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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-02-07 Select Board Minutes NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES FEBRUARY 7, 2024 Call To Order: Chair Laura Bates called the open meeting to order at 7:01PM in the Select Board Room at Town Hall. Select Board in Attendance: Chair Laura Bates, Janice Phillips, Clerk Richard Vaillancourt, Rosemary Connelly Smedile and Brian Roache were present. Non-Board Members in Attendance: Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues, Deputy Town Manager Denise Casey and Assistant Town Manager Laurie Burzlaff were present. Public Comment Leslie Lemire of 120 Winter St., Manager of the North Andover Thrift Shop, was present at the meeting. Ms. Lemire stated when the land that the Thrift Shop owned was gifted to the Youth Center, it was specified that the gift was conditional upon providing space in the new facility for the Thrift Shop. It was accepted at Town Meeting in 1997 and is included on the deed but the condition was never met. The Thrift Shop then moved into the Schofield Mill in 2001 and had been evicted in 2020 in an abrupt manner and with no notice and has not had space since. They have been told there has been several attempts made to provide space yet nothing has come to fruition. Ms. Lemire addressed the Select Board and stated that the Town should honor its commitment that it made in exchange for the land especially since it was voted by the citizens at Town Meeting. Wreaths Across America Jeff Clark and Chief Bill Dolan were present at the meeting explaining the intent of Wreaths Across America. The wreaths will cost $17 per wreath and five dollars will be given back for every $17 that wreath that is sold. Chief Dolan requested that purchases be made by the QR code, not the regular website, so that the VFW will be able to take part in getting the five dollars back per wreath. Mr. Clark stated they are nonprofit so any money receive will go back to the community. Mr. Roache asked what they are looking for as far as a sponsorship from the Select Board. Chief Dolan stated just to know that the program will be supported by the Select Board. Mr. Vaillancourt suggested the flyers go out in the tax bill. Ms. Rodrigues suggested that they partner with Veteran Services instead of sending in the tax bills. Mr. Roache asked if local Boy Scout Troops would be contacted. Mr. Clark stated yes. Out of Order: Vote to release legal opinion regarding the North Andover Thrift Shop MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to release the legal opinion regarding the North Andover Thrift Shop. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Approve ARPA requests: 1. $45,883.00 for feasibility study for commuter rail station Zach Melcher, Staff Planner, was present at the meeting to request $45,883 for a feasibility study for a commuter rail station. Ms. Smedile stated the concern about getting an idling station and hope that is not part of the deal. Ms. Rodrigues stated this is more the intent of a flag stop behind Amazon. Ms. Bates asked who will be doing the study. Mr. Melcher stated Jacobs Engineering will be providing the study. MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to approve the ARPA request in the amount of $45,883.00 for a feasibility study for a commuter rail station. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 5-0. 2. $100,000 for Middle School renovation/addition Ms. Burzlaff explained the request for the Middle School renovation due to the drainage that needs to be upgraded and was not a part of the original scope. John Borgesi was present at the meeting and further explained that both the Middle School and Main Street need upgrading. Ms. Bates asked when work will be scheduled. Ms. Burzlaff stated July 1st and will be done before school starts. 1 NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES FEBRUARY 7, 2024 MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the ARPA request in the amount of $100,000 for Middle School drainage work. Ms. Phillips seconded. Motion approved 5-0. 3. $10,000 for materials and supplies for emergency animal shelter Chief Gray explained the need to purchase kennels for the animals when owners need to move to an emergency shelter. Mr. Vaillancourt asked where it will be located. Chief Gray stated it will be offsite from where humans will be sheltered. Ms. Smedile asked if all animals will be allowed. Chief Gray stated only domestic animals. MOTION: Mr. Vaillancourt motioned to approve the ARPA request in the amount of $10,000 for materials and supplies for emergency animal shelter. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Town Manager’s recommended FY25 budget Ms. Rodrigues and Ms. Savage gave a presentation on the FY 25 budget: Revenues ● Revenues for the FY25 Budget total $130,116,575 a 5.02% increase from last fiscal year ○ Not including free cash for reserves and capital ● Property taxes are estimated to grow by 6.4% ● Local receipts are increasing by 1.8% ● Local aid, per our policies and procedures, is level funded New Growth ● Proposition 21⁄2 allows the Town to raise 2.5 percent of the prior years tax levy PLUS any new construction (improvements or new buildings), which is called new growth PLUS any debt exclusions or overrides ● No new large impact projects on horizon ● Anticipate tight budget for next three years FY25 Budget Expenditure Breakdown ● The FY25 Budget includes increases of 4.5% in departmental spending from FY24 (excluding reserves) ○ Municipal Departments: 3.14% ○ Education budget: 5.5% plus funding in reserve for Middle School addition operational costs ● The budget book is going to show a smaller increase for the schools due to some operational and efficiency improvements ● Municipal budget is increasing by $1,314,000 ● School budget is increasing by $3,320,028 Health Insurance ● The Town joined the GIC in 2014. At that time, the Town was self-insured and appropriating $11,091,614 for health insurance. ● In FY25, eleven years later, the recommended health insurance budget is $13,343,911 2 NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES FEBRUARY 7, 2024 ● Health insurance breakdown roughly ○ $6.3 million- School employees ○ 2.5 million- Town employees ○ $3.2 million- Retirees Highlights and Changes ● Moved copy machine leases from all municipal budgets to the IT budget ● Fourth year of Finance Committee Reserve funded at $1.5 million ● Salary Reserves for unsettled Collective Bargaining Agreements ● COLA at 2% ● $1,000,000 debt holdover to be transferred to capital stabilization for REC Plex ● As part of DPW’s plan for improvements in service, this budget includes a new Tree Climber. ● Additionally, there is a shared position with Facilities, which is mostly funded by ARPA, and will be a Recycling and Trash/Sustainability Coordinator Highlights and Changes: Facilities ● A shared service that was never fully consolidated, staffed or funded ● Moved building maintenance costs from all non-enterprise budgets to the Facilities budget ● Moved electricity and heating fuel items from School budget to shared services for stability and efficiency Reserves Stabilization Account Balance: $6,143,013 ● FY25 appropriation: $80,255 Capital Stabilization Account Balance: $8,185,278 ● FY25 appropriation: $350,000 ● Proposed to use $4,484,775 OPEB Trust Fund Balance: $6,089,118 ● FY25 appropriation: $75,000 SPED Stabilization Balance: $797,712 Free Cash Certified: $12,104,543 Free Cash Available After Appropriation Other free cash articles: Design of 400 Great Pond Road demolition: $100,000 Stevens Estate: $41,583 (excess revenue received) Capital: $6,685,143 Retirement Payout: $180,000 CPE Revolving Account reimbursement: $338,408 TOTAL FREE CASH LEFT: $4,254,149 Mr. Vaillancourt asked what Support Services include. Ms. Rodrigues stated Support Services are shared services, which include Facilities, IT, Procurement, and the Audits. Ms. Bates asked about the opt out program. Ms. Rodrigues explained the 3 NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES FEBRUARY 7, 2024 employees would have to be in health insurance plan for two years and show proof of going onto a family member’s plan. Employees would then would receive $2000 for individual and $4000 for family paid annually. Mr. Vaillancourt asked what CPE stands for. Chief John Weir explained that CPE is the state program to help offset cost when treating patients with Medicare insurance. Chief Weir stated the difference received can be put towards new ambulances and keep up with maintenance on vehicles without going to CIP to ask for funds. Ms. Bates asked if we are seeing a slowdown in new growth compared to the surrounding communities. Ms. Rodrigues stated we are more unique in the new growth with Amazon and the addition of apartment complexes. Mr. Roache asked if there is anticipation that there will be a savings in operations. Ms. Rodrigues stated most likely it will not save money, but will see a better product and more efficient use. Ms. Casey mentioned CPE stands for Certified Public Expenditure. Ms. Phillips asked about the GIC increase. Ms. Rodrigues stated schools have more employees, there are less health insurance options in the market and the GIC stated there would be a 9.3% increase. Ms. Bates asked about the Capital Stabilization account. Ms. Rodrigues stated it is for the Kittridge design and Fire Station 2 design. Vote on written documentation allowing Fire Chief and Police Chief to participate in collective bargaining MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned that as the appointing official for the Police Chief and Fire Chief, as required by Mass. Gen Law Ch. 268A Section 19, the Select Board have reviewed the particular matter and the financial interest identified by the municipal employees and have determined that the financial interest is not so substantial as to be deemed likely to affect the integrity of the services which the municipality may expect from the employees. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Appointment of Kate DeLisle as teacher representative on the Middle School Building Committee MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to appoint Kate DeLisle as the teacher representative on the Middle School Building Committee. Mr. Vaillancourt seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Sign Warrant for Presidential Primary MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to sign the Warrant for the Presidential Primary as presented. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Consent Items A. Accept grant from FDA to the Health Department in the amount of $26,500 for food safety B. Accept grant from the Department of Environmental Protection in the amount of $157,092.00 for EV charging stations C. Accept donation from the Friends of Stevens Memorial Library in the amount of $1,000 for program supplies D. Accept donation from Julie Doe and Kelly Bliss in the amount of $200 to the Fire Department Brian LaGrasse and Annette Garcia were present at the meeting to explain the grant from the FDA in the amount of $26,500 for food safety. MOTION: Mr. Vaillancourt motioned to accept all consent items. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. 4 NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES FEBRUARY 7, 2024 Approval of Open Session Minutes of January 22, 2024 Minutes of January 22, 2024 were not voted on. Revisions to the minutes were suggested as follows: Mr. Vaillancourt stated he would like the minutes to be corrected to state that he is not resigning from the Select Board but that he is not seeking re-election after 12 years of serving on the Select Board. Mr. Roache asked to note in the minutes that Star Waste Systems acknowledges that the contract exists and that it has financial penalties for non-performance. SELECT BOARD UPDATES None TOWN MANAGER UPDATES None ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Ms. Smedile made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Roache to adjourn the Select Board meeting at 8:16PM. Motion approved 5-0. Respectfully submitted, Jillian A. Brothers Executive Assistant _______________________________ Richard M. Vaillancourt, Clerk of the Board Documents used at meeting: Wreaths Across America information ARPA requests Presidential Primary Warrant Presentation from of FY25 Budget Consent Items Appointment Application Memorandum Minutes 5