Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 3/24/08
Meeting Opened at: 8:30am
Select Board Members Present: Jonathan Sylbert, Chairperson, Wayne Burkhart and Scott Jenssen
Also in attendance for parts of the meeting: Daniel Moriarity, Maryellen Brown, Stanley Ross, Robert Gauthier, Robert Lazzarini, and Donald Clawson
The board met with the Director of Highways, Maynard Forbes and reviewed the following items:
1. Storm water management; M. Forbes provided the Board with EPA contact info.
2. Salt Shed; the window to start the process of going out to bid to have construction begin in June would be the next 2 weeks. This will be discussed further at next week’s meeting.
The board met with Building Inspector, Donald Torrico and reviewed the following items:
1. A local contractor has complained that he has left several messages for the Electrical Inspector to sign off on a building permit and the Electrical Inspector has not responded. The contractor stated that it has been over 5 days since he made the call. S. Jenssen recused himself from the conversation in his role as a Select Board member and asked as a contractor what the procedure is for replacement of this position. It was confirmed that the current Electrical Inspector’s appointment is up for reappointment this year. The Board asked D. Torrico to contact the Electrical Inspector regarding the complaint and follow up with the
Board at next week’s meeting.
2. D. Torrico informed the Board that Maynard Forbes, Richard Crittendon, Lyman Thomson and Donald Torrico all recently completed a 10 hour safety seminar hosted by the Town of Lee and Monterey Building Departments in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and were awarded “OSHA 10” identification cards.
The board met with Inter-Departmental Secretary, Melissa Noe to review the following items:
1. Weekly report was reviewed.
2. Reviewed the color choices for this year’s transfer station sticker.
The board met with Town Accountant, Barbara Gauthier, Daniel Moriarity and Maryellen Brown of the Finance Committee to review the following items:
1. The Boards met with the Board of Assessors (at the Finance Committee’s request) to discuss:
a. Personal Property Tax: The Board of Assessors are requesting the following article be placed on the Town Meeting Warrant; “To see if the Town will vote to adopt provisions of General Laws Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 54, and authorize the Town to establish a minimum fair cash value required for a personal property account to be taxed, and further establish such minimum fair cash value at $10,000, to be effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008; or take any action relative thereto.”
b. R. Gauthier explained the reason for the Assessors requested salary increase. The Assessors were requesting an additional $6,000 to cover the extra time they are spending in the field. The Finance Committee suggested placing the $6,000 as a separate line item as that would actually help the assessors get a better handle on the extra time being spent on field work as the hours worked each week would be submitted to the Accountant. W. Burkhart stated that he understands the need for the Assessors request for an increase in salary but he also wanted to mention that Monterey has several elected Boards that work without any compensation. J.
Sylbert agreed with W. Burkhart but felt that the other Boards that aren’t currently being compensated should take the approach that the Assessors have; make the departmental changes that need to be made to make the office run efficiently and then come to the Town asking for a stipend or compensation by justifying how many hours/additional manpower/duties that it has taken to get where they are. The Assessors did not want to break out the increase as a separate line item and stressed that they want to be as transparent and open about their request as possible and will answer any questions about the increase (which was lowered to $4500) at the Informational Town Meeting and/or Town Meeting.
2. M. Brown suggested that the Treasurer and Collector’s salary should be equal and feels that this is how it is done in other surrounding towns. The Board reviewed the survey results that the Employee Compensation Committee put together from surrounding Towns in November of 2007 and in fact the two line items are not compensated equally (according to results provided by several surrounding towns). In several of the Towns surveyed one of the positions hours are full time while the other is part time (results available at Town Hall). After further discussion the Finance Committee decided to leave the budget request as is.
3. The Boards discussed the Animal Control Officer’s requested expense increase. The ACO had requested that her salary be level funded but had requested her expenses increase 107.57% (from $1,149 to $2,385). The Board discussed the contracted services compensation being requested by the ACO for dog bite prevention classes and that she would be unable to hire herself as a contracted service. A recommendation was made and unanimously approved to increase her salary by $250.00 and decrease her expenses to $1410.00.
4. B. Gauthier informed the Board and Finance Committee about her recent conversations regarding the recap sheet with Jim Podolak of the DOR.
5. A special article for $4,000 will be put on the warrant to hire a surveyor to survey the property surrounding the Town Beach.
6. The Finance Committee is still waiting on figures from the Cemetery Committee. D. Moriarity will contact L. Thorpe.
7. B. Gauthier suggested using some of the available free cash to lower the tax rate or offset the recap sheet.
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. The minutes from 3.17.08 were approved as amended.
2. The installation of a glass partition for the Inter-Departmental Secretary’s office (similar to a doctor’s office reception window) to better control the heat and a/c in that office was discussed. The Board will discuss this with M. Forbes next week.
3. The Board discussed the opportunity given to join the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. The Town has not joined in the past and the Chamber is looking for the 6 remaining towns in Southern Berkshire to join, Monterey being one of them. The Board reviewed the benefits and agreed that it would be a beneficial for Monterey to become a member.
4. The Board reviewed the letter from the Board of Health regarding the BRPC mutual aid agreement that the Board of Health has signed and has requested that the Select Board sign. The Board of Health has suggested two lawyers that may be free of charge to review the agreement through associations that the Board of Health belongs to (Town Counsel has stated he is unable to review it due to a conflict of interest). The Board does not feel they can sign the agreement because it states that the Town voted to approve the Berkshire addendum and the Town hasn’t done that. An email will be sent to our contact at Berkshire Planning regarding the
signature pages.
5. Diana Piepho of the Parks Commission came in to ask the Board to place a special article in the amount of $7,000 on the Town Meeting Warrant to replace a piece of the playground equipment that has been deemed irreparable.
6. The Board confirmed with the Town Accountant that there is only one overtime rate (time and a half) and that double time is not offered.
7. Warrants were signed.
8. Mail was reviewed.
9. Planning Board’s proposed common driveway bylaw; M. Forbes and D. Torrico expressed their concern to the Select Board that they were not included or asked for their opinions/recommendations on the proposal at any point in the Planning Board’s process. D. Torrico and M. Forbes have reviewed the proposal and both feel they are very cumbersome. Neither agrees with the proposal to make D. Torrico the enforcement officer of the bylaw or to have the Planning Board as the permitting authority. M. Forbes feels that the bylaws should encourage the permitting process with a set of guidelines/procedures to follow. M. Forbes and D.
Torrico will submit their suggestions/concerns in writing to the Planning Board prior to their 3/27/08 hearing.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 12:00pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
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