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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS MINUTES 5-25-1983BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF THE MEETING MAY 25, 1983 PRESENT: Selectmen D'Onofrio, Levine and McNair; Town Manager Maurer. Selectmen Dunn and Wills absent. The meeting was called to order at 7:39 P.M. * 1. MOTION: To elect Selectman McNair chairman for the evening. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 2 -0 * MOTION: To elect Selectman D'Onofrio clerk for the evening. Levine /McNair NOTED: 2 -0 * 2. Warrant #71 - $254,953.47, approved. D'Onofrio /McNair Municipal Electric Enterprises $135,542.86 Water Department Enterprises 17,369.58 Special Revenue Accounts 17,236.34 General Fund 84,804.69 VOTED: 2 -0, Levine abstained. 3. License Applications * A. Transfer of all- alcoholic license for Willowdale Golf Course. MOTION: To set hearing for June 15, 1983, at 8 P.M. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 * B. Common Victuallers License for Colonials Youth Hockey Carnival - One Day Licenses - 5/31 - 6/5/83 MOTION: To approve. :D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 * C. One -Day Beer and Wine License for Mansfield Men's Softball League at Memorial Park, 6/9 - 6/12/83 MOTION: To approve with the time stipulation of noon to 11 P.M. weekdays and 1 P.M. to 10 P.M. on Sunday, June 12. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 * D. One -Day Common Victuallers License for Mansfield Men's Softball League at Memorial Park, 6/9 - 6/12/83 MOTION: To approve. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 * E. All- alcoholic license for Quality Inn. MOTION: To hold for additional information later in the evening and until next week if necessary. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 * F. Live Entertainment License for Quality Inn. MOTION: To hold until next week for further information. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 2 * G. Week -day Music Machine License for Quality Inn. MOTION: To hold until next week for further information. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 * H. Common Victuallers License for Quality Inn. MOTION: To hold until next week for further information. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 4. Correspondence A. Letter from the Massachusetts Municipal Association to local officials re: positions that the MMA is taking with respect to certain legislation. B. Letter from Massachusetts Municipal Association to local officials re: bills on assuming the County Court costs. C. Letter to Town Counsel from Farmers Home Administration re: loan closing. * D. Memo from Jim Wills re: County Advisory Board Meeting. MOTION: To appoint Selectman Wills as Mansfield's representative to the County Advisory Board. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 * E. Memo from the Conservation Commission re: Grant's Pond. MOTION: To arrange a meeting among the Conservation Commission, Town Counsel and the Board of Selectmen in executive session at the earliest possible date. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 F. Letter from the Massachusetts Selectmen's Association re: 1984 Annual Meeting Warrant Procedures for the Annual Mass. Selectmen's Association convention. G. Memo to the Town Manager from the Police Chief re: liquor disturbances. H. Memo to the Town Manager from the Police Chief re: radar violations. I. Letter from Senator David H. Locke re: the Board of Select- men's opposition to two House bills. J. Letter from the Town Counsel to the Planning Board re: an opinion on zoning. BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 3 Minutes of May 18, 1983 MOTION: To amend Item 3 -C to indicate that the all- alcoholic license for the Pattersons is being transferred from Mansfield Central Liquors, Anthony & Celia Melchiorri. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 MOTION: To accept the minutes of May 18, 1983, as amended. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 2 -0 McNair abstained. 6. Work Programs A. Administration - Town Manager Maurer reviewed the General Government portion of the Work Program and the Organizational Chart. He explained that the Objectives and Work Program portion for the Administration are the same that will discussed between the Town Manager and the Board of Selectmen as part of the Town Manager's' evaluation process. The Future Needs in the Administration are delineated as the Future Needs of the indi- vidual departments and will be presented by each respective department head. B. Town Accountant - The Town Accountant was unable to be present and will review her Work Program with the Board at a later date. Treasurer /Collector - Treasurer /Collector Joan Cutillo stated that the work of her department is time - consuming but consoli- dated. The Treasurer receives all monies for the Town and the Collector is responsible for safeguarding the Town in protecting it from losing money due. Massachusetts Law allows the Treasurer to invest funds for the Town, but stipulates that it may only be invested in "safe" places. She is covered by a bond in the event that a mistake is made in faithful performance of her duties. Her office maintains payrolls and attendance records and monitors them against labor contracts. These records are turned over to the Town Manager's Office at the end of each year. Financial statements for Federal and State governments are provided and both long- and short -term borrowing are done as necessary. She would like to see the position of Assistant Treasurer upgraded to Assistant Treasurer/ Collector, explaining that with property changing hands so rapidly it is becoming a problem not having an Assistant Collector to provide a signature in her absence. All three Senior Clerks in her office perform all functions to keep them current because no provision is made for overtime or absence. Their goal is to have all the old taxes on the computer in about a year and collect all they can before writing any off. They hope to get as much management as possible into the computer. Selectman Levine asked what pensions we are able to give and where the funds come from. Mrs. Cutillo explained that pensions are currently on a county -wide basis and are impossible to BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 4 predict. We are assessed according to the number of people employed and their base salaries. D. Town Clerk - Town Clerk Judith F. Scott explained that her position is the appointment of the Town Manager and that she is responsible for maintaining and recording municipal records and vital statistics. The Town Clerk conducts elec- tions, registers voters, prepares the ballots and warrant for the Town Meetings, maintains files for all contracts issued by the Town, keeps board and committee minutes, posts all meetings, and issues licenses of all kinds, including those of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Health. She is responsible for recording the Town Meeting in the record books and referring all votes to the appropriate State agency for approval when necessary. She also maintains the jury list and conducts the annual census. The Town Clerk's Office has one part -time clerk who maintains records and follows -up on specific projects at the direction of the Town Clerk. She is presently also handling all of the UCC filings. The work calendar of the Town Clerk's Office was reviewed. They hope to put all the dog licenses on the computer and also to clear out many of the old records with the approval of the Secretary of State. The need exists for a new typewriter for the clerk. Selectman D'Onofrio stated that he recently looked at Norton's Annual Report and questioned why:we,no longer include births and deaths in our Annual Report since it provides a good secondary source of vital statistics. The Town Clerk explained that Norton is on a fiscal year basis while we operate on a calendar year and it wouldn't be possi- ble at this time to have the information ready in time to go to the printer due to a time lag in receiving such infor- mation. Vital statistics were originally eliminated from our Annual Report due to budgetary limitations. She also stated that as more records are put into the computer, it may be possible to provide such information. At the conclusion of the Town Clerk's presentation the Selectmen requested addi- tional information pertaining to the license applications before them for the Quality Inn. (1) MOTION: To request the principles involved with the Quality Inn to be present to meet with the Board of Selectmen on June 1, 1983, at 8 P.M. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 E. Assessors - Assessor Alfred Turinese presented the Work Program o t e ssessors' Office, explaining that they deal primarily with Real Estate, Excise, and Personal Property Taxes. The staff consists of three part -time assessors, one office supervisor, and two part -time clerks. They are presently in BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 5 the process of converting to the municipal computer system and are working on upgrading the Town -wide mapping system. They hope to maintain their office in an acceptable fashion. Re- certification is underway and this will not have to be completed again until FY -87, at which time additional funds may be necessary. Selectman Levine asked if we currently have an inventory tax or assessment. Assessor Turinese explained that if a business is incorporated, their inventory is taxed as personal property. Forms are sent out each year and there is an obligation to answer the questions. Spot checks are also done. Selectman Levine then asked what the procedure is when property is taken for taxes. Treasurer /Collector Cutillo responded, stating that every possible measure is taken to collect before the matter is turned over to legal counsel. If the property in question is the principle residence of the delinquent taxpayer, the policy is not to go to Court if an effort is being made to pay; if not, it goes to Land Court for foreclosure which is sometimes handled quickly and sometimes takes several years. In any event, the interest and charges on the delinquent taxes still accumulate. Selectman D'Onofrio asked what's involved in the re- certification process. .Assessor Turinese explained that this year only commercial, industrial and personal property are being re- certified. The process involves going out into the field and checking against the sales reports. As long as the figures are within 10 percent they're alright. Homes presently selling seem to be selling within 1 to 2 percent of their assessed values, so he doesn't expect there will be a problem there. He further explained that it is a sixteen week process for re- certification after the information leaves here. In response to a question from Selectman D'Onofrio re- garding aerial mapping of the Town, Assessor Turinese reported that the cost is prohibitive. Fire Department - Chief Thomas Leonard explained that there are four areas of his department: fire suppression, fire prevention, ambulance and emergency medical services, and fire alarm maintenance. He presently has six callmen vacancies which he expects to be able to fill after physical exams are performed. There is presently one permanent man out on sick leave and as soon as his position is declared freed -up or the man comes back, they will be operating at full strength. They are currently responding to close to 1,000 fire calls per year due to high industrial growth. Emergency medical services are their next busiest area with 875 to 1,000 runs per year. At the present time all permanent men are certified as EMTs in Massachusetts and nationally, with re- certification being required. Fire alarm maintenance is done on a split basis BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 6 with the Municipal Electric Department, the Fire Department handling the internal testing of alarm systems and inspections. The fire prevention division does inspections and issues various permits and licenses. In the fire supression unit training is handled by the lieutenant and more training is needed to keep up -to -date. One firefighter is court - certified as a fire investigator and there are several cases pending. The photography unit assists the fire investigation and fire prevention units with court and insurance records. The equip- ment was funded through Avon Products -- previously the men used their own equipment and facilities. The day -to -day budget provides for the film and developing. Fire apparatus is now larger than when the stations were built and the need exists for new facilities. A combined Police /Fire Headquarters would allow for the establishment of a joint communications system. With respect to apparatus, the two brushfire trucks are their most critical need. The Chief's car is also in poor condition and he would like to purchase a new one, retaining the present Chief's car as a run - around vehicle. They have better than adequate radio equipment at the present time. The Department does its own typing and logging with some assistance from the Building Inspector's Office for typing correspondence. There are four work groups working a 42 hour week over a period of 8 weeks with 10 hour days and 14 hour nights - -2 days followed by 2 nights and 4 days off. They have a need for additional staff as the demand for services has doubled since 1975. The present budget of $658,000. does not including the outstanding labor contract under negotiation. Additional staff would allow him to put two men into the West Mansfield Station on a 24 -hour basis and cut down on response time when men are out on ambulance calls. Selectman Levine asked if he was forewarning the Board that big transfer requests would be coming before the end of the year for repairs to equipment. Chief Leonard responded that there will be transfers required for the salary account, but that savings in other areas will allow for equipment re- pairs without seeking additional funds. He also explained EMT and First Responder requirements in response to a question from Selectman Levine. Location of a new station, capital costs involved in equipping the ambulance, and insurance ratings were also discussed in response to Selectmen's questions. Old Business - Town Manager A. The Town Manager discussed methods of preparing and presenting material for the Joint Budget Committee. He suggested having a joint meeting of the Selectmen, School Committee and the Finance Committee to review information and agree on a way to approach the joint budget process. Selectmen D'Onofrio BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 7 stated that while he agreed with the concept, he does not feel if should be a method of delegating responsibility for fiscal matters, but rather a mechanism to assist the budget process. B. Town Manager Maurer advised the Board that there may be a meeting of the Capital Improvements Program Committee needed to prepare for a Special Town Meeting in the fall. Selectmen Levine and McNair are members of that committee. C. Town Counsel has reviewed the street acceptances and they will be ready for the Selectmen's signatures at the June 8th meeting to be recorded with the Registry of Deeds by June 15. D. Passing on the Webb property for the sewer land acquisition is scheduled for June 6, 1983 E. Deeds for the transfer of the commuter parking land are being drafted by Town Counsel and should be ready to be signed on June 8th. F. Information was presented regarding the sale of two parcels of land off Lakeview Avenue at public auction. * (1) MOTION: To appoint the Town Manager as the auctioneer to conduct a public auction scheduled for June 16, 1983, for the sale of Parcels 49 and 51 on Mansfield Assessors' Atlas Map 4. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 * (2) MOTION: That a minimum bid of $3,100. be established for Parcel 49 and $3,000. for Parcel 51. Levine /D'Onofrio * (3) MOTION: To amend motion to include in the minimum bid all taxes owed on the parcels when the Town took the land over. D'Onofrio /McNair VOTED: 2 -1, Levine against. * (4) MOTION: To approve the motion as amended. VOTED: 3 -0 * (5) MOTION: To require a minimum deposit of $450. per lot for Parcels 49 and 51 on Mansfield Assessors' Atlas Map 4. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 G. Transfer Requests * (1) MOTION: To approve Transfer Request #32 of $347.94 to the Sewer Division for payment of the gasoline bill of Agway Petroleum. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 * (2) MOTION: To approve Transfer Request #33 of $208. to the Conservation Commission to pay for BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MAY 25, 1983 Page 8 secretarial fees from March 23 to May 17, 1983. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 8. Old Business - Selectmen Selectman McNair inquired as to whether the Charlie Pina suit against the Town is still pending and was brought up to date on the situation by the Town Manager. 9. New Business - Town Manager In the fall of 1982 Leon Grant, working as a contractor for several property owners,, installed a sewer line in Creedon St. After repeated requests the road still has not been properly repaired. After talking with Town Counsel, Town Manager Maurer recommended that all permits be canceled until the road is repaired and that the Board proceed immediately with legal action unless assurance is received immediately from Mr. Grant that the situation will be rectified. Michael Dugan, attorney for Dr. Massand, stated that his client was being unfairly penalized. Mr. Grant expressed his intentions to pave the trench area with bituminous when he completed the sewer line in the fall, but had been snowed out and the plant closed the next day. His intention, he stated, was to then make the repairs in the spring, but the weather has been unfavorable. It is his opinion that Creedon Lane is only a private way with public access and was never a paved street; therefore, he should not be required to conform to the Town standards for paved streets. He proposed to repair the street with "like kind and substance." The recommendation of the DPW is that the road be repaved by the contractor due to its condition which resulted from improper construction practices. Mr. Grant's proposal to use stonedust and oil does not conform to Town's standards. MOTION: To table action by the Board subject to approval by the DPW Director for repairing Creedon Lane. D'Onofrio /Levine VOTED: 3 -0 10. New Business - Selectmen Selectman Levine stated that she had received reports from Branch St. residents that very large trucks have been removing large quantities of earth from the Potter property on Branch St. She requested that the Building Inspector be asked to check into the matter. BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING ( MAY 25, 1983 Page 9 * 11. MOTION: to adjourn at 11:28 P.M. Levine /D'Onofrio VOTED: 3 -0 MINUTES APPROVED: DATE