WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=ewuLHn3uT4I

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: ewuLHn3uT4I):
- 00:00:16: Meeting Call to Order, Pledge, and Old Colony Budget
- 00:04:21: Selectman Question Salary Increases and Budget Differences
- 00:15:55: Budget Breakdown: Admin, Special Ed, Travel, & Transportation
- 00:23:41: Budget Math Discrepancies and Revenue Discussion
- 00:31:39: Comparing Old Colony Budget to Town Financial Hardships
- 00:35:15: END Funds, Stabilization, Debt, and Building Project Needs
- 00:41:38: Account Balance and Discussion Regarding Budget Increase
- 00:47:20: Aushnet's Financial Concerns and Funding for K-8 School
- 00:53:20: Special Education Funding and State Support Needed
- 00:58:29: Clarification of State Regional Transportation Reimbursement
- 01:04:57: Repossible Changes and Revote for Old Colony Budget
- 01:13:54: Discussion of Old Colony New School Project Re-Vote
- 01:25:21: Arguments For/Against School, Facts From Project Manager
- 01:31:50: Town Financial Burden and Community Perspective Shared
- 01:36:12: Mail Ballot Information and Other Agenda Items
- 01:39:10: Federal Grant Policies & 250th Anniversary Parade Committee
- 01:47:05: Town Election Date Change Bylaw Discussion
- 01:57:10: Discussion of Motions for Election Date Bylaw Changes
- 02:01:29: West Island Beach Permits and Town Meeting Discussion
- 02:18:20: Selectman's Announcements and Executive Session Motion


Part: 1

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Welcome everyone. This is a meeting with the board of selectmen. Today is May 13th. It is 4:30 p.m. Is there a motion to call the meeting to order? >> So move. >> Second. >> All those in favor? This meeting will be audio and video recorded. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance.

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I >> pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. First order of business we

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have is the Old Colony budget assessment discussion. We have Mr. Aaron Bolansky, the superintendent of O Colony, plus a couple of members of the school budget committee. Welcome, Mr. Bansky. >> Thanks for having us. We'll go through just a quick overview. Sure.

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>> And then we can open the floor up for questions. >> Our mission is to prepare and support students for the global demands of society and the workforce through rigorous vocational, technical, and academic courses. Uh this foundation is established within a safe environment

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that values students interests, needs, and diversity, fostering responsible, productive citizens in our community. Uh we always like to go over admissions trends just to give folks an idea of where things are at and how we've been trending. This is an overview of

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admissions uh applications received versus students accepted since 2018. Uh a lot of folks have asked what are the recent impacts of lottery. Uh we'll share right now that the um

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increase in enrollment is 13 students uh from 10124 to 10125. 10125 is the number used for the FY27 budget seven students listed here. The total to date uh for a

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Kushnet applications there were 98 students who applied 43 who were accepted. Uh that's 10 less than last year. Uh and it's probably one of the lowest numbers we've seen in some time. The lottery will probably re result in a

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decreased population uh for a Kushner. Again, this was mandated by the state. This was not something that Old Colony was in support of, but it shows that 44% of students were accepted with 98 students expressing interest.

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The FY27 budget is a level service budget. The FY27 budget consists of a 4.8% increase of which 1.1% is attributed to insurance increases. 2.26% is due to instructional salary increases. Major increases are

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attributed to the following insurance increases of approximately 9.45% for active employees, 12.9% for retirees. There's a conservative placeholder for contractual obligations as we will uh

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begin negotiations with our teachers for uh next year's contract and have not yet decided upon a cola. future planning uh for folks to keep in mind. We're entering the final year of a five plus two-year transportation contract and we

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will anticipate that there could be impacts from that in the upcoming years. Just an overview of how the budget process works. Budget preparation begins in the fall and is fine-tuned with the release of the governor's state budget proposal. Governor's recommendations

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were released uh in the in the winter after the new year. Colony did not see major changes in chapter 70 funding. We have shared our recommendations as part of our draft budget and met with representatives from all of our member towns during two meetings that took

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place in February and March to seek additional insight. We also presented uh to the Aushnet Finance Committee in the middle of March prior to the finalizing of our budget. We are mindful of the challenges faced by all of our member towns and appreciate the opportunity to

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work collaboratively with you. Um, at this point in time, I guess we'd like to open the floor up to any questions, and Shirley Burke, who is the chair of our finance committee, and I will be happy to help. >> So, you given us something a little bit different template, one that I'm more

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used to from the previous year with percentages and this spreadsheet that we received um is a little bit different. So I had to do my own calculations and I compared from 2026 budget to 2027 from

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my previous 2026 budget and I just went through and seen what the changes were and did the subtraction and all you know what I mean and just checked off my items that were familiar. So, I'd rather not get into discussion on certain percentage increases when it comes to

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administration, but I will say that I have one, two, three, four positions that are better than an 8% increase in administration. So I would just ask the question vaguely is

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is there a reason why those positions have a big increase outside of what other ones? >> Can you specifically identify which positions you're referring to? >> So I have an administrative assistant to you Mr. Pansky

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and that comes out to an 8% increase from what we have from the prior year's budget. Then we have assistant principal secretary, student services secretary, >> and principal secretar's positions. Those are the four positions that have

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8% or greater increases in salaries. >> So you said the principal secretary, my assistant, and what was the other one? What were the other two? >> Administrative assistant, superintendent. assistant principal secretary, student services secretary and principal

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secretary. >> Yep. So those were market adjustments. Two of them are contracted. Two of them are union and there were market adjustments in the first year of the union contract run with comparables from other districts in our surrounding area.

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So the the assistant principal secretary and the student services secretary were part of that market adjustment with the union negotiation. The other two positions are new contracts at the beginning of a new contract and a market

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adjustment was made for each of them using comparisons from comps uh for similar positions. Okay. And I didn't add into the total cumulative cost, but I noticed that your audit went up $10,000 and then print and

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postage obviously postage has gone up. That's 15,000 to our increase. So, and I know you're not looking at the same thing that I have, um, which is unfortunate, but I couldn't find, and I'm familiar with

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all your account line items. So, it says salary, attendance, transportation, secretary, and I can't find the 2026 budget line item number 10-2210-5124-00007-0000. in the 2026 budget. So I wrote here, is

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this a new position? >> It is not. >> It is not. That's the school secretary. >> It says something about school year and transportation secretary 2008, but I can't find that in the 2026 budget. >> It's probably under a different title. Uh

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>> a different code, >> maybe a different code, but it's not >> I can't find I can't find that code at all. It's pro, if you were to look at code 20 uh 2,210, you may be under a different title on 26. >> Kevin, it sounds like you're looking at

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a roll out and not the actual budget that's in the packet. >> No, I was given this piece of paper with no percentages, no year-over-year, and now I just got that from you, and I wish I would add that because what was just given to me is what I'm used to seeing. >> So, I could just roll off of this.

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>> Yeah. instead of that >> and we don't have that with us. We have this >> right. So I'm just trying >> that title was was that position was retitled. >> Okay. So I guess this I would assume that these account numbers are like I

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guess DESI codes or your own account numbers. It's just I can't find the 5124 anywhere in my 2026 budget from last year's budget that I still have. So I was just curious. I just wrote is this a new position? >> It's not. >> It is not. So do you know surely what

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what line item that was in? >> It was probably salary school secretary if I had to guess. >> Okay. I could search around for or maybe I can look in your new one and find it. >> It should it should be in the same

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grouping. >> What's that? It should be in the same grouping. >> Yeah. Well, I noticed sometimes the account numbers did that you jump from one page to another. They're not all numerically ordered. It's a little bit of jumping, but I tried to follow the bouncing ball as best I could.

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Um, so I know you seem to break out again. It's uh you want me to give you the account number because it's it's a little bit different format. Um the old one was just one line item which was

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salary contractual obligations all staff and that one's up 10,000 that one. But then we have it looks like two additional categories under that um number budget number the 5115 number the

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2305-5115 and it says contractual obligations 150 and then severance retirement in the amount of 30 >> contractual obligations is a holding place for our negotiations

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>> for what for what group does that >> teachers teachers Oh, because there's some that have increases already in the in this budget >> those academic a >> there's no cola determined yet

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for our negotiation. So in contractual obligations we put a holding point for a cola. So that is that academic shop >> correct salaries electrical one of them's a TBD and that's up 16,382.

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Are you looking at your copy or an old copy or are you looking >> No, I'm looking at what I thought was a good new copy and I'm pretty sure it is because I coned it against the 2026 budget and it's up 16,382 but one of the positions say TBD. So, um

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I don't know if you had a retirement and you're waiting to fill a void >> that that was questioned as well. So, what you're seeing is an early iteration. in that position is not in this >> the to be determined.

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>> Um, okay. So, >> you see there's no name because you're looking at a rollup. There is no name uh to that. >> Yeah, there's no names to the TBD, but there are to the other ones. But that number is a big n. It's $102,000, the

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TBD one, >> which I think that if you were to look at the end, what that percentage increase is to what the percentage increase here overall budget, you might see something different.

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>> Okay. It just came out to a $16,382,000 difference from 2026 budget. >> Kevin, when you get to the the the end of that roll up, >> the very last page, what is the percentage increase? I don't think it gives me that. It gives me It doesn't

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give me that. What it gives me is a $718,297 difference from the prior year's budget. I can't do it that way. And the the bottom line is when I did all the math compared to the the front page, the

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assessment page that you have given us, the breakdown for the five communities, I do come up with a little bit of a different number, but it's not exorbitant. It's not $100,000 off. >> Mhm. So there's a little a bit of a difference. I just know if you didn't factor in what you were getting for

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chapter 70 aid because it's kind of still in the air. I know the house threw out a number, the governor's proposed budget, the house threw up a number and then I think the Senate still has to vote. So it's kind of like I don't know if that number that there was like 70,000 I think when my math came out. So

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I'm like maybe that's just them not including chapter 70 additional chapter 70 right now just for the simple fact that it's an unknown. >> So I think probably if I'm if I had to make an assumption here that is a

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previous iteration when the budget increase was 5 something and we went in and we we adjusted further and the reductions that were made to bring it to a 4.8 A are not reflected in that document.

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>> Okay. >> So if you if you could the salaries for the electrical that you have what did it total at? >> It gave me a total of 312 511.

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>> That's the right number. So, all I did was comp that final number off my 2026 budget. I followed I mean, I've been doing this for a while. It's pretty simple for me. I look at 2026. But normally when we get this from you, that's why I was kind of surprised at the lack of information I received. Um,

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and now I have it cuz I started looking through this document. I'm like, there's the paperwork I'm looking for. Um, and it gives me the prior year's budget, the expenditures, the percentages. I have to do all of that myself. And that was a lot of fun doing it myself. Looking at last year's

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budget, looking at this year's numbers, putting check marks on the flatline ones. Some of them are up. I got it all labeled here which ones are up. I'm not even talking about some of the smaller numbers. I'm just looking at some of the bigger numbers. >> Um, and I think, hold on a minute, cuz I made myself a little note sheet

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somewhere back here when I was putting my notes together for all the big numbers. I did do a little breakdown of where your numbers came from. My wrote admin 76137. I got roughly $41,000 in salary

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increases. Special eds up $84,820. Business techs up 44,636. Travel's up 20. Transportation's up 90005. Utilities are up 39,400 and health insurance up 190. 19920. And that gives me an increase

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about 545 913 out of what you project. I think on that sheet was 621. Correct. 621 072. So I'm not even 100 grand away, but I didn't do all the little Mickey Mouse ones, right? I mean, I I get contractual obligations. Some of them do have it in there. Like I on this

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page, I happen to have one budget. It's up 1470. I didn't even bother with that. I just went to the big numbers um to figure where we're at. >> So So I have an in a decrease of $41,027

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in graphic communications. a teacher. That's a retirement replacement with a lower step teacher. >> That's what I figured. Thank you. >> Um, business tech is up 44,000. Some of the bigger ones, that's all I'm pointing out right now.

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>> Yes. Departure. Uh, hired a teacher at a higher stop. >> You add you add there's two teachers in a shop. Aid >> business tech has two teachers in a shop. >> Business and a onetoone that is might not be listed under business tech, but

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we do have a onetoone as well. Yeah. Well, I just went off last year's budget again that same category >> because I try I always make sure I match up line items to make sure I'm looking in the right spot. So, there's something else somewhere else. But the the number comes out to an additional 44,000. >> Y

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>> um and it's got to make some sense what I did because my number is not that far from what you >> and I get it. So, special education 60,605 and I think there was another one part of special ed. That's correct. the next

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page. Um, that's up an additional 24215. So, a good portion of the It's just under 100 grand, right? That's special ed, >> correct? >> Um, it's like 85 grand and change. Uh,

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there's an increase in travel, which is kind of shocking because it's $50,000. It's up 15 grand. And then professional development's up five grand. So, that's a $20,000 increase just in them two line items. Can you explain what's going on with travel?

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>> Sure. We have teachers who attend conferences. Um, we also have no idea what the federal funding will look like for the reaps grant that we typically tap for travel and so we built into a travel line just in in case that grant is not

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funded by the federal government. >> What's that grant called? >> The reaps grant. It's a rural one second. >> What is it called? The reaps grant reaction regular day that's an increase of 46,785.

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Then you have late buses, an additional increase of 23,220. And I noticed a note somewhere that you said something you're in the second year of an extension of a previous contract. We had a 5 plus two year contract. >> Yeah, that's it. this is the last year of the contract that will go out to bid

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and so we don't know what the impacts of that will be for FY28 but we just like to give people a heads up in advance because as everybody's planning those are real considerations >> it's not it's not shown here there's not there's no impact right now because

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we're in the same contract >> no it is a big increase from >> correct but we don't know what the increase will be next year and it could be >> yeah yeah but it's still a big increase That's why I I only documented the bigger ones to try to get to your 621 number. >> And then transportation for this

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athletic $20,000 increase totals 110. So while I'm on then athletics general is an increase of 10,000. Does old Colony do anything as far as

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fundraising for athletics programs to offset some of those? It's cuz athletics is pretty good part of your budget. >> Yep, we do. >> Um, and I know Bristol Aggie does a hell of a job with fundraising for their athletic program. So, you guys are

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involved with fundraisers. >> I'm constantly buying them for Bristol Aggie, but I haven't had anybody ask me for calling. That's why I wanted to ask the question because I think Bristol Ay does a phenomenal job with fundraising. And I'm a huge fan of fundraising because it teaches the kids um you know

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a little bit about business and entrepreneurship, right? So I think it's kind of a kills two birds with one stone kind of effect, right? Um and I think it's great for the children. So your electricity I don't know you went

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up 39,400 to 190,200. I mean is that just kind of what most people are doing right now? >> We'll be over on our electrical line this year I believe.

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>> So we need to we need to make sure we account for that. But I believe we will be over on electrical. We we under budgeted this year. Yeah, I'm sure. And who knows where we're going with the way >> we're getting hit everywhere. >> The DPU is heading.

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We all have households. We know what those bills are doing, right? Um, so it is what it is. Services, contracted services, technologies up 15 grand. Yep. >> That's just antivirus. That's technology stuff.

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escalated contract prices. >> Yep. That's what happens. You went into subscription. >> We try to avoid it. We don't do digital textbooks for that reason. You know, we limit the number of subscriptions we have very intentionally, but for what we do have. >> It's a pretty modest tech company,

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right? No more giving you a disc and that disc is good for five years. It's a renewal every year. >> It's how they do business. >> Yeah. We deal with that here. in health insurance active is is a a big jump and it was was last year as well. So

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$129,720. What are you doing about that? Because last year was a year I think it was like a $300 something,000 increase and this year is another $129. >> So you're talking almost a half a million dollars just in health insurance increases. >> We're looking at plan design. >> We've had meetings to look at.

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>> What group are you? Maya, we left we left uh our former group and joined Maya, which was a good >> So, so you're back with Maya. >> It was a >> they got better rates. >> It was a much better uh you know, we got out at the right time. I think the impact financially if we had stayed where we were would have been

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detrimental or catastrophic to put it lightly. >> We got out at the right time and MA has done a great job for us. >> Yeah, they're they're a large large group. So, um, again, health insurance retirees are up $40,000. I'm assuming the same thing

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here, correct? >> Annual liability $18,000. So, looking at last year's budget was 15 million 38.

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last year's budget, last year's budget, >> right around hovered right around 15 million, I believe. >> 14998 64093. >> Hold on a minute. What was What was your final number?

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14,998,640.93 this year 15718,335. >> Right. >> The dollar with a differential of 719,6947. Instructional SA salaries accounted for $339,000 of that. Transportation $70,5

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of that. insurance $132,720 of that. >> What' you say the insurance was? >> Insurance programs $132,720. >> I have 190,920

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all in on insurance. Uh we have a 40,200 for retirees, 18,000 for non-employee insurance. So all those added up probably get to your number. >> But active insurance programs 132. >> Oh, so you're just using >> I just broke it out. >> Yeah, I just added all that.

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>> Yes, they're all added together. You're correct. >> Yeah, >> I was just trying to get the bulk of >> Yes. No, you >> what's going on? So, even going back cuz it's Mickey Mouse money, that 15038 number that I use and I subtract this number here from it, there's an increase

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year-over-year $718,297. So, if you can enlighten enlighten us on how did the total increase get to 621, where's that difference? >> Instructional salaries are $339,000. >> No, no, no. I'm It's not that big of a

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deal, right? So, the difference between this year's budget and last year's budget came the math 718,297, but on the assessment sheet, it's 62172 assessment variance. So, your your fiscal year 27 draft

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member assessments, it gives the total, right? If you subtract out the total fiscal year 27 assessment, the 10,592 294, you subtract out the fiscal year 2026 assessments, you come down to your

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number of assessment variance of 621072 year-over-year increase. >> And that number is accurate because I made sure I did the math. in your >> but I don't understand how the budgets the difference in the two bottom line budgets is 718

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but you have an assessment difference variance of 621072 >> let me write down your question make sure I >> you want to look at what I'm doing >> now I see what you're doing I just have to break it down and figure out what exactly what the um different

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>> Okay. Can I I want to go back to the last page. >> Yeah. >> Well, I can't give you the last page 22 of 22, but that's our sheets that we were given. >> Look at look at the total FY on the count assessments.

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>> Yeah. Okay. Look at the total FY27 assessment of 10,592 294. >> That's all you want is $10,000. >> No sir, that is not what I want because there's some other money in there. But that's the total assessment. >> 10 million

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>> FY26. I'm sorry. >> 10 million. >> 10 million. >> If you wanted 10,000 for all five to the door right now, I'll cut the check on your way. I'll >> I apologize. >> So it's 10. I just don't want the people at home thinking that we don't know how to do math. It's 10,592,294.

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I got you. >> Got the FY26 assessment. >> Should I circle that one, too? Yeah. >> 9971222. >> Correct. >> If you subtract those two numbers, you get the variance >> that you just asked. >> That's exactly what I did. I I have my little homework done right here.

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>> So, you're asking where did the 621072 number came from? you subtracted the 20 uh from the 27 assessment the 26 number of assessment. >> Yeah, I I I did that part of the equation. My question surely is when you

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look at the total budget of last year that 15,38 and I look at this mil this 15,718 335 the difference between those two numbers total budget increase is 718,297. How is the assessment? >> Oh, right. Because some of it comes from

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the state. I see what you're asking. >> Did you So you did factor in chapter 70. >> Yep. Then if you looked at this >> all all of them the page you revenue the revenue sheet shows that. >> Yeah. No. So we didn't have that sheet before the meeting.

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>> The budget the budget breakdown with revenue. >> I know what I have from previous years. And I looked in my book and I said, "Well, I don't have anything that I've gone from the previous years." So I do have my previous years in there and I see what you you've got over here.

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>> So that's this is the sheet you're all used to looking at with the account lines. The the broader number of account lines >> you're talking about the budget breakdown with revenue. >> Yes sir. >> I'm looking at it now. >> That's it. >> But I wasn't looking at it. >> That's the answer to your question. the revenue right I when you

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>> so you see a little you know an increase in uh as small as it was chapter 70 monies might have been an increase in um the transportation >> what so chapter 70 funding um you use a

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number of 4 million 354 >> that's the governance budget >> that's the number you want >> that's the the initial number that appears on the cherry sheet >> I get And typically that is the least

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amount of money you would do. And as you stated when you started this, the House has given a budget. The Senate has given one. They're not yet in conference. We don't know what the final number is. >> Mhm. >> We anticipate that that's going to be

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increased, but with certainty to use an uncertain number would be irresponsible. So you use the 5,052439 when you back out the $20,000 for school choice in the re regional transportation

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number on the cherry sheet. >> Yep. >> Right. And that offset >> there's about an extra $50,000 with the house number. >> But like you said and I opened up that way, right? The Senate as a voter is still in there. So it's still in conference. So you're using the most conservative number when it comes to

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chapter 78 reimbursement. That's why it's like all the math just not working. >> It doesn't work out. >> I'm trying I was trying to make Usually when you work with numbers, >> no matter which way you play with them, they'll they'll always work their way out. And when I was doing this, I'm

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like, this the maths just not working here. So, with all of that said, I get what you're doing. You're using a conservative number um for chapter 70. Did you at at times because of where we're at as a as a town and I think all

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the towns are where we're at. Um, you know, we have our local schools um cutting. They cut last year. They're cutting again this year. Um, I know there's been nothing. No, I don't believe there's been any positions cut here um at Oak Colony >> last year

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>> for services. Cut a teacher last year, >> right? I don't know what the Christian public schools. They've already I think slipped eight total positions and depending on what the final budget upwards of 22 cut this year if we don't >> last year they cut five or six >> last year they ended up technically

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cutting two >> but they were recovered through a free cash >> yeah in that town meeting >> so in in the past you know we we use um less funds applied chapter 70 school aid transportation aid and there was in

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times I have some history of that you would do an offset to help out municipalities with shop productivity in EMD. Has there been any discussion of that? We don't use END to offset our operational budget. We do use END for

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one-time capital expenses and we have done that historically which is why you don't see capital requests often times in a warrant as an additional item. >> Right. But we have used it in the past because I do have history of that as less funds applied.

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>> We have not used END in recent >> previous years previous business manager and um would use END and shop productivity. Um, but that stopped with the change and

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it rightly stopped with the change because you should never use END because you don't know where your END is going to be the following year and to use it for an operating budget for recurring costs is just irresponsible. I I

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>> And the same thing with productivity. >> So where where are we with END? because I I I've looked on DLS as well and the history is you you're raising 400 and change every year in END. So where where is that money go at the

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end of the year? Where do you have some kind of an account line item that if you appropriate $400,000? So over the last 10 years, this year alone, you've done $448,000

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in last year, 2026 in END. So in every year for the last 10 years, you average at minimum $425. So A, you can't possibly be spending $425,000

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a year in END account. B is what's the account balance and where is that held? >> So there have been returns of fourth quarter assessments at times for our member towns. Um we've purchased trucks in the past. Um that's been a I know

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that's been a recent capital expense. Um off the top of my head I I couldn't answer exactly what the expenditures might be. Typically, an END comes in and once it's been certified and if it is, let's say at a $400 um,000 figure, we

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have traditionally put uh a block of that money into stabilization. We have taken another block of money and we've put it into OPE. We have then turned around made the purchases that um

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vocational coordinator or the facilities manager thinks is important that's not budgeted for in the operating budget and we typically leave about $150,000 in END for any emergency that might arise

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>> because you do have inside your budget a stabilization contribution of $25,000. So, going back to that line item, you're carrying $30,000 in interest on debt. We wiped out the debt last year.

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What debt are we carrying in the old colony budget? We shouldn't be carrying anything because you took that debt and you incorporated it into your budget and permanently took it. >> The hope, >> we talked about that last year. >> I believe the hope of that $30,000 was that the project was going to be

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approved and that would be a kickstart for the project. the 30,000 in interest. >> Yeah, it's a minimal amount of money. >> You have $100,000 $75,000 additional funded retired bond principal in the budget showing $75,000 when last year

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was all wiped out the debt. >> I don't know if that when this was created if that was the same notion. Kevin, can you give me um >> account line name is 52005194- 00091.

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>> Can you um do you have a black line that has a number at the end like a fourdigit number? >> No, >> it's just the account number. The account number. Yeah, it's all the same number though. It's called >> Cuz Are you calling it long-term debt

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retirement? No, I'm just saying there's something up in here. It says account number 10-5200-5194-91-0000. >> And it says in this report that was done March 10 by the business manager of your school stabilization fund additional

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funding retired bond principal. And then it says stabilization contribution 2575 is retired bond principal. The de that was retired last year though in the fiscal year 2026 budget because it was permanently put into the budget

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principal >> in the this one that we all have. Unfortunately the bond the long-term debt retirement is zero for for this coming year. So, I'm not quite sure

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where the discrepancy is. >> This is the what we're talking about is the difference of looking at the roll out budget that you're looking at. >> If that's the case, it's 75 plus $30,000 that was in this budget, but you're

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saying it's not in that budget. stabilization in this is higher than the 25,000. You 25,000 was um an older number that we had increased to $100,000 anticipating that we would

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need additional money into the stabilization account. Um and the the long-term retirement, as you said, it was retired. I I'm not seeing >> I'm not seeing any anything there. >> It's an older document, >> Mr. Chairman. Yeah. If I may.

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>> Yes, sir. >> Uh matched up the numbers that Kevin's been reading on budget we got today, >> the heading in the bold bar would be 5,500 listed just as stabilization fund. Correct. On the copy we're looking at that we were provided, it breaks down

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the stabilization contribution and additional funding quotation retired bond principle. So the dollar amount matches this one just says this is retired bond principal. >> It's an older copy. What you have is an older copy and that allocation was put

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but the dollar >> dollar amount is the same >> but it was moved to stabilization. >> So you got 100 grand now you got 100 $100,000 of stabilization and you got 460,000 in E and D. If there's a building project that

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passes, there'll be financial needs obviously um that we'll have to consider in terms of funding. >> Mr. Long, do you have something to >> No, I just Sorry, Aaron. I you know, I speak with you on the phone and everything and it I just caught my eye

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maybe I haven't noticed before, but I've never seen a stabilization fund within a budget before. Is that allowable? I just I just want to make sure because I this is like the first time I've seen a $100,000 stabilization fund within a budget. So I I would have just asked you, but now that it came up this

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evening, I just never seen anything like that before. So >> the stabilization fund, Kevin, is a dedicated fund that can only be used for capital items. So that when we did the um feasibility

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study, that's where we grabbed our share of the $500,000. And we talked about how uh the towns were going to pick up $500,000 and the school would pay pay $500,000 of the feasibility. We were taking that from the

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stabilization because it was for a capital issue, >> right? But it's it's funed it's funded with tax dollars over >> I'm not disputing that. But it >> because we're standalone we can't go to a single town or a single entity. There

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are pockets of revenue here or funds that we use for emergency capitalization is is one of them. If if a freezer or something goes down that what liter we have in END can't cover, it's going to come out of

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stabilization. You don't have an account balance for END over the over the years? Do you do you I don't I couldn't believe you'd be spending $450,000 a year that you have an END. So, is there a >> there's an account somewhere that's holding a stash of money? I would have to imagine. Let's just say

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>> stabilization. >> So, stabilization at the end at the end of every year based on DLS, Division of Local Services, I ran that report from there. It's it's well in excess of $400,000 a year for the last decade. So, let's call that $4 million. fourth quarter >> that money at the end of the fiscal year

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you roll it into a stabilization >> not all of it again what you what you see on in END >> okay gets broken down once it's certified a portion of it typically what while I've been on the school committee

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once they began to fund because in the in the years when they established the stabilization they weren't putting any money into it and it seemed kind of didn't much sense. >> So, as END began to get certified,

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>> that's where >> I'm going to use >> 330,000 only because the math is easy. 100 110. We're going to put a third of that into stabilization. We're going to put a third of that, typically it's not a third, it's a

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little bit lesser into OPE because we all know about OPEC liability. And then whatever's then left over is this decision. What do we hold in END? So, our END until it's certified or I should

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say after it's certified and those decisions are made is seldom over $150,000 because we've used some of it to offset capital purchases as the superintendent director has said and we hold that for

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the smaller emergencies knowing the big emergencies it's in capitalization that total balance in your stabilization I'd have to go look. I don't know off the top of my head, but we can get it for you. >> It's just

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again, it's >> roughly a $410,000 increase. And I get we have more students um going this year, 13 to be exact. Um I don't know if there's any way that Oak Colony can help um reduce that number on

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behalf of not only the town of Aishna but the other member towns. I know Rochester's budget's down pretty pretty significantly because of their loss of students. Um but you know I don't know if there's a willingness to revote and try to do something different within

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this budget to offset some of the impacts. Um >> Kevin, one of the biggest things not just for a cushion but for all of the member towns

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is the local minimum contribution that is determined by the state which is the first line on your town assessment. That is what the state says a cushion a cushion has the means to support your

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minimum contribution went up $297,000. That is a fair chunk of that assessment increase. >> But is it fair to say that you know on your spreadsheet the fiscal year 2026 minimum contributions what the state says to spend right we have to spend.

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>> Yes. >> Okay. And then you look at our assessment, it's $99,761 over that. So it's a million dollar. >> It's $99,000 the difference between those two numbers.

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>> You're shaking your head. No, Aaron, but >> it's transportation and equipment, right? >> I mean, there are other items beyond >> what's old colony over minimum school spending when they ask that question. >> Do you know that number?

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Because based on this math that we do including transportation, I come up with 2.613 million. >> If you look at the budget breakdown with revenue, the net school spending is 14,505815. >> Can you say it again, Sh?

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>> It is 14,505815 is what's listed on the um school budget with revenue. the I'm sorry, the budget breakdown with revenue, the net school spending to which you have to add pupil

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transportation and $65,000 uh additional money for site building and equipment. And then that $30 that was in debt service then that breakdown Kevin is on that second page. Yeah, I'm just looking at

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some I mean DLS that depends on what information you're looking for in 2022 required net school spending was 8,922 142 actual and that was 10,261657

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amount over or under required was back in 2022 you were over by $1,339,515 and the year before that was even higher was $1.8 8 million. >> Well, if I if I do the quick quick math here, our budget at 15 15 million7 net

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schools um spending is 14 uh million5. We're there at that 1 $2 million that you refer to as going back. What's increasing dramatically

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is the um required contribution each year. Mr. >> I I just looked I'm sorry. >> No, sorry, Chair. Mr. Chairman, may I just for clarification, there's a difference just so everybody's paying attention between net school spending and minimum net school spending. Minimum

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net school spending is what the state requires the district to spend. Net school spending is what the district is actually spending. So I think just to clarify what my chairman's asking for is what the state issued number for minimum net school spending is

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>> total. >> Yeah. And it's not on your sheet it's listed as net school spending which is what >> if you look at the draft assessment the draft assessment the minimum local contribution. >> That's minimum local contribution. We're trying to find out what the overall

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budget is. the state says you have to spend this. Everything above that would be above minimum net school spending. >> I cannot answer that question. >> I would like that information possibly and I would like it simply because I I'm

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having a real real tough time watching our K through8 school be torn apart three years in a row from budget stands point standpoint because they're getting the crumbs. So, we're actively looking for every dollar we can right now. And I think it's important for everybody in

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this community to be able to send their kids to a K through8 school that can actually graduate to go to Old Colony. I think it's a very important thing to educate all of our students, but we need definitive numbers, definitive answers. We absolutely cannot take less than

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every piece of helpful information is possible. We need to figure it out. I'm heartbroken the fact that I'm already hearing that there's going to be 22 acnet teachers let go if we don't hit a number that's unattainable which means that no matter what we do we're going to lose

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at least 10 to 15 teachers in the Kushner public schools >> we've already lost seven >> that that is not lost >> no lost >> no no lost on us Rochester is cutting uh teachers if the override does not pass in Lakeville they'll be cutting

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staff It is epidemic across the state. Correct. >> So >> what is the percentage increase right now for Kushner public schools that that was brought? >> I I wasn't I didn't get to make the

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joint meeting. U Mr. Hley was there. >> I don't know what the percentage is, but based on the total budget, the constraint driven budget that they are presenting to us is a $1.1 million increase. >> $1.1 million increase. Correct. >> From last year's budget.

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>> Correct. >> In last year's budget. >> I don't have that number in front of me. They're not on the agenda last year. >> I thank you for trying to give me that much credit, but I might be good with numbers. But again, I didn't attend that meeting. But look, I I I understand what

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Mr. Inkley is trying to say, and I think we all do. But the reality of it is what we have two schools. We got a $410,000 increase from Old Colony, right? And then we got a school that's looking for, let's just call it a million bucks, and we have revenues of about 950. I've had this conversation with you folks for the

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past couple years. I think it was two years ago, you wanted 600 in change, and I said that exceeds what the town brings in in Prop 2 and a half levy increase. It's one of our major revenue sources that we have that and new growth. Between the two, we have roughly $800 $850,000.

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We've been tweaking revenues up that we have and we're getting to that point of no return with revenues and there's a certain breach mark that you don't want to hit because at any point it falls below that 80% threshold. Say I'm collecting a million dollars in revenue. I wouldn't want to use more than

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$800,000 which is the 80% threshold. Use that for budgetary reasons because God knows what happens with that revenue line and it drops below that. Now that's offsets being made up by the taxpayers because everybody's coming and grabbing. There's only a certain percentage of money that we can allocate to each

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place. I get it. Cost of increase. Salaries have increased, right? I mean, it's it's the biggest if anybody running a business, I'll tell you health insurance and salaries are the biggest cost of overhead. It it's not rocket science to to run running a business. Um, you know, I know I'll bring the

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sheet back up, but I still have it from 2012. It's ironic that we're at 207 students this year. 2012 we were at 210 students. Our assessment was $1.8 million. Today three students less our

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assessment at $3.65 million. >> What what happens in 14 years? >> I I that's just that's just a cushion assessment, right? So it's doubled and all I'm saying is let's look at the bigger picture because I can do this with anything that's out there, right? And look at it and say so we doubled in

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call that 12 13 years. what's going to happen in the next 12 or 13 years. We doubling again and we all know that's not sustainable. People's wallets aren't growing that fast. So, I think we everybody needs to take a look in the mirror and say we need to we need to stop. You know, I always say we don't

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have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem. And and I truly do believe we have a spending problem. And it's nobody like it's just the way we're negotiating, the way unions hitting you, whatever it may be. Um it it's it's the nature of the beast. But sooner or later, they have to understand that you

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want x percentage in an increase, but the teacher alongside you is going to lose their job because we got to pay for us somewhere. It's the same thing with my police department, my fire department, my DPW is you guys want this for a percentage increase. You want you want that kind of money, look at your look at your staff and tell me which

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person's job you want me to get rid of because that's the only way I can pay for that kind of an increase. That's that's where we're at. And that's reality. >> We had identical. It's unfortunate, but that's the reality of >> we had identical conversations during the last negotiation. >> I mean, it's it's just >> Can we cut a teacher?

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>> But one of the things, Kevin, I think that cannot be lost as well. Um, and I'm not elected, so it's easier for me to say it, is the state is doing a poor job in how it fun. >> I'll agree with you. >> Towns.

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>> Um, it and quite frankly, uh, special ed costs. Rochester is in the GM. that's in because it it had an unanticipated special needs child and it's going to, you know, be catastrophic. >> So,

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>> so the the what I'm recommending is I know it's it isn't a help for this year. It is the final year of the student opportunity act that whole fair share. There's discussions and what I'm seeing from MASK which is the Massachusetts

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Association of School Committees they are going to do four public hearings I believe on yeah again chapter 70 because the towns like these towns and you're

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talking about your town I'm looking at my town I'm Rochester that other than seam mass no no industrial base no business space can't afford what it is. Prop 2 and a half, nobody wants to talk about it

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because nobody wants taxes to keep up, does not keep up with the increases that towns have. So these these are restraints that are being put on us. How do we do it? And in 22 and 23, the municipal growth factor in the chapter

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70 funding formula is frozen at 4.5%. They never exceed it. The problem is that inflation was way higher those years. Everybody's playing catch-up. That's a reality. >> I So, so the advocacy that's happening statewide.

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>> I signed a letter in common with the fincom Mike Bush, our fincom chairman, and our school committee chairman Ron Hood. We sent the letter a letter to the governor's office about chapter 78. and I'm working cohesively with one of

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our state reps, Mark Sylvia. Um, and we're trying to engage with them and push for further money, but the governor's just, you know, we got whatever amount of money in this their their rainy day account like help us out and just it's just not coming that way,

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right? And that prop two and a half thing I can already see if she's reelected where we're going to go with that is say, hey, municipalities, do what you want. But that's clearly not an answer for us. Like raising four and a half% um on your levy, it ain't doing

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crap. >> So if I we on two and a half every year, we get an additional $23,000 a year on ours and we're at like 5.85 right now. Total increase every year. But from the previous year, it gives you about an extra $25,000 in the Prop 2 and a half

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levy increase. So if last year was 550, this year it's 575. Right? That's all you get. So now you want me to go to four and a half and then I got to bring that in and then what people don't understand at home and I'm going to try to have a conversation with them once we get through all of this budget stuff and warrant finalization. But I would like

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to have a conversation with the taxpayers, the people at home because it's a misconception that they think that their property tax is going to only go up 2 and a half%. And it's not based on that and the system's rigged there. It's a flawed system too. So unless we address and everybody puts their big boy

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pants on and big girl pants on and we get to that state house and we have real dialogue about real reform, just systems failed miserably. It's it's utterly failed miserably and the elected officials at that state house need to get their act together and work with

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local municipalities in figuring out solutions to the problem. Other than that, it's never going to work. And we're just going to continue going down a fail road because that, like I I think I said it at the meeting on Patriots Day. The fiscal brick wall, we've hit it. Everybody's face is jam-packed inside that fiscal brick wall. And

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there's nothing we can do about it. And in raising revenue to keep the system, the failed system floating, that's not an answer to the taxpayers. >> But I believe um we are well represented. We as Representative Sylvia

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covers most of the district um at least some of the towns. Uh Senator Rogers uh I believe you have Sen Senator Mark Tney. >> We do. um they have they have heard our message loud and clear and I think and and I

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hope that we're going to have a responsible dialogue um this coming year when we we talk about this this this can't work out they're being slammed across the state by school committees

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you know uh the number of I think it was 220 20 districts with declining enrollment, but yet the chapter 70 is held harmless that they're getting the same amount of money. Um there are just issues that need to be addressed.

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>> Mr. L, >> Mr. Chairman, uh I just have a I appreciate you giving me the uh town assessment page and everything and uh working with me on that. Um what are we at right now with through the chair of course chapter 71 transport? What what's

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the regional transportation reimbursement? >> Yeah. What what's the rate at right now for that? >> It varies. >> Yeah, it's like >> depends what year it is. >> Okay. >> The promise of regional transportation and Stop laughing. >> No, I I talked about this a few years ago.

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>> The promise of regional transportation is that it will be um at 100% um in all my years on a regional school committee. That >> that was the carrot. >> That was the carrot. And they've in recent years they would hit like the 90

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mark. I want to say >> we hit 92 last year or the year before >> something like that, you know, boondoggle here. >> Um I want to see to your point it it's we can figure it out. I had it written down somewhere, but I'm not going to dig

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through that file. >> What I was getting at is on the on these assessment sheets we get. I think it'd be clearer if we were able to know exactly like if you look at the sheet you see Rochester going downgative -22 it's the loss of kids you know I don't

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know if that's transportation cutting a bus so if I were able to get on the sheet what you were getting for each town the breakout of the chapter 71 coming in like your income coming in and then the breakout in expenses on the transportation

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>> 71 goes right to the regional um vocation doesn't go necessarily by town, if that makes sense. It's just an offset via revenue. And then, as Kevin indicated, we use a conservative number at the beginning. We make adjustments once the

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final budgets come out. Sometimes there's a return of fourth part of a fourth quarter assessment. That does happen as well. >> Well, I just think it' be easier for us when we're reading these sheets because I've seen other regionals do it. They break it out by town. Uh the the the transportation income coming in and

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obviously that number fluctuates as you were speaking with the chair about uh with chapter uh aid for the schools and then the expenses. So that way it's clear exactly like you know when I look at this I have to kind of guess Rochester's number dropped significantly

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and then I see our number and I have to kind of like different theories. I know Aaron's always available by phone. and I could call him up and everything, which is great that he's very uh proactive. But if we if we could get that to a way where it's easier for the member towns to really understand where the >> it's used as a revenue offset before the

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assessment's created, if that makes sense. >> So it's created at the bottom of this sheet, >> this packet that they just gave us today. >> Yeah. >> So when they do this, it says less funds applied. Well, now this just says funds applied. >> That's applied. They do do the reimbursement of >> all the revenues applied and then it we

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back into that assessment number. >> Does that make sense? >> No, I understand. >> It just it just on this sheet it's not exactly clear. >> Uh at least for me, but we didn't have all this information. I have an in old old budgets. >> Well, we got that in the packet this evening, right? >> Yeah. That just came in. That's why you

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out >> historic I know there was a lot going on. Historically, we were we've been invited in earlier. I know you were in transition, but we've always come in earlier and we've had that and then we've had a couple of meetings this year because there was transition. We didn't have that earlier meeting with the

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select board. We did have a meeting with the fincom. Um but I think historically to Kevin's point, he has always had that sheet. Um and the chapter 71 funding that's listed on the um budget breakdown with revenue

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that again is a preliminary number from the from the governor's number. You'll see that on this uh sher cherry's sheet and they anticipate that that will go up as well. But what typically happens is when it goes up because that money can

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only be used for transportation, it sits in that um that next line that says transportation fund offset >> and that's typically been bigger because I remember last year you're talking about $300,000. So when you guys do use that and I did

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talk about the transportation to do an offset >> and it's already a portion of the previous year's transport. Let's say it's $1.2 million total transportation line and I'm I'm pretty close >> right for the sake of this conversation.

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And I looked at fiscal year 2026 on DLS. And so everybody at home knows what division of local services. It's 759,774 was your transportation reimbursement. And the on this sheet that you folks

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used, it looks like it's 763441. So they're actually like four grand over. So when you do this for the following year, do you use the previous year's reimbursement? It's got to be right because you don't know what your reimbursement is going to be. So that number that you less funds applied for

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this year's assessments, you use 2026 what you actually got for reimbursement because it's only four grand off. So I'm assuming that's what you did. >> So that what's here in this budget breakdown, okay, is the number that's on the cherry sheet. You treat it like you

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do the chapter 70. It this is the FY2027 preliminary preliminary cherry sheet estimates. She takes the business manager typically takes that number. If you go to 27, you

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will see regional school transportation. That is the exact figure. >> Come on. >> Oh, 763. >> 763 441. >> So, you use the governor's number, >> correct? Because it's the safest number to use.

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We're anticipating that's going to be >> if it comes in higher than that, that money is what goes into the offset offset to be used next year. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Which would probably be good because it'll be in the plus contract

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with increased costs. >> Mr. Rosenis, you have anything? I I just wish I had this earlier because I don't have any historical documents like him on the new guy. But this this is helpful to look back.

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>> So there's nothing that the school committees wouldn't consider trying to do a repo and seeing what else you can squish out of the budget just because 410 is a tough pill for us to swallow. And I get and I did the math 13 times whatever you I use 16. 17 now,

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which again cost of educating a students way up. If you look at including chapter 78, you're talking about $23,000 a child. We're almost at the point where I can send them to college for a high school kid. >> Unfortunately, >> that's what I'm trying to say. No matter

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how much more money we keep getting, >> those costs just keep going up. So, there's got to be if we're going to get more money, we got to be more conscientious of how we spend the money and not keep bringing it up, bringing it up. Because I can tell you right now, even if the state did an injection for every community with chapter 70, they're

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not going to continue doing it year. >> Well, look what happened to us four years ago, that's exactly what they did. We got a huge increase in chapter 70 and then it dropped off a cliff the very next year. So once you set that baseline up, you're setting yourself up for failure.

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>> Kevin, the way we do the budget preparation is we sit with town officials. We we sat twice uh at the end of the second meeting. I I chair that advised everybody when the school community would be voting on the

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budget. If anybody has a problem, please get back to us. The the budget was much higher than than what it was when the school committee got it and made changes. We made changes again after looking at some of the things. We came

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in with what we thought was a a re respectful and reasonable budget. A cushion of income asked us to come in before we sat with some of those members. No concerns. We voted the budget. Two of the towns have already approved the

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budget. There were two besides >> they'd be more than happy to revote a lower budget. They probably would be, but they had the opportunity. And I'm not I'm not saying I'm sticking my feet in cement, but we go through this

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process the way we go through the process so that we can have agreement. There is transparency. Everybody gets what you get. We didn't hear anything. So we we go with what we thought a level service budget. And I know that your

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constraint budget in a cushion it is not a level service budget. It is in between the two of them. A level um a level funded and a level service. I I just don't see going back.

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>> Well, I think Mr. distinctly hit the nail on the head when I look at K through 8 and I look at, you know, more teachers. Um, and I'm not saying the right things are being done at our local schools by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not going to try to stick up for that. But, um, until I can

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get more details from them, but I can tell you right now, I think, um, early brain development is the utmost importance of a younger child. um and to see some of these teachers getting cut and I don't know which ones are being cut. Um but I can tell you right now brain development is the utmost

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importance in the K through eight um and if you don't have that what are we sending off to high school right? So you know it pains I think Mr. Ingley said it pains his heart it pains my heart. Mr. Mr. Rosenes has got young children in in

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elementary school and middle school. Um, I think for most of the parents that are out there in this community, it pains them as well. And there's no easy solution to it. Um, and you know, three, four, five, 10 teachers, whatever the number is that they're talking

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about, in my opinion, is way too much. And I would love to sit down with them and look at their business administration as well and say, you know what, maybe you don't need all of these people before you start going after teachers because I I believe teachers are the utmost importance in a school department instead of having 9 million

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secretaries and 9 million other positions in administration. Get rid of them. You don't need them. So I I'd leave you with that thought. Um, >> again, I I will just say when I watch it

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as a former um elementary school committee member, it pains my heart. I have no stake in a cushioner, but it pains my heart as well. It pains my heart to go to a Lakeville rep uh because

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like you I believe when you start encroaching on the safety nets in elementary education the ripple effect that when you move forward it's the same thing that I used to say

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when I was at O on their school committee when they praise the success of MCCAST and AP and all that. You need to thank every elementary school teacher who had an impact because that's where nurturing comes in. That's

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where intervention comes in. I understand that. But to change our budget, Kevin, to to reach a number that's going to be useful to you, what would we I mean, you're looking for

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$100,000 from us? >> No, I didn't. I just asked for help. and and you know I I I don't want to get into details about your budget and some of the positions that are there but obviously I just went through the budget and pretty heavily and I do look at

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positions and I I think why do I need three people to be doing one person's job and I don't want to get on camera and start talking about that but I think if you looked at it hard enough you would probably say man we probably don't need one or two of those and we can do away with it right and I'm not talking about teachers I'm talking about

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administration people. Um, I really do feel that in the bottom of my heart looking at this budget, I I really do. And unless I'm looking at things wrong and we can have that conversation off here because I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings out there. Um, it's a difficult conversation what we're having right now, right? And I hate to say too

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much because I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. And then people go back. The problem with when we're in this kind of situation is is well, go see Kevin. He's the one that made that budget cut. No, I didn't. I'm only one member of the board. Okay. Um, I'm not responsible for anything and I and I do

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hear crap out in in my own community and it's always Kevin's the bad guy. I'm not the bad guy. I'm trying to solve a problem for the community first and foremost. So, if somebody ain't getting what they want, TS and we all know what TS stands for. I'll give you the first word. It's tough, right? Because I

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represent I try to represent my constituents and and and try to do what's equitable across the board for everybody and make good decisions based on what everybody's needs are. ain't just what oh what my one department needs and oh I didn't get my way I don't like Kevin anymore or I don't like Mr. Rosendis anymore I don't like Mr. Inkley

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anymore and that's that that kind of crap is out there and it's starting to aggravate me because it's not fair to anyone any one of us or anyone members of my fincom because they they're going to make cuts. I mean we're not the bad guys. We're here to solve problems and we try to do the best we can with what funds we have. And right now it's it's

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it's really difficult in making decisions on what we're going to do. >> And I can respect the position that you're in and the difficult position that you're in. But I also have to say that I have been on the Okalony budget subcommittee. We now call it the finance

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subcommittee for my entire tenure. I do not see excessive uh administration positions or anything like that. I go through that bud budget pretty thoroughly as well. um you want to have a conversation at at

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some time love to have a conversation or come in and and speak to us but I think what has been presented to you yes I know it's difficult times is a responsible budget >> good Mr. England.

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>> Anything further? >> No, I think I spoke my piece. >> Mr. Nothing. >> I got nothing. >> Mr. Lang, you all set with budget when it doesn't seem like we're going to get any? >> Yeah, I mean, I could always just reach out to Aaron uh and talk more about this

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uh the whole transportation cuz you I see the columns here for each town, but we could talk about that off, you know. Okay. So, I do have a second one before you folks leave. And I did put new school discussion in Revo

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for conversation because there's a lot of people talking to me about it. I'm sure they're talking to my colleagues about it and they're not happy about it. I'll come straight out and tell you straight up. We just talked about doing a revote and

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I'm not getting a revote and I know Colony wants to revote the same school again and people are pretty aggravated about that to be quite honest with you and quite honest I I did this for a reason. I'm hoping that the people that are out there that get on me about the

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revote because somehow I'm being looked at and this board's being looked at and the town's being looked at like it's our idea that we're going after they said no and forcing that back on our constituents. And I just want this meeting to vet that out. It had nothing to do with this board. The fincom of

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this town, the administration of this town, nothing. It was all on old colony. Right. So, um, you're coming back. Same exact vote to make it clear. >> Correct. >> Same exact article, I believe it is. I

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kind of reviewed it quickly. >> Probably just dates that are different. >> Correct. Seeing that same 288 million number. >> Yeah. cannot change, >> right? Um, and it's June 20th. >> Yes, it's a Saturday. >> So, let me ask this question because I

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was actually at O' Colony on Patriots Day, the holiday when we took this conversation up and June 20th is the day that we said, you said, Mr. Palansky, that Lakeville has something going on

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and they can't vote on June 20th. Lakeville Cafe. Lakeville. Is that what I said? >> Lakeville had a conflict. >> Yeah. >> At their typical voting site. >> Correct. >> We ran the alternative date by Lakeville that was discussed at that meeting.

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They had a conflict at the same place and then offered to change their site for the 20th and so we were able to accommodate the 20th. So Lakeville's polling location will be different than it always has been when

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they correct they vote. >> You don't you don't at all think that's a problem. >> I have a presentation if you'd like. I can make it. >> They are sending out postcards to registered voters to let to inform them in Lakeville of the change.

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>> Okay, that's good. I'm glad to hear that. I mean, there are people talking about the June 20th, Junth, Friday, Father's Day, Sunday. >> Would you like me to? >> Nah, I've seen enough things about that school. Um, I I'll be honest with you. I

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I wish I really, you know, obviously everybody knows that I'm a vocational school guy, right? I'm a graduate of Old Colony. Um I I think trade schools in today's world where we're at right now is is the utmost

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importance, right? Um electricians, plumbers, HVAC, things of the like. I mean, there's other shops that might be outdated and there's not a big demand for them. So you we could probably look at them and say we could scratch them off and not bring in so much teachers and staff for that

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operational budget increase. But um I'm a huge trade school guy. I I firmly believe in trade schools. I I think there's I know from friends that I have um in multiple towns with the city of New Buffett that their kids couldn't get into New Before vote because of the

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lottery. And that kind of breaks my heart, especially with the lottery system, right? Because I know some of these kids um uh their heart was set on being a competent whatever it may be, right? They had their heart set on something

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and guess what number I drew? 600. They stopped at let's I'm arbitrarily speaking again. 450. Meanwhile, you get somebody who got picked in the 450 has no interest in any of it. That's why I don't believe in lottery.

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We can't do anything about the lottery because it's statemandated. Um the lottery affects who gets in as opposed to how many. And that is one of the critical issues we're trying to address in a new building is that by

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increasing size going from what's typically between 550 and 560 students to 776 gives more opportunities. Vocational education is the one

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form of education across the state. It that is not being impacted by declining enrollment. They cannot keep up with demand. Just use the numbers that Mr. Pansky showed in the beginning. You had 98 of

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your kids wanted to come to Old Colony. Only 43 are going to become our kids. >> Yeah. Now they get it. if we had more opportunities to bring those kids into Oak Colony. >> So, going back to my my initial point is

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I really wish that we would add a backup that was different from the first vote. >> And do you know what I really wish Kevin? I >> you had a unicorn. >> No, I don't believe in unicorns. But what I do believe in and you've heard me

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this this project is over six years in the making. I've been with it every step of the way. Okay. In the beginning it was a statement of interest and then we got approved for MSBA and then it was getting the the feasibility. Nothing was

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ever done in a vacuum. Okay. the the fiscal times were may maybe were better then but nobody nobody had a crystal ball. Nobody was going to know. We have spent six years to get to

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this point. We have presented a planned project design that the state has accepted and and said we'll give you up to $129 million. And what I wish is what was that I was

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not going to surrender that money back cuz we will never get that money again. And if we do, it's going to be something that's going to be much smaller. And in the meantime, we're going to have to make repairs to that building. >> Yeah, you got it. We've been through that. I don't want to get too involved

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with the >> Well, the needs. >> You have to say what you wish that. >> No, I know. I get it, Shirley. But it's it is it Look, it's it's a big price tag. And I know we talk about what's going to happen in 5 years, but you know, I I'm not a proponent of bringing back votes that failed. And I talked

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about that before. The town, this town's voted four times on the library and have it failed all four times. And I said, "Forget it. It's it's over. We'll figure out a different way." And we did. Um, thank goodness. >> Well, we've done one. This is only two. >> No, I know. But that's the thing. >> Kevin, so few people.

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>> So, there's this there's the trick question. So, people are saying, "Well, what? Well, hold on a minute. This is the mentality that's out there and I I want to share it with you so you're aware aware of this. So you lost your vote, you didn't get your way, you're coming back for a second vote. So when the second vote goes and you get your

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way, if you get your way, are we doing a third vote for a tiebreaker or do we just accept the results because we got our way? That's what's that's what I'm being hit with out there. >> And when you were going for the library, what would you have responded? >> What was under when you were going on

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your fourth vote or your third? It wasn't under my tenure. It was once under my tenure as a selectman and then we got this petition. I think it was the Girl Scouts that petitioned us like immediately which I think was a political move. Okay. And at that point

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it failed and I said it's it's over. It's over. We heard from so many people who said to us, "Well, we I don't know if they were living under a rock. Didn't even know you were having a vote. What was that all about? All of that.

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>> That's impossible for anybody in this town not to know. >> I didn't say your town, but there are there are other towns. I mean, obviously, >> well, Rochester and a cushion had in the 20%, but we had three of our towns that had less than 10% of the voters to come

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out and vote. This is such a consequential question for our children. Just as you feel passionate about your children, I feel passionate about the whole range. This is consequential for vocational

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education. This is a get it done now. And if we can't get it done now, Kevin, I'm going to assume Aaron can correct me that the MSBA is going to withdraw us. And there won't be a third vote. There will be a third vote six, seven years

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from now. Let's hope the roof doesn't need repair or anything else that'll call any. I mean, the thought that you that we have a $17 million asset, all five towns, and

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there is not a fire suppression to protect that asset. Stuns me. >> We can blame that on a lot of things though, can't we? We could blame it on a lot of things, but blame >> past administrations, current administration, we know things aren't

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going on. We should be looking at it, not just that's not maintenance. The time when that building was built, that was how the buildings were built. The roof cannot take it to put in a fire

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suppression unit. And it is what it is. But how do we take care of it? Now, I'm not looking to lay blame on who designed it, who built it, all of that. I want to know how are we going to protect it.

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>> I It's been 6 years, Kevin. >> Yeah. No, I >> My ears are going quickly now, and I don't want to feel like I wasted six years. >> Time will tell. June 20th. >> Time will tell, and we will accept

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whatever the decision is that time. I just I I hope people listen and don't don't listen to chatter that they they come they listen they go to a virtual town meeting there's so much information out there if they need information

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please come to colony and ask you have an outstanding member of the school committee Rob Gomes he is here he can answer questions for town I'm not talking in this venue but he is very exp experienced he is on the

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building committee and he chairs the subcommittee uh the building committee that's a subcommittee for repairs. That school has been wellmaintained and that's why it's in the shape it is. But at some point even the well-maintained

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buildings have things that are going to go wrong. >> Unfortunately, surely you can have myself and both of my colleagues and the incredible individual that is there called Mr. Gomes speak until we're blue in the face. And the reality of it is we

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might change a few minds, but we're not changing everybody's minds. >> Well, then I will challenge the three of you to support the project. Support the project. Go out and talk to your constituents why it's more important because when we start repairs, they're not going to like it and they're

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going to want to know why didn't you tell us this and we've been telling it over and over again. If I could just quickly two of the misconceptions that I think are out there we touched on both to just clarify the um >> Can you stand and announce your name? >> Sure. Uh Chad Curtin, owners project

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manager of PMA Consultants working for Colony, resident of Rochester. >> Um so the $288 million number, uh the reason that it's the same number is because it has to be. The MSBA board met last October. They approved that as the preferred solution. So, we can't change

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a single square foot or a single dollar in that project where it's a completely different project and you start that six-year process that Shirley talked about over from start. Um, also the second thing I think was touched on was a plan B. Why not a plan B? Great question. Um, but again, that's just not how the MSBA's program works. They allow

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you to put forth one preferred solution. The board meets and they vote on that one preferred solution. And if you go to something other than that preferred solution, whether it's a repair, an ad run or whatever it is, you start over from the start. Back. So that's the problem with state government right there. We just talked about the problems

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with chapter 70 funding. That's exactly what I'm talking about. There's no common sense anymore. It's all gone. So if they're going to give let's I don't know. We're going to end this. We can move on. $130 million towards this $288 million project. What happens if we had

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a different option? We said, "We're going to do this and it's going to be 108 for a new school, but to our size to accommodate what we have in in our needs." And they said, "Okay, well, we're going to give you 75 for that." Now, the five communities on the hook

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for what, 110? Maybe that's more appetizing for somebody looking at it going, "Don't really need that school, but I'll support that one." But MSBA, as you just alluded to, go, "No, it ain't meeting our criteria. have a nice day. You're not getting the money and we're

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going to hold you hostage. Now, it's it's all or nothing. Which I think is absolutely insane that they could go, we're going to give you 120. We'll give you 60 and we'll give another town that's looking for a school, but they're not on the list and they need a new school. We'll give them the other 60, too. We'll get two schools instead of

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one, the way certain people want it built up there. I just think that process is upside down, just like the formula for chapter 70 is upside down, right? >> But it but it is the world we find ourselves in. That's fine, Shirley. But you know what? It's it's up to the

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elected leaders, not only of the smaller cities and towns, but also the the elected leaders, uh, legislative delegation at that state house to stop figuring out solutions to the problem and not just on campaign years. I'll leave it at that because that's what it

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comes down to. And I'm working with a very good gentleman right now, Mr. Mark Sylvia. Um, I believe he's a he's a problem solver. He's not just one to sit back and go, "Yeah, I'll show up in my election year with my cardboard check for 25 grand and put on a dog and pony

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show to the community like what's but then been done in this room at that podium far too long. Far too long." So, either the people smart enough on who they're electing to send to that state house or we're going to end up in the same crap hole that we're in now with no

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change and they just keep on going over and over and over. I think I said it at a no colony meeting. I don't really give a damn if you have a D, an R, or an I on the side of your name. That shouldn't matter. We should be electing people that are actually helping the people instead of somebody with a letter on the

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side of their name and you're programmed to go vote for that person. Period. My views, >> get results for the people. >> Change takes time and I'm not sure Colony has the level of time that we're talking about. And that's what that'll

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be my final comment as well. >> It's bugging me so much and I I know some people out there might want to laugh, but President Donald J. Trump spoke about trade schools on the

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campaign trail. I think if we all sent the letter saying we need something, let's see what kind of response we get from that administration. >> A letter's been sent. I I'll I'll send a backup one to that

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one just so they get the picture. Right. I'll get my state I'll get out legisation everybody on board send letters and say this is this is what's going on. >> This is what's happened to us. You promised you know you made the promise about the importance of trade schools.

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Pony out. I don't care if you like the man or not. I'll hold their I'll hold their feet to the fire. Let's figure it out. The more we do that, the better results we're going to get for the people that we represent. I don't understand what makes we are

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working to turn over every rock. And to your point, Representative Sylvia has been phenomenal in terms of the way he supported us. We've seen it uh from we've had a lot of folks supporting us. There are there there have been bills put into the legislature around

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expanding, you know, the support for vocational education. We just received a $2 million grant uh for equipment in the machine and tool technology department. That's an upgrade. We we received a $250,000 earmark uh to help offset the updates for the phone lines and the the

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PA um from Senator Rodri's. We're doing everything we can to knock on every single door to make sure that we can create offsets to the extent we're able. The cost of the project is is the lowest in the MSBA pipeline per square footage and it's never going to be less

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expensive than it is now. And it was very hard to walk away from the idea of being able to do this at the least expensive rate that we'll ever see in lie of waiting till a later date when no matter what we do, there's never a good time to cross a wild river. Right?

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When you're standing across from a wild river and you're trying to get across, you could say, "Well, I'll wait till it calms down." on a wild river never calms down. There's never a good financial time for a big expense. We understand that. But I assure you, we're knocking on every single door. >> That's why we need somebody else to pony up a bigger share of that money.

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>> Y Mr. Chair, >> we just can't afford it. >> I'm I'm just concerned that, you know, for over an hour and a half, we talked about a budget that you guys can't budge on, and we're going to be making cuts on our end. >> Every year, we meet with every single uh

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town, and we ask for feedback. Two years ago we did receive feedback from Aushnet and from Rochester and we made cuts in accordance with that. This year when we met with Aushnit we did not hear concerns from anyone and we moved forward in accordance with how we usually move forward. Had we heard at an

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earlier point we absolutely would have made it an arrangement to the extent we're able and we will continue to conduct ourselves that way. I assure >> I I I understand that. But what what I'm saying is tied in with this building project, we're going to have a debt exclusion, which for a new school, that's a good investment for the kids.

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>> It is. >> But the expansion, we just talked for an hour and a half over an assessment that we can't afford right now. Once that is in full operation and the operational staff is up, what kind of assessment are we looking at? You know what I mean? That that's a concern to me big time.

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>> We have the information online, the comparative analysis, >> it's going to it it's going to force us into an override. It's an automatic forced override. I already talked about >> and I can never support an override. Prop two and a half is is our protection. We pay taxes every which direction. You know what I mean?

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>> The the forecasting 6 to 9 years moving forward is difficult. I appreciate what you're saying. We've heard it from other people. Increase chapter 70, God willing, that they'll correct chapter 70. We'll get more chapter 70 monies for kids. you

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will be sending kids to Fair Haven. Uh ORR, don't know anywhere else. >> Newfford. >> Um we don't know how all of that what the what those times will look like and

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to not move forward because we're worried about what the operational budget may look like um 6 to9 years from now. We can't we can't sway, you know, we can't do anything

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about those concerns right now, but hopefully we'll when that time comes. >> Well, Mr. Gasper had a sheet from 2012 and it went up more >> double >> double so we can at least assume double, right?

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It's just it's a concern for me big time. We have a huge burden on our taxpayers and it's something to think about. You know, it's >> the repair option brings a burden too and that's the that's the tough part.

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But we completely understand. There's no small ask in any of it. Repair new school. There's no small ask. We understand it. We'll talk. If you if you go back and get creative,

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let us know. Um, who knows what town meeting will do with budgets. >> It's um there's there's no easy answer to the problems anymore. It's >> true. >> You know, we do what we do, but the ask

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and just turn to the taxpayer and say, "Send more money to us." There's there's a percentage of people that are willing to do it. I've spoke with them. I'm not saying everybody out there doesn't want to do and give a little bit more. The problem is I believe firmly there's a

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much bigger majority of people that just can't afford to do that. And there are a percentage of people I will say a small percentage of people that I've spoken to and said I wouldn't have a problem whether whether it's our local schools for budgetary reasons or old colony.

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The problem is it just you don't have the big enough number to get it and and when you do what does that say for all the people that are struggling you know how does that look so I leave

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things to the people to decide they'll decide what they want to do with their wallets and their piggy banks just as I do. Um we'll see where the vote comes out and we'll have a conversation in the future. All I can say, but thank you folks for

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coming in. >> Selectment chair, could I just say a few words? >> Sure. Um, speaking of the date being June 20th, um, in the town of Aushnet, um, we've had, um, over 873,

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uh, vote by mail applications, um, that have been received and processed in the town clerk's office. And it's very important that I get the message out um to our voters to let them

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know they will not get a vote by mail ballot in the mail for this district election. Um I have been speaking as much as I possibly can. I'm in the process of doing a flyer to get out. Um

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but I I don't know what it is in the other communities. Um, but having that large number right out of the gate, um, I want people to be aware they can vote absentee,

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um, or they would have to vote in person on that day and that's going to be very important. So, as a school committee, if you could also help to get that message out as well, um, that would be helpful. >> Sure. >> Okay. >> So, Miss Leani,

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>> yes. No vote by mail for June 20th special vote revote for the old Colony New School. You have to either do it in person or absentee ballot, which How long can you get an absentee ballot? Up to what date? >> Up until this election is on Saturday.

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It will be up until noon time the day before, which is going to be the 19th, but the 19th is the holiday. So, it's going to be 5:00 p. p.m. on Thursday the 18th. >> So, absentee ballot. I would have to

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imagine that that would have to be filled out in your office. >> Yes. >> By June 18th at 5:00 p.m. Town Clerk's office if you want to vote absentee and only at that point. Other than that,

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everybody's vote will have to be cast on Saturday, June 20th. Polls open at 10:00 a.m. till 6 pm. >> Yes, that's correct. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> When are you going to get that flyer out in the mail? >> I'm working on it.

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>> Is that snow or bugs? >> Daily lives. >> You see it? >> Yes, I did. >> All right. >> You might want to check your blood pressure. >> Check it this morning. It was through the roof. All right. Thank you folks.

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>> Thank you. Gentlemen, next on the agenda, we have fire permit fees. The chief had a family matter he had to attend to, so he can't make it. There was a couple of questions I had for permit fees, so we will skip over that. And federal grant policies and

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procedures. Mr. Line, you want to give the board a quick update on this? I brought this to the board when we still had the webinar on the board. So, we have that new board member uh just to go over

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this. It's just something that uh we get a audit in the future that we have this on file for and I did look into it specifically. Best probably just keep it for federal awards. >> Yep. With some of the commentary that I got back last time I brought this for

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discussion purposes. So, we don't need any action this evening. It's just at some point we we'll need to do this uh just we can check that box. >> This is this is just a rough rough draft of it. >> It could be subject to change. So if you

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see anything in there select members and that you want to change or anything let me know. Um I'll be happy to do that. >> Okay. >> Very boilerplate. >> Yeah. Yeah, I just >> there was just some discussion from the previous um selectman that it says

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federal grant policies and it was something about incorporating that for you know day-to-day business or whatever other kind of grants that we got but this is specifically talking about federal grants or federal grants only. So >> yeah, not not the content uh it was just uh correction that I didn't use.

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>> So in in all your free time, Mr. Rosenis, we can review it. Mr. Hinckley and myself will do the same thing in all our free time and we'll get back to Mr. Lontaine with our questions, comments or concerns and then in somewhere in the near future hopefully when we're done

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doing budgets in Warren Town meeting passed by town meeting we can put this back up for a final vote. Sound good, Mr. Line? >> Sounds like a plan, Mr. Chairman. >> Thank you, sir. >> All right. Next we have an appointment

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of the 250th anniversary parade and we have Miss Nancy in the audience which she's the first name. Um

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there is a list of individuals who will be serving. So, we just got told who's going to be serving on the Akusha 250th anniversary parade committee. And Nance, it looks like a lot of your family's being volunteers.

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>> They are. >> So, um I'm going to look for a motion to appoint this way if anybody has anything to say about this little volunteer parade committee. They're official. They can do what they need to do. Um things of the like. So, is there a motion to

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appoint Nancy Maderas Vveras, Sydney Vveras, Karen Maderas, >> Janine Perry? >> Janine. >> Janine. >> She's on the beautifification committee with me. >> Okay. Janine. Great. Janine Perry,

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Pauline Texero, Nelson Mais, Robert Maderas, and Mary Boule. Is there a motion to appoint send members to the 250th US anniversary parade committee? >> So move second. >> All those in favor?

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>> I. >> There you go. >> Thank Thank you, Nance, and your family. You're >> welcome. >> For putting themselves out there for this parade. >> Thank you. A question for you. >> Who's the young Who's the young gentleman? Would you? >> My grandson Luke.

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>> Hey, Luke. Luke. How are you? >> Good. >> Good. What date? >> How come he's not on a committee? >> Please, you want to be on the committee? >> Wait, >> that a boy.

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>> So, um I know that July 4th lands on the Saturday. However, I know a lot of people go away and it would be difficult to get people to, you know, drive the trucks for floats or walking or whatever

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volunteers. Should we do it the Saturday or Sunday prior to July 4th? >> No. >> Okay. You want to stick to Saturday? >> June is just a messed up month.

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>> Okay. True. I mean, why don't you why don't why don't you see what you can do in talking to people, Nance. You can just give me a call >> and say, you know, maybe we do it the weekend after or two weeks after. >> Does it matter as long as we do it, >> right?

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>> You know, and I I agree. I agree with you. Fourth of July, man, it's like everybody else is doing things already. I mean, >> and I'm trying to get people to volunteer their time that weekend. They have things going on. So, I mean, let's just figure out a date so I can, you

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know, make sure I contact the appropriate people. if anyone in town would like to volunteer their services. I know there's a lot of construction companies with trailers um you know that you know kids or organizations would

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like to um you know decorate or whatever um you know I'd appreciate it if they would come forward and and uh contact me. So >> we should probably put Oh, look who's here. Margaret's here. So, could we put

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something to help Miss Vver out on that? Um, and Miss Viver can talk to you about what she needs and then put it up on the web page. You know, don't hide it front page. Just put a little blast out there for even two or three weeks and try to

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help Miss Favveris out with what she needs. >> Sure. I can call you tomorrow, too. That's fine. Okay. And M. Fiverr, you can just let us know, let staff know, Margaret know when everybody on the committee and who wants

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to participate in the parade can we can organize that group. >> That's what >> for what date and then we could talk about it in a future selections meeting to give everybody the community a heads up. But that's for the committee to try to organize and plan. in I

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>> you forgot Brad Fish. >> Oh, >> I was going to bring that up. >> Yes. >> Is Brad on this list? >> He was in the secondary part of the email. I just saw the front of it when Adam puted it out. >> Yeah. >> Motion to appoint Brad Fish to the >> I Yep.

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>> 250th anniversary pray committee. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. >> I don't I don't have that email. >> You don't have what? I don't have that email on my book, but >> I did a couple days after.

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>> So I Well, maybe I did. I added it because I talked to Mavveras about it and I said she asked me if there was anybody else and I said, "Yeah, please do." Here you go. You want that? >> No, I I have it in my ebook. You can memorialize that if you like it. Put a stamp on it. Do whatever you need.

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That's it. So just speak with Margaret and let her know what you would like to put on the >> the web page and you know once once you coordinate that with Margaret then Margaret can let these two social media

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folks know and they can go poof >> well one of them >> I'll take this one for you >> can do that yeah there you go >> thank you very much I appreciate >> can do what they need to do and in the meantime for if you need anything from us, you can let the office know. And

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Margaret knows how to get a hold of me pretty good. >> Lately, she just has to turn around right there. >> Yeah, unfortunately I am right there. But anyways, >> laughing about >> Thank you. I appreciate you. >> Thank you.

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>> Thank you. >> All right. So, >> Mr. Hley asked to have annual town election date change bylaw discussion. So there you go Mr. Hinckley. What you got? >> So myself, Miss Levante met up with the

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schools and went over some options. They had a requested that we sit down with them because of certain holidays like Junth and situations like we had this year with snow days. They asked if there was anything we

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could do in terms of election dates, so to speak, at the school so they wouldn't lose a a full educational day or be any possible extension into the summer, so to speak. So ultimately

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the only election we can actually move would be our annual officers election which currently in our bylaw says the fourth Tuesday in April. >> Mhm. >> I would like to suggest we move to the

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third. When we had that conversation with Miss Leani when Mr. W I was chairman. >> We She said keep in mind that that is school vacation and you might be excluding people from that vote. So where did that comes as you go?

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>> That conversation was brought up and a lot of the hesitation was involving the fact that a lot of people travel. But that is the perfect qualifier for absentee ballot in my opinion. And what I noticed is a lot of

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people have apprehension about vote by mail because they're putting a ballot in a box and hoping it goes where it's supposed to. Absentee ballot, you're actually voting in the clerk's office with the same town clerk and staff that run the actual election. And I think

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just letting people know how safe and secure absentee voting would be. If they're going to go on vacation, they can vote plenty of notice right in the clerk's office. I will say that it did cross my mind that you'd have less turnout,

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but I'm still of the mindset that I think if we can work with the schools to keep the kids from staying well into the summer along with the teachers affecting grievances, everything else involving holidays that were added,

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I'd be okay with it. But ultimately this is a decision for all of us and uh >> it would actually Miss Lemani it is a charter isn't it? >> It's a bylaw. >> Bylaw. >> It's only a bylaw. >> Article one section 2.2. >> So it's a bylaw not a charter change.

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>> Correct. So it still has to go to the attorney general to be voted. Hi Adam. Uh but it is not a charter change. >> Okay. So why did it take so long for it to go for it to happen last time?

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We changed it last time and it felt like that change didn't happen for like two years >> because um they had already done their school calendar. So they asked that it happen that following year.

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So we put it in the bylaw that it would be effective. I forget I forget what the >> it would have been effective at that town meeting but the way it was written >> yes the way the the way the warrant

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article uh was written was that it would be effective in fiscal year 2023 I believe >> or 2024 we voted to change it to a Saturday in

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um 2019 19 that was not working out. No, >> we were not getting the voter turnout. >> Um so we changed it in 2023 effective 2024.

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That's what it was >> because we wouldn't have gotten the approval from the AG's office >> for a minimum of 90 days. >> Change school vacation. They already had their school calendar already planned.

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>> Change school vacation by a week. >> Watch this. >> I knew I get that. I was like, are you a joke? >> No, I did attend the school committee meeting um just the other day and I did get the support of the school committee

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um to for us to do it during school vacation week. So ultimately the school would re the the school committee would ultimately like us out of the school um because it

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would make it a lot easier for scheduling um to ensure that the kids are not in the building at the time of the voting. Um I did along with selectman uh Hinckley we did discuss the

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fact that in my 18 years I have tried every town building and even a building that wasn't a town building um the graange and we did discuss it at a previous meeting um many of those

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locations are just not conducive no >> um for safety ADA compliance um So, this was kind of a middle of of the ground with the school um that they would agree

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as long as we did we changed it to the third the third um Tuesday in April. >> Yeah. And then >> that's always spring vacation. >> Yes. >> Always. Yeah. And that's statewide. And I would like to make one correction that

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absentee voting, yes, can be done in our office, but absentee voting is also done by mail as well. >> Okay. >> And I know >> they can still show up to your office physically if they choose. >> Absolutely. Correct. Absolutely. And I encourage anyone that has any

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apprehension about voting by mail, whether it's vote by mail, absentee voting, to come to my office. I will make appointments and sit down and explain and walk people through the process so they understand the security

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that is in place with a ballot that's dropped in a dropbox. The only thing I cannot control is if we get it back from the post office. >> Um, >> safe in a cushion it but they wouldn't be talking about the save act if it wasn't safe.

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>> Well, >> right. So, there you go. >> And I have to say the Mount Pleasant Street Postmaster has been phenomenal. He allows me to drop off ballots and

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they bypass Providence so that our residents get them sooner, but we just when they send it back, that's the only thing we can't control. >> And you want you want an answer on that tonight because we're going to try to get it on this town meeting.

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>> I'm assuming this is what you're doing, correct? >> And we'd also have to get in front of the bylaw review committee before town meeting. Well, before the >> town meeting as well. Mr. Rosenis, you see any issues? >> I I don't see any issues. I mean,

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>> I'm fine. I don't care. It >> It is what it is. >> Hopefully, the people will understand. It's about It really is about the security of the students at the school. Absolutely. >> However, we don't have any control over state elections. So, albeit, but we are

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at least trying to and thank you, Mr. Hley for fulfilling that obligation that the board tasked you with. You got one done. >> Thanks. >> And >> I mean I have no I have no problem I have no problem changing it.

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>> Okay. >> To the third week, >> you know. I wish we would have thought of that and they would have had the same concerns, but whatever. >> Well, we did we did we did discuss this previously before we changed it to the last. >> No, I'm talking about Yeah, whatever. I I'm the one that told you, can we move

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it to a Tuesday instead of a Monday cuz we're the only monkeys that do it on Monday. I'm like, why would we do it on Monday? Everybody's like, oh, I'm going to go vote. What do you want me to vote for? I'm like, what do you mean? What do I want you to vote? I just want you to go vote. Don't ask me that question, but it was yesterday. Like, and they're like, oh, I thought we voted on Tuesday.

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So, I mean, we we we are getting better turnout, I think, on Tuesdays. >> Yes, we are. >> So, is vote by mail like a permanent? That's that's how that's going to be. >> Unless the Save Act goes in place, then we kiss that goodbye. Well, there is um

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we're not exactly sure right now, but >> so we may be amending this in the near future if if it does go. >> Well, no. Vote >> just something that we >> So then it would just be absentee then, >> right? Vote by mail um as of right now

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unless the laws change is available for our local elections and our state and federal elections. But it was it's not available for the district elections, >> right? >> Um so as of right now that is staying in

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place. Um but again it's important that people understand specifically those 800 and some odd people that have requested ballots for all elections for this year that they understand for the June 20th

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they will not get a ballot in the mail. >> Okay. Very good. Okay. So, we need a vote tonight from the board that you will place this on the election. >> How about handshake? >> Okay. >> Both. >> Yes.

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>> Is there a motion? >> So, moved. >> Second. >> And I will get the exact verbiage to Adam um for the article. Okay. I'll do that tomorrow. >> Just copy the one we did three years ago. >> That's what I did. >> Oh, actually that brings up a good

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point. I would like to make a change also. >> I trust your judgment. >> Okay. But this is important. >> Okay. >> The way it's written right now is every time we make a change to the town election, it has to be voted by the town.

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>> The way the bylaw is written, it's also written that way for the um the town meeting. And I didn't realize this until I started the last couple of days diving

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into it. Um, so the board of selectmen technically does not have the right to change the town election or the town meeting. It has to go for a vote of the town. >> Yeah, that was the plan anyway.

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>> Yes, but we didn't incorporate the town meeting. I apologize cuz I'm kind of blind. It does say vote of the town right now. It's a vote of the town. >> So, I would like to change that by a vote of the board of selectmen.

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>> Two articles, >> two separate articles. >> No. Why? We could do we could do Oh, you want to? >> Okay. >> Are they separate? >> All right. So, >> one is 2.1 and one is 2.2. So you're

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amending you're amending two bylaws. >> Yes. >> Two articles. >> Yes. >> All right. >> If you come up with the language, Pam, let me know. Absolutely. And also if you could possibly reach out to the chair of bylaw review committee and schedule a

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meeting once the language is >> official is I believe that's Mr. Hra. >> I believe so too. >> Yeah. Okay. I take care of all the scheduling. >> So this all needs to be this all needs to be moved very quickly. >> Yes. because we're going to have Mr. Kelly up next right now to give us

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something on budgets in warrants. >> Yes. >> And we need to get this moving because deadline's coming >> and I don't feel like we're close. So, we need to figure this out. >> Yep. >> Oh, I mean, as far as we don't have that tomorrow. >> Submitting of articles, that deadline's come and gone.

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>> It's only because Mr. He's a member of the board and he has the executive privilege to do what he's just done. Other than that, we would not allow it. >> Yes. We can certainly come back for the the town meeting.

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>> We can do the town meeting separately. >> You know, I can do that as another. But I just figure where we're not abiding right now by that bylaw. >> Do you just keep on talking the way that we've done at all these town meetings?

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So, bye Pam. Have a wonderful night. I think we've said enough to the public. It's like, well, wait a minute. I don't like what happened two years ago. Anyways, >> I'm all about trans. >> I need a >> Oh, yeah. >> I need a bylaw book. >> You need

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>> Yeah, with every bylaw if you could. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So, can you make three >> cuz I'm still waiting for my binded one that I never got. >> Well, we're still in the process. >> Come on now. >> We She making the bindings. >> It is all Have Have you

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>> I have the J. I just need the board. Have you spoken with Victoria regarding the um possible grant to do a complete and total legal review of our bylaws? >> We'll talk about that. It's on the agenda. We'll talk about that some other time.

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>> Okay. >> I don't want to be discussing things and people just start throwing stuff around and >> whatever money $100,000 we already spent and we still don't have it and we're going to go get grants for another $50,000. We can have that discussion some other time, but not tonight. It's

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not on the agenda. So, bylaw books, whatever we'll talk about. >> So, I I will >> future future conversations. Miss Lebanon, >> what I have >> uh my town clerk will bury me if I talk about something and make discussion on something that's not on my agenda. So, >> very true,

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>> Miss Leani. Let us move forward because it's not on the agenda. West Island beach permits. Gentlemen, quick updates. Mr. Chairman, >> I think they need more. Last meeting was tasked with reaching out to the golf committee in regards to the request from

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Fair Haven. >> Golf committee is not in agreeance with the request from Fair Haven. >> So I'm waiting on a response from the BBW and Fair Haven for what I would like to consider a happy medium.

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I do not have that information yet, but as of tonight, um they are still being held aside for us, but we can't make an official decision on beach passes and clarity from Fair Haven. Um, depending on what Fair Haven says, ultimately the

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decision would be ours to make anyway. Um, but I'm choosing to work with the golf committee to the best of my ability to kind of uh split the difference here. So, I'd ask that I address this at a later date.

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If if it becomes a problem, Miss Mr. Inkley, then bring it to the board. >> Yep. Ultimately, it's the say of the board of select. And so, um, well, I don't know what the indifferences are, but I'm sure it is. You know, I talked about that $45 difference or whatever it was last time

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around, >> so we can figure out what the issues are and how it's worked out in the past. That's why I asked you to get on board and >> talk to them. And if there's something else going on that needs to be a board discussion, >> y I'll put together a memo through the sunshine.

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>> Yeah. Well, it's June 1st is their opening day. So, um Oh, time to shake and bake, but I'll put together all the information that I have through Adam. I'll get it to you gentlemen. Uh just for review. >> Okay. Excellent.

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>> Thank you. Anything else? >> No, thank you. >> Um annual town meeting discussion and vote. So, Mr. Kelly is still in the audience looking like he's ready to run out the door. Maybe you're running to the

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podium. I don't know if you want to give the board an update. I do. We do have >> You've got a draft, >> a quick draft here with a whole bunch of yellow and red. All right. Uh the red are articles

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that if the board has uh objections to putting into the warrant, if board members can talk to Adam and I about it, we can discuss.

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Uh most of the dark black ones are the annual ones, the typical ones. Uh I'm asking you to start at page uh 17 on the new draft that's in your in front of you

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in the file. That's everything prior to that is the typical stuff. Uh miss uh but uh there have been some articles added.

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I also uh would like direction from the board if they want us to go in and present an article that cleans up old articles that have minor

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funding left after the uh purpose of the article has been exhausted. we have a list to put together and we can go over it and put that article in. Uh, as you know, we have some issues with finances

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and so if we can take money out of those, uh, I can make a recommendation to the board, uh, and send out an email on Monday prior to the meeting with the

450
02:05:32.560 --> 02:05:54.159
various, uh, uh, articles of the past. Uh there uh I've had request for articles from various board members and we've got two

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new ones to add. Uh they're they're placeholders in the uh warrant for with articles for if you s uh settle any of the collective

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bargaining agreements there in there. Uh those articles if the collective bargaining agreements not settled will be passed over at town meeting. Uh, I should have asked the town clerk if we

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have a moderator because uh, we should start to work with the moderator on the warrant and go over some of the wording. It goes to town council on the 22nd. You have a meeting on the 20th

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so that way we can finalize everything. >> Gentlemen, I will make a comment about that date. We're shooting for a meeting on May 20th is a week from today. Correct. >> It will depend on where Mr. Kelly

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finance, Mr. Lamontine, and myself get. Hopefully, we get to where we need to be with finalizing budgets. Um, I know we're doing opening bids for Holly, possibly disposal Friday. >> So, we'll see where that those numbers

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come in. Mr. Montaine is the chief procurement officer. So, he'll be opening those up and looking at all that review and Mr. Jamie Lynn, our assistant town accountant, so we can try to figure out some numbers there for CMAS and things of the like.

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Um, while I have you, Jame, then I'm going to need to get with you tomorrow or Friday and go over revenue and expenses for water and sewer. >> And then we got to get together with Mr. Manard,

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but I would prefer to sit with you first before that happens. And then I need to set an agenda at the latest by Monday at 4 for a Wednesday meeting at 4:30. And I'd hate to do that, but I

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don't know of any other time that we would have to finalize if we ain't I I would say put it on the agenda anyway because you can look over the warrant and as long as the a lot of the standard stuff like the consent agenda

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and that type of thing, you could approve that. So, so that was my other thing. Yeah, we we will do a meeting then on the 20th to finalize articles outside of the consent agenda,

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>> right? >> We could do you've got it before you right now for review of everything but the two two articles the town clerk talked about and the article to clean up the old

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articles. Yeah, I don't know if we'll have time to do that, but there is some that >> it's only a couple I'd recommend. >> I don't want to let the cat out of the bag on something that we're else we're going to discuss on May 20th, but okay. And then that one's a bigger one to

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resin. You know what I'm talking about is article 24 years ago. I'll give you that. >> So, anyways, I'm not going to talk about that right now, but you know what I'm talking about. >> Yep. Um, so I like to get that off the books as well so we can look at review.

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We have a new list articles. >> Yeah, I gave it to you. >> No, that's right. You you you give me more. Look, look, look, look. This that. I mean, come on now, James. >> I'm trying to fill them. I sit down with Mr. Kelly. He goes, other folder. I'm

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like, oh, that's right. Other folder. >> I'm trying to give you enough to fill a dumpster. Yeah, I know that I'm a bit perman and and so the other members of the board know we've got four department

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budgets other than the school budget and the enterprise funds budgets that we're uh still

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looking at and we need more information. We've got the offset sheet ready to go once we look at uh the UN prized budgets and we finalize some of the insurance

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issues which have been finalized as far as health insurance goes as far as the rates. So, we know the offsets for health insurance. Uh, we've got the Medicare ones done. We know the percentages for the pension. We're just

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looking now at uh the liability and uh property insuranceances as far as the offsets go. Won't be much different from years past. Get your crayons out. Yep. Don't use

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yellow or red. Mark it up. >> That needs to be looked at ASAP. The federal grant policy thingy. We can put that on the shelf, >> but that needs like >> Yeah.

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There typically there are reasons put at the end of articles. Some of them are still need to be written, but I need input from some of

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the drafters on that. >> So with that said, I want to make sure that we have because we don't know what's going on with a moderator. I need to have motions

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done seven days prior to town meeting, not Friday before town meeting. >> Okay. >> Oh, well, >> I'll make that a motion. So, >> second. >> Second. >> Sorry. >> No, >> I would I would ask you second. I would

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ask that that vote also be communicated to town council because staff has usually had the motions done two to 3 weeks before town meeting. >> Fair enough. >> Mr. Lamontine, can you do me a favor the

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board a favor? Contact town council and tell them that when we're done with motions, get on it. the board's requested >> and to have it completed nothing less than seven days

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prior to June 15th and the uh bo board has already instructed staff to be uh send the warrant to town council on the 22nd of May

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>> as long as we're done. Yeah. >> Yeah. Also again, so to be fair to Mr. Rosenis and Mr. Inkley, myself. So basically take that, read over the articles. If there's anything that's like alarming, sticking out to you or

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something that you feel that may you may not want on it, can you share that with Mr. Lontaine on the latest Monday? I don't care if it's an email or a call to him. We're going to be sitting down on Monday dealing with the wrapping up some

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of the hopefully wrapping up some of the other issues. I'll do my due diligence on the articles as well. Just look at it. If you feel strongly about something or an article that you don't want, um just let them know so we can have some dialogue about that before we get into

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our Wednesday meeting and it comes as a surprise to everybody. So share that with Mr. law >> and absolutely >> just >> for the board's edification and to remind the board the citizen petition articles you we cannot touch they've

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been petitions the signatures have come in they go into the warrant just as they are even if there are mistakes in it >> yep if I may so we've been working together on this

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war and obviously through the budget as well. But there's two of those uh articles in there. I believe the retired officers has already been reviewed by town council and the beautifification committee article that they have in there with the suggested language from town council. So I don't think it's going to be a substantial hurdle. Uh

483
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>> there's not there's not I don't I don't see foresee problems with town council on the articles. >> The motions >> the we have forwarded the motions before and got them

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>> uh the Friday before town meeting. Motions generally have some >> We write the motions, send them to town council. Town council reviews them and is supposed to send them back so we can

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create the books for the board the stage fin. >> Mhm. >> And sometimes we get them >> we just >> on Friday. >> We've been we what Mr. Kelly is going to

486
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was trying to say to us is politely he's saying sometimes certain people drop the ball and and it's not always the fault of employees in this building could be from elsewhere that they got and to be fair they have other things that they're

487
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doing in town meetings but we have to sometimes just remind people that this needs to be done and the board voted to have it done all motions we want the books ready a week in advance not the weekend of because it's been mostly for the moderator that has to

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prepare themselves for town meeting. It's not fair that they have to spend the weekend doing that and then go to town meeting Monday night. We already know what we know and it's just motion. So >> we've we've had telephone communications

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between staff and the moderator on the weekend before town meeting and it's not fair to any of them. I agree. >> That's why I'm pitching it out now. >> Rebuild year. Let's go. So, what it is,

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we're going to try to rebuild and get things moving in the right direction. All we need you to do, Mr. Kelly, is um maybe I don't know, like a million bucks you could drop off ours. >> You want me to load it to you? >> Yeah. No, I want it to be given to me.

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>> I'll load it to you. >> I'm not paying you back. Yeah. Well, I'll load it to you when you match the funds. >> All right. Well, why don't you give me back my 80 something dollars for mulch. But anyways, all right. So, that's that, gentlemen. Remember, please get through

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that. Um, even if you make copies of it or you want to use it and just highlight things if there's mistakes in it, just highlight them so that it makes it easier on staff to go through and go, "Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. Good catch. Good catch. Good catch." What we normally do is a lot of the reoccurring

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articles we use from the previous annual and we just yeah it's kind of like a a cut and paste but sometimes we forget to change 2025 or 2026. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about if you highlight it. Yep. >> Um just don't use red or yellow because

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those colors have already been used. >> Margaret has Margaret has some pretty crayons in the office for anybody who needs some. Right, Margaret? So, selectman's announcements. I'm going to let Mr. Hinkley go first.

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Just looking at Oh, you know, I can get this one in. Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, happy early anniversary to my mom and dad. Um, coming up on the 16th. >> Don't ask me how long it's been.

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>> Whoa. >> You better know your own. At least >> I do. It's exactly one week after that. >> So, happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley. >> Happy anniversary, >> Mr. Rosenis. Anything on the selectments announcements? >> Um, this past Saturday, I participated

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in the beautifification committee operation clean sweep. It was a good turnout. A lot of trash picked up. It was a It was a good day. I bribed my kids. And >> don't use that that word on TV. Well, I I took him out to breakfast and then

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told him they were going to then I told him a trash bag. >> Then I gave him a trash bag. They were upset at first, but when you were doing it, >> my oldest said um he felt good about what he was doing and it was rewarding. So, >> that's awesome. Was good. >> Yeah, it it was a good day.

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>> Great. Thank you for uh doing that. And I do want to say um thank you to all the volunteers who came out Saturday along with Mr. for Zendes and his family to pick up um the trash that's around town. Um to all of you folks that participated in it, thank you very much. Um

500
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unfortunately, I've been asked to speak about some of the rogue young individuals with ebikes at Pope Park. So, we've been having a lot of complaints. Um, I've spoken to a number

501
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of parents that um have grandchildren um at Pokebach and parents to have children at Pokebach. And I actually know of something that happened on opening day and

502
02:20:17.359 --> 02:20:33.680
police have been out there far too much last year and it's already started this year. So, I've been asked to speak and let everybody out there in in the accushnet public and if you're from anywhere else, which we do, it's not all

503
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a cushion kids. So, um but we do have some aushnet kids that are being disrespectful at Pope Park with their ebikes. They're not allowed in Pope Park with ebikes. And I've been asked to let you know that

504
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if they are caught by a cushion police, their bikes will be seized. um and the parents or the legal guardian can go pick it up from the police station so that they can have an opportunity to talk to the parent. You've seen the signs on the

505
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illumination signs over the past week. They've had warnings up about that trying to be nice. Our PD has done a good job on trying to do it, but we do not have the staff to sit around Pac and babysit somebody else's kids doing wrong

506
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things. So, I'm just asking for those that are out there that are willing to listen. If your kid has an ebike, please keep them out of Pope Park um with your ebike. You can walk through with your ebike. Lock it up at a gate, a fence, whatever you need to. There there are

507
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absolutely allowed there, but not to ride your bike, your ebike in Pope Park, or it will be taken if they are caught, and they will get caught eventually. um several of them have already um and I know that we have some bad actors from other communities coming in um and doing

508
02:21:53.120 --> 02:22:09.200
that and they're also out on the roads. So, public safety is you're testing our police department with their patience and that's not a good thing. So, please just do your part as a parent, have a conversation with your kid if they own a bike to not be

509
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obnoxious when you're on the roads. Um, abide by the the rules of riding your bike out there. Um, don't run anybody over. Stay off sidewalks if it's possible if it's possible. Um, and definitely stay out of Poke Park because after that, if that message don't work,

510
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um, we will be seeking fines down the road. We will have that conversation as well as a board. We're going to see how seizing the bikes and talking to the parents work first and after that it'll be all over. we'll figure something else out that it'll stop it because it's just

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getting really, really bad. Um, so that's the message from public safety that I was supposed to deliver and I will just say to all the moms out there, I missed it my last meeting, but happy belated Mother's Day. I hope you all

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enjoyed your day. I was very pleased with the beautiful weather that you finally got on Mother's Day because normally Mother's Day is a rather runchy day as far as weather goes for the past couple years. So this past Sunday was a beautiful day and I woke up and I said, "Mother Nature's finally respecting all

513
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the moms out there. Good for all the moms." So to all the moms, happy belated Mother's Day. Um that's it. We got an executive session and motion for convening executive session general laws 38 section 21A purpose 3 to discuss

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strategy with respect to collective biding or litigation of an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body. And the chairs so declares as me local 851 and or MUP-25-11722.

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The board will not return to public session at the conclusion of executive session. Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> Roll call vote. Mr. Ingley. >> Yes. >> Mr. Rosendis? >> Yes. >> And I am a yes. We are now in executive session.

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Heat.