MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
May 22, 2007
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building were Chairman Stephen Dungan and Selectmen Kathleen Farrell, Jason Robart, Thomas Ruggiero, and Ellen Sturgis.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan McLaughlin.
Chairman Dungan called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Welcome to New Members
Mr. Dungan opened the meeting by welcoming newly elected members Kathleen Farrell and Ellen Sturgis to the Board. Ms. Farrell had previously served six years on the Board. Ms. Sturgis was chair of the School Building Task Force, which recently completed its work, and she served on the Nashoba Regional School Committee.
Public Input
Jim Sauta of Hudson Road stated that residents were confused about whether conservation land could be used for active recreation, such as playing fields. He asked the Board to provide a list of conservation lands and their potential uses before the next Town Meeting, to let voters know the possibilities, given that the Annual Town Meeting proposal for recreational fields might be revisited.
Meeting Minutes
May 7, 2007: Mr. Robart moved to accept the minutes as submitted; Mr. Ruggiero seconded. Mssrs. Dungan, Ruggiero, and Robart voted in favor, which was a unanimous vote because they were the only Board members in attendance.
May 8, 2007: Mr. Robart moved to accept the minutes as amended; Mr. Ruggiero seconded. , and Mssrs. Dungan, Ruggiero, and Robart voted in favor, which was a unanimous vote because they were the only Board members in attendance.
May 14, 2007: Mr. Robart moved to accept the minutes as submitted; Mr. Ruggiero seconded, and Mssrs. Dungan, Ruggiero, and Robart voted in favor. Ms. Farrell and Ms. Sturgis abstained, not having attended.
May 18, 2007: Mr. Robart moved to accept the minutes as submitted; Mr. Ruggiero seconded, and all voted in favor.
Town Administrator’s Report
Regarding the upcoming hire of a Building Inspector, Mr. Wrigley reported that he and a small working group had selected Craig Martin as the strongest candidate for the position and he asked the Board to approve his proceeding to negotiate terms of employment with Mr. Martin. The Board agreed to Mr. Wrigley’s request. Following successful negotiations, the Board will meet Mr. Martin and consider his appointment.
Citizen Certificate of Appreciation
The Board presented Sarah Robart, chairman of the Stow Medical Reserve Corps Executive Committee, with an award of appreciation for her outstanding service to the town in forming the Corps. Mr. Dungan noted that other towns had asked Ms. Robart to help them plan their MRC programs and that the Commonwealth had recently offered her a job.
Town Administrator’s Report, continued
Mr. Wrigley reported that litigation involving the Town’s employment termination of a dispatcher in 2004 had been supported by a union arbitrator as justified. A related MCAD sexual harassment complaint by the former employee is ongoing. Also, a personnel matter at the Police Department is moving forward and he will continue to keep the Board apprised.
Renewal of Modular Classrooms Bond
The Board approved and signed a renewal note for the most recent modular classrooms bond for Treasurer-Collector Pam Landry. Ms Landry said $145.0K was paid toward the present bond of $260.0K, with $115.0K to be renewed for one year with Eastern Bank at a rate of 3.9 percent.
Ms. Farrell moved to support this renewal of the note for modular classrooms Ms. Sturgis seconded; and all voted in favor. The Board members and the Town Clerk signed the note.
Acceptance of Land Gifts
The Board voted to accept four gifts of land to the Town, received as a result of special permit decisions by the Planning Boards. Conservation Commission chairman Kathy Sferra described the land parcels with maps of the areas. Two of the parcels are in the Arbor Glen Active Adult Neighborhood, one is Trefry Lane open space, and the last is an access strip to Elizabeth Brook from Maguire Lane.
Ms. Sturgis moved to accept the land gifts as described in the Conservation Commission’s memo of May 16, 2007; Ms. Farrell seconded; and all voted in favor.
Mr. Dungan asked Ms. Sferra, in light of the recent questions on land use for recreation, how land gifts like these are negotiated, when and where the decision points occur in the process. Based on Ms. Sferra’s advice, the Board generally agreed that, going forward, the selectmen should be involved from the start in negotiations between the Planning Board and the developer.
Impact of Residential Construction on Tax Bills
The Board heard Bob Billups, past member of the Board of Assessors and Housing Partnership, present his study of the relationship between residential growth and the tax levy. Mr. Billups said he started the study because he was troubled by the notion that land should go to open space rather than be developed for housing in order to keep property taxes down.
In “Stow’s Demographic and Fiscal History Since 1970,” Mr. Billups illustrated the following points:
· While the number of homes has doubled, the population has increased only 60 percent and student enrollment has been relatively constant, indicating that family sizes have been decreasing.
· The ratio of household size to student per household, viewed together with age demographics over time, show that younger ages are declining (ages 0 to 39) and older increasing (ages 40 to over 60), indicating a shift toward an older population and a continuation of relatively low household size and number of students per household.
· The cost associated with the education of each student, not school enrollment, is driving the school budget, which in turn is driving the total levy.
· Tax revenue for each new home is matching the town and school expenses generated by it, showing that new subdivisions do not negatively impact the town’s fiscal well being.
During discussion, Mr. Wrigley and the Board members agreed the study is worthy of more in-depth analysis, after which they would ask Mr. Billups to join them for further discussion. Mr. Dungan suggested that both the Finance and School committees would benefit from the information.
Appointment to Council on Aging
The Board appointed Elizabeth Tobey of West Acton Road as a member of the Council on Aging, as recommended by the Council and Director. It was noted that Ms. Tobey serves as administrative assistant to the Finance Committee and coordinator of the Information Technology Advisory Committee.
Ms. Sturgis moved to appoint Ms. Tobey to the COA; Mr. Robart seconded, and all voted in favor.
Approval of Arbor Glen Local Initiative Program Application
The Board approved submission of a Local Initiative Program application for the Arbor Glen AAN to the state, upon recommendation by the Housing Partnership and the Planning Board. Housing Partnership chairman Mike Kopczynski and Pulte Homes liaison Tim Dorman provided an overview of the affordable housing component of Arbor Glen, which will provide the town with four new units of affordable housing and an in-lieu-of payment to the Town’s new Affordable Housing Trust Fund, its first “deposit.”
Ms. Sturgis moved to submit the Arbor Glen LIP application to DHCD [the Department of Housing and Community Development]; Mr. Ruggiero seconded; and all voted in favor. Mr.
Kopczynski and Mr. Dungan signed the application. Mr. Dorman will draft a cover letter for the Board’s review.
Status of Snow Property
Mr. Dungan reported that Mr. Snow submitted a letter to the Town, reducing the asking price for his property from $1.5M to $1.3M. Mr. Dungan asked if the Board would consider bringing a possible purchase back to Town Meeting, given the close vote earlier this month, provided that the selectmen decide on possible uses. Members spoke in favor, with Mr. Robart’s support contingent on the selectmen prioritizing the possible uses as well.
Mr. Wrigley advised the Board that, procedurally, the new Snow proposal was within the land banking initiative and the RFP. He reminded members that they were in negotiation with the property owner and to publicly discuss the situation with that in mind.
It was agreed that the discussions should include other available parcels and conclude in time for a late-October Special Town Meeting.
Land Use Planning
Mr. Dungan asked the Board to consider ways to address the issues of land-use planning, with areas including Chapter 61 properties, Chapter 40B special permits, gifts from developers, eminent domain, and land banking RFPs. For example, there needs to be a group ready to address a Chapter 61 property when it becomes available and a group to focus on how the town uses land before an immediate need arises. For the latter, he suggested the model of the School Building Task Force be used to do a comprehensive land plan. During discussion, it was noted that many plans exist for land use, such as the Municipal Land Use Committee’s final report and the Open Space Plan, but there is no efficient way to carry the information forward.
It was agreed that the effort be initiated by a Joint Boards meeting on land use, with the selectmen providing an outline of needs to work from. Mr. Dungan and Mr. Robart agreed to create this and bring it back to the Board for review prior to the Joint Boards meeting. Ms. McLaughlin will compile a list of existing plans for the Board’s use.
Other Notes
The Board will be determining liaisons and committee appointments at the next meeting. Mr. Ruggiero asked that liaisons share brief notes with other members on meetings they attend, as an efficient way to stay informed.
Mr. Dungan said that he would represent Stow for the Board at the next Tri-Town meeting.
At 8:55 p.m., Ms. Sturgis moved to adjourn; Mr. Ruggiero seconded; and all voted in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan McLaughlin
Administrative Assistant, Board of Selectmen
Approved as amended, June 12, 2007
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