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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin brd of selectmen 07/20/2005 Present: f' " --~ ",;;Jj> '.",~ ("~ Town of Mansfield ,J U Ie r Board of Selectmen U 4 - 4 d rc: In, ') (\ Minutes of July 20, 2005 ," '." ..; (j M~, ~ c: j', ~?t I c't D Chairman Roger Achille, Vice Chairman Bernard Dolan,' ti~fk t)wiJi Sf5:RIg:er, Selectman Louis Amoruso and Selectman Michael McCue Town Manager John D' Agostino (' The Board of Selectmen's meeting was called to order by Chairman Achille at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Chairman Achille thanked Steve for coming in and for service to the Board of Selectmen. Chairman Achille also noted that he did not wear a tie in honor of Steve. He went on to note that Steve served as Clerk, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Board and also served on other town boards and committees, notably his over 14 years on the Municipal Building Committee. r Selectman Amoruso and Selectman Dolan both removed their ties in honor of Steve. Selectman Amoruso noted that he was bemused that he and Steve had the same ideas on a lot of things and added that he liked to be challenged. Selectman McCue took his tie off as well and noted that while he and Steve disagreed on things, they agreed on a lot. He added that he considers Steve a friend. Steve said that he thinks of all of them as friends. Selectman Dolan thanked Steve for breaking him in when he came onto the Board and Steve added that Selectman Dolan is doing a good job. Selectman McCarter commented on the plaque and noted that Steve has a record of service to be proud of - for both town and country. Chairman Achille presented Steve MacCaffrie with a plaque recognizing his years of service to the Board of Selectmen, his pen set and nameplate. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 1 I T r' Light Department Director Gary Babin told the Board that the Mansfield Municipal Electric Department was informed by MMWEC, just after the Fourth of July, that due to changes in the NE marketplace and the fossil fuel prices, we have been advised to increase our power supply budget for FY06 by $873,000, or 5% of its power supply budget. MMED has to increase the purchase power adjustment charge by a half penny - this translates into an approximate $3.75 increase in the average customer's bill, or 4%. This will be in effect for the August bill. Mr. Babin said that the increase is due to new market rules and the increased price of fossil fuel. He wanted to come before the Board and to let the Board and the residents know. Selectman McCarter asked Mr. Babin when the PPAC was last adjusted. It was done in October of2004. The Town Manager said that the important factor is that the PP AC is used to recover power and cannot be used to increase the bottom line profit beyond the 8% threshold. He added that we are recovering 5.5%. Mr. Babin said that MMED is trying to keep costs low but that this is an unavoidable charge. Present: Betty Amicone, Office Manager, Department of Public Works Lee Azinheira, Director, Department of Public Works r Matt Zettek, Solid Waste/Recycling Consultant Mr. Azinheira showed the Board a sticker that is an example of what the recycling stickers that the Board approved will look like. Selectman Achille asked how many stickers are available and Mr. Azinheira said that there are 20-30 - based on requests. Selectman McCue thought that the stickers would be mailed out/distributed to all households. Selectman Achille noted his desire to get these stickers out to the residents and asked Ms. Amicone how many bins are distributed. Ms. Amicone replied that she orders 1,200 a year. Selectman McCue said that the sticker distribution should be a public relations piece as well. Selectman Amoruso said that he would like a letter sent with the sticker so people know what they are to be used for - simple guidelines. The Town Manager noted that this is one aspect of a bigger picture. He added that we have to make sure that people have an incentive to recycle. Mr. Azinheira added that the sticker would be a little smaller so that they could be mailed. Selectman Dolan said that he doesn't want the labels thrown away because people don't know what to do with them. Mr. Azinheira said that we could update the recycling brochure and tell them that if the bins aren't big enough, the can call for a sticker that can be used on any container. Selectman McCue noted that his opinion would be to mail them to everyone - make it as easy as possible for them to recycle. Chairman Achille asked the will of the Board relative to the stickers. Selectman McCarter would like to know how much it would cost to print up the stickers and mail them out. Mr. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 2 r , (' Azinheira said that he would price it out and come back at the next meeting, when he is Acting Town Manager. Mr. Azinheira presented the Board with a one-page summary of the options that Mr. Zettek is proposing. Mr. Azinheira reviewed the analysis that Mr. Zettek prepared and provided two options: to limit the number of trash containers, remove small businesses from the contract or charge them an annual fee - these items would be further refined if the Board wanted to explore them. He added that we should also price-out the automated collection. From his discussions with different vendors, they are interested in coming into Massachusetts. Mr. Zettek said that the town is in a good position as it has encouraged people to limit the number of barrels and to recycle. He further added that there may be some things the town can do in the meantime before the contract is up. Chairman Achille said that it is his understanding that we can't make any changes to the number of barrels until the contract is up. The Town Manager said that we have a contract for certain number of dollars, but we can start to begin implementing changes that reduce tonnage. Selectman Amoruso asked when we are going to implement a new contract and Mr. Azinheira said it will be July 1, 2006. Selectman Amoruso said that if we are going to make changes, we need to let people know soon so they know what to do so they can get used to it. The Town r Manager said that as soon as the Board decides what to do, we can alert the public and it will help with the bid contract. Selectman McCarter asked Mr. Zettek if he has been in any towns that have implemented mandatory recycling. Mr. Zettek said that Hopkinton has mandatory recycling and established fees. Mr. Zettek went on to say that they told the vendor to not pick up trash if there is no recycling out at the curb. He said that Gloucester, Rockland, N. Andover have also established mandatory recycling and pointed out that you need municipal support. Chairman Achille asked if we could get a figure on the cost for mandatory recycling. Mr. Zettek talked about the issue of having a full-time person doing enforcement - perhaps 10 hours a week. Selectman McCarter is not a supporter of pay-as-you-throw. He noted that automated collection is on the horizon and Mr. Zettek said that it is new to the area. Mr. Zettek noted that automated collection doesn't reduce a lot of trash but increases recycling. Selectman McCarter said that he is willing to support options 1 & 4 as of right now. Selectman McCarter said that if went to mandatory recycling and after the stickers were sent, there is no excuse for people not to recycle and that residents can still get their bins. Mr. Zettek said that recycling is the one thing that people can do to save the town money - it would be good to quantify the savings and challenge them to recycle. (' Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 3 , 1 (' Selectman Dolan said that nobody wants to go to pay-as-you-throw. Mr. Zettek added that the Board should continue to talk with the vendor about proposed changes. Chairman Achille asked if there are barrel limit exceptions during certain times of the year, like after Christmas and the 4th of July. Mr. Zettek said that it is an interesting concept - having quarterly bulky waste days. Mr. Azinheira added that households are allowed one bulky item per week. Selectman Amoruso said that pay-as-you-throw (P A YT) was the number one topic on the campaign trail. He is not looking forward to going that way - the other 3 options are fair game for him. He wants to make sure that this gets implemented in advance of the new contract. Selectman McCue was looking at the $10,000 cost of implementing mandatory recycling and asked what that money is for. The Town Manager said that there is a by-law in place now that there is a $50 fee imposed on those who do not recycle. Selectman McCarter asked if we can change the policy or do we need a town meeting by-law. The Town Manager said that right now, if there is no recycling bin at House A, that individual could be fined $50 - they could be given 2 warnings and the third time they be charged. Selectman McCue asked if what the punishment was supposed to be: the fact that the trash wasn't to be picked up or the $50 fine. Mr. Zettek said that the punishment was to be that your trash wouldn't get picked up. Mr. Azinheira added that the town is not interested in fining people. Selectman McCue said that r there would be Board of Health issues if someone's trash isn't being picked up. Mr. Azinheira said that there may be some issues with the BOH. The Town Manager said that our goal is to get people to recycle. Selectman McCue said that he isn't necessarily in favor of mandatory recycling. He sees senior citizens with one little trash bin and doesn't have any recycling. He thinks the most attractive of the options is #4, the reduced barrel/bag limit. Selectman Dolan said that he doesn't see a lot of households with 4,5, or 6 barrels. Selectman McCue thinks that Chairman Achille's idea of "amnesty" day after a holiday is a good idea. Selectman McCarter said that if you don't support mandatory recycling, then what are we accomplishing. Mr. Zettek likes the combo of reduced barrel and mandatory recycling. The Town Manager asked if it would be fruitful to re-introduce a recycling committee. He said that the committee would work with staff and come up with a recommendation to the Board. Chairman Achille noted that we are all over the place - we have 4 options in front of us - can we eliminate any options? r Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 4 (' Motion: To eliminate pay-as-you-throw (P A YT) as an option to explore (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Motion: Support in concept the option of mandatory recycling, subject to Mr. Azinheira coming back with recommendations/specifics (McCarter - Dolan) for discussion Selectman Amoruso said that he is willing to look at "generic" mandatory recycling V ate: 5-0 Passes Motion: To look into options 2 (automated collection) & 4 (reduced barrel/bag limit) (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Chairman Achille thinks we had a fruitful discussion and asked that options 1 & 4 be discussed at the first meeting in September. Selectman Amoruso thinks that we could look into the idea of a citizens committee. Motion: To re-institute the citizens recycling committee (McCue - Amoruso) for discussion Selectman Achille commented that he wants to get moving on this issue and Selectman Dolan added that he doesn't want to keep talking about this. The Town Manager said that the Board and the citizens committee would work on parallel tracks. Selectman McCue asked the Town Manager to come up with the make-up of the committee and the Town Manager said hat we will mirror the old committee. r Vote: 4-1 Passes (with Selectman McCarter opposed) Chairman Achille thanked Mr. Azinheira, Ms. Amicone and Mr. Zettek for coming before the Board. Resident Mike VanSplinter commented that maybe the reason for the slow pace is because we haven't had the committee in 14 years. Motion: To appoint Mr. Van Splinter to the citizens recycling committee (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes . Warrant No. 55 in the amount of $1,026,240.94 Motion: To approve (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes (with Selectman McCarter abstaining from payroll) . Warrant No.3 in the amount of $3,020,849.99 Motion: To approve (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes (with Selectman McCarter abstaining from payroll) . Warrant No.4 in the amount of $2,246,680.06 Motion: To approve (' (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes (with Selectman McCarter abstaining from payroll) Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 5 r . Minutes of Regular Session July 6, 2005 Selectmen's Meeting Motion: To approve (McCue - Amoruso) 4-0-1 Passes (with Chairman Achille abstaining) . Minutes of Executive Session July 6, 2005 Selectmen's Meeting Motion: To approve but not release (McCue - Amoruso) 4-0-1 Passes (with Chairman Achille abstaining) . Transport International Pool Class II Auto Sales License Discussion took place regarding the license and how it is overdue. Selectman McCue suggested giving them a warning if that if they do not pay their outstanding excise taxes by the end of the week, we will shut them down. Selectman Dolan said that the Board should not issue license until the bills are paid. Selectman McCue said that we need to send them an official letter and state that action will take place if they don't pay. Selectman McCarter asked the Town Manager if this has happened with Transport before and the Town Manager replied yes. Selectman Amoruso would like to say that the license won't be approved until the excise taxes are paid and shut them down until they pay it. Selectman Dolan suggested putting them on notice and give them one week, until next Wednesday, to pay. Motion: Issue license subject to outstanding excise taxes being paid by close of business on (' Wednesday, July 27th and pull license if bills are not paid (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes . Memo from Town Clerk Helen Christian informing the Board that Cecil Morse is the oldest person in the Town of Mansfield and should be the recipient of the Boston Post Cane. Chairman Achille asked that a letter be sent inviting Mr. Morse to an upcoming meeting. . Memorandum from Town Manager John D'Agostino regarding the ISO rating & explanation with Mark Shelly, ISO Representative. . Memorandum from Town Manager John D'Agostino regarding a salary adjustment for Town Manager. . Public comment period & meeting announcement on the draft TIP for the SRPEDD Region. The meeting will take place on August 8th at 1:00 at the SRPEDD Office in Taunton. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 6 (' . Memorandum from Beverly Estes-Smargiassi of the Community Development Office regarding the Town of Mansfield 2005 Housing Rehabilitation Program Guideline revisions. The Town Manager noted that these revisions were made by the Housing Committee. Motion: To approve revisions (Dolan - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes . Memorandum from Town Manager John D'Agostino regarding the Attorney Lampke invoice. . Letter from MassHighway District 5 Director Bernard McCourt relative to the timing changes for the evening peak hour for the intersection of Route 140 and Route 106. . Memorandum from Fire Chief Robert Bellavance to Town Manager John D'Agostino regarding the investigation of a potential fire code violation in the Tweeter parking lot. . Copy of letter from State Senator James Timilty to Marilyn Lewis regarding the status of the home rule petition concerning the Mansfield Housing Partnership. · Letter from Nancy Leonardo, Manager of Government & Community Relations for Comcast, regarding upcoming service changes. r · Bulletin from the Department of Revenue announcing a "What's New in Municipal Law" Seminar on Friday, September 30th at Lantana in Randolph. · Memorandum from Town Manager John D'Agostino regarding the community school/center concept study and design. . Letter from MassHighway providing advanced notification of the proposed herbicide application on state roadways. . Memoradum from Finance Committee Chair Andy Gazzolo regarding the Consolidation Committee and the five-year forecast. Chairman Achille volunteered for the consolidation committee. · Notice of hearing from the ABCC relative to Cork's Fine Wine & Liquors. · Memorandum from the Airport Commission requesting that the Board waive the Town's portion of the permits for a tent for an August 19th event promoting the Airport. Motion: Waive the town's portion of the fees for a tent permit (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes r' · Check in the amount of $8,225 from Bay Brook Village LLC for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund. Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 7 T 1 (' Motion: To accept the check for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes · Check in the amount of $150.99 from Assist 2 Sell for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund. Motion: To accept the check for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund (Dolan - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Selectman McCue put on a cap made for him by his son Patrick for Father's Day as he had promised him that he would wear it at a meeting. . Staff is preparing documentation for the Selectmen to vote on to finance earlier bond authorizations dating back to 1994. Long term bond issues are very favorable. We could save up to $1.2 million as it stands today inclusive of the costs of refinancing. The Town Treasurer is preparing the paperwork and a vote could be requested during my absence. . Weare in the process of engaging the TIF Committee to meet and negotiate both a Special Tax Assessment for Samsonite and a TIF Agreement for Spherics. Both companies have r signed agreements to move into the Industrial Park. He noted that the Governor's Office and state agencies are very interested in these companies coming to Massachusetts and the added that the TIFs are going to be significant. · On Thursday morning commencing at 5:00am, Pepsi will be shooting a commercial in Mansfield in front of the Town News and Bakery on North Main Street near Jimmy's Pub. The entire production will be completed by noon on Thursday and the balance of the commercial will be shot at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. There will be a special area designated for vehicles and the production company is paying for the police details. . We must change out all old water meters of a certain age and vintage. The Water Department sends out registered letters and attaches notices on houses indicating that the meters must be changed out. Failure to comply will result in your water being shut off until we can gain access to change out the meters. Shut-off's are in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Department. Selectman Amoruso asked if we charge the people to turn the water back on. If the individual cannot be at home, we will charge them if we have to go back during the weekend - we have someone on duty after normal working hours during the week. Selectman McCarter asked if we notify the person of the potential charge if they ask the town to come on the weekend and can the person request a waiver by the Board. Yes. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 8 , , r' · We are one of the most livable communities by Money Magazine. The citizens deserve a pat on the back - we all do. Resident Karl Clemmey approached the microphone to address the Board. Selectman Achille said that he wouldn't entertain his motion to speak and agreed to speak with Mr. Clemmey after the meeting adjourns. Selectman McCue He ran into someone from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs - that agency is going around giving presentations relative to biotechs. There are a lot of issues associated with biotech companies and thought that the Board might want to follow up on a possible presentation here. Selectman Amoruso None Selectman Dolan He watched a "60 Minutes" program on Congress cutting money for defense spending and r putting that money to "pork" projects. He is going to write a letter to his Congressman to express his outrage and encourages others to do as well. Selectman McCarter added that our troops need to be supported 100%. Selectman McCarter Asked the Board if they could look into a couple of pieces of correspondence that require action: the Lampke invoice and the Town Manager's raise. The Town Manager said that Attorney Lampke's bill has not been paid. He said that it was sent to Town Counsel and Town Accountant Bea Kearney said that the bill can be paid with Light Department funds. Selectman Amoruso asked if it is a prior year expense. The Town Manager said that the Light Department can pay an invoice at any time. The Town Manager said that the Board voted for the investigation as Light Commissioners. Selectman McCue asked what the amount of the invoice is. Approximately $7,000. The Town Manager said that we checked with the Department of Revenue that it can be paid from the Light Department. Motion: To pay the invoice from the Light Department, predicated on the receipt of a letter from the DOR stating this (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes r' Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 9 , 1 r r r (Amoruso) 5-0 Passes ~t 3. 2PPS Date of Approval Signature of Clerk Board of Selectmen Minutes of July 20, 2005 10 , ,