MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
March 22, 2005
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building were Chairman John Clayton and Selectmen Carole A. Makary, Edward R. Perry Jr., and Janet Wheeler.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan Flint Hosier. Selectman Kathleen Farrell was absent.
Chairman Clayton called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Bills/Minutes
There were no bills.
Minutes of March 15: Mr. Perry moved to accept the minutes, as written. Ms. Wheeler seconded, then proposed changes that she and Ms. Makary had combined and distributed to the Board prior to the meeting. Following a 20-minute discussion, Mr. Perry moved, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted to accept the minutes, as amended.
Commonwealth Capital Application
Donna Jacobs, Master Plan chairman and representative of the Mass. Area Planning Council, visited the Board to discuss Stow’s application for Commonwealth Capital approval. The state board, newly formed by the Governor, requires communities to demonstrate progress on Smart Growth development to be eligible for state funds.
Ms. Jacobs completed the application for Stow for the Board to submit.
Applications must be made annually, with the next submission due on July 1. The immediate benefit to Stow would be in matching grants for an Agricultural Preservation restriction the Town will purchase, pending Town Meeting approval. The funding from EOEA is only available until June 30.
Ms. Makary moved to approve the submission of the Commonwealth Capital application, dated 3/22, to include corrections by Bob Wilber, Open Space chairman; Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
Ms. Flint Hosier will prepare a letter to the Commonwealth for the Board’s signature.
Town Charter Review
Charter Review Committee Chairman Liz Painter and members Rob Kaufman, Stu Dalzell, Bob Billups, Marcia Rising, and Doug Hyde presented their work to review and revise the Town Charter.
Twenty-five topics were reviewed, resulting in six proposed articles for amendments to be presented to Annual Town Meeting. The group reported that no substantive changes are needed for this update. The topics of the six articles are: schools, budget and budget message; capital outlay; Master Plan Committee; transition provisions; and a “miscellaneous” category of small points.
Ms. Painter said the committee will continue to meet until Town Meeting and will present the charter amendments to voters. If accepted, the revision then goes to the Attorney General for approval, after which the Town votes its final approval.
Town Administrator’s Activity Report
Mr. Wrigley reported that, as approved by the Board and Finance Committee, the Town is deficit spending in the Snow and Ice account, the extent to which is exacerbated this year by the severe winter. The Superintendent of Streets applied for $23,000 in FEMA funds; Mr. Wrigley recommended funding the remaining overspend through a combination of free cash and the Reserve Fund.
Mr. Perry moved to balance the Snow and Ice account per Mr. Wrigley’s recommendation: $25,000 from free cash and the remainder from a Reserve Fund Transfer; Ms. Makary seconded, and all voted in favor. Mr. Wrigley will submit the appropriate warrant article by the March 23 deadline.
Town Administrator’s FY2006 Budget Recommendation
Mr. Wrigley presented his recommended FY 2006 budget to the Board for their approval.
(Copies of both his recommended budget and accompanying explanation are available from the Selectmen’s Office.)
Changes from the last version include an updated revenue forecast, based on his evaluation of local receipts, which have dropped significantly.
In general, he has approved the budgets requested by the departments, saying the departments’ budgets are tight. And he recommends the increases in funding through the Special Articles, as all are necessary expenses.
Mr. Perry moved to support Mr. Wrigley’s proposed budget, with the understanding that the $320,000-to-$350,000 deficit suggests an override; Ms. Makary seconded, and all voted in favor.
Lower Village Planning Committee Update
Don McPherson, Lower Village Planning Chairman and Planning Board member, updated the Board on Lower Village activities. He was joined by Ken Kells, consulting engineer for Assabet Water Co., and Stephen Donovan, general manager of WhiteWater, Inc. (Assabet’s parent company).
Mr. McPherson reported the committee has received several bids on an RFP for a Lower Village traffic study and conceptual design, the lowest of which is $30,000. If Town Meeting approves the funding, the work could start immediately and be ready in four to six months. Its primary focus would be the Pompositticut and Red Acre roads intersection.
Mr. Kells introduced Assabet Water Co., a regulated utility serving 189 customers in Stow, and expressed interest in providing a public water supply to the Lower Village area.
Water would be purchased from Maynard or Acton, with rates similar to Harvard Acres’.
Stow has several months to decide, he said, and negotiations with Maynard are in progress. He estimated that the Town could gain $10,000 in property taxes, due to the value of a public supply and the water rates would pay for the service.
Mr. Kells said that Assabet Water now manages the wastewater at Hale School and he plans to meet with the Stow School Building Committee about the Town’s potential needs water and wastewater for the other schools.
Appointments
Ms. Flint Hosier updated the Board on committee vacancies for the Master Plan, Public Safety Planning, Registrars of Voters, and Housing Partnership.
The Board acted on an earlier application to the Cemetery Committee from Roy Dudley. Ms. Makary moved, Mr. Perry seconded, and all voted in favor of appointing Mr. Dudley to the Cemetery Committee.
At 9:15 pm, Mr. Perry moved, Ms. Makary seconded, and all voted by roll-call vote to move to Executive Session to discuss employee contract negotiations and to adjourn immediately following the return to Open Session.
At 10:15 pm, the Board returned to Open Session, at which time Ms. Makary moved, Mr. Perry seconded, and all voted to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Flint Hosier
Administrative Assistant
Board of Selectmen
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