Select Board Meeting Minutes 10/31/23
Minutes of the Select Board meeting 10/31/23
Meeting Date: Tuesday October 31, 2023
Meeting Opened at 6:01 pm
Select Board members present: Justin Makuc, chair; Susan Cooper, Frank Abbott
Also Present: Melissa Noe, Laurie McArthur (Select Board Secretary), Mickey Jervas, Dennis Lynch, Laurie Shaw, Mark Andrews, RJ Supa
Also present remotely: Don Coburn, Mary Makuc
Call to Order 6:01pm
- Human Resource Director position
Justin reported that they had received four proposals. Frank said that he was unsure if the independent one would be a long time solution since they specifically noted they would be interested in a temporary project. Susan said that she was not impressed by Organization Inc’s proposal, and there was no substantive information on the organization or its staff on the website for this company. Justin said that the Collins Center applicant stood out, and the person had experience as an interim HR director in Braintree, MA. Frank said that the HR Director in Needham also stood out, even though she was interested in an interim position and had municipality experience. Justin asked if it may be an option to interview next week. Susan agreed that the Collins Center application was very strong but expressed concern that their fee is $160 per hour and wanted to make sure that we could afford them. Melissa said that there was approximately $14,000 remaining in the fund for the HR position for this fiscal year. Justin said that the job will likely be significantly different than when they had a shared HR Director. Susan concurred that this would likely be an on-call position, but suggested that the Select Board needs to know what the consultant’s role is going to be going into the interview. Susan suggested starting the meeting at 9:00am to discuss what they are looking for, and to hold the interviews at 9:30am and 10:00am and the Select Board members agreed. The Select Board agreed to interview the two top proposals: UMass Collins Center and GovHR.
- Town Administrator evaluation process and next steps
Justin said that they are planning for the Board members to have completed reviews by next Wednesday.Susan said that the Board will need to have clarity on each member’s views if we are to have an open discussion regarding the TA’s performance.Justin said that they would have a composite review.Susan offered the idea of not having a composite review, since we have no one at present to complete this task, and instead having a general discussion, whether it be in executive session or in a regular session.Frank said that there are two issues, the current job description and the new job description.Justin said that they may be able to ask a future HR Director their thoughts.
Frank asked what the time frame is for Select Board evaluations and how to handle them.Justin suggested having the evaluations completed by the 8th of November, then have individual meetings with the Town Administrator, and then have a Board discussion on November 21st.Justin said that they will also determine whether they would like an HR Director involved in the meetings or the individual process.Frank requested clarification on the process for the evaluation.Susan said that there is a section for additional comments.Melissa said that she wanted to ensure that there were examples to support comments made in the evaluation.Melissa reported that she was working on her self-evaluation.Justin said that the latest the evaluations should be complete would be November 10th, and they will have meetings, and then hold a Board meeting on November 21st.
- Bally Gally lease renewal
The Select Board discussed increasing the rent for the Bally Gally lease. Susan said she conducted some research and shared some prices for various rents in other towns for the same amount of space. Melissa said that the previous rent was $1,050 and was raised to this amount approximately two years ago. The Select Board discussed the need for affordable housing and maintaining the current rent. Susan said that as long as costs and maintenance are not increased then they should keep it the same. Justin moved to approve the Bally Gally lease for $1,100 per month. Frank seconded. Call a vote: Susan-yes, Frank-yes, Justin-yes.
- 6:30pm: Meet with Community Center representatives to discuss plan for the property and Dennis Lynch’s grant proposal
Dennis said that they discussed the capital improvement grant. He said that in a discussion with the state representative regarding eligibility and competitiveness,
the representative said that they were also eligible for the feasibility and technical assistance grant.This grant enables a community to step back and develop a plan, reach out for additional input, notify organizations within the municipality section and have a discussion.Dennis said that it was suggested that Monterey would be competitive going for a feasibility and technical assistance grant.Compared to the capital grant, which they could receive up to $200,000, there is a maximum of $35,000 for the feasibility grant with a match.
Susan confirmed that this was the preparation for the build. Dennis said that it would be preparation for architectural and engineering plans and improvements to the property. Dennis said that the Open Space and Recreation plan would be a good option to enter the Community Center property as a future capital project under this plan. Justin asked what the monies would be used for. Dennis said that this grant would prepare them for the next step of going for the larger capital improvement grant.
Melissa said that the ARPA funds have to be committed by 2024 and then they have two years to spend the funds.
Dennis said that if the feasibility grant is awarded next May, and there is a fall announcement for additional funds, then they could complete the grant application for the capital plan. Justin asked the reasoning for asking for the $35,000 for the grant.
Melissa suggested Dennis discuss the new proposed plans in addition to the pavilion. Mark Andrews said that he looked into the square footage and occupancy, and said that the building could be expanded by approximately eight feet off of the back. Mark discussed the difference between an A use building and a B use building which would be determined by the occupancy. He said that they could add on a storage area and still keep the occupancy at 49 individuals.
The projects that the Community Center was planning to include in this feasibility study include the pavilion, bathroom, parking, outdoor lighting, and an 8ft addition off of the back of the building. Dennis said that he would like to have this discussion with the Community Center committee. Laurie said that there were discussions with the Planning Board regarding parking. She discussed adding some additional spaces to the field. Dennis said that this would all be reviewed in the feasibility study. Justin said that he was in favor of the feasibility study. Frank asked who the point of contact would be and said that they would have to discuss this.
Frank made a motion to give Dennis the hours needed to write the feasibility study. Susan seconded. Call a vote: Frank-yes, Susan-yes, Justin-yes.
Justin said that Jim has been helpful with the lighting and suggested speaking with him about parking. Dennis suggested inquiring if the time spent by the Director of Operations and town work could be counted as an in-kind match for the purposes of future grant monies.
- Dennis Lynch grant proposal for the library
The Select Board discussed the digital equity planning grant through MBI with Dennis. Dennis explained the Municipal digital equity planning grant. This is funding from the American Rescue Plan Act from MBI through communities in the Commonwealth to help individuals who were affected by the pandemic in being able to access the internet. Those most negatively affected by lack of internet access may include veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals of a certain age, and individuals who need additional income or help accessing the internet. Dennis said that this would enable the library to increase their hot spot to help with access. Dennis said that the state would give individual contractors the opportunity to conduct a charrette, which is a public Q&A forum for individuals to ask questions. This process takes approximately two months, but there are more expansive options if the town would like to take this route.
Justin said that he has been in touch with Michael Baldino and has been receiving calls from MBI. Justin said that he thought that Michael said that in the next few years there would be funding to help with bringing the town up to 100% high speed access, reaching those last few homes that still do not have this service. Justin asked that in Dennis’ discussion with MBI he could as about this possibility. Dennis said that the Board of Trustees submitted a letter in support.
Susan motioned to accept the grant proposal for the library. Frank seconded. Call a vote: Susan-yes, Frank-yes, Justin-yes.
- Draft Financial Reserve Policies and Procedures
Justin said that he would like to get something to the Finance Committee so they can review it as well.Justin said that the Finance Committee and Select Board worked on this policy and procedure last winter, but did not complete the work.
Justin said that they have a choice between percent and number figures.He said that he opted for numbers because he felt it would stick out better when reading the figures.Susan agreed that the actual number provides an anchor, but added that the reason for percentages was due to the policies not being constantly revised.She said that if there is not wording about the percentages then the intent of the numbers becomes less clear, especially over time, and recommended using both the number and the percentage
Susan discussed capital expenditures and said that the board is trying to keep the levy from going up too much any given year.Justin said that he was more in favor of setting guidelines.Justin said that they have not spent much out of the stabilization fund or saved much in the stabilization fund.He suggested not utilizing this fund unless necessary.He said that they could use the stabilization fund to help with the tax increases over the years if needed.
Susan noted that the listed authority at the top, MGL Chapter 69 of the Acts of 2002, is actually not for Monterey, but for Winchester.Unfortunately, she was unable to find the correct reference.
Justin said he will discuss this further next week.Justin said they are discussing a potential joint finance and Select Board meeting on 11/14/23 at 6:00pm.
- Town Administrator Items:
- Monterey School House
Melissa said it would be approximately $80k to put a new foundation on community center property, and approximately $100k to move the building, but this does not include the National Grid cost. If a pole needs to be removed or moved, then there will be a cost. Justin asked if Verizon and Fiber Connect would have to be involved.
Melissa said that in conversation with Justin, one idea they had was to look into making it affordable housing. Justin said that there was approximately $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, approximately two-thirds of which is unrestricted. Justin said that approximately $35,000 is restricted, but affordable housing is one category for which it can be utilized. Melissa will reach out to Construct Inc. to see what kind of assistance could be offered. Melissa said that in conversation with Jim they could probably create one parking spot in that area. The Select Board said that they liked the idea. Justin said that the $100,000 would not be enough to complete all of the construction, but Melissa said that there were grants that could assist with a project like this. Melissa said that she spoke with a realtor, who said that they could get approximately $60,000 for the property if the Town sold it.
- Unanticipated business
Susan said that she spoke with Jeff Zimmerman of the Finance Committee regarding onboarding new board and committee members. Susan asked what the town could do, or to ask what would have helped Board and Committee members to become more effective sooner. Justin identified that long standing board or committee members would be helpful, but in recent years individuals are not serving long terms. Justin said that it is difficult to replace people’s experience with an onboarding process.
Susan discussed her experience with the ZBA vs being on the Select Board. She talked about the topics and financial discussions for the Finance Committee. She suggested asking the standing committee members what would be helpful with onboarding to help future individuals.
There will be a joint Finance Committee Meeting on Tuesday November 14th at 6:00pm.
- Comments & questions from the public
There are no comments or questions from the public.
- Approve minutes of 10/10/23, 10/17/23 and 10/24/23
The Select Board reviewed the minutes from 10/10/23. Susan made a motion to approve the minutes from 10/10/23 as amended. Justin seconded. Call a vote: Susan-yes, Frank-yes, Justin-yes.
The Select Board will review the minutes from 10/17 and 10/24 during the next meeting.
Frank made a motion to adjourn the Select Board Meeting. Susan seconded. Call a vote: Susan-yes, Frank-yes, Justin-yes.
Documents used at the meeting:
- Bally Gally Lease
- Draft Financial Reserve Policies and Procedures