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Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes

 March 18, 2010 Meeting Minutes
Hingham Town Hall
Present: Committee Members Seelen, Manning, Asher, Dwyer, Eldredge, Ellison, Farrell, Friedman, Innis, Lauter, MacCune, Marwill, O’Meara
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1. Call to order
Chair Jerry Seelen called the Advisory Committee meeting to order at 7:03 PM.

2. Approval of Minutes for March 17th
The Committee reviewed and unanimously approved the minutes for March 17th 2010.

3. Warrant Articles
The following proposed Warrant articles were reviewed and voted.

# Proposed Article Committee Vote
64 Petition Article: Government Study Committee Affirmative – Unanimous, as amended
47 Zoning: Harbor Overlay District Affirmative –
Dennis Friedman abstaining;
Jerry Seelen recused
25
CPC – Affordable Housing 80 Beal Street Affirmative –
Irma Lauter asked to be recorded as voting ‘Nay’
Financial scenarios appended to these minutes.

The Committee reviewed and discussed—but did not vote upon—the following proposed Warrant article:
• By-Law: Harbor By-Law
o Jerry Seelen recused himself from the discussion
o Liaison Amy Farrell signaled that both Town Counsel and a maritime expert would review the proposed By-Law prior to scheduling votes by the Board of Selectmen and the Committee
The previously-voted Warrant articles were re-opened, amended, and re-voted affirmatively.
• By-Law re: Naming of Public Buildings, Lands
• CPC – Foundry Pond Restoration
o Dennis Friedman abstaining

4. General Business
Dennis Friedman informed the Committee that—during the Board of Selectmen’s deliberations regarding a re-vote of the FY11 Education budget—Town Administrator Kevin Paicos had alerted the Board that the School Department was potentially obligated under M.G.L. c.44 Section 53E ½ (Revolving Funds) to pay the fringe benefit costs (health insurance, employer portion of Medicare, and pension) of full-time employees whose wages or salaries are sourced from various school revolving funds.
The School Department will have School counsel validate this interpretation of the law.
Dennis also reported that the Board of Selectmen had voted unanimously to support the Committee’s recommended FY11 Education budget.
The Chair requested that budget liaisons come to the Monday, March 22nd meeting with any potential revisions to previously-voted departmental budgets, given that ~$60,000 of the FY11 Contributory Group Insurance budget may become the responsibility of the School Department.
In addition, the Chair reminded the Committee that Wednesday, March 24th is the final day for submission to the Assistant Town Administrator, with a copy to the Chair, of voted Warrant articles.
The Committee will next meet at 7:00 PM on Monday, March 22nd.

5. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 9:56 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Jonathan R. Asher, Secretary