Board of Selectmen, December 11, 2017
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
December 11, 2017
6:35PM Memorial Hall
Present: Chairman Robert Lavigne, Geri Herlihy, Jeremy Kurtz, Anthony Renzoni
Not Present: Tim Ethier
Others Present: Peter Lukes, Town Manager
Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel
Liz Fotos, Town Recorder
Chairman Lavigne called the meeting to order at 6:30PM. The Board stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Appointments, Licenses, Permits
Mr. Lukes stated that the following five members of the Conservation Commission had terms that were to expire and were up for reappointments. He stated that this was a very technical Commission and most were civil engineers and that it was difficult to find quality people to fill these spots.
Robert Lowell, Kenneth Strom, Anthony Costello, Michael Scott, and Luke Boucher.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOSULY VOTED TO REAPPOINT THE FIVE ABOVE MEMBERS TO THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION FOR A TERM TO EXPIRE DECEMBER 31, 2020 AS PRESENTED.
- Appointment of CMRPC Delegate and Alternate
Mr. Lukes stated that CMRPC did a lot of work for Holden and in Central MA and they were a great source of knowledge and resource. He stated that Sel. Herlihy was interested in the delegate position for the CMRPC. He stated that as of yet they do not have anyone for the alternate position.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPOINT SEL. HERLIHY AS THE DELEGATE TO CMRPC.
Chairman Lavigne stated that anyone interested in serving as the alternate should reach out to the Board or the Town Manager’s Office.
- Annual License Renewals
Chairman Lavigne stated that there were two lists compiled; one for establishments that were currently in compliance and one that were not yet in compliance.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE ANNUAL LICENSE RENEWALS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENTS LISTED ON THE MEMO DATED DECEMBER 11, 2017 STATING THAT THEY ARE IN COMPLIANCE AT THIS TIME.
Sel. Renzoni asked if the Town had been in contact with the businesses that were not yet in compliance.
Mr. Lukes replied that the Town had been. He stated that the Board generally conditionally approves this pending the completion of the application prior to January 1, 2018.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO CONDITIONALLY APPROVE THE ANNUAL LICENSE RENEWAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENTS LISTED ON THE MEMO DATED DECEMBER 11, 2017 STATING THEY ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE PENDING COMPLIANCE BY JANUARY 1, 2018.
- HMLD Calendar Year 2018 Budget and Capital Plan
Jim Robinson, HMLD Director, was present at the meeting.
Mr. Robinson stated that before he started his PowerPoint presentation he wanted to give the Board an update on the mutual aid deployment to the US Virgin Islands. He stated that the hurricanes that came through wiped out the infrastructure of the Virgin Islands along with other locations. He stated that through MEPA, HMLD was asked to provide mutual aid and they (HMLD) deployed the first crew on October 7, 2017. He stated the four week deployment was extended to ten weeks with different crews and they have been working out the contract with WAPA.
Mr. Robinson stated that everything was coordinated through FEMA. He stated that FEMA had asked MEPA to provide assistance and since early October, 26 power public entities had responded with crews and vehicles. He stated that HMLD had been there since the start and had been able to provide a great service.
Mr. Robinson stated that St. Thomas was about 70% restored at this point although that is hard to track because of how things get hooked up. He stated that the HMLD crews have a great reputation and have been working hard. He stated that when everyone was back he would like to have them come in and give an overview of their experiences.
Mr. Robinson stated the only real health risk was dehydration. He stated that it was a very difficult environment to work in and they had spent a lot of time recovering stock and replacing transformers. He stated that HMLD had sent extra batteries. He stated that this was a very positive situation and a tremendous bonding mechanism. He stated the crews had learned lots of new things and tools to work better, faster and safer and they had been able to pick up ideas and implement them going forward.
Mr. Robinson presented to the Board a PowerPoint presentation titled: “Holden Municipal Light Department: Mutual Aid Update CY 2018 Operating and Capital Budgets. Board of Selectmen/ Light Commission dated December 11, 2017.
Chairman Lavigne interrupted Mr. Robinson for Citizens Address.
- Citizen Address
None
HMLD – Cont.
Mr. Robinson finished his presentation.
Sel. Renzoni thanked Mr. Robinson and the members of the Light Advisory Board for coming out and for their hard work and monthly reports. He stated that they were read and it was good business but he did have a few questions. He asked if the $46,000 profit from 17/18 was carried over and asked what the stabilization fund balance was.
Mr. Robinson replied that they would make another contribution to the rate stabilization fund. He stated that they are anticipating about $300,000 but they have to see how the year pans out. He stated any excess gets put into the stabilization fund as he does not like to move from one budget to the next.
Sel. Herlihy said last year they spoke about a target for the stabilization fund. She asked if they had thought any more about that.
Mr. Robinson stated that he had been able to gather what other light departments had done and he can share that some have quite a bit and some have hardly any. He stated that one thing that he was looking toward up to now was a goal of $2.5 million with the rationale that the ice storm cost that amount to restore everything. He stated that fortunately the Town received that money back but that was the benchmark that he was using. He stated that he would continue to look for information as to what the right level was. He stated it was an ongoing discussion they should have.
Sel. Renzoni asked what the FEMA reimbursement was for the wear and tear on the equipment.
Mr. Robison replied that they were going to receive a portion back and maybe even enough to replace the vehicles. He stated this was one of the things they looked at very carefully before deciding to go. He stated that they looked at what the reimbursement was and that they were encouraged that we will come out financially ahead.
Chairman Lavigne asked if they would put the revenue in the capital program.
Mr. Robinson replied that they had not yet decided. He stated that when the dust settled and the Town is reimbursed they will maybe have a special meeting. He stated it could be several hundred thousands and it was something to think about.
Sel. Renzoni asked if the $46,000 shown included the open management position that they wanted to fill.
Mr. Robinson replied it did. He stated that he was assuming $80,000 for that position.
Sel. Renzoni asked why they needed to look at 85% being authorized regarding renewables if they were looking to get to 10%. He stated they already knew what was coming in.
Mr. Robinson replied it was still a work in process. He stated that when you put in a solar system you get more energy value than capacity value. He stated he did not want to max out when they put this mechanism in place. He stated it was fluid and could be modified.
Sel. Herlihy stated that she was pleasantly surprised with where we stood on OPEB. She asked where we stood versus others.
Mr. Robinson replied that he was not privy to that information but he thinks that we are in the top 10%. He stated that we have been OPEB for about 7-8 years.
Sel. Renzoni asked if there was any discussion about a policy for carbon neutral versus renewable.
Mr. Robinson stated that it was an interesting discussion. He stated that they have been part of the discussion and at this point looking for have the right balance.
Chairman Lavigne stated that the income for the year felt thin. He stated that he understood that they were not for a profit but knowing that they have to put money aside for outlays, he asked how comfortable Mr. Robinson was with the income for the year.
Mr. Robinson replied that he was sure they would not hit that number on the head. He stated money put aside for capital was already taken into consideration and a lot of the numbers vary by weather and what storms we have. He stated that was one of the reasons that they produce a monthly report to see where we are. He stated he also tends to be conservative about revenue.
Chairman Lavigne stated that it was getting harder to figure out purchases and he would hate to see us go into the red. He asked if they should consider having a conversation about rates to stay in the black.
Mr. Robinson stated that for 2019 he was highly confident. He stated after that, when they know a little more about renewables, they can have a different discussion about what the right philosophy was over time. He stated he was not looking to decrease rates but to the extent that they can keep them stable he would like to. He stated it was something that they can look at during the second half of next year.
Sel. Renzoni stated that they met with the Power Advisory Board about growth. He stated that it seems like there are reserves but if they start eating into that without adjusting the rates then there is nothing left and it would impact payers for the next decade.
Mr. Robinson stated that it was what they had spoken about in November; the best use of the stabilization fund. He stated that they don’t want to draw it down and they were looking at other ways to reduce costs or other growth possibilities that would take the pressure off.
Sel. Kurtz agreed with looking at the future come 2018 so as to avoid sticker shock.
Motion by Sel. Herlihy, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE CY2018 HOLDEN MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT OPERATING BUDGET AS PRESENTED.
Motion by Sel. Herlihy, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROPRIATE THE SUM OF $102,000 OF LIGHT DEPATMENT FUNDS TO THE TOWN OF HOLDEN OPEB TRUST FUND IN 2018 ON A DATE TO BE DETERMINED BY THE TOWN MANAGER.
Motion by Sel. Herlihy, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE CY2018 HOLDEN MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT CAPITAL BUDGET, AS PRESENTED.
Motion by Sel. Herlihy, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE MODIFYING THE EXISTING POWER PUCHASE AUTHORITY, AS PRESENTED.
The Board thanked Mr. Robinson for coming in.
- Blue Plate Alcoholic Beverages License- Status Update
A representative for Blue Plate was present at the meeting.
Chairman Lavigne asked for a little background. He stated they understand the Blue Plate was not open and he would like a little background as the licensing commission for alcohol.
The representative stated that in late September they received an eviction notice for failure to pay rent and that was when the business closed down. She stated that since then there was a few negotiations with a few different people and they currently have an offer and a back up offer but they were not at a stage they could share details. She stated one of the offers is based on the license expiring which is due to happen on December 31, 2017 and until then, that application could not be accepted. She stated that offer was based on the business being able to open again so she is not sure that will happen with that but they were getting closer to that date.
Sel. Renzoni stated that the Town has an interest because there is a license to pour floating out there and they are the licensing commission. He stated he thinks it is a liability to have it hanging out there and that they can talk about offers down the road but what they need to focus on is the license to pour.
Mr. Lukes stated that he thought it was an inaccurate license so he thinks they can wait until December 31 and the license will expire. He stated that at that point any new owner would need to apply to the Town and the Board could review the application and approve it or deny it accordingly.
The representative stated that she is not sure of any other opportunities. She stated that conceptually if Mr. Carlson came in with another investor and it was a fantastic offer they could conceivably look to reestablish the license but she was not sure that there was adequate time to do so. He stated for an offer Mr. Carlson would be willing to renew and then transfer the license to the new owners but that she thinks for now the only option was to let it expire.
Sel. Renzoni suggested they table the matter and allow for the license to expire. He stated that if the owner came back in to operate the business they could discuss it then.
Chairman Lavigne stated that they had taken a position earlier regarding the licenses; he suggested reconsidering that motion.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO RECONSIDER THE MOTION TO AUTHROIZE THE APPROVAL OF ALL LICENSES THAT WERE NOT CURRENTLY IN COMPLIANCE PENDING COMPLIANCE BY DECEMBER 31, 2017.
Mr. Lukes stated that they did not expect this to come in.
Sel. Renzoni stated that if it did they would need to schedule a meeting for further discussion.
Chairman Lavigne asked if Mr. Carlson was aware of the meeting tonight.
The representative stated that he was.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO RENEW ALL ANNUAL LICENSES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENTS LISTED ON DECEMBER 11, 2017 DOCUMENT FROM THE TOWN CLERK PENDING COMPLIANCE BY DECEMBER 31, 2017 WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BLUE PLATE LOUNGE LLC.
- Discussion MGL Chapter 33 Section 59
Sel. Renzoni stated that this would allow a municipal entity to pay active or guard military the balance of their pay while they were activated for military service.
Chairman Lavigne left the meeting at 7:53PM.
Sel. Renzoni stated that the Town had not yet adopted this and it would require Town Meeting vote but it would only currently impact one employee possibly two and if there was a willingness from the Board to look into this they could budget for it next fiscal year and project the impact onto the budget.
Chairman Lavigne returned to the meeting at 7:54PM.
Sel. Renzoni stated he had bought it up and was looking for a willingness from the Board to move forward to get some data to support this going forward.
Sel. Kurtz stated that a lot of civilian entities were doing the same thing and he thought it was a good idea.
Sel. Renzoni stated he would be interested in seeing what the impact would be for two employees and he felt that it was a small number but would ask the Town Manager to produce this data.
Mr. Lukes stated that from what he had found it would impact very few people going back 10 years. He stated that he thinks it is a great idea.
Sel. Renzoni stated he would be interested in the numbers and then they could look to bring the matter to Fin Com and Town Meeting.
The Board all wished to move forward with gathering more information on this matter.
- Town Manager Update
Holiday Business Hours: Just as a reminder, government and Town business offices will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2017 and on Monday, January 1, 2018 in observance of the holidays. The Selectmen’s next regular meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
Assistant Town Manager- As you know, the Town has been operating without the employment of an Assistant Town Manager for the last ten months. Although many originally thought it would be impossible to find an adequate replacement for the prior Assistant Town Manager, I believe that we have come very close to meting that far-reaching goal. Please join me in welcoming Stephanie Bacon to our team. Steph has a background in Regional Planning and she has worked as the Health Director in other municipalities, most recently Northborough. She was also elected to the Rutland Board of Selectmen in 2015 and served as Chairman this last year. She will be leaving both positions to join us in Holden, and her first day will be January 2, 2018.
The Board welcomed Ms. Bacon.
Sel. Renzoni left the meeting at 7:58PM.
Monthly Revenue and Expenditure Reports: Enclosed are the Monthly Revenue and Expenditure Reports for the period ending September and October 2017, prepared by Lori Rose, Town Accountant.
Annual Senior Center Christmas Party; On Wednesday, December 13 at noon at Val’s Restaurant, 75 Reservoir Street, Holden, the Senior Center will host their annual Christmas Party. It will be buffet style with cash bar. Santa Claus is scheduled to make an appearance. Cost of the luncheon will be $13.99/ person. Reservations are required and will be accepted prior to Tuesday, December 12 or until they reach capacity. You must pay for your tickets at the time you make you reservation. For more information anyone interested can call the Senior Center at (508) 210-5570.
Sel. Renzoni returned to the meeting at 8:00PM.
Fall Prevention and Smoke Detector Trade In: The Holden Fire Department will be hosting a presentation on preventing falls, along with a smoke detector trade in on Wednesday, December 20 at 1:00PM at the Senior Center. Seniors who bring in a smoke detector that is ten years old or older may receive a replacement (one per household) for free. The program is paid for from a state grant program. Interested residents should call the Senior Center at (508) 210-5570 to register in advance.
- Selectmen Subcommittees
Sel. Kurtz: none
Sel. Renzoni: none
Sel. Herlihy confirmed that the DPW Building Committee would be meeting on December 18, 2017.
Chairman Lavigne stated that the Eagle Lake Committee was meeting on Wednesday evenings but he did not have anything to report.
- Selectmen Minutes
None
- Selectmen Miscellaneous
Sel. Kurtz congratulated DPW for their work over the weekend with the snowstorm. He stated that Holden was by far better than other surrounding towns. He also gave a hats off to first responders to the car accident that occurred. He stated that he could not say enough about their skills and wanted to recognize them.
Sel. Renzoni stated that the VA Committee had been working with the American Legion to ensure that veterans in Town get assistance. He stated that they had raised money on Veterans Day and wanted to thank the Holden’s Woman’s Club for their generous donations as well. He stated that they will get these gift cards to the Service Officers and there will be a little held for those veterans in need. He stated any additional nominations could reach out to him directly or the Town Managers office. He thanked everyone for their donations.
Sel. Herlihy: none.
Chairman Lavigne thanked the Light Department for the wreaths and tree and getting ready for Santa’s arrival.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE DECEMBER 11, 2017 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING AT 8:04PM.
APPROVED: _______January 16, 2018________