Select Board Meeting Minutes 2/13/24

Minutes of the meeting of 2/13/24

Meeting Opened at: 6:05pm

Select Board Members Present: Justin Makuc, Chair, Susan Cooper and Frank Abbott

Also present: Dennis Lynch

Also present remotely: Melissa Noe, Town Administrator

Items discussed:

1. Dennis Lynch on behalf of the Lake Garfield Working Group requested that the milfoil article be changed from a special article to a recurring operational line item. Justin explained that one of the reasons that previous boards have held off on making it an operational line item is because there had been support to start a tax district for Lake Garfield that would, once approved, take care of these expenses. On the other hand, Justin did acknowledge that the town has been approving this item for the last eight years and that certainly makes a strong argument for making its own line item.
2. Dennis also offered his assistance and asked for the Board to enable him to assist Melissa to try and get the Green Communities grant moving forward again. The Board was in favor of this. Susan thanked Dennis for all the work he has done to date in successfully getting grant monies for the town.
3. A motion was made to appoint Ian Tryon as a Junior Firefighter through his eighteenth birthday.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
4. A motion was made to appoint Alec Morrison as a Firefighter with for indefinite term.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.  A motion was made to appoint Shamus Garrity as a Firefighter for an indefinite term.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
5. Americans with Disabilities Act grant contract with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC): The board reviewed the contract drafted by BRPC. A motion was made to sign and approve the contract.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
6. Animal Inspector disclosure of financial interest: The Board reviewed and accepted the disclosure filed by John Makuc (Justin made a disclosure that John Makuc is his uncle). John has since informed the Board that he is no longer seeking this disclosure, as he has spoken with the State and they recommended having someone else perform the inspections for which he has a conflict of interest. No action was taken.
7. Berkshire County Law Enforcement Council Mutual Aid agreement renewal: The Board reviewed the renewal contract.  A motion was made to sign and accept the agreement as written. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
8. Draft letter to Southern Berkshire Ambulance (SBA): Justin had some edits which will be incorporated. Susan reported that she has spoken with the Treasurer of SBA who explained that they believe their billing service is doing a solid job of getting reimbursements.  However, some of the reimbursement rates from Veteran’s services and Medicare/Medicaid are significantly lower than the actual cost of the call. SBA said that if all the towns would be willing to agree to a different assessment, SBA would consider it. Justin suggested that since SBA only recently started requesting funds, he would like to see a breakdown of their operational expenses. The Board agreed to send the letter with the amendments discussed.
9. 6:30pm: Joint meeting with the Finance Committee to discuss the proposed FY25 budget – This meeting will be postponed to a future date as the Finance Committee did not post their agenda in time.
   1. Frank reported that the sub-committee is still working with the Fire Company to finalize the lease numbers.
10. A motion was made to approve the minutes of 1/30/24 as amended.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. A motion was made to approve the minutes of 2/6/24 as amended.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
11. Unanticipated business:
    1. Susan reported that she has heard back from the Collins Center and she has forwarded them a copy of the current draft handbook for their comments and review.
    2. The Board agreed to meet at 5:30pm next week in order to accommodate a 6:30pm joint meeting with the Finance Committee.
12. Comments & questions from the public: None

A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 7:10pm

Submitted by:

Melissa Noe, Town Administrator

Approved by:

Monterey Select Board

cc: Website (www.montereyma.gov)

Select Board Members

Minutes Book

Town Clerk

Any documents used in the meeting are listed below and are available by request at town hall.

1. Americans with Disabilities Act grant contract with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
2. Animal Inspector disclosure of financial interest
3. Berkshire County Law Enforcement Council Mutual Aid agreement renewal
4. FY25 draft budget