Town of Princeton, Mass. -- BOARD OF SELECTMEN -- July 14, 2014
6:00 PM The meeting was called to order in the Town Hall Annex. Present were Chairman, Neil Sulmasy, Stan Moss, Edith Morgan and Town Administrator John Lebeaux. Advisory Board members present included David Cruise, Jim O’Coin and John Shipman
Meetings/Appointments
6 PM Selectmen and Advisory Board both need to vote to approve a Reserve Fund transfer for the Building Dept., but Adv. Bd. short of a quorum so they decided to wait and contact absent members.
New Business
Discussed FY 15 appointments, considering Bill Lawton of 3 Pinewood Drive for Advisory Board to fill vacancy left by Jim Comer. Selectmen voted all in favor to appoint Bill Lawton for a term beginning immediately and to end June 30, 2017. Jim O’Coin noted that Karen Freeman had expressed interest but the Advisory Board was now filled, at seven members. It was reported that Joe Lotuff was probably vacating the board at the end of his term next year.
Board discussed Council on Aging director, noting that Sue Shanahan has done excellent job as acting director for one year. John L. reported that the COA members were all in favor of making Sue the director. Selectmen voted all in favor to appoint Sue Shanahan as COA director for a three year term to end June 30 2017.
John L. outlined a plan to eliminate one-year appointments for more efficiency, such as Conflict of Interest requirements, swearing in each individual, etc. No reason was apparent for why some positions were one-year while the majority were three-year. Stan M. asked for a spreadsheet of all boards’ terms and BOS decided to take some time to consider keeping one year appointments or not, and take action at a future meeting.
They also considered FY 15 board and committee list of vacancies and finding a way to stagger appointments so all member of a board don’t end their terms at the same time. When re-appointing members, some may get a one or two year term in order to create the stagger, and board discussed how to choose individuals. John L. said maybe “draw straws” and that he and the town clerk would work it out.
6:30 PM The chairman reviewed the Goal-Setting Meeting which the BOS had on July 2 and started by reporting on the FY’14 goals and what was accomplished to date. One that had not been started yet was a Facilities Study of Town-owned buildings. This was continued to FY’15, and John L. took responsibility for not prioritizing it. Also, the Broadband Committee’s planning and potential implementation of a town-owned High-Speed Internet System was progressing but will continue as a goal for FY‘15.
John Shipman announced that the Advisory Board would continue its meeting to Tuesday, July 15 at 8 a.m. in the Town Hall. New member Bill Lawton could get sworn in and then the group could vote on the Reserve Fund transfer for the Building Dept.
Neil then read from the report of FY 15 Board of Selectmen goals. The town-owned buildings project needs a design firm to identify and prioritize building needs and a procurement procedure will be required. The broadband project is still searching for specialized legal counsel; the MLP is established but needs a charter and bylaws and needs to conform to the state’s Chapter 30 purchasing statute. The regional dispatch is almost complete with a microwave dish going onto the new tower in August and the whole system possibly going online in October. John L. said Chief Michele Powers and FD Capt. Ken Whitney have put much effort into the transition. It was reported that after the
facilities study is completed, BOS will consider viability of The Princeton Center, as it is costing the town too much to maintain—rents not enough to make it self-sufficient. Also, BOS will consider better organization of personnel and staffing matrix, for more efficiency.
6:45 PM The selectmen voted all in favor to adopt the short and long-term goals as set on July 14 for FY’15.
The board then considered a deficit of $11,308.60 in the Building Dept. Revolving Account. During busier years in construction the fees covered expenses, but recent slow years in construction have depleted the budget. Selectmen voted all in favor to transfer $11,500 from the Reserve Fund into the Building Dept. Revolving Account. John L. said he’d gather fee schedules from surrounding towns for comparison, although a recent survey indicated that Princeton was in the middle with fees. Even raising fees probably would not cover the deficit completely, he added, given the slow uptick in construction.
John L. reported on a FD account deficit caused by a repair to the ladder truck late in June—at the close of FY’14.The BOS and Advisory Board may approve a transfer of funds within a single department, so they voted all in favor to transfer $4,000 from the FD Salary Account into the FD Expense Account.
Old Business
On April 17 the BOS had voted to re-appoint the town administrator, subject to approval of a new contract. John L. had submitted a new contract with some updated numbers and dates and a two percent salary increase. The board voted all in favor to sign the contract for a period from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018
Other Business
Stan M. reported that he is the town delegate and John Kowaleski is alternate for the Wired West meetings on broadband.
Warrants and Minutes
Reviewed and approved vendor and payroll warrants: FY14 #27 and FY15 #1
Approve regular meeting minutes for June 30 and July 2
7:20 PM The Board voted all in favor to adjourn
Respectfully submitted, Marie Auger, administrative assistant
Referenced Documents: List of board and committee vacancies for FT’15; list of one-year terms for staff and committees; BOS goals for FY’14 & FY’15; town administrator contract for FY’15 – FY’18
Marie Auger
Administrative Assistant
Planning Department
978-464-2100
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