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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSelect Board 03/16/2026Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 Present: Mr. Walter Wilk, Chair; Mr. Michael Feck, Vice -Chair; Mr. Kostas Loukas;',cferk, Merl. Brendan Roche and Ms. Maureen R. Doherty were present in Meeting Room 3 A/B at Town Hail.' Mr.'Brendan' Roche was not present at the start of the meeting but arrived at 6:47PM. 1(} 1. Call To Order Select Board Meeting - Pledge of Allegiance Mr. Wilk called the meeting to order at 6:3113M. He then read the broadcast message. and asked those present to stand for the pledge of allegiance. 2. Enter into Executive Session and return to open session pursuant to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A, Section 21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares with the following unions: ➢ American Federation State County and Municipal Employees Council 93, AFL-CIO, Local 1702 Department of Public Works ➢ Mansfield Permanent Firefighters Local 1820, International Association of Firefighters ➢ Mansfield Police Association member of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police ➢ United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rummer, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC, Local Union 9517, Unit 3, Supervisory Unit ➢ United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rummer, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC, Local Union 9517, Unit 2, Non -Supervisory Unit ➢ Southeastern Public Employees Association Clerk's Unit of Town of Mansfield ➢ International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 104 Financial Assistants ➢ International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 104 Professional Unit ➢ American Federation State County and Municipal Employees Council 93, AFL-CIO, Local 1702, Mansfield Municipal Electric Department (MMED) ➢ Mansfield Special Education Bus Drivers of the Massachusetts Teachers Association ➢ Mansfield Association of Secretaries and Clerks (MASC) ➢ Mansfield Paraprofessionals Association of the Massachusetts Teachers Association ➢ Mansfield Educators Association ➢ Mansfield Association of Food Service Workers Affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers' Association ➢ Mansfield Buildings & Grounds Association Affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers' Association Motion: Enter into Executive Session and return to open session pursuant to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A, Section 21 (a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body and the chair so declares with the following unions: ➢ American Federation State County and Municipal Employees Council 93, AFL-CIO, Local 1702 Department of Public Works ➢ Mansfield Permanent Firefighters Local 1820, International Association of Firefighters ➢ Mansfield Police Association member of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police ➢ United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rummer, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC, Local Union 9517, Unit 3, Supervisory Unit ➢ United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rummer, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC, Local Union 9517, Unit 2, Non -Supervisory Unit ➢ Southeastern Public Employees Association Clerk's Unit of Town of Mansfield ➢ International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 104 Financial Assistants Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 ➢ International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 104 Professional Unit ➢ American Federation State County and Municipal Employees Council 93, AFL-CIO, Local 1702, Mansfield Municipal Electric Department (MMED) ➢ Mansfield Special Education Bus Drivers of the Massachusetts Teachers Association ➢ Mansfield Association of Secretaries and Clerks (MASC) ➢ Mansfield Paraprofessionals Association of the Massachusetts Teachers Association ➢ Mansfield Educators Association ➢ Mansfield Association of Food Service Workers Affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers' Association ➢ Mansfield Buildings & Grounds Association Affiliated with the Massachusetts Teachers' Association (Loukos/Roche) Passes 5:0 Roll Call Vote: Loukos — Yes Feck — Yes Doherty — Yes Roche —Yes Wilk — Yes The Board returned from Executive Session and resumed their meeting at 7:27PM. 3. Discussion and Consideration of Donation from the Town of Medway for Mansfield Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Chief Desrosiers came forward and stated that the Town of Medway wants to donate a 2016 ambulance that their department no longer needs. He stated that this ambulance would replace a 2006 for MEMA. The Chief noted that all the vehicles that MEMA has are donated. Motion: To accept the donation from the Town of Medway for the Mansfield Emergency Management Agency. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 4. Recognition of Mansfield Police and Fire Chief Sellon and Chief Desrosiers came forward for this agenda item. Chief Sellon invited Sargent McCune and Officer Galarneau to come forward as they were the original responders to an incident involving a young child and mother who may have been living out of their vehicle. Chief Sellon then read a copy of the letter that he will be giving to eighteen Town employees who showed extreme care and went above and beyond. He commended all of the staff from Police, Fire and Social Services who were involved with this case. The Select Board members thanked everyone for their work in this incident. S. Discussion with Marcia Szymanski and Chief Sellon about Automated License Plate Readers Ms. Marcia Szymanski was present to talk about the Flock Safety Reader Company and her concerns about them entering into contracts with police departments. Ms. Szymanski was happy to hear that the police department currently does not have any but she believes there is one in the Home Depot parking lot. She stated these cameras are used to collect license plate data. She stated that they are being used by law enforcement to collect and store massive amounts of data on people's movements in real time and historically without warrant, probable cause or reasonable suspicion amounting to near constant surveillance. She stated that the data includes license plates, time stamps and location information that when aggregated create a detailed record of where individuals have been and where they are going. Ms. Szymanski stated that the ACLU notes that courts have recognized such technologies when widespread and interconnected invade reasonable expectations of privacy in ways similar to cell phone tracking, raising Fourth Amendment concerns about warrantless searches of people's movements. She stated that Massachusetts enacted the SHIELD law which makes it a crime to access such data around issues such as reproductive rights, gender -affirming health care, abusive litigation and civil actions. Ms. Szymanski wanted the Select Board to take a vote to ensure the Town will not enter into contract with Flock camera or any other companies that operate these license plate readers. Secondly, she wanted the Board to reach out to Home Depot to determine if the Flock Camera there is in fact their camera and to investigate whether they are in violation of Massachusetts law. Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 Chief Sellon then came forward and stated that Ms. Szymanski does raise several issues that the community should be concerned about. He stated that there should be discussions about the increasing usage of technologies for whatever purpose, especially in law enforcement. Chief Sellon confirmed that they do not have any Flock cameras; however, they do use a license plate reader at the Xfinity Center with limited regards. Chief Sellon did note that there isn't a reasonable expectation of privacy in our license plates. He stated that in order to utilize the information you need strict criteria and there needs to be built-in safeguards to a lot of these technologies. Ms. Szymanski asked if they have access to provide information to a nationwide database. Chief Sellon responded that they do contribute to certain databases. The Chief asked Phil Seaward to come forward and he added that every request comes through they have to meet certain policy requirements that their department provides. They will then review their request and either approve or deny them and largely they do not reply to them. Mr. Wilk asked if Home Depot has a Flock camera and Chief Sellon confirmed that they do. Mr. Loukos stated his concerns and noted that he would support a ban on flock cameras in Mansfield; however, he did not think now was the time to make that decision and there is more information available that the Board should hear. Ms. Szymanski stated that she would email her testimony and that she appreciated the Police Department and wants to be proactive about this. Ms. Doherty stated that in accordance with the charter it says that the Select Board does not set the policies of the police department. Chief Sellon agreed that there should be no action taken tonight and that the Board should ask Town Counsel to help. He also recommended that the Select Board could also vote to mandate that the police department keep an audit log of information and location of where it would be shared and who can see the audit log. Mr. Roche asked Chief Sellon if they had a license plate reader policy and Chief Sellon responded that they have had a license plate reader for last fifteen years and there is a policy on it. Mr. Roche then commented that the issue is the AI aspect because it consolidated all the information and makes it easy to search and so the larger discussion should be technology and Al usage within the Town. 6. Water and Sewer Rate Presentation with Raftelis Mr. Reinke began the discussion and stated that the water and sewer rates are looked at annually. He introduced Mr. Dave Fox who was present from Rafetelis. Mr. Fox stated that he has been working with the Town for the last seven or eight years now and his job is to ensure that the revenues meet expenses. The Town is ahead on PFAS mitigation and the rate increases are indicative of that. He gave an overview of what he does as part of a rate study and he explained the importance of doing this annually so it creates a sustainable model. He stated that they continue to see reductions in usage because everything is more efficient so residents are using less water which then means less revenues for communities. Mr. Fox continued his presentation with financial analysis and in his conclusion, he stated that they are looking for a 6% increase is what is being seen nationwide and this is where he thought the Town would be last year. He then stated that there was a 4% increase on sewer. 7. Discussion and Consideration of FY26 Water and Sewer Rates Motion: To approve a 6% water rate, increase effective May 21, 2026. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 Motion: To approve a 4% sewer rate, increase effective May 21, 2026. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 8. Town Manager's Report ➢ Snow and Ice Budget Update ➢ Miscellaneous Items ➢ Select Board Members Questions and Comments Mr. Reinke stated that the snow and ice has a deficit of $602,806.39. He noted that the state is putting together potential reimbursement and he has submitted $362,159.86 which is the highest use in a 48-hour period. Mr. Roche thanked Mr. Reinke for the time spent as the Acting Town Manager and stated that he did an outstanding job and far exceeded expectations. Ms. Doherty stated that Ms. Josephine Madrazo gave an Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 update on social services and the Council on Aging and they asked if it could be added to a Select Board agenda. Ms. Doherty then stated that retired Fire Chief Neal Boldrighini asked if department heads from Police, Fire and DPW could be at the budget presentations to answer questions. Ms. Doherty then asked if the Non -Profit Gift Fund Committee should be on the next agenda to discuss increasing their allocation for next year. Ms. Doherty thanked Mr. Rinke and stated that his calm demeaner had a healing property on the employees and the residents. Mr. Loukos echoed the things that have been said and Mr. Reinke did a great job. Mr. Feck commented that Mr. Rinke stepped up when the Town needed someone they trusted and thanked the staff during this transition period. Mr. Wilk commented that he appreciates the time he spent and noted that he really stepped up and did a great job. Mr. Reinke thanked DPW and stated that it was an honor to help during this time. 9. Vote to approve the issuance of $10,000,000 General Obligation Bond Anticipation Notes and to execute any closing documents related thereto Mr. John Ellard, Treasurer was present and explained that this bond anticipation note for the Albertini Well PFAS project. I, the Clerk of the Select Board of the Town of Mansfield, Massachusetts (the "Town"), certify that at a meeting of the board held March 18, 2026, of which meeting all members of the board were duly notified and at which a quorum was present, the following votes were unanimously passed, all of which appear upon the official record of the board in my custody: Voted: to approve the sale of $10,000,000 General Obligation Bond Anticipation Notes of the Town dated March 25, 2026 at an interest rate of 3.25% and payable September 24, 2026 (the "Notes") to TD Financial Products LLC at par and accrued interest, if any, plus a premium of $29,100.00. Further Voted: that in connection with the marketing and sale of the Notes, the preparation and distribution of a Notice of Sale and Preliminary Official Statement dated March 4, 2026, and a final Official Statement dated March 11, 2026, each in such form as may be approved by the Town Treasurer, be and hereby are ratified, confirmed, approved and adopted. Further Voted: that the Town Treasurer and the Select Board be, and hereby are, authorized to execute and deliver a significant events disclosure undertaking in compliance with SEC Rule 15c2-12 in such form as may be approved by bond counsel to the Town, which undertaking shall be incorporated by reference in the Notes for the benefit of the holders of the Notes from time to time. Further Voted: that we authorize and direct the Town Treasurer to establish post issuance federal tax compliance procedures and continuing disclosure procedures in such forms as the Town Treasurer and bond counsel deem sufficient, or if such procedures are currently in place, to review and update said procedures, in order to monitor and maintain the tax-exempt status of the Notes and to comply with relevant securities laws. Further Voted: that each member of the Select Board, the Town Clerk and the Town Treasurer be and hereby are, authorized to take any and all such actions, and execute and deliver such certificates, receipts or other documents as may be determined by them, or any of them, to be necessary or convenient to carry into effect the provisions of the foregoing votes. I further certify that the votes were taken at a meeting open to the public; that no vote was taken by secret ballot; that a notice stating the place (or method of accessing), date, time and agenda for the meeting (which agenda included the adoption of the above votes) was filed with the Town Clerk and a copy thereof posted in a manner conspicuously visible to the public at all hours in or on the municipal building at which the office of the Town Clerk is located or, if applicable, in accordance with an alternative method of notice prescribed or Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 approved by the Attorney General as set forth in 940 CMR 29.03(2)(b), at least 48 hours, not including Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, prior to the time of the meeting and remained so posted at the time of the meeting; that no deliberations or decision in connection with the sale of the Notes were taken in executive session, all in accordance with G.L. c.30A, §§18-25 as amended; and, if the meeting was conducted remotely, it was called and held in accordance with the requirements of Section 20 of Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021, as amended. (Loukos/Roche) Passes 5:0 10. Discussion and Consideration of Non -Resident Parking Rate Increase Mr. Reinke stated this proposed increase is for the non-resident parking spaces at the train station. He stated that there are a total of 709 spaces that the Town has. The price increase would affect 278 spaces and he is proposing the rate increase from $4 to $5 per day. He stated that the last rate increase happened in 2018 and it was to increase the resident rate from $2 to $3 per day. Mr. Loukos commented that back when he first came on the Select Board there were residents being charged the wrong rate and he wanted to make sure that didn't happen again. Mr. Reinke responded that it was an electronic error and he believes by having this change in April there will be extra time to implement and make sure everything is ready. He also noted that they need time to get the signage changed. Motion: To increase the Non -Residential Daily Parking Rate from $4/day to $5/day effective April 15, 2026. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 11. Consideration of Select Board's Vote of Intention to Lay Out a Town Way in relation to Cobb Street at a Public Hearing on April 15, 2026 Ms. Champagne explained that this is a procedural item that is part of a street acceptance process. Motion: To approve the intention to lay out a town way in relation to Cobb Street at a public hearing on April 15, 2026. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 12. Vote to refer the Cobb Street Acceptance to the Planning Board for their Recommendation Motion: To refer the Cobb Street Acceptance to the Planning Board for their recommendation. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 13. Public Comment (Per the Select Board Operating Procedures: The Chair may give visitors who are not listed on the agenda an opportunity to speak to the Board during the Public Comments session; however, the Chair may limit their speaking time at the discretion of the Chair.) There were no public comments. 14. General Budget Discussion — Including Budget Subcommittee Update The general budget discussion agenda item is a regular Select Board agenda item that will be for the discussion on any fiscal year budgets and may include discussions of past fiscal years or future fiscal years. Mr. Feck gave an update from the Budget Subcommittee meeting and stated that the committee decided on the dates to have the listening sessions for the public and there will be five dates scheduled. He noted that there will be two evening sessions, two Saturday sessions and one day time one at the Council on Aging. Mr. Loukos stated that a resident reached out to him about services being cut at the library and he was concerned because that is the Town resource he uses most frequently. The resident also expressed concerns with their accreditation. Mr. Reinke stated that he does not like the idea of cutting the hours however they are trying to make small cuts everywhere. 15. Select Board Member Committee and Liaison Updates Ms. Doherty stated that CIP met and they prioritized the list of projects and they understand that there is no money for CIP. She stated that the first project is the A School roof project for $200,000, followed by an MIS fly over for $39,000 which would be split amongst many accounts including enterprise accounts. The tennis courts were also approved but only if State funding comes through. Ms. Doherty then spoke about what is Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 being done to increase the financial position of the Town because she gets asked that question frequently. .She hoted that Mr. Feck is looking at land use. She stated that at that back in October she attended the Tri- Town Chamber talked with Lynn Tokarczyk who works in real estate and encourage companies to come to this area and will be setting up a meeting with her. Ms. Doherty also noted that Ms. Sarah Raposa is increasing her role into more Economic Development. Mr. Joe Sollecito is also interested in getting an internal group to look at industrial park and getting an economic development team together. 16. Public Comments (Per the Select Board Operating Procedures: The Chair may give visitors who are not listed on the agenda an opportunity to speak to the Board during the Public Comments session; however, the Chair may limit their speaking time at the discretion of the Chair.) There were no public comments. 17. 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 and events have been routed through Town Hall Departments and any conditions have been noted below. A. Vote to Approve Meeting Minutes: ➢ March 4, 2026 Vote to Approve Warrants: ➢ Town Vendor Warrant No. 2635T in the amount of $905,679.03 ➢ Electric Vendor Warrant No. 2635E in the amount of $171,831.65 ➢ School Vendor Warrant No. 26355 in the amount of $441,629.85 ➢ Town Vendor Warrant No. 2637T in the amount of $3,560,831.69 ➢ Electric Vendor Warrant No. 2637E in the amount of $2,144,781.61 ➢ School Vendor Warrant No. 26375 in the amount of $536,099.08 C. Consideration of Permits and Licenses: ➢ Consideration of Banner Application for Mansfield Youth Football and Cheer ➢ Consideration of Special Events Application from the Mansfield Women of Today D. Proclamations: Motion: To approve the consent agenda. (Loukos/Roche) Passes 5:0 18. Consideration and Approval of Town Payroll Warrants: • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 2635PT in the amount of $949,183.89 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 2635PT in the amount of $949,183.89. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 2635TV in the amount of $303,821.57 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 2635TV in the amount of $303,821.57. (Loukos/Doherty) Passes 5:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 2635PS in the amount of $1,944,252.24 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 2635PS in the amount of $1,944,252.24. (Loukos/Roche)Passes 4:0:1 • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 2635SV in the amount of $568,917.08 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 2635SV in the amount of $568,917.08. (Loukos/Roche) Passes 5:0 19. Correspondence • Emails from Frank Guardabascio • Email from Elaine O'Meara • Letter from 495/MetroWest Partnership Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026 Letter from the State of Massachusetts Mr. Loukos read the list of correspondence items. 20. Select Board Member's Comments and Questions There were no comments or questions. 21. Any items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting There were none. 22. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the March 18, 2026 Select Board meeting at 8:5913M. (Loukos/Roche) Passes 5:0 K&/ �,� Sig ature Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Documents used in meeting: y / /1)_0d-� Date 1. Town of Medway Donation Request for Mansfield Emergency Management Agency 2. Email From Chief Sellon for Recognition of Police/Fire 3. Loan documents for Borrowing 4. Letter from Marcia Szymanski about Automated License Plate Readers 5. Water and Sewer Rate Presentation from Raftelis 6. Memo from Joshua Reinke on Water and Sewer Rates 7. Memo from Joshua Reinke on Non -Residential Parking Rates 8. Procedure Document for Street Acceptances 9. Cobb Street Documents from Town Engineer 10. March 4, 2026 Select Board Meeting Minutes 11. Emails from Frank Guardabascio 12. Email from Elaine O'Meara 13. Letter from 495/MetroWest Partnership 14. Letter from the State of Massachusetts 15. Banner Application for Mansfield Youth Football and Cheer 16. Special Events Application from the Mansfield Women of Today Select Board Meeting Minutes March 18, 2026