Town of Newbury
Board of Selectmen
Joint Meeting with the Finance Committee
MINUTES
Date: March 31, 2015
Present: Chairman, Geoffrey Walker, Selectmen, Chuck Bear, Damon Jespersen and J.R. Colby
Finance Committee: Chairman, Frank Remley, Members, Linda Allen, Gene Case, Larry Guay, Marshall Jespersen and Erica Jacobsen
Chairman, Geoffrey Walker, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with the salute to the flag.
Board and Committee Reports:
On behalf of the Municipal Building Committee, Chairman, Eric Svahn presented the Board of Selectmen, with the Municipal Building Committee report and information packet, Recommendation to the Board of Selectmen - Proposed Improvements to Town Facilities, dated 31 March, 2015. Eric explained and reviewed the report which included:
- Municipal Building Committee Recommendation Letter
- Police Department letter of Facility Deficiencies
- Town Hall letter of Deficiencies
- Existing Site Survey
- Proposed Site Plan
- Proposed Town Hall Floor Plans
- Proposed Public safety Complex floor plans
- Proposed Project Budget, Non-Construction Cost and Design Phase Costs
- Estimated Tax increase for Financing Project
Citizen’s Concerns:
Questions, concerns and comments regarding the recommendations made by the Municipal Building Committee to the Board of Selectmen were heard from the following citizens:
- Erica Jacobsen, 15 Scotland Road, Member, Finance Committee
- Frank Remley, 16 Old Farm Way, Chairman , Finance Committee
- Larry Guay, 207 High Road, Member, Finance Committee
- Elaina Sayles, 125 High Road
- David Sayles, 125 High Road
- Marshall Jespersen, Member, 169 Elm Street, Member Finance Committee
Public Hearings: No Public Hearings
Town Administrator’s Report:
Through a Power Point presentation, Town Administrator, Tracy Blais, presented the first draft of the Town of Newbury FY2016 Budget Presentation, “Building Community”. Ms. Blais explained the process in the formulation of the budget and reviewed the working document. Topics in the presentation included:
- Goals and Priorities
- FY2016 Budget Summary
- Fiscal Challenges
- Revenue Structure
- Property Taxes
- Local Receipts
- State Aid
- Available Funds
- FY2016 Revenues
- FY2015 Expenditures
- FY2016 Expenditures
- FY2016 General Fund Budget
- Operating Budget Change
- Municipal Department Budgets
- Decisions
New Business: FY16 Budget Discussion & Override Discussion
The Finance Committee, who had met earlier in the evening and therefore retained their open meeting, joined the Board of Selectmen for a joint meeting to discuss the FY16 Budget and overrides. Article 1 and Article 2 for the Special Town Meeting were read and discussed.
The Ballot Override Proposals for the May 12th Town election were read and discussed.
Proposal #1 - Triton Stadium Project Debt Exclusion
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Jespersen, seconded by Selectman Colby and
voted unanimously to place the Triton Stadium Project as a Debt Exclusion Override on the 5/12/15 Annual Election Ballot.
Proposal #2 – Snow & Ice Removal
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Jespersen, seconded by Selectman Bear and
voted unanimously to place Snow & Ice Removal as a General Override of $100,000.00 on the 5/12/15 Annual Election Ballot.
Proposal #3 – Public Safety Facility Design/Engineering
Finance Committee:
Motion: A motion was made by Bob Connors, seconded by Erica Jacobsen and voted unanimously to recommend the Public Safety Facility Design/Engineering as a ballot question for Debt Exclusion up to $990,000.00.
Board of Selectmen:
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Jespersen, seconded by Selectman Bear and
voted unanimously to place the Public Safety Facility Design/Engineering as a Debt Exclusion Override on the 5/12/15 Annual Election Ballot.
Proposal #4 – Fire Truck Purchase
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Jespersen, seconded by Selectman Bear and
voted unanimously to place the Fire Truck Purchase as a one-time Capital Override on the 5/12/15 Annual Election Ballot.
Proposal #5 – Road Improvement Program
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Jespersen, seconded by Selectman Bear to place the Road Improvement Program as a General Override of $250,000.00 on the 5/12/15 Annual Election Ballot.
Following Discussion:
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Colby, seconded by Selectman Bear and voted unanimously to amend the Road Improvement Program as a General Override of $125,000.00.
Motion: A motion was made to by Selectman Jespersen, seconded by Selectman Bear and
voted unanimously to place the Road Improvement Program as a General Override with an amended figure of $125,000.00 on the 5/12/15 Annual Election Budget.
Finance Committee:
Motion: At 8:30 p.m. a motion to adjourn was made by Gene Case, seconded by Frank Remley and voted unanimously.
Old Business: Continuation of discussion on Solar By-law Amendment
Chairman Walker noted that the Board of Selectmen has had on-going problems with the administration of the Solar By-law and difficulty reaching the required super majority of the Board of Selectmen.
Selectman Bear reported that after interviewing several other Massachusetts towns about the implementation of their Solar By-laws, he learned that in more than 90% of the towns interviewed the Planning Board acts as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) for solar initiatives. He recommended that the Newbury Board of Selectmen move the responsibility to the Planning Board.
Discussion:
Selectman Jespersen felt moving the request to a public hearing was valuable and the best way to receive more public input on the question. He is excited for further discussion but feels the By-law may need further amendments.
Selectmen Colby voiced his concern about siting solar in residential areas and how it affects abutters. He expressed his concern about letting go of the responsibility that the Board of Selectmen has to act as the special permit granting authority.
Town Planner, Martha Taylor added that the Planning Board has discussed making changes to the By-law. Since its implementation, the Board has had the opportunity to see and understand how it can be improved. She and Planning Board Member, George Morse, recently attended the Citizen Planner Training Collaborative Seminar in Worcester where they learned about the updated model By-laws created by the State. The anticipation of the Planning Board is that there will be some sort of revision proposed for the fall.
Ms. Taylor also explained that the Planning Board is specifically set up to deal with the special permitting granting authority because the Board has an associate member and doesn’t encounter the super majority issues required by State Law which have faced the Board of Selectmen.
Motion: A motion was made by Selectman Bear, seconded by Selectman Jespersen and voted unanimously to amend the Code of the Town of Newbury, Chapter 97, Zoning, Section 97-5.F. Ground-Mounted Solar Photovoltaic Installations, to change paragraph 97-5.F.(6)02) to designate the Planning Board as the Special Permit Granting Authority for Installations Requiring a Special Permit in lieu of the Board of Selectmen and to make any
related required changes to Section 97-5.F. and to submit this proposed zoning change to the Planning Board for public hearing, as required under MGL Chapter 40A, Section 5.
Correspondence: No correspondence
Review of Meeting Minutes: No meeting minutes to review
Warrants: No warrants to approve or sign
Meeting Updates: No Meeting updates
Executive Session: No Executive Session
Adjourn:
Motion: At 10:01 p.m. a motion to adjourn was made by Selectman Bear, seconded by Selectman Jespersen and voted unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Ellen Jameson
Executive Administrator
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