Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 8/15/18
Meeting Opened at: 4pm
Select Board Members Present: Carol Edelman, Chairperson, Kenneth Basler and Donald Coburn
Also in attendance: Don Clawson, Jon Sylbert, George Cain, Rebecca Wolin, Mickey Jervas, Larry Klein, Cliff Weiss, Stan Ross, BJ Johnson, Charles, Richard Pargament, Pam Johnson
Miscellaneous Items Reviewed:
- The Board discussed the request from the library to sign a letter accepting the bid for the library project. Discussion ensued about the changes agreed upon at last Thursday’s library building committee meeting. Don wanted to be clear that in voting to approve the authorization to accept the bid it is the Board’s assumption that the monies approved by the town are sufficient and if any additional funds are needed it would require additional town meeting approval. All agreed and the letter was signed and given to Mickey.
- The Board reviewed the information received with regard to starting conversations with Hume and Gould Farm to enter into official PILOT agreements. Carol expressed her uneasiness to move forward with this at the moment. Letters will be drafted and sent to Hume and Gould Farm inviting them in to begin discussions.
- Beartown State Forest: Don reported that he had a conversation with the Park Ranger who expressed a concern about speeding; the police have been made aware and will monitor the area. The ranger also mentioned that the state has cut their budget making it difficult to get work done. Don suggested that the town consider forming a committee or a joint committee with the other towns the park is located in to lobby for additional monies. The ranger also asked for any assistance we could provide in getting the word out in the summertime to assist in hiring seasonal summer help. The Board agreed to consider these suggestions.
- It was agreed that the meeting for Aug. 22nd would be cancelled.
- Department head meeting summary:
a. Kenn reported that there was some pushback from the employees on the changes made to the vacation/leave policy. It was agreed to eliminate the approval necessary for time off less than 3 days however employees will still be required to notify the Administrative Assistant for anytime taken off which she will relay to the Board.
b. Long range planning: the need to begin discussions with the Select Board and all the department heads to get ahead of the needs for buildings, employees, etc as it relates to the growth of the town over the next 5 – 25 years.
- Future meeting schedule: Kenn proposed going back to every other week meetings starting in September. Discussion ensued. It was agreed to try this again; meeting at 9am on the 1st Wed of each month and the 3rd Wed at 4pm. The Board will review this decision again after a few months to determine if more meetings are necessary. The Board also reminded everyone that should someone need to have an evening meeting with the Board to discuss a particular topic they are more than happy to schedule something; please call the Administrative Assistant to be placed on an agenda.
- Accountant/Treasurer updates:
a. FY17 audit is still under way.
b. FY18 close: last week was the deadline to submit any bills however, this has been delayed as the Cemetery Commission came in with over $5,000 in bills for work done Apr – June. Final reporting will be delayed as a result.
c. It was agreed that departments will all be required to have actual copies of end of fiscal year bills in no later than July 15 of each year or at the very least a list of bills for the previous fiscal year that will be coming in by that date. This will be relayed to all departments via memos from the Accountant and Treasurer and throughout the budget process.
- The Board met with the Broadband Committee to discuss their recommendation to the Select Board and Finance Committee, Carol recused herself from the discussions. Cliff Weiss, Chair of the Broadband Committee distributed a draft proposal and reviewed the history that led us to the proposal being made today. The Broadband Committee recommends the Select Board officially declare Fiber Connect as the partner to provide fiber to the home. In parallel they suggest that an additional town meeting be scheduled to rescind the initial vote granting permission to borrow funds for broadband and let the voters vote on the new and revised proposal. The Broadband Committee reported that what they were chartered with doing is now complete and there will be no further meeting of the Broadband Committee unless re-chartered by the
Select Board to assist in negotiations with Fiber Connect and MBI. Don had concerns about the Broadband Committee holding discussions about potential negotiable items with Fiber Connect as they did not have authority to do so. Don informed the Committee that he does not support a town meeting vote on borrowing the money until it determined if written agreements can be negotiated and solidified with MBI to guarantee we will get the monies due to us and that Fiber Connect is agreeable to our terms. Jon Sylbert did not support going to town meeting now as he feels it is too early and he does not support asking for money in the middle of the year. George Cain suggested to enter into a contract with Fiber Connect and Fiber Connect taking that to the bank to borrow money to finish the town. Kenn thanked the Broadband Committee for the 3 years of hard work they have done. The Board did not make any decisions today, this will be continued for discussion
at a future meeting.
- Warrants were signed.
- Minutes from 8/8/18 were approved.
- Administrative Assistant’s weekly report was reviewed.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 6:27pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Administrative Assistant
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
Town Clerk
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