Town of Warwick Selectboard January 5, 2015 Minutes Members present: Dawn Magi, Nick Arguimbau, Patricia Lemon (arrived at 5:04 p.m.) Others present: Town Coordinator David Young, Town Secretary Rosa Fratangelo (arrived at 5:02 p.m.), Steve Ruggiero, Maria Ruggiero, Bob Kirley, Wayne Kirley, Tracey Kirley, Fire Chief Ron Gates, Police Chief David Shoemaker, Todd Dexter, Vern Bass, Bill Lyman, Planning Board Chair Ted Cady, Robert Kirley, George Roaf, Jon Calcari, Paula Robinson (Athol Daily News) I. Call to Order Chair Magi called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm in Town Hall. II. Public Comment Steve Ruggiero read aloud an email from a resident concerned about the rising tax rate. The author of the email was not identified, but the email made it clear that she was worried that she could not afford to keep up with rising property taxes. Ruggiero said that he felt the Selectboard had stopped acting on the residents' behalf and have been rubber stamping budget increases without concern for the taxpayers. At this point Bill Lyman arrived with Patricia Lemon and announced that he was recording the meeting. Magi said that the Board and Finance Committee opposed the huge increase in the PVRSD budget, but the recommendations were ignored, the budget was passed by Annual Town Meeting vote, and the tax rate increased as a result. Ruggiero said that he favored rolling back all budgets to the figures for 2012. He cited an increase of 180% in the Police Department budget since 2012 as an example of how budgets have increased recently. Young said that the tax rate was now set and the matter for this fiscal year is closed. He noted that we were sandbagged by PVRSD proponents, and reiterated that the Selectboard and Finance Committee recommendations against the budget were largely ignored. Ruggiero said that many cannot afford to live in this town anymore, and that several people had come to this meeting because of the tax increase. He said that he wanted to mail the Selectboard minutes to all residents once they are approved instead of waiting until the newsletter comes out. Ruggiero also pointed out that not everyone subscribes to the "L" or even goes online at all. Young explained that the first tax bill is always an estimate based on the prior year, and that Warwick's entire share of the 10% increase in the PVRSD budget was reflected in the second tax bill. He said that the jump in taxes is causing people to take notice. Arguimbau said that it was necessary to give more information to the people at the time of Town Meeting. Young pointed out that town funds may be spent solely on distribution of information and cannot in any way be used to form opinions. Arguimbau said that he wanted to make democracy work, which it cannot work if insufficient information is disseminated. Todd Dexter said that some issues need more explanation and clarification and should be presented at Town Meeting by the person or committee sponsoring the warrant article. He also said that WCS has only 38 students, and that the building's multiple problems have proved costly to the Town. He suggested regionalizing the students to Northfield, using the WCS building to house all public offices, and turning Town Hall into an historical building. Dexter said that we need to look at how and where the Town spends money and determine how to get the most for the expended funds. He recommended spending money as wisely as possible on things that mean something to everybody, and volunteered to be a part of researching and evaluating our resources and determining how to best allocate funds. Arguimbau asked those in attendance what more needs to be provided before and at Annual Town Meeting. Dexter reiterated his idea that in order to give the voters a better understanding of things, the person or committee behind a warrant article should read and explain what it means and why it is necessary. Lemon proposed holding a preliminary meeting prior to any Town Meeting to clarify issues and provide explanations as to the ramifications of a particular vote. Ruggiero said that every resident needs to be reached ahead of time in order to be properly educated and informed with time to view the warrant articles and budget items. Young said that an additional meeting would likely not be helpful, as not many people would attend. He said that the six ATM's prior to 2014 were unified, with voters largely following the Selectboard and Finance Committee recommendations, but that last year we were blindsided by proponents of the School which resulted in recommendations being ignored. Young said that the key will be to get people to attend the Town Meeting. Dexter suggested changing the day and time of the meeting to make it more attractive to and convenient for voters. Young explained that there is a Town Bylaw that states Annual Town Meeting is the first Monday in May at 7 p.m. and that it would take a Town Meeting vote to change this. Lyman suggested expanding recordings to include the Finance Committee meetings, and said that he hoped the Town could take this on, as it would have better technological capabilities than he has. As Young handed out copies of the May 2014 ATM warrant and FY 15 budget, Ruggiero suggested that the Tech School students be used to record meetings. Young said that he would look into it. Ruggiero inquired about mailing the ATM warrant and budget to every household, and said that he would be willing to do that himself. Young estimated the cost would be about $700.00, and Lemon asked how people would feel about that expenditure. Ruggiero asked about using the former Yelp For Help bottle and can collection trailer to raise funds for the mailing. Young said that the Transfer Station has a contract that all recyclables go to one place, and that only Yelp For Help was grandfathered in. Dexter suggested mailing only to those who do not subscribe to the "L". Magi and Lemon both pointed out how Warwick's input was ignored in meetings with the School District last year. Young said that we have many good uses for our limited resources. Magi said that more information will be gotten out to the public, and Lemon said that she appreciated the interested citizens willing to attend future meetings and to "open their mouths and their minds." Arguimbau asked for suggestions be submitted in writing on both a better day and time to hold Town Meeting and ways to make sure that people better understand the warrant. He asked that people research how things are done in other towns and bring proposals back to the Board. Magi said that the Board will continue to work on things and asked for input and feedback from those in attendance. Dexter said that the citizens have not been as active as they should have been. Magi said that she was happy to see new faces, and that more interest and participation from residents is needed. III. Minutes Lemon MOVED to accept the minutes of December 15, 2014 as printed. Magi SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 2-0-1; Magi and Lemon - AYE, Arguimbau ABSTAINED as he was absent from that meeting. IV. Presentations and Discussions 1. Town's Letter to FERC--Young said that another joint meeting may be necessary to complete the letter. Lemon said that the deadline was the end of this month. There was a recent letter from Kinder Morgan that needed to be studied, and there was a consensus that a condensed letter could be ready by month's end. Arguimbau said that we need to make clear our opposition to the pipeline and the reasons for the opposition must be laid out in the letter. Planning Board Chair Ted Cady said that there were a few issues to be considered and included in a new draft of the letter. 2. Soltas Net Meter Credit Settlement Offer--Young said that there had been a $10,352.00 settlement offer from Soltas, but that the Attorney General's office would like the Town not to accept the offer. He explained that the of four wronged parties, non-profits Athol YMCA and Athol Memorial Hospital fall in a different legal category than municipalities Warwick and Petersham. Young said that the options are to accept the settlement offer, make a counter offer, or refuse the offer. He said that if the AG's office continues its investigation, the Town would likely receive single restitution. Magi MOVED to make a counter offer of $20,100.00. There was NO SECOND. Arguimbau said that we could be entitled for triple, and we should ask for the maximum. Arguimbau MOVED to counter offer for triple. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 3. Employment Contracts for Strong Fire Chief and Strong Police Chief--Young said that there was no Board action to be made at this meeting, but Town Counsel had recommended written employment contracts for the Fire and Police Chiefs, as both are Strong Chiefs. Young said that he had discovered that there was a felon on the Fire Department and raised the issue of CORI checks with Town Counsel, whose first recommendation was to get both the Fire and Police Chief under contract. A sample contract was included in the meeting packet as a starting point. Lyman said that the Town had an implied contract with the Fire Chief when he was hired. Young said that currently no Town employee has a written contract and that contract specifics would be negotiated with each chief at a later time. Lemon MOVED to draft a contract for each of the Chiefs and negotiate in the future. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 4. Chapter 90 Project Request--Young updated the Board on the request for a new John Deere front end loader to replace an old John Deere loader. He said that we actually have over $360,000.00 in Chapter 90 funds available. He also gave a corrected cost for the new loader, which would be $126,200.00 after the $35,000.00 trade-in. Young said that it was time to upgrade the equipment. Arguimbau MOVED to authorize the Chapter 90 project in the amount of $126,200.00 and trade in the old loader. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 5. Next Steps for Green Communities--Young said that he had met earlier in the day with the Buildings and Energy Committee. He said that the grant funds would be applied to: windserts for all Town buildings - Fire Station, Police Department, Town Hall, and the Library; upgraded security lighting for the Police and Fire stations; internet programmable thermostats; weather siding and insulation for the Police Station, Town Hall and Library; air source heat pump at the Police Station. Young said that the Highway equipment barn and electrical issues at the Transfer Station were being looked into, as well as a Board of Health request for the appliances in the Town Hall kitchen. Young said that the deadline for submission is January 14, 2015. 6. Reports for FY 14 Annual Report and FY 16 Budget Process--Young said that any reports other than those required by statute that are not submitted will not be included. He also said that it was time to begin the FY 16 budget process. Arguimbau invited those in attendance to come to the budget meetings held by the Finance Committee and the Selectboard. 7. Selectboard Reports--Arguimbau said that there was no need to reconsider the Board's reorganization voted at the last meeting. He did want clarification of the WiredWest resolution and said that it had a whole lot wrong with it. He especially disagreed with the business model and that the Town would be responsible for operating costs. Arguimbau said that only the subscribing customers should be responsible for operating costs and wanted to change the word "operating" to "capital". Arguimbau favored denying the resolution altogether, saying that $2.5 million equals $10,000.00 per household for internet and that as a 20 year item, something cheaper and better would very likely be discovered in that period of time. Arguimbau said that he had 10 points to consider; Lemon asked that he produce them in writing for discussion at the next meeting. Young said that the bond council required this type of language in the resolution, and to change the language is to effectively say "no". Young said that this gives MBI the political cover to continue, but does not commit the Town to spend any money. A two-thirds ATM vote would be required to authorize the borrowing, followed by a successful override vote at the annual election in order for the Town to be allowed to expend any funds. Cady suggested that Arguimbau make his 10 points available to other entities such as the Finance and Broadband Committees who could in turn give their feedback and input at a future meeting. Young said that Warwick met the deadline in December 2014 to accept the resolution. Lemon asked Arguimbau to send his 10 points to Young to distribute to the other Selectboard members and those on the Finance and Broadband Committees. Arguimbau agreed to do so by 5 p.m. on January 6th. 8. Coordinator Report--Young said that the Wagon Wheel zoning enforcement appeal was heard in Superior Court last month. He said that the judge ruled from the bench that the Town will not pay their attorney's fees, and that the other count making claims against our zoning bylaw will be dismissed. Young also spoke about the fiber based internet phones being installed in Town Hall. He noted that the call quality will be improved and that the change will result in a cost savings in the long run. 9. New and Other Business Not Reasonably Anticipated Prior to Posting Notice--Lemon said that the Highway Department and Fire Department have done a wonderful job during this weather. Magi concurred. V. Adjournment At 6:57p.m., Lemon MOVED to adjourn. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. Minutes taken by Rosa Fratangelo