##VIDEO ID:nlcAfHHUxwU## can someone on screen just verify they can hear us clearly he can hear thank you g and Susie Susie oh there be one one do you expect um for of the finance I know you were post to yeah all right so it is 6 o' yet no one's talking okay are they online can everyone hear Us online April you have your hand raised now it's it's muffled it's a little better now okay we will hang on no I have a setting I changed the setting because I thought it was appropriate but maybe it not so I'm going to put it back I gotta be able to see it though I can't see it off my screen my computer glasses on is that better April okay that L better yes it's not a live performance in case anyone's wondering okay um why don't we call the Sho spr select board to order um for our meeting which is under a hybrid um format zoom in person um and uh I'm going to give the finance committee is here and they have a quum I'm give them a quick chance to call themselves the order if You' like to yeah sure so I yeah so I'll call the finance committee to order thank you um to review the agenda we have first up a tree hearing at 6 followed by um Senator Joe Kord will present um be here to present an update and general question questions uh for the select boards to ask and have answers um follow up with the Conservation Commission about to Lake wola Drive to wola drive um appoint for the building committee um a discussion on battery by law um rejected by attorney general um then we have Alcohol Beverage Control Commission permit for the Athletic Club uh permit for Sarah for Clark's Autowrecking administrative secretary job description and uh ta administrator updates and that's that will round up our agenda um you had something did either of you read it or have anything no no um I have a question so after um after the U Senator cord would anyone if we bring Sarah and the Clark's Auto record up to that point so she can go on yeah well the rules are also here for two dve up up to up you to rush are you okay okay all relax just to bring your up okay all right um all right so let's go on to the tree hearing so this is National Grid is back with some more trees that you've identified that that are um Hazard shoes or or need to be removed yes so um can you just run us through that a little bit and we'll talk about those yeah sure uh just quick reintroduction um Joe King forry supervisor for National Grids enhanced vegetation Management in Hazard tree program um board certified Master Arbus ran press is also a certified Arborist um he's the tree inspector that identified all these Hazard Tre for removal I want him to speak more what we saw there um so our project ran up crack Corner Road um up to the main drag here up blv Road and we also did the school tap um believe' also the shelter for Town correctly last so uh that w we found a little over 100 trees um how many did you say did you say 100 a little over 100 so over about eight 8 miles or so of line um so it's not as much as you would think like it seems like a big number but over eight miles of line it's really not that many trees U but they are do tend to be clustered the majority of those by species probably Ash you probably have to half the number of trees for that um so um at the school specifically since that one would be more of a tree of note um there is a spruce tree that is there that's right next to the lines almost mostly dead at this point um so we remove that I did have a second tree which was on the list but that has failed um I've already came down was a dead bir tree that was there so those are the only two trees on the school property um if anybody was curious about what specific was there there I for every single tree just in general come on we so Prat for road was pretty clear because we had cleared that previously you know about five years ago we came through cleared a lot of the trees so those was only about 30 of the trees that were on crack Corner um again a lot of them being white pine Ash because we have I don't know if you guys noticed you have a lot of white white pine climb they're starting to fit real far out and they're off um so we have a bunch of those all way through the FR Corners ton of time down through there as well as kind of the far end of w Road when you hit those pine Sands down there we have more down there a lot of them tend to be roadsides so salt might be coming in the play a little bit as well as some pressure from other um got a couple of maple trees up one m road large M trees that are starting to hollow out Ro as well as some roadside was hting um so so you'll notice as you go up that road um about halfway is there's a whole line that and they really close to the road you see how damage brought the bottom of those those out they're starting to rot and all out and that's pretty much all I think of for notable trees that anybody might have issues with everything else pretty much just asies for the most part so again the focus of our program here the haard tree program is um basically circuits are assigned based on their reliability numbers we track reliability on two different metrics based on the frequency of three cause outages and also the duration how long it takes to restore power and and that's how we identify where we need to focus this enhanced vegetation Management program and again you know we're we're just we're really in business of providing service electric service to our customers safely and reliably um we don't want to take down trees that we don't have to or we don't deem you know that that poses significant enough risk and although it seems you know 103 trees compared to our last meeting 16 um but again we have done some work previously on that circuit um we're really just trying to do what we feel we need to do to keep the lights on I think everybody in this room has experienced a few days with electricity because of trees coming down so we all appreciate you watching well um when when would you propose the work be be started or finished uh so the circuit that we had the hearing on last month we have started the work in shy uh yesterday we have about 40 trees remaining uh total public and private trees uh to finish on that circuit and then we can start right into this other circuit so I would say we have the holidays here but um rough estimate within a month to two months most likely question so the the trees have are posted there's I haven't stopped to read any of them but I saw them all along window so all the town trees that are identified on this worksheet are posted with the white 8 and half by 11 legal posting um and they should also have a red ribbon on the trees as well so they're clearly identifiable in the field if anyone had previously wanted to to look and try to find them and and did you say that you did you go and speak with the abutters corre then so just to tell them that this is happening yeah so um for if the home owners aren't home we leave them paperwork at their houses if they own the property but don't live on site we mail them paperwork okay um some of the more local out of town owners I actually drove to like a couple of places in Hammer that own property I just drove out there close by um but um for the most part uh if it was a Vente land owner those okay great yeah it's just we don't want everybody come and say happy assume no obje people not that I've got people that have responded I still have some out of town commission forms that have not come back in um so not everybody has responded but everybody who has I so you have to wait for those people respond to do their trees uh for private okay so what's the what's the process I don't remember doing this before do we you need a vote from the SL board cor okay so we need to vote authorize you to do I here vote to authorize National to proceive the this phase of tree removal of Hazard trees so moved second um all those in favor I I thank you don't need anything acoss this I don't Warden signning the perm tomorrow morning when I come to town then we'll start painting the work so the Tre will have thank you very much thank you very much so moving on to we have Senator Joe comeer here to present to us and uh to the select board so we'd like to thank you for coming and all the work that you do for western Mass and shury in general um and I'm sorry I have all of my things here um so uh our committee just wanted to express our appreciation for the work um that you do and have done to advocate for rule AIDS of this has helped uh to address some of the issues funding um that disproportionately impact small rural towns and such like ours um we would encourage the senator to um continue pressuring the needs and for funding so and R um has we questions together and Bri was going to walk us through sure um so I gave you a copy of the questions and Advance yes um you're welcome um we have we have tonight A A for of the finance committee here who um submitted a number of questions with which the select board fully agreed we had a meeting on the regional school budget on on Saturday which um attended so schools are right right at the front um of our minds uh so what I thought we'd do this evening is I will just go through the questions and um I'm not going to open it up to the floor you know if there's something really compelling that the finance committee you know needs um addressed or or anybody else from a committee who's represented here this evening um just give me a little signal we'll see but I know Joe's time is very precious yeah you know we we had U we have a lot of we have other business to conduct um this for this evening so we want to um we want to respect your your time and um and the other folks that are here for other business so the first item that has has come up and this has been a um pretty recent development is um the department of conservation and Recreation at proposed a significant cutting plan um which is in Eric's neighborhood um but I imagine that it's going to affect um a lot of you know if if they proceed um a lot they control a lot of land there's a lot of watershed um land in in shoots Berry um I I what I've read is that the the techniques that DCR is um planning on using is um a much more mechanized removal of trees like you know I think in the past um their approach was to do um selective cutting and and probably a lot of it was done um without massive Machinery going in and doing the the clear cutting and um but there's a concern about sort of what that you know what that that leads to in terms of um of clear of um obviously runoff you know when you when you cut make such a massive cut like that um Recreation hunting you know all those things that are held very precious by us so um they have a clst cutting plan and and I guess the question is does the town do we as a town have any recourse um is there something that the sled board can do um to you know get DCR to reconsider um this Cent plan um so thanks for that good question and thanks for allowing me a little time uh tonight um I'm completing my sixth year in service and beautiful sh fa is you know beautiful um and so I'm so proud to represent until thank you so much for alerting and Donald is on um I don't see him oh there so we had a a fabulous call um uh with these two gentlemen and uh we were very persuaded at the concerns and folks may know I have engaged with DCR over these years um and have opposed clear cutting and the kind of um high volume Machinery right um and any anyway we were very persuaded I was very persuaded we reached out to uh DCR that day to say hey we we just because the idea was where the the concern was that the cut would happen very very soon in fact we were told that is not the case um you know it's very still early stages however um early stages are no good to be tuned in right it's better because if we're not tuned in early then it'll be too late right and we'll hear oh you should have spoken up so we said we just have to put a foot in the door on this um we drafted a letter um granted by the constituents and then also enlisted rep Saunders um and that letter is off to DCR and we followed up today we'll make sure the town gets a copy um again we were only as smart as the good people who brought this to our attention uh but you know I think this should be considered the first of what will be many conversations with DCR um and I do think if the town warrants it if the select board warrants it I do think there's a role for you as well um right there could be many many asks made of DCR come out and walk the land with us come out and present to the select board um or a relevant committee you know I wouldn't presume to tell you what you want but um come out and hold a town meeting on this uh I I think after the governor's moratorium on cutting was lifted you know I do think that's one of the reasons we're seeing um this kind of flurry it's happening all over the district um so it's not and you know the district's 25 cities and towns so it's happening a lot of places um and so I I I do think we should really ask ask both for attention to the specifics um like hey can we have more of a selective cut hey can we be mindful of this uh person's driveway and not block it for emergency vehicles I when we look at the runoff situation all these good issues but then more generally we can have a conversation should have a conversation with DCR um and so we're all in um and I can't speak for rep but he signed out to the letter so I I would imagine that means he he shares um the concern and you spoke with him as well so um yes the answer is yes and we'll again we'll follow up with the letter um and let's work together you know if the town reaches out you can CC us um Aon and I uh we can Echo the the interest in meeting perhaps we walk on the land and then a meeting or something like that um those are been tactics that have been useful in other places so maybe what makes sense is for the select board to send a letter to DCR um uh just expressing Our concern and if you wantan to if you want to drafted Eric maybe we could do it at the next meeting we could put it on the agenda for the next meeting okay y all right and then CCS when your letter was great by the way appreciate well that was only as good as the information you so we were happy to do it super quickly we we felt your urgency around the next day because know it's good that's it's important great okay um second question um regionalization of town Services is something that um many rural communities have kind of dipped their towel in the water but um have also resisted for a variety of reasons and um in this sort of increasingly complex regulatory environment I use the police as one example not you know meeting full-time uh police officers that have gone to the you know Academy um is there anything that you can suggest that we do at a local level or legislatively or programmatically to um make this a more attractive option for communities so first on police I you know I do know that that was complex for communities like shuberry and um you I don't know that the select board knows but I voted for the police reform law I felt that it was the right vote but I didn't want our towns to be disproportionately affected financially so I made it my business to get the bridge funded um that communities in the district received um you know to be able to train the part-time or Reserve officers as full-time officers but I know it has to go further than that um so I'm also working with GCC on starting a police academy um because if towns didn't have to hire an officer and then pay that officer both to train and then pay the officer while they're working that's a significant savings um so I was able to get an earmark for GCC I'm pretty deep in with the president and Chief Anessa up there at at GCC um I'm hopeful that we're going to be able to do this the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security is actually quite interested in this because they do know that in rural communities it's really hard um to do what you're doing right and uh it's really a testament you select boards like this for making it work Against All Odds um I'm also I thank you for allowing us to come to the Colin Center meeting on fire service um we had I ask the colum Center for a followup meeting on that because I do think it's important for the legislators and for this it's rep Saunders myself and rep L um who represent the towns um you know we clearly follow the will of the select boards um here but you know we should know you know what kind of price tag we're talking about um and what kind of land might be needed right so for example do we need some quava Watershed land right the col Center was talking about some specifically located places again it's pretty early stages but um to just know that we're pretty tuned in there um and the follow-up meeting was for me very useful just with the col Center um uh but we made it really clear to the Colin Center that we don't decide um the towns decide and then we serve the town um in terms of regionalization of other services I understand what you're saying the state is not always an honest broker here think school transportation right Regal school transportation which we promis to fund it I know it's terrible right which we um which we promise to fund it 100% um and then of course never did right we've gotten to 90 90 isn't a 100 which is what I remind my colleagues um so it's hard to know how to trust the state if if in fact we say it's a good thing for you to do to regionalize but we don't come through um play and I have over time gotten money for this 21st century Grant Fund in the education world to look at the regionalization of say for example shared office back Services things like that that can try to stretch a dollar but what you're talking about is much bigger um we are talking to the governor and thee tenant Governor about what communities here are facing with Public Safety um with education and the answer is yes and meaning yes yes I do believe the legislature and the governor and lieutenant governor tuned in and I think that we must go further so I'm looking at legislation on this uh for the coming session to create a Statewide task force that will help instruct towns about you know what options are out there um and then really actually look hard at what kind of funding is needed you know because if you decide to do the fire service that's a significant it may be long-term cost savings for the communities and it actually may improve Public Safety and response but it's it'll be expensive to get done and again you all decide um but the town the state should have a stake in this um because we are 351 cities and towns and if we've Frozen economies like we've done in the Quin Watershed um not allowing the kind of development in other places in the state what are we to do right that's what public money expl yeah um so um you know some progress but more to be done on this that's that's great any questions oh sounds good yeah I I think it's um you know there as as I said there's there's resistance but you know we also and and I think the schools are are a good example um we just we really struggle in the small pounds as you I'm sure you've heard from lots of other people I I certainly have heard it abundantly and you know I don't think it's sustainable yeah you know we've got a collision in my first session with rep blle we passed a study which is you know needs to be looked needs to be actualized which looked at the collision between prop 2 and a and town budgets specifically when it came to education it's completely unworkable um you know and I'm not I'm not saying oh the answer is to jack up taxes that's not what I'm saying but towns will you know as you know um will reach a clip uh and it's pretty dangerous um to contemplate that without an answer I know we're going to talk about education funding the biggest offend you know it's the biggest offender um I know for your budget and I love not that you don't want to fund education well we tell the governor and Lieutenant Governors our towns want a fund education they want excellent schools um 's not a like there's not a penny pcture here it's really just it's it's a scale issue which we can talk about um so uh shutesbury has a um energy um committee that has been um you know looking at um resilience and storm water clean energy a whole host of um issues and I think and and we know very well that the state you know has a goal it's 2050 um goal in terms of sustainability but for small communities entering into any kind of competitive grants we're really at a major disadvantage um and we I I can't remember how many times we were in three times for the MVP and then we finally got it um this last time which is going to provide um solar on our new library and some battery um backup but we have a you know a major issue um storm water issue down Lola you know perog did a did a comprehensive study we have a working group in town too so we have a lot of things to address and it's that's Lake oil is a very precious resource we have a lot of people who live down there and um you know storm water this and the and State beach too and estate right so so it's it's a big issue for us so I get our our question is is whether or not there's any non competitive um funding opportunities or just like I know with with some you know rural a you know rural communities have kind of gotten their little set set asides in certain programs and I don't know if that would be contemplated in um yeah you know climate resilience um and then the um question was also asked about whether or not the community preservation Act was you know creating a fourth leg um within CPA um for um climate related projects yeah you can hear some people screaming now as I say that no I mean I think it's a um so first on MVP Municipal vulnerability program it is one of the most valuable tools we have out in Wester Mass except um I must say and I really appreciate the work of EA in a lot of levels in this it was actually insufficient the The Guiding document principles did not incentivize rural communities to succeed and so um I had a very significant meeting with uh EA with uh under secretary Katherine antos who oversees MVP and they are doing a Reload of the of the program because too many of our communities were getting boxed out even after submitting letters of intent or letters of Interest getting lots of feedback which is hard um and then not and then applying and not getting it right and if you look at the map of MVP which is widely supported in western Mass we're just not we're not hidden out here and and we need this money so that's that's under underway and I have um the EA secretary has given me her word that it's being redone under secretary and secret that it's being redone so we have to track it right and I want to hear from shry about you know the changes that I understand are going to be made to the program to see if it's working for you but just know that it's very much on my radar shb is not the only community that was denied grant funding one two three you know and it's a disproportionate hit to our mostly volunteer Bas right um right so it so that's under and and like you said there's other programs that are emerging from the thead risal administration that are rural Focus right we have a rural roads program now that was because of good advocacy over many years um the delegation SE no support right so now we don't just tou chapter 90 which is wildly flawed we have a supplement we have to grow that supplement um in the uh Economic Development Bond bill there's a rural economic office with $100 million in it um for Rural economic development um and of course in the housing Bond bill there's all kinds of language around Regional Equity um and the a big piece of work that's getting done right now is around this it's called a qualified allocation plan it's like The Guiding Light document and in there in bright letters um is uh rural bonus points you know so for development you know again can we make it better yes and so that's what the advocacy is now but to talk about climate uh so the governor will find file an environmental Bond bill um in April May March March April May something like that of next year depending and uh so we've been engaging on that with very much of what shs Barry is asking in mind um everything from you know what what are the answers for um for uh programs like MVP can they get easier better funding um for our communities that they're already working on the easier again we'll see that works but we need more money in those programs um and what other kind of climate resilience mitigation money is out there um and then what else can we do to help communities like shuberry pay the bills so uh rep and I are talking um we're pretty late stages in a conversation around payment for ecosystem Services uh to be added on top of pilot uh so as you know our western Mass towns are disadvantaged with pilot um we have for a long time we're disadvantaged in two ways one is Our Land values aren't as much as they then Tucket um and then under Governor Baker the towns were rewarded for uh growth rates so if shb didn't jack up as much as net um net would be rewarded more it was perverse actually so we're stripping away that and rle and I have filed this bill and we really there's three things to do with with pilot let me just back up we have to get more money in and the legislature has gotten more but we need more of the more um because our forests are part of the climate solution right we have to double carbon sequestration um to reach our Net Zero Commonwealth um so what is that what does that mean we have to help communities like shuberry that stward state land um work it out so so we have to put more money in Pilot we have to strip away the perverse disincentive around land values and then we have to offer a payment for each ecosystem service um what is the land doing it's breathing for us the trees are breathing for us they're sinking and storing carbon we should be pain shoots bued um to keep these forests open um the second thing is you know we've been talking a lot about the quaven build at Aon and I filed um which would do four things it would give our quav and Watershed um more representation on the MW board it would create a uh Community Fund and asking for $35 million which actually to go back to the regionalization one of the conversations that we've been having with lots of Advocates from the towns or towns people is you know could that be about regionalized Services since you they're so expensive um uh the third is we want to adjust the pilot payment for the quab and Watershed to include the land under the water another perversion is that um you're we're paid out here by the high water water one so in drought years for example this is again really reverse um there's more land that's exposed um and the pilot can go up right but what about the land under the water so we want all that land to be accounted for and go into the 11 Watershed towns um uh so those are the elements of the quaven Bild and that's also part of the um of the environmental Bond conversation um so I think there's two things we I think we have to do out here one is get these programs to work better um for our communities and get the communities more money to do this kind of climate mitigation and resilience work um and I think I don't I don't believe one is more important than the other um they may be down you know because MVP is so urgent right now because so many communities are getting boxed out um that's happening now environmental Bond will be filed in the spring but these Provisions that I'm talking about will also go in in January as bills even though we're talking to the Hy Administration about them right now um and is the um will the M MW study that looked at the is that really going to gain any traction I mean I know they did that in the eastern part of the state and so there were there's um so the that was the fourth piece of the bill that I didn't talk about the Bill and there was some confusion here so the bill we contemplated was had this fourth piece of looking at the entire western Mass water sh um and the reason is is that everything east of Worcester has been studied on public dimes by the way mostly um but out here no one really knows what our water situation is right and not no no public but there's no dollar figure to it and so if you can't address what you can't see you can't see it unless you study it right so when money opportunities come in um for um for money for infrastructure we're not even in the conversation so far for all these decades because who knows how much it would cost to dig a well here or run a line there um the secretary secretary Cher was out on the Quin with us we took her out on the on the Quin Reservoir and she was very moved by what she saw and she authorized this study without the bill passing so there is a very limited 11 Community study um that again is it was a like a the smallest version of the bill um but it was done it was going to cost the MW about $375,000 to do and we thought okay well we can't stop it we're not going to stop the secretary from doing it but it isn't as robust as you were I would ever want it to be um so there is a preliminary report we have talked um with MW and and the towns um there's going to be a public meeting on it um I I would think of it as like the first crawl in amerathon that's how I'm thinking of it there's not an answer for us in that study I think what it should do is uh be really sobering for Boston because we're dealing with pasas and dried up wells and a whole host of things that we can't pay for um and now they know right now they know for the first time there's some numbers but that's just these are just 11 towns in a vast for county western M um there was a we wanted them to look at many Alternatives other than access to quav and water because for some of the communities with higher elevations right doesn't make a whole lot of sense um to pump water up the hill if you will and then make the communities pay for when they're the they're the wed that's cleaning it some insult right here's some insult and I think I think um I think BMW heard the insult that was um pretty loud and clear um so we wanted also to think about you know are there aquifers that we don't know about out here you know you know can we work with furog and Pioneer Valley planning can we map out the Clean Water it may not be for next year or 10 years but it could be for 50 years from now um so more on that if the study will go in as we originally conceived it I'm not letting this go we're going to pass some version of this qualin Justice bill I call it um for the communities that bring the qualin right 86 years ago in April um flooded and um disincorporated four towns and caved off so much of the communities around and no one has ever offered any reparations for it worth of it um so it's it's it's really Beyond time and now we're in a situation where we have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars um to De able our you f Pro and um you know access to to water is really precious and there's no end in sight you know so it's it's really um Troublesome and and granted it was you know it was our fire department but we along with many other communities you're not alone that you know the entire western Mass is riddled with P um except the state doesn't know it like it knows Eastern M the other thing I should just make sure that I tell you is that um you may have heard that during the housing Bond Bill there was an effort to put aside a billion dollars to get more water from the qu out east um for uh about two dozen more communities and pay for the infrastructure that would be needed we killed that provision um there was another provision uh to subvert What's called the interbasin transfer act that would allow um more water to flow East um without those communities doing things like their own cleanup or conservation measures which is now in place that's also that also failed although it got pretty far so what I would just say to you is you know if the town wants to take a stand on these issues um we need um we're going to need to pick up a a real I don't know a real fuss let's just say in the coming session um and there's organizing being done um with great folks around the region I hope it grows and I I really hope we send a very strong signal um that you know we purify this with you I don't live I don't have the privilege of living which is very this Watershed is ensuring that Boston has portable water and it has to cost something um and you need remuneration for that and it's just and and by the way Boston knows what it's getting um the speaker house wouldn't have wanted that billion dollars to build out infrastructure he didn't understand that they can't grow or develop economies without access to portable water and they don't have it without water um so we I think I think we have to have a little bit more agency and a lot more um gumption around I think so I think so but we'll need you know we'll need it um so um as I said we had a number of questions from the finance committee concerning um public schools and Chapter 70 funds and the lagging State funding so so can you talk about what steps you're taking to Advocate um the need for greater support from the state and what can we do as boards and individuals to support your efforts um so education climate and Healthcare I you know I ran on these issues back in 2018 and they remain my top issues because they're Town's top issues often we constituents to top issues um so uh as we know the student Opportunity Act passed the legislature in 2019 and it was largely a racial Justice bill um it did not help uh what are called minimum Aid districts which is declining enrollment districts um and it didn't help rural schools so there was a rural schools commission um with that issued a report that was pretty vast last session Natalie BL and I filed the rural schools bill there's also a pot of money um that was supposed to be uh 60 million that was stipulated in the report um that the Senate put in 20 we settled in confence 16 16 is not 60 um and that report that was done in 2020 21 is now old right so that number adjusted for inflation is more so there are many Provisions in the rural schools bill that will help um uh that will help communities like shsb Regional School Districts um but let me say there's I also believe at this point because we have to stem the bleeding of Municipal budgets that we have to do shortterm work even as we do long-term so shortterm um repl repd sent a letter to the governor we're also working with um uh the MTA and the uh this um Regional School District Association which is formed basically an association of 2011 communities that are like our communities out here that have declining enrollments and therefore they are not seeing meaningful gains to chapter 7 fund um and they have small populations that do that don't allow for the kind of um shared spending say for example for fixed cost like Roots right we never did get our statement into that we ended up using our own own right the school gr you from you got right right but then the problem with the msba so I was happy to get that your Mar the msba does not scale to meet that project of the size of shry Al shuberry was Valiant in the conversations with M and so that's another thing that we have to do is right siiz the state agencies um that can't believe that we're going to pay for the project the way we're going to pay for it out here but that's how we make it work right they they think of millions of dollars we are actually okay with 600,000 or something right um so that was that's a problem anyway um so the rural schools Bill and Rural school funding are um rural school funding is very immediate rural School bill is like a medium-term thing right we'll file it again that's an area we could use huge advocacy we are uh organizing around that right even as we draft the bill um there are other things that you talked about here like um uh special education costs as you know um in the student Opportunity Act it sets a threshold for special education services of 16 per um actually uh four times four it's they the state considers special education is basically a quarter of the day um but of course that's a ridiculous number given what our districts are in terms of and every District that the state average is 19% out here because we cross it with poverty and isolation our numbers are much bigger um do every child educated again I know you want to educate these children above the 16% per threshold Sho be stand for so we need real special education reform I filed a bill on that um since I got into the legislature we can and must do this um and it is I think one of the hard issues I've ever seen um because the pranal thought in Boston is that if we actually count special education students like we count English language Learners or students living in poverty that districts will have the budget um it's a very perjorative thought actually um it's actually embarrassing for the state to hold this but it's true and so we have to break that um and uh you also asked about Charter Schools um so you know my belief in charter go is uh that it's the state's problem to figure out the funding I'm not going to as a state senator talk to parents or caregivers about where they're choosing to send their children my job is to figure out how we make the math work it's a systemic issue um so I've been talking to the mass Municipal Association and the MTA um and I'm I'm working on a Charter School Reform Bill um I hope to have it in by the timely filing deadline of January 17th however it really has to be perfect um so it may go in a little after that because I want to have Community conversations because I actually think this could bring us together like you know Charter School issues they divide Us in local communities because of um because of the impact on the municipal budget but again I think if I think if we could take away the money people could have real conversation and actually maybe no conversation at all uh because again it's a family choice we make it a problem at the state level because we've not we've not figured out how communities fund this in ways that work for municipal budgets um but I you know but it's such a lightning rod issue that I want to I really want to make sure to do this very very well um so I'm working on that um I must say that we either know one thing you could do right now sh fa select board send a quick note to Governor Healey and say fund rural school education at $60 million right out of the gate in the first budget of the coming year um talk about you know you don't have to it can be five sentences but if you sent it tomorrow um you would join lots of other communities saying to the governor boy that first budget has to have this um has to have this you have to fund Regional School transportation at 100% you have to fund special education circuit broker at 100% and maybe consider um upping the reimbursement things that are immediately useful to shoot bar and then we're going to have to keep the pressure on to pass the rural schools Bill and and the other thing I'll just say is um we have to crack open chapter 7 um we have to crack it open now in the student Opportunity Act it says that every 10 years we have to have a foundation budget review commission so in the Senate budget I worked with Senator Lewis and we put in an amendment that said let's do this but we actually added the municipal contribution and why is this important so Chapter 70 is what shoots Barry gets which is not enough right and I you know I think again one of the reasons it's not enough is you have declining enrollment and this is a first student funding formula so it's and you don't have High um communities of Co or English language Learners which are rewarded in the formula again that's that's probably for the good of the state it is for the good of the state but it's not helping us out here um so that's Chapter 70 but the municipal contrib and that hasn't been looked at since 2015 right that's not as tragic as the last time we opened it up 25 years um but it has to be looked at in 2025 so Jason and I put that in I'm afraid it didn't make it through in the house senate conference it was taken out right but we also put in something called the municipal contribution which is a whole bunch of other um algorithms that decide how much shes Barry has to pay it's when you get your um Foundation number from the state how does the state determine that why does the state pay 41% and communities pay 59 you know why are um the uh amounts paid capped at 82.5% um leaving some of the bigger wealthier communities actually able to pay 6 7 10 25 50 uh times more um these are questions that have to be answered and between the municipal contribution special education Charter reform that's real money um that's not small money for a community like shs bu but we have to get the smaller money like rural Aid and 100% Regional School transportation and circuit breaker we have to get that now um so that you can breathe and then we really have to push for these medium or longer term reforms um they're there for us uh it's going to take Western Massachusetts to really be vocal ordering on um organizers right I've said publicly so I'll say it here you know I was an organizer before I got into the legislature and I've spent six years being a legislator and we've done some good things right right I'm not I think we've done some really good things and gotten some money home but in this year seven and eight I'm actually going back to being an organist um and because I can't make Boston move enough um unless we join forces and that's on climate partment sequestration Quin pilot formula it's on Primary Care um which we have a crisis in in western Mass and it's on education funding like we really have to join together um and if we do I think we'll Prevail this Governor wants to govern 351 cities and towns she's not blowing smooth as it were um she really does and we have to help her see what it looks like for us um what she does that we really appreciate that um other anything else no no I just want to see if um George or AJ is is there any followup questions um George AR I guess and C you from the finance committee or any other finance committee members um yeah I mean I I really appreciate you taking the time to walk through I guess just one kind of broad question you brought up a number of um legislative actions and priorities that I think all sound like they could really impact our community in a very positive way I don't necessarily have the greatest sense of what how what the status of all those whether Father Bill you talked about the pilot the rural SCH all of those are going to be filed again we're coming to the end of the 24 2324 session so that ends on December 31st I get sworn in on January 1st on January 17 all those bills go back in um and so but your immediate work now if you want to is to write the governor on budget which comes out January 22nd is um and really talk about what you very yeah we do that I think for for sort of planning purposes it sort of might be helpful for us to kind of have a sense of sort of How likely are those various pieces of legislation pass and get complicated question for you to answer at this point but um I mean is this are these things that you know we we want to support and push for but like can we do we actually have some degree of optimism that any those any those pie legisl pass more optimistic about some that other yeah I'm really hesitant to um say that anything be prioritized before it's evened sure um I can tell you we're going to work for all of them and you know there certainly Comes A Time In Session um which is where we are right now when you know um many things have to fall away because they're just not humanly possible you know because we have a couple weeks left right so I'm still pushing for some things that I think I can get done um in the next two weeks um but going into next year everything is possible um I think we have to believe it's possible so the reform we have to pass it there is we have to pass the reform commissional Administration has said that it will open up Chapter 70 again if the legislature tells it to um that's that's what's written basically in the student opportunity um there is a there is I'm not going to lie to you there is a um a believe in the House of Representatives that student opportunity has to finish rolling out before we contemplate what's next I reject that completely reject it um because I think to myself well if you're running a race like a relay race you would want to have a baton hand off ready right um and so and we have fa share money that's exceeding projections that's right um so I want to plan for that last year of the SOA so that we go into the next year so I'm not saying would be political um suicide to say you know oh we shouldn't finish the student Opportunity Act just wouldn't happen um but I I'm saying we have to have a plan um so I'm not going to tell you it's easy that's that's probably the hardest one of all of the things we're talking about Ral School fill might pass you know the the pilot formula that administration's really interested in our ecosystem Services proposal the quab and bille clearly they're interested right there in Gate J um we may get more money we have to get more money for all these related issues that that she brought up tonight the cracking open chapter 7 is for some unexplained reason a real it's just more I thank you for the rural a and the rural development section because that is a piece I think that speaks really well to us and it's already there and's there we already got $80,000 this year you're talking about bringing up to 60 million um that's the platform that we already can do all these other platforms are really hard but I want to thank you for getting us to this point where that Equity issue for Rural towns is recognized and I feel like we can build on that one yeah there's some good stuff right like we talked about the rural roads you know the rural roads assistance that's that's in place now um right that's being that's a program that was established it wasn't there two years ago and you all made it happen it is now right and so we so there's some good things still there's too much budgetary pain in communities like she or so maybe wants to move on so I think on all of these issues our office is absolutely organizing right now anybody from sh maybe we can say gave okay like you can send out my email and cell phone number and Elena's email and cell phone number Elena is our district director um thank God she's young that's what I say 25 communities um but um we we're organizing and the groups are you know the groups are moving I think sheb can take a lot of leadership you can take leadership in the cin issue you can take leadership um in the education issue um you know and just your own advocacy means something the last thing I'll say is that Kristen ELO from the governor's office I don't know whether Kristen has been to shutesbury um she's the governor's western Mass director she's pretty darn fabulous and um she's like I think our secret sauce you know because she cares so much and so it's almost like we have another legislator pulling although she's better than that because she's inside the administration so have priston out to for an evening like a town hall evening with SH talk about these issues she knows them so but she you can she'll hear that you are speaking about them yeah um and I think we can start by doing a letter about um you know just a it can be ail y we'll do that we'll shave something the budget the H1 budget has to help rural communities it has to um and you can focus anywhere you want um but just know that they've already received and actually I'm meeting with secretary I've met with the lieutenant governor and the governor a meeting with secretary Tut Wilder in Boston on Thursday about rural school yeah um because you know again we we have to have bigger Gams okay we will take care but I would say that Elena emails though Elena I don't always email but when Elena emails you get lots of emails from Elena but they're good emails you know some of them will have action steps for the town so if you have Town lists I don't know if you do but um you know you could put them out call now or come to this hearing um we do try to do a mixture of grant opportunities and then action alerts we only send you the action alerts that I that I think are the highest value um and so if there's a way that you that could mobilize internally um it could be of huge value great we'll have that conversation thank you Senator thank you for your time I appreciate it appreciate your great PR [Laughter] thank you all right ahe um I had asked if we could move Sarah the okay should we go back we'll go to uh two Lake Roa Drive this is a followup um okay just something in my mouth I thought we were I'm sorry um thank you sir so um the select board had been approached by um uh the Conservation Commission regarding a request that um Lucy Gould had made um two to Iola drive and I there a couple of pictures that I I took um so I went to to I sent them to your email okay um so I went out and um met Beth Wilson and Jan Cowan um at um Lucy house and Joe her son was there too and I'm not sure what that a little Inlet I don't know if that's the proper terminology um but there's a a piece there's a a strip of like water an inlet that runs right alongside of the ghoul's home that I didn't they didn't come through um if I bring them up is there a way know pictures BR um is there a way could you see so I emailed them there and you sent them to shry and I sent them to you anyway let me continue and see if Melissa can figure out Bring up the pictures um and it turns out that that property is owned by the town so um the ghouls have an interest in it it's fted over I guess is is the way to describe it so there was always water that kind of came from the lake into this little Channel um alongside of the house yeah here was previous oh okay was in right oh yeah I haven't seen these um so here the these are the original pictures um yeah and then if we can pull up the other pictures so the question is whether um the town would be willing to um allow the pools to move forward with uh working with the conservation commission to see if the Conservation Commission would approve what would essentially be I guess dredging of this little Channel um so that they could have the access that they always had before they could bring their boat up by the house well some going to happen I believe is that S is to get so high that the water is not flow in and right one po right so there's water and you know Andes and whatever yeah so there's a lot of sedimentation and and likea as you were talking about the north Co there and um you know it's really up to the Conservation Commission to determine whether or not they would approve um opening up that channel our land so um the ghouls uh would take responsibility for getting the permit done um you would well I guess there would be costs associated with this but I don't the town or would um pay for iing do the that's what that said that they would have to do paper we don't have we don't have anybody here you know on Town staff um to do any kind of you know those kinds of applications so I guess we'd have to talk to Beth about what the you know I don't even know what applications would be I don't have how much technical information is required in those applications um and I know you had spoken with the Wade Smith W W Smith um so I think what we wanted what oh so you can see here yeah what we're talking about in So that's all filled in that used to be a a wide open the kayak the kayak and was like gr right there that's where the water used to that was low over today right right and that's all yeah that's all and there's a second did the second picture yeah I think the second picture is a little bit better oh I just went in too far okay this sorry for the technical issues come up in a second that just shows you sort of a little bit more a little further down in the channel um so I I don't think any of us really knows what's involved with um a submission but we you know we we have a an interim Town Administrator a volunteer s i I think I can speak for all of us just say none of us um you know are uh familiar with oh okay I just took a picture of um I think what what would make sense is is rather than try to figure out who does the application and and how it how it gets done is whether the select board has would support this um you know of of getting now obviously it's because it's down on land the cons ultimately the Conservation Commission makes the determination but um would we support the the ghouls in their efforts to work with cont ation commission um On This Town off parcel it's it's kind of a funny one because we you know we don't have the the resources um to you know pay for any kind of technical expertise that's needed to put the application in what about the um actual dring and the actual dredging we I I you know whether or not yeah not well we couldn't do it before like time meeting St I guess putting there was I'm just going to put the picture up so the public can see what the picture look like PR sure they have the reference point oh okay about what it looked like that's how it was yeah so this is how it was you can see as much more flow of water and what's caused this to happen what do you saying what you over the years is built up it's it's closed in and built up and there both come on the other side of this on the other side that so if they Dred it let's forget who P part the moment but if it was dredged out now what would prevent it from happening again it's will happen again I think the last time of was was yeah oh okay well yeah so it's okay and then we haven't had the Bo in for in and out for a while and now there's another gentleman that moved in and our neor cross keep his P there but this year he couldn't get it in and out because the lands too nrow so mainly just at that M of the area that we wanted to widen and deeper so we can go in and out with the BS we think the lake o Association would do it would they pay for it again I think actually think we paid for yeah we got the permit they do had my husband young lady um side down here but all that time for to F like that so just at right uh I had car FL excavation and he said he could do it you know not impossible get to get to it to do it but it's the paperwork that really I mean maram would send me paperwork and I emailed her and asked her and that just get what you need this form I get the form and I didn't know to do I these are really L person complicated so just sort of f them up way you know how much money just how much money we talking about to fix it what two years ago he yeah right worth of work now dig it out remove it and get rid of it yeah um and none of the neighbors are against it sure you know there is a way to get to it so you know and then I know we have to go so the odd part is if we have to app the town would have to apply for the permit because it's on Town land right but we don't have we we're also so we don't have the expertise um amongst ourselves to you know to to do that um so maybe maybe if I mean but can we establish is this something that we would support and then we could figure out with that that um who might be able to do the paperwork and whether if there's a cost associated with it if um you know it can be done on the town's behalf [Music] um that yeah yeah I would support it as you say little confusing is the way [Laughter] that well it's yeah it's just it's one of those situations where we don't have the capacity to make the application and and and go go through the hearings so somebody would have to do any of that I doubt it I don't we we can check yeah yeah it was more of a question than yeah yeah I mean if there's backup documentation that's needed um like where somebody like Ward Smith would have to do it then he has to be paid um so that's a situation where let's say there was somebody could come in and do it on the town's behalf could the the fooles and possibly your neighbors um you know provide the money to the town a hire right there is a vehicle the town can accept funds to hire someone to do something for a donation we looking yes right right and we can help you and and we can do this and we can do that y I was at the point where I wasn't getting everything yeah we can help you yeah so I I think what we we need to find out is it so the board was okay with moving is what it would cost you know what the what the process is for getting the the permitting um and what the cost is going to be and then what's the vehicle for us right to do it to do it yeah yeah because if it's you know I think in terms of the procurement um it's a small it's a relatively small amount of money so it doesn't you don't have to go through the whole thing and um so okay so we will we will follow up and then um get back get back to you about how you know I I wanted to make sure before we even said this is a great idea that that the board was on the board was on board even doing the you know having the work done because it is town on Lane so um so that I think that's you know we've indicated yes that's good um how we get from point A to point B now is what we have to we have to check out so where we go and what step we take and where do that okay well we'll talk to um we'll talk to the L Clerk and um the maybe the just the chair of the and then um get back to you okay thank you so much good evening happy thank you okay so moving on to permit for Auto Parks Auto Wrecking oh I'm sorry Gil you had your hand up it was to ask you to take down the screen share which you just did so we're fine you read my mind okay so um Sarah is bringing the clerk's auto wrecking um I'm going to call the appropriate name is uh the class three auto dealer license is what they have and and um we got her the paperwork which she has given to thank you everything's a team effort including that thing feel like a team effort um so thank you Sarah for completing this today and getting it back to us and I know there were some things in there that were not um fillable out by you so in remembering what you've done in the past Sarah usually gives us a little an of what's Happening down with Tommy and and Clark Auto we did crush the here we had Crush years just a space issue running out of space we continue to get rid of our tires P buing A company that think our free I I didn't realize it would be so hard to do so um we have a guy that sell batteries to so the haard parts are in we're still considered a small here one operation and the feel like I apologize for the dog he's not like the old one no they say you should compare your kids yeah if we got him first we never would got a second he's nothing like [Music] Bud okay um what did you guys have any questions for SAR no this pretty routine this is your first term you've never no this isn't my first term okay this is our first process figuring it out yeah yes and and for all came I'm like I always get an email me and I get you know [Music] [Music] um so let's not have that happen no um so uh there is an $85 fee for this and we just need a vote which I wrote down what we voted last year okay so that thank you okay so do I hear a motion to approve clerk auto wrecking class 3 license for 2025 as per Mass General Law chapter 40 section 59 and wave enroll license renewal hearing so move second and to in case anyone's having a question um the hearing is optional in this case public hearing so all right so with no further questions um all those in favor Carell I stalker I may oil I talk to don't you I what yeah I have I second look for great nebor neighbors and the dog no other I don't think the dog makes it up to him no every Walker who goes by it's part he's in the neighbor there yeah you're small you're trying to Sarah I know the license we don't have prep tonight because that's the next step so we'll get it signed in dropped off or picked up or some some form of all of that so thank you thank you um and so next one was appointment for the building committee for Bill Parker buildings committee sorry I don't know if anybody was in Frank is Frank it I'm here Sarah uh do you want to speak on behalf of Phil Parker or sure the building committee had a conversation we uh would like to have uh Phil Parker as a member of the buildings committee um he's got uh he's retired he has lots of qualifications uh Steven Delma vouched for him I vouch for him and so does Jeff and Anna okay I'm gonna make a motion to appoint Bill Parker to the building all those in favor barl I st make okay thank you very much thank you thank you um and next we have Michael De here to speak to us about appealing the battery bylaw rejection attorney general hi there Michael welcome thanks so um if you all remember town meeting we passed uh Town General bylaw about energy storage systems and that was to follow up by the previous year when we had a zoning bylaw abouty stores got rejected um by the Attorney General so so the the one we passed this this time meeting also got rejected by the Attorney General um and the primary objection was that it should have been a zoning by law that it wasn't a general by law which is the same thing that they told wend so we got through this exact same thing as wend did um so the question so last year with the zoning by energy storage we appealed that um so you just F at the courts and the planning was able to sort of recommend that because it was the zoning bylaw the general bylaw was really sort of we recommended to the select but you guys sort of brought it forth so the question was does the town want to appeal the Attorney General's rejection of the general bylaw about energy storage system i e batteries um I talked to Donna on Friday about other stuff but I asked her about this because we and I had a brief conversation Donna thinks it makes sense to file um what she said I guess Adam Costa did it for the last one um I don't know why but um but she said if Adam gives you good you know price to do it it's basically just filing so you get it in the hopper and then what Donna said is you got a placeholder and when it comes to its turn in court we can make a decision if we want to do anything or not but it seems like it makes sense to the ply um just to get it in there um part we to keep our options open the other part should say we think we were right so it's your guys call if you wanted to do that and then I think if you decided to figure out like who calls I mean I'm happy to do the leg work but I I'm not sure what the next process but you should decide if you want the F first so I have a question if we do that process and appeal it we can't touch it until that they've gone through that appeal process so as far as the the comments that came back from that if we wanted to adjust something in it bring it back to town meeting it's kind of stay as it is until I don't think so but I think it's put a dead in the water like there's nothing to what we did this time was the adjustment for the last time um so I don't think basically the Attorney General basically said it should be as Z I want nice try um so I don't think it's like we said the wrong thing I think just we' tried to do the zoning right yeah this is a whole situation you want to my opinion it's all politics I mean they rejected the energy storage zoning bylaw saying that it was covered by a solar exemption but batteries are not solar and batteries don't generate energy so it's already quite mythical they're just magical Solutions this is just more of the same um did did wendle appeal their decision like they the before us they they I should check my email from today they've been reaching out they I think they went to the the citizens group who advocated for it went to the St board last week to ask the same question yeah what w was interested in doing was can the Two Towns go in together um and it's like that's I think in my mind it's sort of like we should file they should file and then if we want to talk when it's time we can have but um we don't have I don't think we have to collaborate until actually something to collaborate on if you decide we want to yeah and I'd say you know the new clean energy law it's also going to be up in the air weather right any this stuff I was wondering about that yeah so why would be in support of doing the appeal I assume you know as you said that it's not going to be a significant yeah I think just I think this is Pap work to the court saying we we few yeah I mean it was passed by meeting so um I agree that okay um yeah do I hear a motion do I hear a motion to that's okay do I hear a motion to to uh appeal the battery by rejection by attorney general so moved second car I of so having done that would you like to deputizing me to reach out to Adam right I will do that okay that's great and just let Gabe and us know what um yeah I'll see you on everything okay yeah I step in can I have two more minutes on a quick update minutes so EAC met earlier today we've been having an ongoing conversation about EV Chargers in town know I think it was like six months ago we got one offer from a company so we got another offer ERC that we've been talking to and I think go been sort of talking to other towns to do research um just through National Grid there's a whole process but the thing that came up today which is mostly a heads up is if we decideed actually make sense we still have a couple of open questions um it would be the the board that does the application so and the way it works is this company ERC helps the town apply to National Grid National Grid has the money you're applying to them for acceptance so it would be the select board um for speciically applying to the town but so we haven't gotten there yet I think we might be a month or two hopefully the most but just mostly it heads up that if we make a decision we'll come and recommend okay we see did we ever proceed with Livingston Livingstone no I think we decided so we didn't left I mean they were the ones who had come to us they we're going to put them back here and at the library yeah I think it I think it Ed out Tim out okay that's one of the things we want to find out like it's we're not clear and I going to find out the revenue stream for this like if it's Federal it could easily just appear in January right so it's sort of good to know the other thing we're going to do just FYI I just going to reach out to the police chief the fire chief Highway Department school um gave you might reach out to you um just to find out if in each location we would want Chargers um because the whole idea is this is the last part my thing it's how meeting I think I told Rita but maybe I told you all we're going to go for this climate reader status and so so the thinking is one of the components of the climate leader is that you have a zero emission vehicle purchase policy adopted by the town so if we can buy EVS we would buy them first but there's lots of exceptions like they don't make EV fire trucks or Dum trucks and stuff but the thinking was if we're going to ask the town to do that we need some infrastructure to support that so like you know you have an EV you know police car you actually have to charge it somewhere so these things go hand in hand so it's part of what we're thinking so that's the update great good thank you thank you thank you for your questions by way apping have a wonderful evening okay so now we are on to the sh Athletic Club and beverage so I did I don't have dra all right um so this this has been um it's been an interesting process that this out um the uh a so I'll take it through all the information I've learned I think this is the only time we've actually met um to convey this information so um so what happened with the abcc is in September um they you know the town and the town's for everybody has licens to them and the individual businesses to start the process for um and that was sent um Geneva helped us find that that was sent in nove uh September 11th that that to those two entities at least were shur was across the board for for um all the businesses in Massachusetts and so that point it's like a trigger to start this process um at that point um last year uh when Geneva was working with us she'd sent an email additional email to the the club to start it in with the forms that were also included in the abcc now um so after many hours of figuring this out with with Geneva Gabe um Town Council and um abcc themselves um it was determined that the club has to give us their documentation by the end of November number um and the meeting of Tuesday the 26 um Jen had brought us some documentation to start this process so um the next day is when many of us spent um several hours figuring out what exactly we had to do because that the understanding had been we had to vote on this by um the 11th the 30th of November um which was a Saturday and um Donna was not confident that it was an emergency classification of an emergency so um that's when Geneva had called abcc and then I followed up shortly thereafter called to them and Sean had told us that the club has to do their part to us we're the license local licensing Authority um and so their stuff has to be dosed by the 11th of November or sorry the 30th of November and then we have December to do our pieces um and to turn it into them by January um I did email Sean and I left him a message today uh late in the a latest in the afternoon just to verify what the deadline is we had to do our stuff f um so we have a date in mind ours does not get um done online ours is in the mail and sent to them um and Geneva luckily has left all that um and it's very helpful that goes classified or certified Sor to them um so we have a tracking number um so I did send you guys the email just to give you an FYI of the items that we had and the items that were still missing from um from the application and uh Jen just gave us uh three of the other parts of the licenses so that we now what we had before was the 2025 um retail license renewal the change of officers applicant statement with the additional information page the vote by the club um the business structure the monetary transmission form and then the $200 fee payment confirmation that goes to the abcc um and we currently have now the completed V trollers license application the completed live entertainment application and the pool table um license as well so that thank you Jen for that um there are still several um pieces that we have not received one of them is the um the the 505 license I sorry the fee for the license as I just mentioned plus the liquor license for the club to renew um proof of the liquor liability insurance that's current and active um the Department of Revenue certificate of good standing from taxes Department of Unemployment assistance uh certificate from compliance assigned to aad davit Workers Compensation Insurance updated letter from um an inspection from Lenny uh our fire chief and then furog also has a building inspection fire inspection that is signed both by the fire chief our fire chief and our building inspector so those things uh currently are missing um so and Melissa are you saying that all of those things have to be submitted to us I mean our next meeting is December 30 next meeting is December 30th so in the past there has there hasn't been a um there has been a where only a minimal amount of stuff comes to the board V on the license and then um it's a few months before everything is turned in um I think we need to stop that practice and these things need to come to us in a more complete and complete way this is an annual license it happens every year and these things are um required every year from the CL so um and it is a large part of their uh business so um I would my suggestion and depends on how the two of you feel um that we push this to the 30th and if as long as we vote and have the stuff to us they can remain having their license we don't have to give our stuff to the abcc until um the beginning of January and with the understanding that these some of these other items will make a effort to have most of these items to us so are we distinguishing between what absolutely has to be submitted To Us by the 30th and what yes we can do that whatever we'd like off this list to be I know the Department of Revenue and the unemployment assistance certificate I believe it's from online and that's pretty easy to to to obtain um the fee is easy to obtain the insurance right and the insurance we need that in hands I think before we can approve the r to know that they're cover we have the older ones came to us that were expired so we check refresh did you st said like that did she drop the checks out that is her I do that so do you you have done Melissa you've done the list and yeah yeah everybody a list of everything that's missing that she sent yes that Melissa sent and I sent a note back saying that Lori handles all the P stuff and the unemployment insurance and the lior liability and she does all the money with that stuff know the inspections were done what I don't know is how to get my hands on inspection certificates I think that's in yeah get the on the all on all Street yeah I don't I have never gotten it before that's usually been handled by the president um so I don't know where to get that I've never gotten it in all these years um it comes the president was either doing it or the charer was doing it because it involves having to pay somebody so I don't have the money so the Building Commissioner they have an online payment system at the F cop so whoever your employee is that should be doing that only person that right so then you'll have to have her call them and pay the fee and get the C Cy she was I think I think her email address is ljd that's her so she was included in all all my communications yeah it seems to me that we want to have all we want have tax thing in the mailbox and I emailed one of them why email address name and what is her email on oh I see it now sorry so that was my suggestion to make it more complete um before we vote on it want to make it you mean 100% complet um well I I I understand that not everybody going be able to get I mean it is the holiday season right right sounds like some of the stuff can be whipped up pretty quickly yeah I think so yeah I don't think you should submit until you've been paid though yeah right definitely yeah so we won't submit till we're paid but um spoken like a um but we could at the next meeting we could vote to to you know and to have the few things that I had mentioned um in our hands so that we can vote and have a more complete application you know I I guess it would be um if we can make nail down exactly what those are and what we we could wait on so that it's clear to the shsb Athletic Club this is not going to go forward if we don't have these documents and we don't have the money right so looking at this list and and and you know the most about it so well this is these are the ones that I would choose the fees um the the proof of liability insurance uh the Department of Revenue certificate the department of unemployment C certificate of compliance and the affidavit assigned affidavit workers compensation insurance I understand that the inspections might be a little bit more difficult um you said the inspections were done right yes person was physically in the building they inspected the hoods and they were cleaned and then the whole building I the beginning the report might be a little although they probably have it all done and and it could even be online too I mean somebody should ask for it it's like we should have that yeah has wenny done his that only least leny's inspection yeah Lenny has there's an updated letter it's multiple Pages it's about five pages more I think where it goes in the description of the building and then it and um we have it from last year um but that needs to be updated by by Lenny by it has has did the fire chief go in did he do the inspection too so we don't have his updated inspection so he should be able to get that done so I guess that that's everything that's right Jen just gave us the LI yeah I mean we should have complete application yeah want to have it all complete that's yeah and I it it sounds like it's it's doable I mean if somebody has to go to Green Field to the the regional Inspection Department somebody will have to go to Greenfield and get those you know copies of those reports but I imagine that they could be sent electronically um if if requested and they username and password something that she had do I should have paid more attention but in most years it Lor has handed them yeah I I think the message to sort of your fellow people is um you know if this doesn't get done you guys are not going to have a license to operate so everybody get we have to reapply we have to reapply yeah and and you probably have to close in the interim the 30A on right right so it's it's pretty you know it's pretty serious and um and the encouragement of turning it in sooner um in the month of November so that we can if there is things missing we have some more time to go over you know this was this many hours have been spent trying to figure in-house here what needed to be done with multiple people we have it now thank you we have it now keep really jump I must miss the first email that I knew letter in November to come in and present myself in front of the board because I didn't see the paperwork coming me yeah so I was kind of like I don't know where this is but this is what I've got um so you know there was a little bit of bumpiness on all sides and but are you saying the agcy did not send you the letter I didn't see it I went back through all my emails so I don't know if I have a hot mail account that it it bounced it or or what but I I called Sean about I was early November and I said I don't have the stuff and they're like well You' got to get it from your local licensing Authority and I'm like all right well the meeting be at the end of the month that's and I sent some email to the administrative secretary um email and I didn't get any responses I sent several um so I just showed up the meeting like I normally do because that's what I knew to do be here the before than so like I said it was a little on all I've got people like pounding me right now but nobody's uh got to check laor she's looking to see if she can find things and EM stuff but I know it's a little little too late for tonight need to sit here wa so I get I think what we do is we push it to the 30th y Jen I'll send an email um just highlighting these things pull them out of all that other verbiage that's in there um to the three of you that I had sent the other two um and then emails that you can email you can drop things off and and I suggest that you scan it and email it to us as well um so that we can see that it's please do not wait till the 30th to turn things please go ahead and turn them in now so that we can get everything lined up yeah if we don't we don't have a um administrative secretary right now so um we have somebody use the select but I was using the administrative secretary hey I'm looking for paperwork he you know it's that time of year again hey um so there were at least two not really know but if they were just short little hey you know here are we doing this so anyway I'm noticing I'm letting them know so be on um so when do we need when do we need we could actually well we have to have meeting no we're meeting on the 30th so it just put it as Gabe said it needs to come in before the the 30th so that if something is missing we didat email a list of everything we needed for tonight and again we don't have everything we need for tonight right okay I'll let everybody know when I get a confirmation back from Sean right if we have a deadline January okay okay good thank you for all your work thank you for all your work on the things that you both have beening um definely team effort okay so moving on to do we need to vote to move that the next one no right I'm just asking I don't think so okay um next to the SEC the administrative secretary job description yes um I had uh this is the second W vers actually the third um because G um added some things which is great thank I think um you know what we're we're learning is sort of the you know the the need for more time for the administrative secretary and getting a little bit you want share refining um sure refining the um the job description because I think gab has been able to sort of see what the Town Administrator needs yeah so the the the bulk of this um job description is it's it's the same as as what it was and then there have been some edits and as with the um Town Administrator job description what I think we need to do is get it back to you know if we're comfortable with with this then it would go back to the Personnel committee right Melissa um and and then you know we have to certainly discuss any financial implications with the you know with the the finance committee and sooner rather than later so do you want this to go to person to get it preview yeah like we did the well and then it would come back to us I also think they should look at the grade grade or classif they have it as grade six I don't know what they assign how they assign grades we use I'm used using points for there is a there's y there's a there is I've added quite a bit um would you think a change that that would warrant a change in the job title to like Administrative Assistant rather than secret I do personally because I do too yeah okay I was I wrote that right down you did I wrote name should be titled yeah I think it should be Chang as system and I to the well you know it's it's funny because the administrative secretary like the way when I read all this stuff it said that they work for the select board but right you know the way it's always operated is that the Town Administrator really oversaw the administrative secretary and so we really had no I mean in my experience we had little contact but we didn't we didn't direct that person's actions and we're not in the town hall to direct that person's actions but that is a recommendation I'm making in the job description yeah is to with chair right okay so they can still I mean I think they could still be the title could change and we could still do that right that so in the reports too I would write select board slash Town Administrator it is a joint position for both yeah right yeah right where so when it says reports to right up the top right the top select ministra oh okay great because typically that's what that person always does in almost every town they report to both groups so both so what are we saying the title should change to administrative assistant assistant okay all right and then check the grade I don't I don't know check the uh classification up April April was working with Becky to do the classification on and just kind of go through and update the classification um book a format uh process and so um she would have the probably the best knowledge you can guide the personel board through that okay good so my recommendation to go to 30 hours a week actually comes out of Susie thank you for the work you did on this on her suggestion list that so we a suggestion of some of the things to look at and one of the thoughts that I've been pondering for weeks a couple weeks now is steady presence we have no steady presence in town hall um so I think you need a steady presence so if you have somebody Monday through Thursday for eight hours starting from 8 to 4: you have a steady presence people come in and they are standing in the hall and I go out and I'm like can I help you and and they're lost right you know we no direct we don't even have a directory like right where would you go right and so we have nothing posted on the door you know so I really think there needs to be more Authority here and a steady person here because your Town Administrator should do grants making sure things are happening and not distracted by the daily operation of the they direct it don't get me wrong the TA directs but you meet somebody there you can answer questions for the people that come up the hall who has the handle customer service you do you do yeah and that's what this person would help do which is why I'm saying 32 hours a week um I think one thing to consider in that regard too is also I know brace talk about this maybe moving somehow moving the oppos so they the first person the person sees that come in is this person not the time CL do that have to make sense it doesn't to me because you do need to protect your admin secretary from the traffic because she is also responsible if you went or he when you go through this there's a heavy job load here okay all right just idea yeah I mean that's but you could have you could have um a BT when people come in they could click it and then she could come out to them do you know I'm saying or he could come out to them where where you know or or maybe there's a thing on the door you know um I don't I don't know how that would work but you know if if they no you know right there at the they do find my office at I a question it's 32 hours you said it's four more days what about the time to do minutes and meetings um that typically would do that during their work day so off the tape off the tape and off the YouTube so the minutes are done off YouTube um you've not required your admin secretary to be at your meetings yeaha is well over two years and it was certainly through Co right she she may be hit her miss here and there but yeah they can i' you know they can um certainly do them during their work day day and I've had my admin in Orange during her workday she put her ear muffs on she listened to the meeting and she did it um and then the select board person reviewed it before it went to the select board meeting it was a select word not the town administer right because it's your meeting see that's where that division right and nothing I'm saying has to go this way I'm just this is what I'm just seeing it's sort of what's best practice yeah yeah I think I think that's a that's a a good idea I do like the the presence in town hall then you can have kind of official open hours yes you know which you should have because we don't we don't currently have that it's kind of happen andon um people knock at the door if they see a car out front which yeah know I've been which sometimes been me just me someone comes in and they're upset well what do you mean I can't buy my whatever I don't I can't do but nobody can do it so I like that the additions around the meeting agenda um poting agenda town website town meeting warrants and then the monthly calendar yep other stuff was already there um I had highlighted kind of down on that second page in the yellow there maintains electrical inspection report file I have no idea what that is um do you know you know I don't but this is prompting a thought that may tie into what we put into the town administ Ator new job description um where we had asked the town buildings committee had had access to make sure that they get free free and flowing information in their Direction maybe this person can be the one maybe this could be maintains the um you know buildings health files you know I like yes maybe that this person can help keep those files up to date so that you know like 10 years down the road what happened where in the fire station and what happened where in town hall yeah and I think I think we heard from the buildings committee that um that they wanted like five building yeah yeah saying yeah like a medical file for a building you know when was this fixture change and why or what problems were you having so could we edit it to just say maintains building files yeah yeah I have don't have it up so I can type it in thank you I can do it um where they can come in and just look through them you know yeah um I think that seg well what their request was great then on the next one um G I just wasn't sure how if this read properly so receives and processes all Town invoice and then prepares for review it doesn't it just doesn't make it so receives the processes all town that whole sentence could be redone yes so what do they do um you could say prepares all Town invoices for review by the town ad for review and approval by the Town Administrator so what I was what I was doing with with Abby was she was doing all the invoices and then when I would come in that's the first thing I did in the morning was review them sign off on them and then we put them in the accounts box okay that was a weekly occurrence so that we didn't have back what I'm trying to do here is establish a system so you don't have back log bills right so the bills are dealt with as they come in yeah and then she gave me a folder we had a bill folder she gave me a folder I did go through it so so how do we say that yeah just what you said like you said prepare weekly preparation we'll make it weekly weekly preparation preparation of all Town invoices for review and approval by Town Administrator does that sound good weekly give us some more Direction preparation or daily we don't use um I like that that's there so that not any other duties should be after processes forms and is this um s the personal handbook processes form specified in the personal handbook related to the hiring reappointment orientation and any other Personnel function um well there um we would have to check on those items I will have to check on those because I don't know that there's a actual forms for these but that's I will okay like the um the PFS what um the Personnel action forms is that is that something that's that's when we hire somebody or somebody's pay hire someone when the pay goes up during the annual um adjustments I would the personally oh really she can print them out it's kind of confidential inform salary I really don't like that most so just leave that out entirely yeah because she you have left any other duties assigned by the select board PA so you can go to her and say I need the reappointment looks done right and give her the blank form and she can get them all ready or he can I'm sorry keep talk but they can get it all they can get it already right um so I think that sentence any other duties of sign covers covers it okay doesn't complicate doesn't complicate it I show your hand where P spit into this is it in there not P it's not it's the I'm asking about the whole thing about receiving test results sending out letters that P work FL and because we're still required to test twice a year now I think but every but every time I mean no tests have to be ritten to all of it there's such a lot of administrative work around there is a lot of and I didn't know end up I think it falls under the first one it says organized manages the select Board office with daily basis including things such as opening sorting answering referring to mail that she also have email in there um gathering information handling phone calls monitoring uh Purchasing Office Supplies and managing copy room that starts I think that off um and then uh I think we could put a separate line in for um separate bullet for P I think it's I think it's an important point and because I think this job needs to be regraded and that is a huge responsibility that deserves to be looked at yeah um maybe put it as special projects example IE P exactly eventually it may that may tap her off and something else may take out so I would keep it more General so how would you say that um I would say um coord coordinates and assists with special projects for example P um and has there ever been anything else that we've had that was just or we can just leave example few fact for now yeah does that sentence work yeah I just want to yeah I I think the point is if we're going to have this re re R yeah then the I I don't I didn't have any sense of what was involved with the p stuff huge started organizing files and and it was it's yeah it's it's it's huge and it takes somebody somebody really well organized to be cracking all that stuff we have what 80 households we have test yeah it's mind much paper there is well and also lining up the uh installation of the filter in a house yeah right a huge pie yeah because I'm not even sure that that this person be it would proba be a shared position shared Dy with ta because I contacting the home owner getting in there getting that installation lined up done there's also PR in that people didn't like to use on in their house and some houses they didn't want her to come in right so a different you know a different not just a paper pusher a whole piece I think I think under uh that that that what you just said under I'm looking for it under um didn't they just oh yeah education license I think somewhere under there it needs to be a strong customer service um um there needs to be strong customer service under so can you um can we just say what that other that new bullet is what did you say Melissa coordinates and coordinates and um you want me to read what I wrote yes and I added to it so you okay coordinates and assists with special projects that are in intensive and time sensitive oh that yes that's I like that projects that makes it vague enough so that it's not just be but it other items and I I do think um with what um Susie just said about the the pr and the I think that that one of the um skills and experience and education should there should be something written about the strong customer service skills or customer service skills in general there's nothing listed there did you say that are complex and time sensitive I can do that that are complex I like that better that are complex and time sensitive I also think we need to add um confidential this person is a confidential one I think everyone starts need to have that in their come in there and we need to have a confidentiality agreement for people to sign that will be the personel Bo to help Gabe do you um are you able to do sort of the final edit on I'll do it tomorrow and I can send it back out and because I love the fact that you guys review it and come back with feedback y that way just go back to you and then it could go to the personel Bo email the personel board and meeting on just email me individually yeah and I'll send final copy but I'll I'll go ahead and edit this tomorrow um then Melissa they probably wouldn't be meeting till after our December 30th meeting anyway so we could vote to finalize this on it or vote to to send it to them get it back and then after it maybe to and then if they meet in early January have on the calendar so just December 30th I'm going to add it as an agenda item final review or final because we need to um we need to advertise this too so can I just ask a technical question what is what is's position now I was going to the minutes from last week and I realized that one of J's email she mentioned we're missing those like she was GNA do it she is working on the minutes she is just um di Dove died right in part time special employee she yeah she is a special employee right at the moment it was just a short we were we hired we basically asked her to come back and do Beast right right and then um Abby resigned and so um I think I didn't ask her to do the minutes she actually said look I discovered this online that your minutes are way behind do you want me to or she just go into it right and I gave her the because I didn't want to establish another email I had her use the admin secretary's email um because she needs to talk to the PS gentleman from time B get going um and she's she's really knows she the whole filing system he knows it all inside now yeah and you know we discussed adding a task list so that every household we know we've done this we know we sent the letter out in this state we're going to have a task list in every folder that tells you what that person hased so um that that's kind of help um with regard to minutes like she get a whole long listen I said I wrot back said I I know I can't believe we have not can't be alling you find but I could we're going through the computer she has the computer and we're going through the emails right now I went through them I know she's going through them it would have been Becky who would have done right because because Geneva yeah she was only here just she was alone so she didn't yeah yeah I don't know all I know is we need to pick up the piece time yeah yeah right and so but I don't have to do like the on from last week I won't do okay that's that's all that was my question um okay anything else no think I think we're done with unless there's a TA update for us there is a TA update okay the T I have actually two things I received today that I'm hoping you will consider there um things that were unexpected and one of them has an end of December deadline so you folks it was my understanding that you voted to hire the column Center to do the study evidently there was no service agreement between the town sh fairy and the um Collin center now we you signed at one of our meetings recently the grant for 30,000 to pay for it but the cins center sent us the contract oh so that they can do the job so I'm asking you to vote and sign the contract for the Colin Center did they just send that to I just got it today so yeah it may it may have come I don't know but I'm fixing this because they need to they need to proceive okay so while you're looking at that the other Grant um that I did get and you we you get this every year I believe it's your recycling grant for getting incentive pay and all it does is say that you're getting $1,960 for your recycling what did I call it recy recycling dividends program is what it's called and that needs to be signed as well so if you guys could vote that I need to get that back to them okay so those are the two very important things that I had that one [Music] um you that that one is pretty standard it looks very familiar yes I did not have to V we have to vote also there's only two signature spaces there I think it just needs to be signed by the chair Melissa so whoever there's two sections well then go ahead and have two of you signed that's a majority okay so do I hear motion to sign the what's the on that this is the professional service agreement between the town of shutesbury and the Colin center for the fire district feasibility study Okay so sorry um all those in favor Carell I stalker I thank I we already signed the state part of this yes um so and and while she's signing that do I hear motion to sign the uh the grant scope of work between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department Environmental Protection and Sho spity for the amount the sove second all those in favor bar I I think that's a Wonder so I have a lot of balls in the air and I hope to be able to bring you up to date on some of them the next meeting on December 30th um one of the things I need to help I need you to help me because I don't couldn't find it in my notes is the police chief contract did we decide who the negotiating team is going to be no did not did we I think we chose me so you want a fincom and a personal board we want yeah we wanted to do that so and then um would the select Bo meet to discuss going in what the thoughts are for the other yes we should we should meet ahead of time we've done that PR we met to get what the SL board's ideas and thoughts were so that person going right it is an ex I was going to say that's yeah no I yeah okay all right so can we are we going to do that at the December 30th meeting or no let's do it in January we'll do it in January okay um I just needed to get my ducks in a row on it Y and do you want to reach out to the person I'll go ahead and send an email oh this trip so that was the one that so that's that's it for me tonight I questions for you guys we're working on the zoom stuff yes yeah okay Zoom is moving along okay and town hall is going to be closed on Christmas yes Christmas at noon and that is already on the website posted on the banner okay and we will put next Monday on the doors um so that people are aware okay who pass through okay I would encourage everybody who watches this on YouTube to start checking the website for information it's really your Avenue for information so and I'm starting to post things on it so good do it did the search did search committee for the TA get and so I did talk to AJ he said by tomorrow you would know oh well I think we had asked people to submit by December 30th we were hoping to appoint the search committee at the December 30th meeting um so yes you guys can come up with the and I think everybody has been notified to send us a name we have yes we have anybody from the personel committee yet we don't I have no responses from departments I have three citizen responses okay asking for that and I'm keeping them in a folder so that you guys can review it on the 30th and decide what you want to do okay so um yeah I would encourage yeah so it was person finance committee the department head um and two at large and I'm missing oh select board member so we have to decide who the select board member is we'll do that December 30th too yeah okay okay I'm GNA make a motion um to adjourn okay I will here a second all right all in favor barl I Dr I okay thank you thanks all right everybody has to have more