##VIDEO ID:xTsyNJNk2lQ## not that bad they will in some countries yeah I don't think in that one maybe I mean it's you know they still have some traditions yeah but it's very we got a start at five oh it is five five that's right sign I'm letting him let get that count but are we gonna have an echo is this going to be a problem again what is this or are we gonna be able to hear Greg I hope so oh we're gonna hear him out of that right got it he's already he's just muted right now that how am I doing there Mr chairman you're doing great commissioner Hanley although you can stay muted if you want no I'm kidding yeah well I figured I wouldn't bore you with my uh appearance so I gave you the picture so at least you got half of them okay that's good all right I will call this Mee to order I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands my nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all please note this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live on the Plymouth County YouTube channel and also will be distributed to all local access channels in the county for potential rebroadcast and also no commissioner Hanley is participating remotely uh first item on the agenda minutes acceptance for January 16 2025 second motion to make motion commissioner Wright second second commissioner Hanley by roll call commissioner Hanley yes commissioner Wright yes commissioner valeni yes there are no CPS forms to approve no vote to accept and approve sorry go ahead I'll go ahead I'll take vote to accept and approve v vouches motion commissioner right second commissioner Hanley all in favor by roll call commissioner Hanley yes commissioner Wright yes commissioner Valena yes uh motion to accept and approve payroll vouches Mo right second commissioner Hanley by roll call commissioner Hanley yes right yes commissioner Valen yes motion uh to vote Plymouth County Retirement assessments and warrants motion commissioner right second commissioner Hy do we have to read them um just just sign oh you have to read the verbiage oh Sor okay no problem okay in accordance with the provisions of the Master General Law chapter 32 section 22 paragraph 7 cc is amended uh that retirement assessments be paid from the treasury of the county of Plymouth and from the treasures uh treasuries of the several towns districts Etc as listed below for the fiscal period of July 1st 2025 through June 30 2026 the amount of 1224 m8493 motion commissioner right and second by commissioner Hanley by roll call commissioner Hanley yes right yes and commissioner valeni yes thank you okay next item vote to not fill certain registry of deed positions director of operations and one customer service and issue letter to opeiu second that uh well is that a motion oh yes I'm sorry I'm thinking GRE yeah we have a motion by commissioner Wright uh do we have a second and then discussion for the purposes of discussion I'll second however I would request because this is potentially a collective bargaining matter that we go into executive session um where executive session is not noticed um we can have discussions publicly uh we have more than free uh executive session is really reserved for very specific purposes in which the County's position could be harmed by deliberating uh in Open Session uh however we are always free to do anything in open session uh so um where it's not noticed and there is a motion in a second uh I will uh reject the idea of executive session I'll recognize register Buckley to come forward if he'd like and as uh John is getting up I want to extend my appreciation for him providing uh some of the information that that we've been asking for uh as it relates to making a decision on these positions we certainly appreciate that um and I do want to know uh I know commissioner W has expressed to the administrator um a desire to revisit the salary range for the assistant position um and I intend on having that on the agenda in two weeks once you have provided a job description for that position I haven't had a chance to fully review it yet as obviously I was away but I intend on reviewing that and then we'll sorry what's that reviewing what I'm not sure as I just stated the assistant register position okay I appreciate that you provided the job description where I was away I haven't had a chance to review it yet but we will have a discussion on revisiting the salary range on the agenda in two weeks as commissioner Wright expressed that desire to Frank um and I agree with that and I'm just saying this for the first time what that I'm just saying this first time as we we're informing you of this tonight um however as it relates to the other two positions um you know we're going to ask I think I intend on asking some some pointed questions about the day-to-day oper functions of these positions um of course yeah yeah clearly um we're BR close to entering the budget discussions for FY 26 um we have it agreed upon budget approved by the Commissioners and The Advisory Board and I don't think uh taking an action now follows the budget law I've said that before um I also think uh it's kind of a treacherous path when we have a budget group that comes to an agreement and bid way in the budget year you're making changes um I made these points before I'll restate them again and um you know it's probably the third time I've express my opinion about it and I just want to go on record um for those two points one think it violates the budget law I think when the advisor would votes a budget in final you already have a hiring phrase and um it violates the Spirit of our agreement when we negotiate in the U a budget all right and again as I say often in response and I'll say in response again um as it relates to the budget law I think that again a budget's a projection and we are elected the three of us to oversee the budget and make decisions in the best interest of the budget um the budget's a projection and if things aren't coming in as they need to or if we feel a need to adjust uh we have the right to do that uh as it relates to these two positions we've consulted with our Council and uh it is within our right under the collective bargaining agreement to do this um at any time uh for any position within uh at least that bargaining unit um and certainly we've looked at the other bargaining units and it's of my opinion that we can do it under those as well uh conditions change things change and um again you know the budget is is a is a fluid document my understanding is and I think it's the correct understanding is we're not allowed to spend more than what The Advisory Board appropriates to us but that isn't to say that we're not able to make adjustments in the middle of the Year based on new information that may exist at that time yeah in my opinion I don't believe that's true I think when you have budget by The Advisory Board you also have to The Advisory Board changes I think that's pretty clear in the statute I I would disagree again using that logic a municipality logic I'm saying that is what it says in the budget law fine but again using that application a municipality would have to call a town meeting every time they wanted to make an adjustment to their budget midy Year and that certainly does not happen they do mid budget no they usually don't most municipalities do not have their budget done in the middle in the middle of the year because the select board has the authority to make adjustments midy year as they see fit and and get town meeting approval no they do not need town meeting approval to make those adjustments they need town meeting approval to appropriate the budget once they have the appropriation they can't spend over what that appropriation is it's the same idea at this level we have not my experience well it's been my experience being a municipal government prior to my service here so but I don't want us to go astray of what we've noticed on the agenda here of which there's a motion in a second um which is to not fill certain um positions and to inform opu of the such um do you believe that the budget requires a reason for the move I don't I'm not sure I understand your question are you just going to vote it or are you going to vote it based on certain set of reasons well I mean there's a certain set of reasons I I appreciate again providing again some of the information that you've given uh in other conversations that we've had with the administrator and the treasurer um and now with this information I mean again as it relates to to the registry I look at it from a very wholesale perspective right ultimately the the ultimate goal of the regist chairman if I may just's the point of order I have the I know I'm just uh before you go any further I would just say once again we could be impacting the County's position by having this conversation in public and it may be better served to do in an executive session you can rule the way you want but what I'm hearing and where you're going sounds as if we might have a problem with the County's position in the future so just a warning Mr chairman you can verify with the the attorney she's sitting right there no she's not well sorry you know well then there's a motion in a second on the floor if there's no desire for discussion I can call the vote Mr chairman respectfully I'm not trying to get in the way of things but if you're going down a certain path where I thought you were going you could if you're going to keep it non-negotiable then stick to that if you're going to answer the regist stars um questions and answers I wouldn't get into our policies and and decision making I'm anging because you're going to to get us into a period or potentially in a situation with the Union that they could have a illegal action so I just caution you you're the chair I'm just getting on the record on that and I would advise you either to continue having conversations I wouldn't speak policy or anything other than that has to do with collective bargaining just out of the abundance of caution well I appreciate commissioner hanley's Council and I'm more than fine to not have the discussion but there is a motion in a second on the floor to um to send the letter to not fill those Physicians so um if commissioner Hanley feels that we best not um offer our thoughts on why we want to do this then I I have no problem with that yeah if I may Mr chairman just as a point of order you're required today per the CBA to vote on sending a letter and that's all you're required to do I would not get into whether or not the outcome of a meeting or negotiation would be just you you're satisfying contractual obligation to notify them of the intent of not filling it that's just satisfying the contract to discuss why and how now that would be I I believe an unfair Labor practice but I'm not a lawyer but I would just say we're here to authorize a vote on a letter to be sentence the union you should stay within those God rails correct this this one sorry commissioner Hanley um you know what I I agree with uh commissioner Hanley success um so to answer your question this is the job description for the assistant registry of which has nothing to do with these two positions we're discussing now but that's a non-union position too the assistant registry no no uh John the position that we're not gonna director of operations that's a union position yes it is it is me all right well using commissioner hanley's um thoughts um I will ask for a vote uh all in favor of sending a letter to opu to not fill certain registry of deeds positions director of operations and one customer service um by roll call commissioner Hanley no commissioner Wright yes but I do have a question for Mr um and commissioner valanda is yes um you can ask a question but I I'm gonna continue to defer to commissioner Hy's abundance of caution but ask the question and we Buckley thank you so much for giving this to me finally I asked a very long time for it so the numbers that you have here is this uh daily and is this daily three days so this is this is over three days the it's a daily average using three days of data okay is this is this just Plymouth and not the other two set no it's all listed oh it's all listed okay so when you so I'm sorry interrup you there but so when it says 18 calls that was six calls each day or it was an average of 18 calls per day 18 per day okay okay if I could shair um uh John the register and I chatted over the phone and I just put that myself in a a grid so um I just was trying to find a way that would be easier for you to disseminate so that is average uh instances per day by Department by location so the recording is by the three offices uh and then the other departments because they're only in Plymouth is just a Plymouth number sure and and I just State again those numbers have nothing to do with your vote today um and I really distress that when we have a Budget Group come to an agreement and then mid year arbitr that agreement is violated and um I think it's a very sad State of Affairs that's how it works around here all I have to say you have the right to take that vote been taken and uh you have my opinion of how um a relationship has detered well I appreciate that Mr Buckley and certainly I don't share in your opinion um and that being said uh I think that there have been many efforts uh to have handled a lot of these matters amicably and to handle these matters respectfully uh and those have been met with an incredible amount of resistance and thus uh as not we're we're moving on because the vote's been taken okay and in and in and in thus we are going to continue to do what we feel is in the best interest of the county so next item on the agenda is to vote thank you no the the next item on the agenda is to vot we're not going to go back and forth this isn't a debate vote pricing for 2025 vehicle additions Colonial Motor Group Dodge the commission is vehicle bid okay voted to approve the addition of following vehicles uh manufactured by the Dodge CH Jeep motor uh company to the current Plymouth County Municipal vehicle bid Dodge chicly Jeep number 2023 through 2026 awarded to Colonial South Automotive Inc DBA Colonial Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram 42 State Road dmouth mass and are you are you muted no you're on you're on we heard you so that's a motion commissioner right do I have to read the amount no okay motion commissioner right right second second commissioner Hanley by roll call commissioner Hanley yes commissioner Wright yesion of Valena yes vote on Deputy treasur shity Bond we Jared El Valena sander M Wright and Gregory H Hanley county commissioner of the county of Plymouth pursuant to Mass General Law chapter 35 section two and three hereby approve the board Bond of Jeffrey M Welch an assistant treasur with Western insurity company uh as shy and in the sum of $50,000 motion commissioner right second commissioner Hanley by roll call commissioner Hanley yes commissioner Wright yes and commissioner Valen yes okay next item arpa update and distribution votes although I assume distribution votes is just a you assume correctly there won't be old language use well at some point there'll be a distribution I'll with that question I'll need some guidance from the Commissioners sure as to how they want to proceed with some additional amounts that you need to be obligated I don't know if you want to do that as a collaborative group or as a subcommittee but at some point down the road we'll have to determine how best to proceed uh I can report that uh through today uh you have disseminated 96 M325 41 14 you have obligated additional $45,881 2026 that was part of the uh challenge of the uh American Rescue plan Act is that everything ended on 1231 2024 right but you had to estimating guess how much everything would cost for the next years so we spent a an incredible time working with our team to put that together that's our estimate it's been obligated it's been reported to the portal uh and so we are in good shape I can also report uh that we have a reporting deadline of this Friday uh that all of our subrecipients have met that reporting deadline that we are in excellent shape in particular thanks to Frank the County Administrator who had to get some additional information in and through to the portal so that we met that deadline um I would also uh certainly R wants to add in mentioned that there was a meeting of the counties earlier this week where they discussed uh arpa and the success of the program particularly the fact that the county work together was something that everyone appreciated and there was a real recognition of pth County's leadership in this and a thanks uh first for being bold enough to take the car's resources and then secondly gold enough to on the ARA program uh so that was a nice little compliment that we received as part of that meeting um we continue to have a lot of reporting requirements we're going to have to meet with Auditors throughout this process and as I mentioned at some point we'll have some additional allocations that we need to adjust but by and large uh we have completed the vast majority of the program and for nextcell sh great any questions for treasur O'Brian on this no but I think it was uh I want to thank the treasurer for going out and and uh meeting with these people um along with a few of us and I think it is well recepted uh in all the different communities and uh it's going to be a challenge but I think that you know we have made every effort on our end to show them uh what we can do for them thank you also just to remind the Comm keep an eye on your emails for check presentations those I know there a few think there's one next week so please monitor that have any questions yeah very good all right thank you treasur O'Brien commissioner Hanley do you have anything for Tom no okay Sor sorry no you're good Molly staff updates are going on in the extension office um M Riley returned uh this past Monday from the national Farm Bureau Association conference in Texas it was really great for to attend that and latest update on related things um including bird flu which of course I'm sure you're all aware of locally now has again impacted our area and we'll be watching it for Affairs and festivals coming up this summer I have a feeling that at least at Marshville fair and some of our other larger programs who participate in we will have no live birds at our program again this summer um looking ahead to AG day we are fortunate enough to have both uh our 4 absentee bill of course kind of just landed flat last year in the uh legislative cycle so it has been resubmitted both in the house um through representative keni and also in the Senate through Senator ok' Conor so our foragers will be looking to get some support Behind These building and co-sponsors we be promoting that at day there's also a bill around protecting fair grounds across the seate there and something new again something will use the teaching moment for the legislative process our 4 Age members right um and lastly Blake was uh recently published in a scientific journal as part of a study he did do math on sles on deer and how they may help or hinder the spread of two for ill so um kind of a unique study not a clear outcome but it was really very to recognize for his report on that it's not always often that you get someone published scien papers absolutely that's awesome for him um when you get a moment could you send me those Bill numbers perfect yeah that'd be great I can um happily reach out to some of my friends yeah this is the house one but I wrote the Senate number right there thank you very thank you very much thank you all right um any questions for mly great job thank yeah thank you okay now back to Treasures report Mr O'Brien put extension director report above we should just have her first but we need something we need something to look forward to in the meeting to mention but you may want to just mention the docket numbers on in case anybody's listening and they can yes call in and ask for support for those so it is house docket number 7 n and Senate docket 510 and as the treasurer as a former C rep is fully well aware those numbers will be changed once they are assigned Bill numbers because why would we keep them the same but for now they are Senate docket and house docket so again that's 719 in the house and 5110 in the Senate the only thing I wanted to update uh you folks on his health insurance briefly I know that Frank had a chance to go to the MMA conference this weekend uh one of the breakout sessions that caused my phone to start uh ringing and buzzing quite vociferously was an announcement by Maya of their insurance rates for theing year I guess they had a breakout session I don't know if Frank was at that one in particular but my announced increases for their membership average increase of 14.8% oh um and they predicted double digit increases for the next two to three years so my phone rang twofold one members of are very grateful that they were members of Mayflower and two members that weren't in Mayflower asking how they could get into Mayflower um so we'll see we're looking at Mid single digit increases uh for mayow which will be uh pretty good we've received initial notice from one Community that's interested in joining and we'll have probably all of their ducks in row to do that for this year uh and then another entity down on the cape that's interested in joining but I just expect exponential growth for the M Health Group uh and kudos to our team uh the County employees that staff that resource and are getting ready for what is going to be I think interesting couple of years think as I've said before we're well positioned for the future I think certainly one of the best gr purchase groups New England and maybe one of the few standing over the next five years so we'll see how that plays out but um rest assured we're in pretty good shape for the next procable future very good any questions for the treasurer right so when will uh when will those those numbers come out excellent question we have a meeting schedule first or second week in March okay which usually when we finalize our rates right we had an initial discussion with our consultant last week uh which leads me to be able to say confidently there'll be mid single digits uh for the upcoming F I also will report that we have increased attendance at our meetings from folks that are not members so that's great I think it's a good story to tell one of our challenges obviously many of the that we run is that we don't advertise don't have advertising staff we don't have a big staff I know the administrator sometimes runs up against that with other agencies we can be withn it's just us and so it's Word of Mouth well word of mouth is spreading pretty quickly when you tend to be the best game absolutely absolutely right very good very thank you treasur maintenance and administrator support Mr Bassler uh yes uh chair um on the maintenance report uh I've over the last several meetings I've mentioned n nine major projects that we've been working on uh Doug uh superintendent wedge and his team uh they continue we added another major uh project which are uh I had earlier talked about our primary boiler at Rockton uh we're going to be converting it and upgrading it to uh natural gas after the oil uh burner died on that system uh regrettably the backup boiler is having some problems so uh we're in the middle of aair of that too so uh when it rains of pores but uh the good news is every everybody's still warm and shoveled and safe so uh Doug and the team are doing an amazing job for administrative report I want to update you on the 32A County uh County discontinuous statute uh that uh we talked about several times uh Anna West uh winter from conid reported that the application for further appellant review uh regarding this uh discontinued statute was accepted by the SJC uh there's only about 3% chance of acceptance but it's clear that the Supreme Judicial Court was concerned about the Statewide implication of the issues raised in the case and we believe the uh she believed that the Amicus support played a critical role so uh your signing on of the uh of the Amicus was was critical commissioner yeah I'm fine thank you um H having Plymouth is an existing County government joined with North Andover in the Franklin Regional Council of government was a tremendous help in underscoring the actual evidence of how the law was historically enacted and how a retrospective ruling upending thousands of Land Titles uh would be highly disruptive throughout Massachusetts uh and they just once again uh issued many thanks uh for the foresight to to join them uh second news is around the uh dredge uh so uh we were able to get the uh dredge actually it's uh not even a away from us right now Jenny Pond uh I've been down there the last couple mornings stopping in on the way to work very convenient uh and uh they are thrilled um of uh of uh spoken with the team that's over there uh we actually are working in uh conjunction with David Gould from natural resources an AK marine and general contracting out of quiny they're the actual operators and they're the contractors for uh Plymouth who are doing this massive project that's going to help in many many fronts um that uh The Dredge will be there until February 7th it'll move to Falmouth from uh the 7th to be used from the 7th to the 17th and then it'll be back in Jenny Pawn working uh right up through the beginning of March uh and it's great to go down and get a photo shot uh if you want um they're very very friendly down there and uh very very willing to explain what's being done over there um interestingly enough they have a second piece of equipment uh which is a h hydraulic dredge which is the exact one that the central Plymouth County Water District just purchased so actually slightly larger but uh they're using the two machines in in um uh in uh coordination with each other uh for this project so uh this uh hydraulic thre does not usually used in our area up here it's used more in ponds but uh they're having a great success using the T machines so it'll work out great when we uh when we have that other machine up and running good and uh that is uh that's the now very good any questions for administrator Basler no no thank you we appreciate all the work and effort on the dredge especially um I'm glad to hear the other the matter worked out all right I will entertain a motion to adjourn motion so Move Motion commissioner right I will SEC second the motion uh by roll call sorry Mr chairman I just said if you don't mind a question um with respect to you you made an announcement are we doing something in two weeks I didn't get the whole thing we was just before we were talking about yes I intend on on the agenda uh a uh discussion of the salary range for the assistant register de's position on our agenda I think it'll be February 13 13 okay all right that's all um I'll vote in favor of journe thank you all right commissioner Hanley yes commissioner Wright yes and commissioner Valena yes