MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
March 15, 2005
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building were Selectmen Kathleen K. Farrell, Carole A. Makary, Edward R. Perry Jr., and Janet Wheeler.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan Flint Hosier. Chairman John Clayton was away.
Acting chairman Perry called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
Bills/Minutes
There were no bills. Approval of minutes was deferred until the meeting’s end.
Town Administrator’s Activity Report
Mr. Wrigley updated the Board on the employee salary survey and state reimbursement for the Hale School building project.
Mr. Wrigley noted the Employee Salary Survey Committee currently lacks information from three unions, the Highway Department, and a few additional departments. The deadline has had to be extended several times. There is a great deal of work to be done to be thorough and comprehensive. The presentation to voters will be moved from Annual Town Meeting in May to the next Special Town Meeting, tentatively planned for the fall.
Mr. Wrigley said that employees collected detailed information on jobs and associated salaries from 8 towns, so that the process and the source documents provided a reliable base. Mr. Perry, also a committee member, said members are now in the process of comparing job descriptions.
To expedite receiving the state’s reimbursement for Hale School construction, Mr. Wrigley proposed a new approach to completing the necessary program audit. He has reached a tentative agreement with Christine Lynch of the School Building Assistance program to allow the Town’s financial auditor to perform the program audit. Should the proposal be agreed to, Mr. Wrigley said the audit could be completed by June, with full SBAB reimbursement in FY2006.
One-day Liquor License
The Board approved an application from Nancy’s Air Field Café for a one-day wine and malt license for an upcoming wine-tasting event. Ms. Farrell moved, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
Stow Representation on Tri-Town/School Building Task Force
At the March Tri-Town meeting, members formed a task force to investigate school building needs at the district level, prompted by the upcoming availability of the Future Electronics facility in Bolton near the Stow line. Boards of Selectmen from the three towns were to appoint representatives. Ms. Makary reported that the School Building Committee recommended that she (former Finance Committee and NRSD School Committee member, current SBC associate member) and Chris Way (former Finance Committee and current NRSD School Committee member and SBC member) be appointed as Stow’s representatives. Ms. Farrell said she would like to see representation from Finance or Master Plan, a broader view than only the schools’. Following the discussion, Ms. Wheeler moved that Ms. Makary and Ms. Way be appointed as Stow
representatives on the task force, Ms. Makary seconded, and all voted in favor.
Minuteman Regional FY06 Budget Presentation
Assistant Superintendent Tom Markham and School Committee member Alice DeLuca visited the Board to present the Minuteman Regional Vocation School budget for FY 2006. In addition to the high school, the budget covers both post-graduate and middle-school educational expenses. A detailed copy of the budget is available from the Selectmen’s Office.
Points of note include:
· The overall Minuteman budget increased 2.3 percent.
· Teacher and staff contracts are capped at 2 percent, the same as non-union staff. Contracts are negotiated annually.
· Minuteman has introduced legislation to keep non-resident tuition at 150 percent, because the proposed reduction in the Governor’s budget would mean a $112,000 loss to the school.
· Minuteman no longer participates in School Choice, as the $5,000 revenue does not cover the cost of the student.
· The number of in-district students being served has increased 37 percent.
· The biggest budget drivers are the state cuts and, for Stow in particular, the state’s change in the equation for the town’s minimum contribution.
In response to a question from Mr. Perry, Mr. Markham said that final budget numbers will not be available until June.
The Board offered Ms. DeLuca and Mr. Markham its support on Minuteman’s requests to the state for increased Chapter 70 and regional transportation aid and the legislation regarding out-of-district tuition. Mr. Markham said that he would draft letters to the Legislature for the Board’s review and use.
FY06 Municipal Budget Discussion
Mr. Wrigley gave a detailed presentation to the Board on his FY06 budget plan, to solicit members’ input for his upcoming recommendation to the Board on March 22.
He provided a nine-page commentary to the Board and the press, which is available from the Selectmen’s Office.
Board members’ questions included what had changed relative to the Highway Department’s workload in helping the Cemetery Department (Ms Wheeler), what percentage of stored assets the Town should have (Ms. Farrell), whether the Town could reclaim any of the $125,000 in the prior School Building articles (Ms Makary). Members had no recommended changes.
Bill Joss, a resident in attendance, asked to address the Board. He proposed a change in the agreement in the way the towns approve their school assessments. Instead of one vote each for the three member towns to accept the assessment, he recommended the vote be based on the total of the residents’ votes in each of the towns. Resident Ted Perry asked the protocol to request the Board’s attention to this; Chairman Perry suggested a written request to the Board of Selectmen for a future agenda topic, noting that the Tri-Town meeting was also a good forum to present this topic.
Asked about the current status of budget preparation, Mr. Wrigley said that Capital Planning and Finance are still in the early stages of review, with the Finance public hearing expected in April.
Wrapping up the discussion, Ms. Wrigley noted that despite improvements in the Town’s operating expenses, there are structural impediments in the municipal budget that will be there every year.
Minutes
The February 22, 2005 minutes were scheduled for review and vote. Ms. Wheeler said that, given the amount of information presented by the School Building Committee, she recommended some additions to that section of the minutes, which she felt were pertinent. Mr. Perry postponed review until the next meeting until everyone had a chance to review the recommendations by Ms. Makary and Ms. Wheeler.
Nashoba Regional District Agreement
Capital Planning Committee chair Jean Lynch and members Ed Merrick and Dave Arsenault joined the Board to discuss the District’s proposed amendment to the regional agreement’s definition of capital expenses. A discussion of the difference between capital and maintenance expenses (and, as an extension, who pays – town or school) has been ongoing.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Wood has submitted a proposed warrant article on the amendment to the towns’ Boards of Selectmen for their upcoming Town Meetings. It redefines capital expenses as those greater than $10,000 and that extend the life of the asset by three years or more. Mr. Perry questioned if this might be more restrictive for the schools. The present agreement differentiates the maintenance and capital expense from a systems perspective.
Ms. Lynch asked whether the change is compatible with Stow’s lease agreement; Mr. Wrigley said it is. Mr. Perry asked whether the change would be too restrictive in needing to follow each town’s Capital Planning process. Mr. Wrigley agreed that it might be; he said in the same discussion with an earlier business manager for the District, Mr. Wrigley suggested that past invoices be reviewed to see how many expenses exceeded $10,000 as a way to judge the impact. He estimates there could be many, making it difficult to manage unplanned expenses. Mr. Perry said that he would work with Mr. Wrigley about a letter to the Superintendent of Schools regarding the questions that had arisen. Ms. Farrell said a change to the agreement needs more attention that this has received. Mr. Merrick’s
concern is that the incentive is in the wrong direction; it is not in the schools’ interest to maintain the buildings. He suggested that both the schools and towns be more attentive to the buildings’ maintenance needs.
Additional Notes
Ms. Farrell distributed a draft letter to the Planning Board on the new Municipal Land Use Committee, as discussed at the February Joint Boards meeting. Ms. Makary asked if the School Building Committee would be represented, since that committee had conducted an ongoing extensive land search and would have pertinent information “to bring to the table.” Mr. Perry noted the agreement was to have a School Committee representative. Ms. Wheeler reported that Kathy Sferra from the Conservation Commission asked about representation. Mr. Perry said the composition of the group was intended to be land users versus those who are involved in permitting. Conservation Administrator Pat Perry, from the audience, asked the Board to define the purpose of the committee, in order for departments to decide on representation. Ms.
Farrell said the letter is also intended to get feedback from the Planning Board. Ms. Makary again raised her desire for a School Building Committee representative, due to their experience in land use review; Mr. Perry said he wanted to encourage the School Committee to take the lead in defining their space needs. Following the discussion, the Board agreed to send the informational letter to the Planning Board.
Ms. Wheeler reported on the website status. Ms. Wheeler said she will send a press release announcing the new website.
Ms. Farrell reported that the Wildlife Refuge final conservation plan was unfavorable to Stow residents and suggested the Board work with Stow’s congressmen to improve it.
The Board voted to adjourn at 9:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Flint Hosier
Administrative Assistant
Board of Selectmen
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