Coordinator report November 19, 2015

Jed Proujansky who is a Northfield Selectman will attend the meeting at
6:30 to discuss the anti-pipeline municipal coalition. My understanding
is there is no charge to join and we could be asked to make a
"contribution". Noteworthy that the MA AG just reported that there is no
need for this gas supply in our state.

Kasey resigned from CC. I have asked the chairs to publicize the fact
there is a vacancy on the commission and then nominate a replacement.

FCSWD (solid waste) wants a new appointee to their board who will make
the four quarterly meeting. Management sees this as chiefly recycling
coordination. I see it as the District's governing board and am willing
to be the representative.

Our most recent audit of town books was of 2012. It is time for our next
audit as our practice is every three years. I seek the board's approval
to appoint the Scanlon firm to again conduct our audit.

I claimed Warwick's ClearGov website and met with the principle of the
service. At the meeting I suggested some enhancements which they
immediately implemented. Because of functionality to model indebtedness
past and future, I've signed us up for a one year half priced trial at a
cost of $500 and as a WBS expense. My rationale is that this modeling
capability is desirable in the context of the community's upcoming
decision to bond $1.6M or more for a fiber build. The web site will show
our residents where their tax dollars are spent and show trends.

I'll be seeking an ethics exemption for Mary Humphries who is a member
of the BEC and a school employee so the Town can employ her briefly to
work on making the town hall basement accessible for the weatherization
work. The PD, Highway buildings, and Library are substantially complete.
There will be follow up work at the library where some of the siding was
damaged and needs to be replaced. I need also to negotiate a credit for
some work that wasn't done at the PD.

I seek a surplus property declaration for items in the town hall
basement including some very decrepit tables; some used doors, used
lumber, and some junk printers and computers. We are not declaring
surplus the financial paper records, the tin work from town hall roof,
window glass inventory, new roofing materials, and items such as
wincerts and window air conditioners that are stored in the basement
seasonally.

In the past I used to meet with the former Highway Superintendent on a
weekly basis. I think I should restart this and, as well, get the
Highway department head to resume long and short term worklists and
biweekly reports to the Selectboard of progress.

Our FY16 tax rate is set. The rate is $20.47 / '000. Has we appropriated
the full highway department request instead of including grant funding
as part of the revenue picture, the tax rate would have been $22.03. The
tax levy based on TM action went down forty thousand dollars on our $2M
budget. Our recent property valuation lowered the total value of town
real estate from about $77M to $73M which raises the tax rate even
though our revenues from taxes are slightly down. Structurally a town
may never have a "rate" higher than $25/ '000 pursuant to the limits of
Proposition 2 1/2 so called.