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Home My WebLink Aboutmin brd of selectmen 03/09/05 ,"\;'l / (' -. rl'.l '"' rH. \.~ -,;- - Lc Present: , " , >C.. Uj Chairman Steven MacCaffrie; Vice Chairman Roger kl1liil~;'Gl~tk~Y~d Dolan; Selectman Louis Amoruso and Selectman Michael McCue Town Manager John O. D' Agostino Town of Mansfield Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9, 2005 c..: '~_~) q: 15 .... ~ The Board of Selectmen's meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Light Commissioners Meeting -7:30pm to 8:00pm Regular Session at 8:00pm: Chairman MacCaffrie noted that there was a mistake in the Tweeter Center license that was approved last week regarding the decibel levels. It mistakenly read 90dBA instead of 95dBA and the Board needs a motion to reconsider. Motion: To reconsider (Achille - Dolan) 4-0-1 Passes (with Selectman McCue abstaining) r Chairman MacCaffrie suggested bringing the decibel level down to 94. Town Manager noted that a draft that was sent out stated 95dBA but when it was redone, it read 90dBA. Chairman MacCaffrie asked if it would be prudent to have the licensee sign the agreement, but it was noted that it is a license, not an agreement. Motion: To sign agreement with error corrected (Achille - Dolan) 4-1 Passes (with Chairman MacCaffrie voting in opposition) . Warrant No. 37 in the amount of$2,596,186.79 Motion: To approve (Achille - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes . Regular Session Meeting Minutes of March 2, 2005 Motion: To approve (Achille - Amoruso) 4-0-1 Passes (with Selectman McCue abstaining) r Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9, 2005 1 r . One-Day Wine License for the Rotary Club of Mansfield for their Wine and Fine Dining Auction on April 10th from 7-1 Opm at the Mansfield Cable Access Studio o Chairman MacCaffrie noted that the ABCC requires them to obtain a license o Town Manager noted that Rotary Club President Ray Martin is planning to come to the meeting to advertise the event o Selectman Dolan announced that the Rotary Club of Mansfield is holding a Wine and Fine Dining Auction to be held at the Mansfield Cable Access Studio on Sunday, April 10th from 7:00pm to !0:00pm; the event will be televised live to Mansfield residents over cable; noted that the beneficiaries ofthis year's auction include The Rotary Pure Water for the World Project and The Mansfield Rails to Trails Project Motion: To approve one-day license for the Rotary Club of Mansfield (Achille - Dolan) 5-0 Passes . Drainlayers License for Turner Brothers, LLC Motion: To approve (Achille - Dolan) 4-0-1 Passes (with Selectman Amoruso abstaining due to conflict) . Check from Hochman & Nugent, P.C., Attorneys at Law in the amount of $8,225.00 Motion: To accept check for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund (Dolan - McCue) 5-0 Passes r . Letter from Dunkin Donuts dated March I st announcing their 2005 Franchisee Scholarship Program for high school seniors and college students. Chairman MacCaffrie asked for this information to be sent to the Guidance Department at the High School. . Letter from Southeastern Regional Vocational-Technical School dated March 3rd notifying the Town Treasurer of the school's approved FY06 budget. Town Manager noted that the Town's assessment went up. . Letter from Joseph Bru~liera, Times Past Automobiles, regarding Class II Auto Sales License, dated March 4 , stating repair locations for vehicles sold from his business. Town Manager noted this letter is in response to the Board's request for this information. Selectman McCue asked that a reminder letter be sent to the Class II Auto Dealers who have yet responded to the Board's request. . Letter from Airport Commission dated March 4th informing the Board about construction activities at the airport. ,- . Two bulletins from the Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services dated March 4th regarding FY06 budget issues and procedures and announcing an upcoming seminar for Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9, 2005 2 r recently elected or appointed local finance officials. Town Manager said that the seminar information was sent to the newest appointee. . Correspondence received March 8th regarding the Goods and Services On-Line Fundraising Auction for the Mansfield High School Senior All-Night Party 2005. Information about donating and bidding can be obtained by emailing2005allnightpartv@comcast.net . Correspondence from Building Inspector Nick Riccio received March 3 regarding the amended job description for the Assistant Inspector of Electrical Wiring. Motion: To approve job description (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes . Reported that he is scheduled to host a Coffee Hour tomorrow, March 10th at !0:00am at the Council on Aging and is inviting the Board to attend. Noted that a lot of seniors get involved and it is a great way to discuss issues. Added that he is trying to get the coffee hours televised on cable - it would bring people up to date if they were able to watch it on TV. ,- . Commented that he and the Board are scheduled to meet on Thursday, March 10th at 7:30pm with the Finance Committee, School Committee and union representatives to discuss contract parameters and specific practices and procedures concerning future union negotiations and expressed hope that we can get somewhere with it and have it not be contentious. Chairman MacCaffrie noted that he didn't know what could be contentious about the meeting and he believes that this will be information that will help town departments. Town Manager added that we need to understand what the Finance Committee is thinking and that we have to be careful as to how to approach with regard to collective bargaining but believes that reporting out the impact of union contracts is important. . Focused on setting the date for Town Meeting prior to the scheduled April 12th date. Suggested aiming for the first part of May and noted that he should have a better read on the release of the House budget next week because that budget will help steer the Towp.'s budget. Motion: To set the Annual Town Meeting for the first Tuesday in May (May 3, 2005) (Achille - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes - . Met with transportation officials in Boston last week regarding the Hatheway- Patterson/Clemmey/Ditchman site. Noted that a discussion took place regarding the need for more housing and that the Town told officials that Mansfield is unique and should not be compared to other communities because Mansfield has unique needs for housing. Town Manager believes that the Town should get the planning dollars to get the process going. Noted that this process must include other town boards so that things can happen in a coordinated way. Also, neighbors, commuters and business owners will be involved. Town Manager added that the Town showed the state that we do have a process and showed what the town can handle. Added that the Town will start with planning funds and then hopefully transit-oriented development funds. Selectman McCue attended meeting with town officials and noted that the Town received positive feedback from the MBT A, whereas Commonwealth Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9, 2005 3 ,- Development, headed by Doug Foy, focused more on the housing issue, even though the Town was there to discuss transit funds. Town Manager noted that State Senator Jim Timilty was in attendance at the meeting as well and noted it was a concept session. Also noted that the property owners were there and believed that MBTA officials were impressed and noticed that there was interest in moving forward. Selectman McCue noted that nothing was etched in stone and if an agreement is reached, the end product is likely to be different. Chairman MacCaffrie told the Town Manager that he noticed some typos in the explanations of the some of the articles. Town Manager noted that something just got shuffled and he will have it corrected. Motion: To go into Executive Session at 8:30pm for the purpose of discussing real estate lease negotiations and to return to open session at the conclusion of the discussion. (McCue - Amoruso) Roll Call Vote: McCue, aye; Amoruso, aye; Dolan, aye; Achille; aye; MacCaffrie; aye. 5-0 Passes The meeting reconvened in Open Session at 9:30pm. ,- Chairman MacCaffrie noted that it is a little premature to discuss the articles since no dollar figures are attached. Wastewater Enterprise Account: Selectman Amoruso asked if there could be a hearing on the Finance Committee's article concerning the Wastewater Enterprise Account. Town Manager noted that the Finance Committee asked staff to put various scenarios together to determine what would happen if the Town waits, what would the rate be if the Town does it know, etc. Noted that staff is working on that and noted the importance of knowing the viable options. Selectman Amoruso added that there is no money put aside for capital expenditures and there needs to be some mechanism that gives capitalization to it now. Town Manager noted that the wastewater depreciation fund would be folded into that and said that the first hurdle is to accept an enterprise account - by statute, it takes effect next fiscal year. Added that the Town needs to know the impact on the rate. Selectman Dolan asked if we have the appropriate wording for this article. Selectman Amoruso said that a public hearing would be good step in showing the Attorney General that the Town told the public what was going on and added that he looks forward to seeing the scenarios. Chairman MacCaffrie noted that public hearings need to be held on several articles and Selectman Dolan noted that there needs to be enough time to be advertised. Town Manager noted that the Board could have all of the hearings on one night. Chairman MacCaffrie will review the upcoming Board schedule and will choose a date to have the hearings. ,- Town Manager notified the Board that the Town as two TIF potentials that they are working on; both are promising and believes they will go forward. Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9,2005 4 ~ Selectman Dolan - Old Business: Ambulance Billing: Selectman Dolan noted that currently, the Town bills Medicare plus 10% and feels that the Town could bill Medicare plus 30% Motion: To change billing to Medicare plus 30% (Dolan - Achille) (motion withdrawn by Selectman Dolan at end of discussion) Selectman Amoruso said that the Board should wait for specific information on costs and Chairman MacCaffrie noted there was something about this issue in the reading folder. Town Manager noted that the letter listed a lot of specifics but Selectman Amoruso said that he did not see it. Selectman Dolan said that the people doing the billing think the Town should be billing plus 30. Selectman Amoruso noted that the billing service gets more money by doing it. Selectman Achille said that there is a very low threshold regarding non-ability to pay and doesn't anticipate that the Town is going to chase down Mansfield residents who cannot afford to pay. Selectman Amoruso said that it is not fair for those who have private insurance to subsidize those who cannot pay and Selectman Dolan said that we should be billing at what we can collect. Selectman Amoruso said that the Town needs to look at what we are doing with those funds; we are subsidizing those who cannot cover costs and that going to 130% does not benefit us as much because we could collect better. ~ Town Manager noted that the Board has not seen Chief Bellavance's summary and will look for ambulance receipts from Town Accountant and added that the Town doesn't collect all of the outstanding money. Chairman MacCaffrie added that some constituents are saying, "enough is enough" with regard to ambulance billing - that is what they pay taxes for. The Town Manager added that a lot of surrounding communities are charging fees for a lot of things and Chairman MacCaffrie also added that he is reluctant to slam people more than they already are and doesn't care what the billing service can bill. The Town Manager noted that we have been told by previous boards not to aggressively go after delinquent accounts. Selectman Dolan asked who he would pay if he had to use an ambulance tomorrow and Chairman MacCaffrie replied that the bill goes to a collection agency and they get a percentage. Town Manager commented that the Town needs to go after delinquent accounts - there is no incentive for someone to pay and sometimes the Town doesn't get the correct info up front but that this issue is being addressed through policy. Selectman Achille said that the money not being collected does not bother him and that he would rather spend he money on an ambulance service than for other programs that the Town provides - it is an essential public safety service. Selectman Dolan withdrew motion until Town Manager gets more information from Town Account Bea Kearney. ~ Trash Discussion at next week's meeting: Noted that the Board has discussed this issue a lot and Selectman Amoruso noted that the Board is having the discussion next week during the meeting so that people can hear the plans as televising the discussion will reach more people. Selectman Dolan asked the Town Manager Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9,2005 5 r Selectman Dolan - Old Business: Ambulance Billing: Selectman Dolan noted that currently, the Town bills Medicare plus 10% and feels that the Town could bill Medicare plus 30% Motion: To change billing to Medicare plus 30% (Dolan - Achille) (motion withdrawn by Selectman Dolan at end of discussion) Selectman Amoruso said that the Board should wait for specific information on costs and Chairman MacCaffrie noted there was something about this issue in the reading folder. Town Manager noted that the letter listed a lot of specifics but Selectman Amoruso said that he did not see it. Selectman Dolan said that the people doing the billing think the Town should be billing plus 30. Selectman Amoruso noted that the billing service gets more money by doing it. Selectman Achille said that there is a very low threshold regarding non-ability to pay and doesn't anticipate that the Town is going to chase down Mansfield residents who cannot afford to pay. Selectman Amoruso said that it is not fair for those who have private insurance to subsidize those who cannot pay and Selectman Dolan said that we should be billing at what we can collect. Selectman Amoruso said that the Town needs to look at what we are doing with those funds; we are subsidizing those who cannot cover costs and that going to 130% does not benefit us as much because we could collect better. ,- Town Manager noted that the Board has not seen Chief Bellavance's summary and will look for ambulance receipts from Town Accountant and added that the Town doesn't collect all of the outstanding money. Chairman MacCaffrie added that some constituents are saying, "enough is enough" with regard to ambulance billing - that is what they pay taxes for. The Town Manager added that a lot of surrounding communities are charging fees for a lot of things and Chairman MacCaffrie also added that he is reluctant to slam people more than they already are and doesn't care what the billing service can bill. The Town Manager noted that we have been told by previous boards not to aggressively go after delinquent accounts. Selectman Dolan asked who he would pay if he had to use an ambulance tomorrow and Chairman MacCaffrie replied that the bill goes to a collection agency and they get a percentage. Town Manager commented that the Town needs to go after delinquent accounts - there is no incentive for someone to pay and sometimes the Town doesn't get the correct info up front but that this issue is being addressed through policy. Selectman Achille said that the money not being collected does not bother him and that he would rather spend he money on an ambulance service than for other programs that the Town provides - it is an essential public safety service. Selectman Dolan withdrew motion until Town Manager gets more information from Town Account Bea Kearney. ~ Trash Discussion at next week's meeting: Noted that the Board has discussed this issue a lot and Selectman Amoruso noted that the Board is having the discussion next week during the meeting so that people can hear the plans as televising the discussion will reach more people. Selectman Dolan asked the Town Manager Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9, 2005 5 (' what the Town is paying for Mansfield Green. Town Manager replied that it is costing the town approximately $238,000. He also noted that curbside recycling participation is at 13%; participation at Mansfield Green plus curbside is 32% and added that according to the State, the participation rate should be 70%. Selectman Dolan urged the Board to discuss and make a decision. Selectman Amoruso said that there is value to Mansfield Green; residents go there to turn in TVs and other things. Town Manager agreed and added that someone else's trash is another person's treasure. Selectman Achille noted the importance of discussing this issue with the residents and added that the Town wants to make it more efficient and bring down the tonnage. Selectman McCue: Got involved with setting up a meeting with Congressman Barney Frank, the target date being April 4th, and town employees and retirees concerning the Social Security Tax Windfall and set aside. Chairman MacCaffrie: Asked the Town Manager to send the sidewalk plow down one outside edge of the Rails to Trails when the plow can break free - this will enable it to remain a multi-use trail. Town Manager noted that would be done when the plow is available. Chairman MacCaffrie added that anyone could use the trail after this happens, including walkers. ~ (McCue) 5-0 Passes ~~ Signature of Clerk :M.arc/i 16, 2005 Date of Approval r Board of Selectmen Minutes of March 9, 2005 6