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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-28 Select Board Minutes NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JANUARY 28, 2025 Call To Order: Chair Brian Roache called the open meeting to order at 7:05PM in the Select Board Room located at 120 Main Street North Andover. Select Board in Attendance: Chair Brian Roache, Janice Phillips, Laura Bates, Clerk Rosemary Smedile and David Kres were present. Non-Board Members in Attendance: Town Manager Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues, Deputy Town Manager Denise Casey and Assistant Town Manager Laurie Burzlaff were present. PUBLIC COMMENT Juliette Darmon of 32 Clarendon Street expressed her concerns and frustrations about the school budget. Ashley Gravel of West Newbury and Meredith Fisco of Newburyport expressed their concerns regarding the school budget. Tim Seibert of W. Bradstreet Road asked the Board to consider finding the funds to help with the school budget. Dan Hudder of 115 Campion Road expressed how devastating the proposed budget would be on the students. Jeff Arcireo of 93 Wintergreen Drive expressed his concerns regarding the schools budget and stated that the deficit may not be from frivolous spending but from the budgeting process itself. Susan Lee of 70 Lost Pond Lane expressed her concerns of the closure of Kittredge and the school budget. GOVERNMENTAL REPORTS-REVIEW OF BUDGET PROCESS Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues presented an overview of the budget process. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the key personnel, boards, and committees, and their roles within the budget process. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the budget calendar. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the background of the Revenue and Fixed Cost Committee and their FY26 recommendation. Mr. Roache asked when creating the budget are you looking at what is spent in previous years and how we build on each individual line item. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes, when they start budgeting they look at what they have contracts for. Mr. Roache asked if Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues could touch on the difference between a bottom line budget and a specific line item budget. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated at town meeting, budgets are voted on for the schools and the town; they operate under two different general laws. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the town cannot transfer amongst budgets unless they are in the same cluster. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated schools have bottom line budgeting so they can transfer amongst their entire budget. Mr. Roache asked if that is state law. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed how property taxes and state aid play a role in the budget process. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated Chapter 70 and unrestricted general government aid is proposed to increase, and they will not really know what the budget is going to be until they are well into the fiscal year. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed local receipts as revenue for the budget, which are based on historical trends. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed transfers in, which accounts for about 1 to 1.5%. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the FY26 budget guidance. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed proposition 2 1/2, which places constraints on the amount of the levy raised by a town and on how much the levy can increase from year to year. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed how to calculate the maximum levy limit. Mr. Roache asked if new growth is estimated that we do not know yet, do they have a NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JANUARY 28, 2025 good idea by now. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes, when estimating new growth they look at what is already in the pipeline. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed how they can make the levy higher. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the levy capacity. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed amazon real estate taxes. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed what would happen if they raised Amazon's forgiven taxes. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the impact on average single family homes would be approximately$100 per every million dollars raised. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the facilities master plan 2 would have to be reworked. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated if it is decided to raise those taxes, the amount of debt exclusion needed for Kittredge more than doubles. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the estimated tax impact if the levy capacity is used for FY26. Mr. Roache asked in regard to debt exclusion doubling for Kittredge, is that with all of the levy capacity used. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed if the town wanted an override. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues recommended voting as contingent appropriations meaning two budgets would be voted on at Town Meeting. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed how the tax rate is calculated. Mr. Roache asked what does the Amazon TIF assume for a commercial/residential shift. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated it does not assume anything. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the comparison of single-family tax bills among the town's comp communities. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed free cash best practices. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the school budget increase by year. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed the budgeted amount versus actual spent. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed school spending through the years. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed personnel growth and enrollment trends. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed how they got here with the deficits and budget. NEW BUSINESS Digital Equity Plan findings and recommendations Zach Melcher was present to provide an update and recommendations for the digital equity plan. Mr. Melcher discussed what digital equity is. Mr. Melcher stated digital equity ensures reliable internet access for everyone. Mr. Melcher stated they received a grant from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute to develop a Digital Equity Plan and were partnered with CTC Technology and Energy. Mr. Melcher stated upon completion of the plan, the town is eligible to receive a one time$100,000 in implementation grant funding. Mr. Melcher stated they conducted a survey in June to get a better sense of what the needs are across the community. Mr. Melcher stated the main concerns among residents were affordability, device access, and digital skills. Mr. Melcher stated they convened with a number of community organizations to get a better sense of how digital equity affects them. Mr. Melcher discussed national data using the American Community Survey. Mr. Melcher discussed recommendations formulated through conversations with different organizations in the community. Mr. Melcher mentioned some recommendations would be to organize a yearly meeting with relevant stakeholders and consider setting up a Town grant fund to fill small gaps and reduce reliance on uncertain funding streams. Mr. Melcher stated other recommendations would be to consider funding a townwide shared digital navigator position to serve residents and to purchase twenty iPads for loan at the Youth Center, and ten chromebooks and ten iPads for loan at the library. Mr. Melcher stated they spoke with the Andover/North Andover YMCA about increasing some of their technology resources. Mr. Melcher stated a recommendation would be to explore a partnership between the YMCA and Tech Goes Home to ensure digital skills and device needs are being met. Mr. Melcher stated other recommendations would be to explore the MAPC program to provide Wi-Fi in North Andover Public Housing and to explore cybersecurity programming and partnership opportunities. Mr. Melcher discussed using the $100,000 implementation grant to purchase Chromebooks for students. Mr. Melcher discussed next steps. Mr. Melcher stated the town is pre-approved for the implementation grant funding and final applications are due in March. Mr. Melcher stated once the application is approved, they will proceed with the purchase of Chromebooks for students, but to implement additional recommendations from the plan they will need additional funding. Ms. Bates asked if towns put in hotspots. Mr. Melcher stated with Wi-Fi infrastructure, hotspots do not really work. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JANUARY 28, 2025 Vote to open the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting and close on March 10, 2025 Mr. Roache mentioned that the location of Town Meeting has not been finalized. MOTION: Ms. Bates motioned to open the warrant for the May 13, 2025 Annual Town Meeting at 8:00AM on January 29, 2025 and close the warrant at 4:30PM on March 10, 2025. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Vote to appoint a sufficient number of police details for elections Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the authority to determine a number of police details was given to the Select Board, and every year they ask the Select Board to give the authority back to the Chief of Police. MOTION: Ms. Phillips in accordance with the Massachusetts General Law chapter 54, section 72, motioned to appoint the number of police details for the elections that is recommended by the Chief of Police. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Vote to increase spending limit for Stevens Estate special revolving account to $200,000 Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated through their contract with Fireside catering, they have to give an accounting of their revenue. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they had a net revenue of$1.7 million. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated anything in excess over$750,000, eight percent of that additional revenue goes back to the Town. Ms. Burzlaff stated Fireside is looking to redo the downstairs bathrooms, outdoor ceremony area, and drainage at the bottom of the driveway before wedding season. Ms. Burzlaff stated they believe they have enough funds to complete all of the projects. MOTION: Mr. Kres motioned to increase the spending limit for the Stevens Estate special revolving account to$200,000. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Vote to set the number of members on the Festival Committee Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the Festival Committee has been having difficulty getting a quorum due to having an unlimited number of members. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues recommended setting the number of voting members to five. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated there would be ex-officio members who could still help out but would not be voting members. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated that this will give the committee more flexibility and make it easier for them to comply with Open Meeting Laws. Ms. Bates asked if they would still need to appoint the extra members. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated it would be best to start with appointing the five and let it be open to others who want to be a part of the process. Mr. Roache asked if five was the number of members they have been getting at their meetings. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated it was hard to tell. Ms. Burzlaff stated there were four appointed members and 3 volunteers at the meeting tonight. MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to amend the number of Festival Committee voting members from unlimited to five. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Request to name but at Grogan's Field Mr. Roache stated if they voted tonight to say they will name the town asset then they need to open this up to submissions to the general public for a period no longer than 14 days. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated 14 days after the announcements. Mr. Roache stated they must make a decision within 30 days. Ms. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JANUARY 28, 2025 Murphy-Rodrigues stated they have to post the submissions and then have a public comment period that is an additional 14 days, and then at the meeting after that they deliberate on who they will nominate. Mr. Roache asked if any resident or Select Board member can make a recommendation. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated any resident, Select Board member, or Town Manager can make a recommendation then the recommendations are made to the Chair. MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to begin the process to name the but at Grogan's Field and set a deadline for submissions to February 11, 2025. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 5-0. LICENSING MOTION: Ms. Smedile motioned to open a meeting of the North Andover Licensing Commission. Ms. Phillips seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Application for an expansion of Entertainment License from Smolak Farm Michael Smolak was present. Mr. Smolak stated they have been trying to replace the greenhouse and the farmstand for a few years. Mr. Smolak stated he received a grant from the Department of Agriculture and is working with the Planning Department to complete these projects. Mr. Smolak stated they are considering doing more events inside of the greenhouse. Mr. Smolak stated he would like to amend his application to exclude outdoor music. Mr. Smolak stated they are keeping the hours. Ms. Smedile asked if it is the greenhouse attached to the shop and the bakery. Mr. Smolak stated yes, but it will be detached by a couple of feet. Ms. Bates asked what kind of events do they plan on having. Mr. Smolak stated their dinner series for the summertime has been successful, and they have thought of doing some things in the winter time. Mr. Smolak stated he has a good group of people who come up with innovative ideas. Mr. Smolak stated they may bring back the military appreciation this fall. MOTION: Mr. Kres motioned to approve the application from Smolak Farm for an Entertainment License as presented. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to close the meeting of the North Andover Licensing Commission. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 5-0. CONSENT ITEMS A. Accept donation from Lowell Five in the amount of$3,000 B. Accept donation from Fidelity Charitable Services upon recommendation of Shawn and Kelly Cormier in the amount of$1,000 C. Accept grant in the amount of$8,190 from DEP for Sustainable Materials Recovery Program MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to accept all consent items. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. APPROVAL OF OPEN SESSION MINUTES OF JANUARY 6, 2025 MOTION: Mr. Kres motioned to approve the Open Session minutes of January 6, 2025 as presented. Ms. Phillips seconded. Motion approved 5-0. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JANUARY 28, 2025 SELECT BOARD UPDATES Mr. Kres mentioned Ms. LaPierre's civics class presented a proposed memorial for the witch trial. Mr. Roache mentioned Mr. Orlando's mock trial team's second victory. Ms. Phillips thanked the Town Manager's Office for continued dialogue during budget season. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned excise tax bills are coming out in February, and that there is a new lockbox address. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned that the CPC deadline is January 31 st. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned there is a waste oil collection every two weeks. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues congratulated 7th graders at North Andover Middle School, who won the name a plow mascot. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues congratulated John Hyland and the website team, who won the municipal website contest of the year at MMA. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they are paying close attention to the federal grants and the implications of those being stopped. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mr. Kres made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Smedile to adjourn the Select Board meeting at 8:25PM. Motion approved 5-0. Respectfully submitted, Nicole Civitarese Executive Assistant Rosemary Connelly Smedile, Clerk of the Board Documents used at meeting: Presentations Memorandums Naming Policy Award Letter Minutes from 1/6/25 Town Manager Report