MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
January 25, 2005
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building beginning at 7:00 pm were Selectmen John Clayton Jr., Carole A. Makary, Kathleen K. Farrell, Edward R. Perry Jr., and Janet Wheeler. Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan Flint Hosier.
Chairman Jack Clayton called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Bills/Minutes
There were no bills. For minutes, see section below.
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley reported that he, Police Chief Mark Trefry, Fire Chief Dave Soar and Selectman Jack Clayton had been interviewing candidates for a full-time dispatcher vacancy resulting from a resignation. Having interviewed four of the seven applicants, the committee recommended that the Board hire Tracy Thibaudeax
Ms. Farrell moved to appoint Tracy Thibaudeax to the position of full-time dispatcher, Mr. Perry seconded, and all voted in favor.
Another full-time dispatcher position might open up if the Board fills the open patrolman slot created by Mark Trefry’s promotion to Chief from within the department. The committee will now address the open part-time dispatcher position, having filled the full-time slot.
Master Plan Committee Applicant
Master Plan Committee applicant Ron Ham was scheduled to meet the Board but did not make the meeting. Selectmen Clayton, Farrell, and Wheeler agreed that, going forward, Master Plan applicants should meet with that committee before the Board makes further appointments.
While awaiting Mr. Ham, Chairman Clayton moved on with the agenda.
Bylaw Review Committee Appointment
Mr. Clayton asked the Board to appoint Deborah Woods as the fifth member of the newly formed By-law Review Committee, which Mr. Clayton chairs. An earlier applicant had withdrawn, one more member was needed, and Ms. Woods applied for the vacancy. Ms. Farrell moved to appoint Ms. Woods to the Bylaw Review Committee, Mr. Perry seconded, and all voted to approve.
Annual Town Meeting Warrant – Opening and Closing Dates
Town Clerk Linda Hathaway reviewed her preliminary schedule for May Town Meeting with the Board, including planning dates from several prior years, and she proposed warrant dates. Mr. Perry moved that the Annual Town Meeting warrant open on Jan. 25 and close on March 23. Ms. Makary seconded and all voted in favor.
Annual MMA Conference
Ms. Farrell reported on her attendance at the Mass Municipal Association’s annual conference and distributed an MMA resolution on local aid for Fiscal 2006. A key piece of the resolution
stated that formulas for state distribution of municipal aid, including lottery and Chapter 70 funds, should consider median family income as a better measure of wealth than property values.
Board Minutes
Given the Board’s difficulty agreeing on meeting minutes, Chairman Clayton asked each member to submit a one-page description of their expectations on format, content and process. He described the extremes of the range: minimal recording of the required information (attendance, votes, outcomes) compared to a transcript of the entire session. The listed expectations were to go to Ms. Flint Hosier, as soon as possible, to be compiled for the Board to consider.
At the end of the meeting, Ms. Makary asked to continue the Minutes discussion.
Marlboro Road Update
Ms. Makary reported that she and Officer Lima met with residents the previous week to discuss two proposals. One, a proposed three-way stop at High Street and Marlboro Road, residents did not want due to noise, truck fumes, etc. Residents were in favor of a proposed reconfiguration of the Marlboro and Gleasondale roads intersection, which would include a stop sign and an improved sight line.
Chairman Clayton noted that any prior decisions that Board made should be reviewed in light of the current proposals and asked Ms. Flint Hosier to check on prior decisions.
Stow Housing Partnership
Donna Jacobs and Greg Jones, from the Master Plan Committee, visited the Board to discuss forming a Housing Partnership in Stow. This proposal followed an earlier discussion on the housing component of the Community Development Plan with Ellen Cataldo of the Stow Community Housing Corp. and Bob Barrell, director of the Hudson and Stow Housing Authorities.
A housing partnership, which was one of the recommendations in the Community development Plan, could then implement the other housing recommendations in the plan. It was proposed that the Partnership be appointed and endorsed by the Board. A variety of skills are needed from members, including banking and commercial lending; real estate and land use; clergy or public sector people knowledgeable about the Stow’s housing needs; development and building (experience from the trenches), as well as town committee and at-large members.
The discussion resulted in a motion by Mr. Perry to create a Housing Partnership of seven members, who would begin by defining their charter. Ms. Farrell seconded and all voted in favor.
A local option trust fund, endorsed by the Governor this month, will be considered to complement the Partnership, to receive inclusionary zoning buyouts and Community Preservation funding.
Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Jones briefly commented on future appointments to their committee. Ms. Jacobs stated that the committee would disband in nine months; Mr. Jones disagreed, saying that no progress was being made and new members would bring new energy. All agreed that potential members are encouraged visit the committee.
Public Records Request to Hear Recorded Meetings
Chairman Clayton reported that the Board received a request to hear tape recordings of the Oct. 12 and Oct. 26, 2004 Board meetings, noting that the Board’s record of meetings is printed minutes. He also said that, if the Town has recordings of the meetings, someone would have to sit with the resident during the review. He asked if any Board members had recordings they could give the resident. Ms. Wheeler agreed to check.
Board Minutes, cont.
Requesting that the Board go back to the Minutes discussion, Ms. Makary shared her ideas on timing and process.
Just before 9:00 pm, the Board voted to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Flint Hosier
Administrative Assistant
Board of Selectmen
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