Selectmen Meeting Minutes — February
5, 2009—7:00
p.m. — Memorial Hall
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chairman Manners.
Other members present: John Payne and Joseph Judd.
Acceptance of Minutes: A motion was made by John to accept the minutes
of January 27, 2009 as presented. Joe seconded the motion. Motion passed
unanimously.
DEPARTMENT LIAISON REPORTS:
Town Office - John reported that the Town Collector's computer crashed
last week however no valuable data was lost. Fortunately, the Collector
backs up her hard drive on a regular basis and had recently purchased
a new computer. The new computer is up and running and all data has
been transferred. John reminded residents that taxes were due February
2nd and urged those taxpayers who have not yet made their payments
to do so.
John also reported that he attended a Franklin Regional Council of Government
budget meeting. Although the Inspection Program's budget reflects a 9%
increase for fiscal year 2010, Shelburne's annual assessment for F.R.C.O.G.
related services should reflect a $600 reduction from last year.
Police
Department - Joe reported that he and Steve have been discussing the
impact of the most recent budget directives and the potential areas of
his department's operations that will be impacted. The two have also
been addressing concerns relative to large icicles forming on privately
owned buildings on Bridge Street that are in danger of falling on the
public way.
Highway Department - Bob indicated that he had spent the day working
on the highway department's maintenance budget for fiscal year 2010.
He reported that the snow and ice budget for this year has been depleted.
The Superintendent is hopeful that he has enough salt stockpiled to last
through the remainder of the winter season. In an effort to save money,
the Highway Superintendent has implemented some changes in the manner
in which roads are addressed during snow storms (i.e. altering call-in
times, hours of plowing, ratio of sand and salt, etc). John reported
that the changes have not gone unnoticed and he has received some positive
feedback. To the contrary, Joe indicated that he has received numerous
complaints about the conditions of our roads. Following the last storm,
John stated that he had received an inquiry concerning the timing of
the town's plowing efforts. The inquiry was made after a school bus had
got stuck on the Bardwells Ferry Road. Bob explained that the last storm
was rather complicated. The Highway Superintendent had anticipated that
the School District would delay the opening of school like all the other
surrounding towns however, that did not occur and as a result, the crew's
response was somewhat delayed. Joe indicated that communication between
the school and the highway department has always been problematic. After
a brief discussion, Bob agreed that he would contact the school's Superintendent
to see what could be done to improve the lines of communication.
The highway department's 1997 Mack truck continues to be a problem. Most
recently, the throw-out bearing and the clutch failed. Pete had originally
assigned two members of the department to repair the truck however in
order to access the area of repair; the transmission has to be dropped.
Being that the job is larger than anticipated; Rusty Coombs of Colrain,
MA will be hired to assist with the work. Bob estimates that the total
repair will cost approximately $3,000.
Lastly, Joe wanted to make it clear that despite Buckland's decision
to temporarily suspend the disbursement of sand for use by local residents,
Shelburne will still provide sand for use by our residents at both the
highway garage and the Cowell gymnasium.
7:30 p.m. Special Town Meeting - Chairman Manners recessed the Selectmen's
meeting and announced that it would reconvene following the special town
meeting. Finance Committee members present: Lynn Benander, Laura Sandvik
and Greg Oles. Moderator, James Stacy
7:54 p.m. Meeting reconvened.
OLD BUSINESS:
Winter Parking Ban Additional Parking - in response to the lack of tenement
parking in the village area, the town is offering another location
for overnight parking. The town-owned lot located below Mole Hollow
Candle will be available to residents between the hours of 6:00 p.m.
and 8:00 a.m.
2009 CDBG Grant Application RE: Vote of Support - a three-part
motion was made by Joe and seconded by John to:
- approve the submission
of the 2009 Joint Community Development Block Grant application which
includes the following activities: Reconstruction of Main Street in
Shelburne; Reconstruction of a section of Franklin Street in Buckland;
a Neighbor-to-Neighbor program delivered by the Shelburne Senior Center;
Emergency Food Assistance Program delivered by Community Action and
General Administration by a private consultant and Shelburne staff;
- to authorize the Chairman and staff to sign any documents associated
with the application and;
- to approval the final plans and specifications
for improvements to Main Street.
The motion was approved unanimously.
Spending Freeze and FY'2010 Budget
Directives Revisited - in response to the Governor's $30,400 reduction
in Shelburne FY'09 state aid, the Board has enacted an immediate spending
freeze on all non-essential purchases. A lengthy discussion ensued amongst
Board members regarding the manner in which the town will balance the
budget in order to compensate for the loss. Fiscal Officer, Scott Sawyer
had created a list of accounts that could be drawn from to make up the
$30,400 difference. John disagreed with the approach and suggested that
rather than take from surplus account balances; each department should
be asked to generate $10,000 whether by reducing salaries, operating
budgets or both. Finance Committee Chairman, Lynn Benander who was present
for the discussion agreed with John in theory but was concerned that
his suggested approach was too drastic being the town has already spent
75% of the total budget for this fiscal year. With only 25% of the overall
budget remaining, Lynn suggested the need for better management of expenditures.
She disagreed with John's suggestion to reduce employee's hours and/or
salaries. Joe stated that he is in favor of looking at each and every
line of the budget in an attempt to find ways to make up for the loss
in state aid but he is not completely sold on the idea of cutting hours.
He is concerned for employee morale. As a way of saving money, Joe stated
that he would rather reduce the town's contribution to health insurance;
from 75% to 70%. Bob summarized the discussion by pointing out the differences
between short-term and long-term solutions; suggesting that each and
every idea be examined carefully. Bob was supportive of the Board's suggestion
to forgo their 2.5% salary increase for the remainder of the fiscal year
but did not want to see hourly employees subject to the same reduction.
Finance Committee member Greg Oles suggested that the Board look at all
contracts for services and determine whether or not some of those services
can be brought in-house. He suggested time-off rather than over-time
and urged the Board to be very creative moving forward. Looking ahead
to next fiscal year, Shelburne anticipates an estimated $27,000 cut in
state-aid; in response, departments have been asked to present two additional
budget scenarios; one representing a 10% reduction in operating expenses
and one representing a 15% reduction in operating expenses.
8:30 p.m. Zoning Board of Appeals Budget Presentation
(Joe Palmeri, Chairman) - Joe began his presentation by stating that his Board is ecstatic
to have the assistance of the part-time administrative assistant. As
requested by the Board, Joe presented a level-funded budget in the amount
of $1,825. $1,500 of the budget represents 104 hours of clerical support;
leaving $325 for expenditures; primarily postage and advertising. If
the Zoning Board were to reduce their operating expenses by 10%, it would
reflect a savings of $32.50; a 15% reduction would reflect a savings
of $48.75. Given the frequency of hearings over the last year, Joe would
like to establish a revolving account for his Board so that monies received
by applicants for advertising costs could be placed in an account to
be used for that purpose. Presently, monies received from applicants
are placed in the general fund. Members of the Board suggested that Joe
speak with the Fiscal Officer about establishing such an account.
NEW BUSINESS:
Selectmen's Change in Meeting Schedule - given the demand for meeting
space at Memorial Hall on a Thursday evenings, the Board began to explore
the possibility of changing their meeting nights to Monday evenings.
After checking schedules and speaking with the public access channel
personnel it appears that every other Monday evenings will work. After
a brief discussion, a motion was made by John to change the Selectmen's
meeting night from every other Thursday to every other Monday night
beginning March 2nd. Joe seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Shelburne Senior Center RE: Friday Closings - in light of the funding
issues facing member towns, Director, Jamie Godfrey feels that it would
be prudent to close the Senior Center to the public on Fridays. The Center
is not used heavily on Fridays and to heat and light the main hall for
only a few individuals is not cost effective. Jamie indicated that vital
services such as transportation will not be interrupted; activities and
meetings will be rescheduled for another day; and staff will be present
to answer phone calls and performing administrative duties. A motion
was made by Joe to approve the request effective immediately. John seconded
the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
Shelburne Senior Center RE: Request to Change Activities
Coordinator Job Description - Director, Jamie Godfrey provided
the Selectmen with a copy of the current job description as well as
a copy of the proposed job description which includes a change in title.
Jamie feels that the proposed changes reflect more accurately both
what the individual does and how the Center envisions the position
evolving in the coming years. The request was tabled until the Board
had an opportunity to review the proposed changes.
Mass Highway Department
RE: Brook Road Status - Mass Highway has received a letter from the
Town of Colrain concerning Shelburne's ability to reopen Brook Road
for the use by both municipalities. District Aid Engineer, Kathyrn
Stevens has contacted our Highway Superintendent to discuss the status
of the road and the magnitude of repair. Ms. Stevens informed him that
Shelburne is eligible for a Small Town Road Assistance Program Grant
up to $500,000 with 100% of the grant being reimbursed by the Commonwealth.
Bob reported that Pete has received the application and has had preliminary
discussions with the F.R.C.O.G. regarding their assistance with the required
paperwork. A motion was made by Joe directing the Highway Superintendent
to pursue the STRAP grant as a funding source for the repair of Brook
Road. John seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Joe requested
that the Board be kept informed throughout the application process.
OTHER BUSINESS:
S.F.A.B.A. RE: Trash & Recycling Survey - Mary Vilbon, Executive
Director of the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association is requesting
permission to send a brief survey to Shelburne residents regarding the
town's trash collection and recycling program. A motion was made by Joe
to authorize the S.F.A.B.A. to mail the survey. John seconded the motion.
Motion carried unanimously.
Adjournment: Joe made a motion to adjourn at 9:20 p.m. John seconded
the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Mosher
Executive Secretary |
