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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin brd of selectmen 05/19/04 (- Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19, 2004 RECEIVEI ¡,I CltRKS OFF lCE 04 MAY 21 ~M 9: 1.3 MANSFIELD MASS~CHUSETTS Present: Steven W. MacCaffrie, Chairman; Vice Chairman Roger S. Achille, Clerk; Bernard J. Dolan; Selectmen Louis P. Amoruso and Michael W. McCue. Town Manager John O. D' Agostino The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. · Warrant No. 47 in the amount of $4,283,277.04 Motion: To approve (Achille-Amoruso) 5-0 Passes r · Minutes of May 10,2004 Selectmen's Meeting within the meeting of the Light Commissioners Motion: (Amoruso-McCue) 3-0-2 with Selectman Dolan and Vice Chairman Achille abstaining because Mr. Dolan was not yet elected to the Board and Vice Chairman Achille was not at the meeting. Passes · Minutes of the May 12,2004 Selectmen's Meeting Motion: To approve (Amoruso-Dolan) 4-0-1 with Selectman McCue abstaining because he was not there for all of the meeting. Passes · Minutes of the May 18,2004 Annual/Special Town Meeting Motion: To approve (Dolan-Amoruso) 4-0-1 with Selectman Achille abstaining because he was not present for the 6:00 p.m. portion of the meeting. Passes · New application for a Drainlayer's License for J. Andreassi Co., 7 Old Shore Road, Falmouth - recommended for approval by Town Engineer John Sullivan Motion: To approve (Achille-Amoruso) 5-0 Passes r Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19,2004 1 r · SERSG Bid Awards sheets to be signed for collaborative purchases for DPW Supplies and Water Treatment Chemicals, as well as the copy and computer paper award that was approved last week, but needs a signature. Motion: To sign (Amoruso-Achille) 5-0 Passes · Application for a sewer abatement from Albert B. Collier for property at 714 East Street, along with a cover memorandum from Town Engineer John D. Sullivan, Jr. Motion: To approve (Amoruso-McCue) 5-0 Passes · Target Incentive Financing Agreement for MEDCO, approved at Town Meeting, to be signed Motion: To sign the agreement (Amoruso-McCue) 5-0 Passes Town Manae:er and Staff (* · Memo from Water Operations Manager Kurt Gaffney recommending approval of a water connection for Village Landing, the 82-unit two bedroom age-restricted condominium complex at 660 East Street Motion: To accept the recommendation and approve the water connection (Dolan-Amoruso) 5-0 Passes · Memo from Water Operations Manager Kurt Gaffney recommending approval of a water connection for Copeland Crossing Phase II, a 24-unit two bedroom apartment complex located at the intersection of Route 106 and 140. Motion: To accept the recommendation and approve the water connection (Dolan-Achille) 5-0 Passes Residents · Letter from O. Conrad Lajoie requesting approval of a verbal agreement offered by the Assistant Plumbing Inspector and Assistant Wiring Inspector to waive their portion of the fees to inspect work done in conjunction with the replacement of his home that was a total loss in a fire. Selectman Amoruso said he has a great deal of respect for Mr. Lajoie but thinks a precedent would be set in giving this type of consideration to one Town employee and not others, which would lead further to citizen requests for fee waivers.. The professional courtesy is common in the industry, unfortunately we do not have that luxury in municipal government. We can only waive what we have control over, which would be the Town's portion. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19,2004 2 ".- Motion: Not to support (Amoruso-Dolan) 5-0 Passes Other · Tax Increment Financing Agreement between The Town of Mansfield and Liberty Bell Equipment Corporation d/b/a MEDCO to be signed Motion: To sign the agreement (Amoruso-McCue) 5-0 Passes ( Town Manager D' Agostino reported: · The Train Station project manager has notified Ptlm. Lance Lawson that they are ready to do the final paving job and will need to close Mansfield A venue and Crocker Street, using three officers and a cruiser for traffic control, on Saturday, May 22nd. The contractor would like it closed from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Selectman Amoruso indicated the need to have access to Oakland Street. There will be southbound traffic on Oakland. If they were to run two-way traffic on Oakland Street they would not be able to park cars along there, which would affect at least one business in that area. He suggested detouring traffic down Hope Street and over to Oakland Street to avoid the commercial area of Oakland Street where it is one way. Area businesses would need to be notified as soon as possible. Chairman MacCaffrie said he doesn't understand the need to close the road for that length of time. Town Manager D' Agostino noted it will be the final coat of paving that is also being applied to the Train Station parking lot according to the memorandum he received. Notices will be placed at the Train Station and businesses affected by the detour will also be given notice. Motion: To support (Dolan-Amoruso) 5-0 Passes · Is waiting for the Skateboard Park schedule from Mike Ahern and Lee Azinheira. He will notify everyone when it's received. · Has received sign-offs from everyone for the gasoline storage facility and is still waiting for the signoff from the engineer. There have been additional leaks identified that have been corrected. We anticipate switching over to the new facility once training has been given to all departments. DPW and the larger departments will be switched over first. We do not anticipate training to take a considerable amount of time. The dispensing unit will employ a computerized chip process that records information. r" I · MassHighway has contacted the Police Chief and advised him they are about to commence paving of Route 140. They would like to perform the work at night. Put on website. Selectman Dolan suggested the State be forced to put some type of lefthand turn signal at the intersection of Routes 106 and 140. Selectman McCue asked if we've asked SRP EDD to do a site survey of that intersection and replied that Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19,2004 3 r we've used most of our time on the Route 106 overpass. Selectman McCue will check on it at the upcoming MPO meeting. · Mansfield High School students have volunteered to clean up the Mansfield cemeteries and will place memorial flags provided by the Town. They are also working to preserve the monuments in the cemeteries. Chairman MacCaffrie thanked them as a Veteran, noting some communities have nobody doing this. He appreciates their efforts. · Spoke about the refurbishment of the South Common that began when he came to Town a few years ago. He would like to replicate that effort at the North Common in conjunction with the completion of the Train Station. He requested that a gift account be established to accept donations for benches at the North Common. The project would also include burial of the overhead wires and landscaping so that the walkway leads directly to the entrance to the Train Station. Plantings and trash receptacles would also be included. Selectmen personally donated $80. to establish the account. Motion: To establish the North Common Beautification Gift Account in accordance with MGL Chapter 44 §53A; accept an $80 contribution for deposit to this account; and to accept further contributions from time to time for this purpose (Achille-Dolan) 5-0 Passes r' Selectman McCue: · A couple of weeks ago there was a report from Leonard Flynn regarding contradictory information on the northbound ramp for Route 495. He asked that it be looked into. There's a meeting scheduled with Commissioner Cogliano next month. · Was contacted by a Plainville Selectman expressing interest in participating in interests of a regional interest. He also indicated his intention to remain in contact with Easton and Norton Selectmen and asked for the authorization of the Board to do so. Motion: To authorize Selectman McCue to continue dialog with area Selectman on matters of common interest and concern (Achille-Dolan) 5-0 Passes ,- Selectman Achille: · Congratulated Bernie Dolan on being elected, noting he's had the privilege of serving with him on the Planning Board and CIP. He also acknowledged Helen Christian and the Town Clerk's Office for the job done on the Election and Town Meeting. He asked if there's been any dialog with the School Department regarding the Presidential Election. He suggested the possibility of closing the High School that day, noting the parking lot is almost filled just with student cars. Chairman MacCaffrie said he believes Helen has been in contact with Mr. Moretti in an attempt to avoid that problem, but doesn't know what his response has been. Town Manager Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19, 2004 4 r D 'Agostino reported we've asked that they either close or have an in-service day with early dismissal. Motion: To make an official request of the School Department to either close or have an in service day the date of the Presidential election (Achille-Dolan) 5-0 Passes . Selectman Dolan: Commented on the suggestion of former Selectman Dan Donovan about setting aside a timeslot every week during which Board and Committee Chairmen could address the Selectmen, noting it would allow better communication. He also commented on the need to get together more frequently with the School Committee also. Chairman MacCaffrie said he had a meeting after Town Meeting to discuss an approach next budget season and ways to work together more effectively. Town Manager D 'Agostino noted some communities use a progressive approach. Our Charter requires it be done at a specific time. Believes a preliminary, progression and final budget, along with an explanation of what it is, would be worth exploring. Selectman Dolan noted five minutes before the start of Town Meeting is cutting it close. r The notice of Public Hearing as it appeared in The Sun Chronicle on May 5, 2004 was read into the record by Clerk Dolan. Motion: To open the public hearing at 8:30 p.m. (Amoruso-Dolan) 5-0 Passes Attorney Ed Valanzola, Richard Bell ofMEDCO, Jeff Prince of Dacon, and Lt. Towne of the Mansfield Fire Department were present. Attorney Valanzola noted they were here for a flammable license on 3.15 acres, in a 35,000 sq. ft. building at 572 West Street. They will be storing paints, sealers, and other materials. The site approval process has been completed with Planning Board. Mr. Prince expressed his gratitude to Deputy Towne and the Building Inspector. He noted the storage area is in complete compliance with the regulations and is equipped with all safety devices necessary to be in compliance with the Code. Additional detection methods were also added at the request of the Fire Department, with whom they've worked closely. He represents Dacon who is the architect/engineer for the project. r' Deputy Towne said he is very satisfied with what they've done, noting they've complied with everything that has been requested of them. They added a hydrocarbon protection system at the request of the Fire Department and he is pleased with that. He recommended approval of the license. Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19,2004 5 r Public COmment was invited; there was none forthcoming. Motion: To close public hearing at 8:37 p.m. (Amoruso-McCue) To approve the license for the storage of flammable liquids as requested (Amoruso-McCue) 5-0 Passes r Peter DeTrolio of Elm Street - congratulation Mike McCue on his re-election and Bernie Dolan on his election, noting he is the one who encouraged Bernie to run. He also spoke of the number of motor vehicle accidents at the intersections of Route 140/160 and Route 140/West Street. He noted the towing company removes the damaged vehicles, but leaves the rest ofthe litter and it is unsightly. Tow operators are supposed to clean it up. Police Department in charge of that. Mr. DeTrolio reported they sweep it to the gutter, but don't remove it and somebody needs to tell them to do their job. It was suggested that maybe we need some new people on the towing list who are going to do the job correctly. The Town Manager will notify the Police Chief Mr. DeTrolio also noted there is no place to park at elections. He stated we are the taxpayers and own that lot-not the School Department. He asked why they can't tell the students to leave their cars home because the people who provide them with that school and parking lot want to vote. The topic will be put on an agenda to discuss with the School Department. r George Dentino, Gladiola Terrace - said he was confused over the voting that went on the last couple of weeks regarding the Town Manager's raise. Monday at the Light Commissioners meeting Selectmen Amoruso, McCue, and McCarter voted a 4 ~% increase. Selectman Achille was not there. Wednesday Mr. D 'Agostino said there's only 3 ~% in the budget. A motion was made by Roger Achille and seconded by Steve MacCaffrie to reduce it. Selectman Amoruso noted that statement is not accurate. The motion was for 3% or less. The vote was 2-2, so it didn't pass. That was reconsidered and addressed prior to Town Meeting and it was a 3-1 vote to give him a 3 %% raise. Mr. Dentino then noted that for five years now things have been changed at the last minute going into Town Meeting. He suggested something be done to put a stop to this being done, asking how much it's costing the taxpayers to print things three times. He also noted people come in to pick up the information that, go home to watch it on television that night, and what they've picked up is already obsolete. Very few people attend Town Meeting and more people may be watching it on television than attending it. He stated it should be available seven days prior to the meeting. He was surprised at the changes made in the 2004 budget in personal services that increased and asked how the 2004 budget could change that drastically from the afternoon to the evening of the meeting, noting it should have been a fixed amount since the last Town Meeting. The biggest one that jumps out at him is Town Manager Personal Services at $206,000 _ $181,000 difference than from noon that day. Chairman MacCaffrie noted that in checking with Town Counsel, all we have to do is have the articles out. The final dollar figure is often not arrived at until the Un "th hour. It can be confusing, and this is not Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19,2004 6 r ,- r normally seen, when letters come in from departments cutting things. The fluctuation results when a large expenditure is eliminated Mr. Dentino noted the number can change, but can only go down and not up. Mr. D 'Agostino explained the Town Manager's personal services swing of $180,000, noting we did not have a negotiated settlement until late in the process on union contracts. That figure is included in the Town Manager Personal Services line item and represents the FY'04 salary adjustments that were made for the prior fiscal year. The negotiated settlements were in this line item. Mr. Dentino noted he can accept that, but what about the others if the number is in yours and not theirs. In '04 it was level funded because we had not reached contract agreements. That number would then be transferred out once contracts are settled Contracts were settled late in the budget process, with one of them settled yesterday morning. It was ratified then, and the agreement was put in place and the changes were made in anticipation of the ratification that occurred Monday. Selectman Dolan asked when we get the white book printing, noting Mr. Dentino is stating everything changed "overnight". Chairman MacCaffrie pointed out it has actually been a compilation of changes that have taken place over a couple of weeks. Town Manager D 'Agostino reviewed it further, noting he indicated in salary discussions that some Unions had step increases as well. Mr. Dentino questioned how did we end up with over a 6% increase in personal services across the board Mr. D 'Agostino advised him he does not have the files with him tonight and will get back to him. Chairman MacCaffrie indicated it can end up over 6% in the final number when all the "extras" are factored in, such as steps, COLA's, etc. Mr. Dentino suggested they just look at the personal services and compare and you get the accurate increase across the board - which equates to about 6%. Town Manager D 'Agostino pointed out salaries were flat in '04 because we had not reached contract agreements. Then negotiated and retroactive amounts get put in. He further noted the Town budget actually went down. Mike - starting posting drcift warrants last year to keep the public updated Discussion continued as to how the budget is formulated and published Motion: To adjourn at 9:08 p.m. (Amoruso) 5-0 Passes ~~ ~¿~ 1 JJ#C¡ e of Approval Board of Selectmen Minutes of May 19,2004 7