welcome everybody to the Tuesday April 23rd meeting of the Conway select board at 6:30 p.m. it will become the joint meeting of the select board in the finance committee meeting is being recorded on FCAT and on Zoom for the town website um if for any reason those recordings cease to function the meeting will still proceed live and in person call the meeting to order first item vote to approve the minutes of April 16th very well written yet again especially with all the Motions I'll make a motion to approve M minutes second all in favor I there's four warrants there's in accounts payable warrants in the amount of $141,500 a payroll warrant the amount of $139,200 and something's called w24 DSA f-03 in the amount of 937 that amount that last one for 937 is actually the school activity fund and it has receipts for the expenditures for school activities um lots of arts and crafts and purchases from the Springfield Museum so no mystery and actually the warrants were stunningly boring this week just all payroll and taxes and school stuff insurances um so I'll move to approve the four warrants second fourth all in favor I I unanimous um meetings attended by select board members Chris uh emergency meeting yesterday the burial um and then of course the uh executive sessions we had and I also spoke with Darius today concerning the voice over IP um that need replaced do tell not much to tell he's going to just tell his IT director to contact me and give me the synopsis of why it's needed um so we have we more educated as to um the expenditure good good yeah um um all of those except for the one with Aries plus um a bunch more we had um multiple discussions with Town Council in a variety of areas uh Festival the hills was one of them as also a conference call with Town Council gari with the uh I guess he's the Kenneth the head of the Department of Revenue legal staff um to try to get Festival of the Hills uh as part of a town Committee in a above board legal manner um and uh there was a bunch of others too that blessedly escaped my memory um so um in public count comment because it didn't make it it wasn't in time for the uh agenda um we can engage in a discussion from the slateboard point of view because it is the the topic this is for Jessica Corin she's here from Sunderland um to speak about the warrant article for uh people under people under the age of 18 to vote 16 to 18 um to vote in town town meeting and town election and I know when we saw called on the warrant or proposed for the warrant we didn't really know the backstory of it so um she's graciously come up to Conway uh to uh to talk about that Warren article and um Jessica yeah thanks I'm sorry I was late in reaching out about it it's okay yeah so I've been working with the frontier students who collected the signatures in Conway for this um it uh we are doing the same petition for Sunderland Conway Deerfield and weit Le is still in the works the first three are certified weightly has a later meeting and deadline so that's um still in progress right now uh so we are trying to lower the town voting age to 16 um which is only for Town elections Town meetings um if this passes as a town meeting article it does not immediately lower the voting age uh what it does is it would ask the select boards to send a letter to our state representatives and ask asking them to file a home rule petition that the state legislature would need to approve before we could actually let the teenagers v um there are several other municipalities that have done this in recent years and the state legislature has um not taken any action so those towns are really excited that we're trying to do this as sort of a block here in Union 38 um I think Northampton passed theirs in 2019 so they've been waiting at least that long um Boston Cambridge Brookline L Southboro have all passed it I think Lexington is voting on it this week um so those towns are hopeful that you know with this extra sort of block of towns it would increase some pressure on the state legislature to act on theirs as well so um I don't know where you all might like to take this conversation I don't know if you want to hear what got me involved in this or I'm happy to answer any questions I've been wanting to do this for a while so I think this is great I have no questions I think it's fantastic yeah I I looked that up online and uh got the backstory on it so I'm I'm satisfied not that I haven't vot I mean if there is some back story you want to talk you know this is watched by residents yeah well sure so um I was inspired when I attended the Massachusetts Association of school committees um annual conference and they reminded us that they had passed a resolution in favor of lowering the voting age to 16 so this is um coming from the state level um I was really interested when I heard that I a parent and a teacher and a school committee member um in all of those roles I'm really focused on who I hope kids will be by the time they're independent grown-ups um and I care way more that they are meaningfully engaged in their communities than I care how they perform on the mcast on one day um so meaningfully engaged in their communities would include voting um you know right now we don't let people vote until they turn 18 so most kids turn 18 their senior year of high school and like the big election is in November when most of haven't had their birthdays yet so if we can lower the voting age to 16 then we can um get most of the sophomores because more birthdays have passed and the Juniors and seniors we can teach them about local politics and what the local offices do and what happens at annual town meeting we can get them in the habit of voting it's going to be exciting because it's the first time we've got data from other places that have done this that 16 and 17 year olds vote at higher rates than older age groups because it's exciting and they they talk to their friends and they bring their parents so it could really help to increase our total voter partip ation um I don't know how numbers look here in Conway I I hold the Sunderland school committee chair seat um on the authority of 1001 people who checked a a box by my name in 2022 that's less than 4% of sunderland's Voters registered voters we could do better we actually have an article coming out in our Conway currents where I got 10 years worth of voting records from our town clerk that's going to be on the cover to show people what our percentages are just to say come on let's get out and vote but my understanding is of the four towns in Frontier economy historically has had the highest percentage of total of Voters at its Town meetings that's right um but we still you worry about you worry about the number of people that always used to go that have you know it skews over the crowd skews over and um we lose like like most of the towns of fronti we have more deaths every year than we have births um and so I think I I I've thought that this anything that can get more people at town meeting is by definition a good thing and um and I've also thought you know one of this is one the fact that we have a town meeting for form of government is one of the real secret sauces of the town and um I think teenagers they don't they might not appreciate especially as they go off to school or training in former Confederate states and think the warmth is great etc etc and then they they realize that um maybe after they're there a little bit that they have no say in their local government that it's massive County or you know a quarter of a state for one local government and you have zero ability to influence those decisions whereas here you have by standing up and attempting to persuade your neighbors and friends you have the ability to change what your how your tax dollars are spent I think it's a beautiful thing so um I'm all in favor of it to not to mention a lot of our past elections have come down to a handful of votes yes so a few teenagers can swing they they could swing it yeah I think it's a great idea anything to like you said to get some engagement across the board um with all ages age brackets but it's a good Civic course as well that actually hands on instead of just looking In A Book Like get out there and make a difference it's great yeah and people say you know oh it's town meeting it's just mostly budget stuff but the budget is the purest expression of a of a Town's priorities so um no thank you all for your supportive words on the Warr and think I certainly speak in favor of it so great thank you I do have actually would I talk to the town moderator about having somebody who worked on this who was under 18 speak I believe the moderator can make an exception for in Conway the way that that normally works is um one of us we we while sitting there before it starts we assemble a list of the people the non-residents or the non- voters that we wish to be able to which always includes darus and the principal Etc and um if you just let us know what that person's name is I could get you a name okay great perfect make sure that that gets on the list thank you thanks everybody thank you thank you all right um not having any unfinished business we'll just go down the list vote to appoint Michael catella as the town accountant he is the gentleman who is the current Town accountant but in a different capacity um so this is voting for him for a three-year term commencing July 1st 2024 in accord with Massachusetts General Law chapter 41 section 55 um just personally I'm very pleased with this gentlemen services for the town I think this is an easy one I'll make a motion to vote uh Mike pilia as the town account for three years term second all in favor I um look to close the morning we'll hold that off to last um discussion and vote to sign the letter of support for Conway's fiscal year 25 MV P application veronique um I actually put the copy I have in here so guys well I don't have to read the whole thing but basically this is just um the uh letter of support from the Conway select board saying yes we very much would like to have this MVP Grant award in the next year it is about the Pine Hill Neighborhood um so I'll read the first part of it's letter of participation and support of Conway fy2 MVP action Grant application for the Pine Hill storm water Improvement project um so it says Conway's project will include nature-based storm water installations on public property a rain Garden at the town offices and roadway drainage improvements and education community outreach to encourage installation of appropriate nature-based storm water practices on private property we are especially excited about the storm waterer manual specific to Hilltown geology and geography that will be mailed to all Conway residents and the neighborhood ambassador program which will conduct educational and Outreach activities and distribute materials to homeowner about improving drainage on private property um so that's just an excerpt from the letter but basically it's just the Conway select board saying yes we very much support this application going in that is being put together for us through the fer hog and GZA and we will be applying we're meeting tomorrow to finalize it and we will be applying on Friday which is the deadline anybody have any questions on here so I'll move to I'll move to sign the letter of support for Conway Cisco year 25 MVP application second all in favor I I I it's unanimous I am signing it passing next the discussion and vote to sign a letter of support for the resilient Deerfield river water said partnership MVP project through the fut do you want me to read the letter well okay um the town of Conway is pleased to support and participate in the project that will convene a resilient Deerfield Watershed um partnership Conway and Ashfield share the South River Watershed and in 2018 we worked together to complete the MVP planning process our joint MV P res resiliency plan was one of the first Regional plans completed under the State's new climate resiliency program since becoming a designated nvp Community Conway has been actively engaged in identifying and imple implementing flood resiliency projects in the South River Watershed to protect our own Town Center road infrastructure homes and farmland in our community um so we understand that the members of the resilient drw will work collaborative collabor edly to identify prioritize and seek funding for local and Watershed scale projects that increas increase the flood resiliency of our Region's towns and the Watershed they share so basically this mdp grant which the fur Cog is spearheading is kind of more of a regional let's look at the you know Bird's eyee view um so it's kind of exciting how many MVP grants are going on around here you just signed a letter of support for the one in Ashfield um so yes so so uh um that's pretty much it just just saying that Conway supports this Grant application as well what happens when the state increases the MVP budget and then ice think the conways were one of those that has a no match yeah so I'll move to I'll move to approve and and the signing of the letter of support for the resilient Deerfield river water partnership MVP project ref second all in favor I it's unanimous signing it pass discussion and vote on establishing the Conway on demand senior transportation service so um this is really a vote on supporting The Establishment toate because um so so as as you probably know this is something that I've been trying to get for years um just because uh you know the the way I came to the select board after four or five years as the chair of the historical society and then years in the school committee and um you just get to know so many of the older folks especially some some of the really amazing older folks um and and over the years you see them as they before they go in into nursing homes and you hear o over and over again you know I can't stay economy anymore CU I can't drive and um and you know the there are Services existing Frank uh FTA Franklin Regional Transportation authority does have a med ride program that seniors can participate in um there's also mass mass health has some transportation services that people can but there are a whole host of problems not problems but limitations with those programs number one they can only go to medical appointments or um or uh you know uh Big Y on Thursdays um and the medical appointments are only for the appointments they're not for treatment um it it's just and you have to have 72 or 48 Hours advanced notice Etc so um I was fortunate enough to uh have a me with Tina cot the administrator of the Franklin Regional Transportation authority which is fertile um and got uh you know and to hear say that they still have a little bit left over money grant money for this year and their their fiscal year is January 1 to December 31st and the uh um and I talked about what I wanted to do and she she said let's try it as a pilot program so that's what this is It's a pilot program to gauge the interest in this town and um and it's a Conway senior Transportation on demand service and we have enough Drive volunteer drivers uh it's conceivable that we could provide services with like one hour notice and fera is administering it they have the staff already so people that want a ride would call fera fera would go through the list of drivers and see who's available or willing to do it and um and they broadened the scope of where people can go to within the state of Massachusetts and the re so my whole thing was that it's not it's not enough just for doctor's appointments or grocery stores in order to really live without a car you have to be able to go clothes shopping you have to be able to get household goods you have to just be able to have a life um so that's and and so that's what we're that's what this program is and um as far as I know there's nothing else like it um and we drivers will get paid 67 cents per mile plus tolls plus parking um they have to have an insured vehicle they have to pass a Corey background check they have to do fingerprinting um they have to sign a piece of paper saying they will not physically assault the the driver Riders no matter what um and they have to have their car inspected by ferta to make sure there are no hidden sharp objects um Etc and um we have I have put together a driver and Rider packet um with Adam's very capable assistance uh Riders have to be in the ferta system which is a one-page form um one page double-sided form okay but um the drivers have like six forms several of which are double-sided but um as soon as there are riders in the system and drivers in the system it's ready to start so they the assumption is that they would be Conway drivers right they're not going to yes this is Conway drivers for Conway residents and um um the what fera has said to me is that the you know everywhere from Greenfield to shelburn is so lacking in drivers that they're hopeful that some of the Conway drivers might volunteer to drive outside of town but this is really about Conway for me at least um and um but if they want to you know they they can drive wherever and seniors can request the D driver of their choice and they'll get called first um but Riders have to pay 40 cents per mile travel um but they can have friends or companions at no extra charge to come with so um and they get build by F at the end of the month so this so they can go on a date the driveing something I didn't think of that but I imagine so I I thought um you be because Boston for medical appointments or Boston for whatever a Red Sox game or something like that is is you know so the drivers only get compensated per mile not hourly not that is correct initially it was going to be hourly but that would set the program so much different than all the other towns just have volunteers uh with with no hourly anything so this is they wanted to keep us a lot like the other towns the difference is that the scope of the services that they can provide and where they can go and for what reasons so is there like a minimum number of volunteer drivers that we're going to have to have for this to um the thinking was three is really the three three is what I think she said three is what like Greenfield is down to right now um but they you know so three obviously would but if we have a lot more more than that then it's much more likely that when someone calls for a ride like right away they'll be able to get one and that's to me that's part of it too if you have to live your life scheduling it 72 hours in advance that's a big that's a big downside so um oh so so we have driver and Rider packets they are available at Town Offices at the select board's office um and they're available at Council of Aging at all of their events um I believe I hope we're going to put on the town website soon it be good um but um as along with the explanation that I wrote about what the service is and um uh hopefully people will use it the the what fer F's intent is that if this is a service that is used that is useful in this town they would like to buy a handicapped accessible van because people's vehicles are not by definition handicapped acceptable and that's one of the as that's one of the demographic of the population that we like to be able to serve but if this is used F will buy a handicapped accessible van for for Conway and pay a driver are they going to do you think they can track um locations where people are going outside of obviously residences but um businesses because it would be interesting to see if there was you know one or a couple businesses that were Heavy Hitters for the ride chair yeah well that I I I I think they do collect that data and I know in the rider in the driver packet there is a a log and they have a form for a log of where they're where they're come from where they're going to Etc so that would I I believe they collect that data but I don't know what they do with it that can determine if a larger vehicle might be needed for say they're going a big why all the time Cast Away all the time um yeah yeah no um the the um that you know what what um you know the the the the one feedback that I got was the feeling that 40 cents a mile for Rider just still seems like a lot but when you compare it to the cost of owning a vehicle it's not very much um and the fact you can have guests and whatever as well so Big Y is 12 mil away that's a $8 round tra yeah that's pretty cheap yeah yeah exactly exactly but um you know fera currently does not go to all the Hadley stores so you can which which is a big deal so um but this service would this would go anywhere in Massachusetts that the driver is willing to go I mean the the driver has to say yes the driver is just asked by for the and they can say no at any time and that's one of the one of the selling points to drivers is you you don't have to say yes when they call you can so but the more drivers there are the more likely it is that somebody would say yes so that's that's the program in a nutshell um and because it didn't cost any money at all and there was no agreement that needed to be signed um she just said here's all the forms this sounds great we talked a bunch of times um Rique was in on a couple of calls we exchanged a lot of emails and she said you're good to go let's get everybody started and let's get it started so um you know but I I wanted to select board to go to support the thing because a it's an amazing program I think and it serves a need that has been existing for since they stopped going around horses and Buggies um and it's we know the Council of Aging approves it Council of Aging really likes this program um and the fact it doesn't cost town government a penny right and um but Council of Aging is all behind it they're they're they're spreading the word themselves so the vote is just up to establish the actual to support the establishment of it um and make it an official select board approved program U rather than just something that I done so well I'll make a motion to support and vote on the establishment of a Conway on demand senior transportation service second all in favor I I so it's unanimous and thank you everybody I think I think this is a really good thing um and if you can I have some packets if you know of anybody that might be interested in volunteering to be add driver if you're over the age of 60 you can be a rider um but uh if you're not spread the word about the packets are over here um spread the word about being a driver that's really what we need the more of them it's a good way to good way to volunteer in your town yeah so um last last in new business um try the discussion and the update on the the hills becoming a town committee uh which is which since it's on the warrant anyway it's good for the good for the finance committee to hear this too so um when we had talked about this last a few months ago the you know this was something that I wanted to do since like 2018 when they stopped being a town committee and they stopped being a town committee because Department of Revenue basically made us stop them being a town committee because they weren't it was not they were managing their own money they separate aside from the town they were you know all kinds of things not all kinds of things but that's basically it um and um and at the time they didn't want to be a town committee they didn't want to deal with the open meeting law um Etc and they went off and became 501c3 nonprofit most people in town don't know that um they still think that they're a town committee because they've been a town committee all along up until 2018 um but the um and and so we talked about this a few months ago and um we decided we were going to put this on the warrant like a few months ago and between Town Council and um the accountant um we came up with a basically that they would Festival of the hills would become a town scholarship committee there's a statute that allows for scholarship committees and we were going to set up a revolving fund so that they could monies that they bring in for the festival would go into the revolving fund and just like they do now they would pay for the current Year's bills enough money to pay for next year's festival and then the leftover would be scholarship Ms which is what they've always done um when it actually got written up and submitted to Department of Revenue for approval Department of Revenue said you cannot use revolving funds for this purpose the use of revolving funds is very limited by Statute and you can't do it and we talked a bunch of other idea um it actually it was a really NE process meeting the whole Finance team um meet a bunch of different meetings that we were in together um kicking around different ideas gift you know two different gift uh um accounts one incoming one outgoing but there was just problem after problem and um and we got a hold of um the the um the Department of Revenue legal council um who was the one had who had really flagged the use of the revolving fund and you know we kept on pitching the different ideas that we had and he kept saying no and finally it just like this you know this is what we want to do help us and um and so what he his idea um and it's is to ask for a special Act of the legislature and he helped us with the language that you'll is now in this warrant for the first time um if you look it is all the way in the back um Town Council was very involved as well but this the language in this this warrant is sort of a joint work product of the whole Finance team Town Council um and the Department of Revenue legal counsel um who once he heard about this program really wanted to support it it reminded him of his hometown Watertown fair in the Square thing whatever so and he want really wanted to support this so um this is article 31 now it's the new language that you're seeing for the first time tonight and what what's water Watertown do with the fair in the Square I have no idea I I don't know it's Water Town bu caviar for the whole town I don't know um can you say something about having um the buckets for the donations is that part of yeah but he just talked about how much he loves it um change language go back just so you know Town Council did recommend we switch articles 30 and 31 um so so the so the idea is you know the idea is once town meeting if town meeting votes to ask the legislature to um to enact this bit of legislation then by next year's Festival the hills assuming they can get this done within the 6th to 9th month time frame that we have every reason to expect they can um uh then next year's best with the hills they could be a town committee if the if the enacting bylaw that was all it is also on the warrant for the first time today um which is now article 30 but we're going to switch them around the bylaws should come after the special legislation okay but um but 30 and 31 is going to be the blueprint for the future of the festival the hills hopefully and um you know again it's not asking the town for any money although if we are setting up a revolving fund per the legislation we probably want to have a line item for it $1 or something like that but I don't even know if we need to do that um but the um and and the Festival of the hills number one the the current committee voted unanimously to become a town committee and um they have seen as of today they have seen the bylaw language and the statute language they're all in favor of both and um they have to think the conflict of interest raining now they have to do everything and they know that they know that um but it's um there there's there's real benefits to the Festival of the hills as an organization as an event um right now them having to purchase their own liability insurance the cost for that goes up a lot every year they would be if it's a Town Event they would be covered under the town policy which um would cost a lot less than it than it does for them as a nonprofit also the rather than having to pay police and Emergency Services detail charges as a nonprofit they would you know it would only be the normal salary rate whatever so that just those two things will save them a lot of money and that's what and also uh you know although not asking for any money in this and hopefully not you know not not ever but if they do you know God forbid get four or five years of rain and bad attendance this the town would have the ability to throw them a Lifeline if the town so chooses but um but you know because right now they're just off on their own and we cannot give money to a private nonprofit so as a town so but again we're not asking for money this isn't about they have the money for next year's festival and it you know and and it's they've had a run of making enough money every year to pay for next year plus scholarships so and hopefully they can continue that it's it's well run they have a new crop of volunteers um on the board and this bylaw the bylaw the select board would appoint um The Scholar the new Festival the hills scholarship committee members and they at the end of everything they would also award scholarships for continuing education or training purposes so this is the plan this is the long-term plan for this year coming up 2024 Festival Hills there's still going to be a 501c3 nonprofit but so the town has stopped paying for the Santa cans yeah um I don't think the town was it was actually there was years was on the line yeah for a number of years they didn't then then they did when the septic the town this town hall septic system couldn't handle well I mean I know there's one out there all the time anyway there's two out there all the time used to be like 800 bucks yeah anyways I I don't know I don't know that I don't know that that's happened in a while um but but you know to me this is a long-term solution and um and I think the current volunteers would appreciate feeling like they have a back stop MH and this that's what this would be so um this is the one thing this is our One Civic tradition this is it this is what we're down to um and uh um I think it's universally appreciated every year I think most people come to it in town I do I always have most people volunteer this is another thing that needs they need 200 volunteers a year to put the thing on um and they have a fundraiser coming up but the the untag untag the untag said which is next weekend weekend ail no it's in May it's in May okay yeah later midnight yeah I think it's May 18th and I think it's the same day as we're having our MVP final but so people can go to May 18th because rain day is May 19th which is my birthday so I read that all right um so that's that's the plan um so um I mean when it comes when it comes to going through the warrant again we'll be voting on those articles as a select board I guess but um but spread the word I think this is another thing that's a good thing so I think it is I I know I know one person that didn't that doesn't think it's a good idea why do we have to do it have anything to do with that nothing but crowds nothing but nothing but people parking in the field I always like to they Park in my field what you I know I know I know so um so that's it for new business you want to call your meeting order yes I make a motion to call the Conway town finance commit meeting order second you all in favor thank you Roy and I make a motion to approve the Conway Finance meeting minutes of April 16th as presented second all in favor no so we have the Articles 2 3 4 7 9 10 11 15 16 25 and 26 to V on tonight unless they been Reed yeah I noticed on here that seven doesn't show votes but we did vote on that we is there a different moing to the uh from last week's draft the no you didn't vote on seven we didn't vot vote on the Min splits the rebate for the Min splits no that's six you didn't vote on seven because that included article four which you hav't voted on oh got it got it got it [Music] okay um is it before we get into all the other articles you have any objection to doing the planning board bylaw since the esteemed chair of the planning board George forer is here um to discuss that article 29 article [Music] 29 a copy no so article 29 is submitted by the planning board um it amends section two of the bylaw for the planning board or for boards Town officers boards and committees and it states only Conway residents shall be allowed to serve as voting members of boards committees and commissions um and it adds a new remainder of a sentence and that's however appointed associate members of town boards will be allowed to serve whether Town residents or not so that is oh you know what my apologies that should say serve and vote I thought it was not vote no serve and vote right right George that's good it well that would be the hope that that yeah person could vote I called what's the definition of an associate member uh on the planning board the state law state neighborhood legislation defines associate memb as a member who like an ultimate juror um can sit on the board but can only vote and take part in a special permits okay do they have to be a town resident at present because of the general bylaws okay this article amends that amends that right now could be anybody could be an associate being appointed right now the associate members have to be appointed by the select by the select board okay um and but they can't be in out Tower well that's now but so and they still would have to be appointed by the select board but they can be out of time right right and the specific trigger for this you didn't is that um currently a member of the planning board Joe strowski is an associate member he's been on the planning board since he was invented um and in recent years he stepped off as a full-time permanent member of associate which means he can help us with special permits yeah Joe has just moved to weighty but yet it's got 40 Years of institutional knowledge right right and it's a tremendous asset but it can no longer right help us and if we get a special permit request in the coming year for example we would not be able to sit in and partake um and the other background piece of this is that like a lot of boards the planning board is chronically under staff hard to find volunteers we've been running on four out of five for the past two years and will for for for foreseeable future until unless someone were to step up and and join the board special permits require four votes in the affirmative to pass so if you've got only four board four people on the board and need four votes for a special permit it's not we don't think fair to the applicants to have that high bar right for the people have to agree so that's the idea in the state enabling legis behind the associate members so you can have the full five people regardless of what the circumstances might be so with Joe's leaving it occurred to us that this was maybe something that that ought to be fixed state law allows out of town people to be U appointed to boards but because Conway passed this particular bylaw in 2016 we've been barred from being able to do that so this would modify that ban with this very sort of narrow exception but this would apply to all boards Comm and commissions not just the planning board well the planning board has a statutory definition for associate members my understanding generally for boards that have other boards that have associate members those are members in excess of the numbers of members that the committee is allowed to have so they have boards they have associate members that are that are they call them that are non voting right um so this isn't this wouldn't allow any associate member to vote it would only be would only play associate members of the time Bo this this would be any any any Town board so I mean that that's that's the only concern that I have is that would disallow Unlimited expansion of town boards yeah to include an unlimited numbers of non-residents well they have to be appointed by the select board still I don't think that's enough of a check and that's my concern is the vote part of it especially for a planning board right I'm a huge fan of Joe I think Joe should obviously still have the right to be on the board but let's say any developer from any town could get on the board and vote their way to change bylaws such as the common driveway and develop Community you know in the planning board's case Okay can speak to other boards right now I don't know if any other boards have associate members but um in planning board case the associate member by State law can only vote on special permit applications okay so for example it's one want to build a solar farm right in Conway for example um that requires a special permit an associate member could take part in that process but they couldn't take part in a generic change in the zoning bylaws that's for full-time members only aren't you concerned that somebody with special interest towards one of those I I guess I plac my faith in both members of the planning board and the select room to know that yeah right I would hope yeah this part this associate position has to go through conflict of interest RS interest like they a developer and Developers app it's Municipal Employee just like all the yeah there' be conflict of interest rules sure yeah I just wonder if we want to have something that limits this just the planning board it's a general bylaw I don't think we can do that um but board what we could do I mean that's a good question yeah yeah you guys would have to appoint yourself though so we're going to have Conway gets a big sign up for volunteer drivers for the program you're talking about and go drive around other towns and other towns can come and volunteer for our committees how many boards could have associate members well that's the question I have which boards does this apply to I I thought that um the Board of Health could it depends the Board of Health used to and it depends on the the the planning board has a statutory right associate there are other associate um members but I don't have the top of my head exactly you know those parameters in which committees or boards with the other assoc me meeting boards with the associate status for these associates be non voting only with some they are yeah but um again it's so different from committee to committee yeah and according to the statute that I would I mean Town Council reviewed this but um I I would like to get maybe a list of which ones it would apply to yeah so is there a limitation on how many Associates could be on one board or de I don't know the broad the answer the broad question I I I suspect a lot of the Town boards the membership is controlled by local bylaw uh and and custom in the case of the planning board it's governed by state law and state law says that we can have we with a five member board can have one associate member and if you have a seven member board I think you can have two but in our case it's just the one okay so RT to Massachusetts General law okay yeah it's uh if you care to look it up right SE chapter 41 section 109 well I'm sorry no no that's the provision that allows us that's the provision of state law that allows out of town people to be appointed to boards or be members of boards generally unless there's a Prohibition located provision I'm shot sorry what was the number it's chapter 41 section 109 basically says unless otherwise provided by general or special bylaw a person need not in order to accept appointment to a public office in a town or District be a resident of such town or District so state law basically says this is okay generally unless you forbid it locally which we have and by the way I'm sure the planning board members would be fine if you wanted to narrow this we just weren't sure we wanted to come and ask for special Provisions just for us if you want to narrow this concerned about Out of Towners being on the board of health or something um I we're fine with that we're just trying to because we are in a sort of unique position with respect to a state um law that allows for associate members and actually almost calls for one could we just change it to say appointed associate members of the planning board will be allowed to serve has Donna been consulted about that specific question no so I've got three questions I'm going to ask her because I mean that that that seems to be a good a good um Safeguard yeah so I want to know which board does this apply to how many Associates can a committee have and can this specify just the planning board those are my three yeah the last one especially the last one would really solve everybody's concerns and accommodate the the planning board's request and I happen to think it's a noble request I known Joe for a long time and he is um he he would be sorely missed if he's unable to participate for real so um yeah um so that you know that if but yeah but we can we can get that answer probably tomorrow because I know Don is around all week um well you can't vote on it until the next meeting yeah so um but I do know I do know about previous conversations where she has concerns about General bylaws being made specific to one thing so we'll see maybe it could go into a different bylaw that's this General bylaw is the wrong one well there isn't one in our bylaws about planning Bo so there isn't a place to you know like there is for finance or others yeah maybe that would be the way out then make our own planning board bylaw so but I think it's a it's a noble idea and let's see what we can do to make it happen in a way that safeguards everybody's concerns and accommodates the planning board's wishes which I support you so is that that sound like a plan it sounds like a good plan all right all right you ready thank you George well thank you all I you could back your number question thanks all right back to where we left off before I so rudely interrupted so article we want start with article two which represents a 5% increase that we have discussed that this did you guys finish up your discussions about pay rates and salaries and contracts I think the number I believe okay oh no the paper you have in front of you this one simply reflects excuse me reflects the 5% total but does not include the salary increases which I have before the board tonight which are outlined that they need to vote on okay so that I can add them to article two and there is one just so you're aware the snow and ice um I will need to get those numbers from Ron separated out so pending that we can't vote on article three either on article three to set the salaries of elected official yeah sure that's just that's the boiler plate one that we every year yeah and I did speak we didn't vote on that last time no no but there aren't any elected officials that had paid salary requests so and that's just again a boiler plate saying that you can set those Sal MH has to be in every year I did check and um anyway so so we can vot in article three and since we can't arle two just sure I read article three have Finance okay if if what's keeping you from it's was keeping us tonight from voting on article two is the raises I'm willing to is the salary request yes I'm willing to do that now if that would that be you still won't be able to vote on article two okay cuz we don't have the numbers but you should still vote on the salaries so that I can put them in for the ones that you can anyway ahead all right you make M article I'll read it to see if the town will vote to set the salaries of elected officials as provided by mg CH 41 section 108 made effective July 1st 2025 as presented in the budget or take any action relative there too I make a motion anyone car a second second all in favor I I your motion was to your motion was to approve that yeah to approve yeah yes Carri said you make a motion said I'll make a motion and they asked for a second um so same motion to approve article three for the select Court second all in favor I I I all right so article four you have any discussion to research yes I talked to Darius today he's going to have his it um manager give me the full breakdown but it basically comes down to they're currently not able to to call 911 from the classrooms oh um now this happened to my company two or three years back and it was all firmware so depending on what handset that they have for Voiceover IP if you can't update it because there's no firware to update then it's a useless piece of you know of junk when we talked about that earlier that specific fact was one that we wanted to keep disclosure when you think about it it makes sense to keep that yeah I did not know that that's why that's why yeah sorry but um um but that that's okay yeah it's okay but well that's what I figured it was CU that's the only reason you should call 911 from your cell phone yes you can um no not that's a home there something else we don't really want to talk about but um there there if you ever try to use your cell phone at the Gramm school I don't have one that's right that's why a phone system at the grammar school is so important and why the classrooms need to have it because there is no cell phone reception there um and even if it's nearby the nature of the roof that we have at the grammar school is such that it scatters cell phone signals and they are veryable anset so Darius told me enough to comfortable to feel comfortable on it I'm going to get more information for um if the public has any questions I'll have every bit of detail to why it's needed all right sounds good thank you so does that mean you want to vote it now yes yes all right so article four you see if the town voked to transfer $116,000 from the Conway grammar school stabilization fund for a new phone system for the Conway grammar school or take any action relative there to second I I make a motion to approve second all in favor Roy all right carries five thank you same motion for the select Board second all in favor I I it's unanimous next up is article 7 since we now have the missing piece of the puzzle article 7 to see if the town revoked to transfer from free cash $ 53,723 [Music] article seven no um so same motion same motion for select Board second all in favor I ious all right all right next up for the article nine the compact loader got some information Chris you looking at something yeah so for the compact loader and the plow truck um we don't have specific currency numbers because when you go to bid on these you have to have the funds available so there needs to be a little bit of extra cushion in there uh otherwise um whatever town if town does vote for this and we go and it's you know we only had the article at 92,000 which we were expecting at 92 and it's 93 then it's a mo point right so that's why the figures are the way AR because it's enough to account for the need uh plus a little cushion thank you so any any further discussion any vot a vote all right article n see if the town will vote to transfer from free cash $100,000 for the purchase of a site entry/exit rubber tire compact loader or take any action there to and make a motion to approve second all in favor thank you all five same motion for the select Board second all in favor hi I all right and so we'll go to vote any further stret of article 10 yeah all right I'm wondering why um we're getting a pickup truck for a cloud truck what do we get snow anymore or not I'm just curious why why would the plow truck need to have four doors well they it would be a a replacement of the current vehicle not a replacement but it would be a replacement as the main vehicle and the current vehicle would be used as a passenger vehicle so it's basically a like for like the current plow truck is a four-door you know large what is it 3500 yeah yeah how many years old it's very old um an eight cylinder though right yeah I have here sorry let's see 2004 model it's I know that people thought it was a 14 and it was a four I believe let me just verify that real quick and you know uh you know Ron had donated his truck that truck is no longer in service so he's donated his minivan I'm sure you've seen it go around it's a maroon minivan that's been going up and down the streets it's pretty sad all right so the pickup truck the current pickup truck is a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 and the intent is to use that as a backup vehicle so we don't have to use his van right yeah right all right any further discussion questions comments no thank you so I'll go ahead with article 10 article 10 to see if the town will vot to transfer from free cash $100,000 for the purchase of a plow truck a one time four-door shorted six cylinder diesel with a new vcl would take any action relative there too I make a motion to approve second all in favor I I'm just blocking now I just heard the word diesel yeah I'm blocking so I mean you're negative or yeah I say negative not diesel is that 41 yep yes same motion for the second Board second all in favor hi hi so article 11 all right the burn um article 11 I'm sorry I should have adjusted that yes it needs to go up to 85 85 um yet not only does it need to go up to 85 but as I stated last the grant that we were hoping to apply for does not exist currently um we don't know if it's coming back um next year or not but at least for the foreseeable future there is no Grant yeah not for Conway at least yeah so after speaking with um State Don Chief Bates he uh he feels that you know I basically told him the same thing about the how what the highway Department's doing um you have to go in knowing that you have enough money to make a bid right or to purchase so I asked if 80 was enough for not only the vehicle but the upfitting as well and he thought it might go over so um decid to increase it to 85 what's the or time any idea for these UPF clu well the upfitting would is not the issue it's getting the actual Cruiser itself oh yeah there's only two places in Massachusetts you can purchase them from ain't around here correct is there a really long lead time like the fire truck yes um now a lot of towns have tried to do hybrid vehicles which have been kind of a disaster um and those have more of a lead time but we're not looking at a hybrid can in this town anyway so you're not taking a hybrid up hills well you can't use the cell phones I don't want to so we don't think the lead time will be over a year but it probably would be at least 6 to8 months yeah okay and the cruiser that we have now so we're are one of the very few towns if not the only town that only has one Cruiser um we would want to use the cruiser because we have uh what um we have Chief Don Bates we have at least do we have three now three part-time soon to be four yeah soon to be four part-time offic yeah if if if but we're also if the job Sears is successful yeah but we're also losing M so I think it's still three so it'll be three yeah do we need two cars for three um recall the issue was when the the cruiser was in for repairs there were 20 some odd calls that they couldn't go on yeah Kenny had the cruiser in for repairs and I think it was actually more than that I think it was Triple that um but yeah that'd be the other issue is there's absolutely no redundancy whatsoever for our police station the last one went to the fire chief correct yeah correct yeah so the fire department has more Vehicles than the police department and this would also this would also allow for stationing one vehicle in the public safety building in the police Bay of the public safety building where a lot of speeding occurs um as as well as um yeah or or or otherwise throughout town but um but that generally you know you want you want your police chief to be able to he lives close to town limits um and you want him especially if he is on call or you know the designated officer Rel whatever evening relief officer or whatever how whatever the phrase you want to use um so that he has so that he doesn't have to drive into in those instances so he doesn't the the the Jeep you don't want the jeap to have have to like drive into the station to get the vehicle when it's an emergency so no no you would want we have fire I know we have a weightly fire car on yes oh yeah no yeah it's surprising yeah okay um so that's so that being said this article should say 85 85 read it to us with 855 85 so I mean there a motion inrease to 85 then vote on 85 you have to do right or can we just do it as you can assume that's an error upate it was we it we C it ahead of time yeah all right any might need three votes reverse the all right I make a motion I you see the town look to transfer $85,000 from Capital stabilization or otherwise provide for a police cruiser includes upfitting or take any action Al to there to and make a motion to approve second all in favor all right five same motion for the select Board second all in favor hi Comm all right now we're up to Article 15 this the Town telephone polls could Town telephone po I think going to do some further research about potential savings and how sometimes have done this and what what Ang sa I think that was why we had table to vote last well plus the specific language of the the rather than the corporate Speak oh highly vetted highly vetted extreme v as well at what the other the other part to specify what the purpose was the goals of saving money and reducing your carbon footprint the sustainability committee met um they or at least several of them did no it was at a meeting they did they were brought they were brought our concerns they were they they our concerns were brought to them and they agreed with them and they CH they agreed with the changes that are made MH so um all right so we can get away with corporate too much corporate too much too much so I'll read article 15 out the new version to see if the town rot to raise and appropriate transfer from available funds or otherwise divide $99,950 for a preliminary study of town street lights by an energy consultant with the goal of saving money and reducing our carbon footprint or take any action to there to make a motion to approve all in favor I I and same motion for the select board [Music] favor all right article 16 involing funds why did it t with us last week we did end we did over it says that all right say 24 okay next arle up to is article 25 the No No AR [Music] 25 something geted another one of the yeah they have been they have been changed changed okay so well only the ones let me see yeah no they have't been changed because we've had to Edson and most have been at the end okay for some reason I don't have a record of 16 yeah I have it I have it numbered as article 17 yeah from last we right is that a mistake on my part I'd have to to look at I don't have in front of me article 18 the op 19 was so you you re red [Music] theed I didn't write 16 down last last we 17 yeah they have been yes they have we voted okay uh so apologies it is a moving Target oh yeah yeah so we did approve article 6 well that was the old 16 you approv a article 16 the language is the same right the artical number is different but the language is the same so okay yeah so the article 16 so what we have approved we approved article 16 but last week it was called article 17 yeah so 17 was 17 appr approved as article 18 SK it I just don't have I went through the whole 19 was we approved that uh that's not article 18 this week right but you see and I meant to do that in minutes and write down what the actual article is about so that I could because they did get we approve yeah that was 20 I mean if you want to do it real quick all this is is the spending limits it's not going to hurt if you revote it in case you know well no because because it it just I'm just looking at what we did vote because we have a record of things that the Articles we didn't vote last week but they're by number they're not by right see I have the actual warrant with all my writing on it so I went through and that was the ones so I apologize writing down which each one was so what's the next one that we didn't [Music] vote 25 I had it as what which one is I don't have the language what was Article 25 last week uh last week was that was the the boiler plate to see if the town will vote to allow the likeo to apply for except that's just basically letting us apply for Grants that's 24 now though that was yeah that was okay so there is so last week's warrant article 16 if we didn't vote on it it says add in transfer station revenues was a note oh that's why yeah because that got moved down because that has to be in the byaw so now that's at the end okay this was part of the moving Target so that's why you didn't vote 16 okay all right so the 16 that's in there now must have been 17 yeah that's yeah so you voted it good job Erica mystery saw thank you thank you thanks for being organized the uh I should okay so article we didn't vote on the old 25 and 26 so what were they uh 25 and 26 okay last week 25 was just anything just moves up yeah so um was it this the community preservation fund so this this week's 25 was last week's [Music] 27 so there's another yeah I mean we voted the land takings last week remember that um even though it's not in the bo you have I did record all the votes and then I changed them around so if has your votes it should be but 25 and 26 don't and I thought we did vote oh we did vote I don't know how that went then yes oh good lord um that doesn't make any sense to so I guess you just look here and see whatever we didn't vote on yeah I mean that would be the but except for 24 we did I know you did 25 and 26 yes question about did we vote 2 you have no vote on 24 you don't want to stay to this I feel like we did because that this is one the boiler plate called last time yes article 244 Finance moves um we did 24 was the reting the Articles from special town meeting we didn't vote 24 well that's weird because in in the minutes it says here 17 through 27 10 of them in a row you voted so I don't know how that would have I don't I don't have a vote on should run back and get my all right well I think we should just vote on 24 no brainer is one of those do every year yeah we can we can reaffirm the all right article 24 you see if the town of vote to allow select board to apply for accept and expand state federal and other grants not require a Time appropriation or time meeting approval or take any other action relative there to make a motion to approve second all in favor I I when would something like this apply like what reimbursable grants so we have to front the money then we get the money paid off from the grant something you can do well disaster relief yeah same motion second second all in favor okay article 25 which was Article 27 last week so we voted 25 and 26 and I don't know why it's not I don't yeah that that's confusing me because I know you voted oh but I should I should let you know and maybe maybe this is what I did the yeah yeah they were different 25 and 26 yeah they were 27 and 28 last time yeah so but the the date did change so if you want to reaffirm it because um uh the date of the the deed has been changed so Donna had to ask me to change it from November to April in each of those articles 25 26 then we do need to vote it again do we have to read it I'm just going to go all right so article 25 I I make a motion that we approved Parcels D1 pu1 pu2 and te1 D effect dated effect of April 2nd this year car a second second all in favor [Music] yeah and that is the that that is to purchase get for em domain or acquire those props so they um same motion for the selector second on in favor I article 26 I make a motion to approve the uh purchas of part pu3 tu4 pu5 te3 E4 with the dated effect of April 2nd 2024 any fa second fa all in favor did you I see a motion see a motion I favor thank same motion but as like second all in favor I I am all right so 27 was 29 last week it looks like the estimates have been updated yes Lee gave them to me today so we can vote on is [Music] that we next article 27 which was 29 for finance I don't think there's any more for the finance [Music] oh I'm never I I don't think we had the look at the last one but there hadn't been a vote from the select board remember you said the select doesn't make a recomendation on the CBC article they used to but then a couple years ago we St Town council's recommendation no we don't have article I'm just we have a question moderator uh article two should week There's this week next week we have to do a we have a deadline I mean April 29th Deerfield is meeting next Monday for time meeting we have we're in the 45 day crunch after next Monday yeah well that's so we have to uh we have to me you can vote to close the warrant tonight there's cu no more articles are coming in right I mean I think we're so I won't be available Monday so right appreciate that we vote to close the war tonight correct yeah I'm okay with that but then the question is if you can't so we'll just have the select Erica and Phil be the quum for voting on article two yes okay if you don't mind okay so then you vote to close the warrant and you vote on the salaries tonight that you the ones that you can but if that's all for the finance committee unless you know should we be around for discussion by voting on salaries you rather not and and I don't know how you want to deal with the cola issue either um so we have to meet again the vote on article two in other words because we have to represent the number right the well so I have for you the 5% Cola that you asked for last week that's what this is on the back it's got the new amount but that does not include the salary requests which is why this is such a moving Target yeah if it did include the salary request what would the total numbers be and the total percentage so at so right now with 5% po we're looking at a 2.41% overall increase is that am I reading this correctly yeah well and you said you have to do a breakout or revision of this snow and ice budget yeah that's the total oh total doesn't change but components of it are right well because the part of that is also overtime and there has to be discussion about whether or not the over time is you know lot so I need to get it broken out for you so I can right here my goodness I made that big sorry about that come on okay so this was the one I gave you all before with the salary requests and the cola and this would be the column you're looking at with the 5% this is all of the requested salary increases plus Cola plus the 5% call it so you can see the general fund the non School portion has gone up quite a bit to 4.34% but the overall because the schools are giving us kind of a break this year is still only 2.86 and last year our overall total increase was 3.4 something so uh the only well the only one that doesn't include is mine because that one hasn't been settled it's not going to be by Monday so I have a I have a question about process we can always go back since special time meetings in December become more frequent occurrence is this something we could take up a lot of date because I we're running into the 45 day uh there we don't have a limit on it we don't have a no we're we're we're okay with that okay yeah the only the only crunch we have is making sure that Adam and I can get everything to the printer and time to be mailed everybody that's the only crunch we have that 45 days actually for the schools I think to be get information and 4% you know what did I not share that Roy so you couldn't see it I apologize I was s everybody else that's right I'm the so weol all right there you go sorry what was your question I said well can't we agree on a number between three and 4% is that is this I mean he's talking about wage increases right that well the cola yeah but you all asked me last week to do the five so I think it would be helpful to pick a number did we say five last week we did okay well that's fine I I don't have a problem with that so 2.86% is 5% Cola and all of the requested salary increases but one so even with no increase at all for you correct so add in what we previously agreed yeah I know right it's a few t just want to make sure I've got the right one R9 say Russia just invaded India okay so so let me ask hold on right hold on hold on right where hold on right let's let's say we have uh you know we have applications for abatements uh senior citizen abatements etc etc is that is there a formula for approving that and which accounts does it come I mean is there any accounting for it in the current budget that is uh it's based on it's based on the previous year's overlays Bo yeah yeah so it really can't it basically can't exceed $40,000 oh wait a minute where did I go sorry hard me to do it there we go so it goes from 2.85 to 2.95 or 2.86 to 2.95 289 2.9 so I guess I guess my question is if if you is it possible that while we expand the the uh amount raised through taxation that we wind up reducing the amounts available for abatements does that happen yeah the the the abatements are paid out of the overlay so so it's not going to be reflected on the budget Yeah well yeah it's in the recap but it's not in okay well I'm not sure I understand the process I mean I know I know if the overl is but I that's that's all my my uh I think we talked about this one of the other meetings if you increase the taxation you can uh increase a Vance the kind of compensate even though I I you know it's always convoluted that's how well the the well the overlays 30 range from $35,000 to $40,000 yeah right but so where's the overlay coming from well the overlay is based on you know is it people prior years from the prior year boid that's is there an overlay line in the accessor budget no it it's in the hang on a second let me get back to it again um I think it's 45,000 45 oh Ro it can never exceed 45 it can't exceed 45 even that's a Max it's not in material okay so there's the overlay so we have so this is part of what we have to okay yeah yeah and so like up here this is all of our general fund the schools Frontier Franklin County you know okay but going back to salaries and the overall salaries in the cola by I mean when you made that adjustment the difference is between 2.86 and 2.95% which is still under 3% so it's a less of an increase than we had last year it's still a moving Target because you still have to vote the salaries but if I could get if I could at least get the cola set so I don't have to keep switching that would be a huge help to but we but yeah it depends what the where when you add the salaries in what that number is though but that's what that's what I'm showing what she just yeah so then so then category L but we I guess V votes the line votes the line of category L well you can't because you can't do that until you vote the salaries can but can we but we but we don't know but but but the highway the snow and ice one is in there too which hasn't been sorted out yet so if you were to say this is it then it's still going to change right if you can just give me the cola percentage and vote the salaries you can then we'll get back to you know all right um and if we absolutely have to we could have the final final vote on Article 2 May when is it uh 6th I think yeah that'll be pushing up but yeah we looked at it today and yeah because May 8th is the printer it goes to the printer it takes him four or five days to do the annual report and the and the 15th would be the day he has to be in his car driving around I mean yeah we could have what we what we need 48 hours notice for like the last minute if we were to have like another meeting just to vote on this one item we just need 48 hours so we could definitely get this on before even if Chris isn't here on Monday well he's not here all oh you're welcome okay yeah so the soonest you could vote on this would be probably the May so that would be that too tight for you guys though said yeah if I get to last year took four or five days and like I say the 15th would be the day he's in his car driving around the post office last year it didn't get last year was the year that people didn't get it in the mail or they it was it was close yeah it yeah yeah so last year that's not a good example it didn't work last year well did it didn't I don't know what else to do I don't have salaries voted I don't have a cola I I can't give you a final number until I do and and why can't we agree on the col or now because we don't have the final salary number is that that I me no but we still can't vote on our we can finalize Cola I mean yeah we could we could agree that we're moving 5% but we still can't vote article two we just don't have the final numbers for article two okay can we have the number for next week I'm sorry can we have the number for next week that's what we're hoping yeah yeah we can do it next week okay yeah as long as I know tonight what the cola and the salary amounts are otherwise I can't put it together for you I hope May because um May 6 I won't be able and will prefer May 7 otherwise before will be good there's nothing for us to vote on at this point right no Okay so will we excused from the dinner table all right did you have did you have a formal recommendation for the cola does the select want one we kind of okay so you want the finance committee to make a recommendation on the cola this is for arly employees does not cover salaried employees well no it covers covers everybody it covers all non-contractual employ non contractual who who are not receiving a pay increase not increase right who are not getting a or or hourly rate if if the cola is more they get that right okay if the salary increases more they get that that okay all right but it's for beyond all right yeah but there's only a handful of people in the South that are not all right so you going to make a motion I make a motion to a 5% Co increase in for discussion questions no anyone second all in favor I I okay I kind of stainstain obain yeah yeah so it's 40 in favor [Music] abstention 4 there one exstension I mean to to me I would make make the same motion except it would be contingent on the fact that uh the total overall number cannot exceed 3% even though last year was 3.4 yeah and we have a huge L limit like 800,000 that's that's my that that would be my motion but that's a really significant goal whether you agree or not I'm just afraid of one minut get I'm I'm I'm a feared that that's going to get you into a conundrum next week potentially but then then we take then it's worth taking a look at again but that's and that's the problem with voting numbers that you don't know the effect of those of that vote yeah but you know I mean well how how much change do we anticipate we've got 99.8% of the numbers in in the budget and the cola we saw is $4,500 for every 1% Cola increase go over 5,000 I mean we're we're talking a minimum swing unless you change the underlying budget numbers significantly in the next week well then let's make col of 4% to have more of a fluff I mean I'm in agreeance with Phil we have to be fiscally responsible and 3% or under should be the goal it should be the goal every an annual every year wa where where we getting where where's the 3% coming from well last year's budget incre total total increase that number wound up 3.05% is that you're going to you're going to knock the back down I mean you can't just have continuous moving targets you can't you you you have a Target and I mean you know last year last year was fiscally a rough year the employees got what 2 and a half% colas right I mean no it wasn't two and a half it two two yeah I mean and it was 3.39 um% over the year before and so it's a good year I'm I'm just going to take Devil's Advocate it's a good year you already said that you already said that I'm conf I'm confused but I I'll go along with I mean when is those numbers going to be the salary numb is going to be finalized okay is that happened before the town meeting or or it it doesn't even because of town meeting things can change they have to be finished so that we can print article two yeah yeah we have to be able to vote on some some fixed finalized number right whether it I I get it but so if this is a problem can't can you just put in salaries as they are and then they vote SE a separate article and I mean I know it's not politically it's not that great to do that but you could put the cola to the town meting as well have yeah no but I I mean you you put in what's close to those final salary numbers right as best I can and so even with that in a 5% Cola we were still at 2.95% so I feel like like yeah it's still a moving Target but you know like John said we're very very close it's not going to move by more than one or 2% right it's not going to go up to I I hope well where where fearing the big number of changes could potentially come I I just well because we haven't voted on the salaries the snow and ice hasn't been broken out I just you know it would be nice to have those finalized so that I could know what number to actually put in there to reflect but it's as close as I can get it yeah with without having the final numbers oh we just looked at it with Y the proposed salaries correct well most yeah did we not is that was the spr Che that we were just looking at it yes yes okay and it was under 3% yes with a 5% call yes that's why I said 5% Cola contingent upon it staying under 3% that's that's why that's everybody should be happy that's what I thought yeah that's what I thought but it didn't seem that way the overall snow I good argument for working it backwards in other words make the cola whatever it takes to be just under 3% yeah that's what Phil is saying I agree yeah I understand yeah I understand what salt for that that's what sprad sheets are for oh so I have a question RI with the uh snow and ice budget is the overall numbers going to stay the same or it could possibly change no that that's a huge change that could happen because that one included both overtime for um the regular staff overtime for the super after a certain number of hours um what that's that's why I wanted you all to look at these requests and vote on them and that would I have to break out but that was made clear when we went through 423 the snow and ice so you know and none of this has been voted on this is why we're contradicting our own Town's legal advice I was given requests I put them forward to the board I've been doing that for you can't put forward an illegal request no no hold on hold on I don't think this this has been proposed to the board for a while I mean this came through the Personnel committee remember yeah um and we made a re recommendation to the select board um well we actually made no official recommendation on that particular point but we did have a conversation about our feelings about the overtime portion and so this has been sort of in front of the select board for a while to make a decision on I thought it was resolved that we were going to accept the fact that our attorney told us not to do something illegal and we weren't going to do something illegal that like I didn't understand that it's still on the table somehow to do something illegal no there's not been no recommendation to do anything on you um paying an exempt employee overtime is illegal period that would be consistent with the Personnel committee [Music] recommendation okay one we'll see I might have to uh shut it down and restart really quickly Roy we'll see what are we waiting around for now a DAT to come by a chat message that was earlier yes okay so um I will well that's what I have to get the specific numbers from Ron that's why I couldn't get that done today but I will get that taken out if that is yeah I will get that taken out is it possible for the last year to date this year and for uh since the most of the win season behind us from Mike Cella what the U year today expenditures have been on over time maybe the last three years what the overtime Aid has been the breakouts between the superintendent and the well there's never been overtime for the superintendent never no and this your proposal is is might reflect the superintendent getting overtime is that built into the snow it was built into the yeah a certain number of hours of overtime so you're going to get the break out of the overtime pay the superintendent I'm going to get everything split out so that I can yes this this I I look I have to say I understand Phil's caution here we got to be very careful here okay I can tell you that I did place a call to the um employment Association New England who actually contradicted and said that you can pay over time that I'm I'm just that is so inappropriate I'm not stating Phil I'm Notting that's just so inappropriate I'm Notting that it should how many calls do we have to have with our lawyer how many times we have to do this you keep on trying to go around law I'm not trying to go around anything and I'm not making any recommendations whatsoever it was about whether or not it's illegal that was my only point is it interest a matter of finding the proper way to compensate a particular individual that's what we're talking about here nothing nothing more nothing less so if one method is not legal you got to find another way I think by any Fair definition of that word we have done that for the next fiscal year between the 20,00 bonus that we just P paid him between the increase that we're that he requested that we're prepared to vote on um okay and uh I mean this is just don't you know at some point when our lawyer says something like five times it has to just be the final you just have have to be willing to say to someone this is it like this is it yeah which is fine I mean I don't I don't think that's that's an issue I mean it's very clear I mean the Personnel committee is is is very clear the three of you know you have a quorum here uh but I can speak for everybody in the Personnel committee feels the same way uh it's it's not a good president to set for the town um whether it's illegal or not I mean we know that some towns do it and we disagree for a host of reasons and um I think the issue in front of the select board would be the rest of the compensation request for the superintendent which was made and whether where where you guys are on that I I I personally favor that yeah okay yeah well there you have a you just have to tease out the uh overtime yeah exactly but that's why I had this list in front of you for tonight to so that I I know what the select board wishes me to put in to the spreadsheet so we've got some more clarity on that and I you know I'm actually in agreement with the personal commit with you on this I was mely your point thank you all right yeah let's not bring up OT again I I said it from day one even before we talked to the lawyer I already know the answer to it yeah exempt is there in the in the exempt yes yes that's the definition is stop and go discuss stop but it gets gets complicated when trying to take the highway department and turn it into an Excavating contractor and start doing all these jobs around town to save the money and it's like the highway Department's not an Excavating contractor did they maintain the road so when we get to overtime it would be about snow around that's a great Point not for not B up Mak an addition here doing something to dump something up in the pickle ball place you know whatever and that do not an excavation contractor the flip side of that though is that each of those side jobs included additional compensation yes within those jobs not on not reflected directly in the salary line item but within the cost of each of those projects so um so yes no overtime but yes more compensation yeah that or no they hire it out the highway Department's not and a contractor well the thing is that the equipment is all here and the hiring out equipment the hiring out when then you're bringing in equipment that you was dramatically increases the cost of the job when you have that same equipment sitting in your yard that the town owns that's that's the real if it's outside the purview of the job duties then you can have a different style of Merit for that whether that be a bonus or something other than that if you have a job let's use a restaurant for an example yeah I am a manager of a restaurant right I'm a salaried employee but it's busy I'm waiting tables I don't go to hourly you can take the tips you can take tips but you do not go to hourly right tip so the same goes for any other job so if you're a superintendent and you have to be on the road doing work that your hourly employees do you're still paid as a superintendent whether you're performing the function or not yeah so but what I'm getting at is some of this OT is about projects beyond the traditional SC we're not calling off the table we're just that's enough for me so when should we meet again we got next Monday 29th yeah [Music] 29th yep you want to make a motion oh no hry up we have to get to when we decided so 29th at 6:30 and just basically article two and that's it you're not going to be here here well we can make the finance commit can meet with the select board and select board can always meet accept the time well 29th 6 6:30 6:30 time off here okay you hear that Roy we're going to be meeting Monday of next week April 29th yeah 6:30 Town Hall 6:30 yeah thank all right I make a motion to adjourn second all in favor all thank you all see you Monday of next week 6:30 all right paid over time you getting paid for doing this for huh that's what I was ping for that's what I was P all right so we got a couple we got a couple more um the discussion of the emergency select board meeting of yesterday um I'm I'm sorry are you are you you voting on the salary request tonight for me so that I know what to put in are you saying that they're all good I I don't yeah I thought we said that officially vote talking I just I just need to know that we're good that those that line including yours from what we had agreed [Music] that do we do we need do you think we need to vote on that um I don't know I don't know budget salary C review and vote we should probably vote on the salaries all right so the salaries that are presented to us um there's not a to it um there was on the spreadsheet that was visible well some of these are like some of these are an hourly increased but then we're taking out the 423 we're taking out 423 right this was presenting to you what the request was for how much the current salary was and then I also gave you the current pay rates which Jan has put together for us and it has the last three years so you can see what those are just need to know if the board approves those increases my except for snow and I yeah but this doesn't have police chief or town admin on this one here right correct okay but we should probably vote on those as well right or you've already done one right yeah we've done okay so it's just we need a number to put in for the other which is the number that we already agreed on and then if something more comes up when we have a meeting or whatever then something more comes up but in the meantime we need to agree we need to put a number in right but I thought we'd agreed on a do we do we all agree on what that same number is I mean I thought we did but we had a meeting where we agreed on a number I don't I don't um we haven't been able to schedule another meeting but so for for these purposes we need to put a number in that's that's the number that we have to work with is Jeff still the transfer station manager no okay yeah some of those names have changed okay so we were 200 it was we were $250 off I thought we agreed that we were we agreed that the $250 thing was probably should not be discussing contractual negotiations we but we ended up agreeing on a number it was like the first thing that we discussed but um seems like we need to have one final negotiation well um we have to be able to schedule a meeting I have no issues with anything shown here outside of like we said 423 I'm prepared to vote on the [Music] others I'm fine with that as well is that up so uh I'll make a motion to um approve the fiscal year 2024 pay rates excluding count 423 as shown in the salary and stipend um sheet well these are the 20 what what the 25 rates that we right isn't I this is the one for this is last year's this is last year's I apologize so we're looking at this this one yeah right all right I'll make a motion to uh approve the listed fiscal year 2025 pay rates with the exclusion of account 423 well just the part just the last part just the OT part correct do so moved yeah yeah so I can bring it back to you and say what it is without that correct yeah um second all in favor thank you um are we done with budget salary and col or do we need something else do we need to decide something else okay um we on to the disc emergency select for discuss ER well I mean I guess I I mean my concern is that we still like we still have a contract that's a negotiation so I think we really need to continue to negotiate that contract we have to have a meeting schedule it has to be a exective session right yes I guess I'm I'm asking if we can schedule one under executive session so that we can I can do one over Zoom I could too once's the earliest you can do an executive session is there time today it would be for Friday Friday if that's available we mean this product yeah okay it has to be 48 Hours posted and that can't be that that makes it Friday I mean I think we kind of have to CU we still have an outstanding contract what time later if possible I have to go to Boston and drop my wife all that and pick her up from a hospital so anything after say 400 p.m. I'll be there at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. I'm hoping to be gone you better give yourself an extra yeah 5:00 or 6 at 5 six kid we're leaving right from there so it's a 2hour drive at 4 p.m. should be fine 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. I'm I'm compl be flexible whatever works for a five yeah okay now are we done with budget salary in I think for tonight at least okay yes that's what I meant for tonight for tonight's purposes only okay um discussion of the emergency select board meeting from yesterday which was the sale of Deeds for the sale of a plot a deed representing a burial plot in the Southport Cemetery that had to be done on emergent basis for reasons that were discussed um at the meeting that were painfully apparent to everybody um especially um uh that that was a sale for $300 of one plot um he did pay by check we have to sign this there are I think it's just two copies two copies if you could please sign just going to say please sign both and then I just signed one and passed it on Adam do we have a chap Road or is that supposed to be chap it's Chapel what did I write it's Chapel it was the last minute addition it could be sh [Music] Apple surprised at the death or lack thereof I um I can honestly say it still seemed really really really deep it still seem really hard but got made made the made the maximum depth Beed yeah but that thing oh somebody called from Asheville this morning and they're having a charity bike Aon on Saturday yeah so they'll be coming through and it's for you know disabled this is what the disabled people Charities for and she just ask you know they've already scoped out a spot up there in North Poland that a little p p for the day will fit perfectly and not be in the way I guess she forgot to ask what just occurred to her this morning there's no there's no insurance issues there's no liability issues with the Porta not not that I'm aware of but that's what these were from just to give you all the roots so that you knew yeah and when he came in today I said yeah it is kind of a little little late you might want to get he's in a little sooner to get request permission but um is it where the parking spot is at the chapel at the chapel when you can go back way it could be in that area somebody just bought that big white house right there oh no way they're going to be like what the hell it won't be permanent all right I move that we approve the placing of the porta potty on Chapel Falls Road with Saturday's charity Bike Ride second all in favor I I so um ad update credit anything you want to add to your town Administration update no um well you all discussed Festival Hills already that was a big part of the update um so our next meeting is an executive session for the purposes of contract negotiation this Friday which is the 26 sorry you did mail already right [Music] mail I just say on the mail on the initial email that was States the select board on it I never received from April 12th well some of them may say to the select board but they're sent to me which is why they got it yeah um it would have made more sense if you would had um my response to the one oh it's not in here yes it is uh on the back yes it is that's why it said a sorting because [Music] um I does anybody have any anything they want to say about any of these uh not that I've I I've already stated I did email back one of the people on here and stated the same thing that the entire town had issues we had to start somewhere we had said in a meeting before I think I even used the term there's a gabing wound you need to plug the biggest one first we know that the area we're having um all of the um um assessment done at is the most congregated area of the most affected homes so that was the choice with it I totally appreciate people writing in but one of the um some some of the advice on there is not how do I put this you can't just divy up money equally across the board for all Town residents it doesn't work that way some residents didn't have any issues with the flood some residents had major issues with the flood we have to to concentrate on um the the areas of most concern um so we're relying on uh our citizens to go online and fill out the um link the form that has been linked on the main page very put on the main page it's been up there for what a couple months now easy um to please do that I've only seen one response from that so so far I believe [Music] um or actually it wasn't from the link you had sent another response from somebody else who had written in about their um flood situation I think there's some confusion about that link people because we sent out links for the survey the groundwater survey from UMass and I think there's confusion about um thinking that that also went to the town and that those were one and the same thing but it's not different the G survey is just on the news on the website I think PE some people think that's the the money we receive from the state is going to be used for private residences which it's not right and some people believe that it there should be an equal distribution of that money to our Town's people but that again is not accurate because it's not being used on private property and the distribution of the blood Reigns was not equal for Town residents either so I mean by all means write in tell us your thoughts your concerns but you know and we're relying on Experts we're relying on data we're relying on our our super in the highway and um I I think we've made very good decisions and I I mean for me the issue is that the initial U correspondents that prompted this has to do with a large solar array that is on private property yes and we are extremely limited and we totally understand I've heard the frustrations of residents in that neighborhood but it is it is private property so we don't really have any recourse to tell a private homeowner you know what kind of arrangement they can enter into with the private company or what happens on their land um and we can't really we can't really intercede on behalf of other residents who have issues with that private property and it's it's frustrating and it's unfortunate but it is it's a it's a choice that a private homeowner made and the to the extent the concerns are addressed about nexam at this point to theel elect board those concerns really should be addressed to the planning board um because they have enforcement authority over zoning bylaws um and the select board does not so with regard to NEX once the initial contract was signed with nexamp and the agreement with nexamp was finalized the role of the select board in nexamp and ended statutorily legally um well you know we pass on concerns I just wrote to nexamp um when I received the most recent update with some questions but um trying trying to advocate for the concerns of our residents but the um you um that's other than that y that's all I had to say by you guys y all good all right so next meeting um uh Friday 5:00 Friday the 26 executive session at 5:00 next public meeting April 29th Monday here at 6 p.m. every we okay motion to adjourn motion to adjourn second all in favor I