All right, welcome to the select board meeting of Tuesday, February 24th, 2026. Um, let's do well, we're all present and accounted for in person, so no need to do a roll call vote. I'm just going to run through the agenda. Uh, we'll open with community input followed by um, a
little bit different order. Review of warrants and minutes. Um, brief leaison reports that we can come back to if we need more time. Then we're going to get the board of assessors proposed warrant article for a small person personal property tax exemption. Item five at 7:45 will be a joint meeting with the
transfer station action committee to discuss their accomplishments and plans. At 8:15 we're going to have a joint meeting with the finance committee and the municipal facilities committee to talk about the FY27 budget capital plan and warrant articles. Uh 9:15 we're
going to uh review the uh fire chief Brian Sorrow's contract and that will be the only contract we'll review tonight. Correct. >> Yeah. The police chief will be on the next meeting. We're not finished with the the contract yet. >> Uh then we'll have the town administrator report uh community
appointment and community input to close the meeting and then adjournment. So with that, let's open it up to >> you. Want to go over the ground rules of >> Sure. Community input. Sure. We'll open up to community input. I know we do have some input tonight. So, the thing with
community input is if you could just keep your comments brief, roughly two to three minutes, and then as a select board, we won't discuss or respond to any inquiries. It has to be on the agenda, but we welcome your comments. So, um you want to and please state your name and your address before you make
your comment. >> Hi, my name is Dr. Shantal Nilon. I live at 95 Hanover Road in Caroline, Massachusetts. I'm here to testify of a situation that needs your attention. The situation at 97 Hanover Road needs to be reviewed and
stopped. Since 412 2023, the rules of the common driveway B are not respected. No yelling, for example, no planting trees within 10 ft of the common driveway, no stopping the egress of the homeowner, such as myself, is all
written in the rules. The the the rules are very good. and very thorough but no one is imposing the rules or respecting the rules. It is also in the state and federal rules as there's no stopping any grass from any homeowner any place in
the state or in the federal level. On 9124 I was injured by the police as I passed out in shock in the police station. On 9:15 I was injured by an officer called Barbara. Then for 17 hours I was tortured,
forbidden medical care. As I had a traumatic brain injury and a brain tumor. My brain tumor is a vascular brain tumor. I was not told I had one. I requested to go back to the ER. They denied me for 17our water, food, or any
medical attention. After that, I was again against by officer Barbara on 113 2024. No medical care was allowed until 3:21 2025 when actually I went to the ER at St. Elizabeth. I requested help for my brain
tumor and then the sire has been continuously violating the rules. The servant deceased I serve a season deceased order. They violated that. You know trespassing three times and I brought it to the police station. They still violated that. It seems that these
men get away with their behavior. That's the same behavior we saw in 1939. I wasn't born. My parents were born. They they reported it to me. It was in France. The guesto picked up the neighbors. They locked them up. They killed them. You know what happened then?
>> If you could just wrap up your comments and I know we've received some of these complaints. >> I almost died. I have a vasel tumor. So every time there was a shock to my brain. Every time I almost died. All my civil rights were removed. I had no proper defense for my criminal case. The
the sire claim ownership of my property. I've written letters to the board of selectmen. I've written letters to Thomas Harrington, Ethan Diverly, the attorney of the town. Got no response for three years. I've done so. I filed a hate crime report with the FBI. I filed
complaints with the post commission. I filed complaints with the attorney general's office. Still no response. Women here have no rights. Sorry for the men who are here who may like women. Sorry for that. The DOJ has written a
very very lengthy uh recommendation regarding good community policing. They offer millions of dollars to the community who will accept to volunteer and change their policy. I sent that to um Mrs. Reed, Kate Reed, and I haven't
heard from anyone. So you want money, there is money. The DOJ offers the money and I need you backing me up because I can't live in torture. This is not sustainable. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Have a good day.
>> I see Alex um on the line. Alex, do you want to speak to do you want to make a community comment? And uh this relates to an email that Alex provided that's included in the packet under community input. Um, so the select board has received your email, Alex, and I don't
know if you want to just speak a few words to it. >> Well, thank you. I I don't want to take >> Please introduce yourself as well. Thank you. >> Um, I um I just and I know it's not in any way urgent or anything like that.
Um, but I just wanted to put on the select board's radar a review of the policies regarding access to, you know, town council advice. Uh, and the gist of my request is that the select board
consider adding a requirement that uh before committee chairs, you know, seek advice of town council that there be a discussion and vote uh in the committee. The only thing I have to add to my email is as I was thinking about it, I was
wondering why that requirement was, you know, never uh put in the policy uh before. Um and frankly, I was very surprised to find that it wasn't a requirement. So, in any event, uh you know, when the select
board has a bit more time, um I think it's something select board might want to review. So, thank you. >> And could for the record, could you just state your name and address, please? >> Yeah, I'm sorry. Alex Parah, 31 Bellis Hill Road. Okay. >> Thank you, Alex. And again, the the full
email is in the packet. Um, and you can review that if you haven't already. Is there anyone else online that has community input? I don't see any additional input in the room. Okay, seeing none, let's move on to the
next agenda item, which review warrant minutes. Do we need to should we put this at the end or was there a reason this was moved up? >> Uh, just because we thought there might be interest in the 7:15 so we had a little bit of >> Okay, so we want to we want to stick to the 7:15. So, let's do that. So, review
of warrants and minutes. We have the minutes from February 10th included in the packet. I know there was um an edit made based on feedback from Barney. So, there's updated minutes in the version two of the packet that was circulated and is available. Were there any additional comments or
edits? If there were none, I'd take a motion to approve. >> I move that we approve the minutes from the select board meeting on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026. >> I'll second that. >> Okay. Any further discussion? Seeing
none, we'll do a voice vote. All in favor? >> I opposed. Motion passes. Let's move on to liaison reports. So, I'll open it up um again in the packet. Um
Brian is is on the call for the budget discussion, but and we're not discussing it tonight, but I did want to note that um he provided me with a letter from the school committee regarding their um their deliberation and vote on the potential use of the Highland building.
And in that email, I'll just highlight a couple of points. It kind of the the takeaway was that they concluded that the Highland building does not meet the current or foreseeable needs of the Carile public school. Um and although they do have some space constraints, um
they don't view the Highland building as an adequate or practical solution. So um essentially they're referring it back to us. um they recognize that there's community interest in the building. Um given its proximity to the school and
classrooms, it's important that any potential use um that that they have the ability to review it as a school committee. Um and essentially, we'll have to take this up at a future meeting, but the the the full letter is in the packet um that you can read. Um
and I thank the school committee for their deliberation and vote. Does anyone else have any liaison updates? >> I did. I had an update from the board of health. They have extended an offer to a new board of health agent and she is accepted. That person will be starting
on March 30th. They're still trying to work out budget details, but they are clear on the fact that they need to uh come inside the allocated budget. >> What does that mean? Whatever the number fin says
>> they're they have to work within their >> fincom had sent a letter to the board of health saying >> it's not yet a budget. >> No, no, their current year budget. >> Current year budget. Oh, okay. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> What about the next year budget? The current year is almost >> we're operating in a flat to declining budget environment. So,
>> okay. >> We're not looking at any huge increases. >> James, when we do the budget discussion, we can we can have >> Yeah. >> kind of an overview on that. >> LSC. Is there anything else from the board of health? >> Uh nothing from the board of health. I did have a library call last night and
uh the library is moving out on a couple of new fundraisers. Um so that's just wanted to let you know the effort is still live. >> Okay. Anything else in terms of leazison reports?
>> No. Okay. Are we close enough to 7:15? Do you think? >> I think so. Given the we don't have a huge crowd so that's good. >> Yep. If not, we can do community appointment. Let's do that. At 9:45, we have community appointment. Um the one
in the packet was Dave Ericson. So, uh Tony is is not able to serve on the committee. He was appointed um as the board of health representative and they've uh voted to um endorse Dave Ericson on that committee. Um he was he
attended the meeting yesterday. So, uh he had his first meeting with the fire station committee. Um but it's pending our appointment. >> Okay. >> So he'll be an active member. >> Yep. He'll be an active member replacing Tony with the in the board of health seat. >> Okay.
>> So I move to appoint Dave Ericson as the board of health representative to the fire station building renovation committee. >> Is there a second? >> I'll second that. >> Any further discussion or deliberation? >> All right. Seeing none, let's do a voice vote. All in favor?
>> I opposed. >> Great. So, that is done. Were there any other appointments or uh notifications of appointments? Nope. Quiet week. All right. Well, we're still ahead of schedule, but let's Yeah, let's keep rolling. All right. Let's start
with the uh let's get into item four, the board of assessors proposed warrant article. So, you want to uh step forward and introduce yourself. For those that don't know me, my name is Brian McDonald. I'm the principal assessor for the town of Carile. Thank you for having
me here. Thanks for coming this evening. Okay. I'm here to discuss um and summarize the the proposed enactment of a small personal property exemption of up to $5,000 in assessed val. That's assessed value, not not taxes. Just to clarify
that. Um any questions before I begin? >> No. Are there standard like I'm thinking of a Kelly blue book for >> ah for chickens. >> Yeah, exactly. >> I would just want to assess that >> there is a published livestock list put
out every year by the department of revenue. Oh, >> well, just to address this specifically, um, the livestock list in the taxation of livestock, which brought about the this proposal was the correction of a
flaw in the policy or the inaction of my predecessors to move forward as livestock is indeed taxable under Mass General law. As I have confirmed with discussions with Jim Crowley, the senior
member at the division of PLS law, so division of local services law, on a zoom call with um Jim, I was able to confirm that livestock is indeed taxable. So, as um
with the prevalence of livestock here, I was anticipating this being an issue, but I um I also anticipated that the board would move forward with this type of proposed exemption, which
would bring us in compliance with legally exempting those low value livestock accounts among others. So, >> so Brian, is is the 5,000 the aggregate of everybody's or just a given cow or chicken?
>> The cow or chicken is definitely not worth $5,000, but the total value of the account. >> What about my jalapy? That's $4,000. >> So, your jalopy. So, something you drive >> that died, but it was worth $4,000. >> So, it's not excise tax. This would be personal property tax.
>> That is so cars are not included. >> Unfortunately, not. But if your car is worth $4,000, my guess is it's an aged antique. It's probably worth a lot more than $4,000. >> No, no, no. This one was clearly not that it died anyway. So, the point is moved. >> This is this is just on livestock to clarify.
>> Well, nope. This is not just on livestock. This would be on any personal property account that falls below $5,000. Okay. What other person >> like a business? So you're looking I'm going to give the example of why personal property is generally viewed as um
um an unenjoyable part of the profession that I'm you know as for assessment purposes. So when I when I was first hired I was in many years ago in the town of Reading I was requested to go out and do inspections of home businesses.
>> Yeah. Here I showed up at a woman's home had a pulled a um a business certificate under the name of some type of seamstress. The exact name escapes me. But on um after knocking on the door, I was greeted by a close to 80year-old
woman who ran this small seamstress business out of her home. And when I asked to see the contents or the machinery and um fixtures used within the conduct of business, she proceeded to show me a 1950s Singer
um sewing machine that she utilized. What is the real value of something like that? That is and I I think that's where a number of Massachusetts communities have. You have people working second jobs or running small businesses out of
their home that have um where where do we draw the line with regards to businesses or personal or personal business use strictly versus personal use and when it's anytime it's used within um any business use you could be
included and the example I always use is that Singer sewing machine which is probably was pass you know this woman has had it probably since it was first constructed um in an asset that is very difficult. What is the real market value? Probably zero. But how do we we
have to have a minimum value associated with this and that uh exemplifies the type of of accounts that we would be looking at. Um you're looking at accounts that that don't derive a lot of value or bring in tax revenue to the
town. um and actually in most cases cost more from the administrative side of things with the resources allocated by mo both my department and the treasur collector's department and if you combine those costs it's simply not cost
effective to continue on with the administration of these accounts or and the billing of these accounts just for example um there is a minimum threshold to the value that should be put out um I received the phone call from that man a
gentleman who received the minimum tax bill which was around 26 cents for his tickets. >> We heard about that. >> Yeah, I'm sure you did. But this is this is going to emphasize um the
the tax contribution to the personal of the personal property class is highly weighted to a very few number of personal property accounts. Um those would be the utilities the
valuation of the utility providers both the um electric and gas utilities here in Carlile are the two largest um the top five accounts uh by my recollection contribute close to
let's see the top five accounts contribute 97.8% 8% of the entire tax revenue derived from the personal property class. So, um, with that said, um, I can just move forward with the the
summary of the article. So, the proposed warrant article one act as small personal property exemption of $5,000. The acceptance of this article would exempt all uh, taxable personal property accounts with an assessed value below $5,000. What is personal property tax? uh
personal property tax are assets on all are the are assessed on the taxable assets of all businesses within the community whether it be these including livestock in this case um ranging from very small accounts to the largest of
personal property accounts which tend to fall within the top 10 of all of the top 10 taxpayers in every community in Massachusetts. the electric utilities specifically. >> Um, cities and towns with significant
taxable personal property uh, class. Um, oftent times these also have this is part of the CIP shift if you remember that from the classification hearing. So when deciding to create a split tax rate that the personal the P of that CIP
those those three different property classes are included in paying at the commercial propert uh the commercial tax rate. Um, in some communities with a large CIP base, um, you're going to see
upwards of, you know, 1.75 shift to, uh, where they pay 175% of the single tax rate. And that helps ease the burden of the residential property class within that community. Um, >> but not ours, >> not in Carlile. No,
>> we don't have it. >> And no, there is um, >> right, >> that is correct. And just for for clarification, the per personal property class um accounted for just 1.16% of the total taxable value
within the town. Okay. Why now? Well, 60 live counts uh livestock accounts were added to the FY26 personal property tax rules. um the you know after issuing this the board immediately began to discuss what the options were to rectify the
situation. That's immediately where they this was the very first meeting following the issuance of the real the third quarter actual tax bill. Um and what this did it really emphasized the need to implement a personal property exemption as total administrative costs
exceeded the tax revenue generated by low value personal property accounts. Um the board proposed a $5,000 limit after after discussions within that session and decided to um go with the $5,000
threshold. You know, the the costs associated for each account include labor materials for both the assessing and treasur collectors departments. that includes the printed, mailing, printing and processing of tax bills twice each year by the treasury collectors department and myself as I coordinate
with the printing of the tax bills. Um the printing and mailing and processing of a form of list. A form of list is mailed out to all personal property accounts within the community where it is then incumbent upon the um business owner to then comp fill out this form,
return that to to the and declare what assets were um were utilized in uh within the conduct of business as of January 1st. And final finally uh personal property accounts also require to be inspected
once every 5 years. You know the um so that's additional cost. This um total cost was estimated around $246 per pro personal property count. That is a very conservative estimate con. Um as I mentioned I'm probably accounting for
what would be the assistance rate but I find myself doing a lot of the uh handling a lot of this work as well. Any questions so far? I go to the next slide. There we go. Let's go back. Okay.
So, the the hypothetical. So what I did is I I analyzed the fiscal 2026 personal property tax rule and came up with a hypothetical. If we were to implement a $5,000 personal property tax exemption of $5,000,
you would see a reduction of the total number of billable personal property accounts reduced from 93 to 23. Um a reduction of 95,586 in total assessed value. That would be just 32% of the total personal property
tax uh personal property class. Um reduction in the per uh personal property tax base of $1,224. Once again, uh 0.32% of the total personal property taxes levied. The
remaining 22 accounts account for 99.68% 68% of the entire um personal property tax levied within the community. And just to emphasize, the top five of those 22 account for 97.8%
of the entire personal property tax levied in fiscal year 2026. Um if I were I hypothetically I reduced that value from the total value and rec to recalculate what the impact would be
on the single tax rate there would be no impact. The single tax rate would remain at $12.81. Now we did have a change to $12.82 82 for the residential property class but
that was for another that was a for the implementation of the means tested exception just for clarity. >> Any questions so far? >> Yes question. So top five account for 98% um makes a lot of sense to reduce it
down to 22. Is a higher number? I mean it is is 22 the right number in your estimate or it seems like there's if you rose it to 10,000 are we still taking off? I I think that given the the I think the 5,000 would be appropriate
that always could be amended in the future, but if you were to like I do have another slide that may address where some other um of our some Middle Sex County communities and the budding uh communities to Carlile itself which all have enacted a personal property
exemption of various levels. So, um this map on the right is um shaded at the various levels. Uh the white communities are those that have not
enacted a personal property exemption. All those which are not white have have implemented a different levels of a personal prop exemption. you know, of of the 149 Massachusetts communities um
have implemented a small personal property exemption. So, 49% of the 149 have an exemption of $5,000 or greater. Um 35 cities and towns in Middle Sex County all have implemented a small
personal property exemption and every community directly abing Carile has already implemented a small personal property exemption. See conquered Westford and Bill Ricka have uh set a $10,000 threshold. Chelmsford is at
5,000 which is the level that that we are re the board is recommending with this warrant article. acting in Bedford have um implemented a smaller am a smaller exempted amount of 2500 and just
under 2,000 for Bedford and 21 of the 35 Middle Sex community middle sex county cities and towns adopted an exemption of $5,000 of those um middle sex county cities um towns rather any comparable egg sort of
egg heavy are most of those exemptions a related and >> I wouldn't think that Bill Rick has a large egg related exemption amount conquer I mean does >> no not those the 21 other ones or whatever >> the 21 other ones um >> I'm just looking for comparables that's
back to Scott or whoever asked the question like for an a business is a 10,000 a better limit or >> well I think um that that's a great I think we have one account that is one of those 22 that would be more of a
commercial farming entity here in town. >> Um they fall um significantly above that $5,000 threshold. >> Um but that's a great question. >> I mean you got if you go back you got five accounts the lion share. So you
peel those away and then you said in your go one slide up Brian. >> Sure. >> Um you're going to peel away se um 70. So out of 92 five of them are the big five. So that leaves you 87 and 70 of those are going
to go away. So now you're down to 17. Those are typically businesses or they're more like um farming but more larger scale. >> No, I think there's just one of those farming accounts that you're or a businesses that you're referring to. >> Okay.
So what are they like? >> Um Yep. You have that you have one account that would be there. Um those would be um I believe there's the possibility landscaping business. >> Okay. So real businesses. >> Yes. >> That would anyway not be exempt.
>> Correct. >> So in your analysis 5,000 pretty much delivers the need. The 5,000 is the right number because the 5 to 10,000 range you're not really capt. I think that you you're touching legitimate businesses between that range is you got
to recall depending on whether they are how they are organized whether they are incorporated or not that really dictates what is taxable you know what assets are taxable >> I think they're the board after much discussion came up with the $5,000 number
>> all right I'm good with that thank you >> and to if this were to pass do you have if you want to increase that level in the future because of inflation or whatever do you have to do town meeting vote or is there a >> I believe it would require an amended town meeting vote. >> Okay. So, it's not like a natural
inflation built into it. >> There is not. That's why I think if you're starting out at 5,000 that's giving you some leeway moving into the future if that would like to be revisited. I just um I just want to point out you have if you go back to that map you do have some uh some
communities you can see Cambridge has a $20,000 limit there which is rather you know much larger than the majority but 10,000 seems to be the um the major the
most common figure selected by those communities within Middle Sex County. >> Yeah. >> But you're recommending the 5,000 just given the car the nature of Carlile. >> Yes. >> Okay.
>> Okay. >> Travis, you look like you have a question. >> No, I'm all set. >> Okay. >> You've been doing a good job. >> You got some personal property. >> I pay it and conquer it. That's true. Was
there anything else or is that >> that is my only um only business I was looking to conduct here this evening. So I I mean the only question I really had is you know we all had um notifications from some of the small farmers and
saying what's this about if if um I mean was there a reason that it just sort of went out in mail before any sort of communication to a mom or whoever? >> Um that's a great point. I will say I think this was something that was
discovered late in the valuation cycle. Okay, >> this was something that was in August in we were in a reval year. I had this in in other years, I think I would have
expedited and and recognized the need to to send out that correspondence to those that were affected. Given the the higher level of deliverable required by the Department of Revenue in this five the revaluation
year cycle, I think I had other higher priorities. So I will take that on myself for not recognizing the need to to contact those individuals. >> Yeah. I mean I don't even know if it's individual. You I mean even if you just reached out to like the relevant committee they would notify then you
know uh >> it's a good point like as we approach town meeting which is only >> two months three months I don't know. um socializing this and making sure that you do outreach to um the various
stakeholders is important to ensure that you know you you get their feedback and support ideally for for the warrant article. So the board of assessors I'm should have a communication plan to make sure everyone's educated and informed. >> I believe my chairman Ken Mello has been
in contact with um >> you know u various people throughout the community. >> Okay, good. Good. >> Great. >> Thank you, Ryan. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much for your time this evening. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> So, does that have to be voted in? >> Well, we can I mean, so >> by us, but by the town, right? >> Yeah. >> Has to be. So, the the question for us is um you know, there's an optional motion in the packet to support the Warren article. I don't know if we want
to do that tonight or if we want to wait. Do people want to do people have a strong opinion either way? I'm ready to support it. >> Yeah, me too. >> I'm ready to support it as well. >> No time like the president. >> So, if someone wants to make the uh
motion, it's on number four here. >> Uh I move to support the board of assessors proposed town meeting warrant article for a small personal property tax exemption of $5,000. >> Second.
>> Any further discussion or deliberation? Okay, seeing none, we'll do a voice vote. Or should we do a roll call? No, it doesn't matter. >> We can do voice. Yeah. >> Yeah, let's just do voice vote. >> All in favor? >> I opposed.
>> Motion passes unanimously. >> Okay. Well, 7:45 we have the transportation action committee. I don't know are are folks prepared to present? Are you are you still waiting for anyone or
>> I see Eric's on the >> Oh, no. He's on not on Tuesday. >> Early. >> Okay. We're a little early. We do. You want to start the >> Okay. >> But in order to open your meeting, don't you need to wait till you have a quorum? >> Ben's going to be Ben Sherry, the vice
chair is going to be on Zoom and um >> we can conduct some other business for the next 10 minutes if you >> No, that's okay. They also know the power form already and you know >> No, but I mean in terms of you being able to open your meeting, >> you can't do it until you have
>> Oh, we need the members. >> They don't need they don't need a meeting. >> Yeah, you can just go ahead and >> you can start and then open the meeting when you have a quorum if you >> just in case we don't get a quorum. Who knows? >> Okay. >> So, um let's move on to the uh joint
meeting or the the presentation from the transfer station action committee. And if you could just announce your names and addresses. >> Sure. I'm Laura Snowden. I'm the chair. >> Tom Balato, 77 Nate Lane. >> I know you all know him. Former chair.
>> Um, and Ben Sherry, the vice chair is out of town. He'll be showing up. And another old member, oldtime member is going to be here. So, you have Yeah, you have our presentation. So, just for you to know is I wear hearing aids. I have for 30
years. But anyway, if I don't hear your question, I've got Tom here. If he can slow it down and say it to me, just like slow down. >> Okay. All right. So, do you want to go to the first slide?
>> Oh, can I do this? >> You can do it, but I can probably >> I can do it, too. >> See what he's doing here. Maybe I don't think it's open. I think you can just Dan,
>> there you go. >> Sorry about that. >> Dan, go ahead and introduce yourself, too. >> I'm Dan Stoton, Patton Lane. I'm on the TAC committee. >> You guys are a quorum now. >> You have a quorum? Yeah. >> No. No. Four. Four people in the corn. >> Barney's >> No, I
>> She's not a member. Not a member. Oh, you're not a member. >> Ben will be coming on. >> Can we start? >> Start. Sure. >> Okay. So, thank you for meeting with us and this is our annual time to talk about what we accomplished this past
year, what we hope to accomplish, and then we've got a really exciting ask for you. And hopefully that will generate all kinds of positive suggestions and comments from you. So go down to the accomplishments.
You know, we continued to reduce waste. Uh 3% reduction. You know, in total we've reduced over the past few years about 17%. It's good. We're doing a good job. Um Tom
Jim Hall and his staff are awesome and they're working really closely with us. Um we always want to do better. Uh this year was, you know, I think the first full year with the controversial online
sticker database and purchase process. Gretchen was amazing. Gretchen and Tom worked really closely together. And you know, I really haven't heard that many complaints have and I don't think I mean Gretchen has either. I think people get it and being able to go to the police station
and they figured out the wrinkles for those who want to write a check and get it in person that works too. So, >> do you have any data on like how many people paid online versus how many people paid in person? >> We don't allow paying in person anymore. We can do credit card online or you can
send a check in. >> Okay. But like check versus paying online with a credit card. >> Yes. owe that that or check. >> Even at the police station, it's credit card. >> How many people pay via which method?
>> Vast majority via credit card. I mean, 90% plus >> online. >> Uh, most online. Even at the police station, you do it online. About 10% do it at the police station, but they're assisted to do it online. There's a computer there. Uh, so the only place you actually give a check is come to town hall in
>> Gretchen. Sorry. They used they went to the police station to use the computer, >> right? Because they don't have their own and need help. >> I see. I understand. It's a whole new system. It ties well into all the the town database and and address information. Some people had an issue
with adding on the cost of having a credit card transaction since we are not a for-profit entity. So, I think we just folded into the sticker price. So, yeah, I mean, right. Um we've continued to do extensive
communications to the community support of organic recycling specifically um curbside black earth um pickup and Tom's been really taking that on and we've
offered different incentives you know reduction or free um container we've sent something out in uh what was it the >> the census >> census I think most people didn't I asked about it they didn't really notice
it but in any case we're trying and it's just has not really increased things that much um we participate in the community events especially the ESC and um yeah one new thing is that the
glass for the recycling at TPW can be broader than it used to be if you have a broken measuring cup. You could put that glass in now whereas before you couldn't. And they're also crushing it on site. So, we're saving some money and more people if I have broken window.
>> It's coarse crushing with just a loader. >> Okay. You didn't cuz the big expensive crusher. >> No. No. And that actually is no better as it turns out. >> Oh, good. >> But we didn't, you know, we thought we'd have to go to GR and it became a very
sensitive area. So, you know, we, as Ryan knows, we installed black rift bins at town hall and the library. I I don't think the yacht library is using it enough. You know, we may need to consolidate. The police station will have one when they're ready. Um, Black
Earth for the librarians to use or for community members to come drop off their compost. >> I think so. Right now we haven't I don't think they have advertised it for the community because community can just go to the transfer station use those bins. I think the idea was that town we wanted
to get them out there in town you know offices and and you know areas use them. I think town the one at town hall's working well say that's why they're not getting used. >> David's pulling my leg. Okay, David. But
but it it has crossed my mind, but I don't know if they want to get in that business of having people coming in and dumping because it's not outside all the time. But in any case, >> yeah. >> Um >> yeah, we use it at we use it at town hall and my daughter shamed everyone. >> You have one here that they have to. So there's one here. >> Good.
>> Yeah. Okay. It might be just people, you know, when you're running your errands, you've got your library books to return. You don't necessarily carry your compost along with you. It's >> Oh, maybe. I mean I I >> But you're talking more about the staff using it, right? In their lunch area or whatever. >> If you have a banana peel, I don't I've
never seen it out in a public area. >> They don't need they don't you know like a toss. >> That's our biggest generator. >> They don't compost. >> Well, it's the system has kind of fell apart. Volunteers moved on, you know,
families moved on and then with a new um food services manager. So it's it is something to talk about getting it going again. >> Four librarians every day. I mean >> conduct a survey. >> The school compost doesn't hit the
transfer station is one issue. The school uses commercial disposal so they don't go to the transfer stations. It's a different >> Well, school uses black earth for their kitchen scraps. >> Oh, they do. and we will >> um be working hopefully working with
them in the future because is composting high school, >> you know, Brookline, Arlington. Anyway, and uh DP has a lot of resources. They've really got it down how to help um towns and schools start composting.
So, I've been collecting information on conquered and hoping to approach PTO at some point when I feel like I can really offer them a lot of good information and contacts. Um, we did do a a survey, townwide survey. We got aboutund
>> 140 >> 140 responses. You know, of course, the responses are people that are going to say yes. Most of them compost. You know, they like the transfer station. They have some complaints. Um, yeah, probably
the two feedback areas that are no surprise is the need to improve the traffic flow. People should turn their engines off, but also, you know, they're parked in the middle of nowhere. You know, you all know because we all go to the transfer station that that but and
then also the swap shop being bigger or the items not getting disposed of as quickly or that kind of thing, which we can't really do anything about right now. Um but there were also really great co you know comments about the transfer station that it you know one person
called it the Carile Mall but but you know how much how much that you know it is a town center and they like going there. Their family likes going there and it means a lot to them which is good you know how do we keep that going um and take advantage of that too. So yeah,
we worked with the ESC on their uh notweed disposal project. Um yeah, there was one person comment wanting more options for disposing of invasives. You know, that's kind of something that's an ongoing discussion.
I mean, we could join conquered in doing that. Um, we continue to subsidize home compost bins. A slight uptick, but again, we're not getting a lot of people. Um,
but you know, some slight uptick. So, >> I have a question. Do you track how many people use curbside pickup now in terms of >> Yeah, seven. >> Yeah, it's in there in their You use it for coming up. >> Okay. Sorry. Yeah. >> Yeah. And we really have tried. No, no.
I don't mean for I mean like wind waste. >> Wind waste. Somebody else. >> Yes, we do. Yeah. They haven't g me the latest number. It's been roughly about a hundred for the last three years. It deviates a couple a year. They don't really have an effective marketing means in Carlile. >> I also think they've closed. They're not taking more customers.
>> I didn't hear that. Okay. Interesting. >> Third party, but they >> what? Wind waste. >> Wind waste >> trash and and organics. >> Wait, what about it? He said that he thought they closed not accepting new customers. I had heard people. >> A neighbor of mine inquired about it.
They weren't. >> Well, I've been on their I was on their website a lot today. That's interesting. >> Um yeah, and uh two of my neighbors use another company. And then we also have some local haulers. >> Yeah, the local halls actually grew last year. They went from 150 to 165.
>> But they use the transfer station. >> They use transfer station, right? So it that doesn't >> And people purchase the transfer stickers, >> right? So, um, next slide. Yeah. And Tom and Jim continue to really
and Gretchen continue to work on, you know, just uh enforcement of policies for the local haulers and holding them accountable and I, you know, everything is just running really smoothly right now. >> Yeah, local haulers really come come around full circle. Um, as of this day,
as of a Monday, they'd purchase stickers for probably 85% of their customers, >> three years ago would have been 10. >> And, uh, last year at this time, it was probably 50. So, they're really taking that seriously. They're come recycling's improved. Uh, Jim's folks are working
with them very well. So, the local halls have really come come around full circle, >> which is important. >> Very well. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, a challenge is organic waste. You know, we really in spite of all our efforts, we haven't been able to really increase participation substantially and
that is a primary way to bring our trash stream down. It's estimated 450 tons a year. It's just generally food waste is roughly 25% of it. Um the total waste. Um over over the past few years, we've sold about 40
home backyard compost bins. They're still subsidized. Seven people signed up for Black Earth. Um, we've seen some increase in using the bin, the Black Earth barrels at the transfer station. There was a bump around the holidays. I
know I was making chicken stocks. A lot of bones. I mean, other people were. And we asked if we could just have some other bins available. They won't charge us unless people put things in it. But >> at the transition, >> there's eight bins now. They added two last week. >> Yeah. Much better. Yeah. So is there
more volume there than >> marginally? Not a lot. >> So yeah, I mean our goal really is to bring that down and we really thought we'd make some progress. I think one of the biggest reasons why curbside hasn't taken off because all the people a lot of towns around us it's very successful
is that people don't have curbs. They don't put their I mean aside from the people with local haulers, they don't put their garbage out. They don't drag the barrels out. You know, it's like why would they? It's just like this extra step. >> Don't a lot of people like I mean I just compost like a lot of people just have
compost bins. >> Yeah, I was thinking that too. How do you know the 25% statistic? >> Well, I mean statistics like the EPA I mean they do they do audits winds did audit back in 2019 it was
um wheelbraider gave us a pie chart of 17 towns represented of the various proportion of things. 33% of that was organic waste. There's some recycling in there because the recycling is not perfect. But organic waste was the largest addressable component >> that was in seven towns. >> The 17 towns
>> 17 >> like us and most of them like us. But if you look at all the different statistics, everybody uses 30%, 33%. There's not there's no magic here. And again, that's weight, not volume. It's weight because we pay by the ton, not by the is and organic waste is heavier.
I've done a lot of research because I wanted to back up the numbers and >> and a couple resident experiences, my own and Rob Perry used to be a member of the committee. We actually weighed our organic waste and we're just a two my wife and I and he his wife and him we generate routinely 10 pounds of waste a
week organic waste that's everything bones whatever that's 500 lb he has that's quarter ton and that's the third of 1500 pounds per household is the average right now. So that's it it it it aligns with that. It's these numbers. It's not
10%. It's 30%, 28%, 35%. Varies by by community, but it's it's the biggest issue, >> but unless so you get you have you got three different sort of streams. Well, there's maybe four, but three streams here. You got the Black Earth curbside. So, you know those
people like they bought the service. >> I guess they're filling their bins, right? Presumably the ones who have curbside, the seven are using it. >> Sure. Right. Yeah. >> You had 40 where you sold to them. So you hope they use it. >> You probably got, you know, a thousand
that use some composting that's not your bins. >> No, no, no, no, no. >> I think there also people like us who don't use a standard compost bin who compost waste to the >> We observed it. The black earth bins at the transportation about 150 residents has used that.
>> No, no, but I'm saying he's talking about home or the you know >> the home compost. Travis pile I just use a compost >> turn it till it over their own compost bin that they >> there's all kinds of ones on the market right so >> I don't think it's a thousand >> okay so some number but you got four
different streams >> you really only know two of them you kind of kind of know the third which is the transfer station >> we know that we know roughly the tonnage there 40 >> you know three of them and that's so and the only way I guess so people won't modify behavior unless you go pay as you
go right which nobody wants No, no. The what we're going to be proposing later, we're kind of getting ahead of ourselves here, is folks doing the right thing. The same kind of idea. We I don't want to jump ahead on that. >> All right. All right. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Jumping ahead, but um yeah. So,
the 25% is pretty standard across all statistics. Um EPA and and you're right, how do they know? It's just different data sets and different testing and and things like that. I know one one you know study was three major cities and
all this kind of thing. So anyway, we haven't really reduced our organic waste in a way that is really acceptable given that even though we're having it transported to be incinerated and people could say, "Oh, not as much, you know, gas methane is going into the
environment." The incineration is actually bad and bad for the environment. the different levels of ash. The ash that floats up is toxic. It goes into the waste water stream. They say they pro, you know, wind waste will say, "Oh, we uh provide electricity for
x,000 number of houses." Well, it's a really expensive way to provide electricity versus other methodologies because they're boiling all this water, boiling, drying everything out. They've got bananas. Um, and they're also running out of space
even for the incineration landfills. And Windways currently has like over 2,000 rail cars. They're glad they're being so s so sustainable sustain sustainable because they're not using trucks and they're shipping millions of uh tons of
waste to mostly Ohio and Georgia. Anyway, it's still a problem. >> It's being used agriculturally there. Yeah, it's but it is still a problem and and and I think that incineration really isn't this wonderful thing. >> I don't expect used agriculture. It's
solid waste. It's toxic waste. >> Oh, you're not putting landfills. We don't have lands. >> Yeah. >> Organic waste. >> No, no, no. She's not >> waste. Bad waste. >> It's the hash that's left over. >> Yeah. And that's a great
>> Okay. Next. So plans for 2026, we'll work on improvements um in anticipation of repaving. I mean obviously the traffic flow is is a big one and trying to figure out how to maintain the informality.
Um we're also making it more efficient. Um continue to support DPW, continue to educate and do more community outreach. We're we will be um voting on a new member which you'll be vote who you'll be voting on in March who is really great at writing and
outreach and we're really excited to have that person on board. Um Tom's developing a town welcome kit for new residents originally started as an idea for T-Sack, you know, give them some maybe a countertop compost bin and that
kind of thing. I think it's going to be a little broader for town hall. Um, we continue to work with ESC and All right. And then we're recommending at this meeting to you that
select board institute of ban on the disposable organic matter in the solid waste container at the transfer station. So if we go to the next slide, that's the segue into the big ask. So
ESC fully supports it. Consom voted unanimously to support it. We would like to propose an actual ban on organic waste in in the trash. Um we thought Earth Day would be a really appropriate
day, maybe too soon, but it had a nice feel to it. uh that the select board would ban the disposable organic matter in the solid waste container at the transfer station. It would be voluntary, but it would give us the kind of
impetus to have a big campaign and get people excited. You know, this is really exciting. Let's talk about the school. Um this is what you can do. Uh because we have the barrels at the transfer station, it
won't necessarily we're not forcing costs onto people. Um Hamilton is the only town that's fully banned organic waste, but they continue to give all the free they they give out free Black Earth containers and they pay for the monthly fees. So, you know, they have a big
commercial taxian, >> but um >> well, no, the way they did is forced there. you they do curbside pickup and the people who pick up will not pick up your trash and recycling unless there's an organic bin there. So >> unless you bring your or bag. >> Yeah. So it's if you want your trash
picked out, you have to now the organic bin does not have to be full. And that's interesting because last I heard many of them aren't. But >> they put a banana peel in. >> So Brookline did a big has done a lot of work on this. They wanted to do a ban, but they're very conscious of the fact
that it could impact people financially and you know, so they said they would give out free Black Earth bins through 2025. They have these town bins that are locked with a combination. Residents can come and unlock them, put
their compost in, which seems a little annoying, but it's free. So, towns are trying to figure out what to do. Cambridge, I think, is thinking of a ban on 2027. Uh they feel like the only way you're really going to get people to compost is
to institute a ban of some kind. Um so we feel like we need to ratchet up the you know the messaging the yeah I mean apart from bands we are
falling behind. Uh we uh black earth gave us a bin uh sorry a map of all the surrounding towns with an individual dot for each customer they have. Carl has, you know, a third to a sixth or seventh of the population of the surrounding towns, but we have a tenth to a 50th of
the participation. Most of the surrounding towns were able to get the 50 folks necessary to start service. Black Earth started service with Carl for four only because they really we're an island in the midst of all these complying towns and they really would like to do it. And I think they found
that once they because of their roots in Bria and Bedford and act in all these communities, they found that the cost wasn't really that that bad. So they're not talking about killing service because we only have seven customers. They want to see us get to 10 or or a little bit more. >> So you know, I mean, I was reading
Carl's master plan and reducing the carbon footprint by all the residents, by the community has been a major goal. So it's there. It's out there. The state has a uh master plan by 2030. They want
to reduce annual disposal by of food waste by 780,000 tons. Um 2024 they're about halfway to that goal. They um Fiser who's John Fischer the deputy
division director for solid waste at mass D is person who is in charge of all of those. He said, "We want to be self-sufficient instead of shipping things out of state. The best way to do that is reducing the amount of food waste being disposed." So
by 2030, they have this aggressive goal. They need to start focusing on food waste from homes. They currently have a ban on um business food waste disposal if they produce more
than half a ton of food waste a week. So over that the businesses have to figure out a way to compost. Used to be one ton, now it's a half a ton. But now they want to start focusing on municipalities and residents. Um they're
talking about 2028 any business organics threshold zero. they need to compound compost with schools would likely be included if they have a cafeteria. And then November
2030, uh, expand the ban to include residential food waste, establish municipal compliance programs, standards, and then municip municipalities with specified programs would be considered compliant. Um, you
know, there's a lot of literature out there about how hard it would be to actually, you know, test compliance. You know, they'd have to go out and do, you know, random tests, but they're pretty serious about it. So, I did write to John Fiser and
said, "We're thinking of doing this. You know, can is can you guys cooperate with us, help us, whatever?" And he did write back pretty quickly saying, "Yeah, I'll get in touch with this person. We have resources. There may be more funding." So
that's kind of our ask. You know, I think what it wouldn't really impact DBW that much except that maybe the Black Earth barrels would really grow in number the first year. It may not be striking. It'd be great if it was, but it may not be.
Um the cost varies depending on if everyone just dumps their compost at the at the transfer station versus compost at home or decides to do curbside. You know, we can't really predict that. We can't predict compliance. But what what we
will do is really start ramping up articles in the mosquito interviews with people. Maybe we'll interview you to see how you compost. >> You know, >> important people. >> Would you guys have studied sort of traffic flow and you played around with
the traffic flow on other things, right? So, >> correct. Yeah. >> Would it would it would it be better to move those bins to closer? It's less convenient from the DPW side, but closer to where their other solid waste goes, or is it better to keep it
>> well at the at the time of the trans paving, we have plans to move around a lot of things because then it can be done very cost effectively. Right now, you have problems and that shelter, you have >> I'm just saying in the theoretical, >> yeah, >> like how can I say this? I drive in and
I go to all the bins for the aluminum and paper because it's all there. And then I drive then I drive to the big bins for the cardboard and the trash. Right. So if I'm not good at segregating my organic waste, is it
better to have the organic bin up there because oh I forgot and then I can >> it's the issue is you need a roof over it and we have a roof in one area. We want to, you know, when we reconstruct the transfer station, then of course we can put roofing where we want. >> The other question I have is
>> do you can you put your organic waste in a paper bag and put the whole bag in? >> And yeah, some some >> I mean I don't know cuz I just use my own >> brown shopping bags are okay >> as long as it's compostable. >> Yeah. I mean, you know, we just buy the
dis sometimes if we can't if it it can't go in our compost bin outside, we have the compostable bag and we just keep it in the freezer and fill it up and then we figure it transportation, right? >> Yeah. They're cheap. Thank you. >> I mean, the concept here is the same as
recycling theoretically is a violation of the law, but specifically the state does not want us to inspect normal recycling. I'm talking about cans, bottles, and stuff. And the reason is it's a political thing. They really don't want to aggregate folks who choose not to recycle. We did a survey 3 two
years ago. We observed the whole 27 hours of the transportation per week and about 15% of the folks still do not recycle at all. And uh and so we're not expecting 100% compliance or anything near to that day one. We're hoping that maybe first year you get 5 10% 100 200
households and each each year grows just as regular recycling did because there's a certain amount of folks who try to do the right thing or what they're asked to do. Um many folks who will never do it just they >> of the group that will never do it besides lazy people. I think no but I
think there's a there's a sad I've actually challenged people I don't do anymore since I'm a selectman I don't do it but I used to sort of challenge people when I saw them throwing away like why aren't you recycling and the you know the typical response was I basically don't trust the system that the waist streams get co-mingled anyway
and and I I think in and my mother-in-law by the way is very much in that camp and despite my efforts to try to change their behavior I haven't unsuccessful so Um, reason I'm bringing it up is the compostable. You can make a different argument
because it is not going into, you know, a hauler. A hauler is not taking that. Well, they are, I guess, bike, but it's not the same. Maybe you can differentiate that to make people if if there's skept there's the lazy factor. I don't know what you're going to do about that. But if there's a
skeptical factor like do all this work and it doesn't make any difference, I think you could tease that argument out. Well, I think there's a lot of ways to let them know about things, you know, I mean things >> like where does everything go? Someone a few times people have said why don't we do single stream you where I came from
before that's what we actually send everything to different places and most of more of it's accepted because it's not all the paper's not all you know covered with liquids and things. >> Um but you know there's things we can let them know about or questions and
answers. I don't, you know, we just haven't had the bandwidth to do it. >> The other thing to keep in mind is this is the largest addressable component of the remaining solid waste. The there is other stuff. Some of it can be addressed when we do the transportation redo. If we do that, um some of it is bottom line
stuff that's not going to go away. This is a large address. If we don't address this, likely you're going to see us plateau in solid waste this year and perhaps even creep up with new growth. So, it's going to be a fight to try and keep it even. >> That's right. I can I ask I'm going to take it a little tangent here, but I I
really am impressed with all the work that your committee has done. I've watched for a number of years now and you've just dove in and you've done studies and you really get deep into this and I and I understand how the solid waste you've attacked that as a problem saying, you know, if it's 25% of
our trash and then let's, you know, the weight is is very extensive. So let's do that to minimize it because it'll save cost and saving cost is more efficient for the system. >> Climate change, you know, good for the >> sure. So, but I'm also thinking of I've
been approached by a number of residents who ask me about enforcement and you know again you're back to David mentioned you know charging the user by the weight or something else and letting users reduce their own waste based on you know
their own habits and I'm wondering have you worked on enforcement because that's another >> we enforcement quite a bit I mean in terms of 300 ton reduction I would attribute 100 150 tons of that to enforcement and enforcement by me by that I mean folks not using their transportation who were uh non-residents
uh other sources of non-carile trash etc and now that's one form of enforcement in terms of residents okay the general behavior of the state and that's why they don't ask us to inspect is they don't want to annoy the resident you the
residents of Massachusetts politically and so they tell us they do not want us inspecting the waste and determining who is not recycling cycling and force them to do so. By by the way, payt has been an absolute fraud. If you look at the state state performance, the
state set a goal 2018 to 2030 to reduce solid waste from 6 million tons for the state by 30%. You know where they are right now? 6.1 million tons. They're halfway there. Carlo is one of the few communities actually gotten a reduction. The reason is they were relying on pay. Now they're taking a different angle.
Right now they're focused on organic waste because that's their only prayer to get anywhere close to what they're trying to do. >> I was talking about people outside of Carlile. I've heard reports of people, you know, using our transfer station that we enforce that we >> enforce. And have you worked at that? Have you studied that?
>> You know, I >> we're not perfect. We have enforced it. I have witnessed folks bringing trash from places they should be just driving it home from Market B Westford. Jim Hall can tell you, "I know we're getting trash from such and such, but you can't
prove that unless you want to start be, you know, being a policeman." Well, what we have done is we have added a lot of enforcement in in Jim's operation. So, he's enforcement in my opinion last year, last 18 months reduced trash by about 100 tons. So they're doing a lot
but but they're not trying to be it's they're trying to wage a delicate balance of not offending the entire community >> but a 100 tons is a percentage of our is what >> I want to do >> 6% 7%. That's huge. >> I haven't had a chance to bring this up at our next meeting but I would like as
it gets a little warmer if it ever gets warmer is to do an audit and have >> one week have someone watching the whole time it's open and counting. >> Just a quick time check. We have about another seven minutes before we're going to start our next joint meeting.
>> Um, where do we stand? So, the a request is the request is to >> to issue a ban on >> correct >> non-inforceable >> correct. Right. >> Yeah. >> Asking folks to do the right thing is what we're trying to do. Yeah. >> And what what's the mechanism
to do that? like I don't >> well the way the way that would work if you produce that ban most of our effort in the next year will be to educate the community about that for example the welcome kit our our contribution to welcome kit will include a metal uh
kitchen top bin an instruction on the options available for announcement of the band so we'll be pushing it through the welcome kit for new residents board scope is to determine >> what really okay >> and all of our efforts in education will focus on this and again our hope would
be I I think five or 10% over the next 12 months they >> or more or more >> or more but being realistic. Yeah. >> So I want to get thoughts from the select board um on that request. Um >> sure >> we have you know I >> well I want to get thoughts from the
select sorry. >> So does anyone have any >> I support it. >> I do too. I thought it was already banned that and fabric. >> So >> I I I can't say I support the ban. I support everything you say and all your goals, but to say the select board is
going to issue a ban that's non- enforceable that we only that we expect 95% of the people to to not comply with to me isn't the right. >> No, it's a growth thing. It's I'm saying year one I'd expect organic waste. That means you cannot
throw out organic. >> Think of the state ban. >> Ban is I think ban is not the right word. right now >> encourage or discourage but encourage you are required by the commonwealth if I understand correctly to put your cans in the >> but they encourage or whatever right
people don't and we don't we don't put them in the public stockade right we we acknowledge that people don't comply so there is a ban which we support we just don't enforce like we that's not our purview so I I think we you know have a duty to recommend best practice to the
town and some is legally that up maybe by statute and some isn't but we do that all the time so I would say we should in my opinion we should be supportive we should be a waste it's part of our master plan we should be striving to reduce our carbon footprint our waste
footprint and the transfer station and the transfer action committee are making you know resources available to make it easier to do that and people should do it and that's it you know I mean you don't say ban just you shouldn't throw
So once they put the proper resource in, you shouldn't throw that stuff in the general waste room. Period. Shouldn't be throwing your cans in >> right now. >> Well, what you're describing April 22nd, >> not by the state, >> the ban on solid waste. >> No, but you're what you said is David.
>> I think the cans and stuff is statutory. I believe it's the organic waste. You shouldn't do that. >> You shouldn't do it. And we should promote that you shouldn't do it. >> I don't agree with that. Maybe it's I don't want to say the select board bans like the it's
extreme positive we are making more resources available to make it easier for you to segregate your organic waste and put it in the bins that are provided and we will very happily pay all those costs but they're not >> I'll just my thinking on this is that
that is what we're do we've been doing >> right we've been trying to promote in lots of different ways for people to um >> right to to >> put their food waste into the black earth bins at the transfer station and
>> um we're not that's the area where we can have the most impact if we can figure out a way to increase the number of people that do that. So, uh, I'm also thinking based on, you know, Lara's comments about what the state is planning to do that it's going to come
as a state statute at some point and it is going to be called a ban just like the statute on the side of the um, >> you know, the bin at the transfer station that quotes the statute about recycling. Um, I think we should I I do
think we should issue a ban and um we should make it appropriate for this community rather than a you know a one-sizefits-all that comes from the state in a couple of years. Now maybe there's a different word than ban, but something that said rather than
>> there's a prohibition. And I don't >> you know that's nice because what we have to do is >> you want to elevate it to the same level as people view glass and cardboard and stuff that >> just because it's not statutoily
>> illegal. It's still not we don't think you should do right. >> Yeah. But how how do we raise the bar >> here in town? So let me let me ask a question because you you seem to advocate the carrot over the stick, right? >> Yes. >> Generally,
>> so do you have any insight into are gardeners, which there are a lot of gardeners in this town, are they more inclined to compost because that's the best soil you can make? >> Do do you know or do I >> It's hard to know. I mean,
you could do those. the the only the only it's all anecdotal in terms of um home composting. Um folks like who in real estate who've gone to lots of house >> the incidence of home composting is far less than you think. It's a very small percent
let me just time folks I know cuz let me be quick. >> If you made does what does black earth do with its stuff? Does it make >> it it burns it in a good >> so it doesn't comp if you could I mean composting like the way we do it you get soil like
>> they get fertilizer they make fertilizer and they sell it >> could you then make it available to people who can buy I mean they do sell >> of course you can buy it I'm saying make it if you're a black customer they give you some >> two bags I think right that's currently what we get two big bags I'm trying to think of some
I think it's I think we all completely support everything I think the qu I have I have concerns about saying like you you are banned with the big red X through it. >> We'll put a stockade right there and if we catch them. >> So I'm I'm more like we need to think about the messaging before I think we say like we ban it.
>> We have a few weeks. >> So >> organic waste is forbidden in the trash stream. I mean >> something something to elevate it so people view it in the same way as they do and they're used to it now like cardboard and >> not different we tend to share your
viewpoint that banning something is a >> especially yeah so I think I think we we're not going to take a vote on anything tonight I think if I'm going to summarize the comment we all completely support the approach and the direction I think we want to work on the lang the
specific language and messaging as it comes out from the select board um and we can we can schedule a follow-on discussion. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Um in our next whatever >> we can, you know. >> Is there anything more though that any of us would want to know? >> From other towns that are doing it well,
how do they message it? What is what why are they successful and we aren't? >> They don't ban it. They they have they like Bedford, you know, giving free Black Earth. They're covering the cost of the barrels. You know, >> the one who banned it had teeth because
they will not pick up your trash if you don't. >> We're not going to go that way. They don't have the ability to they don't have the ability to make it free for people like we do if they go to the transfer station and dump their compost. We can do that. We can say we're not it's not necessarily an additional cost
for you. You know, you're going and doing it that way. Um, but no, other towns, Brooklyn wants to and I think they're edging that way, but they had to figure out a way to cover, you know, apartment buildings and
>> that had financial difficulties. So, um, >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you. >> That was good work. >> Yep. Yes. >> All right. Thank you. But if there is a if there is a case study, it would I'd love to see what that is in another. Well, Hamilton and they're, you know, >> this is the only one in Massachusetts.
Just one one town, >> one town. >> No. Okay. Hamilton, but you know, and they Yeah, they were the first. It's mandatory. There is It's not just a ban. It's >> okay. >> But yeah, I'll put I'll do some research and come up with some schedule something
and then I can do some work. >> And you didn't open your meeting, so great. So, we can we can have FinCom and MFC come on up. You guys are both opening meetings, correct? >> Yep. >> Yes.
>> Yeah, I know. >> But I understand >> voice and stuff like >> that's great. transportation. >> That's what we're looking for. You >> see a chicken bone in your garbage? >> Let me help you. >> Yeah, I think there's a way to do
policy. >> That's true. You could call a policy. >> And then we get the kids, all the school kids out there to ask people if they're It's like >> Yeah. The scouts offer to carry your compost over to the bin and you don't even have to touch it, right?
You get preferred appointments, coffee appointments with the town administrator if you >> Oh, there you go. >> You get a ticket. If you bring in your waist to the meeting priority community inputs, >> that we should uh >> you want to open the fincom meeting?
Yep, we should have. >> All right. I would like to open the uh FinCom meeting if I could have a um roll call to open. Bernstein >> Brown here. >> Katachio here. >> Leman here. >> Wang here.
>> Shelberg here. >> We're open. >> Great. Okay. And I'd like to open the MFC meeting with a roll call. Um Eric, >> you're still here. >> Eric, >> here. >> Snail here.
>> Lurman here. Gang's all here. Great. >> Excellent. Good turnout. All right. So, we're here to discuss the fiscal 27 um budget recommendation as it stands. Also discuss fiscal 27 capital plan and then an initial discussion on
the town meeting warrant articles that have a financial component. Correct. Okay. So, do you want to open with the fiscal 27 operating budget recommendation and any and with a specific emphasis on uh I have a list here of points of
points of input you are specifically looking for the select board to provide like cola like um some discussion around roads and maintenance and those types of things as we go. >> Perfect. I'll let Ryan run with the um with the PowerPoint and then we'll go to
the input we need. >> All right. So this is the recommendation of the finance committee. I consolidated into one presentation just to make it clear. All of this is backed up by traditional spreadsheets and uh information down to the very granular level. So if you want to go go deep, we
can go as deep as you want. So this is called budget draft 2. Draft one being the one that was presented to you in December. This is the fincom's response to that submission and your guidance. You all know this, but just as a reminder to anybody who's who's following along here, here is the town's
um budget process for FY27. In the fall, you all engaged in capital planning and forecasting, created some guidelines that resulted in budget draft 1, which was submission by all departments. In January and February, the finance committee held their marathon meetings and deliberated about all the
information that was presented to them. Since the last time we discussed the budget, besides the fincom's work, we have firmed up numbers for state aid through the governor's budget proposal, health insurance, vocational education, and these have refined some of the
numbers and cost estimates. There's still some to go. The state budget usually doesn't complete until sometime in August, but the governor's budget sets usually the floor. So, we know what the floor is at this point. All right. Budget highlights. The finance committee in this draft is recommending an operating budget of 39
million $15,934. This is a 5.84% 84% increase, which includes 228,000 for new costs related to your building projects, police and fire. And here is the FY26 budget in comparison to the
FY27 recommendation. I went the other way. As a reminder, the major major budget drivers for FY27 are as follows. The high school assessment due to enrollment shifts is a 9.08% increase and is the largest budget driver. Health insurance,
the number has been refined to 15%. This does include the one 1% increase in the town contribution. The health insurance line, and this is a question that came from Travis, does include uh not just the health insurance splits, but also Medicare and other one-time agreements
we have insurance. So, the 1% is actually less than 1% of that 15. The actual health insurance increase is 12 um 12.4%. So the the rest of the 15% is the amount
we expect uh people to come on and off the insurance plus the Medicare and other health insurance drivers. >> So what do you mean? You're saying the core the core rate of increase is 12 point something >> 12.4%. >> Right. And then we've got the census change or whatever that >> Yeah. I was just curious that impact of
our policy. >> So, it's 12.41% for the increase and then >> Okay. >> the enrollment shift. >> Thank you. >> Your retirement assessment is on a 2-year cycle. So, we know this year's number is 6.34%. It'll be reodited next year and we do expect the larger year
one, smaller year 2 assessment next year, but we'll worry about that next year. The CPS budget, if you remove uh some of the things that we'll talk about that the FINCOM removed, ends up at a 4.06 06% increase it expenses. The major driver of these
are the requirement to have monitored machines in public safety and also the addition of the CAD for a total increase of 75,000 in the operating budget. >> CAD. >> Who's using CAD? >> Computer aided dispatch. >> I know dispatch.
I'm like >> I saw this police station engineers over here architects actually important in Carleated dispatch. >> Got it. >> CAD. >> There's 228 in new expenses related to your building project. This was the
excluded debt that you're going to continue to add over the next couple years. >> And then the personnel costs fully fund your contracts, all your union work. And the placeholder in this budget is 2% cola. So Ryan, if you were to strip out the top one, two, three, four,
everything but the bottom one, like as like what would the core like increased be of the budget? >> What are you stripping out? >> What is the biggest impact of those? >> Well, I understand those are drivers, right? But like the assessment comes and
goes. Health insurance you can't do much about. Retirement can't do much about. Um maybe the maybe the top three. If you were to strip out the top three, do you have an idea what the core rate of budget increase is? Like how much do those drivers It's hard reading
this chart to know. 9.08. Boy, that's a lot, but it's on, you know, a couple of million bucks, right? It's a few million. The core driver of the budget, like they say core inflation, they strip out energy and something else, right? So
they want to get those out those wildly variable things out and say this is the core increase. Do you have that kind of a metric? >> So if you took the top I can try to explain it this way. If your normal new spend is about 1.2 million. Yeah. >> The top four are 1.2 million.
>> So that cuts the entire normal new spend right off the top. >> 1.4 million in top in new spend. >> It's about the same as what you would normally new spend. >> Okay. So we go to the one in the previous chart then. If you do the if you follow that logic
then you say my 38 36.8 36 let's do the other way 39 million I remove 1 point what' you say how many >> 1.2 1.4 four. So, >> okay. So, I'm at 376.
That would be It would be 376 over 369, right? >> Be about a 3% increase. >> Okay, >> that's really rough math. If anybody's I can do the actual math, but that's just napkin. >> That's good enough for now. 36. >> I don't know why down equals up, but
>> I mean >> I mean, yeah, outside those items, the operating budget is 2%. I mean, that's okay. I mean, that's what I'm trying to get at, right? >> And the the assessment is I mean, it it is it's real dollars, but that's a that's a big assessment increase. Now, we benefited many years from decrease. >> I understand all that. I'm just that's
why I'm asking the question. I'm saying, well, you know, your basic spend that you control, what did that come in at? It sounds like it's about 2%. >> So, the high school assessment shift, which is not controllable, it's about 700,000.
>> Yeah. So, right off the top, you're you're behind. Way behind. >> But the topline high school budget increase this year, both towns is relatively low. >> Wasn't it what was it? It's >> under 3%. I believe >> two and a half.
>> Two and a Yeah. So, the the overall high school budget increase this year is about 2 and a half% which is low for for based on historicals. >> Okay. >> All right. some uh structural changes we'd like to just highlight in this budget. So, first, you've eliminated
your vocational school budget. There's no longer any known vocational school students. There's a little bit of risk here in that a student could move into town, but it is highly unlikely. The wait list is not really an option for Carla because we don't um buy into the
Minute Man system. So someone could move in and this could this >> and they were already in the vocational school then we would have to pick up the cost. >> And a couple years ago I said that same thing and then someone did that even though I said it was really unlikely. So it's not impossible.
>> But our last senior is graduating this year. >> Yeah. >> So that's a lot of cost for one student. >> Not that it's not worth paying or that it's not a worthwhile expense, but it's just the transportation alone is 60 grand. >> Yeah. >> Whoa. >> Yep. Transportation. >> Okay. Um, we've moved the facilities
department into the town budget for your discussion with the school committee. So, this the the school budget has dropped as an overall percentage of the budget because now facilities is entirely in the in the town this quote unquote town. >> So, even with that their 4%.
>> Yeah, they were over 4% with it. It was about the same. So, it was even when you took it out. >> Okay. Because we accounted for that. We combined the assistant town clerk position with the historical assistant. That saved us some money. We moved the sustainability coordinator into land
use. Um that was a basically even money swap with finance. So that was a structural change but um as you'll see in the budget it looks like it was a lot but it's even. And then uh an important item for you to note the fincom consolidated a lot of risk into their
reserve. So, the special education um what do we call that account >> placeholder that >> placeholder in the in the school budget has been moved into the fincom reserve and then um we worked with the police department and the the communications department to move some overtime costs
into the FINCOM reserve and then we have a $50,000 placeholder in debt. As you know, we're doing a lot of borrowing. Want to make sure that we have enough money to do the borrowing. We're not sure we're going to need it. So that 50,000 can either bring down the spend of the projects or be used for something else or turn into free cash. So that's
all consolidated in the fincom reserve. >> Rough numbers, what's that management reserve equal? >> 325,000. >> Okay. >> So, and so again, so you didn't kind of answer my question. We took the facilities cost out of the school budget
and the sped reserve and they're still at 4% increase. >> So it's a 4% increase over last year. taking all those out. >> Okay. So, apples to apples >> apples to apples. >> Okay. >> So, their total number went down, but they're increased in >> and the a big driver for them is this
that the additional preschool >> classroom that they need going forward based on the the enrollment. >> Okay, that's consistent. Okay. >> All right. Some revenue changes since you last saw this. The new state aid assumptions off the governor's budget is
a increase in revenue of 45,000 to the town. We uh the FINCOM also recommended a increase of local receipt assumptions of 63,000. This is based off of a solar lease that we don't normally account into our local receipt. That's about 24,000. And then um we feel pretty
comfortable with around 40,000 of new excise um placeholder. So that's one of the areas where we have some flexibility or reserve and we used some of it to meet this recommendation. >> That's based on past years. >> Yes.
>> Minus the $1,400 of chicken tax we >> Yes. >> Not a local receipt, but yes. >> Um ambulance receipt or ambulance reserves. Uh last year used 50,000. This year recommendation because of some of the
the bubbles in the budget is 100,000. The main the main use over time of this account is for an ambulance. So the idea is that you would save enough to purchase an ambulance when you need it. 100 if you did about 100,000 a year, you would still be able to do that over
time. >> So that's an increase in in that's a use of cash >> use of one time funds. Yeah. >> But they do come in every year. So it's not >> so that it's a down arrow in your nomenclature. >> It would be increased use. >> Yeah. Yeah. down arrow
>> it reduce our tax pool >> I don't know which way to put the arrow actually so I don't >> the up arrow is like you get more revenue >> top two are up yeah so >> this is the top two are revenue they add to our coffers >> so pulls away from it right >> true well it moves it from your ambulance reserve into your operating
>> into your operating budget >> double arrow >> sideways a double line there >> and then free cash use the this recommendation as a $300,000 placeholder last year is 200,000 >> and that's for operating as compared
with for capital >> for operating. >> Okay. >> Okay. So what everybody cares about the tax impact >> ATB. >> So the total impact for all the new spend is 4.56% on the average tax bill or $830.
The new average tax bill would be projected to be $18,207 and the average home value right now is 1.35 million. If you took out the new building expenses, which is something that um we've been looking at, it would be a 4.08%
increase. So, the difference between the two, >> the $112 is coming from your new building projects which were approved at >> right >> at at about any questions on that before I move on. >> Well, yeah, but then that 111 is actually rening the police station, but
only designing the fire station, right? So, we're at the small span of >> these costs are going to ramp up. >> Yeah, right. Yep. Exactly. >> Um, borrowing anticipation note. >> Sorry, we got a lot. >> A lot of bands tonight.
>> We're banning the fire. >> Oh, that's a good slogan. >> Save on that CAD expense. >> Okay, so that's operating. I'll move to capital and then I know that the finance committee is going to offer some thoughts on all of it. We're just trying to give you the whole picture. So you
have a capital article of non-building and a capital arting of article of building maintenance typically known as the MFC articles. So on the left side you're seeing non-building capital. >> That includes your culverts which has been reduced to 300,000 in this recommendation. 250 to be funding a
study of the major four culverts that need to be repaired and 50,000 of we call small or intermediate culvert repair. >> And that was based on your recommendation. >> My recommendation. Yep. And then the roads remain at 800,000. And you'll
notice that chapter 90 offsets 450,000 of that. We think based off the governor's um transportation bill. We're pretty confident in that number. 450,000. The fire department requested advanced EMT equipment and this would be funded out of that ambulance reserve fund that
we just discussed. So that is a net zero on your free cash but a capital item that needs to be approved. The DBW is asking for a loader 140,000 and a container at the transfer station which is 15,000. There's two cruisers in this capital plan. Police cruisers at
160,000. Firearms for the police department at 20,000. These are the big arms, not the little ones. School it. This is the second year of their ask at 35,000 um with the idea there wouldn't be another ask for a couple years and then town hall it is 20,000 if you
offset the alternate funding the total free cash use of capital non-building would be 1 million40,000 >> can I ask on the culvert you said 250 is for the study is the study an actionable or is it just study
>> it's design it's everything >> so so you could then you'll have them shovel ready or or there they'll be if we were to get grants or whatever we could apply for those because you'd have the study done. Yes. >> Is that right? >> Yes. And we are going to try to grant
that 250 as well that design. So we were successful you 300,000 to do an actual repair but we want to back up the design with cash, >> but it's an investment of sorts because >> and it's all the design will be for all
the culverts that are on the list. Oh, just the four major ones. Okay. >> Which are the ones we really need to get done. And um >> so why this recommendation for me? I think all of the boards were having difficulty understanding like culverts. I know we have to repair
them, but how and I think this gives you more information so that you can make more informed decisions about trade-offs. So if you know exactly what these coverts are going to cost and why they fit in and where they are, I think it would compare better with roads and capital and other things. Without getting on a tangent, what about dams,
culverts and dams? Do the dams follow in the cons and other places? >> Depending on where the dam is, we would hope to use other funds like CPA >> and the roads. That's the full plan that was presented essentially that has the
priority roads and the parody roads. >> Yes. So, if you wanted to reduce your road plan, there's how you'd make up some free cash. And I think that's kind of one of the topics that we as board need to discuss. >> So on the building maintenance side, this would be
what we would call the MFC article or under the control of the MFC and it includes school and town HVAC study. So we are currently studying three HVAC units at the school and one here at town hall, all under the climate leader grant process. So, we're hoping to fully
design these and get over 1.1 million in grants for these for the actual cost of repairing these. This 145 helps complete all the design for all of that work and make us more grant competitive. The facilities garage doors at the school are the next item. The third item is
classroom flooring at the school. The next two are for several buildings in town, surge protectors and pH balancers for the water. The school radios is really facilities radios. Once that budget moves over 22,000, the HVAC server at the school needs an
upgrade, mandatory upgrade. And the main stairway going up to town meeting is 60,000 um estimated repair. The MFC also talked about a contingency for this because prices change and things go up and the FINCOM recommended uh no contingency and
to use this article in priority order hopefully granting some of it or um saving money somewhere. So the total free cash request for building maintenance would be $47,75 for a total free cash use of capital in
this plan of 1.4 million. >> Did we go down? I don't remember being briefed on firearms before. 20K in firearms. That's more than $1,000 per officer. >> Are they getting >> You said they were big whole new set. >> These are
>> What are these big firearms for? I mean, >> what are they? >> And one of the last meetings we were in, we discussed that the police took a will not interfere, will not there's if ICE comes to town, it's every man for himself. >> If you have an active shooter, you need
to have the power to be able to stop that. >> An active shooter event requires thou more than $1,000 a person for. >> So, I would prefer to have the police chief answered directly, but the the main summary of all the presentations that were made about this is uh these
aren't like your typical weapons. They're used a lot in training and they need to work when they work. So, they're replaced in a more cyclical manner. So, the um the weapons need to be replaced on a on a cycle about a 5year cycle. And this is this is the year and it
alternates between the pistols and the rifles. >> These are the rifles. >> As I understand it, these are the rifles. >> Yes. Thank you, Nathan. >> It's what? Sorry. Did you say >> these are rifles? >> The rifles. >> I called them long arms before, but they're rifles. >> Yeah. Okay.
>> They're pretty impressive, actually. I'm just saying pay for him. I think so. But um >> but I What is So the 1.4 million of capital spend I I didn't bring the chart, but you had the 10-year plan in
the prior some prior thing I had and it seemed like we're pretty h much above our average capital spend this year. So like a historical B. I looked at the tenure. I should have brought it but I basically looked at the tenure. I looked
at the average and I smoothed it and this was a high year. >> I mean the roads and culvers alone are >> right. So what can we shove to the right and you know for me yeah roads of course you can always move it at your peril. I
remain unconvinced that we need two cruisers in any given year. I think that's just ridiculous. >> Yeah. >> And I question like class flooring and you know stuff like that. like how like why and those seem discretionary to me.
>> Well, I mean FinCom has met with all the the requests and has asked similar questions so they could >> they could provide their ration. >> I think it it would be good to finish and then >> okay >> turn it over to >> Okay. >> Um all good questions and why we're
here. So then we have some stuff that um was discussed in in the way that that maybe David might just just have discussed. So in the capital plan there was a lot of town hall maintenance that um comes from a study and has been looked at by the MFC for years. So the
fincom was asked how could you pay for all of this and maintain reserves and you know limit limit tax rate increases and the answer was um to bundle all of the town hall projects into one borrowing article. So that bundle
includes projects over the next two years of the capital plan of windows and doors, entry columns, painting and fascia, uh attic insulation, PAS filtering, the parking lot and drainage, and then the roof and the RTU, which is by far the largest part of the project.
We're hoping for some of the roof and RTU to be funded through grants, etc. Same thing with the insulation. We hope that's green communities eligible. But overall, assuming that the roof and RTU number is good, which is an assumption, this would be a 1.3 million borrowing
authorization that would be phased over time. And just for context, 1.5 million over 20 years, which I think all of this would qualify for, is about 140 a year in debt payment. >> How old's the roof?
>> As old as the building. How old is the building? >> 80. >> Well, 30 years. >> Two. >> So, it's it's at its time. >> 97. >> Oh, 97. That's right. >> It's 29, right? Is it 97? >> It's 90s. >> 90s. >> Mid9s. So, >> so it's getting
>> 32 years. >> Okay. So, it's time for the roof and the borrowing will be paid off by the time we need the next. >> Okay. Um, so that's another article to discuss.
So, I apologize this don't all fit here, but the I can summarize this for you. You've seen all these town meeting warrant articles, and I think the funding by source on the right is the most revealing. So, the the PEG article is asking for 300,000. free cash, which is what we just went over, building and
non-building capital, is 1.52 million if you include the Warren article requests on here, which are the OPED actuary study, the U fixing of the cemetery perpetual fund, the traffic study costs as requested by the safety
committee, and the cemetery expansion study, which um was 16,000. So if you include all that capital and those warrant auto requests, it's 15 1.5 million. The rest of it is covered by CPA or borrowing. Um
>> the big borrowing number is for the fire station. >> Yeah. And that's a placeholder. You'll get a presentation about that next meeting. >> So that's real big picture. So how why does that how does that shake out? So your existing town reserves are 6.4
million. The recommended uses here are as you you saw tonight the operating budget, the capital plan and the warrant articles for a total free cash use of 1.9 million. And your reserves after use would be 11.53 assuming you did all of this. And that is the biggest assumption
in there is that the town hall stuff would be that borrowing article and authorization because that doesn't impact your your reserves at all. Impacts future operating budget, >> right? It does drive Yeah. cost into the operating $140 a year into the into the tax bill for the next 20 years
>> and we'd probably do it excluded. >> Okay. So that would help excess lovely. >> All right. So next steps >> but before you leave that prior go back please. So you know when you look at this one way you say well gee we can spend all this cash and we're still
right at the 12% you know guideline on our free cash. But I think that's the false logic. When you're spending 2 million of your 6.6 12 million, that's a big spend in a year. Again, I just think like that is
too much free cash to spend in a year. Okay, we get there, but it's too much free cash to spend in a year. Just cuz you can just cuz you got the surge protection to get to 12 doesn't mean you should get to 12 in one year. That's the biggest point I want to make tonight.
>> I don't I don't follow your logic. What I'm saying is you could look at this and say >> putting >> I'm saying we're spending too much free cash even though it keeps us you could say well gee you could spend them 1.9 million and you're still going to have 4.5 million and 4.5 million is right at
your you know 12% so the bond rating they'll be happy. True but you cannot start a pace of spending 1.9 million a year. You cannot get in that habit and you shouldn't. >> So this isn't what's our what was our free cash use last year? What was our reserve level last year? Our reserve
level is not decreasing. >> It was equivalent. >> Did we spend that 2 million 1.9 million? >> So the main problem you're facing here is you're addressing lots of deferred stuff at once. >> I know. So don't do it all at once.
>> Then it keeps getting deferred. >> Not doing it all more. >> I don't know. I'm just saying you spend onethird of your reserve in one year. That's not a good >> If we don't spend one third, our reserve goes up to >> Does it? >> Well, yeah, that's the math. I mean, if
we don't >> if it's going to go up again, but what's going to you're going to You think you're going to generate like 1.9 million in free cash? >> So, what were why do we have so much free cash this year? >> Yeah. >> Or do we or is this this what we expect next year and the year after?
>> Is this the new steady state of free cash? >> We try to generate between half a million and a million a year. >> Yeah. Right. Bingo. Not two million. >> So the extra 1.4 this year comes from
>> not spending it in previous years. >> Okay. >> But what was our our reserve level last year was not >> it was under 12. I thought >> after after the uses it was 12 >> but it was 16 17% at the start of the budget cycle.
>> It's too much free cash. >> We said 12 or round, right? >> Mhm. So, in theory, when you get through your building projects, your road stuff, >> eventually you would hit a time where you would downs slope,
>> but you've all been around long enough to know that there's not a lot of down. >> There's more stuff. That's exactly right. There's more. I mean, the easiest thing for myself and Barney is just say, great, spend it. See you. Have a good life. >> I just don't think it's responsible.
I think you got to sharpen the pencil and peel some of that out of there. So that's a good segue into next steps. So the remaining decisions to achieve a consensus budget for town meeting if that is your goal would be to make some minor changes to counts with zero budget impact. So that includes department
merging and any contracts that were signed. We would make it all level and and identify those changes but it wouldn't change the the bottom line. That happens every year. Um confirm your spending levels and service impacts. So, make sure you're comfortable with with all of the assumptions in the operating
budget. Confirm your revenue assumptions. Confirm your one-time use of ambulance receipts, free cash, your tax impact is acceptable, your capital plan and warrant articles are acceptable, and your reserve levels are acceptable. So, those are the talking
points um as we just highlighted. Then, here's your timeline, and then I'll turn it over. The annual town meeting warrant is finalized on April 14th. your election ballot questions. Uh I know of at least one for the fire station. DPW has been discussed and now
maybe town hall debt exclusion. April 28th is the deadline for that. The projected public budget hearing is April 30th. That's a moving target. That's FINCOM. Then annual town meeting is May 18th and the town election is June 2nd. So you you have some time and you're ahead of where you normally are at this
time, but it's decision time. So this is the hardest part. >> And that's it, Mr. chair. >> Mr. Chair, >> so there's a few things that we want guidance from. One, to your point, David, is you know, capital reserves and
so forth. The reserve level, the way that it's written in the policy that's public is between 10 and 12%. Right? So, we're still on the high end of that, although I hear what you're saying, the committee does. Um, one of the big areas that we've been punting back and forth because we don't have any of the data
behind it. Um, so they're just arbitrary numbers to us or the the road maintenance, right? So we talked about Ryan's helped educate us a little bit about the culverts. Um, originally that number was 450 some something like that, right? >> Around 450. >> Thank you. Yeah. So we did recommend it
come down as he stated earlier >> and that's because the study is cheaper or we fewer culverts were studying or >> so they tried to balance what you need to do with what you could probably afford to do. So it was it was a >> Mitch Mitch did >> spend over five years not us spend this
much every year. So I think you should study and then decide you're spending. >> Makes sense. >> But the roads are still holding at 800,000. Right. So we get 400,000 from the state. That's 400,000 extra that's coming out. >> But you've read the study of that, right? >> We did in context of three years ago uh
budget spended. So the question is if if the select board wants to keep it at 800. Um, we've kept it at 800, but that's an easy lever to your free cash, >> right? >> Could take 200 out or whatever it might be. >> So, that's one piece of guidance we'd certainly like from you all. >> But, yeah, I would say again, it would
be useful. You could throw up the 10-year plan if you can find it. But, you know, that one I think doesn't help. I was kind of looking at it from the lens of things in the next 10 years. If you're going to spend 800 or the equivalent of 800 every year, deferring
one year to push it to the right doesn't buy you much. You just got to be at peace with that level of spend to keep the quality of the roads at some standard since we have so many roads per per capita. So, I actually don't feel
like that's a good place to try to save money. But these one-time expenses, you know, why this year and not next year? I mean that's the kind of question or two years from now. That's >> the other thing that was mentioned was the cruisers. So um the prior chief
worked closely with the fincom to put together a schedule where we um were educated about replacement cycles, costs and so forth. >> This two cruiser is based on that original schedule. We're going to work closely with the chief during the summer
to put together now that we're on hybrid vehicles and so forth a new replacement schedule. Maybe it's the same. Maybe we can push all the vehicles out a little bit and be on a different replacement schedule. But currently, we're still operating on the previous. We did have the same conversation with the chief. Fingconom walked away feeling that two
cruisers is right for this year and then we'll reevaluate. >> This is my fourth chief. I think never met a chief, didn't want the cruisers, >> of course. >> Right. >> But we feel like the data behind it was was incredibly helpful when we looked at it before. >> Uh coal is another big one that we'd
like some guidance on. you've all so we have a placeholder for two which we discussed briefly at our last meeting uh we think is certainly low >> wherever your committee I don't know if you want to discuss these now >> so if you increase your op budget goes up right there
>> yeah $26,000 for every half point >> is 20 >> if we wanted to go to 2.5 it's not 25,000 26,000 >> 25,000 >> the one do that and defer it move or or a floor or something.
>> Bedford's doing two and a half, I think. >> It feels like we're closer to two and a half and at least two. Yeah. So, I I would >> Yeah. I >> without looking at comps or anything, I'd immediately support two and a half. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I don't know if we want to finalize that
or if we want to look at >> Do do we have any other comps that you're aware of from surrounding towns? If anyone's taken a position, I I I found Bedford. Was it two and a half? I didn't really have time to look. Um and then we had some other operating
topics to discuss. >> Are you waiting for an answer on the call or do you want me to move? >> Let's keep keep rolling. >> Okay. Um one other one that we had a a rather large discussion on over the past few meetings is um the regional school. regional school has um a strategy that
they're employing this year is uh they're ahead of schedule. Um and Brian, keep me honest on how I state all this. >> They're ahead of schedule on uh their OPED levels. So, they are lowering their OPED contributions
>> and um contributing money into um to save for future capital. Um so the two areas would be uh sewage connection for the amenities building and then an eventual replacement of the turf on Doug
Whitefield. >> Um finance committee feels that that's not the right approach to take because it's comingling capital funds with operating budget. >> Yeah. >> So we feel fairly strongly that the capital should be outside, right? Because there's spend that's being done
to the taxpayer that they haven't approved yet. um curious on your input there. I did have a conversation with the um chair of the conquered fincom earlier today. Uh she agrees with how our committee feels about that >> and there's also a question and I don't
know if we had resolution on if one or both of those projects could be funded out of CPA. Yes, amenities mostly is coming out of CPA. >> Correct. the sewage connection component of the amenities building >> it pulled out >> just to clarify the sewer connection
that 200k that was >> can you state your name quickly just >> sorry uh 80ine drive uh regional school committee and car school committee um the 200k for the sewage connection was
FY25 there was an excess in END and so the school committee last year voted to move 200k into capital stabilization. So that that piece is passed >> behind us. Thank you.
>> Yep. Um, as far as for FY27, looking at the various uh projects, the school district, as you pointed out, in an effort to be a little more self-sufficient and not asking for additional, is recommending
that we take a reduction in OPED and put that into capital stabilization as well for the things that we see forthcoming. Um, and it's not just TUR. There's a for FY27, it's the study of the field and then a slew of other projects at the
high school, >> but all capital related projects. >> Yeah. >> And, um, to Scott's question, um, what's the why is CPA not available for that project >> for the turf? >> Yeah. >> So, Barney, keep me honest here. I don't
know. First, my understanding is in 2012 it was decided that CPA funds cannot be used for turf. >> Correct. >> Second, I was trying to go through our slides from whatever that was. >> Yeah, this was at the state level.
>> Not grass turf. >> No, they your turf is not eligible. >> But if it was like grass, you >> would be grass. Yeah. Um, are design studies, even if it was a design I >> of the turf field, >> a a design study on the field? Most
likely for turf, but a design, I don't think design counts regardless. >> Not for not for turf field. >> But does design count for other wreck projects? >> Yeah. Yes. >> Okay. >> That's what Dimmond Park is, Diamond Park is doing.
>> That's what I Okay. Oh gosh. So, um, thank you, Brian. >> Uh, so that's that's one area, um, that, uh, our committee feels we'd like a little bit of guidance from you as well as to how the the select board feels about that angle
>> and the reduction with their updated state aid numbers and healthcare numbers. What's the status on that? Because I know the Ryan's email about it's bringing the overall budget down because increased state aid, lower health care increases
is what they had planned. >> Has that been resolved or is that in process? >> So that will get voted on at our meeting next week. Okay. >> So we understand, you know, the insurance numbers were lower than we were forecasting. State aid is increased. >> That's got to get voted on officially.
We haven't met yet, but >> Okay. And so the you're saying the overall school budget will be the will be less because you have more revenue. I mean the overall increase will be less. >> Yes.
>> That's already factored into the budget presentation I believe. Correct. >> We've already factored that savings in. >> Okay. >> But not the So what's what's the next steps with regard to those capital? What what's the ask or what's the
>> So, um, is the dollar amount about 200,000, Brian? 250,000 >> total or our allocation? >> I think total is >> so our allocation is 50 >> 25% of that capital projects. >> Yeah. >> 286.
>> 286. Yeah. So 60,000 or whatever the math is. >> It's 71,000 for Thank you, >> Carla. Yeah. >> And do they have an END or capital stabilization? Is there like a policy and a funding level they want to have that at or is it just kind of
>> it's a matter of knowing what is coming up and again this is the this was the district's suggestion as a way of lessening the impact on the two paths is let's reduce oped contribution and and
this is the concern right is you have this line item of oped which they're funding at some point you don't need funded anymore. But then >> if you move it over somewhere else, I'm not saying it's done intentionally, but it's a way to kind of just >> No, they're supposed I agree with with
James and they're supposed to come to each town with their capital request >> above a certain amount, right? There's certain things they have to do for maintenance, but >> yeah. So, I don't know. 26 is not a huge number, right? It's a study of Doug White. It's the 200. You said it doesn't include the 200 for the sewage, right?
Because that's already been done. >> No, that's already been done. It's things like classroom painting, um, HVAC replacement, the study of the field, irrigation control, >> but the field itself would be a warrant article when that comes to that's a million >> that would be that would be FY28 at the
soonest. >> Okay. >> So, I I kind of you got to give them a little operating there as big as the atomic parallel, right? >> Yeah. Yeah, I think the way it was originally presented was a little set off kind of the Spidey senses because I think there was a comment
about minimizing the ass of the town >> as it related to the amenities building and it was like you're just kind of like >> but it doesn't sound like that's actually was an accurate description of what what was done >> at least for this year. So that to clarify, so that's the study, but the
strategy would be to put the 270,000 away for until 28, >> right? >> So the funds that I just talked about coming out of OPED going into capital stabilization would be for these things for FY27 that >> that I just mentioned.
>> There was talk of doing something similar in FY28, but obviously we're not >> sure >> we're not there yet. >> Just curious what strategy cuz you're right, Scott. it was articulated that this was to offset and lower the eventual ass. I mean that's I yeah I agree with you and the fincome chair and
conquered that it's not a great practice right you're you're you're kind of sliding an operating you're trading an operating expense for capital expense even though you're keeping the total the same it's similar to like now there's controls over END but you know it's sort of like taking END money and kind of
salulting it away for some rainy day capital thing so it's always better if it's pretty clearly identified what you but in the list that Brian just said to me like painting that should be just an opex just put in your operating budget. Don't call it cap. Why would they call
that a capital? That seems square, you know. So the only one I'm really maybe objecting to is the Doug White study. Like maybe that should be on its own. It's just my >> What do you mean be on its own? >> Well, it's big enough. It's significant
enough and it leads to >> a bigger spend. So don't fool around. But you know, money for painting classrooms, you know, paint the damn classroom. So, >> don't overly restrict them operationally, but don't don't kind of
>> it's like capital of a certain size, it becomes its own, right thing. I don't know what that's 75 grand, 100 grand, >> some some number that's more significant. They really should be disciplined. >> Okay. Uh the only other area that we were looking for guidance on, it didn't sound like there was much of a challenge, but
uh or discussion, but was issuing debt for town hall versus um using it out of our um capital. I'm sure you all can assume why we came to that conclusion, but it would have lowered our capital by substantially more. Um so I think since I've been on this committee, we've
talked about deferred maintenance is eventually going to come to bite us, and we're in that world right now. Well, but if you think about it, I mean, yes and no, right? So, we're we will at the conclusion of this next few years presumably revamp fire station, revamp police
station, revamp ETW, revamp tell, revamp library and a pile of things going on at the school >> very much left. We've pretty much gone through the building stock and redone them. So >> well >> and the roads and culverts >> and the roads and culverts and but yeah but I mean >> well also the school you know the
mention in the letter that Scott I mean that Brian sent us was they really would like Wilkins and um >> yeah there's always going to be there's a lot of Thank you. >> But my point is that um >> I don't quite agree with what you guys just said. I think there's we'll have
done it maybe we kick the cane down the road a while but we're in one of those periods where we're substantially upgrading our capital stuff. Mhm. >> So, um, uh, so I'm okay. I mean, in that, you know, context,
combining a bunch of small projects in one building to one, >> that is not a bad idea. >> And you're paying for it over the life of its its useful life versus putting it on, >> right? And I think years a smart a smart thing to do. I think the the challenge I see is going to town meeting and saying
fire station design town hall. >> You got a timing. I mean, you want to slide it. Can it >> can it go to next year? >> Yeah. >> How bad is it? >> Well, that's what we said last year. >> Break it down for us though.
town can tell us if they don't >> have next year we'll have DPW >> full scale >> and >> there's no real good window for opportunity but do it >> I think Jerry can break it down for you but as far as the HBAC systems when they
go down we have a problem and they're kind of on their last leg >> well I mean we we've been we >> we've known for five years that we have these issues at town hall >> right >> and we've been putting it off Right. >> And I mean my my feeling doing it
through debt I think is great. We don't need to borrow the money until we have the contracts >> lined up and >> it's not that you got to to Scott's point. You have the approval to burn the money is >> I don't worry about the money. We're good with that. >> So let me ask a question. Um
from fire station site. >> What's the odds that they're going to be ready enough to make the big ask in May? Um, >> we're still on track. >> Still on track and um I mean we'll we'll get an there'll be an update on the 10th. So I said it on the last meeting
and I'm going to be at the next meeting. >> Uh I mean it's an aggressive timeline but you know weather's an issue right now with the wetlands delineation. Um but I mean they're still on >> and and DPW what would the ask be?
>> That would just be the design funding and I think that's in that's more less risky. How much is that? >> I I would assume the same amount as the fire station. >> No, the design study won't be the same amount. >> Yes. >> I mean, yeah. I don't mean >> design money is the same.
>> How much money is what I mean? >> 1 point whatever >> 1.4. >> Okay. So, if you have a 1.4 and a 1.4 and then you got like a 70 million. I mean, >> I don't know that people are going to >> I don't know that people are going to like single out the town hall and say, "Well, that's too much." Well, the point
>> 70 million's okay, but that extra one before you know that. >> The point is there's nowhere to kick it. Like you kick it next year and you might be asking for the DPW, right? Just tell the voters. I mean, the worst that happens is they say no and then you get your answer, right? But I I don't think I agree with you. I don't I think it's not a kick the can down the road
argument. And the better argument is, you know, we deferred a lot of stuff and we got to fix it. But it might also um influence us in terms of thinking about what the tax increase would be and and the argument about not taking as much
free cash. So if we want to make it easier for folks to approve if we're keeping >> I didn't mean but let me Yes, I agree. But I didn't mean don't take free cash, turn it into a tax bill. I meant don't spend it. >> No, I know. I heard you. I heard you. >> Okay. Yeah.
>> Christine, you have >> Yeah, I was going to say it. the special town meeting, you queued up a nice graph that showed the three main rebuilding projects and now I feel like we're kind of slipping a little, >> you know, >> slipped the fourth one in there. >> Yeah. Oh, town hall. There it is.
>> So, it just felt like we were kind of saying this is, you know, giving people the big the big picture >> and now we're kind of I don't know. It feels a little disingenuous. Maybe we >> um I don't know. We have had MFC articles every year basically
>> for 300,000 500,000 >> right but not for the one >> right but this is paid over time and this is a better way I think to fund it if you're going to do this type of funding >> I think taking it back to your original point David about you know the free cash
and whether we spend this I think a lot of it comes down to you know the trust that the public has in us and if we have a plan which I think We have a better plan now than we've ever had that delineates these are the things we've thought about all I mean we have a
capital plan that we've never had before that we've thought about all these things and this is how we're going to get there and if we articulate that I think you can get by in >> yeah you could but I mean again the 10-year chart shows front end loading which suggests to me there'll be backend
expenses we don't know what's coming down the pike so >> but we knew this you know when we were looking at it months ago we knew the remember how we'd project out we say oh these are big years we're going to need to use the free cash in these years because that's where we are we're now into those years we said we were going
to use the free cash >> I think when you break down the free cash one so to me operating side you have this 600k >> assessment which is just a >> not a service issue it's just boom so using some free cash >> I'm okay with that I'm actually okay with that
>> I think on the on the capital plan side I mean again even this is 1.1 million in roads and coverts. That's a lot. >> Take some out then. And but on the right hand side of the ledger, maybe take some out, too. I If you could take out a few hundred,000. I mean, if you really want to use that free cash,
>> so and and maybe we don't get into it fully tonight, but like with the with the road plan, and correct me if I'm wrong, we have a was it a five-year plan? And in one of those years, we had a $500,000 road that is going to be paid for. Right. Correct. So you could
essentially reduce each year 100k and you know what I mean reduce it reduces >> and so then that just comes down to probably some of the parody roads I forget we don't have the list in front of us but I would take some off >> if we can get the same amount done in the five years and we spend 100 grand less a year why don't
>> you put that chart up on the screen again Ryan >> the capital >> which one this one capital plan >> the um so let me ask for income the the expenses >> the school the schools expenses are quite a bit on this
>> um stairs and floors and like that like >> yeah speak to that are those like what what was your impression after you got >> yeah so we brought the school back in to discuss each one of these um >> we vetted them we feel that they are
accurate based on how they were presented to us um >> I don't mean accurate I'm sure they're accurate >> well I'm sure I guess maybe they rather than me. >> No, no, no. >> How bad do they need them? Like Brian, can you speak to it? >> Yeah, Brian might be able to if you want. >> I can definitely speak more to the
stairs than to the flooring. Um, starting with the stairs. So, it is the main staircase from the parking lot where the solar panels are. >> Yeah. >> All the way up. >> Um, the center railing um is no longer >> there and the stairs are basically
starting to corrode. So, to me that is a safety issue. >> Okay. knowing the amount of traffic we have and not just students >> with the flooring. Um, >> from what I recall from Stephen taking
me on one of the many tours, we do have these older parts of the building that have these very ratty carpets with tile underneath and it's a, you know, it's a matter of sprucing things up. >> Is it as critical
>> as the stairs from a safety perspective? No. safety issue. >> It's not >> I think I think it is partly a safety issue. >> I think that we're tripping hazards. >> Okay. But um you know these are impacting individual classrooms that in our older parts of the school just look
>> bad. >> I recall Stephen saying that for the past few year or he's been able to do the repairs himself. It's getting to the point where he cannot >> y >> on the flooring. >> On the flooring. >> And which which HVAC is getting replaced here?
That's um the top number or the bottom number? >> The top number. >> That is the three HVAC units at the school and the one on town hall. >> It's all inclusive. >> All for 145. >> Study the study. >> Get us the 1.1 million. >> Oh yeah, that's right. And you're going
to get a grant from that. >> We have the 1.1 million. >> We have it banked. We just need to >> We need to do a study to get it. So that unlocks. >> All right. So that's one. Okay. >> Yeah. All right. No good answers. I >> I mean, if it was me, I would just
>> It is. >> Well, it's not, but I would I would I would push one cruiser to the right. Just one cruiser a year. That's the policy. I don't care what they say. One cruiser a year. And I would maybe nip even though I'm going against my earlier advice. Maybe nip down the roads a
little. You know, >> I think we should nip down the roads a little bit. I mean, I don't think >> I don't think the town is going to it's going to have a noticeable impact to the town. >> No. like that. >> No, but even still, I mean, what sounds like you take 100,000 anyway, right? >> It becomes a six-year plan, you know,
it's >> Yeah. >> Or maybe it's still a fiveyear plan, but we we've we're getting 500,000. >> Yeah. Yeah. There's one big road we don't have to do now. So, >> um or you do it now knowing that in if
all these things are approved in a few years, people are going to get hit with those with the debt payments coming in. So it's, you know, there's arguments either way. >> I mean, >> I don't think subjectively the top line, the final number with what the 4.5%
the tax bill impact, which is what everybody cares about. >> Yeah. I mean, obviously it's it's north of where you want it to be in steady state, but given all the initiatives that we're doing in deferred maintenance you're
doing, I don't think that's an unreasonable ask. >> No, I I'm I don't love it, but I I'm I'm okay with it. I think it's the fact that you also papered over on top of it $2 million of free cash, right? So, >> you're kind of masking the real in
>> But we always use free cash for cash. I know we do, but this is a lot of free cash. It's all my >> and 300 is is unique to the operating budget. We don't normally do that, but you don't always >> not operating. >> I'm sure we always throw a little free cash at the end.
>> What's the forecast for free cash next year if we do this? >> Do we have an idea? >> I mean, not >> what? >> Not one that I could just calculate. >> No, but I mean, >> well, you probably throw another million trying to generate. And you don't need and you also don't need to keep it 12%.
The the reserves can go down to >> that's David's point is that you start slipping and >> get used to it. I'm telling you it's a drug. I've been in this game a long time and it is a drug and and we have to be careful. >> But you cannot rebuild all the buildings and roads and coverts without
>> without spending money. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> You want to give up one? >> No. It's not that we wouldn't spend it. it certainly would feather in that spend because despite what Travis said we're in such great shape with the budget stuff happens in the out years that we never expected
>> right in great shape with our planning and I think we stick to our planning we will be in good shape long term and I think this is part of that this is that hump couple of years where we're spending more we anticipated it >> as long as we're disciplined and you're
saying you'll never be disciplined we won't >> well no no because we are pretty disciplined But we're a little less disciplined yet than we used to be. But I think that >> but we suffered from that. >> We suffered. Yeah, we suffered. You know, we walked uphill in both places. >> But there's longer term things we we will be looking at
>> that like the regionalization issue. We'll have that at an upcoming meeting opportunity. >> We just can't I mean those we have to continue to push. If if you peeled a little bit out of that, we just talked about a couple of ways you could do that and just spend a little less and and you
know there's climate resilience. There's stuff that's could happen. We have big big snowstorms here. We got >> extra >> we have that spend to deal with, >> right? I'm I'm wicked concerned about like some big wildfire because of climate change. I'm that's like
existential to us and I don't know what the cost would be. So I'm just saying there's we don't be be in a little bit of a less of a rush to spend all the cash. That's my >> and that's you know the view from 20 years on this. >> David, what would be your target free cash thing?
>> Well, I would love it to be >> you know a million but I realize that's probably too draconian. So if you took >> someone from Fincom or NFC trying to make a comment >> or I was Go ahead. Sorry. >> Go ahead Nathan. Um so I I just wanted
to um repeat what I just um heard which is you know we we had been planning for a bubble and this is the beginning of that bubble. Um and you know a lot of things have already been pushed to the right over the last you know nine months
that we've been working on this. Um, but you know, next year we're going to be doing the same thing and and the following year we're going to be doing the same thing because the reason why we've been saving this money is to be able to get through a bubble if we got a bubble. And guess what? We're here. Um,
so, you know, we can we can shave a few things off if we cut a little bit about out of the roads. Um, but I think that, you know, just deferring things is just going to make things worse because it's going to make the deferred things potentially break when we're in the the
the the absolute depth of the budget of the bubble. You know, it it's it's going to get worse over the next few years, right? Um, and so, you know, we need to try to level it out by getting some things done now. And I also just wanted to talk just briefly again about the
town hall. Um so uh those those items are things that you know we need to do and we were going to be proposing them in in the budget anyway. Um you know they have been
kicked down the road since I think the end of my first term on the select board which would be like I what 6 years ago 7 years ago maybe it was second term. Um, and these are things that are just going to fail and we're going to have to do it. What I like about having it, and
this is just my opinion, but what I like about having it as a um, uh, I'm sorry I'm not on video, by the way. I have CO and I don't look good, so I'm not going to go on video. Um uh what I like about having it be, you know, uh the um uh
debt is that it allows us to do it over the two years and um it allows us to do those things that we need to do rather than asking the money for particular projects up front. Um trying to estimate that amount of money um and um having to
react um by going back to town hall if we if we miss on anything. And that is just going to make it take even longer. If we have to do this project by project by project and go to town meeting, it's just going to take longer and so it's just going to cost us a whole lot more money.
>> So th those were my points. >> I agree. >> Thank you, Nathan. >> Oh, I do want to also say something about the the um the cruisers, if I may. Um the uh uh I I support the two cruisers this year. Um, one of the
things the chief has done is he has um, uh, you know, if if you take a look at the two cruisers he wants to replace right now, they're they're both, I believe, right around 100,000 miles. Um, and um, uh, but what he has done since he has come in is he has switched to
less expensive explorers. Um, and he's also always trying to buy where he can last year's model um, because that also saves money. what I worry about if we restrict him to one cruiser is going to be another thing where he, you know, we're we're really going to have to
replace a cruiser in a year or two and then we're going to be right back to we don't have the money to do it. Um, and so it's better to get it done uh now. >> So, I'm sorry. How many cruisers do we have and what's the recapitalization
cycle? >> I think the police chief would need to be here for that. 10. See, 10. >> We have something like seven or eight. Is Victor on the line? Victor, actually, you might know this better than I
>> Nope. >> He's there. >> B for Victor. >> Oh, yeah. Victor, >> it's something like we have eight eight to 10 that are active. Um >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I don't know. Um, James, I haven't worked with the police for a couple
years now, so I'm I'm sure things may have changed, but I think that the whole thing ends up being it it's kind of like the same thing with your maintenance. Um, if you keep pushing it, it's just going to it stacks. So I think when you you we should actually have the chief and I don't know who who has police
right now but there there is a schedule in terms of where when they project these um cruisers to hit a certain certain level and that level is usually when they see a lot more uh maintenance issues. They're out of service more um
and for you and I and I I always share this. I drive my cars so they don't work. Um, that works for me personally because if my car is in the shop for two weeks, I I'll figure it out. You really can't have that necessarily for some of these cruisers because they're obviously being used. So, you know, I think that's
one of the things that that we look at is that that schedule that they have is a reasonable schedule whether we I think this is something I brought up in the last conversation is like given that we don't buy the same things. I think we were buying hybrids at that time. We're
buying different types of um automobiles now or cruisers now. Does that schedule change? Doesn't it change? That was something that we're going to visit and have do an analysis over the summer, but this to James point, you know, this is the typical schedule that we had. And it was scheduled out not so they're
accumulating uh cruisers, but they're replacing them at regular intervals. And typically what happens when they're replaced this interval, they're kind of put into service in nonsafety related um situations. I think they've done things like use the old cruises for either DPW
or some of the other departments is to allow them to to utilize those. So that's that's how they do it. They're not stacking up cruisers um inventory from that perspective. >> Right. And so I just looked it up. There are 10 cruisers and the two that he is
looking to replace um one is 122,000 they both have 122,000 mi and they're both 20 um 2018s. >> Yeah, if I remember correctly and this could have changed. I think they put on about 30 a year um in terms of mileage
if I that was a number of years ago when I when I covered uh police but so that would take those well into 150 if you're one of them to 150 if you're going to delay one of them >> and and a mile is not a mile because
they sit in idle for a long time 100,000 on your car. >> Yeah. And that's why the 100,000 is kind of where they they they find obviously if it's a fully EV EV is electric, then it doesn't idle, it shuts off. But, you know, whether it's hybrid or it's gas
that they're going to idle. >> And what did we do last year on police cruisers? >> Last year was a one year. >> Yeah. So, it's an every the cycle is roughly >> it's every other year. >> Every other year is a double and a single. >> Yeah. And again, we're going to revisit that
with some data this summer, but half a cruiser. >> Buy half a cruiser. >> Buy half one. >> Yeah. I love it. >> Pre fun one. >> The front two wheels. >> Yeah. >> So, in terms of um kind of circling back
on our specific recommendations, one is do we want to recommend a cola tonight or at least give some direction on that and we could recommend it? Do we want to see more information or do we want to just go to a two and a half percent? >> I would go with two and a half%. >> Okay. So, someone want to make a motion
to support a Do we need a motion? We need a We should have a vote >> to support a two and a half% cola for >> uh Yeah. I move that the select board um support u a cola of 2.5% for the FY27
budget. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. Any further discussion or deliberation? >> Yes. So, um, Ryan, the people's adjustments are on a is it everybody at once or is it on their anniversary or what's the cycle at which you adjust
people's salary >> mean steps? >> No. Well, no. Cola >> the cola. >> Uh, it's everybody at once, >> which is what's the at once? July one. >> July one. >> So, this would be for July 126. Everybody would get that. So whatever other little things
>> the wage and salary scale that that is um presented town meeting >> includes the cola that you >> so everybody there will be a two and a half% adjustment to that chart >> the chart and then >> and then everybody move us into that >> okay
want to take a roll call vote or sorry voice vote all in favor I >> opposed eyes have it so that's one piece um I mean you heard some specific feedback back. I don't know if um you want to say something, Travis. Do
you want to digest that and discuss it or >> Well, I want to interject with one thing. So, the MFC had a asked for a contingency or put in its budget a contingency and I think the FINCOM has opted to remove that contingency.
>> Yeah, thanks Travis. that's good for me to to mention to the board is that uh one initiative that we've had this year is decentralized contingencies. So, a number of budgets have small contingencies annually that are in their con in their budgets. Uh and the FinCon Reserve historically has been $150,000
basically as one contingency that we can deploy. Um, what we've tried to do is take these numerous, as Ryan mentioned earlier, contingencies that are in budgets, take them out and move most of them to Fincom's, um, contingency fund.
So, with what you're referencing, uh, Travis, there was an ask for contingency there and Fincom recommended not to have it in there, but with the idea that if there is a contingency needed, FinCom would fund that from our um, from our budget. And so
>> so I and I the question I have is that >> what is the procedure >> for accessing that contingency >> at any point during the year you come to the finance committee we can discuss and vote it. >> Okay there is kind of a timing issue because
if we're working on a project and um it's over budget and we need funding um delaying that for months could >> No, we could we could meet within a week. Yeah. >> And maybe you should, this is Mark Bernstein, Fincom. Uh, you should
mention that we're consolidating uh the contingencies, but the total isn't the sum of we're going to neutral. >> No, no, we're reducing slightly lower >> because the point being not every not all the contingencies are going to >> uh become realities.
>> So there's some probability for each. So you can make the total less than the sum of all the parts. Yes. And you threw the maybe it's going to be greater some other >> well Travis don't don't don't feel >> how much uh what's your oped uh spend >> you recommend >> what do we have in there it's on it's
the standard schedule 250 >> schedule same yeah >> and health board of health so they're hiring a new uh or hired I guess a new director what is it health agent
>> and they have an assistant and she is dedicated or shared >> at the moment dedicated. >> Dedicated. >> And what's the your budget read for next year? >> So, our Linda announced her retirement the day
after they presented to the finance committee their budget request for next year. >> Okay. >> We um we deliberated a lot on this. We sent a letter to the to the board um as a committee and stated that we would not
increase their budget from what their ask was for next year. >> Okay. >> And we will work with their new higher h high hire to lower overall cost in fiscal year 27. >> So we're not cutting their budget this
year, but the plan is we we've put in writing the plan is that we will consolidate resources or find ways to be more efficient. How does the new agent salary compare with current with Linda's? >> It hasn't been presented to us yet. >> So, you don't really know yet. So, what >> No, but if it's if it's 20,000 more,
they need to from what we've stated, they have to find 20,000 in their existing. >> Could we be more prescriptive about sharing the assistant? Because I noticed that in other >> areas, we're pretty good about sharing. >> I think that's that's our goal to work
with this new hire after they're here. But for fiscal year 28, >> I guess I'd be more aggressive and I would request that you work with them now and get 27 >> or maybe in 27.
>> No, I'm now for 27. I I think I'm >> always concerned about sort of institutionalizing a practice that I think is isolationist. >> Yeah. And so I would be more in my opinion I would go at that now and make
sure that it's clear budgetarily and I don't have enough knowledge >> that I think it needs more aggressive approach. >> That's my feel. >> I think also though wouldn't that would I I think we would need to >> I think we'd need to talk a little bit also about kind of like which board is
leading that effort, right? >> I mean is that >> which board is leading that? Yeah. Is that is that something that the you know would fin be talking about the organizational structure or would that be no you're right >> that's one of our issues when we debated that >> but we don't have any data you got to
get us cost data >> like maybe we have to take it I don't know >> cost of >> the cost of the new hire compared with the current and >> I don't know I mean Ryan do you have any statements on how you might share the
aid the assistant >> uh just what I presented them two years ago. >> Well, you could dust that off. What is that? >> That all land use assistance be shared amongst all the departments. >> So, it would be I mean, it's not going to change her salary. It's just going to
be what bucket you put it in, right? If you were to aortion it, I mean, >> it would change the responsibilities of the position, >> right? But from a budgetary standpoint, >> what I'm saying is it >> would be a reduction. It would be a reduction for the board of health site
and it would go somewhere else >> for the town >> because you would avoid a different staffing decision. >> Yeah, we take two full-time positions and make one full-time position. >> Do you have that? Is that a model that works for next year or is it a year away?
>> It's a model that works in every town that's Carile size. >> No, no, I know. But is that a 27 thing could be enacted or a 28 thing? I mean is there a need in 27 if you >> I have sent >> okay >> six emails about this the board of
health no longer responds to my >> I know okay fine but we have the budget hammer right now right so >> if you're asking >> the point is if you I'm worried about in re continuing an institutionalization that says we need all these resources and we don't share >> quite honestly >> so okay
>> information from Patrick just before the meeting um and so he's the one who told me she's starting on February or March 30th Um there also was a number floated around of 108 to 109 but that actually came from Aubrey. Um what else >> it would mean for her salary? >> Mhm.
>> How does that compare with >> that's more right? >> What was the overall board of health budget that they presented? Does anyone remember bottom line number? >> I don't remember dollar. >> Okay. Anyway, >> the number be careful if we don't know what >> the number that they offered was more than what is in the budget for board of
health. So my concern was I read the minutes from the last posted minutes that are available. I think it's January something or other and they want to increase the hours for Janine and Laura and they've offered this person more money.
>> Janine and Laura, they have two others. >> They have a nurse >> also. >> She's only >> So where is this money coming from? So I my message to Patrick was stay inside the envelope. There is no extra give here. So >> that's in line with Yes.
>> our messaging. >> Exactly. >> So the extra hours they were requesting, >> you have not included in the FY27 budget. >> I'm going off memory. I don't believe they asked for extra hours this year. I think Did they? >> Yeah, they did, didn't they? They asked
for another five. >> They asked for extra hours this year. >> I didn't think they did. >> I think this was the first year that I remember that they did. >> Let Nathan speak. >> What did you say, Nathan? I don't think that they did ask for extra hours this year. >> They asked for it in this budget year, FY26, not
>> FY last year. They did for this year, but not for >> and we we we did not include it for 26. Correct. >> Correct. >> Who's the liaison for board of health on? >> Uh Heidi, who I do not Oh, she is on. Heidi.
>> Yes, I'm here. What's the board of health budget? >> Um, I do not know it off the top of my head. >> Oh, okay. Looking at the clock, we're not going to deep dive into the board of health budget tonight. And, you know, I think
>> there's some conversation's been going on about structure and all of this. Um, and so I think we need to decide from a budget standpoint. Obviously, it's difficult without a new person in to have these organizational structure discussions, but we as as David points
out, we don't we want to recommend to the town a budget that reflects an operational model that we think is in the best interest of the town. So, >> without a doubt, >> um I guess the action item would be to from a budgetary standpoint, what would that budget look like for the for the board of health and whatever if you were
to implement the shared model? What are those budget numbers as they compare to the well I mean so there may be a simple path forward um which is the delta I don't want to discuss salaries in public meeting I don't know what's public or not but if there's a delta salary in the
agent then that has to be offset at the assistant I don't know what percentage of the assistant that would be but that's a starting point like cut that one down and make that resource the rest of her salary available to a different department and then let you know I'll
figure That's a that would be a starting piece of data. It's right just math. >> Everything else I presume is sort of in line. So >> you know that's a way to send a message, right? What Scott just said. >> Well, I think sent a pretty clear
message and including like >> yeah, >> you know, we'd support an interim like take the time >> and they they you know, you know, I think they they acknowledge the message, but I think they they preferred to move forward. So, >> so I think it's complicated because the
the board of health of any town, not just Carile, has a certain service level that you'd want to provide. >> Yep. >> So, in Carile, the services are as follows. You have a director and you have an assistant. Then you have a public health nurse that has hours. And
then you have a contracted registered sanitarian. um then they have their regional arrangement and then they have um they have someone doing minutes for them right so you have a whole service delivery package so it's not quite
apples to apples which which is this is what I wanted to discuss with them so if you hired a health agent that had public health nursing or was a registered sanitarian then the total compensation package would be on par with towns that might be bigger >> so if you're paying
thousands of dollars to a registered sanitarian and that's coming in through revenue then that that revenue could be realized and then the salaries offset just like you do with your building commissioner or any other department. So it would be better to look at the overall package so it it gets
misconstrued when people talk to me. I'm not saying that the the director or the assist or anyone is is or is not qualified or is or is not overpaid. It's the service level that should be looked at. So there are most communities our size would have many of those services
wrapped up into one salary so that the town overall would reduce the cost. >> So did is the new agent represent any of that model. >> She >> I not being like I have not been included in this at all.
>> Well, but I mean she's a known person has a resume. I >> they have not been >> she's been announced, right? No. >> No. >> Oh, >> she interviewed publicly, but >> we don't know her name. She interviewed publicly. We don't know her. >> Do you know her name? Yeah. >> So, go on LinkedIn. I mean, are there ways to figure that out?
>> Is a registered um >> you guys are acting like a you know, like data. Let's just get the data. >> Yeah. She can do isn't she a registered sanitarian? >> If you can email the board of health and have them >> you need to email the board of health. I go on LinkedIn. I see the profile and then you go back to the >> David. I'm telling you, if you want
information like that, the board of health is not giving it. They're not. we go to publicly available sources and get it. I don't need to be in second in line to a rogue board. I'm sick of that. I think it's time to get our own data. We got our model, figure our model out,
push the model down. That's it. They they have the choice to come and help us. And if they don't want to, we still have our mission, which I think Scott said very well. >> So, the board health, >> who cares about the board of health? >> Let's find out. He's got you've got an
or thing. We can model that and see what how that impacts >> if she's a registered sanitarian. That's a great suggestion. >> But I would like to I mean >> I don't know if this person is available or what, but I mean I would like to with a new person coming in. >> You'd think you'd think
>> I'd like to you know include them in the discussions if possible. >> Yeah. >> Because I think it's important, >> right? >> All right. >> So anyway, >> so that's that's one item. We have the cola. Um I think we as a a fincom need to at least from a roads and maintenance
standpoint. Do we need a session select board uh to might be think um to schedule agenda item to just look at the road maintenance plan again and see if we can >> that's probably the only >> provide what everybody seems to call us around. >> Provide a specific recommendation in
terms of if we want to bring that down a little bit what that would mean. I think that's on our plate because we've been the ones discussing the plan. >> Great. Um and I probably do we have another meeting scheduled? >> Not a joint one at the moment. >> So we should you know we should have another
cycle once we we've done our respective homework. >> Sounds good. >> Revise the budget and then you're >> it's it's probably the 24th of March. We could have that would be my guess. The
10th might be too soon. May 4th >> because on the time what was the time? >> We might we're going to see if I'll see if we can do the road discussion or our next meeting and give you direction because that's that's probably the biggest line item. >> It didn't take that long. No, >> your next meeting is a >> what?
>> It's tough. >> Well, we can move things around. >> Appreciate that. >> Just to summarize with the MFC, the select board is in support of this. >> Yes. I think it's >> without the with no contingency. Is that
right? >> Correct. >> And and I have no objection as as long as there is a a mechanism for exit for accessing that contingency. >> And my other comment is not that we want to plan this, but this is a year where we expect to have a fall town meeting.
So if there was something catastrophic with reserve, we will have another opportunity in the fall to adjust if we need to. >> Not that we would want to do that, but it helps. and and not that we want to go over the allowed amounts but we just
>> but this is the first year we're consolidating all the reserve and I'm >> the Murphy's law is like >> there's a procedure I have no objection >> I think there's there's several >> and to the to Christine's point about the town hall coming on the thing we
have to communicate these were all planned expenses in the capital plan this we think this is a better strategic approach to address them than doing the year-by-year approach. Um, so I think that needs to be part of the messaging. >> Well, these aren't suddenly we just said, "Hey, let's
>> the other argument is that improvements to town hall will benefit um several years of of residents in town and spreading it out over over several years makes sense. >> Yeah. Okay.
Okay. So, we'll have some action items at the next meeting and then why don't you and I regroup after this discussion just to see if we have all the outstanding items. >> Yep. Sounds good. >> Great. >> So, we'll close our meeting if you're all set. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you.
>> All right. I take a motion to adjurnn our meeting. I >> move we have a second. >> Uh roll call vote. >> I brown Iman. >> Bang. Go.
>> Thank you. >> And I'd like a motion to adjourn the MFC meeting. >> So moved. >> I'll second that. Risso. >> Okay. And um roll call vote. >> I riss. I >> Lurman. I >> Snell I.
>> The eyes have it. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Brian, as well. >> Thanks, guys. Thank you. >> Thanks, guys. >> All right. I think we'll make up some time here at the end. This is a big This is a big All right. >> Yeah.
>> Uh employment agreements. Chief Soros. Ryan, do you want to walk us through that one? >> Health agent. >> Sure. So, I'll uh publicly state the highlights of this new contract proposal with Chief Soros and then show you the draft of the contract. >> Okay. >> So, first the new starting salary for
the chief would be 155,000. This would be a 4% increase from FY26. Um, it's a couple thousand more than the or now 1,500 more than the COLA plus merit that most people get. So, it's it's a it's a reasonable increase to to
a very strong employee. The contract would be extended to his retirement date. He has a mandatory retirement date, so we're not forcing him out out of the door. We take him longer, but he he does have to retire by a certain age. I won't call out his age. Um, and he won't make it in this five-year contract
cycle, which we're proposing. >> Meaning he'll still be not retired in the five years or he will >> he will have to retire with short of the contract term. Yeah. >> Um, just because because it's important the discussions that I've had with Chief Soros are about how we can prepare the
next chief and this board for selection of the next chief in the last years of this contract. So, this is already being discussed in succession and I think it's a good deal to lock someone up and who's willing to do that transition work, which not everybody is. >> This is a huge transition we got to get right.
>> It's a big one. Um, it also includes a 1% merit uh increase after review tied to the review plus townwide cola. So, tied to whatever the town gets. And then the last piece that that he cared about is the ability to receive u full on call
stipens. So this is um something that all the members get. It it's it's nominal compared to all these budget conversations. But the idea that if he's on available and on call then um he would get compensated like anyone else who's available and on call. So the last time we discussed this this is include
it's not a change in the contract but we had talked about him focusing on recruiting and management and that type of thing. Uh he's still doing that. That's not going to change. this isn't doesn't mean he's now the frontline worker, but um he does want to set the stage for our working chief on the in
the transition. So the idea that this would be memorialized is important to him and in the town, I think. So that is that's it. I mean, that's the the major changes in the budget and the contract would reflect that. So, just walk you through any stylistic
changes. Okay, I'm moving quickly, but it's not different than what I just said. So, the the terms would be extended for for five years. It would start in FY27 at a salary of 155,000. He would be tied to COLA and a 1% merit
increase. And then it talks about his hours of work and communicating that uh no change to any of his current benefits that the performance evaluation be done at the direction of the select board.
This is your appointment. Um you usually delegate that to me, but that doesn't have to be. And that uh we would have that done timely so that he would have his his raise if it's justified and if we don't do it timely that he gets the raise anyway, which is which is common in these contracts.
that he has the right to comment on any performance discussion, which everybody has. A lot of this um language I worked out with town council, but it's tied to the strong chief law. So, if you have any disciplinary issues, it has to follow the law anyway. So, this contract
matches that and that's it. So, um, a very reasonable negotiation and compensation package for a for a very strong employee. >> I did want to ask and I think I told you ahead of time, does this mimic our new policy though with like bereavement
because I noticed the bereavement dates and times are maybe different. >> No, but we can match them as long as it doesn't change any of the >> But I do believe that it is similar. this >> cuz when we did it the last time that was an important talking point.
>> Okay. I just like trying to get all everyone even these >> right >> I thought the reason you have a contract is because they do have a separate set of terms. They're not >> true standard. >> True. They can negotiate them but but we'd like to start with our standard at least. >> Yeah. That's not quite true. You may
have some special terms but you we try to make most of the terms consistent. >> Okay. You're getting there. Sorry. No, we're good. >> Um, just one thing. So, about the performance review, so um,
have you has that been happening since you came on board? >> Okay. Because it's not something that's then have you been reporting that to us to the select board? >> I can send them to you if you want. If I haven't and if I didn't, that was an accident.
>> Yeah. I don't remember talking or at least public. No, I don't remember actually receiving it. >> We talked about I recall that we talked about performance reviews of both chiefs >> and we said and we >> we punted but I don't know if we I think
it would be valuable for us to just see them. >> I can send you last year's and this year's >> I mean are they public documents? >> No. >> So that's a problem because if you let us see them they become >> I can send them to you >> confidentially. You can't deliberate or bring them public. >> Right.
>> Okay. All right. That's fine. >> Um and and similarly the goals is that that's something you work out with the chief. >> Yeah. >> And so similarly it'd be useful to know what those goals are
>> for the coming is it a is it fiscal year or calendar year? >> Calendar year for goals. >> Yeah. And that's also not a public document. >> That can be >> that can be. Yeah. So >> in fact I plan on putting together all of the town's >> Yeah. town employees goals into a presentation just highlights. I won't give you every one of them.
>> That would be a good idea. So you you have a the two chiefs hardline report to you or just the police chief hardline and the fire chief doubted. >> So you've delegated the management of those employees to me. They're your appointments.
The only difference is uh I am also the manager of all the police employees but not any of the fire employees. But except for the one chief though, >> right? >> By us delegating, does that mean he is your report? >> Yes. >> And you discussed that with both of
them. So >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean, it'd be good to see the documents, I think. But that's fine. Seems like I mean, Brian's doing a great job. >> Yeah. >> Should we make a motion or what do we do? >> Yeah. What do you need from us? Um, if
you approve the contracts as presented or the contract >> parameters of the contract as presented >> with the ability to make um legal or administrative changes that match that intent, >> do we need to vote it or just tell you that >> you do need to vote it?
>> Yeah. So, what we're we're not talking about the one in the packet then. We're talking about the one you just put up with the >> Okay. So, we um uh let's see. I move that the select board approve the um
contract for Chief Sorrowos uh as presented tonight. Um and what's what's the language about allowing >> authorized me to sign it and to make sure that it's legally valid? >> I'm sorry. What was the first part? Sign
that you would sign it. >> Okay. and uh we authorize the town administrator to sign it and make sure that it's um >> by town council. >> Second. Any further discussion or
deliberation? >> Seeing none, we'll do a voice vote. All in favor? >> I opposed. >> Motion passes. Thank you, Ryan. And >> thank you, Chief. Ryan. Yep. >> All right. Roll right into the TA
report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is my town of Michigan report for tonight, February 24th, 2026. Uh, I will say my it was my first coffee hour, this last one in February, where I didn't have a visitor >> and I had my I had my kids there and
they were convinced that I lie that anyone ever comes to them. >> No, >> that was I brought my kids and they were like, "No one ever wants to talk to you." And they they were able to confirm that. >> Did you have donuts though? >> Uh, I didn't. >> Oh, man. See? >> Yeah. So, in March, after we publicize
all this budget information, I expect more people. We're going to host a town hall March 24th at 10 a.m. >> Bring donuts. >> Advertise donuts. >> I'll have some. >> Also, you know, you might get some people if you had said your children were going to be there. >> They uh they sat with me for a second
and immediately found a computer >> library and played games. For department updates and information, we've narrowed down some fall meeting dates for your consideration. uh either April oh April wow October 18th to 20th is a range um
or November 29th to December 1st those are the dates that don't conflict with anything at the school >> that's giving that's not great >> and we've got um we're going to have election some elections in November correct >> beginning of
>> the midterms. Yeah. >> Yeah. So >> would it be better to for um from that standpoint to go with the November date a so it's after the elections? >> Why is that? >> Unless we have unless fire station gets kicked to October in which case you
might have a question on the ballot, >> right? Oh yeah. So October 18th and then and a November 3rd election. >> Well, yeah, it's true. I guess you Yeah, that's an argument for having it. Yeah, I I I would prefer the October because >> November 29th
>> that's after Thanksgiving >> beginning of holiday season. That's not great. It's just not great. So I would my preference would be >> that early October before. >> Now are we going Sunday? Is that the >> So we reserved >> the 18th through the 20th. So you could
do Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. That's the whole range. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> We don't have to decide that tonight but that's the >> kids kids athletic event. Well, kids extracurricular events are typically Saturdays, right? >> Yeah, typically Saturdays. >> So, Sunday is the 18th. >> Yeah.
>> Monday night would be 19. >> So, yeah. I mean, that seems like around What did we What was last year's >> was later. >> November 2nd. >> Yeah. Right before Veterans Day, right? So, early November. >> Yeah. But, I mean, beyond that, that's kind of the outer. >> No, I think Yeah, I think you get beyond that, you're
>> Yeah, you're going to have trouble then. So, I mean that would be my preference would be that you said >> I think the 18th is good. Sunday format worked really well. >> Yeah. And that's >> good time of year. >> We don't have to >> warm apple cider. >> Cider and donuts. >> Cider and donuts.
>> Yeah. >> If we tell people the range, it'll they can start their planning at >> I would I would I mean I would >> You're going to have to back up the bylaw dates on that one. Like people are going to need their bylaws done by like >> August, end of August. >> Yeah. Uh,
>> that's why it's important because once town meeting's done, you have June, July, August. >> Yeah. >> To be ready for the fall. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Like people need to >> So, well, it sounds like we're ready to >> Yep. >> choose the October date. >> Why did we say I was
that? Why not the 25th? >> October 18th. >> Yeah, >> it was 18 to 20. >> Oh, the school wasn't available on the 25th. >> Those are the two dates the school's available. >> So, Barney, why is your calendar out? You're going to be at uh >> come back as a non voting.
>> Yeah. Come on. You're going to be having a cocktail at Fiorella. >> Sit. You're going to sit in the other section. That's right. You're not recognized. >> You're going to be at the Colonial Inn having an oldfashioned. >> She'll be still be in the Conquer Town meeting. I'll be on six.
>> Yeah. >> I'm not ready for that. >> All right. So, do you need something from us? >> I don't. I'll take that as a >> Okay. >> As a win. All right. Transfer station sticker enforcement begins in earnest on March 3rd. We heavily advertised this. There there is a very small grace
period, but the intent is that um people should have handled their stickers by now and now we start turning them away as part of this conversation we had tonight. Enforcement does help. It's not meant to be punitive. It's just that >> yeah, >> if you haven't gotten your sticker by now, you should. And uh sometimes it can
reveal some problems. So >> too cold to scrape the old one off my windshield and put the new one on. So, is that what has to Yeah, you have to take the old one off, right? >> Yeah. >> To put this new one on. Yeah. >> I mean, it's been so cold. I I just need to do it, but it's so cold. It's like
>> So, you could go online right now and uh the sticker would be mailed to your home. >> No, he's got the sticker. He just hasn't put it on. I'm >> saying it's easy. >> All right. You were presented uh some budget updates. Just for those who are listening or looking for information, budget draft 2 will be posted or the
presentation will be posted on uh the town website. and now enters the last bit of deliberation hopefully resulting in a consensus budget for town meeting in the next month. You can find that on the town administrator's page under budget information. For capital projects, we continue to work through
submitts for the elevator project that's going to start when the school year ends. So, it's coming up, but after town meeting, the BA town hall bathroom renovation project is mostly complete. We need to do final touches, punch list, and fixtures. So, that's uh good. We got
through a major project there for cemetery mapping and software. This is on hold because we're under several feet of snow now, but they will continue continue that project. It was known that it would continue into the spring. For CPA projects, the Diamond Park study
continues. Uh they are communicating with me regularly as they work with Lula Studios to design that park. You should probably see something this summer and then that'll become part of deliberations either the fall or the spring for a renovation at that park.
Cranberry bog dam number one. All right. So, um this is the dam that never goes away. So, the initial findings from the ground penetrating radar indicate significant burrowing and structural damage to the dam. That was known, but it's even more than than we thought. So, as a result, the contractor wants a dam
engineer to look at it and to identify where >> those dam >> where to do um any repairs, which leads us to the question, we were doing the emergency repair, then phase one and phase two. Is it still an emergency? Can we just skip to phase one and start
phase two? So, we are trying to find a dam engineer to uh oversee this project and and help us figure this out. >> So, well, you've asked several questions at one. Is there an emergency? I can't answer that. But then were we going to ask for emergency funding this town
meeting or >> we have funding for the project? >> We have funding. >> What we don't have is a is a good plan. >> Okay. >> Well, we have a good plan. >> Is there enough money to go to phase one right to phase one? >> We think so. >> Okay. And it's CPA money or some other money >> approved a couple years ago.
>> Okay. Yeah, we'll do that. >> So, the conservation commission's overseeing this and we're working it through. Um, it's an important project. remember there was sink holes and closing of it. That's why we're looking at the emergency repairs, but we want to make sure it's an efficient project and done correctly.
The hydrarology studies which would help us understand phase two of the dam project are also nearing completion and we should get that this spring to help make it one big decision. The boghouse affordability um affordable housing feasibility study continues and there'll
be more information presented to you in the leadup to town meeting. Moving on to our large building construction projects. The library renovation will be put out next week and and advertised next week. This will give you the numbers for that big project, what's needed for construction and
contingency and will inform that CPA funding request that is on placeholder for the annual town meeting. There's also two important MSC projects, the expansion of the mechanical room and the library coil replacement. Both have been funded and approved. So, we're hoping to move all these projects right after town
meeting when all the funding is secure. But is the choice of OPM and all that is that up to the library because they mostly self-funded or is it up to >> they're already done >> up to the library and we've already done that as long. >> So what's what do we have to do? What's left to do then?
>> Uh vote for the gap in funding. >> Okay. >> Or not. And if you do vote for it, the project begins. >> So then we're done. It's >> at town meeting. Not >> at town meeting. Not at the Oh, no. I get that. Okay. >> Assuming the bids come in where we think they will. police station renovation.
Um, I sent you a note that's that said the project is moving a couple months to the right. Not unexpected with the the winter we've had. In the meantime, interior work continues. Your PSBRC chair, Suzanne Spinny, is working on the furniture part of the project. She's
volunteering to a lot of her time to make sure this project's right. She has expertise in that. So, we do appreciate that. >> It looked like the end of August. Is that when I think it's going to be finished? >> End of August for completion. So, uh, once the weather turns, it won't be that far away. >> Yeah.
>> For the fire station renovation, the, um, >> the committee met with your design and design team met, your committee met with their design team, uh, this week, Monday, to review the initial costs, and you will get an update on all of that and a full presentation on March 10th.
um they're working through the costs that are that are that are higher than anticipated and the value engineering and all the discussions that's going to get you to a number and all of that will be presented to you for um for final thoughts before you bid the project um
and bring it to town meeting. So, we're still on time. Obviously, that can change and there's a lot that has to go right still, but right now we are on time and and looking at the annual town meeting for a vote. The DPW building committee is starting their designer selection process that we're meeting
tomorrow to finalize the designer selection RFQ that'll go out to bid and then they'll start interviewing firms to present a design cost for annual town meeting. >> So that will be a year behind the fire
station. Some upcoming discussion topics for you. You know we're working on personnel policies. You know Senator Barrett's coming at the end of March to talk to you. might be a good time to poke about state aid and some of these uh capital funding projects like roads. Um we're going to continue working through your budget and town meeting
like presentations tonight like you got from the assessors so you understand every warrant article. Police and fire chief contract should be finalized and then uh this has been shared pretty publicly now but representatives from conquered will be joining you at your next meeting to discuss exploring a um
dispatch regional arrangement. >> That's great. So this would be an initial discussion and if you authorized it, it would be a study to see whether or not conquered could support additional towns like Carile or Lincoln are the two that have been identified.
Um I notified all the department heads that are involved here and they'll probably be here as well and this will be your first discussion. So this does not mean you're regionalizing or that there's some vote on regionalization coming. This would be a year-long study for you to understand what would or would not need to happen and what the
costs might be. >> Shared services. >> Yes. >> Not regionwise. >> Be a host agreement with conquered. >> Use the R word. >> We approved a couple Rotary signs and they you can kind of see them in the
snow. Um hopefully it'll melt by the time they're out there. And I want to just uh quickly recognize some staff. So, you saw some boxes as you were walking in, but for the third consecutive year, Aubrey has secured a a Maya wellness grant to bring things that help with morale and safety and health
of town employees. Uh the idea is that it would it would increase health outcomes, lower those health insurance costs. This year's award funded standing desks and chairs, which you will take advantage of as we we look to replace these. And uh the main thing
>> we have to stand next to >> thanks to the um >> hand gestures. >> Thanks to a meeting we had at the DPW to to engage with our employees. We're also going to replace their chairs too because I I think they got most of theirs from the swap shop. So we're going to give them some nice chairs. >> They have worse chairs than you. That's the one.
>> My chair had they forced me to replace my chair as well because it's it's not great. Okay. Uh other initiatives, she brought the school in town together for lunch. Um it was a wellness lunch that we all participated in together and those water bottles remember to reduce
plastic use and and help hydrate our town employees. So good grants. Also uh I just want to take a a moment to recognize Julie Mercier and the planning staff. So this month and it's in this report the Massachusetts Attorney General's office approved our MBTA zoning overlay district. So this was the
final step in our compliance as an MBTA community. Um while the MBTA process was lengthy and challenging and there was lots of thoughts about it, Julie invested a significant amount of time during that consistently going well and beyond her hours to make the process public and um with a lot of information
fostering a lot of discussion. So now that that effort is complete, I'd like to thank Julie and her staff for for their work and their passion and professionalism during during that difficult process. Um and you all remember it, so you know what I'm talking about. >> Yes. I put dates coming up for you for
the rest of the year. And Barney, that last meeting is you're no longer going to be there anymore. >> June 30 >> or June 9 or any of those June >> 3rd after the town election >> after June 3rd like bye-bye. >> David's still up in the air. We'll see
if he pulls papers. >> You're up in the air because you think you're getting pressed to run again. >> No. >> Okay. So the next uh the next board meeting you're going to have a meeting with the safety committee potentially the fire station design you're being noticed
about a ZBA zoning article but it won't be presented and then you're going to have that shared services discussion with conquer. So it's going to be a meaty meeting like tonight was and hopefully very productive. >> It will be. >> That is my report unless there's any questions. >> I have two comments or two additional things. Reminder, Benfield tour tomorrow
9:00 a.m. It's on the February at Penfield. >> At Penfield. Yeah. And then um just to follow up, uh Gretchen had sent out a note um we're going to approach the volunteer code or the volunteer code of conduct in the same manner as we did um
>> personnel policy. So Gretchen will be the point person on that one. So she's asked you all to schedule a meeting with her by the end of March to provide your feedback so that she can um incorporate that into a draft which hopefully we can review and approve. um prior to the end
of the session. >> If I get anything to eat in here, right? >> Yeah. >> So, I'm not able to make the Benfield tour tomorrow. My company went has sent me to a meeting with the uh Office of Economic Development, Eric Paley, tomorrow morning. I have to be in Boston.
>> So, I'm sorry. Paying job takes priority here. But, um >> take notes. Let me know what you know. >> And you know, it would be very easy for you to get a tour of Benfield separately. That's what I'm thinking. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Just let me know who I
>> Someone that's going to take us around who lives there. >> She'd be glad to take you. >> She'd be glad to take you >> if you want. I'll share her contact information. >> That'd be great. Thank you, Barney. >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you. Uh we'll close out with any final community input from
anyone online. Seeing none, I'll take a motion to adjurnn. >> So move. >> Voice vote. All in favor? >> I. >> Great. Thank you. >> Thank you. Well done.