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