Good morning. I'm now going to call the Wednesday, December 31st, 2025 meeting of the North County Commissioners to order. Welcome all. We're on Zoom today. I'm going to read the executive
order for 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 the 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 open meeting law. This is Mass General Law Chapter 30A
sections 18 through 26. That action was effective immediately extending the current option for remote meetings through June 30th, 2027. Welcome all.
All votes today will be roll call votes. Going to ask you to stand and join me in saluting the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag >> of the United States of America >> and to the republic which stands one
nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you is done. Roll call vote. Commissioner stating >> I am here sir remotely. >> Collins >> uh present and you have my permission to
use my stamp for any votes we take today. and chairman Shay is present. We have a full quorum. Thank you. >> Yes. My permission is given to stamp anything you need as as as well. >> And the chair likewise. Uh number three is executive session. We
are going to have a very brief executive session this morning. If someone would make the motion, we'll get right to it. >> Yeah, I'll do that. Um I'll make a motion we go into exe executive session pursuant to master law chapter 3A section 21 subsection A subsection 3.
to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares. >> I'll second the motion as presented. >> Motion made and seconded to go into
executive session. We will be returning to the regular agenda items at the end of the executive session. So please stay with us. Uh roll call vote. Commissioner Stady, >> I vote yes. Commissioner Collins. >> Yes. >> And the chair votes yes. We're in
executive session. Bill, would you take the necessary steps to put us? >> Sure. >> Thank you. We're back on regular agenda on our December 31st, 2025
meeting of the North County Commissioners. Item number four, commissioners minutes. I'll move approval of the minutes I presented and that was for the meeting of December 10th. >> Second.
>> Motion made and seconded on the minutes of December 10th. Call the role. Commissioner Stady. >> I vote yes. >> Commissioner Collins. >> Yes. >> And the chairman votes yes. The minutes are accepted. One more. It's December 17th.
>> Mr. Chairman, I'll move uh with your approval approval of the minutes of December 17th as presented. >> Second. >> Motion made on the December 17th minutes to accept them. Commissioner Stady, >> I vote yes. >> Commissioner Collins,
>> yes. >> Commissioner Sh. The minutes are accepted. Thank you. Moving right along. We have no appointments today. Number six, public comment. Each week at our meetings, we allow for public comment, whether in person or over the
Zoom. Now is the time if there's anyone that has public comment. Anyone at all? >> Director Cronin, are you aware of anyone that has public comment? >> Not this week, sir. >> Not this week. Last call for public comment of the
year. This will be the last call of the year for public comment. Okay, moving right along. We're going to go to number seven, old business. I have no old business. We'll take care of that. Number eight, personnel matters
for consideration. We have a number. >> Mr. Chairman, if with the board's permission, I'd be happy to move these, but I was going to break them into groups. I thought we'd deal with retirement, the resignations on the dated 1219 and then the rest if that's okay. I'm going to take the first one.
>> One retirement. I move approval of the notice for retirement of Gary Muse as building maintenance supervisor effective date 121225. These are all at the North County Agricultural High School. So move >> second. >> Motion made and seconded. Commissioner
Stady. >> I vote yes. Commissioner Collins. >> Yes. >> Chairman Shot. Yes. Next item, please. >> All right. Mr. Chairman, again through you, I'm going to move the following group as a motion together collectively.
They're all notice of resignation. Uh some are a student summer camp and some are substitute workers, but they're all at the Aggie school. The effective date is all 121925. The following individuals have resigned. Isabelle Rose Fitzpatrick, Colin P.
Gorman, Michaela, Vommo, forgive me, Ava Hammond, John Han, Randon, Seth Lee, Ellisstein, Ella, Henrik, Khan, Elena Cob. Let me see if
that's all of them. I leave anybody out. That's it. I move that they we have move approval of the resignation as either student labor or substitute instructor at the race date 121925. So moved. >> Second. >> Motion made and seconded. Roll call
vote. Commissioner Stady. >> I vote yes. >> Commissioner Collins. >> Yes. >> And chairman Shay. Yes. Thank you. Next group. >> The last group at the Yankee school. I move approval of the motion for resignation
for Justine Grassi, Payton Marie Hotangley, Mason Kelly, Robert King III, and Samantha Krauss. These are as again substitute instructor or student labor at the rate stated as presented to us
the effective date 12225 and I may have left out I'm sorry I have to amend that motion also including Emily Marett Tessa Maznik John McGrath Joshua Moriceette
Isabella Musiac Thomas Meyers Melissa No, that is the concluded list. >> Second >> motion made and seconded. Roll call vote. Commissioner Stady >> vote yes.
>> Commissioner Collins >> yes. >> Chairman Shay votes yes. Thank you very much. I know this is uh a little bookkeeping but we're catching up here. So at the end of the year >> Yeah, >> that's good. Next uh we we try to mention milestones
of service for all our employees if we're brought to our attention and we want to mentions. Number nine, payroll expense warrants. Commissioner Sty, >> I don't have that information. Um >> Okay. >> If Billy wants to put it on the screen.
I didn't get that. >> Um >> maybe John could read it and and we could just uh make a motion. >> Sure. >> Okay. >> So, Commissioner Staty, through you I'll announce the first payroll uh for the
county uh is $143,97182. >> All right. I would move that amount as presented by the director for approval. >> Second. >> Roll callo. Commissioner Stady. >> Yes. >> Peter Collins. >> Yes. >> And Chairman Shave. Yes. On the first one. Next one, please.
>> Uh, the second is um warrant item 26-25. I should amend. The first one was um warrant number 26-26. This one is warrant item 26.25 25 totaling $146,494.81. >> What's that for?
>> Payroll. >> Okay. I didn't know. Is that school? >> Uh, nope. That's the next one. >> Okay. >> So, I'll move. >> Okay. That's right. Okay. Two. That's right. I move approval of the county payroll as presented by the director for
approval. >> Second. >> Roll call vote. Commissioner Stady. Yes, >> Commissioner Collins. >> Yes, >> Chairman Shavos. Yes. Thank you. >> The next one is uh school payroll item 26-25
um parenthesis 13 totaling 397,315. >> I can move approval as presented for the school payroll. >> Second. >> Motion made and seconded. Roll call vote. Commissioner Stady. >> Yes. Commissioner Collins. >> Yes.
>> Shave. Thank you. >> The next item is expenses of the county 12526 totaling $420,885.97. >> All right. I move that approved as presented. >> Second.
>> Roll call vote. Commissioner Sty, >> I vote yes. Commissioner Collins. >> Yes. >> Chairman Shay votes yes. That concludes the payroll expense warrants for today. >> We have one more. Uh Commissioner, >> I'm sorry. Go ahead.
>> Uh it is item 26-06A expenses of the school totaling 169,873.88. >> All right. I move that as presented. Approval. >> Motion made and seconded. Roll call vote. Commissioner Stady.
>> I vote yes. >> Commissioner Collins. >> Yes. >> Chairman Shay votes yes. Thank you. This completes the payroll and expense warrants for 2026.
25. Thank you very much. Number 10. Report from the procurement department on bid openings and contract awards. I don't believe we have any today. >> None this week, sir. >> Okay. Next year number 11, report of the county director.
>> Thank you, Commissioner Shay. Um, good morning, Commissioners. Forgive me. I have a rather lengthy uh list of items I wanted to address with you today. Um, all around the time frame of the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect back
on a very successful 2025, but looking forward to calendar year 2026, I thought I'd give you a brief understanding of what's ahead. Um, the month of January will be quite busy. Next week you will have uh several items on your agenda
including um the proposed FY27 budget guidelines memo which uh will be advanced through you and then to the departments to set up the timeline and uh guidelines for the preparation for that important document. You will also be meeting with Clifton Larson Allen. Um
they will be coming in to talk about uh one year to go with the ARPA grant. As the commissioners may know, you fully um allocated all funds for that program a year ago, but the program had a two-year span where those funds needed to be um
expended. We are now one year out from the end of that time period. And I think it's a reflective time to look at how the grant is functioning um through the monitoring lens, how the funds that were provided as advances to communities are being expended and where we stand
overall. Um so it's going to be a good moment in time to kind of look at the grant that you oversaw for the last 3 to four years and how it's looking to close in the next 12 months. Um we also wanted to uh announce today is the end of the
RSVP holiday drive. Um the um RSVP director Lucille Cass could not be here today. She's taking a vacation day, but I wanted to uh take this moment to shower her with praise. uh she took over um earlier this year and one of the um
very important um items um she decided to overhaul was the support for veterans. As the commissioners may know in the past that support um entailed a holiday drive for goods that were eventually moved down to the Cape and dispersed through that outlet. Lucille
decided to focus within the county and as Bill was kind enough to pull up this um flyer. It's been well posted around the county uh since Thanksgiving. Um this particular drive is different as it does collect items as shown. Toothbrushes, sweatshirts, sweatuits,
socks, undergarments, um uh soap, body wash, shampoo, shaving cream, uh personal items, reading glasses, and so forth. These are all items that are held at the various veterans hospitals and distributed to
veterans upon uh need and released from the hospital. Um, I want to express not only my my personal thanks to Lucille for running such a great program, but to let the commissioners know this has been a uh resounding success. She has had
over seven locations uh with bins collecting this material for the last 8 weeks, excuse me, 6 weeks, and those bins have been filled multiple times um throughout the county. Those locations include the Denim Public Library, the Denim
Council on Aging, the Denim VFW, the Canton Town Hall, the Sharon Senior Center, the Norfor Senior Center, and finally the Medfield Council on Aging. On Monday, Lucille and I and assistant director Bill Buckley will go out and retrieve um all that is uh still out in
the field and bring it back here. Uh our spare conference room is at capacity with donated materials from this drive. So, we're going to be adding to that. Um the amount of material that will then be sent over to the VA is quite impressive. It's it's it's simply fantastic. And um
I want to let the commissioners know that uh I think this program is reflective not only of the generosity of the people within the county, but obviously the great work of our RSVP program. And uh I understand Commissioner Staty will be joining uh Lucille when she schedules the drop off
of this material late next week. So, uh, great program, very well done, county focused, overwhelmingly successful. Um, and hats off to Lucille for pulling that off. Um, I want to let the commissioners know that over the last week or so, the Quinsey District Court, um, has had
substantial sewer issues. Um, our facility, uh, acting interim facility director, Chick Cushing, and his team, including our plumber, Jim Wilder, have done yman work to make that um, operation safe. They had to close a couple of different offices while this
sewer issue was addressed. The building is showing signs of wear and tear as we know where our goal is to get that building to the end of the line sometime in September of 2026. Um Chick's done a good job of not trying to overspend but try to keep the space open, safe, and
clean. Um and obviously keep the justices and and other stakeholders within the court informed. He's done a great job. Um just a quick update um on the year ahead. As I mentioned, January will launch the FY27 budget process. Um,
you will hear from CLA next week. At the end of the month, around January 28th, you're going to have a a presentation by your chief information officer, Sam Evans. Uh, Sam and I have uh met many times over the last several months as he begins to build up projects that are
going to have a countywide impact. The most notable is the application of the employee assistance portal. Um, this piece of technology is u used through the Tyler system for the benefit of all employees. We've piloted it. It's done very well and it's now time to possibly
begin laying the groundwork for the application of the time and attendance process which will be an electronic time sheet system that Sam is working also to move forward. In addition, he'll have several other items that he'll present to you later this month, excuse me,
later in January uh for your benefit in February. As we turn the clock uh to the next month, uh the commissioners are planning a um uh meeting, a North County regular scheduled meeting at the disaster recovery space at the Northfor County Aggie um uh school. That space
has been completed as you know, and Commissioner Sheay wishes to um have an off-site meeting to test its viability and its use and we'll schedule that sometime in the middle of February. We'll be posting for a new facility manager. Um we our outgoing facility
manager uh gets paid out sometime around the beginning of February. So we're going to post for this position in the middle of January and start interviewing in February for the backfill of that important job. Um we'll also begin the commissioner's office renovations that I think I
mentioned in a prior meeting. commissioners. Uh the second floor here will undergo painting, plastering, carpeting, cubicle work, uh and other minor improvements, um to improve the appearance of this space. Um we will also be putting out to bid the Denim
District Court parking lot as well as the Retham Brooklyn Stoen building management system studies. That will all happen in February along with the registry of deeds fire alarm panel replacement. So, those are those capital items that we approved back in the fall. In March, April, and May, as we move
into the spring, we're going to begin the parking lot work across the street. Uh, we'll begin repointing the Rentham, Denim, Superior Court, and Registry DPS. Um, we'll be installing a mini split system in Superior Court. We'll begin
also replacing the Blue House stairs, all capital projects that were previously approved. And Carl has already been in touch with our procurement officer. He's going to be looking to put out to bid the ir not not put out to bid but select the candidate for the irrigation study for the Wallist
recreational facility. This summer we're going to prep for the closure and separation of the county from Quinsey District Court. As the commissioners may recall, the state anticipates leaving and closing that site in sear September around Labor Day uh this coming Labor
Day. Uh that'll result in some staff movements. uh individuals that are stationed there, they'll have to be uh reassigned um through collective bargaining rights to other locations in the county. So, there'll be some um uh obviously some personnel impact with that building, but we will have to
separate um from that role sometime in September if all things go according to plan. Um by that time, we're also looking at modeling and piloting the time and attendance system that Sam will be giving you more information on later this later in January. Um and also
looking for some kind of direction as we begin fiscal year 27 on the RSVP program. The commissioners may know that we're awaiting um some direction, some signal from the federal government on whether or not they'll re um reauthorize
the RSVP program. Uh we are getting null responses right now from Washington on whether or not that will happen, but we expect to know and understand that sometime this spring, early summer. Uh but until then the role will be held by of course Lucille and a temp that was recently funded to keep the program
going. Uh as we move into uh later part of 2026 um we're going to obviously have another look at ARPA. Um throughout the uh calendar year of 26 and after you hear from Clifton Larson Allen next week u optimizing the remaining funds is job
one. The commissioners have always made it clear that they don't wish to turn any money back, but they also want every community to use every penny effectively. So by the time um October, November, December roll around in 2026, you will be looking to make sure that that ARPA program closes appropriately
um exactly a year from today 123126. So the year ahead looks quite busy. Um this of course excludes things that come up and that we have to deal with from time to time. But we're excited. you have a very strong team uh that's ready to carry out your technology, your
facility, your program, and obviously your administrative needs. So, commissioners, looking back, it's been a successful 2025. We're looking forward to an exciting 2026. Thank you for your time, sir. >> Thank you, John. Any questions of the county director, commissioners,
comments? >> Yeah, I got I got a few >> Richard. >> Okay, so first >> Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. John, great report. Um, I have a couple of questions and comments. I think Lucille deserves a lot of credit for what she's done with RSVP and I happen to go down
the Canton Town Hall and I was so pleased to see the bin like so many others overflowing overflowing with material. So, um, I'd love to get a picture of it. I'm obviously not in a position to do that, but I want to get something like that to give her credit
and to make sure that people know we appreciate what they did. So if somebody does pick it up Monday and I'm not able to get down there, even a quick photo would be good for us to again put it on our website, you know, it's about making sure people know what how generous they
are and also how appreciative we are. Secondly, um I actually had a social engagement, we'll leave it like that, where I read it to one of the members of our federal delegation and he said he had no idea of the concern about RSVP and he would appreciate a letter. So, I
will tell talk to Billy later and see if we can get a letter from us to him as soon as possible because he wasn't aware of the cutbacks, but we're talking about cutting a program and this congressman didn't know about it. So, I'd like I think we need to get a letter sent out by Northfor congressional delegation.
All the congressmen that includes McGovern Arin Claus because he has part of North County as well as Lynch and maybe anybody else and let them know we're looking for their help before we pull the plug. Third, um, you mentioned some of the things you mentioned, some
of the things you did not. Are we going to talk about the audit or is that something we're going to be doing next week? >> Likely in the next couple weeks, Commissioner. >> Okay. Not really too pleased with that information we got. I really got some questions, but I'll save it for when we
come back in person. That just seemed very distressing to me that we're still kind of delaying that report. And then um the other thing that um you mentioned and I think we had talked about oh the electric charging thing um it seemed
like we're making some progress but maybe not enough. Hopefully in 26 I would hope you put that as your plate goal that during 2026 we will have in fact charging stations in place at the county buildings. I'd like to make that maybe a personal goal but obviously a
board goal that we get that done as well and that she respectfully say as well. Okay. Otherwise, ready to go. Looks like looks like a great year ahead. >> Commission. Thank you, Commissioner. Uh, Commissioner Shay through you. If I may respond to one of the items Commission brought up. Um, Commissioner Stady, I
forwarded you an email from Nick Valari yesterday. He has an update from his interactions with the state. Um, he claims that per mass EVIP guidance, he'll be re they will be re-reing all the materials that was sent in on our application. Um, the first full week in
January. Um he added they had several of questions which he is going to address and um he plans on submitting an answer today before the end of u 12 excuse me the end of calendar year 26. >> No I I read that I read that I read I I
appreciate that. I'm saying you didn't mention it as far as your goal for next year. I I would like to include electric charging stations as our goal to get them in place as well and make sure we're staying on top of that. But that's great. Great job. I appreciate that work. >> Got it. Thank you, sir.
>> Yes, sir. That's all I have, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other questions for Director Cronin? Last shot for 2025. >> Okay. Thank you, John. Next item,
number 12, emergency items. Topics that the chair did not originally anticipate would be discussed. Uh I have none other than a thank you to all, a congratulations to all
and uh hopefully a very productive new year. I'm talking about all of our employees who do such a great job and they made 2025 a very successful year. was a very busy year uh particularly in
the superior court and the court courts everywhere and uh uh shout out to everyone for a great job. Uh I look forward to 2026 with the items John mentioned and
of course there's the everyday items. Needless to say, we'll start with the structuring of the 20 27 fiscal year budget. So, happy new year to everyone and I'm going to ask the commission if they have
any comment and then look for a motion to adjurnn and uh uh another year and uh it was a banner year, but we can do more next year. >> Well said. Happy New Year everybody.
Great job. Uh I'll move you this uh journ at uh when the time is 11:38. >> Second. >> Motion made and seconded on adjournment. Commissioner Stady, >> I vote yes.
>> Commissioner Collins, >> yes. >> And Commissioner Shay votes yes. This meeting is adjourned and happy and safe New Year to everyone. >> Quick question. Commissioner Stady, can we use your stamp to endorse the items you voted upon today, please? Yes, I mentioned that. I did say it. Yes, sir,
sir. >> All set. >> All right. >> Have a great weekend and good new year and we'll see you soon. >> Thank you very much.