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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS MINUTES 3-16-1988BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MARCH 16, 1988 PRESENT: Chairman Harrington; Selectmen Dunn, D'Onofrio; Town Manager 1. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 P.M. and the Flag saluted. Chairman Harrington then announced, for the people at home, that the phone number dis- played in front of him was for them to call in with questions pertaining to the three ballot questions; that there will be a presentation about them at 8:15 and there are operators waiting to take their calls. 2. Minutes of March 9, 1988 * MOTION: To approve the Minutes of March 9, 1988. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 3. Warrants No. 40 and 40 -A * MOTION: To approve Warrant #40 in the amount of $3,990,312.88, dated Marchl5, 1988, broken down as follows: General Fund - $3,919,192.42 School Lunch - 11,569.48 Special Revenue - 17,842.69 Capital Projects - 4,314.91 Sewer Enterprise - 19,168.68 Water Enterprise - 18,224.70 D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 * MOTION: To approve Warrant #40 -A, Electric Enterprise, in the amount of $1,140,946.16, dated March 15, 1988. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 4. Licenses & Permits a) Application for a One -day Full Liquor License, March 19, 1988, 6:00 P.M. to 12 Midnight, for Tri- County Beagle Club. * MOTION: To approve the One -day Full Liquor License. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 b) Application for a Common Victuallers License for F & W, Inc., d /b /a Pop Shoppe, 30 Chauncy Street. * MOTION: To approve the Common Victuallers License. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 c) Application for a Common Victuallers License, Woon -Fat Lam and Chang Law d /b /a Choi Wah House (formerly Happy China), 30 Chauncy Street. * MOTION: To approve the Common Victuallers License. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MARCH 16, 1988 PAGE 2 5. Correspondence a) Letter from the Executive Office of Communities & Development re: EOCD's Strategic Planning Program. b) Memorandum from Executive Office of Communities & Development re: Proposed Amendment to Regulations for the Homeownership Opportunity Program (HOP). c) Copy of letter to Chairman of the Mansfield Airport Commission from Mass. Aeronautics Commission re: Organization of a committee to prepare stand- ards acceptable to both commissions. d) Request from Chairman of the Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee to park cars at the DPW Highway Garage during Canoe River Awareness Day Sat- urday, May 7th. * MOTION: To approve. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 e) Request from Mansfield Women of Today for permission to serve complimen- tary coffee at the Annual Town Meeting. * MOTION: To approve. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 f) Two letters to the Board from DEQE re: Change Order Nos. 6 & 10, Contract 1, approval. g) Copy of Mass. Taxpayers Foundation "Municipal Financial Data (1987 Rates), together with their Bulletin highlighting facts from the report. h) Letter to the Board from Von W. Orton, 348 Willow Street, re: "Conditions on Willow Street ". - The Clerk read this letter; the Town Manager was asked to have the Health Agent look into it. i) Notice of Bristol County Selectmen's Assoc. April 13th meeting. j) Letter to the Board from Rhonda Lee Lovely, 383 S. Main Street, re: Signs posted designating "Deaf Child ". - The Board asked the Town Manager to attend to this. Q News from The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs re: "An Environ- mental Forum, Thursday, March 31st. 1) Letter from Executive Director of ICMA re: Profile of Alternative Service Delivery Approaches - 1988. m) Memorandum to the Board from the Town Manager re: Signature for EPA Sewer Project Documents and Close -out. * MOTION: To approve the Town Manager's signature on the documents. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MARCH 16, 1988 PAGE 3 n) Invitation to the Grand Opening of A T & T Work Center, 120 Forbes Blvd., Wednesday, March 30th, 4:00 P.M. o) Letter to the Chairman from Town Counsel re: Health Agent recommended change to the Great Woods, Inc. Entertainment License REgulations, with copy of the Health Agent's Memorandum to Town Counsel. p) Memorandum from Town Clerk to the Board re: Additional Election Workers. * MOTION: To approve the additional Election Workers. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 q) Letter to the Board from Chairman of the Animal Welfare Committee re: Relocation of the animal shelter to the Highway Garage. - The Chairman suggested that the committee put their plans into writing and to check into all aspects - heating, electricity, etc. r) Letter to the Chairman from Kendall Healthcare Products Co., thanking him for attending their Open House at 15 Hampshire Street. 6. Old Business a) The Town Manager advised members of the Board that agreement has been reached with the DPW. The contract is a 3 -year contract and the Union ratified it this week. He went on to say he is continuing to negotiate with both the Police and Firefighters. The Chairman said it is important to note that the Town Manager has put through a 3 -year contract rather than a two -year and that when Tom took over he negotiated without an attorney which saved the Town some money. * MOTION: To approve the Department of Public Works contract. D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 b) The Town Manager said there have been some problems earlier this week with the infamous black water. These occurred when one Dustin Well was put back "on line" Monday; this reverses the flow in the pipes which creates disturbances. He said the only error was that they did not think to put a notice in the paper ahead of time. The Chairman asked Tom to be sure that there is documentation of steps which should be taken when this sort of thing is to take place in the future. Selectman Dunn pointed out that the residents are being charged when they have to flush their system and asked if there was any other way to accomplish the same result; the feeling was there is not. c) Selectman Dunn then questioned miscellaneous "little" signs he sees at- tached in various ways to telephone /light poles etc., asking is there any Town regulation for this sort of thing. He feels the nails left in the poles are a hazard. The Town Manager will look into it. BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF BOARD MARCH 16, 1988 PAGE 4 7. Finance Committee Chairman Harrington opened by saying alot of people are asking "Why the Override ?" He said the Board feels it is best to put it on the ballot now, not in the Fall, and Joan Cutillo, the Town Treasurer, had checked with the State to ascertain this, and they had said 'nova'. Also, the FinCom asked the Board of Selectmen to postpone Town Meeting in the event the over- ride does not pass so that there will be ample time to rework the budgets as necessary. He then turned the meeting over to the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Kevin Sullivan; other FinCom members were also present. Kevin said they have spent alot of time on this year's budgets and feel they are morally expected to come up with a reasonable budget. They do not feel that they have a reasonable estimate of what the revenues may be to recom- mend an override now. He said the Town will be better off waiting until Fall. Asked how much difference they see for the Town Manager's budget, Kevin said $26 - $30,000 and they feel an override is a stop -gap measure. For the School Committee they are about $100,000 apart. Selectman Dunn asked if they see enough revenue to support the budget they are recommending. Jon Pierce pointed out that the State has done nothing to help the Town with its problems and then contested Charman Harrington's report that Joan Cutillo had been told by the State "they overwhelmingly support the override now ". It was advised that revenue projections will not be firm until late summer or early Fall. Selectman D'Onofrio asked Kevin what the prospects are for FY -90. Kevin said unless there is collective planning we will be right back here again next year for an override. Chairman Harrington said the Select- men and School Committee expect to meet in May to start planning. Kevin said the FinCom views the budgets as reasonable and that there will be a need for an override, but the timing is wrong. Steve Calvin, School Committee Chairman, said timing makes all the differ- ence in the world. To delay the override puts them in an awkward position contractwise; summer is their time to do maintenance, etc., and how can they if they don't know whether the money is going to be available? Chairman Harrington said the Selectmen are going to start to work with the FinCom, the Town Manager and the School Committee for projected revenue. Selectman D'Onofrio advised that the 6% increase actually is 9.7% and said we keep building in increases that we don't have revenue to support. The Chairman then turned to presentation of the Override Questions, asking Steve Calvin to start, covering the need for the two new elementary schools. He basically reviewed what had been covered at the February 3, 1988 meeting with the Selectmen. He advised that they have added two trailers this year for special services and that additions and /or renovations to the present schools would not be eligible for State reimbursement. Steve Calvin then referred discussion to Shirley Amoruso of Citizens For New Schools. She reported that the actual cost to the Town for the two schools BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MARCH 16, 1988 PAGE 5 will be 7.5 million (with State reimbursement of 67 %). Chairman Harrington reviewed and answered all questions which had been phoned in, then asked for questions from the audience. Karl Clemmey asked Steve Calvin if his committee was aware of and planning for the new State regulations regarding low- income students which certain new housing in town is bringing in? The next override question concerned Capital Projects, such as water resource and capping the landfills. Selectman Dunn addressed these, having been a member of both the Water Protection Committee and Solid Waste Alternative Committee. He started with the fact that the town has two major aquifers - the Canoe River and the Wading River. He said the town has already lost one prospective well site, to a development, and there is another in West Mans- field which the voters must support acquisition of for a future well. From that he went to a description of the elements contained in the leachate leak- ing from the two landfills, elements which will contaminate the aquifer/ groundwater. He ended by emphasizing the need to support that question on the ballot. The Town Manager had put together a graphic chart illustrating the tax in- crease for each of the next five years if all three questions on the ballot ( are approved, but pointing out that there are certain tax breaks for senior citizens which the Assessors' Office Manager will address shortly. Chairman Harrington said the Board of Selectmen has embarked on educating the public in an open and honest way. He then reviewed costs which he had stated before which are indicative of the need for an Operating Budget Override; i.e., salaries, repairs to Town Hall heating /A /C, equipment replacement, new employ- ees. Opening disucssion to the public again, after reviewing questions which had come in, Karl Clemmey expressed concern for people in town who cannot afford a $1 - $1,500 increase in taxes and asked if there weren't some other ways to raise money. He mentioned sale of the Spaulding School which was voted to be sold by Town Meeting two years ago, asking for gifts from CC &F, Day's Inn, etc.; also charging Great Woods in an arrangement such as Foxboro has with Sullivan Stadium. He ended by stating it is time the town took a look at the leadership in the town. Selectman D'Onofrio commented on Karl's referral to how cheaply Foxboro had been allowed to secure sewer connections from Mansfield when it would have cost. them much, much more. Selectman D'Onofrio then suggested that the Town look at the possibility of dropping Blue Cross /Blue Shield coverage which is high and which the Town has to match for the HMO insurance it also offers, since HMO premiums are considerably less. The Town Manager then asked Shirley MacPhee, Assessors Office Mnager to re- view possible exemptions for the elderly, along with the necessary qualifi- cations. She said the exemptions are reimbursed by the State, so the Town does not lose revenue. BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES OF MEETING MARCH 16, 1988 PAGE 6 Joint Meeting /Planning Board, Master Plan Advisory Council The Planning Director, Mike LaCasse, and Chairman of the Master Plan Advis- ory Council had asked to meet with the Selectmen to bring them up to date on development of the Master Plan. They said the consultant, Connery Asso- ciates, offer three options which Mike reviewed in some detail. They said they are now ready for opinions as they have done no fine- tuning yet. They also stated that anyone is welcome to attend the Master Plan Advisory Council meetings Thursday evenings. There was some discussion concerning "cluster developments "; Selectman D'Onofrio advised encouraging sewers with cluster developments and, possibly, increasing lot size. He said the essential point is to provide proper incentives. There must be incentive to take sewer lines farther out and to provide the needed interceptors. Selectman D'Onofrio Closing Statement This being Selectman D'Onofrio's last meeting on the Board of Selectmen, he asked to be allowed to read a statement. He said he felt privileged to serve on the Board of Selectmen over the last five years; there had been some joys and some heartaches; he always tried to make the best possible judgment for the interest of his constituents. He then spoke highly of the associa- tion with both Selectmen Mahana and McNair, ending with fond praise of the support from his wife throughout. He did also state that he feels the form of government for Mansfield must change, for the present financial crisis is evidence of this. 10. Adjournment MOTION: To adjourn (at 11:17 P.M.). D'Onofrio /Dunn VOTED: 3 -0 MINUTES APPROVED: -Clerk w/o ed