andI’m on that subcommittee. That subcommittee has been
vetting the issued in meetings to allow open meetings all other chiefs and assessors from the State to come in
and participate and it’s been discussed at the full meetings of the board. The DRA and the DOJ have taken a
neutral position, aren't going to block it. Basically the DRA is willing to give control over to the Assessing
Standards Board who would like to put it under the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. Now
