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Board of Selectmen
Minutes
April 15, 2008
Leo F. Blair
Timothy A. Clark
Peter E. Warren
Lucy B. Wallace
Ronald V. Ricci
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 P.M. by Chair, Leo Blair in the Hildreth House.
Board and Committee Training:
- Selectmen Handbooks ordered for all the members.
- Any public appearance made by a member of the Board that member needs to be clear they are not in attendance to provide the opinion of the Board. It is important to be mindful of this.
- No Selectmen will serve on a board or committee reports to the BOS. (Exception for certain executive committees.)
Open Meeting Law – The Board agreed to hold a training session to comply with the law and effectively conduct the public’s business. All appointed and elected officials will be required to attend and it will also be open to the public. A day and evening session will be held to be provided by the state. Tim Bragan will work on setting this up for sometime in May.
Board Meetings and Appointments:
- Ideas were discussed on how to encourage more citizen participation in town. Possibly changing the way annual appointments are made. The Board agreed to inform the public of all open seats each year instead of just continuing to reappoint the same individuals.
- Liaison assignments were discussed. The Board agreed to review former liaison assignments and email Chairman Leo Blair and Julie Doucet their desired choices. The Board will make assignments at their next meeting.
Discussion on a possible way to streamline the efforts of the Housing Partnership, Housing Authority and Municipal Affordable Housing Trust.
- The Board decided all Selectmen should attend the JBOS meetings on the fourth Thursday of the month.
- The Board discussed establishing a community development team. The idea is to gain knowledge with regards to increasing Harvard’s statehouse profile and learning more about grant writing opportunities that are available to communities.
Citizens named as valuable resources were: Deb Thomson, Elizabeth Perkins, Victor Normand, Bruce Leicher, Whit Sprague Jr., Vanessa Perini, and Gary Wenger.
- The Board agreed to create an Energy Advisory Committee.
Town Governance
- The Selectmen will hold an Employee Appreciation Day (cookout) for all town employees on June 11, 2008.
- The Selectmen also discussed holding a town wide picnic on June 14, 2008.
- The Board discussed starting the budget process early to expedite the process in the future.
- FIAT (Fiscal Impact Analysis Team) would have a final report for October and the team will report to the Tri-Boards.
- Revenue possibilities: Ambulance billing, forestry cutting through conservation, increase permit fees and pay as you throw.
- May 6th meeting invite Planning, Zoning, Conservation and Attorney Hal Davis to discuss 40T legislation.
- Discussion on the possibility of expanding Ayer Road and town center commercial districts to provide economic development.
Town Facilities and Infrastructure
- The Board agreed to form a Town Center Action Committee at their April 22nd meeting.
- The Board discussed ideas for interim use of the Old Library including possible rental opportunities.
- Discussion of DPW Rich Nota as a facilities manager to assist in maintaining facilities on a more regular basis.
Town Website and Email
- To build community and communication the concept of a Selectmen’s Blog site was discussed.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 pm.
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