WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=5pluvcHDJbc

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: 5pluvcHDJbc):
- 00:00:04: Meeting Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
- 00:00:52: Ratifying Vote: Removal of Burnt Property on Water Street
- 00:05:28: Approving Meeting Minutes from April 13, 2026
- 00:06:00: Closing Council of Aging for Historical Society Visit
- 00:07:03: Disbanding the Fire Station Building Subcommittee
- 00:08:09: Roadway Complaint: Railroad Tracks at Forge and Malibone
- 00:09:14: Public Comment: Steve Rogers, Roadway Complaints
- 00:10:01: Public Comment: Chuck, Roadway Drainage Issue
- 00:12:40: Discussion: Prohibiting Parking on Rich Hill Road
- 00:17:45: Public Comment: Trash Buildup, Innovation Way Issue
- 00:20:44: Public Comment: Parking Concerns and Sidewalk Access
- 00:25:30: Prohibiting Parking 6PM-6AM on Rich Hill Road
- 00:29:12: Declaring Highway Barn Trailer Surplus for Scrap
- 00:30:51: Rebuilding Trailer Discussion
- 00:31:54: Approval: Fire Hydrant Repair Replacement Agreement
- 00:32:52: Awarding Fire Station 2 Paving Improvement Bid
- 00:36:26: Approval: Fire Station 2 Paving Improvement Agreement
- 00:36:59: Approval: Agreement for Fiscal Year 2027 Winter Sand
- 00:39:10: Acknowledging Fire Department Reserve Fund Transfer Request
- 00:39:57: Approving Conservation Land Purchase: Zero Richmond Road
- 00:41:48: Approving Conservation Land Donation: Elijah Pierce Wood
- 00:42:53: Retiree Health Insurance Contribution After July 1, 2027
- 00:46:09: Previous Votes Concerning Health Insurance Discussion
- 00:49:24: Future Summer Concert Series and Next Steps
- 00:54:15: Discussion: Responsible Selectman on Social Media
- 00:57:19: Public Comment: Cheryl, Regarding Social Media Archiving
- 01:03:33: Social Media Engagement: Further Discussion and Options
- 01:14:47: Opening, Finalizing, and Closing Town Meeting Warrants
- 01:27:38: Approval: Fiscal 2027 Omnibus Budget Discussion
- 01:29:16: Adopting Warrant for June 8, 2026 Special Election
- 01:30:36: Approval: Absentee Ballots Update, Tax Impacts


Part: 1

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All right, with it being 6:06 p.m. and a quorum being present, like to call the free town board select meeting on May 4th, 2026 to order. This meeting will be recorded and posted on the town's YouTube channel. And before we begin, is anybody else recording this meeting?

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Seeing none, let's do it. All right, we will not enter session. We'll continue moving forward. All right, I'm looking for my paper and let's uh get together and all stand up and do the pledge of allegiance. >> All right. All right. I pledge

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allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Right. Love it. >> All right. Let's move on to agenda

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number one. Discussion. ratified vote to take down the property located at 42 water street at Sony Mass that was burnt down once legal opinion approves town to move forward with removing the building from 429 2026 Debbie any insight on this?

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>> So this is just to ratify the decision the decision that was made at our last meeting because it was an emergency and it wasn't um properly posted on the agenda. We didn't we didn't know this was going to happen within 48 hours of posting the agenda. So, this is we're just ratifying the decision that was

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made at the last meeting um which the selectman voted to move forward with knocking the building down. The building has been knocked down. It is sitting there um uh on piles on the property. It now needs to be tested for asbestous and

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then we'll have the reports and then that'll dictate what has to happen next. Uh, I did have somebody call today that has some affiliation with the prior owner, you know, who passed away. We don't know. We don't really know the legal status. We know that the owner

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passed away. We don't know. Supposedly, it's in probate, but I've asked for those documents. Haven't gotten them. Um, so at this point, I think the emergency is over. The safety concern has been addressed, you know, because it's down in piles. There's a temporary

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fence around that. So, I think at this point the town's duty to protect the residents has done and we will wait to see what the whoever emerges as responsible for the property. Um, and and maybe we'll put a timeline. I was

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talking to Carl today. Maybe we put a timeline that we leave it, you know, with those piles for so long and then if they don't get taken care of by the proper owner, which we don't know who that is, then we move in. But for now, we've done what we need to do to

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mitigate the danger. So, I don't think that we need to do anything further at this point. >> The asbestous, you said they're already testing it for them. >> We are testing it. We have to we have to leave the piles on the ground for like two weeks. Then we have to they have to come we have to they're covered right

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now. We'll have to have a machine like dig in the pile. They'll take some samplings out of the middle of the pile. Then that will get put back and covered back up. I think also that uh Carl did say that they put a silt sock and and uh uh silk

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fence just to protect you know every you know the surrounding area. So again, I think we've mitigated the emergency safety concern and at this point now we we'll sit a little bit to see uh who

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emerges to um claim ownership and see what we can do. We will be uh placing a lean on the property for the cost that we have uh for doing the work that we have done >> and that's where we're at. So >> I drove by Sunday. There's also a

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vehicle. Was that included in the fire as well? Looked like a path like a SUV. I >> think it was burned up as well. So >> I did see like a tub and everything else. So it it looked like, you know, it looked like it was torn down. So I'm glad that we got done right away. >> As far as the fence is piled, do we have

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any signs saying don't touch, don't come near the fence around it? >> Right. I saw the fence, but I don't I don't remember seeing any signs saying possible asbestous. I just don't want kids asbestous. But I think I mean it says probably stay out but I can ask Carl. I think there's caution tape

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around there. I can see what you know no trespass signs possibly. >> Thanks. How's the time? >> Make sure it's properly signed. >> Yeah. As long as we keep the proper thing. Make sure that everyone's aware of what's going on. Like look at that photo that it's not there anymore. Beautiful property. Um it's unfortunate

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that it happened but >> All right. Well, I'm glad town took care of this and now it's uh the >> owners. I'm going to ask you to ratify the vote that you actually took at the last meeting to approve the town to move forward with taking the building down.

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>> Thank you. All right. I entertain motion to ratify the vote uh to take down the property located at 42 Water Street in Sen, Massachusetts that was burnt down due to a fire. Uh legal opinion has come through. Everything is all set. We've got everything in place. Um and this vote was taken on 429 2026.

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>> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? Hi. >> Hi. >> All right. Thank you for everyone involved taking care of the building. I know you have a hand there, Debbie, and as well as Carlton Carlton. Carl um is there for the building department. >> All right. Item agenda two, discussion of order to approve the media minutes

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from 4:13 2026. And I assume like everybody else, we we had a time to review it. Any concerns, opinions, or comments for the for the meeting minutes? No. >> Looked everything was in order. Thank you for our meeting taker to put them in there. Everything looked good.

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Um maintain a motion to approve the meeting minutes from 413 2026. >> Motion made me >> second. >> All in favor? I >> I. >> All right. Number three. Discussion. Vote with to close the council of aging on June 11th, 2026 at

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11:00 a.m. for staff to assist with senior visit to the historical society. All right. Well, I'm glad everyone's getting out taking a look what we have to offer here in town. We got a letter an an email from Rebecca asking to uh to tour the grounds and they want to shut

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down make sure that they have ample staff to assist. Anybody have any concerns or comments? >> No, I love it. >> So, I think it's great getting the seniors out there and taking a look of Have you guys been in there recent recently? >> It it's been a few years. >> It's been a couple years. Yeah, I have.

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>> You know, you know, maybe we should do a a selector meeting over there once one day kind of take a look at everything so people can see it on camera. Mhm. >> What do you guys think? Down the road, we'll talk about it. >> All right. Maintain a motion to close the council of aging on June 11, 2026 at

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11 a.m. for for the staff to be able to assist with senior visit at the historical site. >> Motion me. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I thank you, gentlemen. >> All right. Uh moving on to item agenda four, discussion and vote whether to disband the fire stations building

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subcommittee effective 55206. That is tomorrow. All right. Well, building's done. I I believe you were on it, Jared. >> I was. Yes. >> Um and everything is up. >> Still am technically right until tomorrow. You You're 25 years to go. >> Um and you agree with this, I assume.

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Right. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean the the project's done, right? So there's no no point of keeping it open. It's just making more appointments and more work for other people. And >> the more we can take away from that, >> yeah, >> they'll be happy people. >> I agree. Yeah, it was it was a a it went as smoothly as it could be, I guess. you

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know, a couple hiccups here and there like any other project, but um I think you guys did a good job. >> Yeah. >> So, so congrats on finishing that project. >> All right. Well, >> can't take much of the credit, but >> right though, you and the whole committee. >> All right. Well, if if no quorums there,

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let's do it. Uh I a motion to disband the fire station subcommittee effective tomorrow 55 2026. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All right. Number five, a discussion on complaint on roadway by railroad tracks at 79 Forge and Malibone on route sorry

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on Route 79 Forge and Melbourne roads. >> All right. >> This is the this is the the section of the roadway that the MBTA uh reconfigured when they put in the railroad a couple years ago. It was already failing last year. If you remember, there was a pothole that I

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brought to the board and I I you know got the MBTA reluctantly to fix the roadway and it's failing again and I know Mr. Rogers has complained and then Chuck is also here on this and the picture doesn't show it as much. If you

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zoom in you can see all the cracks and all of the um the roadway deteriorating there. I have reached out to Miss Fox um to tell her that the road again is falling apart that that the contractor most likely didn't do his job correctly

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and she said she'd look into it. >> Okay. And how ago was this that recent or >> that was last week or the week before? >> It's every um the one on Forge Road. >> Sir, before you begin, could you just say your name for the records? >> Thank you, sir. >> Um the one on Forge Road, they passed

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twice already. That's uh the scenes are opening up. the one on 79 in Beachwood in front of Bobby Bham's mother's house. I can't think her last name. It's all depressed. So, I'm not sure if it's um if it's design issue, if it's uh

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installed incorrectly, but um my biggest concern was when this goes away, who's paying for it? Uh we pay for the town. What's the warranty on the workmanship or is it, you know, design flaw? Obviously, the one there with the drainage, I think they put that in after the fact. We all know that when Chuck's

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father had that property, the water ran off the hill there when we were kids. So, uh, it's probably Chuck's fault. Um, so right now the catch basin is probably two inches higher than a depression in front of it. >> So, if that goes to the winter, we're going to have an ice issue there. Um, sorry,

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>> Chuck, you look at this picture. What do you think about if this doesn't get fixed? What's your What's your idea here? >> Well, I've talked to the engineers last time we were out there before they fixed it the last time. I think a sub drain at the toe of that slope, in other words, the bottom of the slope, that's just

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groundwater that leeches out of that banking and it's always going to leech. So, I said, if we put a subdrain in and tied the there's a catch basin there, there's a further catch catch basin >> further down the road. If you tied those together basically to catch the water

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before it hits the road, I thought that would be a helpful thing. the engineer disagreed with me and he's the engineer and I'm just a highway bum. Um, ultimately the railroad owns that. That's that's in their layout. If it

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falls apart tomorrow, it's ultimately their responsibility. Uh, it would be nice. Hopefully they step up and come up and and look at it again. All the all the spots. Um, >> so they just own that one spot. They own

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certain distance outside each crossing at every roadway. >> I think every every every um crossing is at least a 30 foot layout. So they own um >> let me maybe you guys should take a look. They're all they're all pretty bad. That one on 79 in front of Burhams

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is really bad. It's going to unravel and like when's it going to stop, you know? Um that was my biggest concern. My granddaughter's going to have to go to school here. My kids going to have to pay taxes and hopefully be able to afford it. We'll do our best to keep those taxes low. Uh but no, it's let's reach out to

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Miss Fox again and and let her know that >> Do you want me to draft a letter from the board of selectmen? >> Yes, please. >> requesting that they look >> I think I think a meeting to look at all of these whoever your town engineer whoever you you know to make sure we're protecting our interests because they're all there's there's issues at all of

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them. >> Depends how far you want to. So, so basically, yeah, cuz you're saying, "Hey, we're going to do this. It's just a patch." And it's just, you know, to Chuck's point, if they do, >> they patched it once, they patched Ford Road once or twice, and they're still settling. So, >> until they do something to mitigate the

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water from even coming into the area, it's going to continue to happen. >> I don't know if they're going to do that without putting some type of wall there. But, >> yeah. >> Right. We'll take a look at it since they own it and then uh take it from there. >> Just hold them hold their feet to the fire and pressure on them. >> Awesome. Appreciate it. >> You're welcome. Thank you, Steve, for bringing our attention. Thanks, Chuck,

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for being here. watch it. >> There's no vote on it, but that's a discussion and we'll we'll we'll jump on people. >> You want a vote there to have me draft a letter to the MBTA and Miss Fox regarding the condition of the roadways? >> Sure. >> At the crossings. >> Oh, all awesome. Right.

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>> Yeah. All crossings, but in particular this one, which I've, like I said, I've already emailed her, but I think a letter from the board of selectman. We'll carry more weight than my email. >> Okay. Absolutely. Let's do that. I intend motion to draft a letter to the MBTA regarding the railroad crossings and this crossing particular Forge and

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um Malone and get to see what we can do to get it to rest. Motion made >> second. >> All in favor? I >> I number six will be discussion and vote whe to prohibit parking on Rich Hill Road and Campanelli Drive. I believe

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this discussion we've had in previous years and when you see things like that I can see why we were having the discussion once again. So although it's it is kind of not not really it's it's it's tra the road is traveled but it

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it's well it's traveled but not as as often as other roads. It but that right there becomes a not just a hazard but it's unsightly as well. Um, if you can't do that kind of parking and all the other streets in town, you certainly can't do it here. So, it doesn't look like in this photo that it impedes

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traffic, but I can tell you from doing the events down there, especially the parade and things like that, it's in the way. And some of those vehicles are just either leaking or sometimes they leave the trailers behind it. It becomes a a pain for not just the neighbors, but the employees in that area as well. But

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>> I mean, that should be a violation already and you could get ticketed, right? There's no I don't believe there's any parking signs there. I don't >> Well, I mean, they're on a sidewalk, though. >> So, the I was about to say the only the only issue to me at that point right now with what I see is they're on a sidewalk, right? So, you're impeding the sidewalk.

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>> Um the the roadway at this point is free to park on, right? So, I mean, hence, I think why we're we're having this decision tonight. >> So, from talking to Chief Rose, >> it it becomes I think there's a signage issue at that area and other areas in Longtown as well, right? So, it's a good

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conversation to have about parking in town in general, but for this area, I don't think there's any parking. So, there's really no parking signs. It's very hard to enforce a law, right? Um, so I think our one of our first steps is to enforce the parking. And I'm pretty sure he's going to suggest adding signage there and notifying the

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businesses in the residence. Hey, this is part of the no parking. But that leads into a bigger discussion about no parking around town. Some of our signs are outdated. You can't see some of them, right? Um, Chuck, you probably see them more often than we do because you drive around town pretty often. Um, it's

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not a it's not one of those right away we have to fix right away, but it's one of those discussions we need to have as far as where do we because we we're in charge of parking, right? We enforce it. Well, we tell the police to enforce it, but there are areas that probably use a refresh, right? So, but for this one in

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general, I I think that's a a a good thing to do is just remove parking from that area. Well, I mean, if they have CDLs, I don't think they need a sign to know they can't park on a sidewalk. >> I I >> You know what I mean? And then if the police go down there, write tickets for parking on the sidewalk, it's going to

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be about four or five times the amount of one of our parking tickets is going to be. >> Yeah. >> They might just leave. They might just pay the whatever our pocket tickets are now, $15 instead of the $100 fine for doing that. May. >> Well, that's a discussion there. >> I think if we I think if we change it to

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no parking and and just leave it at that, they'll just take the fine and leave it there. But if we send the police down there to ticket them for parking on the sidewalk, which again goes would go against their CDL as well. I think we might want to try that option first.

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>> Yeah. And I I'm not opposed to it. I just think that the police did give some push back about this, right? And that's why we're we're sitting here right now. Yeah. about what what to do and how to handle it and having the proper signage. So that's >> you probably shouldn't put no parking

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signs on the road going in. There's a lot of trucks that come in to say Excel. They go all the way up to the end, go around the culde-sac, and they come back down and they line up to >> the stage to get >> the stage to get into Excel. If you stop

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putting no parking signs on the right hand side going in, how you going to have to >> be on Main Street? Yeah, you you don't you don't want people backed up on Main Street and wanting to get around that corner and up into that roadway somehow.

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>> Those are those Sorry. Are those vehicles occupied? There's people in them. >> No. So that automatically right there takes it, right? There's no in it to have a nice >> They park all over the time to leave the vehicles behind, right? Sometimes days, weeks at a time. And that's what that's what the problem we don't want. Right.

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The other >> this is what I was going to lead into was though my only fear is is there's you know only so many places to put them and and I'm not not defending this. Don't take it as that is I'm worried about that they're going to be out onto Main Street >> and then we're dealing with a whole

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another issue. >> They'll go up to Alexander. >> Well, maybe they should organize their taken in stuff a little bit better. >> And listen, I'm not, like I said, I'm not defending what's happening. I'm just saying that I'm thinking of >> the other the other issue to the whole thing is they go up to run their

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culde-sac they throw all their trash out there on on the side if you look at it it's it's filled with trash now all over in there. >> Mhm. Yeah. And some areas are starting to look like a lot like innovation way and when we go there and clean it up with park they pocket the ro that rotary at the top and they have their lunch and

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stuff and then they just throw all the trash out the window. Well, it sounds like, you know, if it's for business use, I don't see an issue if they're there during the day for business use, right? But the business closed at, let's say, 5:00, there shouldn't be any overnight parking. They definitely shouldn't be leaving there

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any vehicles overnight. So, is this a parking issue or is it an overnight parking issue? >> There was a trailer parked there. There was a trailer parked there for months and months with a reefer run in front of it. It wasn't hooked to a tractor or anything. It's just a trailer park. And I mean, you can't walk the sidewalk because they got all their trucks all

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parked on the side. You want to park in the road? Go ahead and park in the road. But then you don't they don't have enough room evidently to get by. >> So that's why they park on the sidewalk. I mean, you can see there's no grass anymore between the sidewalk and the street, right? >> Because they just tore that all up. >> Well, per our own parking in vehicles

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and traffic 263-3 parking. You can't park on a sidewalk. can pop up on any public way or roadway within 10 feet of a fire hydrant or which which is common sense upon any roadway within 20 feet of an intersection upon any roadway unless the vehicle wheels on the vehicle are

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within 12 inches of a curb or the roadway. So we have certain things in place but >> it doesn't speak about unattended vehicles though right >> the unattended vehicles the thing >> now it really gets more concerning >> so is this a parking issue or is this

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well I guess it's both right >> the parking issue because they're on sidewalks it's another issue because they're leaving them unattended right so it's it's a two-part depending on I mean obviously we're we're being told that these wereended I I I Can't see it from

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the executive, but I'm going to assume so. >> So, there's another provision in here says no vehicle shall remain parked beyond the maximum period of time as indicated by posted sign. >> So, then do we do that, right? Because that's something else. Is that do we

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post a sign that says, you know, that would limit the time because then that theoretically takes away from if they're parking there for one said, right, you know, weeks at end, that's non not okay. No matter where you're parking it, it's

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public property, >> right? So, I think the next logical step forward is making sure we have the proper signage there. Now, is that uh is that you, Chuck, or is that >> No, that's me. Like I said, I can have signs made up. You can have no parking

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from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. or what you set whatever time you want. I can have a sign say anything. Do we have any any such sign around town >> already or? >> Probably not. >> Probably not yet. >> No, we have some no parking. >> There's no parking in front of the church down there on 79.

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>> And I told them not to all the hell. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Update that one as well for >> So I mean, and here's my issue. Signs are just signs. People >> don't pay attention to them, right? So we can put them up everywhere and then it becomes almost an eyesore because

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there you know you drive through areas where there's a sign every 10 ft and it says no parking, no parking, no parking and you look >> but the sign was the mechanism so we could find them. Correct. Is that what we need the first step? >> I think that's the first step is get the sign up and they notify the businesses

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that they can't park there overnight. So I guess for the sign if we do do like a dust till dawn type of thing, what time frame? Um you might know what time they close in that area. You live nearby, >> Steve? Do you know? >> Everybody changing the dial.

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>> It's 5:00. I believe >> I believe there was >> Excel is 5:30. My concern is this. If you if there if you allow them to park on the sidewalk and I want to walk down there with a baby stroller, >> I got to go in the street with the baby stroller

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>> where there's truck traffic. What's the point of having a sidewalk? that oh that's I 100% agree regardless that that there needs to be no parking on a sidewalk and that's but but beyond that do we do something to put in place that says

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>> well once you put the signs up you got to put them on the grass area >> to the left of the sidewalk so that should be an indicator that like any other town and city across America you don't park on sidewalks that's just that's just that's just the drive being a jerk right there let's

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just face it Call it what it is. So, you're absolutely correct. If there's somebody in a chair or stroller, they they won't be able to get by. They have to use the road. It's the safest method. All right. Um, yeah, it's just verbiage on what you

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put on there. >> All right. We'll go with the again, the verbiage we hand it to you and you make them happen, right? >> Like I said, I just need times. >> He need He needs to have some direction. 6:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. to 6 6 a.m. I said I call a place in Brockton. I should have

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the signs the end of the week, beginning of the next week. >> You guys think? >> Yeah, the six to six to six works for me. And obviously, I mean, I don't think we should have to put it on the sign that says no parking on the sidewalk because it's it's illegal, right? So,

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it's it is what it is. So, I don't I don't want to overpop populate the sign and then have people not be able to read it or or have to make the sign two feet by four feet in order to read it. I I think a basic standard sign will be plenty. No parking. 6 a.m. 6 p p.m. 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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>> No, 6 p p.m. to 6 a.m. >> 6 p.m. 6 a.m. will be correct when we email you. Um, and keep it keep it as simple as that. And I'm assuming you can put polls up as well, right? Right on the grass. That should be enough to deter them from parking on the sidewalk. >> We'll also have the police chief also

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reach out even the tower administrator office to all the businesses saying >> common sense tells us don't park on the sidewalks. Yeah, I don't know that we're going to do that. We're not going to call all the businesses, right? Cuz you got to identify there's like small businesses within there, right? There's like some of those people lease out

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different like little spots. So, I don't know how you would want to call them and and pinpointed them. >> Well, I'm assuming we have >> I would think that the signs >> I don't see any of them parked on the sidewalks. >> Oh, no. I I listen I understand. I'm just saying I don't think that that's a good idea or use of our time for

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>> try. I want to modify them and say, "Hey, this is getting enforced." So that the the signs should hopefully do that. Right. >> The big wheels toes two or three of those guys at two or $3,000. It'll get around. It'll be probably a lot less parking there. >> Yeah. >> Definitely a way to go.

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>> I would say even with the signs, they're going to put a parking ticket there. I mean, it's going to take a lot to have the police tow that unless we make another bylaw. >> Police have their job. That's their by that's their job to follow those bylaws that we set forth and I'm going to hold them to that. You don't think the police

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can tow that vehicle on the side on the sidewalk? >> Uh, just curious. >> There was there was a Massachusetts law about and I don't know unless it's a emergency situation. It's probably like a 24hour after 24 hours.

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>> Yeah, what world they'll be living in? >> Well, I'm thinking this they're in it operate in. >> Well, we just said they wouldn't be in it because it's unattended, right? Obviously attend is one, but unattended they should be able to slap something. No, I would say if they're in it with the radio on or the truck running and

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they're operating on a sidewalk, >> they said if there was a trailer there that's been there for two weeks. >> Yeah. >> All big wheels have it towed and like Mark said, as soon as they get hit with a $3,000 bill, >> they're going to they're going to smarten up pretty quick. >> I agree.

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>> All right. All right. If we convey that to the >> Yeah, we convey to the police chief and let them know to notify his officers that moving forward, we're going to enforce all parking laws in town. go from there. Awesome. >> So, we'll do 6 pm to 6 a.m. uh on the

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signage. All right, folks. All right. So, uh moving along. We are Let me find my my footing here. All right. All right. Entertain the motion to place a prohibited parking sign. Oh, no parking sign on chill road at Ke >> stating 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

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>> Motion made. Second it. >> All in favor? I. >> Is that no parking on either side of the street? 6:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. I mean 6 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. >> There's only a sidewalk on one side. >> So just on the sidewalk? >> Sidewalk side. >> Well, you're putting no parking though.

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But are you doing it on both sides? You know what I mean? Or is it just one side? Both sides. >> I was just doing on the side that >> you put 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. We could probably put signs on both sides. My biggest thing is if if we use Excel

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Yeah. Yeah. >> If they get a backup of trucks, I said we want them to be able to go instead of stopping say in front of Sandman. >> Yeah. >> Backing up there, we probably want them and I think they're instructed to go up to the end, turn around and come back,

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>> you know. Yeah. >> And then we and stage that way. >> I don't know how busy they are. I don't I haven't been up there in a little bit since they hit the road. >> So, >> I can understand that. But if if there's somebody sitting in the truck waiting, I mean, it's not it's not pocketing,

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>> right? >> He's just waiting, I think. But >> I just want the motion to be what you want it to be. >> Keep your van, >> right? Well, I wanted both, right? I don't want to back up Main Street or Alexandria Drive, but I also want them not to do that. So, I think keeping on

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that side of the road for now is probably the way to go. >> Alice, you know, change >> with this uh chapter here. I'm just looking. I don't see the like the where we even given the authority to tow it. That's what I'm worried about. Like

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we're going to put up a sign, but >> Well, you talking about parking, >> you know, if there's an abandoned vehicle that's been point >> Yeah, but you have to have some What makes it an abandoned vehicle? If you're just going to use the the regular term for Athen is 24 hours. So, the trail that sits there for a week, fine. up. If

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someone's there at 9:00 at night and there's 10 of them there now, >> we got to give them the authority to tow it in the in the >> bylaw. >> In the bylaw. >> Yeah. Well, we'll address that. >> We start with this,

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>> right? Start with this and see where it takes us cuz >> if you're saying we should Well, we'll have to look at that as well. Like a little deeper dive into the whole towing part of parking. I think for for now the one side of the road should probably suffice, right? Unless you're focusing

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too because like >> No, I think I think we start here and then if we need to make changes then we make changes. I don't need to >> overthink this. >> I agree. >> All right. >> Should we put on the sign that it'll be towed at the owner's expense?

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>> Yeah, but I don't know if we have to that point is do we have a bylaw that backs it up? But the sign's saying it might alleviate >> Yeah. >> needing to do the byar if they don't park there. It it might be in here somewhere. I maybe I don't have all of it. >> If we if we need to, we can add it to another agenda. >> Yeah. >> But for now, we just keep the parking

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signs as is. Keep it simple and then see what happens and take it from there. >> Good. Okay. >> All right. All right. Uh item agenda number seven, discussion and vote whether to declare the 1964 homemade 16 ft trailer at the

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highway barn a surplus and authorize it to be scrapped. What happened, Chuck? You don't want it anymore? >> Nothing left there. >> It's uh did its duty. >> 62 years.

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>> 62 um just not worth putting money into. uh bought a new panel to replace it. Uh chills. It's just sitting out back. I think honestly it's easier just to tow

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it to Mid City and scrap it. >> Not today. Not today. >> It's on. >> Come on. >> But you put it on municipal bid, you're going to get five bucks. If we if we if we bring it to Mid City, we'll get, you know, 400 bucks, you know, to the general pump for the town bill. And

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you're not dealing with all the Malaki. I mean, it's a bid. fifth set fifth, >> right? >> Any little thing. >> You got to spend more money putting it all together. >> It It just doesn't happen. It there's a lot of hands and a lot of pitches and a lot of BS that you got to go through and

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you're not going to make any money from it, you know. So, it's it's easier just to >> throw it on the back of a truck, bring it over to Mid City and, you know, get what we can for it. >> We've got our money's worth out of it. >> Uh yeah. Well, there it is. I wasn't even paying attention. Yeah, it's um

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she's a be >> some paint, smooth tires. We another 62 years. We'll put a racing fender on it. >> We we can do that. We're we're we're team players more than any other team. So, uh I I'm all about rebuilding that trailer, but I'm not bringing back my

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new one. So, >> so what whatever you want to do is fine by me. >> No, we'll take care. We would spend more money in parts of the labor than the thing is >> worth. I'd say it's time to let it go. >> A shot the the fenders are again. >> Somebody's really hard up for a cheap

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trailer, >> you know, right? >> But I honestly >> just don't put anything on it. It'll be fine. >> No, it's the sound benefits to We had a thousand gallon water tank on that trailer and we towed it a couple weeks ago and it was

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pretty pretty sketchy. So there's no brakes on it. There's no lights on the work. Hasn't been had a legal registration on that thing in probably >> long time. Does that mean you're not paying your excise tax?

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>> All right. All right. All right. Let's scrap this thing then. All right. Um, maintain a motion to declare the 1964 homemade 16T trailer at the highway barn a surplus. And I do as chair and authorize it to be scrapped. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I.

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>> Right. Chuck, say goodbye to her. She's gone. >> All right. Item agenda eight, discussion of vote where to approve the agreement between the town of Fretown and J Bust Construction LLC for hygiene repair replacement project. All right.

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Documents look in place. Looks like we have all the paperwork needed for it. >> Anything to add to this, Debbie? >> No. Well, I think you guys have uh voted to award it to them. This is just the documents that follow it.

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>> All right. Any questions, Dylan? >> No. >> All right. I motion to approve the agreement between town free town and Just Construction LLC for the fire hydrant repair replacement project. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I item agenda number nine.

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>> All right. Item agenda number nine is discussion of vote on awarding the fire station 2 paving improvement bid. >> Long overdue, right folks? >> So, this is a project that went out to bid. Uh we got money at town meeting. We had $100,000 to uh work on the fire

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station uh 2 parking lot. Um when we the estimate for the work that we had was around $95,000. So, when it went out to bid, it was bid as a base project and then as an alternate one add-on. And the alternate was actually removing the existing asphalt

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um ripping that out before you repave it. And it's something that the highway surveyor could have done with his team. So, we separated that as an alternate because if the bids came in too high, effectively the town could do some of the work and still get the project done.

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the projects came in under bid and so therefore it's in the best interest to have the person who's going to do the work also include the digging and excavation of the existing parking lot. So um and I I clarify all of that

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because the bids are a little bit different. When you have the base bids, one company was lower than another. When you add the alternate, a different company was lower. So, um, but I wanted to lay that out how we ended up asking

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for an alternate and, um, where we ended up. So, when you make a motion to approve this and you'll see all the bids, you have all of the, uh, there was quite a few biders. >> Looks like we got 11 bids. Um, we're talking Hubix Asphalt Incorporated, they came in at 61,163. Century Paving and

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Construction Core, they came in around 61,260. Jill Den, Inc., they came in around 626. JR construction JR Suns construction 64864 Daniels Athal Services 65749 uh see Propaving Escavate Incorporated

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798 Luciano's excavation 894 Paul Rogan Company Incorporated 90,550 ML Hartlo and Sun Paving at 91225 and then last two J&H Landscaping Construction at 100 105 and then Hatch

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Landscape Design 221 338. Wow, that's a that's a >> big big variance, right? >> Big variance in there. Right. So, looks like the best bang for our town's buck is Pucket Hot Mix Asphalt

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Inc. at $61,163. All right. Um All right. Entertain the motion to vote to accept alternate one into award contract to Pucket Hotmegs Asphalt Inc. Uh the lowest for responsible bidder eligible bidder based on the base bid plus the accepted

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alternate in the amount of $61,163. >> Motion made >> second. >> All in favor? >> I and from my recollection that's the last part of that project, right? Siding has been done, windows have been updated, and obviously need to clear out. Anything new with the building that's

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next door, the one that was kind of taken out by the snow. >> No, that would be that Carl's working on that. I think they're they're cleaning it. I don't know. >> All right. Then the next one is going to be let's see number 10. Discussion vote to approve the agreement between the

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town of Freetown and Pucket Hot Asphalt, Inc. for fire station 2 paving improvements. >> Yep. So everything looks in place. So all the paperworks um is here. So let's do it. All right. Motion to approve the

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agreement between the town of Fretown and Pucket Hopnix Asphalt Inc. for the fire station 2 paving improvements. >> Motion me. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I I right. Item agenda 11 discussion of vote where to approve the agreement between town of Freetown and Gopes Construction Inc. for

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fiscal year 2020 silver winter sands. >> I think we did winter salt with them. Correct. >> Low lopes. Usually the last couple years we've had CCA for our winter sand. We've had lops in the past, but they were the

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low bidder by I think $2 a ton. Uh it's astronomical what that stuff is going for these days. But unfortunately the price is only going to go higher and higher because they don't make sand. It's a natural thing. And

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>> like the town of Carver puts a great restriction on what sand that's kind of the sand capital in this area. And they they only allow so many tons per year and esavated out of that town. So that's

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driving the price through the roof. So that's only going to get worse. You know, we used to pay $10 a ton to sand and what was it? $27 a ton, something like that. >> Yeah. 27. Yep.

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>> Which is astronomical, you know, for it's a medium. It's just it we mix that with the salt, you know. It's it's just it's the ginger ale and a mixed drink. It's just a throwaway thing. Luckily, we've got good we've got a good

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supply of sand car. >> So, uh I'm kind of hoping we don't have to buy any. But it's if we have another winter like we had this last win for something like we buy sand. >> All right. Looks like we're doing $27 a ton per ton delivered to the town free

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town barn. All right. And this is just a contract area. Discussed it previously. All right. So entertain the motion to approve the agreement between the town of Freetown and Gbooks Construction Incorporated for the fiscal year 2027 Winter Sand. Motion made in second. All in favor? >> I

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>> And just for the record, no relation to myself, >> just in case, >> but you wish there was. >> I got a lot of free sand. >> Not for the town though. That would be unethical. >> All right. Item 10 12. Acknowledge the

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reserve fund transfer request from the fire department in the sum of $72,000. So the fire station the fire chief has requested this um transfer because the if you remember one of the u pump truck

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or I believe it was the pump truck had repairs to the tune of that amount. This has not gone to fin as of today. So um they are the ones that actually will approve it. You you just acknowledge it. So know that it's it's a request hasn't

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been approved by FinCom as of today. It is hereby acknowledged. >> Thank you for that, Debbie. All right. Item agenda 13, discussion of vote whether to approve the conservation land purchase known as Zero Richmond Road, map 207, lot 111.

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All right, we have a mapup. >> This is a formality. The conservation commission has voted to purchase this land with their with their funds. that does not require a vote at town meeting as many other, you know, any other

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purchase would. They have the right to purchase it. They just need the the board of selectman's vote to move forward with it. They have the funds available. They they voted to purchase it. So, you're just >> just acknowledging. >> Well, not acknowledging, but you're actually voting, but >> voting. >> Um, >> do you remember what the cost was that

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they're paying for this? >> I believe it's 110,000. >> 110,000. In curiosity, do you do you know if you what's left in their reserve in their funds >> in their fund? >> In their fund. >> I don't know how much money they have. I'm sorry. I didn't look at that.

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>> Okay. >> Well, we have a we have them there for a reason. So, if they're saying that they want to purchase it, then >> I think they had almost 100,000 left somewhere around there. Pretty close to them. >> An additional you have you have 200,000 or so

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>> after purchase and Yeah. Good. I mean, this is what they voted on. This is what they get the money for. I think it's a good use of the money. >> Yeah. Looks like a nice piece of property. >> One of the big things is it protects the thing from the dump because the dumps it butts the back of the dump. >> Oh, yeah.

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>> Okay. So, >> yeah, that in the bottom corner I think is that you can see that's the >> next page. Okay. Right there. All right. Um, any further discussion? No, it's okay. Uh, I entertain a motion

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to approve the conservation land purchase known as Zero Richmond Road, map 207, lot 111. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> I. >> All right. Item agenda 14, discussion and vote to approve the conservation land donation of a portion of the Elijah

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Pierce Wood lot, map 208, lot one. >> Okay. >> So, there's another piece I think that the same person is donating. Um, so you have to accept the donation to conservation I believe.

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>> Well, evidently there was when they the town took portions of their property in domain around the dump. >> Okay. >> That was a piece that was landlocked, left out that didn't get caught into the thing. So, they decided to just donate it and get rid.

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>> Might as well at that point. Yeah, >> but it has to be it's conservation land donation because if it was just a donation to the town, it have to go to town meeting. But because it's to the conservation land donation, you can approve it.

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>> All right, makes sense. I entertain a motion to approve the conservation land donation of a portion of the Elijah Pierce Wood lot math 208 lot one. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I I discussion and vote whether to have it. I'm sorry. Item item 15 discussion vote

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whe to have any employee retiring after July 1st 2026 to contribute to their health insurance at the same percentage they were when they were an active employee. This is we had this discussion a couple years back. >> We had this discussion uh last yeah last

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last week right last meeting. So, I've I have talked to some of the retirees. Um, the original vote the the bargaining that they did when they did and I don't know the year was that they were all on

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a PO and in order to get them from the PO to the HMO, they agreed to be the 9010 split and so that was the bargain that happened many many many years ago. Um, so I, you know, after talking with some

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of the retirees, I think, um, I still want to move forward with this, but change the date to July 1 of 2027 to give any of the prospective people that might retire the opportunity to retire before this uh,

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goes into effect. And again, this is only when they hit the Medicaid, right? when they between the retirement age and 65 it is already this it is already the active percentage which is the big the big money right the blue class shield policies that are expensive when you hit

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Medicaid at age 65 it's a supplemental that we provide that then goes up to 9010 so you pay 7525 and then when you get to 65 we pay 9010 so um again I'm you know trying to be sustainable here these numbers are not

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sustainable for the around our our health insurance budget is one of our biggest budgets at $2 almost $4 million. So to put that in perspective, we have the school, you know, the school's $17 million and then we have police at 2.9.

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We have fire roughly I think around 2.4 and we have health insurance equal to the cost of the fire department. So we need to look at ways to decrease that cost without impacting existing retirees that did not have time to prepare for

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this change. So this is this is a small change moving forward but I think it helps a little bit. It helped the town a little bit um but won't impact anybody currently retired. >> Now correct me if I'm wrong. Didn't we vote on this or something similar to

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this years some couple years ago that >> so what happened when I came here is there was no bylaw in place that even allowed the town to pay for retirees health insurance. We should not have been paying for anything. >> So we went to town meeting and got chapter 32B enacted to be able to pay

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and there was two provisions on that. you could either um adopt the one that said pay 50/50 or the second part of that was to adopt that we pay between 50 up to 90%. But at that point we were paying 95% of the retirees health

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insurance. So it was actually against the law and against the bylaw. So we came and we voted to reduce it to 90 at that point with I think the intent was um to slowly reduce it maybe 5% a year down to the 75 25 >> approach

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>> but I can tell you the retirees had issue with that uh because the they are represented when we have the um health insurance advisory committee. So I thought well at some point I've got to do something. I figured this moving

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forward would um leave everybody that's currently where they're at and then anybody retiring after the whatever date you guys decide will be at the 9010 for their Medicaid uh the supplement.

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>> H be at the 7525. Well, I I said I I put the specific language in here um at the same percentage as when they're an active employee because we did get the unions all to agree that new hires are at 7030. So, I already have employees at 7030.

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So, it will depend on when you are hired and when you retire. Um and also if there's any changes moving forward that would be, you know, would be bargain for in the union contracts, but everybody would be made aware that this is part of that bargain. So, um, retirees health

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insurance benefit does not need to be bargained with the union. It's it does not need to go to town meeting. It is a vote of the selectman. >> Yeah, I like that turret approach to help them get back to where it is because you're right, insurance is

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through the roof across the board. Not our fault, not their fault, but at the same time, I want to create a burden for them. But also, we got to think about the town as well. How many employees we currently have as a retiree on that 9010 rough numbers? >> Oh, I don't know. I don't know.

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>> Okay. >> Because we're still covering teachers that were employed by the town prior to the district joining. Right. So, I still have teachers at 9010 from when Freetown Elementary wasn't part of the district.

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So, there's there's a lot to the health insurance benefits. It's a tough one. I want to, you know, you work all your life and you get retirement and you bargain for what you get, right? That's and that's part of their their monthly and your yearly and

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everything else. And on the other hand, you look you look at health insurance through the roof. Everyone else is paying 7525 7030. It's an ugly decision to make. >> Yeah. We're talking We're talking about just doing it for the new retire the ones that are retiring and leaving

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everyone that's retired already alone. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> That's that's what I'm proposing. I mean, you can do whatever you want. That's what I'm proposing. >> I would recommend doing it that way, too. So, we're not >> we're not hurt. Yes. >> I'm not trying to hurt anybody. >> You got to look at, you know, if you tell me 500 people are retired at 9010,

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that changes the math a little bit, you know, and you got to >> Well, we're not we're not touching those people. So, it's that's irregardless. We're talking about people moving forward >> for this vote, but you also got to think about the 9010. >> Yeah, >> that's at some point that might have to be looked at down the road. Not that I

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want to. I'm not advocating for it, but it has to be discussed. It's it's for today. We'll deal with what's at hand. That's 2027. All right. Discussion vote. All right. So, entertain a motion to have any

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employee retiring after July 1st, 2027 to contribute to their health insurance at the same percentage they were when they were an active employee. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I I all right. Item agenda 16, discussion vote, future summer council series and

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next steps. So, things have changed since the last time we discussed this. I think last couple of meetings. Um, looks like Tina, uh, and Lanne, you probably have more information on this. She might be interested in in doing the summer concert series with the other two.

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>> Yeah, we discussed it briefly to see if that might be something of interest, a few more hours for her with her support staff there. And she was very interested in learning more and seeing what it would be all about. >> And Kylie had said that she would be happy to kind of help set things up and

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train her on how to do it. So, could be an easier transition. I would just suggest probably don't do as many concerts. Maybe >> took the words out of my mouth. >> Well, because you're going to be paying them. You're going to be paying them, you know. >> Well, and we >> do it too. So, >> and we'll see what ends up coming out.

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But one of the one of the suggestions based on our last meeting with finance was that if we're going to take some of that money from Kylie and move it out of that department, there'll still be money left in that department, right? So we'll be able to have the mechanism to pay

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them >> 23. >> So >> right. >> So if we reduce the amount and we go and this is the thing that the residents utilize the most. >> Right. >> Um we have Kylie here to train her. We have someone who's interested in doing

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it possibly more than you know more people which means it's not our office doing it because that's what it always see me screams. I don't want them to come back at our office or any other office for that matter to try and deal with. So, um I I think it's a great great idea and a great opportunity. It's

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going to put us in a better direction than where we currently are right now where we kind of just said, "All right, let's put everything on hold and not do anything." >> I'm going to have to work on how we affectuate that because of course Tina was hired from the boat ramp and being paid out of the revolving fund from the funds that are collected at the boat

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ramp. We do have the money in the community program director's budget, but I probably will have to make her a special municipal employee. I'm going to have to figure out the logistics and bring that back to another vote. >> Interesting. >> Anything you'd have to put out there for

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to hire, right? Because should be applying for the position essentially or is that something? >> Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if we do it a stipen. I I have to figure it out. I'm going to have to figure out how we do it. How we actually effectuate getting it done. >> Well, and because the other issue is is

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it might not What if it's two of them that do it, right? you know, might not be that Tina does it all, right? She needs >> I need to figure out >> her aunt Carlos to do it. And then, you know, >> you know how it is. Technically, you're not supposed to have two jobs for the

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town, right? So, whenever we have employees that um >> I didn't realize that we would deem that as two jobs. Well, I I can't realistically pay >> the boat ramp funds for her payroll

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>> because the boat ramp funds are a revolving fund from the monies that we collect. >> So, I can't pay her out of that, but we have the money to pay, >> but I need to figure out how to get it. >> Interesting. Yeah. No, I'm asking only because I'm learning. I don't I was looking at it as just two different

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responsibilities. It's not like very defined different departments or you know >> I even think it's put out for for a short period of time out on the street saying hey this is this position is available >> that way we not right again >> I don't know you going to hire a

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position because I did cut I did move money out of that budget and put it in the COA's budget. >> Yes. Yeah. >> Want I 100% the first thing that I think needs to happen is exactly what you just said. That's my first thing that I want to worry about is making sure we we moved that money so that we had the

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money at the COA for Kylie to stay an employee. That being said, if there's money left, which you're saying there is, and the way we looked at it the other day, we used whatever money's left to do that. Do I think it's going to justify hiring an employee and doing that for something that might be, you

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know, three concerts, >> right? And and again, you know, one of the reasons we don't have a a physical space within the town hall to put an employee or within any any building. No space in the annex, no space in So

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that's one of the concerns about hiring a community program director. I don't have a place to put them. >> No, I I definitely wasn't trying to turn this into that. I just think that this is what makes sense. Do these say three, four events, whatever, and that's it. >> Yeah. It's just it's when you're looking

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at it, it's two different things, two different jobs. So, we'll we'll go yes with the moving forward with the concert series and we'll figure out the logistics of it. It's on the road. >> Yeah, I'll bring it to the It looks I mean we're trying to schedule a meeting for sometime next week, so I'll do it quickly.

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>> All right. Motion to move forward with the council series and have the next steps pointed with at the next meeting. Discuss at the next meeting. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> I >> All right. Uh number 17, discussion

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vote. Which selectman will be responsible responds on social media on social media platforms? >> Nominate Carlos Lo. >> I'm I'm just going to make a statement about that. It would be best if nobody commented on social media platforms.

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>> Um it just leaves us wide open for um open meeting law violations. If we get public records requests, anything that's on there could be requested. Um, and the reason why only one of you can comment is because if multiple people comment, it could lead to the open meeting law

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violation. We had a full presentation from KP Law regarding this. So, that being said, um, again, I'll reiterate, nobody should really comment on social media, but if somebody's going to, it should be designated by the board. And that way I you know I think the public

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doesn't understand that you can't all comment that only if one if one selectman comments the other two cannot. So um I think that it needs to be solidified in a vote in public so that people understand why whatever selectman

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are not commenting it's because they can't because of the open meeting law. >> Well that's all I have to say on that. >> I agree a million%. Um, the only thing and Mark brought up last week was a good comment about having maybe some sort of

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blip that says like I can't respond, but is that an acknowledgement in responding? But that would be something I would like to have. If I if someone questions me on something and we're just going to say for fun, Carlos is the guy, I have something that comes up that says

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I can't respond just so they know like I'm acknowledging them. But it's it's an acknowledgement without saying anything or >> I I'll vet that. But I I think that's probably okay. But I'll vet that. >> Yeah. And literally to have the wording so that way we it's come from them that

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this is what we're saying and it's Chad and I are both saying a every single time and they'll eventually get the the point that it's >> Yep. >> Yeah. I agree. Is there a mechanism in place currently to archive those comments because that will be public

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records requests? >> Nope. >> So that's the only issue I see. So if someone does comment in their job function as a board of selectment, that's going to have to be archived. >> How you going to archive a public a public post that's open to everybody?

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>> Like it's already out there. >> You're not you're just saying she's saying like I think she's saying like this is what you said. >> Isn't that what we have to capture it and you have to archive it and it becomes permanent public record. lawyer might remember, but I >> Yeah, we brought in that social media company and it was like $5,000 a year and they tracked everything and anytime

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like someone deleted something, edited something, whatever, and it tracked the whole thing, but we decided not to go down that route at that time >> and they archive it for the time. >> They archive it and then they would handle a public records request if you got one. >> So, you may need to revisit that. >> Yeah, we may. I mean,

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>> excuse me. Can you work social maybe? >> I can't remember. >> Can you look? I'll look back to see who it was. Our thing is if you're not admin to that page and you write something and they go in and write delete the whole post, >> they still have it >> because their software automatically

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like every so many few seconds grabs it, grabs it, grabs it. But something we could never do. We could never do that. >> What was your question, Cheryl? >> Is there a way that you just shut off comments? >> You could or you could just not question.

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>> Cheryl, can you grab a microphone? >> I have these things. Sorry. My question was, is there a way that we can just shut off the comments completely on social media? That way, we don't have to worry about archiving that as public records and just put a stipulation out there that any questions regarding any posts can be directed to

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administration or the department that it comes from. That way, you're alleviating yourself the cost of grabbing those screenshots and creating those public records and having to address comments specifically on social media because the office has emails. The

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office has phone numbers and voicemails. If constituents and roads and residents have questions, they can be emailed directly. They can make public records requests. I sent out plenty today. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. Sorry. But I'm just I'm just thinking it might save everyone a

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headache that you just not have um the ability to comment on social media posts. And just if you have questions regarding posts or any information, please contact administration or the department which it comes from directly. >> That's just my two cents >> and I agree with that. I guess my only

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issue is as as an individual, as a person that lives in town, right? Not not commenting as a selectman, but commenting when someone comments that Chuck did an outstanding job plowing the roads again and I say, "Hey, good job."

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Um, you know, like I I think it's okay. I think that it's tough to say that the three people up here should be cut off from that. But I do say when someone's commenting and asking me why Chuck didn't show up and plow my driveway, you're a selectman, you should know

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better and tell me why. Then I think that that become so like that line, how do we saw it? >> And I guess Debbiey's point to start it all off is just not comment >> like literally not say anything. >> Yeah, I know. like on the town of Freetown's page like they can comment

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but we don't engage. >> Correct. >> Yeah. >> We should shut off comments for the town of our page because it just opens you up for a lot of liability. >> Yeah, >> that's what the board if you guys would do that you can put that stuff up. Thank

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you guys for tonight. >> Very appreciate it. >> Let's go. Good >> luck guys. >> Love the hat. >> Thank you. Um Yeah, I I mean I don't care. It's just >> No, I agree with the no common part, but

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you know, then we'll get the other half of the world saying, >> but that shouldn't be our primary source of public engagement. Correct. Or public information. That is just a subsidiary, a supplement. So the town, you know, we have the town web page where they can

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access information. We put that out as an FYI, not a point of let's have a conversation. And then what happens? It becomes a back and forth. I can just see this and it's happened to other towns. So, I'm just trying to help you >> to help avoid a potential situation and

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then having to I don't want to say waste, but >> but they'll copy it and put it on their page and then comment and that's >> correct. Right. >> Correct. Okay. >> That's just my suggestion. It just protects everyone and it's just a point of information. If people want to comment, they can put it on their own personal page, share it.

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>> Yeah. >> Or the neighborhood pages and they will. and they will and >> then if any of us are on that that see that then okay that might be something to internally address >> just something to think about. All right. So, what are you what are you two

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thinking? Who's that? Just >> Whoa. Yeah. Okay. Not me. >> No guy then. >> No, not me. >> So, I'm think >> sorry, just an additional aside. I'm thinking um so if you vote to have one

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person comment on behalf of the board then it might have the perception from towns people that oh only one out of the three is doing their job. >> Do you know what I mean? >> Yeah that's what that's where the statement at the end was coming in so

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that they don't because some people don't we've told them thousand times but you know you got to repeat certain things over and over again and that's one of them. It's like if I comment on something that they can't comment behind me, right? Or vice versa. Like a happy birthday is one thing. Talking about something else is completely different,

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right? Especially if it's something perceived as a town chiming in, right? >> For right, for instance, just say the library would probably be the hot topic right now, right? >> So if you wrote something and even if I didn't even know and I just seen someone else and I commented on someone else's

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thing, that could that would be a problem, right? if we're both talking about an, you know, an active issue. >> Yeah. No, absolutely. >> It it it it's >> so we would know just >> burnt me before. I don't say burnt me, that's a bad terminology, but I've had

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the issue before where someone commented before I could and then it was perceived that I didn't that I didn't care and someone said that. So then I had to I I had to tell them the next time I saw them, listen, I'm sorry. It's not that I didn't want to comment.

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It's that I can't comment. So, so you people don't know that. So, that's why I what Mark had said the other day I thought was a good idea of just like this blanket thing that's not showing an opinion, not showing anything other than, "Hey, I see you, but I can't respond."

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>> Maybe you all three of you do that. >> Yeah, >> honestly, >> with direct, >> the way the way social media is, we should say, "Yeah, well, we have meetings on Monday. Come and show up." I mean, I've tried that with the planner board. No one ever shows up when you tell them that, but I at least do it.

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And then that was my resp. That's a response. I mean, I understand >> reach out individually to you guys. They don't doesn't have to be on social media. >> True. >> You could say, you know, um, contact me through email at the town hall. >> Yeah, perfect. We could just say that.

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Contact me through >> I don't have a problem with all. >> Yeah, it's a good idea. >> Yeah, that way it's all right there. But if we want to have >> then there's a record then there's a record that we can ascertain that we can we can create the public record and yeah they're not going to like it so much in the beginning but they'll get used to it

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very quickly when you're all responding the same way and then you know we'll we'll get the language that says we cannot respond um but we want to talk to you further about this please contact us directly and each of you will have your own email address your town email

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address maybe that sounds good Cheryl what is your thoughts on that does that sound Okay, >> it sounds good. But then if you have multiple people who are commenting who want an answer and keep pressuring, are you saying like on a post we can't talk about this like having the the voters

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have the ability or the residents have the ability to comment and then each one individually respond? Because to me, I I I think if you just if if you can just pin like on the Facebook page, if you can just pin something on the very top, what's the first thing that they see,

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comments will not be, you know, comments will not be able to be given. If you have any concerns regarding any of the messaging, this is for a point of information only. If you have any questions about any of the posts, please contact administrations or submit a public records request or contact the

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board or department directly. And that's fine for our >> I was going to say for our What about other pages? >> Oh, you're talking about like neighborhood pages. >> Yeah. >> Yep. I think if if you see on someone else's neighborhood page, you're not commenting as a group. You're not

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commenting as a whole. Yes, I did see this or you didn't see this, please contact the office directly >> cuz like Jared >> and then you're not in violation of of >> open meet. >> Open me law. Jared saying just say it was on a local page and they're talking about whatever may maybe I'll use the

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library again and they say well what do you think about this Jared and we just say Carlos is the one we let respond if if we let anyone respond but then if he responds and they say well what do you think what do you think we have to have something to say like well we're not

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>> well I think this this will eliminate it by none of us responding but we still have a blanket statement to acknowledge >> yeah due Yeah, we all do that law. >> We cannot respond to you in a public forum. However, please email me directly at, you know,

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>> Jagger, you know, free. >> Please don't, you know, please don't email all three of us on the same topic. In the same email. >> Yeah. In the same email. >> There's a lot of nuances you have to think about. unfortunately >> vetted by by council. I think that's

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probably way more appropriate >> than either not responding or responding in some ways that we have and um this is a good conversation, you know, because we know the liability we're opening ourselves up to by responding on social media. And trust me, I know how

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frustrating it is with all the misinformation that's on there. Like it is very, very difficult to not correct people or say no, that is not at all what's going on. Yeah, >> but you do learn after a while. It is what it is and you just roll with it. Um, >> that will get yourself off the pages.

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>> You know, I mean, and that's why I try to have public forums to give them the correct information, but sometimes people don't want the correct information either. They just want to go down the rabbit hole they want to go down. But um we also did have sorry I didn't mean to cut you off there was one of the things that we had talked about was during that meeting which was

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several years ago now but one of the meetings one of the things was is um when you're up for election there's different things that you can say and do so I don't I'm saying that because if you guys decide you want to rerun myself decides I want to rerun at that point

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then there's different rules and regulations that I can follow than current dayto day >> that is directly from council, right? So that I mean that that part is a little bit different, but daytoday talking about the library or whatever else.

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Yeah. No, we probably should try and stay out of >> you guys don't have to vote. I can do some more work on this. It's up to you. >> Doesn't matter to me. I Well, this one's for which select will be responsible for doing it. I think I It sounds like you guys chosen me.

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>> Well, we're saying >> Well, I think we should go ahead. Sorry. >> Go ahead, please. Well, I'm saying maybe we should vote just for now just in case something comes up in the meantime and me and Jar just be quiet >> and then we can fine-tune it. >> Well, I would say vote that in, but also

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add language of making sure we get it vetted through council as far as what the language will be. True. >> Oh, well, she's wanting we're trying to vet it through council. Well, or none of us doing it, you know, responding >> because the other other problem is like

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uh Madame Clark has uh said uh capturing it. >> That's the thing that was going to I was going to interject again >> just playing devil's advocate and I've done this for a long time. You're now creating a public record. So rather than jumping ahead, if you're not ready to

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vote or or have anything finalized, you're probably better off not doing anything at this point until you've got all of the information in front of you to make an informed decision because you're still going, if you're responding or choosing someone to respond, it now becomes a public record. And how are you

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going to capture that? And I would hate poor Lan and Lola to be upstairs, >> no, >> you know, it's screen capturing this and and and putting it into permanent record. So it happened and nor do I want >> I would suggest that maybe not do this at all right now and I don't want to overstep my boundaries but I I want to present you all the information so that

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you can make an informed decision that if you choose to do that it becomes a public record immediately >> even if it's like a canned response that canned response would be a public record >> correct >> I think we >> yeah but then we know this is the only response that's been taken I think then

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you need to vote then to pay the $5,000 to pay the company to them because we can't do it there's no capacity in my office to do that, >> right? There's no capacity and there's no funds for >> I like that. Even if we did have the capac same thing like that, someone writes >> Yeah. You can't >> out of control thing and you respond to

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it and then they delete it. >> Yeah. >> We can't even get back and see it without having like a company like that. So, >> well, I think we should shut comments off on the town page completely. I do. I think that should be a good Nobody needs to comment on those posts. Trust me,

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they will copy them and put them on the Friends of Freetown. Whatever the other pages are way to go there >> and then they'll comment. But at least on our page, we will know there's no comments because there cannot be comments. >> Correct. >> Make sure we can control we can't control what anybody else says on social

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media. >> But then again, if anyone's commenting in their role as a public official, as a public employee on neighboring page, >> that still needs to be captured. >> Yes. And how do you how it's how do you do that?

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Do you have Len check all the neighborhood pages and see which board of selectman commented? Like there's no possible way of doing that. That's why a lot of the towns have gone this route because it's just a giant bear. And I know that company what they had said was they would go on our page or we could

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tell them other pages that they would have to track. But if you went off if they were tracking these five pages and I don't know if it's page managed by somebody else, could they even grab that? I don't recall that in the discussion, but you paid a price based on the different pages. I remember that.

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>> Yeah. Which is another issue because then all of a sudden, you know, >> new page pops up and then it's not in there and we're paying for it. Yeah. I mean, we can go down and rabbit hole this. It's just I say I say at this point we turn off it's an easy thing is definitely to turn off commenting on the

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Freetown on the town of Freetown's page. >> Yeah, easily. >> Yeah, I would agree with that. turning off the comments and then I mean officially I would say we probably don't talk town business on on social media at all and but we could tell them unless

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the response is you know you can email us you can come to a meeting something simple like >> it should just be used as a form of information and FYI >> but looking further down the line you'll have to think about too all of

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the different boards and committees and or departments that have their own pages that h that don't go through one centralized location. I know everything I post I send to Lann. It's and then I'll take it and I'll send it on my, you know, share it to my own personal page.

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But then you have all different departments. That's going to be a big bear to manage. I'm just putting it out there so you >> and I know you said that it's, you know, been issues in other places. I wonder if if we talk to, you know, KPR, if they have anyone that they could, you know,

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point us towards and say, okay, you the town of Lakeville, this is what they do. This is the way you should handle it. That way, we're not trying to reinvent the wheel. >> I Yeah, I don't I'd probably think that they're not handling it and they're just flying by the seat of their hands. >> They're just going to be exposed when

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when in fact they get in trouble. >> Um, >> we'll continue to work on this. Lan will reach out to the company that made a presentation before. My other thought was, you know, we shut off comments to our page, but if there's some misinformation that you want to correct that you prepare a statement and we post

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it to our page rather than comment on other people's pages, but that way our records are our records and they're clean. Um, and we'll have them and we'll be able to track them. I know it's the I know it's the way a lot of people get their information. So, it's frustrating when there's a lot and there there's

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always misinformation. And it's it's like the game you played when you were a kid. Tell somebody this and as they go around the room, the story at the end is nothing really happened, right? It's kind of it's Facebook is just an extension of what we did in first grade. Um so you just have to learn to ignore

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it on some level because that's what I have to do. I mean, I get attacked on there all the time. I I can't respond. I can't respond because they don't know. They like you say, there's avenues if they want to find the truth. I don't know that they always do, though. Um, >> no. >> To their opinion.

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>> We'll keep I'll keep working on it. I'll reach out uh to I can throw something in the list serve of other towns. Maybe Cheryl, you can too. See what other people have. We can um reach out to town council and then we'll present something back to the board again. Um I want to

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make sure we're not exposed more than we need to be. >> All right. We'll we'll uh push that one aside and table it for today. Item agenda 17 to get more information. All right. Item agenda 18. Discussion and

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vote whe to open, add, move, remove articles, make recommendations, finalize, and close the annual and special town meeting warrants for 612026. >> The ever revolving town warrant >> about a month away. Less than a month away. Lynn, did you do a summary of

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>> I did. I don't know if I actually gave it to you abroad and log on and grab it. >> We can make a motion to open the warrant. I do think we made minor changes. >> Um, I think we had a summary of them.

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>> We did, but I don't. >> All right. to open the >> annual special town meeting warrant for 61.26 motion made >> second. >> All in favor >> I think that most of the any changes

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that we made um were really to explanations. So I'm going to look at the special meeting. I don't know if do you have have it? >> I have it in just a minute because it verifies me. I don't think anything was added as an article to the special town meeting

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>> was not >> warrant >> and nothing removed. >> Nothing removed. Nothing added. Um serious minus student I don't know that I made any changes to

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that warrant when might have um the annual town meeting warrant we added the budget for the water department that wasn't there. Um, we changed um, Mo's rate per hour to

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$27 per hour. He had requested it and I had missed it. So, the tree warning on article two, salary and compensation of elected officers of town free town. So, that went from 25 to $27 an hour.

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So, that's a change. the in article four amend the biological fees fees for weights and measures uh Lan added the existing fees schedule so you can see the new fees um so it's just sort of like explanations so that

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people have a better understanding of what we're doing so no substance no substantial change but just cosmetic changes um I changed under article six for the

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funding. I changed the explanation so that the numbers all match and were um appropriate as to the you know it said 17 million down below. So let me explain a little bit about that. That went to bond council. It's required

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that bond council approve that and that's article six uh article six on the annual town meeting. bond council said that even though you have been awarded a grant, you have to appropriate the full amount under the borrowing

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just in case you don't get the grant. So, let me reiterate that we've been awarded the grant for 9,876,000 $945, but I guess it's always subject to the state funding their grant awards. It's a

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five-year grant. You get paid over five years. So, in order to protect the town and the project, we have to say that we're going to borrow $17,500,000. We are not. We are not borrowing that.

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Um, but he said in order to approve it and I have to have bond council approve the warrant or we cannot borrow the money because they send they approve the article and then that goes to the people that will actually write and put the bond out to bid for the town. Um, so those I cleaned up the explanation

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making sure that the numbers all matched. Um, and I think it said average value 540,000. It's actually 531,500. So I changed that to make it accurate. So that's all. It's just all in the

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explanation. Um I think the um the only I did add article on article 14 adding the assistant water superintendent. Some was like well we don't have a water and superintendent.

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So I've changed it to to add the employee positions of a water superintendent and an assistant water superintendent. I don't believe we have the intentions of hiring a water superintendent, but we'll put it in there so that it's logistically correct.

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>> You said 15. >> I have 14, but it might have changed. >> Yeah, it's 15 now. >> It is 15 because we added article 14, correct? So, I'll go back to that. We have article 13 that talks about um in uh adding battery energy storage

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systems to our bylaws. I added article 14, the new article 14 that just adds that to our use chart in our zoning bylaws. So, it's just so that when we look at where they're allowed, you can

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it'll be it'll be added into the use chart in our existing zoning. Um, which is it's it's allowed in industrial one and two. So, I did do that. I think that's what I had um

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pretty much. I don't think that I did too much. Lan, do you did you come Did you find it? >> I'm having trouble with our VPN. I So, I've restarted. I think you've gotten all of them though. >> I can't hear it. Kind of awkward thing when I was looking down

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because we're going through article six and we were talking about the explanation versus the actual article. >> Yeah. If you look the dollar amounts for what we're saying the grant is valued at the top is different than the bottom by like 2,700 bucks. >> Oh, okay. Do I have a typo?

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>> Yeah, that's I'm just telling you just cuz it it'll obviously need to be corrected. See how it's 9876945 and then 9 987 >> I think the top number is right. The article I think the art and maybe I'm still looking at an old one but the article numbers are right I think and I

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have to the explanation needs to be adjusted. I I literally just noticed it and then I was like and then I calculated it out and I'm like is there something else I'm missing in the approve in the the numbers that would have caused it to happen. So simple fix but it's just notice. >> Yeah, it's always good to have multiple

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eyes on these things because we look at them so much. We know we we miss some of this some of the errors. >> That's the biggest mistake you're doing. You're doing okay, Debbie. >> There's a lot that goes into a warrant. Trust me, I don't have I don't know. Like I said, I can't handle the land, but she would

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know if she has the list. I'm just going from memory at >> Yeah, I can't get on the VPN. >> Okay. >> When we need it, but I believe you hit everything. >> I think I did hit everything. >> Yeah, you did a good job with it. >> There wasn't The substantial change was that I added that article. >> I don't think there was any other substantial change. I will tell you

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that. It was just It's just >> um And I told you about the salary change. >> There wasn't anything else that was substantial that I actually changed. It's just tweaking the explanations. I try to get them um I think I changed an explanation. Um

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you know just trying to get them more clarity. Um oh the oped question somebody said um I don't you know they didn't understand that. So I actually just added some language saying that it's basically

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required by law that we do it but it what what this actuarial report does is it projects the cost of our health insurance benefits in future years and it goes on it has to that information gets included in our financial statements. So I don't know if people

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understand you know what that study is. So I just try to put a little more context to it. So I want I want to be as transparent as possible. Absolutely. >> And again, I know what the OPED study is, but >> does the average person know? >> I didn't know what it was before I came

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to municipal world. So, and I was in accounting, right? So, that's that's the kind of stuff that we're doing at this point. We're just tweaking it to try to be as clear as possible and semantically correct. I don't believe we're going to have any more articles. I am we are trying to schedule a meeting next week

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because this has to go out next Wednesday. But in case there's any changes between now and then them, if not if if we can't have a meeting or it doesn't happen, I feel like the warrant is in a good place to be published. So that's one of the reasons why I wanted to move forward, adopt what we have, get

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it approved and signed tonight because God, we just don't have a meeting. I need to make sure this thing is is going out. There may be some tweaks between now and next week and we will again do the same exercise. open it, add track what they need to close it. But just in

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case I'm at a point where I want to make sure we're ready to So that's really it. Is there any questions about what I've done to the warrant or what we've done? >> No. No. It's I think it's to your point is it's tough because you're trying to

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explain something in a paragraph or two, right? So it's it's tough. So, I I get why you're going back and forth and trying to, you know, and I I commend the fact that you went back in and looked at the OPE study and said, "All right, how do I go in there to try and give some

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context so people understand what it is rather than just, hey, we're spending $8,100 on this study? They need to know what it is and that we actually need it." >> You can thank our employees for that because they we do ask them to look at it and give us feedback because that's

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how we evolve, right? So that that came that comment came from one of the employees. So um >> thank you. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> So that's kind of how we like I said we we live and breathe this document. So we know what it says and what it's supposed to say and our but sometimes you miss

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that when you're the one that crafts these things. So the employees do give us feedback. We do look at all of the feedback and we do try our best to incorporate that into into what we're doing. So if you don't have any issues, you can

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just approve the the additional article because there was one to the annual town meeting um for the um use table and close it. >> The use table >> you said it was the use table, right?

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I'm just trying to make sure what we call it out. >> It was it it was reumbered at article 14. >> That's what I had. amend the zoning bylaw 300-51 by adding BESS to the use

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table. Now, BESS is the in the article right above it, which is the battery energy storage systems that are uh in sync with the solar farms. So, it's that table. If article 13 I don't it doesn't pass then article 14 won't will pass

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over it at town meeting and that's why I placed it where I placed it. Right. >> And also the additional employment position which is in article 15 now add the water superintendent to that.

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>> All right. Oh, I guess I gotain motion to add those articles in and then we'll close the articles if you're done with them. Not done with them today until next week. All right. Motion to update article 14 and 15. Article 14 goes to

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the BESS uh amendment to battery energy storage system. Then article 15 adding the water supervisory uh to that article. >> Motion made >> second. >> All in favor? >> I I >> All right. I also entertain the motion

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to close the warrant articles as of today. Um, well, close them and then um yeah, that's all we need to do is close them, right? And then we might have to open them up again next week, but >> we might, but I don't I'm hoping not. >> Made second.

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>> All in favor? >> I just making want to make sure. >> Might get a parking by right. >> All right. Uh, discussion. All right. Item agenda 19. Discussion and vote to adopt. I'm sorry, wrong one. discussion

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vote whether to approve the fiscal 2027 ominous budget. >> So, it has changed and I've tweaked it. I don't have it here for you tonight. I have it. Matt has it and we're waiting for him to just go through my tweaks. I did uh spend the weekend doing the tweaks like we talked about. I removed

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some money from some budgets added to others. Very small changes, but there's a lot of them. Um, the bottom line dollar is $18,000 more of spending, but in order to accomplish that, I did have to do balancing back and forth to get us where we needed where um where certain

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people uh certain budgets needed supplementation, and I was a I took it out of other budgets. Uh, I have a spreadsheet for that. I have all the backup for that. I just wanted Matt to go through it to make sure he agreed with me. So, that will be that's one of the reasons why we want to have a a meeting

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>> next week. um >> y >> that the budget that I've created will will go to FinCom tomorrow for them to look at and make recommendations on. And that's one of the things um we're going to be looking for you to vote once we know the recommendations of FINCOM, too.

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We'll be able to put it on the budget because right now we don't have those. >> So, um >> All right. Well, >> we're not going to really vote on this tonight because I don't have it in front of you, >> but there's no substantial changes. >> Yep. It's only 18 more in spending, couple bunch of changes here and there.

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She pretty straightforward. We'll have it to next week's agenda. We'll move forward from item agenda. We'll table the item agenda 19 for tonight uh to another future meeting and then move on to item agenda 20 discussion to vote to adopt the warrant for June 8, 2026 special town election to direct the town

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clerk to have said warrant duly advertised and posted in accordance with the bylaws of the town of Freetown and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. All right. Do >> you have any any additional information, Cheryl? Or

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>> not about that particular agenda item, but I can update you that the absentee early vote by mail ballots arrived in my office today. So, we've been working on kits since last week. So, hopefully they'll go out tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday, the latest and we're already about at 320.

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>> Oh, wow. >> Vote by mails and the applications keep coming in. So, >> lucky you. And then we're just waiting for election day ballots and work on an election and a town meeting all at the same time. That's where we're at. >> Sounds like you guys are having fun. >> Yep. >> Okay.

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>> Busy busy as normal. >> Well, thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Right. Well, I then I entertain motion that the board of selectment adopt the warrant for the June 8, 2026 special town election and direct the town clerk to have said warrant duly advertised and posted in accordance with the bylaws of the town of Freetown and the laws of the

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Commonwealth of Massachusetts. >> Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? Five. >> All right. No board. No comments box. Anything from Was report? >> I

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have nothing. >> That's a lie. Nothing. Any public input? I see none. All right. >> Oh, I'm sorry. One thing. I did give you the tax impacts of the dead spoons. >> Yes. >> I did give you guys all of that. So, I

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spent the weekend doing this. Um, I have to admit that I did the the numbers, but Lan made it pretty like this because that is just not my forte. Um, hopefully if you have any comments, you know, I I haven't spread I haven't shared this um with anybody as of today. I wanted some

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comments and some feedback because I wanted to make sure it's clear and we're transparent. And I said I would do this um because again my concern is that you know the comments are well police station dead exclusion is going to drop off. So just adding the COA library

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there's a wash. Well we already said that with BP. I don't want to keep saying that. So I rather just show everybody what's going on because I think the picture is worth a thousand words and people can see what's happening with their tax dollars. So if there's any changes, can you just get

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them to me? These are the impacts for a val a house valued at $531,500. The impacts of the PD, the impact of BP, and I I will I will um clarify that that the BP numbers do fluctuate with

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enrollment. So, I do expect them to go up. I did reach out to BP to see if they could estimate them for me. They cannot. So, those were the latest numbers I have from BP. That's the number and the impact. And so your existing impact is in the white column. That's that's already approved. There's nothing we can

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do about that. And then the new uh COA library community building proposed. Um although I started it in fiscal year 28 because that's what the union bank had done. That's our consultant. I actually think we would not be borrowing money for a couple of years because the grant

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would be instant money. As soon as you're awarded the grant, you get 10% of the grant which is a million dollars. We are using $9 million of savings. So, I think we would use that before we start borrowing money. So, I don't I might push that all down a line or two. So,

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then that will lessen those, you know, those two big years that we have until the PD does fall off. >> Um I I haven't decided if I'm going to push it one or two years. I might talk to um the consultant uni bank that we have to just see what their thought process.

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side of caution because the last thing we want to do is say this is what the impact's going to be and then have it be more >> right but if you say hey this is >> I think one year definitely two years I'm not sure about >> well because that hopefully it's two years because then that that takes away the two biggest years so

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>> so um but I think this this is the you know really important for people to see >> um I will tweak it and I just wanted you the board to see it to see if you have any issues of me publishing this once I get it. I think the only thing I would be doing is moving that uh COA library

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number down one one one line to start the borrowing. >> This is great. People have been questioning about what's their impact could be for that exclusion from currently have. And this gives them a clear understanding where we're at. And you're right, it does drop off, you

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know, not not majorly about $120 or for two years. But it's a, you know, going from a fork for two. That's a visual right away. People like, oh, that's not as bad as, you know, being in the four 405 to 285. So >> Okay.

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>> Yeah. I love it. >> Thank you for doing this. I'm not happy that you did it over the weekend, but thank you for doing business. >> It's the only way I can get things done as long as it's peace and quiet. >> All right, board closed signatures. Anything you can sign? >> All right,

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>> get them ready. >> How do I write this? I write things and I don't know where I write. >> Oh, that's for the signs in case there's no signs up for the spoil water tree. >> There was something on there. I just didn't I didn't stop. Kids want to see

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it. It's robot. >> The title that was in De's contract is but it should say monthly. So, we just need to use initially. You didn't build so >> Oh, I don't care. Yeah. >> Yeah.

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>> Oh, that's al >> Did you get that? This was a change because it was annually is supposed to be monthly. So, you just have to initial the change. Can >> you sign the fire yourself from the committee? >> Sure. >> That's

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Can >> we get that mic fixed that was hit over the weekend? >> It hasn't been fixed yet cuz >> Oh, where am I signing? Yeah. Oh, just >> we have to put it to bed for Sans. These are

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three of each of the donations for the land for six is on the sign. slide that over looking over at him but not even paying attention to where I'm slugging. >> I you know the uh the government signer he always starts reading everything.

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It's like sometimes it's just you know the same page over and over again. build it up. There you go. Here and here. >> I like when it says have Debbie sign. >> Were we able to come up with a time next week that we can have a 20 minute meeting? >> Oh yeah.

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>> I'm thinking by Zoom would be best. >> Yeah. >> Just because it it's going to be the omnibus and the warrant if there's any changes. And I just need to make sure we have a time that we all can meet for that. >> And if it's a short meeting >> should be very short. It can be Zoom. Oh, okay. I

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>> has to be before >> like either Monday or Tuesday so we can get Wednesday morning first thing so we can get the warrant to the um police chief. >> So I I just I can't do Monday during the day. I could do Tuesday. >> Monday you have those s interviews on

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the >> Yeah, Tuesday. >> Tuesday >> if it's only >> Can you do Tuesday, Jeff? >> Tuesday morning. Uh, I got invited to go meet the uh, stocky and the staff at the >> Okay. >> at the administration over there. I

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think she's at 10:00. So, I don't >> Wednesday morning, 8:00, something like that. >> So, what why don't we if he's going there for 10? If we're not going to take that long, we're going to do it by Zoom. Can we do it before? >> You went at 9:00 in the morning on Tuesday. >> I can do that. Yeah, for sure. >> 12th. >> Tuesday 12th. Yeah. >> 9:00.

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>> It's free for you and >> Okay, perfect. >> 9:00 Tuesday morning. The 11th is so the 11th. Yeah. No, 9:00 will be fine. Yep. >> Be short. It will be the warrant and the omnibus. The warrant you've approved. If we don't make any changes, you're done with that. But any changes will be very very minuscule.

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And then the omnibus. I am waiting for the school because we do know that there's money coming down, right? They can't change an assessment until it's voted. And I can't really put um the omnibus as an assessment lower than what they're

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asking because if it doesn't get changed, then I've got a problem. So >> yeah, >> um I'm hoping that they're that, you know, the Senate approves the changes and we have new numbers because I do need that extra money. If not, it'll

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just stay where it is. Um So, that's where we're at. >> I'd say no more than a half an hour. >> Okay. What happens since we're going to submit uh omnibus and all that? What happens if Lakefville

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votes it down cuz we just obviously >> I think it has to go back to the school committee to see if they're going to redo their budget. And if not, then I think then it they have to go to like a super meeting of both towns.

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>> So we just keep ours the way it is. We don't go in there and change it in lower numbers. Right. >> Unless there's some change. I mean, unless unless um >> I was more worried about for the warrant. >> Well, we can always change it on the on the meeting floor, >> right? I think what will happen so what

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happens now is I create the budget, right? The town administrator is responsible for the budget. So I sit with all the department heads and I do the budget. Obviously, I'm taking input from everybody. I just create the budget. The selectman approve my budget. The FINCOM then makes

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recommendations on the budget. So, my guess is if something changes between now and town meeting floor that this the FINCOM may not recommend the budget. I don't know. They're going to do their own due diligence. So, that can happen. And then it goes to town meeting floor.

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This is what >> this is what the selectman put forth. This is what the fincom put forth. You have to vote on the recommend. Usually it's recommended the fincom's budget. You vote on that budget. >> Yeah. >> Um I don't anticipate changing our number.

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>> Okay. That's what I was concerned about. >> But if there's new information that comes out, we'll certainly have that discussion. >> Right. >> I mean, the number will be changed by the school if the state changes the numbers and I wait for them to give me the assessment, right? Um, so I was hoping to have that, but I don't I don't

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think timing wise I'm going to actually have it. But that doesn't mean they're still not going to reduce our assessment. They will. Um, like they will, but I can't use it. I have to wait until like next year for free cash, >> whereas I really do need it in our budget numbers. So I was I'm really

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trying to get get it, but it nobody has control over the state. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think the goal is what midmay to get those numbers. >> Yeah. like it's just going to be like that's why I'm kind of trying to get a meeting next week, but I don't now somebody said May 5th tomorrow the

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numbers might come out. Um I think Jack is saying maybe May 15th which will be too late for us, you know. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> But we could always if I get the numbers May 15th, we could change it on the floor. >> We can change it on the floor. Right. >> Okay.

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>> Right. The motion it being 7:50 p.m. on May 4th, 2026. to ajourn. Motion made. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I am taking your