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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-11-22 Board of Selectmen Minutes BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES NOVEMBER 22, 1999 CALL TO ORDER: Keith Mitchell called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ATTENDANCE: The following were present: Keith A. Mitchell, Chairman;William B. Duffy, Jr.; Donald B. Stewart; James M. Xenakis; Robert J. Halpin, Town Manager. (John R. Leeman, Jr. not present). EXECUTIVE SESSION: James Xenakis made a MOTION, seconded by Donald Stewart,to move into Executive Session for an update on Police Lieutenants' Negotiations; vote approved 4— 0. The Board of Selectmen was individually polled and each voted to move into Executive Session. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: James Xenakis made a MOTION, seconded by William Duffy,to approve the amended Minutes of November 8, 1999; vote approved 4— 0. COMMUNICATIONS,ANNOUNCEMENTS,AND PUBLIC COMMENT: Grant Check. Representative Bradley Jones attended the meeting to present the Town with a reimbursement check in the amount of$36,606. It is a reimbursement under the underground storage program. The check represents half of the cost. The Town Manager said the Fire Department and the School Department worked together to file for this grant. MBTA Assessment. Representative Jones briefly reviewed the MBTA assessment for North Andover. The House Ways and Means Budget impacted the Town greatly. Although the final budget still impacts North Andover, it is much less than the original proposal($88,538 versus $300,186). Holiday Festival. Keith Mitchell reminded the audience about the Holiday Festival and Parade. Calendar Item. Keith Mitchell announced a Board of Selectmen meeting will be held on Thursday, December 2, 1999 to discuss budget items, AT&T/MediaOne issues and Police Lieutenants' negotiations. Letter of Commendation. Fire Chief William Dolan presented a Letter of Commendation and Commendation Medal to Firefighter Leonard W. White for saving a drowning victim's life while on vacation. CONSENT ITEMS: Approval of All Night Winter Parking Ban. The Town Manager said this is the routine practice of banning all night winter parking on several streets. A warning will be issued the first time. Keith Mitchell asked that it be posted on the local television station. Donald Stewart made a MOTION, seconded by James Xenakis,to approve the 1999—2000 all night parking ban to go into effect on December 1, 1999; vote approved 4— 0. OLD BUSINESS: Board of Selectmen Minutes November 22, 1999 Page 2 Education Reform Formula. The Town Manager is still working with Mr.Yong Nam on a response to the Department of Education. Keith Mitchell asked the Town Manager to get Mrs. Fink's thoughts on the response. MediaOne/AT&T Transfer. Keith Mitchell discussed the vote taken by the Board on November 8, 1999. Since that time, Donald Stewart has voiced concerns about the possible cost to the Town on any potential litigation. George Dague, Chairman of the Cable Committee, said the Committee discussed it and voted to recommend to the Board that"Open Internet Access"not be a condition for the transfer of the license. Keith Mitchell said AT&T will appeal. He also said the Town has been contacted by Attorney Charles Nesson who is representing Cambridge and is offering his services to the Town pro bono and will speak to him this week. Donald Stewart is concerned about a monopoly. He is also requesting Attorney Peter Epstein revisit the issue. NEW BUSINESS: Client Fee Agreement—Peter Epstein, Esq. The Town Manager said when Attorney Epstein was first hired by the Town,the assumption was that there would be four or five hours of work. If there is going to be an appeal, it will represent substantial work, and he would like a formal agreement. The Town Manager wants the Legal Advisory Sub-Committee to review it. Tax Deferral for Seniors. The Town Manager reviewed the tax deferral for senior citizens. The Town Manager will be making a presentation on December 8th at the Senior Center. In order to be eligible for this program,the owner must be 65 or older, owned and occupied the property for five years, lived in Massachusetts for ten years and have income below$20,000 (possibly increasing to $40,000). An eligible taxpayer could defer all or a portion of the tax bill with interest at 8%. The total amount deferred and interest due cannot exceed 50%of full and fair cash value of the property and taxes are due upon the sale of the property or death of the taxpayer. Keith Mitchell invited any senior citizen interested in this program to attend the presentation on December 8, 1999. FY 2000 Recap in Advance of Special Town Meeting. Keith Mitchell said this would be discussed in more detail on December 2, 1999. The Town Manager said the portion he wanted to focus on is with the receipt of the state Cherry Sheets, the Town will then have all of the information the Board needs to approve the tax rate for FY 2000. The Town Manager discussed the revenue side to assure that the Board is comfortable with the revenue budget. Motor Vehicle Excise Tax is level funded, other excise tax is level funded, penalties and interest has been adjusted to reflect the actual amount collected in FY 1999, payments in lieu of taxes is level funded at the amount received in FY 1998,NESWC fees is level funded at the FY 1999 level, other charges (ambulance fees) is funded at less than FY 1999 levels, fees have been adjusted to less than each line item collected in FY 1998 or FY 1999. Rentals, school recreation and library revenue are based on FY 1999 actuals. Other receipts is budgeted at less than received in FY 1999. License and permit fees has been reduced to reflect the actuals in both FY 1998 and FY 1999. Fines and forfeits has been Board of Selectmen Minutes November 22, 1999 Page 3 adjusted to FY 1999 actual receipts. Interest income has also been adjusted to reflect actual receipts of FY 1999. The Town Manager concluded that he believes that this revenue budget is conservative. The Town Manager discussed the water and sewer enterprise funds. He said each of these will be reviewed by the Department of Revenue. In FY 1999 the actual sewer revenues were $1, 845,457. Estimated revenues were $2, 212,277. Based on FY 1999 the budgeted amount has been lowered to $2,065,474. The water enterprise fund actuals for FY 1999 were $3,462,000 and includes a payment from Lucent Technologies. The budgeted amount for FY 2000 was $3,585,000;this has been reduced to $3,453,000. ADJOURNMENT: James Xenakis made a MOTION, seconded by William Duffy,to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m.; vote approved 4— 0. Ann M. Keating Administrative Secretary James M. Xenakis, Clerk of the Board