Town of Hanson - Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes – Hanson Town Hall
February 5, 2013
Members Present: Stephen Amico, James Egan, Richard Flynn, Donald Howard and David Soper
Members Absent:
Others Present: Town Administrator Rene’ J. Read and Executive Assistant Meredith Marini
I~ 7:32 p.m. Chairman Amico called the meeting to order. Chairman Amico requested a moment of silence for Robert A Brewer, Sr. who passed about recently. Mr. Brewer served on the Recreation Commission and Cranberry Cove Committee. Chairman Amico led the Pledge of Allegiance read the announcements and upcoming meeting schedule.
II NEW BUSINESS
Vote Recall Notice - Mr. Read informed the Board that on January 24, 2013 the Town Clerk notified the Board of a Recall Petition – Certificate of Sufficiency indicating that 935 signatures were collected and certified, which are sufficient to commence recall of Board of Health member Tom Constantine. Mr. Read read the memo from the Town Clerk. Mr. Read indicated that as a result of the notice from the Town Clerk, with the assistance of Town Counsel, he drafted the following letter which the Board must vote, sign and send to Mr. Constantine.
Dated February 6, 2013
Dear Mr. Constantine,
I am writing on behalf of the Board of Selectmen to advise you that on Tuesday, February 5, 2013, the Hanson Board of Selectmen voted to acknowledge receipt of a certificate of sufficiency dated January 23, 2013, from Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan in which she informed the Board of Selectmen “that in accordance with Section 3 of the Recall Act [Chapter 214 of the Acts of 1986], the petition seeking recall of Mr. Constantine was returned timely to this office and has been certified as having sufficient signatures.”
The certificate indicates that the Board of Registrars has certified the signatures of 935 registered voters of the Town, with such certified signatures distributed such that at least 10% of the registered voters from each precinct have signed the petition. The Town Clerk therefore finds and certifies “in accordance with Sections 3 and 4 of the Recall Act that the petition, is sufficient as that term is utilized by the Recall Act.”
Upon receipt of the certificate of sufficiency, Section 4 of the Recall Act provides that the Board of Selectmen:
“shall forthwith give written notice to said officer of the receipt of said certificate and shall, if the officer sought to be removed does not resign within five days thereafter, thereupon order an election to be held within a reasonable length of time after a minimum of forty-five days from town clerk's certification of the sufficient petitions. If a vacancy occurs in said office after a recall election has been so ordered, the election shall nevertheless proceed as herein provided.”
Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of Section 4 of the Recall Act, the Board voted to provide you with notice of its receipt of the certificate, and to inform you that you have five (5) days to resign from your position as a member of the Board of Health. If you should decide to resign, you must notify the Town Clerk’s office, in writing, of your resignation, effective immediately, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 11, 2013.
Should you choose not to resign and fail to notify the Town Clerk’s office in writing by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 11, 2013, the Board will forthwith schedule the holding of a special election to consider your recall.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Regards,
Stephen M. Amico, Chairman
Hanson Board of Selectmen
MOTION by Egan, second by Howard to authorize Chairman Amico to sign the letter.
Voted 5 - 0
Appointments:
Veteran’s Graves Officer – Application for appointment was received from Bill Strait of
469 Indian Head Street to fill the vacancy. Term to Expire 3/31/14
MOTION by Howard, second by Flynn to appoint Mr. Strait as the Veteran’s Graves Officer Voted 5 - 0
Discussion pertaining to Surplus Supplies (+/- 50’ radio tower) having a value of less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) - Chairman Amico received a request from a resident to purchase the radio tower at the old police station located at 795 Indian Street. Mr. Read indicated that his research revealed that a new radio tower would cost between $3,000 - $5,000. Mr. Read asked the department heads if they were interested in the tower and none of the departments needed the equipment. Once the tower is declared surplus, Mr. Read will post a surplus bid advertisement in the paper seeking sealed bids to purchase the radio tower.
MOTION by Howard, second by Egan to declare the tower at the old police station 795 Indian Head Street as surplus. Mr. Soper recommended investigating the tower at the Plymouth County Hospital property. Mr. Read will research to determine whether it should be declared surplus. Voted 5 - 0
Class II License Renewal - Auto Express 169 Franklin Street –
MOTION by Egan, second by Howard to approve the Class II at 169 Franklin Street. Mr. Soper wants to be sure that no more than 20 vehicles are out front. Mr. Miller agrees to keep only 20 vehicles in front. Voted 5 - 0
Presentation of FY2014 Budget – Mr. Read provided the Board with copies of the Preliminary/Draft FY14 Budget as well as a revenue forecast. Members of the Finance Committee were in attendance to hear the presentation.
Mr. Read indicated that the purpose of the presentation of the budget at this time was to allow members of both the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee to review the various expense lines within each department and to allow the department heads a chance to verify their agreement with the numbers. The Town Administrator’s recommendations are in the proposed budget. Mr. Read explained there are still several lines that may either increase or decrease most notably, the WHRSD Assessment (pg. 41), the South Shore Votech (pg. 42) the Norfolk Agricultural School assessment (pg. 43) and the Town’s Health Insurance line (pg. 68).~ At this point, these line items represent the largest “moving targets” in terms of being able to accurately chart the course for the 2014 fiscal year.
Mr. Read noted that this is the second year in a row the proposed budget does not use any Free Cash to achieve its balance for operating costs.~ Mr. Read intends to be able to head in this direction through the May Town Meeting.
The budget includes an allocation $200K for funding capital projects.
Free Cash Calculator |
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1 |
647,045.79 |
Free Cash as of February 4, 2013 |
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2 |
200,000.00 |
Allocated for articles |
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447,045.79 |
Remaining Balance |
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3 |
188,500.00 |
Highway - Dump/Sanding Truck - Total Cost |
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4 |
60,000.00 |
Highway - Dump/Sanding Truck - October 2012 Town Meeting |
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5 |
128,500.00 |
Balance |
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6 |
7,000.00 |
Highway Dept. Software |
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7 |
50,000.00 |
Fire - Chief Vehicle |
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8 |
185,500.00 |
TOTAL (Lines 5, 6, 7) |
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9 |
14,500.00 |
Remaining Free Cash (Line 2 minus Line 8) |
Mr. Read noted he will be securing estimates for the painting and restorative work needed at the Town Hall in order to be able to properly maintain this building. Building seriously needs repairs approximately $150,000.
Mr. Read indicated that if sustainable, he is attempting to provide a gradual restoration of positions and increases in hours that were eliminated or reduced as a result of layoffs and cutbacks from two years ago.~ The FY14 Budget includes the restoration of the following positions:
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Item |
Cost |
Page |
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1 |
Senior Heavy Equipment Operator (Highway) |
$51,300 |
45 |
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Associated Benefits |
$18,800 |
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Total w/ Benefits |
$70,100 |
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2 |
Part-time Custodian (Library) |
$16,772 |
55 |
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Associated Benefits |
$0 |
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Total w/ Benefits |
$16,772 |
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3 |
Part-time Custodian (Senior Center) |
$16,772 |
55 |
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Associated Benefits |
$0 |
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Total w/ Benefits |
$16,772 |
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4 |
Hourly Increase (Asst. Town Clerk) |
$18,800 |
14 |
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Associated Benefits |
$18,800 |
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Total w/ Benefits |
$37,600 |
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5 |
Part-time Attendant (Transfer Station) |
$15,868 |
49 |
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Associated Benefits |
$0 |
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Total w/ Benefits |
$15,868 |
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He noted that he has once again provided an incremental increase to the Snow and Ice line by $20K (pg. 46)
The FY14 Budget does not include any union contract settlements at this time as he is in the process of bargaining discussions.
Mr. Read will be providing a more formal budget presentation within the next few weeks once some the “moving target” numbers have been verified. He anticipates the presentation on February 19th . He noted that the budget is currently $75,000 out of balance.
Mr. Amico indicated that the School Committee will be presenting its budget on Wednesday, February 6th. Mr. Read indicated that he has provided a conservative budget and some of the larger lines may be reduced.
Finance Committee member Steve McKinnon asked about the cost of inflation as requests have been made at 3% increases. Mr. Read will check the cost of inflation. Finance Committee Chairman Pepper Santalucia asked about the restored positions. Mr. Read indicated that Assistant Town Clerk currently works 15 hours, which leaves the office closed most of the week when the Town Clerk is on vacation. The Town Clerk has requested that the position be increased to 30 hours. Mr. McKinnon asked if the part-time position at the Transfer Station was for the Pay As You Throw plan. Mr. Read indicated that there is a real need for extra staff at the Transfer Station for safety purposes and coverage. Pay As You Throw, if implemented, may require additional staff to monitor the activity.
Mr. Flynn inquired about the custodial services at the Library/Senior Center. Mr. Read noted the custodial position was cut two years ago requiring one person to cover all three locations. He is proposing two part-time positions which would eliminate the benefit costs. While one person has been covering the buildings, several projects have been put on hold. Mr. Depina believes that it has been a problem at the senior center with custodial staff. When accidents occur at the building and the library and senior center employee have to address the issues. Mr. Read indicated that two part-time custodians will provide more coverage and flexibility.
Mr. Soper asked about a status of the tagging system and electronic scanning for the Transfer Station stickers. Mr. Read indicated that Pay As Your Throw will need be decided by the Board of Health. Mr. Read indicated that the Optical reader is a good program, but there is a cost for it. Mr. Read will research it.
Mr. Santalucia inquired about the library position. Mr. Read reviewed the order of restoration of positions which included the firefighter, which was restored in January, the highway position, the library position, custodial staff and town clerk’s position. Mr. Read indicated his desire to restore the positions, but must fill the positions based on priority.
Mr. Soper noted that the assistant town clerk would become a benefited position having changed from 15 hours to 30 hours. Mr. Read indicated that the person currently in the position is benefit eligible as she is working two positions at 35 hours per week. Mr. Depina feels these positions are sustainable.
Mr. Amico thanked Mr. Read for putting the budget together and thanked the Finance Committee for joining the meeting.
Mr. Flynn asked about the Plymouth County Tax and what it actually pays for. Mr. Read to get the answer.
Mr. Depina questioned the Cherry Sheet and the MBTA assessment. Mr. Read indicated that all the area towns pay a portion of the MBTA assessment.
Back to New Business: - The Library Trustees arrived for the Joint appointment.
Board of Library Trustees – Joint Appointment – One application was received from Dianna McDevitt of 630 Gorwin Drive. Library Trustee Linda Wall, Joanne Estes, Mary Lozeau and Helen Leveque were present. Chairman Amico read Ms. McDevitt’s application citing she is a current member of the Library Board of Directors.
MOTION by Flynn, second by Egan to appoint Dianna McDevitt to the Board of Library Trustees. Motion by Wall, second by Leveque to appoint Dianna McDevitt to the Board of Library Trustees. Voted 9 - 0
III TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Update on the Police Chief Search Committee – Mr. Read indicated that the committee met last week and Kenny Mitchell was voted as chairman. Forty Nine applications were received. The Committee narrowed the group to 23 candidates. Next meeting on Monday Feb. 11th at 7:00 p.m.
IV OLD BUSINESS - None
V COMMITTEE REPORTS – Mr. Amico indicated School Committee budget meeting will be held on February 6th and all members are welcome to attend as the meeting is posted. .
VI EXECUTIVE SESSION – Chairman Amico announced that the Board would be going into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation and conducting collective bargaining sessions since an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the Town. The Board will return to open session only to adjourn.
So moved by Howard, second by Egan. Roll Call Flynn Aye, Howard Aye, Amico Aye, Egan Aye and Soper Aye. Voted 5 – 0.
8:21 p.m. Brief recess
10:00 p.m. Returned to Open Session
VII ADJOURNMENT
MOTION by Howard, second by Flynn to adjourn. Voted 5 - 0
10:01 p.m. Meeting Adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Meredith Marini,
Executive Assistant
Approved and Voted 5 - 0
March 5, 2013
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