MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
November 9, 2004
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building were Selectmen John Clayton, Kathleen Farrell, Carole Makary, and Janet Wheeler. Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan Flint Hosier.
Chairman Clayton called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Bills and Minutes of 10/12 and 10/26/04
There were no bills. The minutes of 10/12 and 10/26 were not ready for approval.
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley noted a letter to the Board from School Building Committee Chairman Steve Dungan regarding a sprinkler system for Pompositticut School. The SBC’s position is that the school district or the Board of Selectmen, not the SBC, should be responsible for the decision. Mr. Wrigley likened the situation to using SBC funds to remove Pompo classroom risers and advised the Board that the same fund could be used to install sprinklers, for health and safety conditions, should the SBC choose to do so.
Mr. Wrigley reported that the Town’s insurer had denied a March 8 liability claim regarding a fallen tree limb and that a problem tree at Hillside cemetery, adjacent to a resident’s property, had been removed.
Free Cash was certified by DOR at $478,754 for use in FY05, down from $651,578 certified for use in FY04. The Nashoba Regional School District verified that Stow’s FY05 assessment would be reduced by $65,979, following the School Committee’s vote to return increased local aid to the member towns. Both the $65.9k and the Town’s supplemental aid of $38.0k will be used to reduce the Fy05 tax rate.
Following a discussion among Board members on the school sprinklers, it was agreed to invite the School Building Committee, Fire Chief Soar and the school building architect to the next Selectmen’s meeting for more information.
Visitors
Public Meeting with Assessors on Annual Tax Classification
Assistant Assessor Dottie Wilbur and Board Chairman John Bolton visited the Board for the annual joint public meeting to decide the tax classifications. Ms. Wilbur explained that, as in the past, the Board of Assessors recommends a single tax rate this year. She distributed a chart showing the impact of rate changes on residential and commercial property assessments. In her example, a $400,000 residential taxpayer would see a decrease of $240 but a $400,000 commercial taxpayer would see an increase of $3,000. Given Stow’s small commercial sector, much of which is working farms, the large increase would be burdensome. Chairman John Bolton noted that with residential property increasing – 92 percent of Stow land is now zoned residential – the trend is moving in the wrong direction to change.
Ms. Farrell moved to retain a single tax rate, Ms. Wheeler seconded and all voted in favor.
Action/Discussion
While waiting for Dr. Halpern to arrive, the Board moved to Action/Discussion items.
Review of Charter Section 3-2 (b) – Powers and Duties of the Board of Selectmen
Chairman Clayton initiated a discussion on the role of the Board of Selectmen as described in the Town Charter. He read Section 3-2 (b) into the record, then emphasized that the Board operates as a Board, with no individual having authority. All authority comes from the Board, collectively, when it meets.
Review of Whitman Street Traffic Revision
Chairman Clayton reviewed the Whitman Street traffic decision, which had been discussed at the 10/26 meeting when he was absent. Noting that, in July, the Board voted to install a five-way stop at the intersection, he confirmed that the process stalled when the required steps for traffic rule changes – newspaper notifications to the public – did not occur.
The Board agreed to sign a decision at the 11/23 meeting, confirming its vote on the five-way stop, to be witnessed by the Town Clerk and then to post a notice in the newspaper for the required consecutive two-week period. After the public posting, the rule can be incorporated as an amendment into the Town’s Traffic Rules and Orders.
Establish a Standard of Recognition for Eagle Scouts
Chairman Clayton reviewed the Board’s current recognition policy for Eagle Scouts and asked if the Board wanted to make any changes. At present, the policy is for a representative from the Board to present a certificate of recognition to the scout at the induction ceremony, then to invite the scout to a Selectmen’s meeting to enter the accomplishment into the Town’s public record. The Board agreed to keep the current policy.
The Town’s three newest Eagle Scouts will be invited to visit the Board as soon as can be arranged.
Town Administrator’sFY06 Budget Message
Mr. Wrigley briefly discussed his FY06 budget message to Town departments, noting that he based his 3-percent cost-of-living figure on info from the state and several towns. Any remaining budget requests are to be needs based.
Capital Planning Request for FY06 Needs and Long Range Plans
Ms. Farrell, Capital Planning representative, noted that there should be follow-up to departments in December for their capital requests. The committee’s requests for long-range plans is fairly recent, an effort to forecast upcoming capital needs.
Charter Review Committee Process and Schedule
Chairman Clayton explained that, by law, the Town’s Charter must be reviewed every 10 years. The Town Moderator convenes a special committee for the job and Ed Newman now has a committee in place. Mr. Clayton asked Board members to review the Charter now and compile changes, to be discussed at an upcoming meeting with the Charter Review Committee.
Dr. John Halpern, Candidate for Master Plan Committee
Dr. Halpern visited to introduce himself, meet the Board and describe his interest and skills regarding his request for appointment to the Master Plan Committee. Dr. Halpern, a Hudson Road resident, has lived in Stow since July 2003. Following his introduction, Ms. Makary moved, Ms. Farrell seconded and all voted in favor of his appointment.
Budgeting Discussion, cont.
Ms. Makary made a suggestion to have an educational forum early in the budget process, driven by department heads, for residents. An extended discussion ensued, in which several existing forums were noted, including the Finance Committee’s public hearings on the annual budget before Town Meeting. It was also noted that budgeting is the purview of the Town’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Wrigley, and the Finance Committee. Renewing Joint Boards meetings was also suggested. It was left that the Fire Chief would discuss his plans and needs with the Board at an upcoming meeting, with the suggestion that the Fire department sponsor a one-night public information session.
Postings of Committee Vacancies
Vacancies discussed: one for Master Plan, five for Bylaw Review and three for the Cultural Council. The Cultural Council will be invited to an upcoming Board meeting to discuss reducing the size of the nine-member committee and other ways to help the committee operate.
Liquor License Fees for 2005
Chairman Clayton said that the two tied votes to set the annual fees at the 10/26 meeting constituted failed votes, which would result in the license fees for 2005 remaining as is. However, he would honor the request to wait for a meeting with the full committee attending, which is expected at the 11/23 meeting.
Additional Notes
Tri-Town Topics
Ms. Makary, Tri-Town representative, reported that a sub-committee is working to define the difference between capital and maintenance expenses for the schools, and Capital Planning chair Jean Lynch is a member. How the Towns participate and ways for the Selectmen to be informed was discussed. Mr. Wrigley noted that this is the third effort at definition, the past problems being that the towns have worked in isolation. He advised that Tri-Town was a good venue for the three towns and the school district to work together. Ms. Makary agreed to ask Jean Lynch for an update on the sub-committee’s work.
School Building Committee Membership
Ms. Makary reported that the School Building Committee wants to add a selectman as an Associate Member. Steve Dungan will be asked to submit a written request to the Board for consideration.
Community Development Plan
Ms. Farrell requested that the Master Plan Committee present an overview of the Town’s Community Development Plan to the Board. Ms. Wheeler, as Master Plan representative, will check with the committee on a possible Joint Boards meeting for this.
At 8:47 p.m., the Board adjourned from Open Session. Ms. Farrell moved to enter Executive Session for the purpose of discussing employee union contract negotiations and not to return to Open Session; Ms. Makary seconded. By roll-call vote: Mr. Clayton – yes; Ms. Farrell – yes, Ms. Wheeler – yes; Ms. Makary – yes.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Flint Hosier
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