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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin brd of selectmen 02/09/05 / Present: i>;,': . (. I ;:-LU I ,,,-, I ,-' I ll.... . Chairman Steven W. MacCaffrie; Clerk Bernard J. Dolan; ~a~irlMtl~fgTP:S Amoruso, Selectman Michael McCue and Selectman Roger Achille Town Manager John O. D' Agostino Town of Mansfield Board of Selectmen Minutes of February 9, 2005 , OFf ICE at:; FED I 7 A/1 9: I 9 (' The Board of Selectmen meeting was called to order at 7:35 P.M. The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag was led Mansfield Webelo Pack No. 13 followed by a brief overview by Town Manager John D' Agostino about the Selectmen and Town Manager's roles in town government. The Pack performed a brief skit about the origins of cub scouting, as 2005 is the 75th anniversary of the Cub Scouts. Chairman Roger Achille opened the Light Commissioners Meeting at 7:35 PM. Official Meeting Minutes for the Light Commissioners Meeting were recorded by the Light Department. General subject matter included the following items: . Meeting Minutes of January 12,2005 - Approved . Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Stoyle resigned January 18,2005 r- . Request for authorization to retain Nelson, Adam and Dickson as Auditor for calendar year 2004 - Approved . Summary of Gilbert Street Substation Project, Phase 2 . Outage Summary for 2004 . Questions & Comments Motion: To adjourn the Light Commissioners Meeting at 8:50pm and begin the Board of Selectmen Meeting. (Achille-McCue) 5-0 Passes Candidate for Avpointment; Gref! Matoian. 3 Coach Road . Chairman MacCaffrie asked Mr. Matoian why he chose to apply to the Board of Assessors. o Mr. Matoian said that the subject is interesting to him and he has been a self-made student of the assessing process for the past thirty years. He has noticed that there are pitfalls and nuances that exist and have found them to be interesting. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of February 9, 2005 1 .... ~ . Selectman McCue stated his concerns with the Board of Assessors - he understands that r- the assessors are not required to be certified for the abatement process but there are a number of abatements. The Board is looking for consistency - right now, they have members of the office staff that have been certified and are doing some of the work. o Mr. Matoian recognizes that the seat is open and that the town is in a position. Since he has been a resident for the past thirty years, he has a good background of the changes that have taken pla((e in town; as a business owner, he has learned about business assessments. With the certification, Mr. Matoian believes he would be a good candidate. . Selectman McCue believes the process is the same as it was several weeks ago with appointing another member. He stressed to Mr. Matoian that it is an assessment of the situation, not the individual and this situation is muddled on several different levels. . Selectman Amoruso expressed similar concerns and asked Mr. Matoian what his thoughts are on split tax rates. o Mr. Matoian said that he can see both sides and that the burden on businesses is what residents want. He believes that level taxation seems to work best. r- . Selectman McCue spoke of potential legislation that would help small businesses if the tax rate was split; this would be something that Selectman McCue would like to see and asked Mr. Matoian if he would like to see this as well. o Mr. Matoian believes that if there was a split tax rate, helping small businesses would be beneficial. . Selectman Dolan commented on the current board makeup and stated that he doesn't have a problem with the appointment to take place once the person is certified. o Mr. Matoian stated that he would be able to take the class. . Selectman Achille thanked Mr. Matoian for coming forward and applying and would welcome him to the Board of Assessors. . Chairman MacCaffrie asked Mr. Matoian if he has an opinion on going to a chief assessor. o Mr. Matoian said he would need to learn more before making a decision. . Selectman Amoruso suggested staggering the start date to perhaps July or August to give Mr. Matoian the time to take the course . Selectman Dolan suggested the start date of June 1 st r"' Board of Selectmen Minutes of February 9,2005 2 Motion: To Appoint Greg Matoian to the Board of Assessors Effective June 1, 2005 r- (Dolan-MacCaffrie) Chairman MacCaffrie passed gavel to Selectman Achille 4-0-1 Passes (with Selectman Achille abstaining because of staggering terms) Selectman McCue left meeting at 9:15pm / Peter DeTrolio, 496 Elm Street · Mr. DeTrolio asked the Board to do away with the Questions and Comments portion of the weekly meeting; believes there is too much abuse and suggested that the Board come up with another way to hear from residents. Chairman MacCaffrie said it was the Chairman's prerogative. Mr. DeTrolio asked whose responsibility it is to clean up the street when there is debris from auto accidents. The Board replied that it is the responsibility of the tow truck operators to remove all debris. ,,-- George Dentino, 2 Gladiola Terrace · Mr. Dentino relayed a story he overheard in a restaurant in Pawtucket, Rhode Island about a woman contracted by the Light Department to clean the office and who has worked there for 20 years, cleaning the office 3 nights a week for $25,000 a year. According to the story, the Light Department manager and director reduced the salary considerably and this forced the employee to apply for Social Security early. Mr. Dentino said this was inhumane to do this to this woman and the Board, as Light Commissioners, should have condoned this. Town Manager said that he would look into this further and see what the facts are and report back to the Board · Warrant No. 33 in the amount of$ 3,169,682.76 Motion: To approve (Achille-Amoruso) 4-0 Passes · Regular Session Meeting Minutes of February 2,2005 Motion: To approve (Amoruso-Achille) 4-0 Passes · Executive Session Meeting Minutes of February 2,2005 Motion: To approve but not release (Amoruso-Achille) 4-0 Passes · Correspondence from Michelle McGrath ofPR First dated January 26th inviting Board to a ribbon-cutting/open house on Thursday, March 24th from 5:00pm to 7:00pm to celebrate the r opening of Highland March Executive Suites' latest office complex at 20 Cabot Boulevard. Board of Selectmen Minutes of February 9,2005 3 .., I r- . Letter from Karl Clemmey, Clemmey Inc., dated January 27th, regarding Class II Auto Sales License, listing repair facilities being utilized while construction of new auto facility is taking place. . Correspondence from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue dated January 28th regarding FY06 Local Aid estimates based on the Governor's budget, making reference to the DOR's Division of Local Services' web site to obtain data. . Letter from Town Manager to Congressman Barney Frank dated February 1 st asking for Congressman's support in obtaining access from Route 140 for "Golden Triangle" Development at School Street/Route 140. . Letter from David Ellis, Chief of the Solid Waste Management Section of the Department of Environmental Protection addressed to Joseph Ditchman dated February 2nd regarding a determination of administrative incompleteness. . Letter from Steve Anderson, Coordinator of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs' Forest Stewardship Program dated February 2nd announcing this program that pays up to 100% of the cost of a Forest Stewardship Plan for interested forest landowners, including municipalities, across the Commonwealth. Brochure and municipal application included with letter. r-' . Request for a change to an approved Lien Subordination from Beverly Estes-Smargiassi, Community Development. Motion: To authorize Town Manager to sign (Amoruso-Dolan) 4-0 Passes . Letter from Elizabeth Wagner, 45 Otis Street, dated February 6th stating her resignation from the Animal Welfare Committee due to family commitments. Motion: To accept resignation and send letter of appreciation (Dolan-Amoruso) 4-0 Passes . Presentation of the Post Cane will be made to the old living, qualified resident at next week's Selectmen's meeting, who is 99 years of age. North Easton Savings Bank President Tom Duebler provided a replica of the cane as well as the pin that will go to the recipient. In addition, the cane will be mounted on the first floor of Town Hall and a plaque will list the Post Cane recipients. . Announced Police Career Night Informational Session on Wednesday, February 16th at 7:00pm at the Mansfield Public Library/Council on Aging building on Hope Street. The test ,r- Board of Selectmen Minutes of February 9,2005 4 will be held on April 30, 2005 at various locations and applications are available at the r- Mansfield Police Department as well as online at www.mass.gov/hrd/csintro.htm · Discussed the closing of the annual town meeting warrant and the setting of a special town meeting. The final deadline to submit articles to be included in the Annual Town Meeting Warrant is March 1,2005. The charter stipulates that the annual meeting be held on the second Tuesday in April. Because state funds will not be available by this date, the Board of Selectmen may choose to postpone the meeting until May at which time, Town Clerk Helen Christian suggests the Board also open the warrant for the Special Town Meeting. State Law requires municipalities to be in place by June 1 st. · The Board of Assessors are scheduling hearings, actively hearing abatements and working effectively due to recent appointments made by the Board. Chairman MacCaffrie asked where the money comes for abatements for those who do not know. Town Manager replied that the money comes from the overlay account. · Town Manager is meeting with VHB, Norton Town Manager Jim Purcell and other interested parties to discuss concerns regarding future construction of a Route 495 southbound ramp. Spoke with Representative Poirier, who indicated that Governor Romney wants this project to move forward. Town Manager wants to get the ramp design money released. · Town Manager meeting with the Massachusetts Biotech Council to discuss a business that is r- interested in moving into the Cabot Industrial Park. Selectman Amoruso: · Town Manager plans to attend a grand re-opening celebration this Saturday at 1 0:00am in honor of Home Depot's one-year anniversary. Selectman Amoruso suggested that Board coordinate which Selectmen will attend. Selectman Dolan: · Attended the February 7th Recreation Commission Committee meeting regarding the YMCA skate park. · Attended the Board of Selectmen Trash Workshop on Tuesday, February 8th with the Department of Public Works. Reported that it was a good meeting and a decision was made to schedule a public discussion in approximately five weeks. (Amoruso) 4-0 Passes Pe6ruary 16. 2005 Date of Approval - Board of Selectmen Minutes of February 9, 2005 5 : I