Town of Warwick Selectboard November 24, 2014 Minutes Members present: Nick Arguimbau, Dawn Magi, Patricia Lemon Others present: Town Coordinator David Young, Town Secretary Rosa Fratangelo, Assessors Clerk Beth Gilgun, Building Inspector Phil Delorey, Fire Chief Ron Gates, Firefighters Bill Lyman and Mike Mankowsky, Police Chief David Shoemaker, WiredWest Alternate John Bradford, Broadband Committee member Scott Seago, Jon Calcari, Jared Robinson (Athol Daily News) I. Call to Order Chair Arguimbau called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm in Town Hall. Bill Lyman announced that he was recording the meeting. II. Public Comment None. III. Minutes Magi MOVED to accept the minutes of November 10, 2014 as printed. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 2-0-1; Magi and Arguimbau: AYE, Lemon ANSTAINED as she was not present at the November 10, 2014 meeting. IV. Presentations and Discussions 1. Execution of Contracts--Young said that although the Board authorized the Town's insurance provider to negotiate a workers compensation settlement for up to $50,000.00, our insurance carrier increased the amount to $62,793.12. Young recommended that the Board vote to authorize the new, larger amount. Magi MOVED to authorize the amount of $62, 793.12 for the workers compensation settlement. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 2. Annual Renewal of Class II and III Licenses--Young explained that Rod Whipple had applied for the annual renewal of his Class II and Class III licenses. Young noted that Mr. Whipple had provided proof of insurance as well. Magi MOVED to renew Rod Whipple's Class II and Class III licenses. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. Firemen's Association Update--Fire Chief Ron Gates said that the window of opportunity to begin construction of the new Public Safety Building has passed for this year. He said that work will commence as soon as possible next spring. The Chief said that the building permit had been obtained and that the plans have been approved by the engineer. Warwick Police Department Report--Chief Shoemaker said that he had received a verbal resignation from Justin Gale, and that he was awaiting the written resignation. The Chief said that there had been one break-in reported on Northfield Road, and urged residents to report any suspicious activity to the Police. He also said that it is imperative to report any suspected crime immediately. 5. Local Technical Assistance Planning Grants--Young said that the Planning Board had drafted a document advising FRCOG as to what the planning priorities ought to be. Lemon MOVED to submit the Planning Board's submission on behalf of the Town. Magi SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 6. Recruiting to Fill Vacancies--Young said that he put a notice in the newsletter publicizing vacancies on several boards and committees. He said that there will be one vacancy on the Board of Health effective January 1, 2015, two vacancies on the Recreation Committee, one on the Conservation Committee, and the need for a representative, preferably a veteran, to the newly expanded Veterans District. Young said that he also sent out letters to individuals with health and/or past Board of health experience. He also mentioned that the Con Comm Chair has recruited a prospective new member. 7. Tax Classification Hearing--Assessors Clerk Beth Gilgun explained that every year a hearing is held to determine whether to have one tax rate or to separate the residential tax rate from the industrial/commercial rate. Gilgun recommended keeping to the tradition of setting one tax rate for all classifications. Magi MOVED to continue the single tax rate for the Town. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 8. Building Department Options--Building Inspector Phil Delorey presented a comparison of Warwick's current fee schedule and that of the Franklin County Inspection Program (FCIP). He noted that Warwick charges about 40% of what both FCIP and the Town of Orange charge. Delorey said that if the Town raised the fees to FCIP rates, revenue would be generated if three new houses were built in one year. He pointed out that revenue and expense fluctuates from year to year, and noted that Warwick's current fee schedule became effective July 1, 2005. Delorey acknowledged that without new construction it would cost the Town more to keep the current building department than it would to go with the Franklin County program. He also said that he sees new housing construction on the rise. At Lemon's request, Delorey said that he would draft a schedule of higher fees and bring it toi the next meeting. Delorey said that while the cost to the Town could be lower going with FCIP, the residents who obtain permits would pay more, which means that the bottom line would be good for the Town as a whole but more expensive for those in need of permits. He also said that a local inspector would be more likely to be available more quickly and there would be no need for residents to travel to Greenfield to complete permit applications. Bill Lyman said that as a resident building a new home, he estimated that the cost of necessary permits could go from $6,000.00 to $15,000.00. He also expressed concern of having to charge his customers more due to much higher fees which would make it virtually impossible to keep costs low. Lyman asked that the Board proceed with residents in mind as many would find it difficult to afford much higher fees. He suggested raising some fees and keeping the current building inspector program in place. Young said that despite the low cost of fees relative to FCIP and about 20 other towns in Franklin County, there has been low building activity in Town over the past four years. He recommended updating the fee schedule. Arguimbau said that he favored keeping our current program and increase fees to be comparable with the FRCOG and Orange programs. Young recommended proposing a new fee schedule and holding a hearing before adopting any higher fees. Delorey said that the FCIP fee schedule is efficient, well thought out and covers costs of running the program. In response to comments by Lemon that there had been complaints in the past that requests for building inspections had gone unanswered for days, and by Young that there had been one complaint within the past couple of weeks, Delorey said that he is available seven days a week and can be reached via Email, home phone and cell phone. Young said that FRCOG has 48 hours to respond or the there is constructive approval for most inspections. Young said that the fees collected by the building department over the past four years were as follows: $1,700.00 in 2013; $4,250.00 in 2012; $2,250.00 in 2011; $2,200.00 in 2010. Lyman asked that the Board look at raising fees by 150%, 200% and 250% rather than just raising everything by 250% to be in line with FCIP. Delorey said that he would compile something to bring to the next meeting. Delorey ended by noting that we have no Plumbing Inspector, as the initial appointment of Casey Bashaw was only for two weeks and had expired. Delorey recommended the appointment of Bashaw as Plumbing as Gas Inspector so inspections could be conducted. Young pointed out that compensation for Plumbing and Gas Inpectors are paid from a revolving account and no additional funding is necessary. Magi MOVED to appoint Casey Bashaw Plumbing and Gas Inspector for a term to expire on June 30, 2015. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. 9. Police Chief Evaluation --Each Board member had prepared a written evaluation for Chief Shoemaker, which were given to him. Arguimbau characterized the job performance evaluation as "a rave review". Lyman said that the public would want to know what was written in the evaluations and that they should be included in the minutes. Young read aloud the categories and some comments, calling this a "highly favorable performance review". 10. Broadband and Fiber to the Home Update-- WiredWest Alternate John Bradford and Broadband Committee member Scott Seago spoke about this matter. Bradford said that WiredWest had come to an agreement with MBI, and that MBI is also talking with towns that do not wish to follow the WiredWest model. Bradford said that next month Wired West would be looking for a commitment from the Selectboard as to whether or not they wish to go with the WiredWest fiber project. This vote would pave the way for an Annual Town Meeting warrant article to authorize borrowing of an estimated 1.5 million dollars, which would require a two-thirds majority to pass, and a vote to guarantee repayment through our cherry sheet state aid payments. Young said that this would likely necessitate a debt exclusion override vote on the annual Town election ballot. Bradford said that if all of this goes forward, the projected timeframe is between 2017 and 2019, with the towns with the highest rate of return being served first. Bradford said that this is based on assumptions, spreadsheets and MBI models. Warwick would need a take rate (number of households subscribing to the service) of at least 50% to generate cash flow. Young pointed out that currently the Warwick Broadband take rate is above 50%, that the estimated cost of internet and phone will be $65.00 per month, and that the new service has the potential to be anywhere from 100 to 1,000 times faster than WBS. Bradford said that he does not see any state funding after the initial outlay, so towns that do not opt in at the beginning will miss the opportunity. Young pointed out that even if the Board votes to become a WiredWest town, Town Meeting votes and a debt override vote would also be necessary for this to go forward, so the Board vote is just the first step in the process. Bradford offered to send the link to the WiredWest power point presentation for the Board member's review. 11. Selectboard Reports--None. 12. Coordinator Report--None. 13. New and Other Business Not Reasonably Anticipated Prior to Posting Notice--None. V. Adjournment At 7:48 p.m., Magi MOVED to adjourn. Lemon SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0. Minutes taken by Rosa Fratangelo