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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS MINUTES 2-05-2014Board of Selectmen Minutes February 5,2014 Present: Jess Aptowitz; Chairman, Doug Armino; Vice Chairman, Kevin Moran; Clerk, George Dentino. Olivier Kozlowski and William Ross: Town Manaeer Chairman Aptowitz called the meeting to order. Chairman Aptowitz reminded that this meeting is being broadcast live by Mansfield Cable Access and taped for future broadcast. Chairman Aptowitz thanked the DPW for their efforts clearing the roadways during the most recent storm. Mr. Ross cautioned the public that the temperatures will be dropping and the roadways may be slick during the evening hours. �: •e .: � 9 III 6::; :i :u : E 6.r� No - � Chairman Aptowitz noted this is a carry -over from the Light Commissioner's meeting where opinions were provided by General Counsel for the DPU where as long as the donation is treated as a below the line item it is a permissible action. The Chairman noted that the $25,000 donation was approved by the Light Commissioners to the Town's Fuel Assistance Fund and now the Board of Selectmen must vote to accept the donation. Motion: The Board of Selectmen accept the $25,000 donation from the Mansfield Municipal Electric Department and direct that the money be used to establish a gift fund for the Mansfield Fuel Assistance Fund, to be disbursed under the direction of the Mansfield Department of Social Services (Moran/Armino) PASSES 4:0 Chairman Aptowitz asked that Mr. Ross inform Social Services of the approval. Chairman Aptowitz noted that Rich IIucksam, Town Counsel, was originally scheduled for this evening's meeting but due to the inclement weather could not attend. Mr. Ross noted that this is now a policy matter in the Board's hand and as time is ticking down to the Town Article Warrant deadline (March 3`d) it would be best to schedule Mr. Hucksam for the next meeting. Mr. Ross reminded the Board he will be out next week but that Mr. Hucksam drafted the Petition and has experience as he worked with the Town of Foxborough in regards to obtaining additional alcohol licenses as well as the legislature and the ABCC. Mr. Kozlowski felt that it was the Board's responsibility to discuss and decide what types of licenses, location and quantity and that Mr. Hucksam would assist with things like the licensing fees. Mr. Kozlowski questioned whether the Town should be creating two classes of licenses and would appreciate Mr. Hucksam's input regarding that. Chairman Aptowitz stated that the Board was presented with some literature from resident, Wayne Smith, regarding density of alcohol permits. What Chairman Aptowitz is struggling with is being fair to everyone (businesses that have been in Town for years versus capitalism /new businesses) and all the contributing factors such as budget constraints and public safety personnel. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page l of 7 Mr. Kozlowski reported that he has reached out to the Airport Commission regarding funding from the State for a new facility which would include a restaurant. At this time the Commission was unsure as to what type of restaurant would be located and if alcohol would even be served. Mr. Kozlowski also spoke with Representative Barrows regarding numbers and locations and reported that Rep. Barrows had the same thought process as the Board where maybe six additional licenses would be sufficient (Chocolate Factory, Mansfield Crossing, some not assigned). Chairman Aptowitz asked if package store licenses should be considered and also asked Mr. Ross about the thought of a microbrewery at the Chocolate Factory. Mr. Ross said it was complicated in that the brew /pub license would not count against the Town's quota but that would mean that the establishment could only engage in what was brewed on site. Mr. Moran noted that it would be such a narrow market they would need a pouring license as well. Wayne Smith noted there is a small brewery /pub located in Norton (behind Aubuchon's hardware) to use as an example. Mr. Kozlowski reported that if an additional package store license is discussed it should need to be geographically limited and suggested outside 495 or perhaps not within "x" miles of the center of Town. He reminded that the reap that the Board looked at showed a grouping at the center and felt that the Board would need to question/define the need. Mr. Annino stated there is a danger of what impression you are really setting forth if you have too many package stores and he for one did not want to be the package store capital of Southeastern Massachusetts. Mr. Annino felt that more restaurant licenses would make a lot of sense as they contribute economically to an area. He noted if certain portions of the community are targeted (ie downtown) that need some economic stimulus certainly a restaurant with an alcohol license makes a lot of sense. Mr. Ross noted that what he has seen has almost exclusively been restaurant licenses and did not recall requests for package stores. He felt it related more to food and entertainment. Mr. Annino stated he is currently working with a restaurant in Burlington where an area was targeted and was able to procure a new license and seems to be working well. Chairman Aptowitz summarized that the gist of the Board is for a handful of licenses for restaurants only and tailored to certain areas of Town (train station, Mansfield Crossing area, Chocolate Factory). I-Ie asked Mr. Ross that if passed at Town Meeting what the Town can expect logistically to which Mr. Ross noted the likelihood of a year and half. IIe felt that the real benefit, if this is the direction the community would like to go, is getting it started begins to develop interest by people in the development community. Mr. Annino also reminded that the State looks favorably if areas are targeted. Mr. Dentino arrived at 7:23pm. Chairman Aptowitz noted the Board would need to schedule Mr. Hucksam for next week and for the Board to be prepared with numbers, types of licenses and locations. From there he noted the Board could have a discussion and decide to move forward or not. Chairman Aptowitz noted that the Budget Sub - Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow night and that both he and Mr. Moran will be in attendance. He reported that the Sub - Committee met Board Of selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page 2 of 7 two weeks ago to review preliminaries and noted that there is a lot of work to be done by both the Town Manager and Superintendent. Mr. Ross reported that he and John Stanbrook, Finance Director, met and felt they can close the gap but that it will take some work by everyone and willingness to say that some things are just not affordable right now. Mr. Ross has met with all of the Town's departments and has found a number of items that can be changed. Mr. Ross noted that numbers are still needed in regards to the Charter School and Southeastern Regional as well as the health numbers are due on Friday (February 7 "'). Mr. Moran asked if Mr. Ross had any idea what they would be. He noted that the numbers seen so far it looks like the group is doing reasonably well and that we are large enough that one or two large claims do not put us into a tailspin. Mr. Ross noted there are some impacts from the Affordable Care Act and that there are expenses related to that built in to the cost of the policies and at this juncture he was unsure of all of the impacts. Chairman Aptowitz noted that department heads and directors try to do what is best for their departments try to get them what they need but the flip side is the pie is only so big. He noted the Board tries to be fair and give a fair shake to everyone. He felt it was time to really have the whole Town — all departments — to sit down and realize the wants and needs and be open minded about what is a real want and need. IIe also noted the tax classification hearing where taxes went up and that was to just cover last year's budget. Mr. Ross stated that he and John Stanbrook have been discussing alternatives to bring the budget into balance which would involve holding increases to a level of 2 1/2% - 3% overall, which is what the Town budget has put forth. Mr. Ross noted that the School budget is currently at 6.6 %, which is a significant issue that needs to be addressed. Mr. Dentino asked how the schools can be at 6.6% if enrollment is down and asked if there is a contract in place. Mr. Ross stated "yes" and "no" in that the teachers have a contract because there is an Evergreen Clause in the existing contract but they do not have a new contract. Mr. Dentino asked without the new contract the steps, grades, lane changes and diplomas are in -tact but only the COLA (cost of living adjustment) is missing, which Mr. Ross confirmed. Mr. Dentino furthered his point by stating if the COLA is on the table during contract negotiations the teachers would then receive an additional percentage that would be added, again Mr. Ross confirmed that. Mr. Ross stated the Town has done a pretty good job of trying to keep theirs under control. Mr. Dentino stated that somewhere along the line, everyone that is drawing a salary (municipal and school), has to realize that the Town is bankrupt on paper. He asked to take a look at the unfunded liabilities the Town has and particularly noted pensions. Mr. Ross stated pensions but to a further extent the retiree healthcare and if the two are separated the retiree healthcare is a much larger unfunded burden than the pensions. Chairman Aptowitz stated it sends a message that when you retire you get a raise. He went on to say that every town/city is bankrupt on paper because they haven't been forced to record the account entry to show that and with a $70 -$80 million unfunded health insurance liability — it wipes out the equity. He agreed with Mr. Dentino that at some point over the years the Town must "pony up" and that is part of the benefits today (work for 25 years then receive a pension for 25 years equals getting more than what was put in to the system). Mr. Ross explained that the pension system is a much smaller concern because the bulk of what the Town is paying now is the unfunded liability in the pension system which has actuarially determined how much they need to eliminate that in the next 10 —11 years. He went on to say that in the Bristol County documents, when the unfunded liability for the pension, not for the healthcare, is paid off the average employee is payable about 11% for their pension and the Town will be paying 2% to fund a portion of it. The pension part is handled and the employees that are Board Of Selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page 3 of 7 coming on today will be funding virtually their entire pension for the fixture with that 11 %. Mr. Ross agreed that the healthcare portion is an entirely different animal. Chairman Aptowitz wanted residents to understand that there are still employees (active and retired) that have paid 3% and 5% of their pay and are or will be extracting an 80% pension which the Town is covering. Mr. Moran reported the Town is managing the Budget situation and it can be fixed in one of two ways, which are both painful and that currently the Town is managing that to avoid having to make those decisions. He said it is a process and advised that you can't get too high or too low. Chairman Aptowitz noted that the scores for Mr. Ross' evaluation were outstanding with the overall average rating out of 10 was 9.83. The Chairman went through the evaluation question by question noting the scores for each. He stated it was hard to find negative comments when he felt things have been going so well over the past four years. He stated Mr. Ross took a chance on the Town and has made himself a part of the community. The Chairman went on to say that members of the Board and Mr. Ross do not always agree but that is part of the process and that is fine. Mr. Annino stated he gave Mr. Ross straight l Os as he felt Mr. Ross is a great communicator and was beyond reproach and led by example which he felt was the best thing. Mr. Annino appreciated Mr. Ross's thoroughness and his views and experience. Mr. Dentino summed up his comments by stating, "Bill is a superb Town Manger and outstanding asset to the Town of Mansfield. He is focused on and is making strides and accomplishing the goals outlined in Mansfield's Strategic Plan. Through Bill's mission, vision and values he has rekindled a sense of community in the community of Mansfield. Aside from that he is a hellava nice guy." Mr. Kozlowski said you can tell a lot about a person from looking around at the effects of where they have been. Mr. Kozlowski noted his choice of personnel and how well Mr. Ross operates with those he works with and in such a positive way. Mr. Kozlowski felt the Town is very lucky to have Mr. Ross. Mr. Moran noted that a lot of things came together when Mr. Ross came on Board which made Mr. Moran want to ram for his second term. Mr. Moran felt Mr. Ross is one of the best people he has met. Mr. Moran felt that Mr. Ross' presence has given the Board and the Town a complete culture change. Chairman Aptowitz noted the biggest thing he has seen that Mr. Ross has brought to the Board is the communication level spread evenly throughout the Board and that Mr. Ross has done an excellent job of keeping his door open to all five members. He noted that this particular Board has been together for four years and after a tough vote there is no animosity and that is due to Mr. Ross being the gel of the group. Mr. Ross noted his job is made much easier by the quality of people that he works with and in his almost 45 years in this business it was his thought that this Board is the best and most cohesive group of elected officials he has worked with. At this point Mr. Ross gave a quick introduction to the new Town Treasurer Jackie Boudreau who is coming from the same role in the Town of Norton. Ms. Boudreau is excited about her new position and is beginning on February 18t1i. Board Of selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page 4 of 7 -Mr. Ross appreciated the support and kind words of the Board. He will continue to strive to do his best and noted he felt he had the best group of department heads that he has worked with in his career. Mr. Ross would prefer if there is talk of a change in compensation that it is done with the new fiscal year and at the cost of living. None A. Review and Approval of Minutes of Meetings • Board of Selectmen Minutes December 18, 2013 Motion: To approve the Board of Selectmen Minutes for December 18, 2013 (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 4:0:1 Moran ABSTAINS • Board of Selectmen Minutes January 8, 2014 Motion: To approve the Board of Selectmen Minutes for January 8, 2014 (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 5:0 B. Approval of Warrants Town Vendor Warrant No. 14O32T $1,498,451.70 Motion: To approve Town Vendor Warrant No. 14O32T $1,498,451.70 (Annino/Kozlowski) PASSES 5:0 Electric Department Vendor Warrant No. 14032E $31,991.00 Motion: To approve Electric Department Warrant No. 14032E $31,991.00 (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 5:0 School Department Vendor Warrant No. 14O32S $477,227.09 Motion: To approve School Department Warrant No. 14O32S $477,227.09 (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 5:0 Town Payroll Town Medicaid Payroll Warrant No. 14O32PT $283,376.23 Motion: To approve Town Payroll Town Medicaid Payroll Warrant No. 14O32PT $283,376.23 (Annino/Moran) PASSES 4:1 Dentine, NAY Town Deductions Vendor Payroll Warrant No. 14O32TV $88,141.12 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll Warrant No. 14O32TV $88,141.12 (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 5:0 C. Permits and Signage • Consideration of 2014 Drainlayer's License Applications by • P. Beatty Excavation Inc. (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 5:0 Motion: To approve 2014 Drainlayer's License for P. Beatty Excavation, Inc. (Annino/Kozlowski) PASSES 5:0 • Rebco Ine.(AmlinO /Dentino) PASSES 5:0 Motion: To approve 2014 Drainlayer's License for Rebco Inc. (Annino/Dentino) PASSES 5:0 • Consideration of Request by Tina Seiler, Event Co- Chair, Relay For life For Fee Waiver Regarding Tents Motion: To approve the fee waiver request regarding tents for the Relay for Life event (Dentino /Kozlowski) PASSES 5:0 • Consideration of Signage For Relay For Life Mansfield South Common Motion: To approve the sign as presented (Annino/Moran) PASSES 5:0 The Board then had a discussion as to the length of time for the sign to be displayed. Motion: To approve the requested dales for the Relay for Life sign on the South Common with the exception that if another sign is approved by the Board in that time frame the Board Of Selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page 5 of 7 Relay for Life will need to remove the sign for that two week period. There will be a reserved slot for the two week period prior to their event. (Dentin /Annino) PASSES 5:0 D. Correspondence • Letter from Jack Moran, Member, and Pam Vickers, Committee Chairman, Of Boy Scouts of America Troop 17, For Use of Town Land for Their Annual Christmas Tree Sale • Letter from Comcast Xfinity Regarding Summary of Video Service Related Issues and How Comcast Responded Mr. Ross received the estimate for a speed study on School Street that the Board had requested, which was $3,700. Mr. Ross informed the Board that if the Town can wait until Spring SRPDD could do the study for free. Mr. Ross also spoke with Lee Azinheira, DPW Direction and Chief Sellon about purchasing equipment so the Town could do this on its own as the Town does have the engineering staff to that. The caveat in the study is if the State finds that the speed limit should actually be raised there is a possibility that the speed limit could be increased. He also mentioned that the developer will be painting a crosswalk when weather permits. He noted the Town is not thrilled with the placement of the crosswalk as it is on a corner. Mr. Dentino suggested lights on the crosswalk which he has seen in other locations to which Mr. Ross stated he would check to see if there was anything else the Town could do to highlight that walk. Mr. Ross signed the contract for the new telephone system at $235,000 adding additional licensing for messaging at no additional cost. The contract provided that the system will be installed and operational by June 30t". He noted the maintenance included seven years beyond the first year (which is under warranty). There will be approximately $100,000 left in the warrant article which will be used for some cabling which needs to be done at different locations. The system does not include voice recognition. Mr. Ross noted there will be a Budget Sub - Committee meeting tomorrow night (Thursday, February 6th). Mr. Ross explained that there was a posting regarding a trash delay due to today's storm. Any trash pickups for the remainder of the week will be delayed by one day. Mr. Ross announced that Bill Keagan has been named as Town Manager for the Town of Foxborough. Mr. Ross agreed with Chairman Aptowitz's earlier comments that the DPW did a good job with cleanup for today's storm. He noted the Town is in deficit spending and will need to plan for that at Town Meetin. Chairman Aptowitz noted the Board had a discussion regarding signs about a year ago and had a brief conversation with the Old Country Store's owner who inquired about signage. The Chairman would like to see this as a future agenda item. Mr. Dentino thought they were able to utilize the area on Otis Street. Chairman Aptowitz also noted that he had been approached by citizens upset about the row of trees removed from the North Common. He explained that the trees were not in good shape but also that there is a master plan for the North Common with lighting, plantings and new flag pole. Mr. Ross Board Of Selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page 6 of 7 stated that the Town did walk through the area with groups, such as Keep Mansfield Beautiful, where there was a consensus that those trees had reached their life and that there would be new plantings. Chairman Aptowitz noted the recent feedback from citizens concerned that the memorial near the proposed roundabout was being removed. Mr. Ross noted it is not being removed and is being maintained and relocated. Mr. Kozlowski asked where the plans for the roundabout stood to which Mr. Ross stated there are some students from Northeastern and their professor studying the conceptual situation at this point and would be ready for discussion to the Board in the spring. Mr. Dentine, was happy to note that the Northeastern Huskies are in the finals for the Beanpot. Ain e. r$ —. e None. Motion: To adjourn the BOS meeting at 8:40pm (Morarr/Annino) PASSES 5:0 h / 1 ---- ��� aU Signature of Clerk Date of Approval /Tracey Whalen Board Of Selectmen's Meeting February 5, 2014 Page 7 of 7