Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 3/14/16
Meeting Opened at: 8:30am
Select Board Members Present: Scott Jenssen, Chairperson and Kenn Basler
Also in attendance for parts of the meeting: Stephen Moore for the Monterey News, Ray Tryon, Shawn Tryon, Stanley Ross, Bill Johnson, Donald Clawson and Julio Rodriguez
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. Stephen Moore raised concerns about the Act that the Friends of Lake Garfield wants to bring to legislature and if amendments were made to the Act after approval at special town meeting. Kenn also expressed concerns about their plan to apply for grants to use chemicals on the lake when they specifically stated at the special town meeting that they would not be using chemicals. The Board agreed that at this time they will not be sending the letter requested by Mike Germain to the legislature and would like the Friends of Lake Garfield to come to a future meeting to reopen discussions.
2. Scott reported on Thursday’s school committee meeting:
a. The district will continue to suspend the program in Monterey for the 16-17 school year.
b. The $10,000 allocated for repairs of the school will be issued with receipts.
c. Dennis Sears made comments at the meeting that the Monterey School is “not a part of the district”.
3. Scott reported on his meeting with the Accountant and Treasurer on Friday
a. Paul has concerns about the grant writer position and the legality of paying someone with grant funds.
b. Currently we are paying for 2 payroll programs (Harper’s payroll service as well as thru the Accounting software). When Scott inquired about cancelling one which was the agreement when we switched to Harper’s the Acct and Treas stated that they would like to move it back to Softright however they do not recommend transferring mid year.
c. M. Noe reported that when at Kenn’s request she inquired about Beth Parks being paid as an employee vs. a vendor for cleaning at the library was told by the Accountant that she would need a million dollar liability policy to be paid as a vendor.
4. Scott reported on his conversation with the Town Clerk:
a. Scott made Jen aware of the Board’s plan to lower the amount available for an assistant.
b. Scott also provided Jen with the history behind the job being 20 hours. If 20 hours are no longer necessary to operate the office Jen should let the Board know so they can adjust for any future candidate that may run expecting benefits eligible to a 20 hour/week employee.
5. From 9:50 – 10:44am the Board & Finance Committee went to the future Community Center for a site visit. Upon their return it was discussed that the Friends of Wilson McLaughlin House are requesting $40,000 to finish the building. There are still a lot of questions about how much this will cost to operate and who will be doing that once the building is turned over to the town; Bill has requested information several times about who will be using the building and paying to use it with no response. The Board discussed the actual use and the idea that having a school or police department would also be a good use.
6. Shawn Tryon came in regarding the following:
a. Research on highway secretary: The New Marlborough Highway Secretary gets $15/hour for 8 hours a week but they are looking to increase the pay and the hours up to 12. The secretary handles all Chapter 90 paperwork, filing and billing.
b. RT23 work should begin on or around May 1st.
7. The Board discussed options they have and possibilities to be looking at with regards to the current Monterey School building. It was agreed to put an article on the town meeting warrant requesting permission to sell the current Monterey School building.
8. The Board and Finance Committee discussed the amount that should be requested for an override. With the current proposed budget a minimum of $250,000 will be needed; $750,000 was agreed to be the requested amount.
9. The use of stabilization funds going forward was discussed; the Finance Committee is not in favor of using the general stabilization funds for culverts and bridges and feels that it should be separate account. It was agreed that a separate stabilization account should be created for bridges, roads and culverts with $30,000.
10. The Board agreed that the attorney recommended by Town Counsel with regards to regional school districts and agreements should be called in for a consultation.
11. Mail was reviewed which included:
a. Information regarding the availability of the 2016 Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant (PDM) Program and 2016 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program. Kenn will be attending a briefing with Shawn with regards to this.
b. Payment for the recyclable materials delivered to the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility ($714.70).
c. Notification from DLS that they have not yet received our Schedule A for FY15 due on November 30, 2015. If not received by March 15, local aid payments may be withheld. Our Accountant has stated it will be completed by March 31st.
d. Confirmation from the Accountant that the current balance in the stabilization account is $663,613.83.
e. An updated FY16 SBRSD budget.
12. The Board signed a letter of support for the Bidwell House and their application for a Preservation Projects Fund Grant.
13. Administrative Assistant’s weekly report was reviewed.
14. Police Chief’s weekly report was reviewed.
15. Warrants were signed.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 12pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Administrative Assistant
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
Town Clerk
| 
