##VIDEO ID:d-FWc0LFXoo## we good Jean can you hear us yes okay I think I heard yes yes okay yep thank you all right thank you all okay so um in accordance with the requirements open meeting law please add that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast on over lunenberg Public Access channel on Facebook live and we have a zoom link uh the zoom link and codes can all be found at lenberg ma.gov under the calendar uh that's where you can find the agenda and a link to the to the meeting uh today we will be in a hybrid fashion um we have uh uh Jay uh Tanya and myself in attendance uh but jean is on on um on zoom and with that if we can stand for the Pledge of Allegiance a pledge allegiance to the flag to the flag the United stat States of America and to the Republic for H one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all all right by way of an announcements I'm probably worth noting that um I sent the email to you guys but uh I think last night or this morning the superintendent announced to the town and into the school committee that she is retiring at the end of the year so um she'll have one more go with us on budget season and then uh she will enjoy retirement are there any other announcements all right is there any admit someone is there any public comment from the public uh go ahead John bow you're muted sorry hello good evening everyone uh John Bowen 162 Highland Street um I just wanted to uh just do a quick follow up joh can you hold on for one second please sure can we turn up the volume in the room all right try again sorry okay testing one are we good it's a little better I don't know why if I sound like I'm yelling or Screaming will it make a little bit better yeah that's good okay so I'm going to talk a little bit louder than normal um John Bowen 162 Highland Street Lunenburg I just wanted to uh just reiterate some uh conversation uh public comment that I had given to this board before about the use of the sale of lots money with the cemetery commission about its misuse and highlighting about $6,000 worth of misuse uh over an 18month period through one fiscal year and a quarter of another school year I just wanted to let the fincom know that this morning um uh after an open meeting law violation revoted the use of over uh $1,800 worth of funds from the sale of lots account uh to be able to purchase a license for the ray maker program the ray maker program is a vital record program which comes under the purview of Kathy Herrick the town clerk who I did speak with her office today I don't have any information for you on that as of yet I'm just awaiting that um however the cemetery commission has no reason for access to that and if everybody remembers since 2022 um Heather Lemieux has said to the cemetery commission and Bill Bernard regarded that uh access in November and said that they have been told they're not allowed to have access to that information with that in mind this is another waste of spending of our $10,000 that we all lot at the sale a lots account I did mention at the C AR commission meeting this morning that I am going to propose a warrant article and I would like the support of this board on that warrant article that the semary commission's use of the sale a lot money be reigned in and that in order for them to be able to make an application they have to have a specific set amount um to be able to uh uh of which they want to use it for for the specific reasons to do that otherwise the DPW uh should be the overseer or oversight uh board for that money that is used because that money has been asked to be used for Perpetual care and I'm still trying to figure out what a rain maker program is regarding Perpetual care or what a uh having uh foam boards made for $1,800 some dollars I think it might be 700 I I I have reiterated that uh but there was a couple of $500 extras in there uh for a wall propos uh that never came to any fruition this money is being wasted we have not enough money to care for these cemeteries we have millions of dollars worth of work that needs to be done we have a cemetery commission squandering the $10,000 that we give them by buying things that they don't need and I just wanted to let this board know that this is a problem and this really needs to be looked at uh chairman manad and I think that this committee really needs to look ins sight and follow back to those meetings that I had raised these issues look at those costs that I got from Ezekiel and outline those costs and actually get a determination of what's the purpose what's the direction and what's the use because this is tax money that's just being wasted willy-nilly but I just wanted to mention that tonight thank you very much Mr manad thank you thank you all right and again to the booth if we can make it louder in here um it sounds like none of the speakers in this general area are on um I I think we could barely hear U Mr bod but I think we J his message thank you Jud um are there any other public comments is there any public comment from the board no no all right all right uh we don't have any scheduled meetings tonight um so uh and town manager had a um a conflict and finance director also had a conflict so we don't have a a report from them all right as it relates to new business um the um I sent out earlier today um a letter excuse me uh addressed to us and the select board um excuse me from Carter you room Town manager uh kind of laying out and the rationale for laying out uh the the deadlines associated with getting to town meeting um there's a couple key dates for us in there if you go uh backwards planning if you will uh the fincom report to town manager is due on Monday March 31st um our fincom votes are due by Thursday March 20th um our fincom public hearing uh Thursday March 13th uh we have to have a notice in The Ledger uh 10 days prior to that for the public hearing and then uh February 13th as we planned was the draft budget warrant to the select board in in fincom I I think this says Tuesday February 13th I think he meant Tuesday February 11th and uh Thursday February 13th because the 13th so Thursday um so I don't know if folks had a chance to to read through all of that um I I think in general he was looking for our feedback that we we agree to these dates um what what I did in addition to that and I printed one out um for you here and sent it out earlier um was what I would propose as the schedule for Department hearings and um and other you know money articles um you know the municipal building committee wants to to give a report um to us as part of their other money article um so I kind of I kind of have this here it goes top top left to bottom right U but it kind of lays out what I would recommend we do to try to fit this into the Thursdays available to us between uh February 13th and in um March March 27th uh with the exception that I do think we will need one out of cycle meeting just TimeWise um i' I've already talked with um the uh Caesar the uh select board chair that they would not normally have a meeting on the 25th of February so we could probably book this room um I'll have to verify that with with the town but uh that would be the if we could follow this and everyone agrees to this then I would make this our recommendation I don't know if there's any thoughts on how I have this laid out and I we can try to throw it up on the screen so the one thing that this would do is it would put school department which is usually the long poll on March 6th um Dr Burnham said she would Endeavor to try to to meet that date um given the you know the the state that the interim Town manager to a new town manager and you know all the other constraints placed on us here and I do see um uh Caesars on on the call as well as uh Carol for um uh school committee so if if either of you you know have any comments on this or Jean just you know unmute yourself and and um speak up I know every this kind of came to everyone kind of late but generally speaking what's people's thoughts it sounds reasonable to me I mean we do the best we can fit it all in okay Jean does this sound good to you uh yes I I think it look looks um reasonable and particularly considering what we did last year okay and I did uh the one that's worth note on this is the February 20th is um school break um I'll actually be um not around personally that one but um if uh if anyone else had constraints that would be the the tough one now we're kind of challenge where only one of us can miss miss a meeting in retain Quorum um so I know as of now that was your schedule going to affect this Jean will have to run that meeting yeah I I am concerned about my own travel schedule uh for work um so I I do have to put work above fincom in order to pay my taxes right so um but we if if two of us can't be here we'll have to we'll have to try to make um try to make it work the 20th I'll have to look at that one okay I know I didn't send that one to you earlier yep so that's I think I think yeah March I think that's the only one but oh March saying February 20th oh no March may not be here February so I think yeah I March 20th might be a one for me but I can let you know by next by end of end of week next week okay actually now that one as we have it laid out here is an important one because that's when we take our roll call vote okay or votes on articles doesn't have to be roll call for all here um if you're unable to do that um we may just need to have a can I join virtually you can join virtually yep then it shouldn't be an issue it just makes counting the votes all that much more fun but but yes you can yes yes all right we've done that before okay so I don't I don't see any issues on the schedule for me now all right then um why don't I request a motion to um to relay to Carter that we're all in agreement with his um his timeline as well as what we would request for the the individual Topics by date say so moved so moved can I get a second second all right so we'll have to do a roll call vote uh Jean I um Tanya I Jay I and an i for myself all right so we're going to get through here today quickly um that was the major topic for today um the next agenda topic I had was uh fiscal year 26 budget discussions I don't know that we have a ton to talk about at this point related to that um one note I did get from let me stop sharing one note I did get from um from Carter today was let me find it my apologize um they don't have estimates yet for Health Care rates but he did say health insurance rates um but he did said market trends are running 12 to 15% and due to our poor expense ratio I expect us to be at the top of that pack I'm anticipating 12% at this in this moment at this time though so if he had to make a guess right now he was saying 12% would be saying this uh Carter the inter Town manager uh so that could be a challenge yeah um and I think that was discussed at the school committee meeting as well um you know Brian had reached out to me on you know that being one of the challenges that we'll be potentially facing um I know in the past we've had high estimates going into things and then at the end it comes down it comes down um hopefully this is one of those years but that's going to be a tough one to to to swallow all right any other um budget discussion related items for tonight okay great um as it relates to Old business uh Town manager search committee update I I know we're kind of done but if if folks have been paying attention next Tuesday there's a marathon session at the library where they're interviewing uh the three candidates um if you go on the um agenda for the um for the select board they've listed who the three the three candidates are um it said that they were going to have their um CVS cover letters and resumés attached to it they weren't attached when I saw it though um but uh two two of the two of them are uh Town managers in their past and one is a former is a current DPW director um so I'll just kind of say that I I think all are great candidates like I said before and it'll be interesting to see if the select board agrees and which of the three they they end up um recommending which would be on Wednesday of next week uh God willing um so hopefully we're we're on a path to to getting a full-time Town manager and there's some amount of baton passing between Carter and this this new ton manager cuz there's a lot of budget to work through right out of the gate it's going to be trial by fire um for that individual so they're doing that at the library they're doing it at the library yes and I think it said there was no live feed although it would be recorded um and I think it's actually think I printed it starts at 5:35 and yes at the library is though and there'll be make a decision by Wednesday the next day yep yep I think they're all uh eager to get a decision made that does help um so the other old business I had listed was the school funding formulas um I guess we are no longer in the hold harmless category um uh Carol had reached out to me with an email stating that um after some back and forth with um the Chapter 70 lady we usually use um so I don't think we're going to get a windfall of money associated with that but um hopefully hopefully they we do get something more I I still think as it relates to the next topic grant writing services we need a policy and a procedure for for getting that going I I think it's really important right now for us to be writing grants and getting assistance for that um I think between the Commissioners and the the town employees were probably fairly strapped so any help on that um I don't know Caesar if that's a topic you can bring up at the um select board meeting on uh how to actually execute that I think uh Heather had some ideas before she left but um I don't think they were put put down on paper okay yeah I can follow up with Carter great thank you well we going to look for Consulting Services yeah yeah right write grants based on our needs all right any any further discussions on any of the the old business there all right uh as it relates to minutes we have minutes um posted for review from December 19th which was our last meeting we're pretty well caught up on all of our minutes which is a good state to be in yes um very good I think even going back three years they're all posted now um so have folks had a chance to look at those I did I did send Danielle one correction regarding the sewer business manager she haded as a school department said the school business manager okay I think she said she made that correction all right and and I did notice um Jay when when you look at it through the web it the the formatting looks funky but when you look at it in documents in the actual app yeah um it looks proper so I will make sure that it's formatted well uh before I PDF it and send it uh to the to the clerk's office okay all right so with that I would entertain a motion to approve the minutes of December 19th a motion to approve the meeting minutes of December 19th I second all right we have a a motion and a second roll call vote um Jean I uh Tanya I um Jay y i all right and I for myself so approved all right rolling all along this will be the last meeting in a while I think this happens uh committee reports any committee reports from anyone any Le on no I've watched a bunch of stuff but it wasn't lock going on last month the holidays I've um zoomed into the school committee meeting last night along with um superintendent Burnham's announcement um they've been trying to do things more facilities related without a facilities manager so um the finance director has arranged with the security company to have the fire alarms at Turkey Hill replaced um they're looking into doing new doors but it's an expensive project so they're not sure about that right now and they ordered a new um truck and plow that's going to be available next uh uh the end of next summer um they also had some discussion about uh cell phone policy there's going to be a zoom meeting with superintendant principles and John Cronin to try to figure out what kind of cell policy might be implemented in schools um and lunenberg does not favor taking away phones from students in the morning and giving them back at night um and a former um student at lunenberg uh gave a $115,000 scholarship um for the use of Athletics um in the for um Mr Vincent Joseph um he was the Catalyst for this person to make the donation so those are the highlights great thank you Jean all right um I don't have any committee reports either all right um next topic is action and topics for future meetings I think we have our work cut off for us so I don't think there's anything other unless you guys want to add something no I think we we have enough we have enough we have enough all right um yeah so upcoming meetings our next scheduled meeting would be on January 23rd um I'm not going to be around for that one I did ask if Jean could cover for me and she did agree that she could um that being said do we think we even need to have a meeting on the 23rd um or should we just rest up for the the 13th of February I don't have any topics that are that I are burning at this point in my will anything come up between now and then certainly something could and if so I can reach out to folks but um and and let you know that you know we need it but I not sure I see anything okay well like you can leave it there we can always cancel it if there nothing pressing okay okay so I I'll um I'll hold it I'll put out an agenda if if there is something pressing um and let everyone know but otherwise I I'm inclined to do let's let's just uh punt on it especially because we'll only be four yeah so y fine all right so with that um is there any additional public comment from the public come off mute or raise your hand is there any public comment from the committee no we still have two vacancies we do still have two vacancies um so if you want to convince a friend to join it's Now's the Time right before budget season yeah it will definitely they don't have to say anything just make a quum maybe um you know certainly the first year or so a lot of folks just kind of listen and you know more so than a it's a lot yeah I you know it's great when people do do their opinion but sometimes that first year can be intimidating so all right with that can I entertain a motion to adjourn at 7:31 something I've never said before so moved second second all right roll call vote Jean hi hi Jay hi and I for myself thank you all very good