Selectmen Meeting Minutes — October 2,
2008—7:00
p.m. — Memorial Hall
Call to order: The meeting was called to order by Chairman, Robert Manners.
Other members present: John Payne and Joseph Judd. Finance Committee
members Jerry Dubie, John Wheeler and Laura Sandvik were in attendance
to hear discussions relative to town finance.
Acceptance of minutes: John made a motion to accept the meeting minutes
of September 18, 2008 as presented. Joe seconded the motion. Motion carried
unanimously.
Noteworthy News:
- First Congregational Church Fall Festival, Saturday,
October 4, 2008
- Annual Highway Collection of White Goods, Scrap Metal & Electronic,
Saturday, October 4, 2008, Shelburne Highway Garage
- F.C. Solid Waste
District "Anything Goes" Collection, Saturday,
10/4/08, Buckland Recreation Area
Department Liaison Reports:
Cash Flow Concerns - John reported that the Treasurer has borrowed $100,000
from the Stabilization Account leaving a balance of approximately $150,000.
Bills and payroll have been met this week however, tax collections
are very slow and the Treasurer is concerned. The Town is waiting on
a sizeable amount from the State for reimbursement of Chapter 90 related
work. Rather than deplete our Stabilization account, the Board discussed
the possibility of borrowing short-term. As a financial safeguard,
John will instruct the Treasurer to initiate the lengthy borrowing
process and if it becomes necessary to execute the loan, John will
notify the Board in advance. If financial concerns continue, Joe indicated
that the Board may have to consider a "freeze" on all unnecessary
spending.
Meeting Space - Joe reported that he has spoken with Marion
Taylor about the possibility of using the Village Informational Center
as a potential meeting space for those evenings when multiple boards
are scheduled for the same night. The Information Center is available
for use on Monday and Thursday evenings. Marion will speak with her
Board of Directors and get back to Joe. John reported that the Shelburne
Fire Department may also be a possibility for meeting space and the
Board of Health is considering utilizing that space for their meetings.
Highway - the purchase of winter sand and salt via the F.R.C.O.G's bidding
process has yielded an increase of $9.56 more per ton over last year
for salt and approximately $1.50 more per ton for sand. The Highway Superintendent
is unsure of how those increases will impact his budget until he knows
what kind of a winter we will be faced with.
7:15 p.m. Pete Hillman RE:
Part-time Specialized Help - the Highway Superintendent reported that
he has two part-time winter employees that have worked for the town for
many years. Both possess CDL licenses, receive no over-time yet provide
countless hours of assistance nights, weekends and holidays in order
to keep Shelburne's roads passable in the winter months. The part-time
help is currently paid an hourly rate of $13.88 and when comparing that
rate to other towns, the Superintendent feels that the positions should
be upgraded to $16.28 per hour. Although everyone agreed that the part-time
employees were worthy of the pay increase, when taking into consideration
the town's present financial concerns; the consensus of both the Selectmen
and the Finance Committee was that the request should be factored into
next year's budget.
7:30 p.m. Alain Peteroy, Franklin land Trust & George Randall
RE: Randall APR - George Randall is working with the Department of Agriculture
to sell an agricultural preservation restriction (APR) to the state on
the 21 acres around his house. According to Alain Peteroy, the land is
highly developable and scenic with 12.6 acres of prime farmland and state
important soils. The Department of Agriculture is looking to Shelburne
and Colrain to support their farms with a local contribution. The Town
of Colrain has voted to give a local match proportionate to what Shelburne
votes to give (approximately 7 of the 21 acres are located in Colrain).
After a brief discussion amongst members of the Board of Selectmen and
members of the Finance Committee, Joe made a motion to appropriate $700
from the Land Preservation Account. John seconded the motion. Motion
passed unanimously.
8:00 p.m. Larry Flaccus, Open Space RE: Community
Preservation Act -
Larry Flaccus reported that the Open Space Committee is in unanimous
support of pursuing the Community Preservation Act; recognizing the immediate
benefit of a 3% surcharge in the first year. The Open Space Committee
would like to know how they can facilitate the process collaboratively
so that the Act can be placed on the June ballot. Larry suggested an "All
Boards" meeting followed by a public informational session. Laura
Sandvik expressed concern for those taxpayers who are already having
difficulty paying their taxes and wondered how they would afford an additional
surcharge. Before deciding whether or not to pursue the Act, Finance
Committee members were asked review information relative to the program
and report back to the Board of Selectmen with their thoughts. The Finance
Committee will return in two weeks for follow-up discussion.
Open Meeting Law Reminder - the Town Clerk brought it to the attention
of the Executive Secretary that the Finance Committee had not posted
their meeting in accordance with the Open Meeting Law. Chairman, Robert
Manners thanked the Town Clerk for her diligence and reminded members
of the Finance Committee that even though their attendance was prompted
by an invitation of the Board of Selectmen for the purpose of discussion
only and no votes were taken; the Open Meeting Law requires that meetings
be posted 48 hours in advance when a quorum of a governmental body is
present.
OLD BUSINESS:
Highway Department RE: Sale of Used Trucks - the Highway Superintendent
will work with his department liaison to come up with a fair minimum
asking price for the two town trucks (1982 and 1984) that have been
removed from the town fleet. The trucks will be displayed at the town
garage for a specified period of time. The Highway Superintendent will
have the authority to negotiate any potential sales providing that
the final decision has been discussed with his department liaison.
Part-time
Clerical help for ZBA, Planning Board & Board of Health - the Board of Selectmen will be meeting with members of the screening
committee on Tuesday, October 7th to discuss the first-round of interviews,
bring forth the names of one to three finalists, and determine whether
or not more than one person will be hired for the three positions, and
if so, how the positions will be structured.
Arms Library Roof - after
the most recent roof leak, Joe contacted Paul Holtz of the Massachusetts
Historic Commission to see if there were any emergency provisions that
could help the town move forward with the roof repair and/or replacement.
Joe was informed of a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund that can
be applied for in emergency situations. The Town would have to submit
an estimate for repair and be willing to match the emergency grant dollar
for dollar over a three-year period. Finance Committee member Jerry Dubie
recommended that the Board take a hard look at whether or not the town
is in a position to invest this kind of money into the library building.
Jerry is concerned with the fact that residents are already having difficulty
paying their taxes. Discussion then turned to whether or not the town
should keep the building, whether or not the library should be moved
to the elementary school or whether or not to allow the new leadership
at the Arms Library to generate a whole new level of energy and see where
that goes.
NEW BUSINESS:
Managing Town's Cash Flow - see department liaison report.
Scott Sawyer,
Fiscal Officer RE: Request for Contract for Services - John will be
scheduling a meeting with Scott and will provide follow-up information
at the next Selectmen's meeting.
Academy at Charlemont RE: Request to
Label Drainage - the seventh grade class is working with the Deerfield
River watershed to raise communal awareness of river pollution and run-off.
As part of their project, the class would like to label storm drains
in Shelburne indicating that the drain empties into the river. The Water
Department, the Highway Superintendent and the Board of Selectmen are
supportive of the project in theory however, they would first like to
see a design plan (to include color scheme) before granting final approval.
Terry will contact the school to obtain more information.
Police Department RE: Full-time Officer - after reviewing
the Police Chief's letter of request along with an accompanying job description,
a motion was made by Joe to internally post the position of full-time
Patrol Officer for a one-week period. John seconded the motion. Motion
carried as follows: Joe and John - yes; Bob - abstained.
McAuliffe Regional
Charter School RE: Geology Class - the school is requesting permission
to access the glacial potholes on Thursday, October 16 and Thursday,
October 23rd from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the purpose of geological
studies. A motion was made by Joe granting the school permission to access
the area providing that the weather conditions and water flow are conducive
to a safe visit and providing that the town's "Hold
Harmless" agreement is signed by the school. John seconded the motion.
Motion carried unanimously.
S.F.A.B.A. RE: Request to Close Baker Ave - the S.F.A.B.A. is working with a number of businesses to promote a "shopping" event
on Saturday, October 18th and Sunday, October 19th. The event will include
a live radio broadcast with Bear Country 95.3. The S.F.A.B.A. is requesting
permission to close Baker Avenue on Saturday between the hours of 10:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A motion was made by John to approve the request contingent
upon Chief Walker's approval. Joe seconded the motion. Motion carried
unanimously.
Public Comment - none
Recess 9:13 p.m.: a motion was made by Joe to call for a brief recess
while waiting for their next appointment with the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Motion seconded by John and carried unanimously.
Reconvened at 9:23 p.m.
9:23 p.m. Zoning Board of Appeals RE: Pending Litigation - a motion
was made by John to enter into executive session with the Zoning Board
of Appeals to discuss pending litigation. Motion seconded by Joe. A roll
call vote was taken as follows: Bob - yes; John - yes; Joe - yes. The
Board will not reconvene in open session following the executive session.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Mosher
Executive Secretary |
