MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
November 27, 2007
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Hall 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.
Mr. Dungan called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Public Input
None.
Overview of December 3 Town Meeting Articles on Snow
Mr. Dungan updated the Board and attendees on two points of interest:
· Mr. Robart and Mr. Wilber are scheduled to meet with property owner William Snow on November 28 to discuss his asking price.
· The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) voted not to approve Community Preservation funds for the Selectmen’s article to purchase Snow because 1) the $850.0k purchase is too low, 2) the CPC wants to support a complete project, both land purchase and recreational development, and 3) a general concern with having two similar articles on Town Meeting floor (Article 3 and 4).
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley reported that earlier in the day Lower Village business and property owners met with Bob Maynard from Assabet Water on the current proposal for Lower Village water. Mr. Maynard presented the latest financial numbers, to which all in attendance agreed and want to move forward. In January, DEP will announce whether Assabet Water will be awarded a low-interest loan, an important factor in the plan. Linear retail, owner of the Stow Shopping Center, has not yet agreed to participate in writing.
Meeting Minutes
Ms. Farrell moved to accept the October 30, 2007 minutes, as amended; Ms. Sturgis seconded; and all voted in favor.
Appointment of Call Firefighter
On the recommendation of Fire Chief Soar, Ms. Farrell moved to appoint Gerald Byrne as a call firefighter for the town; Ms. Sturgis; and all voted in favor.
Liaison Reports
Regional transportation: Mr. Ruggiero reported that a member of the Town of Acton’s transportation committee contacted him as part of outreach to learn what area towns are doing. Acton recently joined the Lowell RTA and is researching a shuttle service to the train station. Questions were whether Stow should again consider a train-station shuttle and whether to form a transportation committee. It was agreed that Mr. Ruggiero would meet with new COA director Alyson Toole in a few months to assess our agreement with Montachusett RTA, and then get back in touch with Acton.
Elementary school building project: Ms. Sturgis reported that the committee received 12 applications for Owner’s Project Manager, which will be reviewed soon.
Capital planning for FY 2009: Ms. Farrell reported that the committee has requested departments’ five-year plans by December 31, after which review meetings with be scheduled.
Long-term Budget Planning and Priorities
Ms. Sturgis stated that, as the CEO for the Town, the Board of Selectmen should be setting policies for long-term budgeting. The selectmen are responsible for Master Plan implementation but she has not seen any action since she has lived in Stow.
Mr. Robart agreed there is an opportunity for the selectmen to take a more active role but the Master Plan does not address financial components. Mr. Wrigley added that the Town Administrator has responsibility for only 23 percent of the operating budget, with the remaining three-quarters governed by the Capital Planning and Finance committees and the schools.
Ms. Sturgis agreed but said the selectmen should be responsible for deciding, for example, whether to hire someone to do affordable housing or to hire a land steward. Mr. Robart and Mr. Dungan said they support long-range planning and that the Master Plan was a good place to start. Mr. Wrigley advised choosing one area, e.g., affordable housing, and engaging other boards in designing an approach. He said the General Laws and Town Charter could help define the tasks.
It was decided that Ms. Sturgis and Mr. Robart would work with Mr. Wrigley to get started.
The discussion on the selectmen’s role in long-range planning continued, touching on hiring a community development manager, specific goal setting for the Board, e.g., updating the Planned Production Strategy, ways of efficiently forming and discussing plans, and envisioning the desired future outcomes, such as support of the growing number of seniors.
It was agreed to invite a Master Plan Committee representative to the next meeting and get copies of the current plan to review.
Setting Board Agendas
Mr. Dungan said that when a board member requests an agenda item that touches an area of responsibility of an employee, as a courtesy, the member should first contact the employee to discuss it. He raised this to clarify the process and asked for feedback. The general sense was that the process was working well as it is.
Other
Mr. Wrigley said that the Stow Elderly Housing Corp’s recent letter to the Board on potential projects was meant to be informational. Mr. Dungan will send a reply indicating the Board’s support of all efforts to increase affordable housing for seniors.
At 9:08 p.m., Ms. Sturgis moved to adjourn; Ms. Farrell seconded; and all voted on favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan McLaughlin
Administrative Assistant, Board of Selectmen
Approved as submitted, January 8, 2008
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