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Date of Meeting: Friday, October 15, 2010
Location: Town Hall, 221 Main Street
Time: 1:30- 4:00 PM
Members Present: Chairman James Stanton; Roger Deal; Ken Sydow
Others Present: Nancy Colbert, Town Administrator; Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant; others as listed on attached sign-in sheet
Asian Long-Horned Beetle: Resident Penney Rickel called to ask why residents weren’t notified of the expanded area of the beetle. Lori explained to her on the telephone about the Telegram & Gazette, Channel 5, cable, our website, etc. Ms. Rickel said she doesn’t have internet access and doesn’t read the T&G. Why didn’t the Board of Selectmen send out individual notices to each resident. She also questioned if it residents had a choice to take down marked trees. The Town Administrator said the U.S. Department of Agriculture sends out notices before going on any property and follows up with communication regarding any marked trees.
Parks & Recreation:
- The Town Administrator went over the P&R budget with Karen Barber. Since the last Selectmen’s meeting, Parks & Recreation has met and increased their fees.
- Roger Deal inquired about Boylston Youth Soccer. The Town Administrator said she cannot find their non-profit status information.
- Ken Sydow said fees for the field solve only part of the problem. He would like to know their expenditures for each category (e.g., tennis courts, playgrounds, fields, etc.) so we know what is required. Those expenses can then be compared to revenue. This account information should be simple to report.
- The Town Administrator said they don’t keep records in any great detail so as to have an accurate portrayal of the expense portion. Irrigation of the fields is done as a group, not by individual field. The gym: $600 in -- $2K out (lump sums).
- Ken said that is a start. We need to know where we need to increase revenues to support expenditures.
- Nancy Puff will be meeting with Parks & Recreation on Monday, October 18, before the meeting and will let them know the Board of Selectmen needs documentation to support budget requests. The Board doesn’t want to be the P&R commission – does not want to control details. The Board just needs to see basic accounting detail.
- Regarding Rudy Lambrecht’s complaint, Ken noted the January 2007 minutes indicating that Jim Stanton asked Rudy about the revolving fund balance and Rudy didn’t feel the need to share that information.
School Superintendent T&G Newspaper Article:
- Rebecca Dono Healy was present to show her support for Mr. McDermott.
- A brief discussion was held regarding issues Mr. McDermott has had with the Regional Committee, asking them to unify and not micromanage.
- Ken said if Mr. McDermott leaves and is not here to see the new school project through, he, as a taxpayer, will be very upset.
- The Board will send a letter to support Mr. McDermott, pointing out positives and stating the Board would like him to continue. A letter will also be sent to the Committee regarding making accommodations to support and maintain the Superintendent.
Succession Planning:
- A brief discussion was held regarding regionalization of Highway, Fire Departments, etc.
- Ken asked, if jobs are regionalized, who does management report to whom, etc. We should look into communities that are currently regionalized and see how they do it.
Support Services: Ken would like to see cross-training across the offices (elected offices can hire support staff.) Discussion was held regarding Nancy/Lori compiling long-term versus short-term plan. Personnel/H.R.
Appointments:
- Personnel Board: There are three vacancies. Nancy Puff will contact people potentially interested in serving (three people were identified). She will discuss the matter with Richard Prince and John Stowe to inform them.
Finance Committee: Contact Eric Brose for suggestion to fill vacancy.
Dispatching Contract: In process
Dog Complaint: Ask Steve Golas to look into it and report to the Board of Selectmen.
Town Counsel Review:
- Survey to be sent to department heads and boards prior to year-end, per 3-year review policy.
- Return to Lori in sealed envelopes
Auction on October 14, 2010 (Town-Owned Property):
- All properties were sold
- Total sales were $137K for eight parcels.
Goals:
- Evaluations need to be completed.
- It is recommended that Nancy take a crisis management-type course. This would be a support service for Nancy Puff.
Treasurer/Collector:
- Roger and Nancy Puff had a discussion with Joe Daigneault. He asked for flexibility to work additional hours at his discretion to complete his workload. Roger recommended he have that flexibility. The Board agrees with Nancy Puff and the Treasurer’s agreement. In addition, Joe is too busy to take his last week of vacation by year-end and would like to carry it over to next year. The Board agreed but a deadline needs to be set for when the time is taken. Nancy Puff will let the Board know after she speaks with Joe.
A Workshop Meeting has been scheduled for October 29 at 2:00 PM
School Union Meeting: Roger is meeting next week with the Union as the Board of Selectmen’s representative.
Motion was made and seconded to adjourn. Voted all in favor
Meeting adjourned at 4:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori Esposito
Administrative Assistant
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