EDC lowers FY14 request
One of the more eye-popping requests for taxpayer dollars this year has been the request of the Economic Development Committee for $14,500 to create a website, a nearly 300 percent increase over its FY13 budget of $500. At its Q-and-A session with the Finance Committee last Saturday, Chairwoman Elaine Lazarus said an independent site was needed to improve its interaction with residents and promote Harvard as a place where business can grow and flourish. She said the existing town website could not support the kinds of interaction the committee wants to encourage.
But based on new information, she said, her committee estimated that the work could be done for $5,282, with an annual cost of $300 per year thereafter, assuming, she added, that the town hired a full-time planner who could respond to inquiries from businesses and other organizations. In the ensuing discussion, FinCom members urged the EDC to consider the use of volunteers from among the town’s tech savvy residents to further reduce the cost, and to look for ways to collaborate with other organizations, such as Parks and Rec and the town, which already have websites of their own.
Parks and Rec says its PayPal account is closed
At its appearance before FinCom, Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman John Lee reported Saturday that the PayPal account the group has been using is closed. The account, used to collect fees such as kayak rentals, had been criticized for its lack of financial controls and for citation in the forthcoming annual town audit. Lee told the committee that all fees are now being handled by Sage Financial.
