Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS 02/14/2018Minutes of Board of Selectmen Meeting February 14, 2018 Present: Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Chairman; Mr. Jess Aptowitz, Vice -Chairman I�j'�t ��q Clerk, Mr. Steve Schoonveld and Mr. Neil Rhein 'TO 'i tK 1. Call To Order Board of Selectmen Meeting - Pledge of Allegiance i01$ MAA IS A 8 �b Chairman Trowbridge called the meeting to order at 6:30PM. He reminded everyp. 19t1i ftoneeting was being broadcast live and taped for future broadcast on Mansfield Cable. He asked ifttf rjr'%q fiy ffiembers of the audience recording, to which there was no response Chairman Trowbridge commented that his thoughts and prayers were with community of Parkland, Florida who had a shooting at their high school today. He acknowledged the training that that Mansfield Police had recently completed and hopes that the Town never has an incident, but knows they could handle the situation. Chairman Trowbridge then gave condolences to fellow Foxboro Selectmen Mark Elfman whose wife suddenly passed away. Mr. DelVecchio then read a proclamation for Liz Christo. Ms. Christo then came forward to accept. 2. Budget Discussion with Finance Committee and School Committee Members of the Finance Committee, School Committee and School Department were present for this discussion. Mr. Kevin Dumas began the discussion stating that department head budget meetings will be taking place from February 26th through March 5th with himself and Mr. John Stanbrook to go over their line item budgets. The budget began with a $2.3 million structural deficit and was now down to a $1,076,000 deficit. Mr. Dumas stated there were additional cost factors that had to be added in such as state aid adjustments that were lower than estimated, receipts for FY18 are overstated and had to be lowered by $240,000 and with the goal of using zero dollars for free cash. Mr. Dumas stated that $500,000 was saved from health insurance and another $100,000 by switching to a self-insured workers comp policy. Mr. Dumas stated that if the fee proposal is not accepted then there will need to be reductions across the boards in all departments. Mr. Rhein asked Mr. Dumas to explain the fee proposal. Mr. Dumas answered that he was looking at fees for service across all departments. He noted that the Fire Chief is comparing how ambulance service fees in Mansfield compare to other municipalities. Mr. Dumas then stated that there is going to be a new collections company in 2019 and that the cost of trash and recycling in 2000 was $900,000 and there was a tax override to cover that cost, but today the cost has increased over the past eighteen years to $1,700,000 and the Town only collects about $900,000 for the service. Mr. Wilk agreed that it was important that fees for service be looked at to make sure the Town was charging what the actual cost was for the services being provided. He noted that the health insurance was a five percent increase, but that rate was only good for two years and it will be necessary for the Town to increase revenues. Mr. Wilk also stated that the lack of business development in Mansfield will begin to affect the budget in the next year. He added that as a group the Town needs to develop a long term strategy for growing businesses with all boards and committees working in the same direction. Mr. Wilk offered the services and support of the Finance Committee to help anyone who would like the assistance. Mr. Schoonveld stated that every service provided in Town needs to have a cost associated with it. He added that there needs to be a robust pricing model approach to this. He then asked Mr. Dumas if he was recommending a trash and recycling fee and if this could be done by July first. Mr. Dumas answered that it would be. Mr. Schoonveld said he is hesitant to accept collecting fees for trash and recycling, but noted there was still time to discuss. Mr. Dumas discussed the comprehensive approaches that he was considering and commented that he needs to know and understand why businesses are not coming to Mansfield. Mr. Wilk reminded that this process would take 18-36 months and the need to focus on a five or six year goal. He recommended a strategy meeting to determine a course of action and was willing to host. Mr. Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen February 14, 2018 Page 1 Schoonveld seconded the need for a strategy meeting and stated that the Town needs to look at how to develop an economic strategy to have a short and long term strategy to bring businesses to Mansfield. Mr. Aptowitz stated that the new DPW Complex was five times the size of the old building and asked if the overhead costs of running that building are factored into the budget, he noted it is more energy efficient, but stated it has to cost more to run it. Mr. Dumas answered that it was not put into the budget and that the first bill received in January was not reflective of the actual costs because of bad sensors and heat running too high and throughout the night. Mr. DelVecchio stated that he liked the economic development discussion and now the Town has an asset in the Town Manager to coordinate economic development as well as the Industrial Development Commission to support efforts those efforts and take the Town Managers recommendations. Mr. DelVecchio then asked if Mr. Dumas used the number for the school department that was passed in January and Mr. Dumas confirmed he had. Ms. O'Neil stated that it has been a smoother budget process and the school has a target they are working towards. Ms. O'Neil then stated they are looking at utilities and how fees compare to other surrounding towns. Mr. Donoghue stated their budget is currently a 3.3 percent increase over last year and are working to lower it to only a 2.8 percent increase. He noted there are retirees that have reduced the salary budget and a longterm natural gas contract was signed to reduce energy costs. Mr. Donoghue stated they are also looking to hire staff for inside maintenance instead of contracting out for that service to save money as well as changes with the busing, routes to find savings. Mr. DelVecchio asked if the school would be adding staff and Mr. Donoghue answered that currently there is no additional staff being added to the budget, however if funding were available there are four positions that they would like to add. Chairman Trowbridge stated that this also assumes there are no special education students that move into Town that could increase the budget. Chairman Trowbridge stated that Selectmen would attend the Finance Committee meeting on April 5, 2018. 3. Consideration of Ana Newell to serve on the Keep Mansfield Beautiful Committee Ms. Newell came forward and stated that she has lived in Mansfield thirty years and has had a landscape and design business for the past eighteen years. She stated that she has been involved with the committee as a volunteer since it began and she maintains the East Common flag pole. Mr. Rhein commented that she has been ... involved with the committee and that Ms. Newell does a great job and would be a great addition. Mr. Schoonveld thanked her for applying. Mr. Aptowitz had no questions. Mr. DelVecchio thanked her for how well the East Common always looks. Chairman Trowbridge stated she was very talented and was envious of her green thumb. Motion: To appoint Ana Newell to serve on the Keep Mansfield Beautiful Committee to an unexpired term to expire.on December 31, 2020. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 4. Consideration of Change of Manager Application for Vision Hampshire LLC dba Holiday Inn Mr. Ptak came forward and stated that the former manager was no longer with the Holiday Inn. Mr. Ptak stated he was the General Manager and would be taking over the alcohol license responsibility. Chairman Trowbridge asked how long the last manager had been gone and Mr. Ptak answered two weeks. Mr. DelVecchio had no questions. Mr. Aptowitz wished him the best. Mr. Schoonveld asked if there were any expected challenges and Mr. Ptak answered that it has been a smooth transition and staff have been there a very long time. He stated that he is the new face, but all the staff are TIPS certified and he did not expect any challenges. Mr. Rhein thanked him for providing his TIPS certification and had no questions. Chairman Trowbridge had no questions. Motion: To approve the change in manager application for Vision Hampshire LLC dba Holiday Inn pending routing through Town Hall Departments and Public Safety. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen February 14, 2018 Page 2 5. Discussion of Articles by Selectmen for Town Meeting and Potential Vote Chairman Trowbridge stated that within the last couple it was suggested to change the name of the Board of Selectmen to Select Board to be gender neutral. He stated that this can be done without a great deal of effort, according to Mr. DeRensis. Mr. Schoonveld stated that the Town Charter refers to the Town Manager as only a male. Chairman Trowbridge then stated that the residency requirement for the Town Manager can go three possible ways. The first is that this is just a minor change and could just go to Town Meeting for vote; however some attorneys could argue that it is a major change and would require a ballot vote. The other option is to petition for home rule to the state representatives, but the representatives could come back saying a ballot vote is required. Chairman Trowbridge agreed that the Board should move forward as this is something that has affected the ability to attract Town Manager candidates. Mr. DelVecchio stated that the Board should go the easiest and most legitimate way; however he noted that there will be lots of debate on the topic. Mr. Schoonveld questioned whether it is employment discrimination to limit the radius of where the Town Manager must live, he did note that the Supreme Court ruled that it was not discrimination in the case of Chicago Police officers having to reside in Chicago. Mr. Aptowitz noted that Boston Police have the same requirement. Mr. Rhein agreed and supported this change. Mr. Rhein asked if there was the same requirement of the Chief of Police or Fire Chief. Chairman Trowbridge answered there was not. Mr. Rhein stated he felt those positions are more critical to be close by over the Town Manager. Mr. Schoonveld stated that he has seen other communities require that the Town Manager must live in an adjoining town, but has not seen one with a mile radius stipulation. Mr. DelVecchio was in favor of eliminating it from the charter. Chairman Trowbridge was in favor of eliminating it all together with no radius. Chairman Trowbridge stated it was not Mr. Dumas who asked for this Charter change and he has recused himself from this discussion. 6. Discussion of Recreational Marijuana Sales and Updates Chairman Trowbridge stated that the Planning Board was working on getting Zoning Bylaws in place for Town meeting as well as extending the existing moratorium until June 30, 2019. Chairman Trowbridge stated that he met with the Attorney General who was in town last week and there appears to be an opportunity to extend the moratorium. Mr. Dumas confirmed that he has met with Shaun Burke, Chief Sellon and legal counsel. Mr. Schoonveld stated that we have three paths going, the zoning approach by the planning board, the extension of the moratorium, and a resident is putting a town meeting article forward for consideration to ban sales. He expressed that in our last meeting there was a desire to hear from the voters and that he could not think of a fourth path. Mr. Rhein stated the Downtown Committee met and the consensus was if retail establishments are allowed in Mansfield, the Committee does not want them in the Downtown area. 7. Resident Questions and Comments There were none. B. 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 Meeting Minutes for: • January 31, 2018 b) Vote To Approve Warrants: • Town Vendor Warrant No. 18032T in the amount of $441,244.29 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 18032E in the amount of 269,426.17 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 18033T in the amount of $853,339.53 • School Vendor Warrant No. 18033S in the amount of $422,969.96 c) Permits and License: • Consideration of Drainlayer's License for Riccio Excavation Co. Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen February 14, 2018 Page 3 • Consideration of Drainlayer's License for Walsh Brothers Building Co., Inc. • Consideration of Banner Application for Keep Mansfield Beautiful d) Proclamations Motion: To approve the consent agenda. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 9. Consideration and Approval of Town Payroll Warrants: • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18032PT in the amount of $381,694.16 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18032PT in the amount of $381,694.16. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18032TV in the amount of $117,045.06 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18032TV in the amount of $117,045.06. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 18032PS in the amount of $1,639,213.02 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 18032PS in the amount of $1,639,213.02. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 18032SV in the amount of $534,066.00 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 18032SV in the amount of $534,066.00. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18033PT in the amount of $337,277.85 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18033PT in the amount of $337,277.85. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18033TV in the amount of $101,629.31 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18033TV in the amount of $101,629.31. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 5:0 10. Correspondence • Letter from Bristol County Agricultural High School • Letter from Verizon Franchise Service Manager of Form 500 for 2017 • Letter from Xfinity Comcast of Form 500 for 2017 • Letter from Robert Saquet Mr. DelVecchio read a summary of the above correspondences and read the full letter from Robert Saquet. Mr. Aptowitz noted that the Bristol County Agriculture High School project did pass. 11. Town Manager's Report Mr. Dumas stated that he continues to attend the weekly progress updates of the municipal project and demolition of the old DPW building was expected for Friday and the debris would be removed on Monday. Mr. Dumas met with Mr. Donoghue in regards to the spike in natural gas prices and they worked together to get a long term contract in place to reduce costs. Mr. Dumas then stated he had a meeting with Senator Feeney to go over fiscal nineteen budget concerns as well as trying to get the rest area on Route 495 reopened. Mr. Aptowitz noted that Representative Poirier may also be of help with that issue. Mr. Dumas stated that he had a meeting with the state about the intersection of Route 140 and Route 106 to extend their scope and work with the state to get the project started before 2023 as it is currently planned. Mr. Dumas met with Keep Mansfield Beautiful Committee and discussed many items including pretreatment of areas that have lots of weeds and looking at a bio friendly way to spray as well as lighting under bridges and signage and ways to make downtown special. Mr. Dumas stated that he continues to meet biweekly with the Fire Chief, Police Chief and Superintendent. Mr. Dumas Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen February 14, 2018 rage r then stated he will be creating time lines and getting CIP projects completed that were funded through years past. Mr. Dumas then stated that he met with Verizon Wireless about cell phone issues in Mansfield. He noted that Verizon has a master plan to deal with the challenges scheduled for 2019, but they will be making some minor tweaks to improve service temporarily. Mr. Dumas stated that he is working with building relationships with businesses within the industrial park and the Holiday Inn has offered to host a quarterly meeting. Lastly, Mr. Dumas stated that warrant articles are due by March 1'` at the Town Clerk's office. 12. Selectmen's Questions and Comments Mr. DelVecchio stated that he enjoyed the meeting with the Finance and School Committees and stated that it is important to understand the budget and what the process was. Mr. DelVecchio was excited to hear that Mr. Dumas will be attending the IDC meeting, noting that it was a group of excellent volunteers. Mr. Aptowitz stated that he may not agree with Mr. Dumas's ideas for the budget, but would keep an open mind. Mr. Aptowitz then stated that the Board has not been updated on the Regional Dispatch Center; he noted that the idea was sold to the Town with the understanding that the Town would receive $5 million from the State to upgrade that building. Mr. Dumas answered that Mr. Rob Verdone was coming to the next Board meeting to give an update. Mr. Aptowitz then asked about all the pot holes and if there was a dedicated crew for fixing them. Mr. Dumas answered the crews are working hard to keep up with fixing them. Mr. Aptowitz asked if Mr. Dumas has met with Jeff Mann from the Xfinity Center and Mr. Dumas confirmed he had and there are more shows planned for this year than last. Mr. Schoonveld asked that Mr. Dumas reach out to Jay Ash who is the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development will be releasing an Economic Development Bill this summer. Mr. Schoonveld stated that the Board received the letter from Scott Feeney; but Mansfield was not on the list of communities for funding. Mr. Schoonveld noted that he took a tour of the new DPW facility and commented that it was a top notch facility, but not a Taj Mahal. Mr. Schoonveld then asked the rhetorical tax question of the week: What is the sum total of the un -utilized and vacant land value in Town and what could it be? Mr. Schoonveld then noted that Arlington received an award for a property registry that was created to addresses property vacancies. Mr. Rhein updated the Board on the Downtown Committee and stated that the parking signs for public parking should be installed in the spring. He noted that many buildings are not built for restaurants because they don't have venting and grease traps, so it is difficult and costly for restaurants to do a retrofit. Mr. Rhein asked about speeding in the school zone and stated there is not a speed limit sign posted when school is not in session. Mr. Dumas answered that if it is not posted it is thirty miles per hour. Mr. Rhein stated it would be helpful to have a sign posted. Mr. Rhein then stated that he attended the fundraiser for MMAS and noted that it is a great venue for the Town to have and that MMAS is trying to make it a regional venue not just for Mansfield which will make it a great tool for economic development. Mr. Dumas commented that it was a great event. 13. Any items not anticipated by the Chairman 48 hours prior to this meeting There were no items. 14. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the February 14, 2018 Board of Selectmen meeting at 8:24PM. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Passes 5:0 f Signature Date Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen February 14, 2018 Page 5