Good afternoon. I'm now going to call the Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 meeting of the North County Commissioner to order. I'm going to read the executive order on remote participation.
On March 28th, 2025, Governor Healey signed into law House Bill 62, an act relative to extending certain COVID 19 measures adopted during state of emergency, which includes a two-year extension of the option for public
bodies to hold remote meetings by suspending certain provisions of the Mass Open Meeting Law, General Law Chapter 3A, sections 18 through 25. That action was effective immediately extending the current option for remote
meetings through June 30th, 2027. Thank you. Going to ask if everyone will stand and join me in saluting the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. Thank you. Going to call the role. Commissioner Stady, we expect Commissioner Stady to join us remotely, but Commissioner Collins present. Commissioner Shay is present. We have a
quorum. Thank you. No executive session today. Correct. Correct. Okay. Number three, minutes of the open session meeting of September 24th. Um I suggest we hold those till which he comes on and uh he may have I'm fine
with it but we just might want to get input. Okay. Appointments I have none public comment. Every week at our meetings we have a session reserved for public comment. Anyone can come in and address the commissioners on
any gerine subject or if they are remote participants they can come on the remote and address us. Bridg's coming on now. Commissioner Stan is present. Hi, gentlemen. How you doing? How are you?
Good afternoon, Commissioner. We're on public comment. Yes, sir. We did not do the minutes. We'll go back. We're just doing the public comment. All right. John, did you have anybody notified you for public comment? No, sir. No, no.
We'll ask all for public comment. Seeing none, we'll go back. to minutes number four. Commissioner, I would move approval of the minutes I presented. Motion to approve. What happened?
Did I lose my mic? All right. On the public comment, on open session motion made and seconded. All in favor? I. Okay. accept a minute. Just asking for my thought on that. Richard, u give me a thumbs up if you're okay with um using your stamp.
Absolutely. Absolutely. We're back on item number seven. I apologize for any delay. Old business. In your packet, commissioners, is a memorandum of understanding between the NOFK County Commissioners and the North County Agricultural High School Board of
Trustees for capital fund payments was was held over from the last meeting. I'm going to go to director Cronin for an explanation. Thank you, Commissioner Shay. briefly commissioners. Last week, as you know, I presented this draftou
um which included um four corners around uh an agreement we can have with the agricultural school to send and have the egg utilize surplus capital funds from the county for designated purposes. Um I wanted to give the commissioners a week
to review the potential policy and get back with any edits. I have not received any edits. So, at this time, I'll be seeking a vote from the commissioners to convey this to the school superintendent/trustees for u their review and upon uh
confirmation of any uh edits or comments, we'll get it signed and endorsed and voted by both parties. So, at this time, just a simple vote. Thanks for bearing with us while we had some technical difficulties. Commissioners, we're on item number 11 on your agenda.
requesting the bar associate for North County for use of the Denim District Court for evening legal clinics in 2026. It's a letter from Jacqueline Fagonei who is the executive director of our bar association
asking for use of that courthouse on February 10th 2026 June 9th 2026 and Tuesday October 20th 2026 for their North County legal clinics evening legal clinics. Any questions or
comments? Take a motion, please. I'll make the motion. Motion made and seconded. All in favor? I will approve that. Number 12, report from the procurement department on bid openings and contract awards.
Good afternoon, Moren. Come on up. I think Do we have three? Yes, we do. Three. So that's what order they're on there, but our first one, probably the most important, well, won't say that, but is our natural
gas contract. So we were able to use our current broker, Mantis Energy, and lock in a rate of uh 1.009 for 3 years. So, no variable locked in
for three years at that price beginning June 1st of 26. So, we're in a contract now, but they try to shop ahead. Okay. And is that a good rate? That is a decent rate for now and in 3 years it may be an amazing rate. So, hopefully. Yeah.
And how much which natural gas now? That's I'm not sure who our provider is yet. Um, I don't know if they know at the time who the provider is, but it's through Mantis Energy. Okay. So, they guarantee the rate. Okay.
Correct. All right. Number one, natural gas for three-year contract at a reasonably good great rate. All in favor? I I That's number one. Number two. Number two may be temporary HR consultant.
Oh, we are contracting with Capital Strategic for some help for interim HR services um with an hourly rate and a compensation amount not to exceed 30,000.
I'll make that I'll make that motion. Human resource assisted, right? Well, yes. Interim H interim human resource assistant. Motion made and seconded. All in favor? All right, that's done. The third one. Okay. The treasur's office
is a operational review. This went out to bid. We had one response and the person that would perform this operation would be Robert Fontana. And we have a rate in here um that he
submitted with this proposal. And this will be completed by um January 1st of 26. This is an operational review of the treasur's office of temporary uh contract. Correct.
Robert Font Fontuna for Fontana. Font. That's right. Fontana. Any questions? Okay. Any comments? Motion made and seconded on Robert Fontana on a operational review of the treasur's office. All in favor? I
I. That completes our procurement department report from this week. Thank you. Number 13, American Rescue Plan Grant Program update. Director Cronin. Thank you, Commissioner. I'll be brief.
Uh, a week ago, I indicated that you'll be receiving an update today on the monitoring of several uh, ARPA grants that have been distributed uh, since the beginning of the program. We engaged Bill Galvin, working with Bill Buckley to contact these um communities. There
are 21 grants that are identified as complete um and fully spent, but the balance of funding appears to be in question. Do they have funds left over? You know, we want to pick up anything that is left after the completion of of
various um grant um activities. Out of the 21, we've received feedback from approximately 13 and gotten good information, including some amount of money that is due to be returned to the county. Uh, which is good news. It's not a lot. It's about $4,000. Um, but we're
waiting for, uh, a group of, um, communities, Medfield, Franklin, um, and Planeville to collectively respond to their eight grants. So I don't have a full report to give you but this u monitoring exercise was favorable and that it it does result in some return of
funds to the county for future distribution. Um and as soon as those funds are returned I will um present to the commission as a proposed uh transfer request based on uh the availab availability of those funds. So more on that next week but I just want to let
you know progress is being made um in the last week. We just need to hear from the last three before we conclude this exercise. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Okay. Anything else? Okay. On on that concludes offer for today. Yes.
Opera update. Thank you. 14. Report of the county director, John. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a few items. Uh first, the general announcement. Uh the county commissioners last month approved a no smoking policy for the Denim Complex. We want to remind all those listening and all those affected in our buildings that
no smoking is allowed within 20 ft of the building. uh arrangements have been made for designated smoking areas in and around the uh the complex. Please be alert and please follow this for the um benefit not only of yourself to be compliant but also your co-workers and
the public that we serve. Uh this past week I signed and passed over to our procurement people a fully endorsed FY26 contract um with the state trial courts for the Quinsey District Court um in the amount of $731,000
as the commissioners may know since our lease was broken. Commonwealth owes they pay us um the cost of providing operational services including salaries and non-s salary expenses this year is projected to be $731. $731,000.
Okay. Um want to be I want to I'm happy to report our CIO has been notified that the state um grant that he received for reimbursement of incident response plan um has been realized. We have received
$22,000 back from the state for monies that the county had previously uh fronted. So that's good news. Thank you very much for stamp to doing that. Um, a general announcement. The RSP RSVP volunteer coordinated position is now posted. It is on our website and it is
on Indeed. This will be the position that'll backfill um Mr. Christopher Goldmith who was winding down and heading towards his retirement date. And then finally, commissioners, uh, I received a letter, I believe the chairman did as well, from the register of deeds, uh, looking for, uh, a
transfer, I believe, of some sort to, um, offset the cut that was made to his budget by the advisory board back on September 17th. The register asked for, um, apparently uh, the county to transfer
these funds from his salary line instead of the printing and binding group two. Um the letter was a little ambiguous as it said there were statements and representations made by officials at the Northfor County Advisory Board meeting that in his capacity could designate the
area of the registry's deeds budget to be cut. Um I'm afraid I don't understand which um representations and statements he's referring to. But these uh transfers are dictated by master law. Um and I'll be responding to the comm to the register in writing uh to inform him
what he can expect and broadly that is the next point of action for a transfer involving salaries will be the December 2025 advisory board meeting. I'll take care of that. That is all I have. Thank you, Mr. Commissioner. Any questions for the county director?
Thank you. I just have one more thing I just want to add. I just saw and you mentioned his name. Robert Fontana will be doing the uh treasur's operational review. I believe he's expecting to start around October 16th. He signed his contract today. So, he'll be coming in in a couple weeks to begin his work. He's
been given contact information for key individuals to speak to both commissioner's office, the registry, as well as uh the treasur's office. So, hopefully the ground. Sorry. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Okay. Thank you. We're winding down here. Number
well, 15. Emergency items topics chair did not originally anticipate. Is it necessary to read into record the fire chief's letter from camp? That's a future agenda item. Commissioner St. Okay. Would that will be held at the next meeting?
Treasure letter from Chief Aubry of Canton. Uh I have nothing else I want to say before we adjourn. Um, in keeping with our policy of
recognizing our family and our importance, we have a a memorial today. Um, yesterday we realized that uh, a retired custodian, John Marinucci, a 23-year employee of the town from the
town of Denim who worked here with us in our maintenance department passed away. And uh, he will be buried this Friday uh, from St. Mary Church on Canton. So I want everyone in their thoughts closing out this meeting to remember uh our
fellow employee John Marinucci who again he retired in 2023 after 23 years of service. And uh commissioners I have nothing else. So I'll take a motion to adjurnn.
Motion to adjurnn. Uh second thank you. Motion made and seconded. All in favor? I. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much. Okay.