Date of Meeting: Monday, November 2, 2009
Location: Town Hall, 221 Main Street
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:31 PM
Members Present: Chairman James Stanton, Ken Sydow
Others Present: Nancy Puff, Town Administrator; Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant; others as noted on sign-in sheet.
Absent: Roger Deal; Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel
Financial warrants signed.
Report of the Town Administrator to the Board of Selectmen:
· Compass Pointe: The Conservation Commission has issued an enforcement order against Compass Pointe and plans to assess them penalties for non-compliance. Steve Madaus has reviewed the proper bond form with Compass Pointe attorney, Cheryl Morrill.
· Verizon: Proposals have been received from Verizon Wireless to lease land for the location of cell towers on the Fire Station and Mile Hill Road sites. Both proposals contain a $25K/year annual base rent, to be increased by three percent each year. This will be voted upon at the Special Town Meeting.
· FY2009 Free Cash: Town Accountant Dan Haynes estimates free cash will be close to $500K; he has requested certification from DOR. Mrs. Colbert Puff will incorporate FY09 expenditures into FY11 budget worksheets to be distributed to all depts.
· Tax Title Auctioneer Proposal: Auctioneer Paul Zekos is prepared to assist the Town in auctioning off nine tax title parcels in the spring 2010. Nancy Puff will meet with Mr. Zekos to discuss price.
· Council on Aging: A joint meeting with the West Boylston Council to discuss shared services has been tentatively set for November 19, 2009.
· Gough House: The Hillside Restoration Committee is inviting volunteers to participate in discussions regarding future restoration and use of the building. The group will meet monthly, beginning November 16.
· Town Accountant Search: Three candidates for the position of Town Accountant have been interviewed. The unanimous recommendation is Nancy Nykiel of North Brookfield. She was highly recommended by our present Town Accountant, Dan Haynes.
Jim Stanton asked the Town Administrator how we are doing on the budget. Nancy said she is plugging in Dan’s numbers and expenditures from last year to distribute on worksheets.
Jim requested that Lori to set up a meeting for the end of November/early December with the Finance Committee.
Meeting Minutes: A motion to approve the October 19, 2009 minutes was seconded and voted All in Favor.
Appointments:
· Affordable Housing Committee: A motion to appoint Michael Borsuk was seconded and voted all in favor.
· Personnel Board: The Board of Selectmen has decided to reappoint those interested. Jim Stanton spoke with Larri Parker, who is willing; Jim has not spoken with the others yet. Additionally, the following group will rework the Personnel By-Laws: one Selectman, the Town Administrator, one Personnel Board Member and Attorney Kim Rozak.
· Reappointments will be held off until the others volunteers are confirmed.
Warrant Review: Moderator Dennis Pojani and Town Clerk Sandy Bourassa were present to review the November 9th Special Town Meeting warrant.
· Article 1: School - a simple majority is required
· Article 3: Planning Board – requires a two-thirds vote
Boylston Business Marketing Committee:
· A proposal was made by the Marketing Committee to the Board of Selectmen to conduct a cost-free investigation of Hillside gravel bank. Ken Sydow said he appreciates the generous offer but wants to be sure it’s appropriate to have individuals pay for an investigation of a potential gravel area on town-owned property. Jim asked Mrs. Puff to find out what the cost is and the Board will vote on it at the next meeting.
Appointment Policy: The Board of Selectmen will review the submitted policy draft and consider it at their next meeting.
Habitat for Humanity (appearing before the Board: Sue Olsen, Howard Drobner and Rich Reardon):
· The project is off Old Mill Circle.
· They would like it to count toward Boylston’s Affordable Housing percentage.
· Howard Drobner:
o Doing engineering work on site
o About to file with MAHCD (Mass Housing & Community Development)
o Will file with the ZBA in January 2010
o Ground-breaking is anticipated in the spring
o They are required to do fundraising; about $300K is needed for the duplex being built. It can be partially in “in-kind” services, not all entirely in funds.
o In other towns, boards waived fees for inspections, permits, etc.
o The site needs Town water (connect from Mill Road); they will talk to the Water Dept.
o The local Habitat Board in Worcester wants to see a fair amount of money lined up before they give the go-ahead for ground-breaking. They will need to have raised at least $30-40K. They have already done about $9K in engineering and have raised $1,500 in fundraising.
· Jim feels the permit fees, etc. could be waived in most cases. However, the various boards need to advertise hearings in the T&G, etc. Those costs would be harder to ask the Town to pay for. Jim said he would like a breakdown of costs before waiving everything.
· Ken Sydow said he would support waiving fees and providing inspectional services, once costs are listed in detail. There is a difference between not collecting fees for permits and writing a check to the T&G for advertising costs.
· Sue Olsen inquired if there is an Applicant Advisory Committee in place to assist them with the permitting process. Jim said “yes,” they should be used as part of the process.
· Howard Drobner said Hank Rauch (present), who is on the Board of Directors for Habitat in Worcester is in charge of the steering process for now until more volunteers are in place and the process moves forward.
Quinn Bill: Resident David Butler appeared before the Board to address his concerns:
· There is currently a $31K shortfall in revenue as a result of cuts in state reimbursement.
· Dave thinks we should modify our half of the Quinn Bill for any officers hired after January 1 (e.g., no longer offer to new hires). He doesn’t want to “lock into” new hires going forward.
· Jim Stanton said it would be part of the collective bargaining agreement which doesn’t open until 2010, but the Board is aware of the reduced funding and will keep in mind.
Town Accountant Interview (Nancy Nykiel):
· Jim Stanton asked her why she is interested in working in Boylston. Ms. Nykiel stated she is impressed with the people she has interviewed with. Also, knowing Dan Haynes is leaving, she would be confident everything would be left in great shape. Dan is the auditor in other towns in which she works. She would keep her job in North Brookfield but would give up the Town of Hardwick.
· Jim inquired as to how she would work with the Treasurer/Collector. Ms. Nykiel said she works very closely with the Treasurer in the towns she’s currently working in; they have offices next to hers.
· Ken Sydow said he thinks we’ve been building a “team” and would be interested in Mrs. Puff’s opinion. The Board varies in their backgrounds, but works well together as a team.
· She was asked various accounting questions.
· The Town Administrator asked how Ms. Nykiel would go about making changes. Ms. Nykiel said just a memo explaining the new process and asking for feedback and questions.
· Jim asked about her involvement in the budgeting process. She said to get the 2008, 2009 and 2010 expenditures, projected budget depending on percent increase recommended by the Finance Committee of the Board of Selectmen.
· Ken Sydow asked what if, during a warrant review, the Board of Selectmen wanted something left unpaid. Ms. Nykiel said the check would just be pulled and voided, since likely already prepped and posted.
· The Town Administrator said she modified Dan’s current employment agreement to a 16-hour week, flexible for Friday/Monday hours. The salary would just be divided out into pay periods ($495/week).
· Ms. Nykiel said she would be flexible to come in whenever necessary to get the job done.
· Nancy Puff, during a review of the contract, said it included no health insurance benefits; and no sick or holiday time. This is a three-year contract. The Board of Selectmen recommends three years, set for review after the first year.
· Jim Stanton said to be sure there’s a ‘termination for cause’ clause if the fit is not right.
· Motion was made to follow recommendation of Mrs. Puff to extend offer of employment to Ms. Nykiel as Town Accountant; seconded and voted all in favor.
Motion made to adjourn meeting; seconded, voted All in Favor.
Meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori Esposito
Administrative Assistant
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