Coordinator Report December 3, 2015

I do not anticipate any Chapter 268 Section 20D ethics exemptions.

MBI issued a letter to towns telling them not to sign, at this time, the
Wired West operating agreement. This letter may have been preemptive of
the WiredWest commissioned study by another consultant that is
favorable. A copy is part of the board meeting package. I requested a
copy of the consultant's work product from the MBI study and was denied
citing exemption D of the Public Records Act protecting interagency in
progress work product. I was promised a copy of the report when final /
accepted. I will also seek a copy of the assessment tool when available.
There is a meeting Monday Dec. 14 at 5 pm in Greenfield at the FRCOG at
which MBI will make a presentation. I hope members of the board will
attend.

Chairman Magi asked for an agenda item to discuss the FD Northfield
truck $25k proposed with the intent to make sure the Town gets a
mechanical survey of the truck performed by a firm such as Raymond's
Garage in Bernardston or Porter's in Winchester before we purchase it.

Selectmen's Association had a session Friday the 3rd on proposed changes
to the Public Records law. I look forward to a report on the meeting.

I raised some questions with our DOR representative about the state
Equalization Study (EQV) because our recently approved revaluation set
the value of town property slightly less than $73M and the state within
the year adjusted us upward in the EQV study to $81M. I asked how both
could be true. Somebody in Boston at DOR owes me a call back. I am not
sure of all the state aid that uses this in formula to determine aid but
it is proposed to be used in the future for PILOT (payment in lieu of
taxes) and is used to calculate library aid and school building grants.

The window opens for submission to FERC to be an intervener after the
FERC certifies the application complete. That has not happened yet.

We owe a debt of gratitude for the work Janice Kurkoski especially and
the rest of the BEC has done on behalf of the town in the energy
betterment work now ongoing. She has been acting effectively as clerk of
the works and I am extremely grateful. The result is we eliminated
unneeded work and have been able to address with change orders
additional conditions discovered as a result of the committee member's
attention. 
The tech school installed the new HVAC at the Police Station and the
supplier got us the utility incentive of $250 which lowered the cost of
the heat pump unit.