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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSelcet Board 02/15/2023Select Board Meeting Minutes February 15, 2023' Present: Mr. Frank DelVecchio, Vice Chair; Mr. Neil Rhein, Clerk; Mr. Jess d Ms. Diana Bren were present in Meeting Room 3 A/B at Town Hall. Kevin Dumas, Town,M L F� y� ECasse were also present in Meeting Room 3 A/B. i UU Not Present: Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Chair 1023 MAR -2 A 10: 20 1. Call To Order Select Board Meeting - Pledge of Allegiance h ANSFIELD ti ; ,.A �! I� �F T T S Mr. Frank DelVecchio, Vice -Chair called the meeting to order at 5:30 M. He as e t ose present to state the pledge of allegiance. He then reminded everyone that the meeting was being broadcast live and taped for future broadcast on Mansfield Cable. 2. Swearing in of Firefighter Connor Finnerty Chief Desrosiers was present and introduced Firefighter Connor Finnerty. Ms. Marianne Staples was present and then swore in Firefighter Connor Finnerty. Mr. Finnerty then thanked the Chief and everyone for the opportunity to work for his hometown. The Board welcomed him and wished him the best. 3. Town Manager's Report Select Board Questions and Comments on Town Manager's Report Mr. Dumas began by asking Mr. Christopher McDermott to come forward and provide an update on Economic Development items that he is working on. Mr. McDermott stated that he has been working on the train station revitalization project public workshops and working on social media messaging for the workshop to get more attendance. He is working on a brochure that was shared on the screen which highlights some key vacancies at the Cabot Industrial Park. He said that he also will be launching a weekly Mansfield Cable segment on Economic Development with Mr. Dumas that will also be shared across all social media platforms. Mr. Dumas thanked him for his work with the TOD development and bringing in many departments to make a cohesive group to move the project forward. Mr. LaCasse was then asked to give a budget update, He stated that on January 15t a budget was posted with a $5.3 million shortfall and it has since been reduced to a $2.9 million shortfall. He stated that he and Mr. Dumas met with the Superintendent to talk about some items that can be done to get to a balanced budget. Mr. Kevin Dumas stated that the health insurance renewal rate came in below what was estimated. He then stated that he submitted a statement of interest for a one stop grant for the West Street project that is for WIU I:IV1033"W 1 IVI>IVICIMI L Ol IFM.`I IC DIOLCV. L110L LIM 4.V LUICNIQUU1I I Ul pl11 ttcc Iflcc Nll( IIaJ VGcll moved to April 12th at 6:30PM to allow a consensus Budget Subcommittee meeting on March 29th, Mr. Dumas stated that the D, E, and I Committee meeting has not yet been scheduled due to a health issue with consultant. Mr. Dumas then announced that Town Meeting is planned for Wednesday, June 14th and noted that it can be held up to June 30th with a vote of the Select Board. He stated that this later date in June in necessary so that the Select Board and Planning Board can hold public hearings for the TOD re- zoning project. Mr. Aptowitz asked about the Town Meeting date because the date was brought up at the Budget Subcommittee meeting and that the Town Charter says Town Meeting has to be held by June 1st and Mr. Dumas responded that it was looked into and Mass General Law allows for the Select Board to vote to have the date later than June V. Mr. Rhein asked about the chocolate factory and Mr. Dumas stated they did receive a certificate of occupancy. Mr. Rhein also noted that Chase Bank is also close to opening and Mr. Dumas stated that it is coming along. Select Board Meeting Minutes February 15, 2023 Mr. DelVecchio clarified that just because Town Meeting is slated for June it does not mean that the budget is not being worked on. He stated there are plenty of meetings going on with the budget and its not a delay on the Town part it. The new Governor is given more time to finalize the budget. Mr. Dumas confirmed that he anticipates having a balanced budget by the end of March. Mr. Rhein then commented that last year there were a lot of citizen's petitions that caused a lot of work with the Town's legal counsel and asked what is the Town's obligation to give them legal advice is their petition is not legal. Mr. Dumas responded that initially in recent years there was a discussion after a Town Meeting and the Board previously took the stance that there was no opinion on citizens petitions. At the end of that recent Town Meeting the Board decided that there should be a preliminary review of citizen's petitions to see if they are legal or not for the citizens of Mansfield to vote on. The Town does not help the petitioner make them legal or re -write the article for the petitioner. Mr. Rhein asked when those answers will be provided and Mr. LaCasse stated that the warrant closes on March 15t and shortly thereafter the warrant is sent to Town Counsel for review. 4. Resident Questions and Comments There were no items S. Discussion and Consideration to Approve the Revised Conservation Commissions Filing Fee Schedule Mr. Dumas asked for this item to be passed over. 6. Discussion and Consideration to Amend the Make Up of the 250th Celebration Committee Mr. Dumas asked Ms. Teresa Murphy the Superintendent of Mansfield Schools to come forward. Mr. Dumas stated there was a request from the School Committee to remove their membership on the 250' Celebration Committee. Ms. Murphy stated that she is happy that she will be serving on the Committee and thinks that it would be better to have an employee of Mansfield Schools who is also a Mansfield resident be on the committee because they are closer to the students and that could be beneficial. Ms. Bren thought this was a great suggested change. Motion: To amend the make-up of the 2501h Celebration Committee to not include a School Committee member, but to include a Mansfield schools staff member that is appointed by the Superintendent. (Rhein/Bren) Passes 4:0 7. Select Board Member Committee and Liaison Updates Mr. Rhein stated that he was unable to attend the Downtown Committee and asked Mr. Dumas if there were any updates. Mr. Dumas stated that there was discussion and Ms. Eileen Cusack presented on the wrapping or crdmc wnu 01 uUneb as wcu as LIM ra I I wuvul. JuMu[11Cu I" LVIIIVI 1VVV 111rj111.1.11. budget concept. 8. Resident Questions and Comments There were none. 9. 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: • none B. Vote to Approve Warrants: Select Board Meeting Minutes February 15, 2023 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 23032T in the amount of $225,957.62 • Electric Vendor Warrant No, 23032E in the amount of $1,935,269.67 • School Vendor Warrant No. 23032S in the amount of $941,709.05 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 23033T in the amount of $1,487,555.71 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 23033E in the amount of $249,971.53 C. Consideration of Permits and Licenses: • Consideration of 2023 Drainlayers License for G. Lopes Construction Inc. • Consideration of 2023 Drainlayers License for Riccio Excavating Co. Motion: To approve the consent agenda. (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 10. Consideration and Approval of Town Payroll Warrants: • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 23032PT in the amount of $426,193.97 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 23032PT in the amount of $426,193.97. (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 23032TV in the amount of $136,072.19 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 23032TV in the amount of $136,072.19, (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 23033PT in the amount of $394,930.45 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 23033PT in the amount of $394,930.45. (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 23033TV in the amount of $124,53S.48 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 23033TV in the amount of $124,535.48 (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 23033PS in the amount of $1,899,768.49 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 23033PS in the amount of $1,899,768.49. (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 23033SV in the amount of $606,400.22 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 23033SV in the amount of $606,400.22. (Rhein/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 11. Correspondence • Notification from Xfinity Mr. Rhein stated that there was a notice from Xfinity with the emergency phone number, however it was not available for public dissemination 12. Select Board Member's Comments and Questions emergency services and should look for more ways to regionalize. Mr. Dumas noted that the Town shares animal control, an epidemiologist and food inspectors as well. Mr. DelVecchio appreciated having members from the Finance Committee at MMA and it was a great learning experience for them and hopes that they will also be able to attend in the future. Mr. Aptowitz stated that at the Light Commissioners meeting the storm was discussed and thanked everyone involved. Ms. Bren also thanked everyone who was involved in the storm. Mr. DelVecchio stated that this may the last time he will be sitting as a Chair and thanked everyone for the last nine years that he has served. Mr. Aptowitz also noted that he is also not running again in the election and hopes to say something as it gets closer to the election. Select Board Meeting Minutes February 15, 2023 Nlr. DelVecchio noted there is a lot of focus on what is going wrong and not enough emphasis on what is going right. There are good staff members working hard. Mr. Rhein stated that at the last meeting there was a comment that the Select Board meetings were not long enough and that was a problem, however he feels that short meetings are a sign that things are going well. The Town has a good process and when there are issues the Board will discuss them. 13. Any items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting There were no items. 14. Adjourn Motion: To adjourg the February 15, 2023 Select Board meetin at 6:15PM. (Aptowitz/Bren) Passes 4:0 3 Z3 Sign ture Date Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Select Board Meeting Minutes February 15,2023