Back to Advisory Committee Minutes
October 18, 2011 Meeting Minutes
Hingham Town Hall
Committee Members Present: Asher, Johnson, Dwyer, Innis, Kirven, Marwill, Power, Pyles, Farrell, Kutsch, Sharkansky, Eldredge, Taylor
1. Call to order
Chairman Jon Asher called the Advisory Committee meeting to order at 7:33 PM.
2. Opening Remarks by the Chair
Chairman Asher explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the articles contained in the Special Town Meeting Warrant and to get a sense of who was speaking to each article from Advisory Committee and well as the proponents and opponents. Chairman Asher also noted that AdCom has a posted meeting for 6:30PM on October 24, 2011.
3. Minutes
The Committee reviewed and approved the minutes of its meeting held on September 20, 2011 as amended by Mary Power. The Committee reviewed and tabled the minutes of its meeting held on September 22, 2011 requesting consolidation of the discussion surrounding the MSBA Middle School article.
4. Decorum
Before beginning discussion of the individual warrant articles, Chairman Asher reminded the group about the conduct of AdCom members at Town Meeting. Chairman Asher said that the Committee should seek to minimize the amount of time members speak at Town Meeting and that remarks should abide by the following five criteria:
• Be objective and based on facts before the Committee;
• Be brief;
• Be constructive advancing the merits of your position while avoiding disparaging remarks about the opponent's position;
• Do not be repetitive; and
• Be respectful.
5. Bathing Beach Article – Article 1.
Dan Dwyer is responsible for this article. The following speakers were identified:
• Proponents: Tom Foley, Trustees of the Bathing Beach
• Board of Selectmen: John Riley
• Opponents: None identified
• AdCom: Dan Dwyer, but only if necessary
There was some general discussion about the fact that no opponents to the article have been identified and that there may be questions about Mooring Permit revenue and Fund Balance. Sue Nickerson will speak to these questions if they arise at Town Meeting.
6. Swap Area – Article 2.
Ron Kirven is responsible for this article. He said that he has been in discussions with Larry Wetzel the proponent of the article to be sure that he is satisfied with the plans for the Swap Area. The following speakers were identified:
• Proponents (of the original motion): Maybe Larry Wetzel
• Board of Selectmen: John Riley
• Opponents (of the no action recommendation): Unknown at this time
• AdCom: Ron Kirven, but only if necessary
Mary suggested that Benda Black from the Long Range Waste Management Committee be available to speak along with Randy Sylvester.
7. Track, Tennis Courts and Fields Article – Article 3.
Mary Power and Tom Pyles are responsible for this article. The following speakers were identified:
• Proponents: Caryl Falvey of the School Committee and Margaret Conaty, High School Athletic Director, Warren Pelissier, Hingham Sports Partnership, Roger Fernandez, Town Engineer and members of the Fields Ad Hoc Committee
• Board of Selectmen: None
• Opponents: Unknown at this time
• AdCom: Mary Power for the majority and Lizzie Eldredge for the minority
Questions about available reserves and fund balance will be addressed by Sue Nickerson and questions about field use revolving account will be addressed by the School Committee/School Department.
There was discussion about the possibility that someone may offer a motion from the floor to split the article so that Town Meeting would take two separate votes; one on the repair/replacement of the track and tennis courts and a second vote on whether to appropriate money to study the fields. Mary Power will speak for the majority of AdCom on any procedural motion to split the article and Lizzie Eldredge will speak for the minority.
Chairman Asher raised the question about whether AdCom should ask for a ballot vote on any or all of the motions that may arise in the context of this article. Members expressed concerns about the discomfort voters may have in standing to vote on the one hand and whether it is the role of the Committee to call for a ballot vote recognizing that it is within the authority of Town Meeting to ask for a standing count or a ballot. AdCom voted not to request a ballot.
8. Middle School Article Original Citizens' Petition – Article 4.
Chairman Asher reminded the Committee that Town Counsel had opined that Town Meeting could not take any action on this article because (i) Town Meeting cannot direct the School Committee in the specific expenditure of Town-authorized funds and (ii) the article failed to accurately identify a funding source. A substitute article of the same scope, agreed to by the proponents of Article 4, was inserted into the warrant by the Selectmen as a courtesy to the petitioners. Chairman Asher will confirm that Jim Toomey, Town Counsel, will rise to explain this procedural issue to Town Meeting.
9. MSBA Middle School Article – Article 5.
Dennis Friedman is responsible for this article. The following speakers were identified:
• Proponents : Ray Estes, Chairman of the School Building Committee, Jack Slater and Joe Bierwirth of the Master Plan Review Facilities Sub Committee
• Board of Selectmen: Not identified
• Opponents: Unknown at this time
• AdCom: Dennis Friedman and Amy Farrell for the majority and Laura Marwill for the minority
The Committee noted that issues of affordability, comparisons of what the Town would get in a model middle school versus what it would get in a renovation including the net present value of a likely second construction or renovation project should be presented to Town Meeting. There was also discussion that the debt schedule is based on conservative assumptions around borrowing costs as well as no increase in assessed values. The debt schedule was calculated using the cost of the model middle school before the value engineering exercise (a higher figure than will actually be voted on). Chairman Asher noted that the Committee has spent a great deal of time vetting the article and that the majority and the minority AdCom speakers should speak positively to their respective view points.
10. Alternative Middle School Article – Article 6.
Lizzie Eldredge is responsible for this article. The following speakers were identified:
• Proponents : Not identified
• Board of Selectmen: Not identified
• Opponents: Unknown at this time
AdCom: Amy Farrell for the majority and Jim Sharkansky for the minority
Chairman Asher noted that the AdCom motion is for no action. It is likely that Ed Siegfried will offer an affirmative motion, although we have not seen the text of the motion. It is also possible that the proponents of Article 6 will make a motion to refer Article 5 to the School Committee and ask the Town to instead appropriate funds for the study of the renovation of the middle school. Votes under an Article 5 motion to refer or under Article 6 will require two-thirds of Town Meeting to approve the appropriation. Since speakers for the MSBA Middle School article were identified, Carol Falvey of the School Committee asked that speakers for Article 6 be indentified.
11. Next Meeting
The next meeting of the AdCom was scheduled for October 24, 2011 at 6:30PM at the High School. Room to be determined.
12. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen A. Johnson