Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSelect Board 04/06/2022Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022 Present: Mr. Neil Rhein, Chairman; Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Vice -Chair; Mr. Frank DelVecchig FZ �(Ir Jess Aptowitz and Mr. Steve Schoonveld were present in Town Hall, Meeting Room 3 A/B. Mr Kevin i.rT CE Manager and Mr. Barry LaCasse, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director were also present. 1. Call To Order Select Board Meeting - Pledge of Allegiance 2022 Itxy _ 5 A 1 j: 5 LI Mr. Neil Rhein, Chairman called the meeting to order at 5:30PM. He then asked Mr. Ryan Mbf ley,,tq,;1�a, e group in the Pledge of Allegiance as he was the newest Eagle Scout in the Town of Mansfield: He rehlihded T everyone that the meeting was being broadcast live and taped for future broadcast on Mansfield Cable. 2. Community Service Awards Presentation Mr. Rhein provided a summary of the Community Service Awards and then introduced those members of the committee and explained how the winners are chosen. First, he introduced the youth award recipient Ryan Morley for his hard work and construction of the oversized board games for the Park and Rec summer camp. He stated that Ryan spent over a year and approximately 200 hours to make sixteen games. Mr. Rhein added that Ryan was an Eagle Scout and has spent lots of time volunteering throughout the community. Mr. Rhein then invited Ryan to come forward and presented him with a plaque and showed on the games that was in the meeting room. Mr. Rhein then announced the adult award winner Ms. Debra Britt and provided a summary of all the activities that Ms. Britt has been involved in within the community and noted that she shares positivity with everything she does. She was not present at this time but arrived shortly after the next award presentation. Lastly, Mr. Rhein announced Mr. Charles Spathe the Lifetime Achievement recipient. He stated all of the different service projects that Mr. Spathe was involved in and noted that he is always willing to help a neighbor. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and has an infectious positive attitude. Mr. Spathe then came forward and thanked the Board for the recognition and encouraged all members of the community to get involved and help continue to make it a great place to live and raise a family. Mr. Rhein then stated that he saw Ms. Debra Britt arrive and asked her to come forward. Ms. Britt stated that she was honored for the recognition and that she chose to move to Mansfield about thirty years ago and wanted a community where she knew her family would be welcomed. She stated that it is not about being red or blue but rather it's about the people and the connections. Everyone does not always get along but it's about talking it out and getting through it. Mr. Rhein then asked the Select Board members if they wanted to share any comments. The Board thanked everyone for their contributions to the community and that Mansfield is a better place for what they have done. Mr. Rhein thanked those who submitted nominations and that 2022 forms can be submitted at any time. 3. Town Manager's Report ➢ Snow Deficit ➢ Budget & Capital Improvement Program Update ➢ State Legislation Update • Site Specific Liquor Licenses • Marijuana HCA Legislation • Chapter 90 - Supplemental Allocation & FY2023 • PARC Grant ➢ Open House "Welcome to Mansfield Night" • 9/28 at the Library from 6-8pm Select Board Questions and Comments on Town Manager's Report Mr. Dumas began his report stating that there are ten positive cases of COVID in Town. He then stated that the Senate Bill 2591 which was the Home Rule petition has been passed in the affirmative and will be headed to the House of Representatives. Mr. LaCasse then provided a budget and CIP update. Mr. LaCasse stated that CIP will be meeting on April 14th to hear the various department requests and the Budget Subcommittee was meeting Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022 on April 131h and will hopefully have further discussions on closing the budget gap and to get to zero. He stated that the current deficit is approximately $900,000 and the snow deficit is at $411,393.20. Mr. Dumas then stated several items that are being submitted for Congressional ear marks. He then announced that a grant was received in the amount of $12,500 from SRPEDD to help with ongoing housing production plan project. Chapter 90 allotment for fiscal year 2023 is $729,243. He also stated he was happy to report that the State had awarded $383,652 for Mansfield through the Winter Recovery Assistance Program (WRAP). This will provide an opportunity to trench pave and certain areas that have holes and damage. Mr. Dumas stated that the PARC program is open and there will be a smaller project for Harry Chase Place submitted. He then stated that the 2022 Xfinity Center season begins shortly and Mr. Jason Sandoval, General Manager has been invited to come to the Select Board on May 4th. Mr. Dumas then updated the Board on the implementation of the MUNIS payroll module, a Welcome to Mansfield night in September at the library and information from Senator Feeney in regards to Host Community Agreement legislation. Mr. Aptowitz asked about the budget sub meetings and went through the departments and asked if there was going to be a presentation of CIP. Mr. Dumas responded that there will be three meetings of the CIP and it is expected that on May 5th to do an official vote for those items being considered at the spring Town Meeting. Mr. Trowbridge stated that Congressmen Auchincloss was at Town Hall and he sung praise for the monthly Mansfield delegation meeting. Mr. DelVecchio asked Mr. Dumas about the PARC grant and if the Town were to apply this year and receive a grant, would that then preclude the Town from a larger amount in the future if the parking lot were to be turned into additional green space. Mr. Dumas stated that they would consider that an expansion and the Town would be able to apply for another grant. Mr. Schoonveld agreed he would like the space to become more green space. He then asked about the ear marks requests and Mr. Dumas confirmed that there are four requests that total $15,000,000 and it could take up to one year to hear back on them. Mr. Schoonveld stated that he was looking at the CIP list and how do we prioritize and said that maybe that it can be discussed at CIP. Mr. Schoonveld then asked if the Select Board could post for attending Budget Sub next Wednesday the 13th in case a third person shows up. Mr. Rhein responded that he didn't have an issue with that. Mr. Rhein asked about Chapter 90 funding for roads and that MMA has advocated for this to increase and if a letter needs to be sent to the State. Mr. Dumas responded that they had and the delegation thought it had a real chance this year but unfortunately there is not support. Mr. Schoonveld then asked Mr. Dumas to explain trench paving. Mr. Rhein then asked about the community host agreement and the Town did negotiate a reasonable agreement. Mr. Dumas stated that if the State voted to make that change the Town would have had to negotiate the agreement under very strict guidelines. 4. Resident Questions and Comments Mr. Olivia Kowloski of 22 Tracy Circle came forward and stated that he was the author of one of the Town Meeting warrant articles and in summary he stated that the article was to put a recall process in place for Board and Committee members who are appointed. He stated that he used the current recall process for elected officials to draft this article. He stated that the article does not apply to the Town Manager and would make an edit on the floor at Town Meeting if that needs to be explicitly stated. He stated that he received Town Counsel's opinion of his article and was willing to make any changes that Attorney Hucksam felt needed to be made to move the item forward. Mr. Trowbridge stated that the format of the article is not proper according to Town Counsel and he believed this should be a charter review in order to change the power. Mr. Dumas stated that Attorney Hucksam was present and Mr. Rhein asked him to come forward. Attorney Hucksam was present and explained that the article was reviewed and there are some precedural issues. He stated that the petition to file for a Charter amendment is different than a Citizen's Petition for Town Meeting. Attorney Hucksam stated that to remedy this the process should start over and make it clear that it is excluding the Town Manager. Mr. Schoonveld asked if the proper procedure was followed would the Select Board have to hold a hearing and Attorney Hucksam responded that if it complied, then there is a clear process and timeline for the Select Board to follow. Mr. Schoonveld stated that the Board should have a public hearing if the petitioner believes the Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022 proper procedure was followed. Attorney Husksam said that in his opinion it did not qualify as proper procedure and a hearing was not needed. S. Public Hearing at 6:30PM to Consideration an Alteration of Premise Application for All Alcohol license for Trattoria LaCucina di Nonna located at 150/160 North Main Street Mr. DelVecchio read the public hearing notice into the record. In accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 138 Section 12 as amended the Mansfield Select Board will hold a public hearing at the Town Hall, 6 Park Row, Mansfield, MA, on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 6:30PM on the application of Kenneth M Defazio dba Trattoria La Cucina Di Norma, Kenneth M Defazio, Manager, for an Alteration of Premises for All Alcohol Common Victualler license at their facility located at 160/150 North Main Street. The Select Board will make its Wednesday, April 6, 2022 meeting live on Mansfield Cable Access and live virtually view GoToWebinar to ensure that interested members of the public can clearly follow and participate in the deliberations of the Select Board. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found at the Town of Mansfield's website www,mansfieldma.com or register for the Webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3772386333697314317. Motion: To open the public hearing at 6:38PM. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 Ms. Yyvonne Defazio was present and explained that they had built a patio during COVID and would like to move forward and keep the patio open and have it considered part of the premise for serving alcohol. She stated that last year it was allowed under COVID regulations. Mr. Aptowitz asked if it were two separate addresses and Ms. Defazio responded that it was but the landlord owned both and the properties have been deeded together. Mr. Rhein asked if there was anyone from the public who wanted to make a comment or question and there was no response. Motion: To close the public hearing at 6:43PM. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 Motion: To approve the alteration of premise application for Trattoria LaCucina di Nonna located at 150/160 North Main Street. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 6. Consideration of Lodging House License for Trinity Place owned by Jack Foster located at 121-123 N. Main Street There was no one present to represent this business. 7. Economic Development update by Christopher McDermott Mr. Chris McDermott was present and provided an update to the Select Board on Economic Development since the last update in December. He stated that over the last several months his activities have been focused on organizational and capacity building, planning and development efforts and outreach and business assistance. Mr. McDermott expanded on each of those three categories and gave specific examples to the Select Board. Mr. McDermott ended the presentation talking about the next steps for economic development in Mansfield and what he will be focused on. The Select Board members of the Select Board asked some questions which Mr. McDermott answered. 8. Water & Sewer Rate Presentation with David Fox of Raftelis Mr. Josh Reinke, Interim DPW Director, Mr. Shawn Precourt, Water Operations Managers and Mr. David Fox, were present. Mr. Reinke began the discussion stating that he was present asking for annual consideration of the FY23 water and sewer rates. He stated that the goal is to always keep the rates low while balancing the need of the Town to have safe, well -maintained sewer and water infrastructure. Mr. Reinke provided some background information and provided information on the current work being completed for PFAS treatment at Cate Springs. He then turned the presentation over to Mr. David Fox from Raftelis. Mr. David Fox then came forward and provided an overview of the rate study. He stated that other communities are having much different conversations and are requiring much higher rate increases than projected. He stated that water consumption continues to decrease and anticipates a plateau will be reached. In summary he recommended Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022 that the Board have a five percent increase to water and three percent increase for sewer. The Select Board members asked some questions. 9. Discussion and Consideration of FY23 Water and Sewer Rates Motion: To increase the water rate 5% effective April 6, 2022. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 Motion: To increase the sewer rate 3%effective April 6, 2022. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 10. Discussion of Goals & Objectives This item was passed over. 11. Vote to Direct Planning Board to Conduct Public Hearings for Zoning Articles for Annual Town Meeting Motion: To approve referral of the signs by-law Zoning Amendment to the Planning Board with a copy of this vote to be transmitted to the Town Clerk. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 Motion: To approve referral of the Site Plan Approval Zoning Amendment to the Planning Board with a copy of this vote to be transmitted to the Town Clerk. (DelVecchio/Schoonveld) Passes 5:0 Motion: To approve referral of the Chauncy Street Zoning Amendment to the Planning Board with a copy of this vote to be transmitted to the Town Clerk. (DelVecchio/Schoonveld) Passes 5:0 12. Select Board Member Committee and Liaison Updates Mr. Schoonveld had no items. Mr. DelVecchio stated him and Mr. Aptowitz have a few upcoming meetings with the Volunteer Advisory Committee. Mr. Trowbridge stated that CIP meetings are coming up and everyone has been attending the Budget Subcommittee so no update needed. Mr. Aptowitz stated that MFN met last night and nothing new to report. Mr. Rhein stated that the Downtown Committee met and there will be new banners on lamp posts in the Downtown. He noted that there were four sets purchased, one for each season. He stated that there will also be improvements at top of Thomas Street at Route 106 and there will be new landscaping. There are also a few new businesses opening which is great news. Lastly, Mr. Rhein noted that the Great Mansfield cleanup is on April 30th and residents can still register to help out by going to keepmansfieldbeautiful.com. 13. Resident Questions and Comments There were no resident questions or comments. 14. Review and Approve Consent Agenda All items on the Consent Agenda may be adopted with a single motion. Any member of the Select Board may request that an item be withdrawn from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration in which case that item will be voted on separately from the remainder of the Consent Agenda. All licenses have been routed through Town Hall Departments and any conditions have been noted below. A. Vote to Approve Meeting Minutes: • January 5, 2022 • March 2, 2022 • March 9, 2022 • March 16, 2022 • March 23, 2022 • March 30, 2022 Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022 B. Vote to Approve Warrants: • Town Vendor Warrant No. 22038T in the amount of $915,180.16 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 22038E in the amount of $231,533.32 • School Vendor Warrant No. 220385 in the amount of $139,250.00 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 22039T in the amount of $155,764.26 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 22039E in the amount of $105,784.35 • School Vendor Warrant No. 220395 in the amount of $826,184.92 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 22040T in the amount of $2,076,090.44 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 22040E in the amount of $2,275,991.80 C. Consideration of Permits and Licenses: • Special Events Application from MHS All -Sports Boosters for SK Road Race • Special Events Application from Keep Mansfield Beautiful for Picnic • Consideration of 2021 Drainlayers License for L & L Heating D. Consideration of Proclamations: None Motion: To approve the consent agenda except the March 2, 2022 and March 16, 2022 meeting minutes. (De lVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 15. Consideration and Approval of Town Payroll Warrants: • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 22038PT in the amount of $389,470.74 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 22038PT in the amount of $389,470.74. (De lVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 22038TV in the amount of $123,086.48 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 22038TV in the amount of $123,086.48. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 22039PT in the amount of $398,461.00 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 22039PT in the amount of $398,461.00. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 22039TV in the amount of $129,725.82 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 22039TV in the amount of $129,725.82. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 22039PS in the amount of $1,808,062.54 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 22039PS in the amount of $1,808,062.54. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 22039V in the amount of $579,112.52 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 22039V in the amount of $579,112.52. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 Motion: To reconsider School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 22039PS. (Trowbridge/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 22039PS in the amount of $1,808,062.54. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 4:0:1 (Trowbridge Abstain) • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 22040PT in the amount of $394,390.59 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 22040PT in the amount of $394,390.59. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 22040TV in the amount of $127,586.36 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 22040TV in the amount of $127,586.36. (DelVecchio/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 16. Correspondence • Notice from TEC Associates of Amtrak's 2022 Yearly Operational Plan for herbicide application. Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022 • Letter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding the ascertainment process for determining the community's cable -related needs in preparation for the upcoming cable television license renewal which will expire on March 7, 2023. • Letter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts notifying the Town that the Division of Capital asset Management & Maintenance has issued an addendum modifying the RFP seeking to lease space. The modification is that the updated date for submission of proposals is now March 24, 2022 at 2:00 pm. • Letter from Planning Board Mr. DelVecchio read a summary of the above correspondence items. 17. Select Board Member's Comments and Questions Mr. Aptowitz asked about the Xfinity Center license and Mr. Dumas responded that Mr. Jason Sandoval, General Manager will be at the May 4, 2022. Mr. Trowbridge asked about Community Gardens grow facility on School Street and what was the status of the project. Mr. LaCasse said he had not heard anything since January and at that point they were getting their finances in place and breaking ground this summer. Mr. Trowbridge said he was concerned because there was only one permit allowed and it is not being used. Mr. Trowbridge then asked about the potential of a land auction and Mr. Dumas responded that at this point things are too busy to work on that at this time. Mr. Schoonveld asked if there was any change of ownership on the two host community agreements and Mr. Dumas responded that there was not. Mr. Schoonveld added that it is nice that the Board gets notified of the change of manager for the alcohol licenses and it would be nice for those to notify the Board as well. Mr. Rhein wished good luck to the quiz show contestants. Mr. Rhein then thanked Ms. Nancy Griffin for her efforts in making it easier to see the recordings of the public meetings from the Town's website. 18. Any items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting There were no items. 19. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the April 6, 2022 Select Board Meeting at 7:10PM. (Schoonveld/Trowbridge) Passes 5:0 a�/uZe Signature Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Date Select Board Meeting Minutes April 6, 2022