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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS Minutes 05/10/2017Minutes of Board of Selectmen Meeting May 10, 2017 7:00p.m. _D u LIGE Present: Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Chairman; Mr. Jess Aptowitz, Vice -Chairman; Mr. Frank DelVecchio Clerk; Mr. George Dentino and Mr. Steve Schoonveld. ion ?ONY 101 A 8: 4b 1. Call To Order Board of Selectmen Meeting by Acting Town Manager — Pledge Of Allegiance Mr. Stanbrook called the meeting to order at 7:OOp.m. Mr. Stanbrook reminded everyone that the meeting was being broadcast live and taped for future broadcast on Mansfield Cable. He asked if there were any members of the audience recording, to which there was no response. 2. Reorganization of Board of Selectmen and Light Commissioners by Acting Town Manager, Assignment of Sub -Committees and Summer Schedule Mr. Stanbrook asked for nominations for Chairman of the Board. Mr. Trowbridge nominated Mr. DelVecchio who was honored, but respectively declined. Mr. Aptowitz nominated Mr. Trowbridge. Mr. Schoonveld nominated Mr. Aptowitz. Mr. Aptowitz stated he would like to pass the baton to Mr. Trowbridge. Mr. Trowbridge accepted the nomination. There were no other nominations. All those in favor of naming Mr. Trowbridge Chairman of the Board. Passes 5:0 Chairman Trowbridge then asked for nominations for the Vice -Chairman of the Board. Mr. DelVecchio nominated Mr. Aptowitz who accepted. There were no other nominations. All those in favor of naming Mr. Aptowitz Vice -Chairman of the Board. Passes 5:0 Chairman Trowbridge asked for nominations for Clerk of the Board. Mr. Aptowitz nominated Mr. DelVecchio who accepted. There were no other nominations. All those in favor of Mr. DelVecchio as Clerk of the Board. Passes 5:0 Chairman Trowbridge asked for nominations for Chairman of the Electric Department. Mr. DelVecchio nominated Mr. Aptowitz and he accepted. There were no other nominations. All those in favor of naming Mr. Aptowitz Chairman of the Electric Department. Passes 5:0 Chairman Trowbridge asked for nominations for Vice -Chairman of the Electric Department. Mr. Aptowitz nominated Mr. Dentino, who stated he did not think he would be able to. Mr. Aptowitz then nominated Mr. DelVecchio who accepted. There were no other nominations. All those in favor of naming Mr. DelVecchio Vice -Chairman of the Electric Department. Passes 5:0 Chairman Trowbridge asked for nominations for Clerk of the Electric Department. Mr. Aptowitz nominated Mr. Schoonveld who accepted. There were no other nominations. All those in favor of naming Mr. Schoonveld Clerk of the Electric Department. Passes 5:0 Mr. Aptowitz thanked everyone for their hard work this past year. He stated there were difficult decisions to make. Mr. Aptowitz thanked his colleagues and Mr. Stanbrook for jumping in and being a rock star. He also thanked Ms. Champagne and Ms. Griffin and all of the staff for doing a great job. He wished Chairman Trowbridge good luck. Chairman Trowbridge began the discussion about the Budget Subcommittee and the need to meet as full boards versus subcommittees. Mr. Schoonveld stated he thought it would be extreme for 24 people meeting together, he believed the committee has been successful over the last five years. Mr. DelVecchio stated he doesn't see a need for the Budget Subcommittee now that the boards all work well together. Chairman Trowbridge also stated that the Xfinity Licensing Committee should meet as one night with one agenda. Mr. Schoonveld agreed that the Xfinity is an important issue in Town and a large revenue source, and agreed that all five Board members should be involved. Mr. Aptowitz suggested having an Insurance Subcommittee because it is going to be a real difficult issue for this Board and this town. Mr. Schoonveld stated the committee could be repurposed for a financial project like this. Mr. Aptowitz stated the Budget Subcommittee was originally formed six years ago when there was a dead stop with the budget, and the School Committee and the Finance Committee could not agree. Mr. DelVecchio stated that under charter we have a finance committee and need to have them report to the Board more frequently. He also stated that the Town does not need another "Finance Committee." Mr. Dentino stated that health insurance is a giant issue, 80% of the budget is salary and benefits and stated it is time to take a good look at it and work together on it. Chairman Trowbridge asked Mr. Dentino if he was in favor of creating an Insurance Subcommittee, Mr. Dentino answered that there are a lot of subcommittees and did not think an Insurance Subcommittee was needed. Mr. Dentino then stated that he thought Mr. Kobayashi from the Collins to be brilliant and very knowledgeable and believes he provides a lot of value in the Town Manager search. Mr. Schoonveld added that healthcare is not only is a huge increase for the Town, it is also more money each employee has to pay into their healthcare. He referred back to the Finance Committee presentation from Town Meeting and noted there are many issues facing the Town in the coming year. Mr. Schoonveld stated he is volunteering to tackle the health insurance and needs a focused group to help with it, which repurposing the Budget Subcommittee to be issued focused. Mr. DelVecchio stated he does not typically like the subcommittee approach, but agreed that occasionally you get an issue like healthcare and agreed that Mr. Schoonveld has expertise with insurance. Mr. DelVecchio asked the Chairman if the Finance Committee could come to a Board meeting, noting that the Board should not impose an agenda on them. Motion: To eliminate the subcommittees and meet as full Boards. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Mr. Schoonveld stated that he believes it is too much for a group that was working well together to have all the extra meetings to attend. Mr. DelVecchio stated that he likes being involved and thinks he has felt left out, in the past when details were not being reported back. Passes 4:1 (Schoonveld-No) Chairman Trowbridge asked for the Boards thoughts on the Xfinity Licensing Committee. Motion: For the Board of Selectmen meet as whole for the Xfinity Licensing Committee. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 Motion: To appoint Mr. DelVecchio to the Audit Committee. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Passes 5:0 Mr. Aptowitz stated that the Board should appoint Mr. Schoonveld to the Insurance Subcommittee, and next week decide who should be on the committee. Mr. Schoonveld asked what the committee would be composed of and Mr. Aptowitz stated it would need to be discussed. Mr. Aptowitz stated it would be an ad hoc committee, but withdrew his motion as more discussion is needed on this committee. Chairman Trowbridge asked who was interested in serving on the Bristol County Advisory Committee. Motion: To keep Mr. Aptowitz as the representative for the Bristol County Advisory Committee. (Schoonveld/DelVecchio) Passes 5:0 Chariman Trowbridge then moved to discuss the Capital Improvement Committee. Chairman Aptowitz asked who was currently on that committee. Chairman Trowbridge answered that it was Mr. DelVecchio and himself. Mr. Schoonveld commented that he was interested in learning more about that committee. Mr. DelVecchio and Chairman Trowbridge had an interest in staying on that committee, but Chairman Trowbridge deferred. Motion: To appoint Mr. Schoonveld and Mr. DelVecchio to the Capital Improvement Committee. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Passes 5:0 The Board then discussed MFN and it was noted that Chairman Trowbridge is on MFN in place of the Town Manager, but Mr. Dentino is the Selectmen appointment to the MFN. Mr. Dentino stated he would like be reappointed. Motion: To reappoint Mr. Dentino to MFN. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Passes 5:0 3. Introduction of new Mansfield Police Officer, Christopher Sorge by Chief Sellon Chairman noted this item was being moved to next week. 4. Proclamation presentation to Mr. Howard Fiske Chairman Trowbridge stated the Board had a Proclamation and a plaque for Mr. Fiske. He would like to make arrangements to present this to him and his family at a future date with a few of the Selectmen. 5. Consideration of Change of Manager for all -alcohol license and the wine and malt beverage license for New England Sportservice, Inc. pending routing through public safety and Town Hall Departments. Mr. Stephen Kelly stated he was taking over the General Manager position at the Xfinity Center for food and beverages. Mr. Aptowitz asked if he would be at every event, Mr. Kelly answered that he would be. Mr. Aptowitz asked if he has experience in this industry. Mr. Kelly answered that he was previously in charge of concessions for the Buffalo Bills. Motion: To approve the change in Manager for the all -alcohol and wine and malt beverage license for New England Sportservice pending routing through public safety and Town Hall Departments. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 Chairman Trowbridge asked to take out of order and discuss Xfinity Center Entertainment License. (Skip to agenda item #9) 6. West Street Lightning Strike Resident Concerns Chairman Trowbridge invited the residents of West Street to the microphone. Mr. McTernan of 953 West Street stated that a year ago the lightning strike occurred outside his home. He called it in and saw the live wire hit the ground and noted the live wire was dancing around in water. There was discussion about the damage and the concerns of the residents of West Street. It was stated that no one from the town has come down to answer any questions of the residents that were affected, there were a total of seven homes affected. Chairman Trowbridge stated that the letters written to the Board were received and stated that the Board does want to get an answer to what really happened. Chairman Trowbridge stated that the Board relys on experts of the Town and they stated that the pipes were installed correctly. Mr. Reade of 949 West Street stated that something had to be faulty for all the homes to be effected. Mr. Kurt Gaffney and Mr. Lee Azinheira were present to answer some technical questions about the water service and pipes. The Town's insurance company has denied the request saying it is an act of god. The residents feel that something was installed improperly for all of them to have the same damage. The residents agreed that the discussion could continue for hours and Chairman Trowbridge recommended setting up an appointment with the residents of West Street within the next two weeks. 7. Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee Update Mr. Kurt Gaffney, Mr. Wayne Southworth and Aaron Roth. Mr. Southworth stated that the committee was formed in 1987 and by the water Superintendents of the towns Easton, Norton and Mansfield in regards to the importance of the aquifer. State legislature helped put legislature in place to support the committee and appointed three members from each community as well as the towns of Sharon and Foxboro. The committee has been meeting once a month for 25 years and the last 5 years they have been meeting every other month. The committee recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary and continues to be very active. They serve to educate the public and by protecting the aquifer they protect 50% of the drinking water for 100,000 people. Mr. Aptowitz stated he attended one of their meetings and noted that the committee takes the work very seriously and is very dedicated to serving the community and thanked them for their hard work. Mr. Southworth ACEC they are working on a resource management plan and it will take a while to develop and he also noted that the committee has recently acquired over 300 acres along the river, most of which is in Mansfield. Chairman Trowbridge asked the committee to get the presented brochures to the Conservation Committee 8. Approval and Signing of General Obligation Bond Issue Dated for May 18, 2017 Mr. DelVecchio differed this to Mr. Aptowitz as he has a conflict of interest. Mr. DelVecchio then left the meeting. Mr. Aptowitz read the bond as provided. Motion: To approve the signing of the general obligation bond issue dated May 18, 2017. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Mr. Schoonveld asked Mr. Stanbrook to provide additional information earlier today and could provide some discussion from the email earlier which asked what the impact will be on a tax bill when the DPW project is done. Mr. Stanbrook answered that in FY18 on a $400,000 home the impact will be $158, this assumes that the tax rate stays the same and that house values go up 3%. Mr. Schoonveld noted that last year the first bond was issued at 2.07% and a year later the second bond is at 3.25%. Mr. Stanbrook noted that the Town can't borrow everything at once for the project; it has to be borrowed in the same year it is spent. Mr. Stanbrook also stated that the maximum that can be borrowed on the third bond is $6,300,000 minus any bond premium. Mr. Aptowitz stated that a home valued at $400,000 will see a $158 just for the project in their FY18 tax bills, not including any other increases in property value. Mr. Schoonveld commented that the January of 2018 due February 1st and May 1ST it will have double the impact of this bond plus the other normal increases. Mr. Aptowitz and Mr. Stanbrook agreed with Mr. Schoonveld. Passes 4:0:1 (DelVecchio abstained) Mr. DelVecchio returned to the meeting at 8:41pm. Mr. Aptowitz asked for an agenda item in the fall to further explain and review tax bills, using a $500,000 home value as an example. Mr. Dentino asked who buys the bonds and Mr. Stanbrook answered that he does not know who purchases the bonds. 9. Review, Consideration And Approval Of 2017 LiveNation Worldwide, Inc. Entertainment License Mr. Mann stated he would first like to voice his support for Mr. Kelly as the new manager of food and beverages. Chairman asked if Mr. Mann received the revised license. Mr. Mann answered that he had. Mr. Aptowitz stated that put together a list of items from public safety and fire and Xfinity didn't agree to some of the items and the Town Manager and Chief's were okay with that and making an addendum to the license. Mr. Aptowitz stated that the Xfinity Center has been a hot button issue, but noted they have been a corporate partner and employee 300 plus Mansfield residents as well as the local hotels and restaurants that benefit from the Xfinity Center. He stated everyone does not always agree, but open lines of communication and see if we can agree on staffing without sacrificing public safety. The police and fire details were $1,000,000 and the 10% administrative fee on the details is $100,000. This administrative cost is to offset preparing the bills, mailing them and Mr. Aptowitz proposed reducing the administrative fee to 5%. Chairman Trowbridge asked if that that still pays the Town's hard cost and would not affect the budget. Mr. Aptowitz stated it would cover the hard costs and not affect budgets or level of public safety. Mr. Dentino stated that everyone is working in harmony at the Xfinity Center and making it a nice place at this point in time for people to enjoy shows, compared six or seven years ago. Mr. Dentino commended Mr. Mann, Chief Sellon and Chief Boldrighini for their work. Mr. Mann stated that he needed to stay a competitive business, he stated the industry is thriving, but as a venue they are hurting and do not want this to be a long term factor. He stated that he wanted to continue to work with local businesses and sensed a willingness from the Town to find acceptable staffing levels. He stated that the problematic shows are known and staffing can be increased for those shows and pull back on the shows that are not. Motion: To approve the 2017 Live Nation Worldwide Entertainment License for Xfinity located at 885 South Main Street. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Mr. Schoonveld agreed with the reduction in the fee on the admin side and consistent with the billing from last year. Mr. Stanbrook referred the Board to page 6 the agreement that needs to be amended. Motion: To amend the agreement to be a 5% administrative fee for police and fire details. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Mr. Aptowitz noted this reduction would only be for Xfinity and no other businesses that use police and fire details. It is because the Xfinity detail bills are huge numbers. Mr. DelVecchio asked where the administrative fee goes and how much is it. Mr. Stanbrook answered it goes in the general fund revenue and stated it was around $100,000. Mr. DelVecchio noted that it means a reduction of $50,000. Mr. Schoonveld noted that the $1,000,000 in police detail is going down this year because of the number of concerts. The $50,000 in administrative fees will be even less because of the reduction in the number of concerts. Passes 5:0 10. Execution of Order of Taking Regarding Acceptance of McKenzie Lane as a Public Way Motion: To sign the order of taking and Mylar prints for McKenzie Lane. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 11. Continued Discussion of Town Manager Search -Update from Search Committee Mr. Stanbrook commented that Mr. Kobayashi met with each Selectman last week and his associate Ms. Susan Adler met with the Chief Sellon and Chief Boldrighini and department heads earlier today. Mr. Schoonveld commented that he enjoyed the meeting he had with Mr. Kobayashi last week and he spoke with him again today and gave him the question to make sure there is a diversity in the talent of the Town Manager search and that a wide enough net was cast. Mr. Trowbridge stated that it would be a diverse group of people from everywhere across the country. Mr. Schoonveld then stated that it was not just a wide enough geographical search but a search that includes people with diverse backgrounds, noting that there are strong department heads within the Town. 12. Resident Questions and Comments There were no resident questions or comments. 13. Review and Approve Consent Agenda All items on the Consent Agenda may be adopted with a single motion. Any member of the Board of Selectmen may request that an item be withdrawn from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration in which case that item will be voted on separately from the remainder of the Consent Agenda. All licenses have been routed through Town Hall Departments and any conditions have been noted below. a. Approval Of Board Of Selectmen Minutes For: • Meeting of April 26, 2017 • Meeting of May 2, 2017 b. Vote To Approve Warrants: • Town Vendor Warrant No. 17044T in the amount of $1,343,344.14 • Electric Department Vendor Warrant No. 17044E in the amount of $12,673.25 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 17045T in the amount of $125,327.26 • Electric Department Vendor Warrant No. 17045E in the amount of $29,136.49 • School Vendor Warrant No. 17045S in the amount of $325,640.65 C. Events and Signage: • Consideration of 21st Annual Family Fun Night Block Party pending routing through public safety and Town Hall Departments • Consideration of Banner Application for Mansfield Police Association Motion: To approve the consent agenda. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 14. Consideration And Approval Of Town Payroll Warrants: • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 17044PT in the amount of $365,880.72 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 17044PT in the amount of $365,880.72. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 17044TV in the amount of $116,447.16 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 17044TV in the amount of $116,447.16. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 17044PS in the amount of $1,574,528.64 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 17044PS in the amount of $1,574,528.64. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0:1 (Trowbridge Abstain) • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 170445V in the amount of $543,649.98 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 17044SV in the amount of $543,649.98 (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 17045PT in the amount of $338,167.94 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 17045PT in the amount of $338,167.94 (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 17045TV in the amount of $107,170.66 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 17045TV in the amount of $107,170.66 (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 15. Correspondence • Resignation letter from Michael Lovett of The Fales Oil Site Redevelopment Committee • Resignation letter from Matt Donnelly of the Fales and Downtown Advisory Committees • National Grid Letter for Vegetation Management Plan • Comcast Channel Line -Up Information • Municipal Clearinghouse Recommendation — Mansfield Municipal Electric • Dam Safety Phase I Dam Inspections • Comcast Cable Television Financial Statements for Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2016 Mr. DelVecchio summarized each of the above correspondence letters. 16. Town Manager's Report Mr. Stanbrook stated that received our bond rating of AA+/stable under noting that Mansfield has strong management, a strong economy, good financial practices and policies. Mr. Stanbrook wanted to thank everyone who helped make this happen. Mr. Stanbrook also passed out the official results from the Town vote from Tuesday. Mr. Stanbrook noted that only 2.7% of voters came out and thanked everyone who took the time to vote. Mr. Stanbrook read a road work memo that was provided by Mr. Azinheira for work that will begin on May 21't for Mansfield Avenue bridge work. Mr. Stanbrook stated that Mr. Simmonds the Parking Enforcement Officer reported that the engineers from the MBTA were marking off pavement and will be reaching out to the Town later in the week in regards to work being done at the Train Station. There will be about 60 non-resident parking spots unavailable during the two year construction. Mr. Schoonveld asked if the Board wanted to do anything about this. Mr. Aptowitz commented that Mr. Schoonveld makes a good point and is concerned that non-residents will be parking on side streets. Mr. DelVecchio stated that he has concerns and the Board should address the non-resident parking issue. Chairman Trowbridge stated that Mr. Stanbrook should let the MBTA know that the Board is disappointed finding out the construction was going to happen this way. Mr. Aptowitz stated the high tops are crumbling and Mr. Schoonveld asked what is going to happen to those handicapped people who need the ramps if they are taken down. Mr. Schoonveld also stated that an impact study should be done before and after any project and have a plan or strategy to avoid the events that happened last September. Mr. Stanbrook lastly stated that Ms. Boudreau would like to be on the June 7th schedule for the Board to sign a short term note to fund the road project. 17. Selectmen's Questions and Comments Mr. Aptowitz apologized about the volume of the broadcast and stated that it would be helpful to do a test before each meeting. He also stated he wanted a firm date of when they are paving Route 106. He also wanted an update on the granite curbing across from Geno's and when it will be finished. Chairman Trowbridge commented that he spoke with Mr. Azinheira and it is not as simple as fixing the one piece of granite it affects several pieces. Mr. Aptowitz then thanked everyone and congratulated Mr. Trowbridge as Chairman; he also thanked Mr. Schoonveld for the nomination and finally thanked Mr. Dentino on his work on the Xfinity Committee. Mr. Schoonveld commented that Town Meeting went very smooth and other towns should model Mansfield. He believes there were over 300 people present. He stated that he has started to think about our goals for this year, but health insurance aspect affects the budgets and effects the employee contributions. Mr. Schoonveld stated he will think about how to structure the committee and hopefully get the Finance Committee here next week to help with that. Chairman Trowbridge asked if Mr. Schoonveld would find helpful to attend the insurance meetings with Mr. Stanbrook. Mr. Schoonveld asked if Selectmen can be on the board. Mr. Stanbrook answered that he did not know, but would ask. Mr. DelVecchio commented that he wanted to echo others stated and congratulate the winners from yesterday's election. He stated that he talked to a lot of people and that it is an interesting process. We discussed earlier and restructuring the boards and committees, and believes that many of the boards have functioned well and stated it may a challenge to get everyone together. Chairman Trowbridge stated that the insurance is a decision made by the Selectmen and cannot make the decision in a vacuum. He then asked the Board on their thoughts for a summer schedule and beginning Selectmen meetings for 6pm, commenting that it gets staff out a reasonable hour. Mr. Schoonveld stated that it could work especially in the summer. Mr. DelVecchio has concerns with working in Boston and getting back to Mansfield for 613M. Mr. Aptowitz suggested starting the meetings at 6:3013M. Mr. Trowbridge then asked about meeting every other week. Mr. DelVecchio stated the Board should meet weekly from now until June, to which all agreed. 18. Any Items Not Anticipated by the Chairman 48 Hours Prior To This Meeting There were no items. 19. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the Board of Selectmen's meeting on May 10, 2017 at 9:17PM. (DelVecchio/Schoonveld) Passes 5:0 4-1Uzt;1e Signature Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Date