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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-01-23 Board of Selectmen Minutes BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES JANUARY 23, 2012 CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Tracy Watson called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM at Town Hall Meeting Room. ATTENDANCE: The following were present: Tracy Watson, Chairman; William F. Gordon, Clerk; Rosemary Smedile, Licensing Chairman; Donald Stewart, Ray Santilli, Assistant Town Manager; and Andrew Maylor, Town Manager. EXECUTIVE SESSION: William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Donald Stewart, to move into Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining associated with Health plan changes allowed under M.G.L. Chapter 32B, Sections 21-23. Roll Call vote: William Gordon yes, Donald Stewart yes and Tracy Watson yes. Vote approved 4-0. Chairman Tracy Watson declared that an open session meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the Town and will return to open session at approximately 7:00 p.m. Note: Rosemary Smedile arrived at 6:10 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE APPROVAL OF MINUTES: William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Rosemary Smedile, to approve the Open Session Minutes of January 9, 2012, as written. Vote approved 4-0. COMMUNICATIONS,ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND PUBLIC COMMENT: Town Clerk Joyce Bradshaw gave a brief update of the 2012 Census delay. The Presidential Primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2012, at the North Andover High School from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. The last day to register to vote is Wednesday, February 15, 2012. The Annual Town Election is Tuesday, March 27, 2012, and the last day to register to vote is Wednesday, March 7, 2012 CONSENT ITEMS: Donation to Fire Department from Elizabeth Armstrong William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Rosemary Smedile, to accept the donation from Elizabeth Armstrong in memory of her husband in the amount of$500 made to the Fire Department and to direct the Town Manager to send a letter thanking her for her generosity. Vote approved 4-0. Donation to Fire Department from Schneider Electric William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Rosemary Smedile, to accept the donation from Schneider Electric in the amount of$1,000 made to the Fire Department and to direct the Town Manager to send a letter thanking them for their generosity. Vote approved 4-0. Approval for Moving Location of Historical Drinking Trough William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Donald Stewart, to accept the recommendation of the Community Development Director and the North Andover Historical Commission to relocate the historical drinking trough from near the former police station to the traffic island at the intersection of Chestnut and Andover Streets. Vote approved 4-0. Selectmen Appointments The Selectmen's Appointment Sub-Committee recommends the following appointments to the Board. Board of Selectmen Minutes January 23, 2012 2 Audit Committee: Vidya lyer, 99 Amberville Road Festival Committee: Pristene Pazzanese, 30 Red Maple Road, Haverhill, MA William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Rosemary Smedile, to approve the appointment of Vidya lyer to the Audit Committee. Vote approved 4-0. Rosemary Smedile made a MOTION, seconded by William Gordon, to approve the appointment of Pristene Pazzanese to the Festival Committee. Vote approved 4-0. OLD BUSINESS: Open Meeting Law— Remote Participation The Open Meeting Law now allows for Board Members of various town boards to participate in a public meeting from a remote location if the Board of Selectmen allows such participation. The Town Manager recommended that the Board take no action at this time and could revisit this in the future if an unusual circumstance arises which supports the need for a board or committee member to participate remotely, then the board could vote at that time to allow such participation, and rescind it when the situation is no longer relevant. The Board takes NO ACTION. NEW BUSINESS: Town Manager's recommended FY13-17 General Fund Capital Improvement Plan Town Manager Andrew Maylor presented his FY13-17 CIP to the Board. He stated that the process and presentation was consistent with prior years with a prioritization of project requests based on weighted point system that examines each project based on overall fiscal impact, legal obligations, service to the public, urgency of maintenance needs, prior phases and division priority. After completing a preliminary financial assessment of the town including, but not limited to, the balance sheet, operating budget and debt schedule, the projects are scheduled for funding based on the goal of reducing debt service to less than 5% of net revenue. FY 14-14 are calculated to remain above 5% and FY15-17 approach the ultimate goal of having debt service average approximately 4'h% of net revenues. Another notable difference in this year's CIP includes adding new categories for annual building maintenance and information technology enhancements so that our commitment to both of those categories remains consistent even if a specific project has not been submitted. By using this capital budgeting mechanism, essential projects are annually funded and the town does not allow its equipment and infrastructure to deteriorate as quickly. Per Chapter 9, Section 5-1 of the Town Charter, Board of Selectmen has 30 days to "act" on the Capital Improvement Plan and forward to the Finance Committee once approved. The Town Manager recommended forwarding the CIP immediately after tonight's meeting even if they plan to alter it prior to the expiration of the 30 day period. Rosemary Smedile made a MOTION, seconded by William Gordon, to accept the FY 2013-2017 CIP as presented by the Town Manager reserving the right to make changes as additional information is forthcoming and immediately forward to the Finance Committee for their review. Vote approved 4-0. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT: GIS Needs Assessment Working Group Director of Community Development Curt Bellavance, IT Director Matt Killian, and Director of Public Works Bruce Thibodeau recommended that a needs analysis is needed to define the path forward for implementing wider use of GIS by both the internal departments and the public. They are recommending that a committee be setup with a few members who are capable of contacting and ascertaining the needs of all departments. The following town employees were recommended: Jennifer Hughes, Conservation Administrator, Craig Lemke, IT System Analyst, KD Rex, EPW GIS Coordinator, Judy Tymon, Town Planner and Gene Willis, Town Engineer. Board of Selectmen Minutes January 23, 2012 3 Town of North Andover APP The Town Manager Andrew Maylor has asked Curt Bellavance and Matt Killian to work on developing a Town of North Andover application for smart phones that could be used to locate businesses and important information about the town. ADJOURNMENT: William Gordon made a MOTION, seconded by Rosemary Smedile, to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Vote approved 4-0. Adele J. Johnson Administrative Secretary William Gordon, Clerk of the Board