March 13, 2007
Regular Session 7:49 pm
Mr. Edmundson, Ms. Tully, Mr. Riley
Mr. Falvey asked about the parking at Foster School and the trash along Downer Avenue. He asked the Board for assistance in cleaning up the area.
School Budget
Ms. Gregoire explained that the School Committee had approved an operating budget of $33,539,594 which is a 6.1% increase over last year's budget. This budget would allow the schools to continue to maintain a generally favorable teacher/pupil ratio. This budget allows to Town to keep up standards as far as class size and affords some capital improvements. Dr. Galo reviewed the proposed new initiatives and those that had to be cut, or partially cut. Ms. Tully thanked the School Committee and Dr. Galo for the spirit of cooperation. Mr. Killory explained that the buses for next year have been put out to bid in a variety of ways. Hopefully, this will result in a competitive bid for both a full service lease and a lease/purchase agreement.
Voted - to recommend a school budget of $33,539,594.
School Warrant Article
Mr. Killory explained that both the School Committee and the 2006 School Building Committee have requested a warrant article for additional design money. The projects include the new elementary school as well as addition and improvement to the Middle School and improvements to the Plymouth River and Foster Schools. The request is to appropriate additional design development money to be added to the appropriation of last year. This money would be used to bring the designs to the School Building Assistance Program. The original Middle School is in need of significant improvement and addition. Because the science wing was built in the mid 90s and is still being paid for is additional reason to very carefully review any suggested modification.
Voted - to recommend the school warrant article as written with an appropriation of $255,000.
Reserve Fund Transfer
Mr. Cristello explained that the Town's central fuel depot is at the School Depot lot. The School Department oversees it because it is on their parcel. There have been a number of problems with the generator and the amount of the repair bills would approach the cost of a new generator so it has been recommended that the generator be replaced.
Voted - to recommend a transfer from the Reserve Fund to the School Department Capital Outlay Account in the amount of $9,925.
Capital Outlay Budget
Mr. Alexiades explained that the most significant change in the proposed capital budget was that all of the Police Department capital requests have been removed because they received a grant from Homeland Security that will cover all the department's capital requests.
Voted - to recommend a capital outlay budget of $2,513,124
Housing Trust Article
Mr. O'Brien explained that Mr. Toomey had reviewed the original article submitted by the Housing Partnership and recommended that the article be revised to adopt the statute and modify it with by-laws.
Voted - to support the Affordable Housing Trust Article as amended.
Personnel Board Articles
Mr. Puzo explained that Article 4 provides funds for the increases for town personnel reached through the collective bargaining process. He also reported that Mr. MacGillivary has been focusing on a comprehensive revision of the Personnel By-law. Many of the provisions of the by-law refer to union employees. Since these employees are covered under the collective bargaining agreements these references will be removed from the by-law. There are three issues that the Personnel Board will be addressing this week. The first issue relates to the accumulation of personal days. The initial presumption was that the days would be used in the year in which they were earned, however; there are many employees with a significant number of days. The Board is looking for a way to pare down the number of accumulated days. The second issues is that of longevity. The longevity pay provision applies to DPW superintendent but not the foremen or non-union managers. That provision will be brought in line with the bargaining unit receives. The third issue the Board will address is that of accumulated unused sick leave. The present by-law provides that the Town would pay two days for every three days of accumulated sick leave in the event of death or retirement due to injuries received in the line of work for certain police, fire and public works employees. It is the Personnel Board's intention to extend that provision to include the following positions: Deputy Fire Chief, Deputy Police Chief, and Assistant Superintendent, Supervisors and Foremen of the Department of public works.
Voted - to support Article 4 and recommend an appropriation of $455,881.
Voted - to support Article 5 as written.
Voted - to grant Paul Hart the following special liquor licenses for events to be held at the South Shore Country Club:
Luncheon on March 16, 2007
Christening on March 17, 2007
Banquet on March 17, 2007
Shower on March 18, 2007
Voted - to grant a special liquor license to Hingham Sports Partnership for a fundraiser to be held at Loring Hall on March 25, 2007.
Beal Street Playing Fields
Mr. Hoffman explained that representatives of Hingham Youth football and a group of other interested parties met at the site last week. As soon as there is a thaw the fields will be seeded, etc. and a full growing season will be allowed. The field house is moving along. Mr. Papich and Mr. Ippolito are working on the landscaping. Little League and Hingham Youth Football will store equipment in field house.
The warrant article asks town meeting to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a lease with a sports organization or organizations. This recognizes that the Town, despite many wonderful donations, owns the property. There are still a lot of steps to go but there will be great benefit to the Town and the groups who would be operating the building, paying for heat, water, etc. Ms. Tully noted that with the Lincoln Maritime Center it was one organization. In this case will there be one agreement with various organizations. The two greatest users, football and baseball, would lead the effort as co-lessees and they would be charged with working other sports teams. Mr. Hoffman noted that the field house will allow sports organizations who are currently storing things out of town to store equipment locally. Little league and football will be paying the expenses and the concessions will raise the money for those expenses. Both the sports involved in the lease are non-profit and both teams use the field for approximately four months of the year. Hingham Sports Partnership is a separate organization. The Development Agreement was to contribute $150,000 toward the field house. By making donations to the Hingham Sports Partnership donors are able to take a charitable donation for giving money.
Voted - motion to support the warrant article to enter into a lease agreement regarding the Beal Street playing fields and field house.
Community Preservation Committee
Mr. Edmundson said that the Community Preservation Committee recommended an expenditure of $423,000 to purchase the backland on Main Street. The owners are considering an alternative of 2 or 3 new houses in lieu of selling it to the Town. The access to the property that the Community Preservation Committee hoped was already in place, does not exist. There are several uncertainties and, this evening, the Bakers said they felt they had a solution to the access question. The CPC would like to keep this in motion. It is likely that more information that will be coming in within the next few weeks and the Committee felt that it would be best to wait before putting this before the Selectmen. The recommendation could be made closer to the town meeting. The
proposed harbor walk was brought to the Advisory Committee last week and the reaction was much the same as the Selectmen's. The Community Preservation Committee voted to withdraw the warrant article for the harbor walkway.
The gazebo down by the harbor is in very poor repair and cannot be used. Originally an application had been made for Community Preservation funds to repair the structure and make it accessible to all. It was decided to withdraw the application for CPC funds and to deal with the bandstand by other means.
Voted - to recommend a transfer from the Reserve Fund to the Public Works Capital Outlay Account in the amount of $50,000.
Voted - to designate members of the Open Space Acquisition Committee as special municipal employees.
Mr. Cristello explained that there were some discrepancies between the Advisory Committee budget votes and the Selectmen's budget votes. Many of these items were errors in the original calculations.
Voted - to amend the following budget recommendations
Town Accountant
Expenses reduced by $5,000 to $49,890
Audit increased by $5,000 to $45,000
Police Department
Payroll increased by $2,400
Department of Public Works
Payroll increased by $1,367 to $1,608,302
Snow Removal increased by $2,181 to $250,000
Sewer Commission
Expenses reduced by $996 to $189,287
Library
Expenses reduced by $20,000 to $253,684
Recreation
Payroll increased by $1,680 to $148,201
Historical Commission
Payroll reduced by $14,538 to $31,544
Retirement $2,816,409
Voted - to sign a contract with Yale Electric for 34 ornamental street lights at a price of $2,400 each.
DAS System
Mr. Cristello reported that he met with the Planning Board on this last night. There has been some new draft language and consensus has been reached on the article. The major roads section was removed and language was inserted that every 10 years the permit must be reviewed in case the boxes get smaller and could be replaced. Any equipment not used for two years would have to come down. The language used in the article would make the DAS system a preferential system over cell towers.
Mr. Cristello advised that one iteration of the sidewalk inventory had been received from Mr. Stigliani but he asked him to redo it by street. Mr. Edmundson, Mr. Cristello and Mr. Toomey met with Mr. Bonn regarding 3 Otis Street. Mr. McGrath will be asked to go back and redo the numbers since they were done on the assumption that the owner would be getting the permanent right to parking. The latest proposal would be a temporary right (year to year) so that it does not give a value to the property that could be collected upon in a resale. Ms. Tully reported that she had traveled through the Beal, West and North Street intersection again and it is clumsy.
Meeting adjourned 9:20 pm.
Betty Foley, Clerk