Date of Meeting: Monday, June 2, 2008
Location: Town Hall, 221 Main Street
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:45 PM
Members Present: Chairman James Stanton, Ken Sydow, Roger Deal
Others Present: Suzanne Olsen, Town Administrator; Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant; Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel; others as listed on sign-in sheet
Financial warrants were signed in approval prior to the meeting.
Meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM.
Lions Club Request – Ken made a motion to approve the sign request and waive the field use fee and waive building permit fee for tent. Motion seconded, voted All in Favor.
One-day Alcohol License – Roger made a motion to approve a one-day alcoholic license request from Clinton Savings Bank for 6/18/08, subject to review and signature of Police Chief.
Road Materials Bid – Ken made a motion to approve the Highway Superintendent’s recommendation to award low bidders for Bituminous Concrete and Pavement bids.
Reorganization of Board – Ken made a motion that Jim Stanton remain as Chairman. Motion seconded; voted All in Favor. Roger made motion that Ken Sydow be Vice-Chairman and Roger Deal be Clerk.
Appointments:
- Affordable Housing
- Cable Advisory
- Conservation Committee
- Capital Planning: Howard Drobner – send letter; can’t be on as Planning Board rep; no longer on Planning Board.
- Council on Aging
- Cultural Council
- Earth Removal Board – send letter to A. Gibree -- send letter to each Board for ERB appointee
- Finance Committee – pass over
- Historic District Commission – hold – check with Bruce Symonds – vacancy ?
- Homeland Security
- Memorial Day – pass over
- Open Space Committee – pass over
- Senior Tax Rebate – pass over
- Stormwater – send letter to Conservation Commission/Board of Health
- Town House Committee – pass over
- Veterans’ Agent – pass over
- Parking Clerk
- Building Inspector – pass over. Roger wants to hold off for now.
- Town Counsel – FY’09
Habitat for Humanity – Hank Rauch; Matt Wally – proposal to begin project in Boylston.
- All funding and volunteers come from the community.
- Spoke with Boylston Affordable Housing Committee; will work with them to create committee, fundraising, oversight and family selection process (done by an experienced commissioner along with volunteers from Boylston).
- Eligibility – 25 – 50 percent of area median income ($18,000 - $30,000 for a family of four, average eligibility in this area). Don’t qualify for loans, due to income. They are given a 30-year no-interest mortgage, held by Habitat for Humanity. Family is expected to put 400 to 500 hours of work into property/program.
- Project would be under 40B. Property deeded in perpetuity as 40B property.
- Homes typically duplex of single-family home (1200 square feet, average, per three bedroom home ).
- Would like Board of Selectmen’s support to begin comprehensive permit process. Mill Road Circle lot offered, is non-conforming .46 acres. Owner is donating land; would perk lot and attempt two three-bedroom duplex or reduce to whatever the lot would support.
- They would go to the community to recruit funding and volunteers.
- Petition for LIP to DHCD; then plan would be proposed to Board of Selectmen. If they support it, they need a letter to State supporting project (required by DHCD).
- Jim: a two-family home? Hank: Yes. Jim: On which side? Hank: right side, adjacent to and behind home located on Mill Road and Mill Road Circle.
- Ken: they’d go to Conservation Commission, ZBA, etc.
- Hank: after going to DHCD they go to ZBA, then to Conservation Commission.
- Jim: is the land donator an abutter? Hank: Charles and Claire Fitz; sold home, donated land.
- Bill Filsinger (ZBA Chair): Why 40B, not40A? Hank: If Boylston wants it counted toward affordable housing, it needs to be 40B in order to go through DHCD. Matt: Because it’s non-conforming and affordable.
- Mike Borsuk (Affordable Housing Chair): The committee has spoken with them; they support it and they are ready to go.
- Ken Sydow sees no reason not to support it. Matt: this will be in partnership with the Town.
- Roger: would they first want to talk to the neighbors who abut the property? Matt: they would first get support from the Board of Selectmen, then approach abutters. Ken: abutters will also be notified prior to ZBA/Conservation Commission hearings, etc.
- The Board is in support of the project.
Cable Committee – Mike Ridinger –
- Met with Verizon representative last week; she confirmed we did everything we were supposed to do; not sure why it didn’t move forward. They would like to get in 2009 plan.
- Added part-time station manager recently; station is growing. Regarding the renovation to happen downstairs,- would like a very small area (roughly 6 x 8) to move their servers to since there’s already a door connecting to the room. Roger: Would that impede onto potential new tenant? Mike: No.
- Jim said he doesn’t see why not.
FY’09 Budget/Override Discussion
- Jim: School Committee resubmitted reduced budget; requires Special Town Meeting.
- Ken made a motion that Special Town Meeting date be set for June 30; Roger seconded, voted All in Favor.
- Joe Connelly: Last week the Elementary School Committee met to close the gap of $624,522. ID’d “least harmful” cuts. Committee took action to use
$60K from available School Choice
Impose $200 band fee -- $14K revenue
Principal salary savings -- $7K
Increase lunch by 25¢ and use kitchen repair money -- $2,922
Unemployment -- $10K (since positions not yet reduced on staff).
Professional Development reduced $21,800
Implement bus fee of $100 under two miles – K-6 and Regional School District (very few from Tahanto under two miles) – anticipate average $30K revenue
Library books – no new books -- $3K
Grade 5 reading teacher -- $26,130
TOTAL ELEMENTARY: $174,852
Regional School Committee:
State aid adjustment - $3,691 (additional)
Health insurance adjusts: $14,311 and $13,211 (passed on to employees with Fallon)
Building Committee expenses -- $2,750
DOE correction (double counted some Special Ed and Student Choice students) -- $40,000
Staff -- $24,108 (Retiree replaced with entry-level)
Athletic supply/uniforms -- $15,000
TOTAL REGIONAL: $113,071
Other Possibilities Proposed:
Increased health insurance co-pays at Tahanto -- $25-$30K
This, factored with potential $110K from municipal budget that Board of Selectmen will propose, reduces to $261,960 the existing gap after all cuts/changes.
Jim: the only program reduction in the region is the sports fee? Joe: Yes. Jim: there is not enough free cash to cover the gap. The municipal side of $110K effort is equal to one half of $218K Assabet tuition, which is a requirement. Jim explained how the Board of Selectmen cut and made adjustments since the municipal budget was out of balance (during budget process in April). Police Department Reserves were cut; Highway Department position/salaries were reduced, etc. When reviewing recently, after failed override, Library and Board of Health Mosquito Control, as well as other municipal operations, such as Town House, Memorial Day, etc.
Jim asked Nick Langhart about State aid received. Nick: Currently between $4 and $5K. Implication of de-accrediting library is a loss to Boylston residents of Boylston library, as well as surrounding towns, since most don’t loan to non-accredited-town cardholders. They do enforce the no-lending policy. If we are de-certified and a resident went to another town library, they would not be eligible for a library card, or to borrow books.
Sue T: part of certification is that they look at the last three years’ budgets; they require 2½% additional. There is an opportunity to cut a little, but not much. Also, if certification is lost, it’s for an entire year.
Jim: Sue Olsen called Mosquito Control and the Board of Selectmen reviewed 2007 reports – only five monitoring locations IDd. Dennis Costello: those were monitoring sites, after mosquitoes were found; more information is available; will get it to the Board of Selectmen. Dennis: I was told that the only way to get out of Mosquito Control is that it needs to be voted at the Annual Town Meeting.
Sue: DOR says it is okay to vote at Special Town Meeting.
Joe Connelly: the School Committee has considered other cuts. If forced, the elementary school would need to cut the library aide position; reduce custodial coverage; half curriculum/Title I position; instrumental band program would be eliminated; would not replace elementary retirement position; cut math tutor; implement chorus fee.
Also, Tahanto cuts would be potentially harmful and risk accreditation. The law requires all students to be engaged 990 hours a year in academic activities (5½ hours each day). Currently, leeway to cut would only be six minutes per day.
Total staff at Tahanto – 32. All are required to teach five periods a day = 160 available periods to meet needs.
Number of students – percentage of available staff – average class = 21
Very little latitude to reduce staff without violating learning needs.
Jim commended Joe on the budget process but agreed there will need to be some reduction in services, regardless of decisions made. For example: if police dispatch needs to be cut by 30%, which hours of the day do we choose not to have dispatch coverage? We need to look at all budgets line by line that at least covers our obligation (currently $218K vocation tuition).
E&D accounts have money,- possibly the School Committee could vote to allocate part of that to the next fiscal year.
Joe: during this process over the last several months, we have received solid support from the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee and as a team they are trying to come up with solutions. As a Superintendent, he can’t recommend any action that breaks the law (e.g., learning time, activity fees).
Ken: it is a painful situation – the residents voted based on the current economy. But we no longer have free cash to support operating budgets and there’s no easy answer to find the money needed.
Vin Perrone: budget problems affect the entire Town and the community needs to understand that all services are in jeopardy; we can’t do this any longer without incoming revenue. The School Committee just wants to provide level services and keep up. Message is different now.
Jim: reductions in Police Department and other cuts already done prior to Town Meeting.
Vin: School Board considered a Town override, not a school override. The entire
Town should be affected if money not passed.
Jim: regardless of what it’s called, money appropriated would have gone to schools if the override passed this year or last year, etc.
Asked that budgets (school and municipal) be re-reviewed and meet again next Monday for proposal to be made to the Town at a Special Town Meeting.
Ken: the problem is not unique to Boylston.
Roger: the Townspeople are very intellectual, but in this economy, it’s become an emotional issue. There is the suspicion that the schools will “find” the money somehow, regardless. If presented as Town or school override, it will not matter. How can we emotionally overcome this and neutralize the underlying emotional issues?
Vin: if it doesn’t matter what it’s called, then call it a Town override
Roger: it matters in the sense of integrity.
Jim: when an override question is on the warrant, it needs to be designated to which line item the money goes.
Stephen Madaus: the ballot language must mirror the appropriation as to where the money goes.
Jim: by Thursday of this week (June 5) we should go through the budgets and find a date to discuss.
Maria Zammitti (Oak Hill Lane): The schools came up with money – what dollar amount is short on the school side? What about the Town side?
Jim: the Town budget was in balance at the Town Meeting; but because after discussion with the School Department it ws agreed one half of $218K vocation tuition was due, it would be found by the Municipal side; the School Department has to come up with the other half.
Maria Z: the school budget has a lot of variables that aren’t controlled. As school cuts continue, she would also consider sending kids to another town. She agrees it should be presented as a Town override.
Carolyn Zagame: plans on staying with school system,- not taking her daughter out. She is happy with theschool services. Limited resources – need more money.
Heidi M: respectfully disagrees that Town understands needs for override. We have nothing to lose by going back to the Town for a Town override; parents are losing confidence and pulling children from theschool system.
Julia Huchnall: cutting programs and adding fees is not a way to keep kids in the system for long-term Why are kids going to school choice? Regarding suspicions in Town – alleviate by transparency.
Mr. Zoleski: Jim supports level services for municipalities, but why not supported for schools?
Jim: Municipality not level services. Level-funded.
Roger: the Board of Selectmen will do everything they can to pass the override if necessary.
Motion made and seconded to adjourn. Voted All in Favor.
Meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori Esposito
Administrative Assistant
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