Minutes of Meeting – January 21, 2015; meeting called to order at 7:00pm. Present: Dave Roche; Channing Gibson; Warren Archey; Ken Fowler. Absent: Ed Lane.
MOTION by DR, seconded by WA to accept the Minutes and Executive Minutes of January 7 as presented. 3/0 vote with KF abstaining.
Citizen’s Open Forum: None.
Consent Agenda: CG went through each item on the Consent Agenda, asking if any item needed a Hold placed on it. MOTION by DR, seconded by KF to approve the Consent Agenda as follows:
One-Day A/A license to William Ryan and Susanna Opper for 2/28 from 5-10pm in the Community Center Ballroom contingent upon receipt of bartender certification. 4/0 vote. MOTION by KF, seconded by DR to approve additional consent agenda items as follows: One-Day W&M license to Ventfort Hall for 2/15 from 3-5:30pm; One-Day W&M license to Matt Lane for 1/31 from 4pm-midnight at the Lenox Dale Fire Station; One-Day W&M license to Matt Lane for 2/1 from 4-10pm at the Lenox Dale Fire Station; Temporary Banner to Essentials for 2/7-14. 4/0 vote.
Town Manager Report: The TM asked the Board to ratify the promotion of Don Fitzgerald as full-time building inspector/zoning enforcement officer, to be effective March 16, 2015. He explained that the current inspector (William Thornton) will continue on in a part-time capacity until June 30, 2015, thus making for a seamless transition. MOTION by DR, seconded by WA to ratify the promotion and appointment of Don Fitzgerald as full-time building inspector/zoning enforcement officer effective
March 16, 2015. 4/0 vote.
The TM than gave a power-point presentation of his draft FY16 town budget to the Board. He explained that this is a level-service budget with inflationary pressures. He is proposing a $27.7million budget, a 1.23% increase over the current budget. He went through the various revenues and expenditures, stating that this budget represents a minimal tax rate increase. He went on to highlight the various challenges that confront the Town. DR stated that he likes the idea of creating a budget based on level services vs. level funding. CG stated that he liked the multi-year projections. Overall, the Board felt that the document was well put together.
The TM then mentioned that he and WA will be attending the MMA conference over the weekend.
Tennessee Pipeline: No update.
Rest of River: No update.
Solar: The TM stated that he and KF attended a meeting in Lee regarding the solar projects involving WMECO and the interconnection costs being higher than most other utility providers. There is some discussion regarding consolidating the one site and an alternate site in the hopes of driving the costs down. The respondents to the RFP have been asked to resubmit their price proposals based on this new information.
BOS Reports: KF stated that real estate taxes are due on 2/2. He mentioned that he attended the Planning Board meeting regarding Elm Court, and that the meeting was well attended, with robust discussion. An additional meeting will be held in February. He then brought up the idea of a dog park with Lee and Lenox, and stated that a committee is being formed with members from each community. With regard to the Environmental Committee, he stated that Eric Federer has been appointed chairman of the committee. He then went through the various employee anniversaries. DR stated that the library continues to be on target with their projects, and that the Historical Commission is working hard on the cemetery restoration. WA stated that he is hoping to put together a meeting with the Land Management
Committee to discuss the Rest of River project and where trails, parking lots, etc. fit in. CG congratulated the TM and his family on the birth of their son Jack.
By roll call, CG, DR, KF and WA voted to go into Executive Session at 8:15pm to discuss strategy with respect to potential litigation.
Minutes Taken By: ______________________ Minutes Accepted By: ______________________
Mary Ellen Deming Clerk
Administrative Services Director Board of Selectmen
| 
