Town of Princeton, Mass. -- BOARD OF SELECTMEN -- November 4, 2013
6:00 PM Open Meeting The meeting was called to order in the Town Hall Annex. Present were Chairman Stan Moss, Edith Morgan, Neil Sulmasy and Town Administrator John Lebeaux.
Under “new business” selectmen heard the report of EMS Assessment Committee from Neil S., who discussed EMS Assessment Committee progress and described how the proposal, as put together by Acting Fire Chief John Bennett, Captain Tim Kelly and Lt. Bill Dino, fits within current budget limits. Essentially, it allows a system of maintaining 24/7 coverage with all paramedics, on call, under a part-time fire chief and five-day coverage at the fire station. John L. noted that the goal is to attract “firefighter EMTs,” and the new system will be tested out and be subject to a review in three months and probably six months. To encourage night shift coverage, there will be an off-hours pay differential. John Bennett has reported that soliciting for personnel to fill EMT-coverage hours has been successful so far.
All expressed support and were very pleased with the plan as it will heighten coverage and improve safety at no extra expense. Selectmen voted all in favor to implement the new staffing structure plan as presented by Chief Bennett and start on it immediately.
Scheduled Meetings/Appointments
6:15 PM The annual Tax Classification Hearing opened with assessors Gary MacLeod and Chairman Tim Hammond present. They recommend a single tax rate and reported that over 96 percent of revenue is from residential property, the rest is commercial, industrial and personal property, which is mainly capital equipment. After hearing no comments from other boards or the public, selectmen voted all in favor to accept a unfied factor of one for the tax rate.
New Business
6:27 PM Regarding a new fire chief, Neil moved to hire John Bennett, whose title has been “acting chief” for 16 months. After brief discussion, Stan noted that the fire chief issue has been a #1 goal of town officials for three years. The board voted all in favor to appoint John Bennett as part-time fire chief pending contract negotiations, for a term of one year.
6:35 PM Board considered additional borrowing documents for the Thomas Prince School Green Repair project. Treasurer-Collector Jim Dunbar explained that the Bond Anticipation Note [BAN] is being renewed for one year from 11-15-13 to 11-14-14, at $1,335,614. Bond counsel for the BAN was provided by First Southwest Cos., the town’s financial advisor. The winning bid—out of five submissions—was .4365% interest from TD Securities. John reported that an extra $55,732.31 will be reimbursed from the state to cover additional PCB mitigation costs that were discovered
after the original grant was awarded. Selectmen voted all in favor to vote a series of motionsprepared by bond counsel and signed all the documents.
Old Business
6:50 PM John L. provided the board with a document, Surrounding Community Agreement, based on a model used by other adjacent towns with PPE Casino Resorts MA, LLC. It outlines a payment to surrounding communities [except Lancaster] of $5,000 annually plus the ability to appeal to the state Gaming Commission if towns accrue casino-related costs in the future. Phil Mighdoll of Redemption Rock Road North reported that he believed that traffic from north and west of Westminster would travel down Route 140 to I-190 and then north to Route 117, adding vehicle trips through East Princeton. The project’s traffic study had reported about 10 extra vehicle trips through Princeton after the casino is in operation. The board voted all in favor to accept and sign the agreement.
6:05 PM Selectmen discussed the Town Administrator annual review, and Stan read an overview of the ratings submitted by each selectman. Ratings were “excellent” to “distinguished” [the highest] especially citing management, planning, communications with BOS, finances, engaging in ongoing training [and sharing the results], and problem resolution. Stan said the board’s only advice might be more delegation of routine tasks. Neil said, “We’re happy and appreciative… You make it easy for us.” John L. responded by thanking the board for their generous comments and said he achievements were due to town staf working with him, who are hard-working and dedicated., and he thanked the BOS on behalf of town staff.
7:15 PM John L. announced that tax collector clerk Erin McCarthy had resigned her part-time position, so the job was open. The position will be posted internally and after five days it can be posted externally if necessary.The Board agreed that John could speak with previous applicants for the position prior to any external posting.
Edith requested that the BOS meet with other boards for updates or reports, specifically the PMLD, Council on Aging, Broadband Committee and one or two WRSD School Committee members. John L. suggested that BOS submit some discussion points. Edith said meeting with full committees was preferable or BOS could attend their meetings. Neil said there was a lot going on with the school committee so having the school committee’s Princeton reps come in would be first priority.
New Business
7:25 PM The board had received a report on the town’s FY 12 audit and auditor Tony Roselli came in to discuss highlights. He announced the town has increased reserves for the 4th year with $1.6 million in reserve funds, a ratio of 18 percent, well above the state average of 6 percent. He advised that the town incorporate a “fraud” policy and disseminate it to all staff. Also, a “policy & procedure” manual would be useful especially for new employees, and the accountant should actively check the cash handling and bookkeeping of other departments. Stan asked him for a model fraud policy to adapt.
Discussing municipal data security, Roselli warned of other towns that had their electronic financial records hacked into and said small towns are most vulnerable. He said the town had a score of 4 on a 1 – 5 scale concerning its Other Post Employment Benefits [OPEB]—essentially, retiree healthcare. There was some discussion regarding using a software service for OPEB calculations or having an actuary do it, and the cost over several years was comparable. Roselli recommended an e-billing option instead of US Mail for bills, and using a ‘lock-box’ or processing center that receives payments by check from taxpayers directly, taking Town Hall out of the loop for better efficiency. He also recommended, for better security, creation of a “building
use” policy and suggested immediately changing locks and vault combinations due to staff changes.
Other Business
8 PM Wayne Adams, 104 Merriam Road, came in to request a position on the Advisory Board, as Terry Hart is resigning. He is an IT professional and described his experiences with finances mainly with financial management in non-profit organizations. The board voted all in favor to appoint Wayne Adams to finish the term of Terry Hart on the Advisory Board
Public Comment
Warrants and Minutes
8:10 PM Board reviewed and signed Vendor and Payroll Warrants: FY14 # 9
They voted all in favor to approve minutes for Oct. 21, 2013
Executive Session
8:18 PM Neil S. made a motion, and Edith M. seconded it, to go into executive session pursuant to MGL 30A Section 21(2), to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel; and, not to reconvene in open session. Under roll call, Edith voted aye, Neil voted aye and Stan voted aye.
9:10 PM Selectmen voted all in favor to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted, Marie Auger, administrative assistant
Referenced Documents: EMS proposal from J. Bennett; report of EMS Assessment Committee; Town Administrator annual review; Surrounding Community Agreement, with PPE Casino Resorts MA, LLC.; Auditor’s management letter and audit report
Marie Auger
Administrative Assistant
Planning Department
978-464-2100
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