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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin brd of selectmen 11/9/2005 " ! l 1,,< "",(-"'Ir>E ;- r L. r Town of Mansfield Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 O~j I 7 Iji>l' q: I.- 7 .1\ _' 1 Present: j', /:, :~ .~' ~... ~ E L 0 Chairman Roger Achille, Vice Chairman Bernard DoIJRfGl~A:CIDMti T T S McCarter, Selectman Louis Amoruso and Selectman Michael McCue T own Manager John D' Agostino The Board of Selectmen's meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Firefighter Swearing-In Ceremony Deputy Chief Towne introduced FF /Paramedic Justin Sliney and FF /EMT Ryan Palmieri and Lt. Don Tibeau to the Board. FF Sliney and FF Palmieri came on the Department in August, 2005 and Lt. Tibeau, who made Lieutenant in October 2005 will be assigned to the Fire Prevention Office. Town Clerk Helen Christian swore in FF Sliney and FF Palmieri. Fire Chief Ed Sliney (Ret.) pinned on his son's badge and FF Palmieri's wife, Jamey, pinned on her husband's badge. Ms. Christian then performed the oath to Lt. Tibeau. r Chairman Achille, on behalf of the Board, offered his thanks and appreciation to the newest members of the Fire Department. MCIConduit Public HeariIlg Selectman McCarter read the public hearing notice as advertised in The Sun Chronicle. Motion: To open the public hearing (McCue - McCarter) 5-0 Passes Present for the public hearing were: DPW Director Lee Azinheira and Robert Miklosi from MC!. A utility review meeting was held and Mr. Azinheira noted that MCr is only digging 376 for conduit and the town officials are recommending approval of this conduit request. Selectman McCarter asked if the town will benefit from this and Mr. Miklosi said that it benefits the backbone of the town and that any business can tie into this. They are accessing Tyco for service. Selectman McCue noted that this is an enhancement of the current service. Mr. Azinheira pointed out that Traffic Control Officer Lance Lawson has attended all of the meetings and Mr. Miklosi said that the work will take about a week. Mr. Azinheira said that MCr did a small portion on West Street last year. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 1 r Motion: To close the public hearing at 7:50pm (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes Motion: To grant permission to Mcr to meet the order for fiber optic (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes Samsonite ST A Presentation Present for the discussion were: Tom Korbas, General ManagerjVP of US Wholesale; Paul Ouellette, VP, Store Development; and Peter Corbett, Business Development Strategies. ,r- Mr. Korbas introduced Mr. Ouellette and Mr. Corbett and then made a presentation using PowerPoint. Samsonite is sold in virtually every country in various types of retail establishments and they have their own retail stores around the world. Samsonite chose Mansfield because we wanted to be closer to Boston, the airport and to tie into the workforce. Samsonite is in the process of relocating the Rr office to Mansfield and has already hired 6 new people since we have moved to Mansfield. Mr. Korbas added that the average annual salary is $65,000. The facility is designed around customers and added that Samsonite does a lot of entertaining as well. We are a global company and have global meetings. We expect to spend over $50,000 per year and attract 350 plus overnight guests to local hotels per year. We expect to bring in 142 jobs and will spend an estimated $5.5 million in local businesses in the first five years. Samsonite is a good corporate citizen and donates a lot of product, including donating to hurricane victims. Peter Corbett, representing Lynn Tokarczyk of Business Development Strategies, said that Samsonite has been working with the town for a special tax assessment, which would provide for a reduction of taxes during the initial 5 years that Samsonite is here. This is a higher cost location and in order to facilitate the transition, Samsonite is looking for a 5 year ST A - it be would be exempt from property taxes for the first year and then would be increased incrementally for the next four years. The proposed tax incentive savings to Samsonite over a 5-year period is estimated at $297,000. They are also asking that the Board vote to designate Samsonite's location on West Street as an economic opportunity area. Chairman Achille noted that the town is pleased to have an international company relocate to Mansfield. Selectman McCue said that the average salary is $65,000 and asked what the mean is of the salaries. Mr. Korbas said that the mean is very close to the average and the range would be $35,000-$140,000. Selectman Amoruso noted that as the representative to the TIF Committee, the TrF r' Committee recommended bringing this to the Board. Selectman Dolan asked if they Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 2 plan to expand the square footage. Mr. Korbas said that Samsonite will continue to look r for properties to expand. Mr. Korbas said that when they chose to come to Mansfield, they had a lot better deals in RI. Long term, they are not asking for the special tax assessment to be permanent. They are paying more for the facility in Mansfield as opposed to R!. Mr. Corbett said that Samsonite is looking for the additional 10,000 square feet to be included in the ST A and any additional footage added down the road would not be included in the ST A. Selectman McCarter said that if Samsonite is already here, why did they not ask before. Selectman Amoruso said that we couldn't offer tax incentives without a lease. Mr. Corbett said that after meetings with town officials, Samsonite had to make a decision to move in order to bring the variables together. The Town Manager said that this must go to Town Meeting to be approved. Selectman McCarter asked if there was discussion about the sliding scale with the TIF Committee. Mr. Ouellette said that he worked with the TIF Committee and said that Samsonite needed help up front and we explained the reasons why and the graduated scale for the future years. There wasn't hard negotiation. Selectman McCarter asked why they are looking for an ST A and not a TrF. Mr. Corbett said that TrFs work best for new construction. Given what Samsonite was looking for, front loaded short-term benefit, this suited them best. r Selectman Amoruso said that the town is sharing the initial expenses at first. Selectman McCarter asked if we will be looking for a TIF later and Mr. Korbas replied no. Gay Wells, Regional Director of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, said that the Commonwealth has been working with Samsonite since October 2004. It is a great company and she thanked Mansfield for working with Samsonite. Selectman McCue asked Ms. Wells about if we will be able to track expenditures made by Samsonite. She replied that the town could get a list yearly. Mr. Corbett said that Selectman McCue is looking for a reporting figure. The Town Manager said that we have received reports from other TIFs. He went on to say that when Mr. Korbas and he sat down - it was 8 months ago and it wasn't decided that Mansfield was going to be the location. We talked about why Mansfield should be considered for relocation. Samsonite would be a benchmark name in the industrial park. Selectman McCarter said that one of his concerns is about the precedent this is setting and has concerns that a company will leave if they don't get an STA. The Town Manager said that the town doesn't have to give an ST A or a TIF to anyone. Selectman McCue asked if Samsonite will be here longer than the 10-year lease and the response from Mr. Korbas was yes. Selectman McCue noted that if we were not to grant the ST A for Samsonite, who is already here, it might send the wrong message. He is going to vote in favor of this. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 3 r Selectman Amoruso said that one of the tasks that the Board gave the Town Manager was to increase the business base and this certainly fills the requirements. There is a certain amount of faith on both sides. Chairman Achille thanked Samsonite for coming in tonight. He came in with an open mind and pointed out that Mansfield is a pro-business town. Chairman Achille feels uncomfortable with a billion dollar company asking for financial help when the told needs help as well. He thanked the Town Manager for his efforts. Selectman Dolan said that this was discussed prior to their move. Mr. Korbas noted that we came here in good faith. Mr. Corbett said that he is sympathetic to the concerns that Samsonite is a billion dollar company and added that the budgets are looked at facility by facility. Selectman McCarter noted that this has to be approved by Town Meeting, not here and now. He has some reservations but is excited to have Samsonite here. Motion: To place the Samsonite special tax assessment article on the special town meeting warrant for December 6th (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes r' Motion: To support passage of the Samsonite article at the special town meeting (McCue - Amoruso) for discussion Selectman McCarter would like a recommendation by the Finance Committee on the article. The Town Manager said that the problem he sees that is there a process that we have followed to date. Vote: 3-1-1 Passes (with Chairman Achille voting in the negative and with Selectman McCarter abstaining) Motion: To designate an Economic Opportunity Area at 575 West St., with the understanding that the application will not be submitted until a positive vote at town meeting (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes Tax Classification Public Hearing Selectman McCarter read the public hearing notice from The Sun Chronicle. Motion: To re-open the public hearing at 8:43pm (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Present for the public hearing were: Jerome Spiezio and Ann Margaret Baldwin of the Board of Assessors and Nancy Hinote, Assistant Assessor/Office Manager. ,--. Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 4 Ms. Baldwin said that Mr. Greg Matoian was unable to attend and we wish him a r speedy recovery. Ms. Baldwin said that in accordance with MGL Chapter 40, section 56, the Board of Assessors is reporting FY06 real and personal property valuations certified by the Commissioner of Revenue. Cities and towns in Massachusetts are mandated to perform triennial revaluations of all properties. Effective in FYOS in the two years between triennial certification interim year adjustments must now be made to reflect full and fair valuations as of January 1st of each year. She added that the Assessors are not rendering an opinion on the classification, under MGL, they are providing the information but not rendering an opinion. Chairman Achille said that we are discussing whether or not the tax rate should be single or duel. If a single rate passes, it would be established at 11.30. Chairman Achille asked Ms. Hinote and the Board of Assessors to present their PowerPoint materials. Ms. Hinote went over the charts and data that was compiled on such issues as the average single family value comparisons; the FY06 percentage share of assessed value; the FY06 classification shifts options; and a tax rate comparison of surrounding communities. Chairman Achille offered the floor for public comment. r Jay Barrows, 370 Pratt Street: He is disappointed that he was not able to weigh in on the Samsonite presentation. He is President of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce. We need to continue with one voice and be supportive of business. He is here to urge the Board to continue with a single tax rate. We have seen tremendous growth in downtown Mansfield and it is a business-friendly climate. He believes that commercial values will catch up to residential and asked the Board to stay the course and hang another year. He feels that the town can't jab the businesses to make a significant impact for residential. Bob Todd, Mansfield True Value: Small business is very important to the town and the country. There are taxes on small businesses all the time and it become difficult for the small business owner to maintain. Bernard O'Malley, 46 Park Street: He is a real estate broker and said that rentals are dead and believes that increasing the burden on the downtown merchants is not the way to go. George Dentino, 2 Gladiola Terrace: He is a proponent of keeping the downtown going. He believes that we are looking in the wrong direction with respect to the single vs. split tax rate. He tries to look at the small businesses separately from the businesses in the industrial park. He would like to consider a split with three rates - small businesses, residential and the industrial park. Selectman McCue has brought up the r issue of a third rate and he asked Ms. Hinote to look into that. He said that Ms. Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 5 ,--. Hinote's analysis doesn't work. Ms. Hinote went over the small business exemption and noted how a split with three rates would not work based on the data. Selectman McCue said that is something we would look at in the future but is not sure it would work this year. Selectman Amoruso said that if you have a classification for commercial the amount of money raised from that group remains the same - there are businesses that might be considered" small" but they don't qualify because they have too many employees. Selectman McCue noted that only two communities have adopted the third rate. Mr. Dentino went on to say that he believes that the industrial park is highly under assessed. Selectman Amoruso said that the Assessors are following the guidelines of the Commonwealth. Selectman Dolan said that the industrial values will increase because of the new buildings downtown. Nick Anagnos, Pro's Car Care Complex: Doesn't believe that a business should be taxed higher than the residents. He provides jobs for residents and encouraged the Board to keep a single tax rate. ,'--" Richard Devine, 6 Morgan Road: Noted that the industrial park and businesses have had decreases in their taxes for the past 10 years and the residents have felt the burden. He thinks that people will get their taxes raised next year because of potential school construction projects. There should be some flexibility - the industrial park brings in 13% of the revenue. We have to start being fair to the residents. Prom a residential taxpayer, we have paid dearly. There are things within your power to balance the scales. Yvonne McNamara, 539 N. Main Street: She is a property management owner and is having a hard time renting out some properties and might have to sell properties if she can't get renters. Jay Barrows: He looks at the revenue stream from the industrial park as a good thing, even though it is only 13%. We see vacancies in the industrial park and we need to compete with other communities. Businesses support the community with charitable giving and if their tax bills go up, the charitable giving may be less. George Dentino: Believes that Mr. Barrows' comment about charitable giving possibly decreasing is out of line. Bernard O'Malley: He bought his property in 1974. It has been a long hard battle and has brought the building up to code. He keeps his rents very reasonable and all utilities are included. He isn't sure how long he can last and may be forced to sell his property. We will lose the character of the town. Mary Prasoli: Her father bought the building in 1934. She has seen a lot of changes in r town. She has made a lot of improvements to her building - has two stores and one is Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 6 ,--. vacant. She has wanted to increase her rents but is afraid her tenants will move out. She loves Mansfield but would hate to make a move. The merchants are struggling and thinks that if there are more tax increases, it will be rough on them. Motion: To close the public hearing (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes Selectman McCue asked if the Samsonite property will be captured and Ms. Hinote replied that it will get captured after a few years. Selectman McCarter said that we are starting to see increases in the commercial and industrial values. Selectman Amoruso said that we have had increases but they are increasing at a slower rate. The Town Manager said that the single family rate would be smaller this time than in previous years. Motion: To stay with a single tax rate (McCarter - McCue) for discussion Selectman McCarter said that this has been a tough decision. He has heard from a lot of people on this issue. We have been trying to adopt a business friendly environment. We need to look at the big picture and there are tax exemptions for various groups of people. He urges residents to contact the legislative delegation to encourage them to support such programs. The best long-term course is to stay with the single rate. The far majority of the communities in the state are single rate. (" Selectman McCue agreed with what Selectman McCarter said. He would consider splitting the rate if he saw changes to the negative, but there are a couple of things that stand out to him. There are some vacancy problems in the downtown area as well as the industrial park. Those are trends that do not lead him to go to a split tax rate. He goes into these considerations with an open mind. Mansfield has an enviable position because of its location and workforce but there is competition right around the corner. He will support of a single tax rate. Selectman Amoruso said that businesses and residents are taking the same problems to heart with respect to utilities. The only way to get value out of properties is to sell them. He is concerned about the comments that Mrs. Fasoli made -regarding people considering moving out of town. He is going to support a split tax rate. Selectman Dolan said that he was thinking of a split tax rate up until a couple of weeks ago. He referred to the split chart and commented that the split would have to be much higher for residents to see any real savings, at approximately 1.25. He can't go to a split rate because it would send the wrong message to business owners. Chairman Achille said that this is a double-edged sword. The sword is bleeding more r on the residents for the past few years. He hoped for a better benefit from the single tax Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 7 ,--. rate. The increase for a resident each year would be $92. He will support a split-tax rate. Selectman Amoruso said that he is inclined to go to the 1.05 split tax rate. Residents will have to pay $27 per year and businesses would pay $110. This would be a minimal impact to business owners. He is trying to balance it all out. He added that he doesn't want to impact businesses and industries massively. Selectman McCarter said that the fundamental question is: should we treat properties differently. He tried to find a way to spread the pain evenly. Vote: 3-2 negative) Passes (with Chairman Achille and Selectman Amoruso voting in the Motion: To send a letter to our legislative delegation asking them to support all senior property tax relief proposals (McCarter - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Motion: To send a letter to our legislative delegation asking them to investigate potential changes to a third classification, a small business exemption (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes r Spherics TIF Presentation Present from Spherics for the discussion were: Ze'ev Sheked, PhD, President & CEO; Mark rampietro, Sr. Director, QA; and Michael Gattoni, Director, Finance & Administration Dr. Sheked began by saying that Spherics is a small biotech pharmaceutical company, located in Lincoln, Rr and planning to move to Mansfield in March 2006. They looked at Rr and MA for possible relocation and Mansfield won. Dr. Sheked went through a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the company, discussed the product development capabilities, business model, Spherics' competitive and technical advantage; and investments in the company. Mr. Iampietro discussed the project details and the benefits to the Town of Mansfield. The total cost is projected in excess of $10,000,000. Benefits to the Town of Mansfield include: new employment opportunities for high paying jobs; Spherics will be an anchor to attract other biotech companies to the area; and the company will create new tax revenue for the town through real estate improvement. With respect to local spending, $100,000 to $160,000 will be spent and there will be a community investment. ( Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 8 r Selectman McCarter pointed out that we try to promote a business friendly environment and Mansfield even created a biotech overly area to attract businesses like yourself. He hopes that Spherics will attract other biotech businesses. Dr. Sheked said that we had 4 possible locations in Massachusetts and Mansfield won because Mansfield really wanted us and he is very happy with this choice and Spherics plans to move as soon as possible. Selectman McCue noted that Spherics brings good-paying jobs. It is a quality of life issue. He recognized Stephanie Mercandetti, ETA Regional Municipal Coordinator for Norfolk County and Gay Wells from Mass. Office of Business Development (MOB D) for their efforts. Selectman Dolan noted that employees will spend money in town and that needs to be noted. Selectman McCarter asked the Town Manager to go over the financial impact. The Town Manager said that the town, state and Spherics worked together well. This is different from a special tax assessment. Spherics is looking for a TrF - it is a 7 -year commitment and the estimated tax savings will be $125,559 and the total tax is $584,411. The TIP agreement is 100% for the first 3 years and then will go down incrementally. The Town Manager said that the TIF Committee also voted to support this. r Motion: To place the Spherics Tax rncrement Financing article on the special town meeting warrant for December 6th (McCue - Dolan) 5-0 Passes Motion: To designate 375 Porbes Boulevard as an Economic Opportunity Area (McCue - McCarter) 5-0 Passes Motion: Positive recommendation on the Spherics Trp article for Town Meeting (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Weekly Business . Warrant No. 19 in the amount of $4,402,450.57 Motion: To approve (Dolan - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes (with Selectman McCarter abstaining from check number 227021) · Warrant No. 20 in the amount of $1,487,954.05 Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes (with Selectman McCarter abstaining from check number 227390) r Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 9 r . Regular Session Minutes of October 26, 2005 Selectmen's Meeting Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0-1 Passes (with Selectman Dolan abstaining) . Executive Session Minutes of October 26, 2005 Selectmen's Meeting Motion: To approve but not release (McCue - Amoruso) 4-0-1 Passes (with Selectman Dolan abstaining) . Application for Parade Permit for the Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 27th at 2:00pm beginning at the Train Station and ending at the South Common for the tree lighting ceremony Motion: To approve (McCue - Amoruso) 5-0 Passes Common Victualler license renewals: . Stefano's Pizza & Subs Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes ,r' . Magic Pizza Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes . Tahana Restaurant Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes Class II Auto Dealer license renewal: . Times Past Automobiles, rnc. Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes Selectman Dolan doesn't want licenses submitted to the office late. Correspondence r . Email from a resident expressing the desire to have more vans for the elderly and disabled. Selectman McCarter suggested talking to Gale Farrugia about the topic for a recommendation. Motion: To send email to Gale Farrugia for review and a recommendation (Amoruso - McCue) 5-0 Passes Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 10 (' . Letter of resignation from Recreation Commission member Danielle Fish, effective at the end of her term, December 2005. Motion: To accept letter of resignation with extreme regret and send a letter of appreciation (McCue -Amoruso) 5-0 Passes . Request from Keith Purrier of the Billy Kelly 5K and 5 Mile Road Race, requesting permission to hold the race on Sunday, November 20th. Motion: To approve (Dolan - McCue) 5-0 Passes . Letter from Kathleen MacDonald of Easton regarding the Air Race Classic Terminus 2008, which will be held at the Mansfield Municipal Airport. . Letter from Comcast regarding changes that will go into effect for a small number of customers, effective December 1, 2005. Selectman Amoruso noted that it could affect digital cable customers. . Letter from Bruce Montgomery, General Manager of the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts, informing the Board of a summary of the sound calls received during the 2005 season. r . Email from Mansfield Emergency Management Authority Director Robert Button regarding an update on storm reimbursement. . Memo from the Town Manager to department heads regarding the holiday schedule for town hall and Light Department office staff employees. Selectman McCarter went over the memo, which states that Town Hall will be closed on Veterans Day, will close at 4:00pm on Wednesday, November 23rd and remain closed through the remainder of the week. For Christmas, we will be closed on Friday, December 23rd, remain closed on Monday, December 26th. For New Year's, Town Hall will be closed on Monday, January 2nd and will reopen on Tuesday, January 3rd. . Letter from Dr. John Chessare, President of Caritas Norwood Hospital regarding an update on a regional Selectmen's meeting held on October 26th. . Letter from State Representative Betty Poirier responding to the Board's letter asking for support for relief due to unexpected high energy costs. r . Letter from the Planning Board notifying the Board that they voted unanimously to send a positive recommendation on Adam Hoy's plan for the renovation of the West Mansfield Common. Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 11 r . Letter from Douglas Annino, Planning Board member, regarding his involvement in the proposed mixed-use development at 2-4 North Main Street. . Letter from Town Counsel regarding clarification on Catman Cafe's request to open early on Thanksgiving. Board discussed the letter and the power of the Board to change the hours for one day. Motion: To grant the request of Catman Cafe to open at 8:00am on Thanksgiving, November 24, 2005 (Dolan - McCue) 5-0 Passes Town Manager's Report . Will be hosting a coffee hour at the COA tomorrow. He will review the warrant articles with the seniors in preparation for the Special Town Meeting on December 6, 2005. There is a petitioned article that may garner enough interest. . Tax bills will go out now that the tax rate has been set. In addition to the bill this year, we will list the core categories of services: Police, Fire, DPW, trash and education and will either break down by percentage or tax dollar amount so that residents realize how much of their tax dollars are committed to these core services. r Having reached the hour of 11:00pm, there was a Motion: To extend the meeting until 11:15pm Dolan - McCue 5-0 Passes Board noted their support of the dollar breakdown as opposed to percentage. . Board needs to close the warrant, which has 17 articles. Motion: To close the Special Town Meeting warrant (Amoruso - McCarter) 5-0 Passes Selectman Dolan said that he has heard from people who notice that their neighbors are still putting out more barrels. The Town Manager said that we did allow residents to put out more because of flood damage. Selectman McCue noted that Chairman Achille suggested a "spring cleaning" hiatus on the number of barrels. The Town Manager said that he will ask DPW Director Lee Azinheira to make some recommendations. Selectman McCarter asked that the Town Manager look into doing a cable show on recycling - Mr. Azinheira would be on it and it would show people how to use the stickers. ( Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 12 Selectmen's Old & New Business r Selectman McCarter: We lost 105 parking spots at the train station. He looked at Old Colony Way and in the little lot to see if the spots would be available. Motion: To put the spots that were available during train station construction back online for Mansfield residents for commuter parking; with 5 spots available in the small parking lot for after 8:30am parking (McCarter - McCue) for discussion Vote: 5-0 Passes AdjOurnment Motion: To adjourn at 11:12pm (Amoruso) 5-0 Passes ~II(J- V~~ ??1&-tJ~~ r Signature of Clerk ~Y&?J1-k I~ 2~~5 Date of Approval r Board of Selectmen Minutes of November 9, 2005 13