At the recommendation of the Capital Planning Committee, the Rochester Board of Selectmen on March 4 approved placing four capital projects on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant totaling $98,703.
Capital Planning Committee Chairman David Arancio and committee member Barry Patraiko met with the selectmen to review the committee’s selection process and how it prioritized the top four capital spending requests various town departments submitted for consideration.
Topping the list is the Fire/EMS Department’s request for $28,650 to upgrade existing extraction equipment, which Arancio said scores high on the list because of the public safety nature of the equipment.
The Highway Department’s request for $35,000 for an emergency generator to power the highway barn and Fire Station 3 also made the list as “high priority” and also “critical” as it would support “life safety operations for the town,” as Arancio described it.
The committee also recommended Rochester Memorial School’s request for $30,773 to fund its “Go Math!” math curriculum for a three-year contract as opposed to renewing the contract on an annual basis, saving taxpayers $17,220 over three years.
According to Arancio, this was the school’s number one priority for its capital planning list.
The $16,000 the school budget was funding each year for the math curriculum would be removed from the school’s operating budget for the next three fiscal years.
And finally, the committee recommended funding the Plumb Library’s $4,280 request to purchase new computers. The price includes computer setup and the Microsoft Office software, said Arancio, calling the price “nominal” with a “strong upside to those who use technology at the library.”
“I think it’s great that we moved to having the [capital planning] committee,” said Selectman Brad Morse.
The formation of a capital planning committee was approved by Town Meeting in 1998, but the committee was never founded.
“It’s awesome,” continued Morse. “I’ve been doing this a long time and this has been great having this, it takes a lot of steps out of [the planning process].”
“We hope to next year hit the ground running … so we can really start strategically planning for the Town,” said Arancio.
“And also represent all the departments and advocate for them impartially,” said Patraiko.
The committee also recommended adding funds to the Capital Improvement Fund, something that was also passed by Town Meeting but never funded.
Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar supported earmarking money specifically for the capital improvement fund because, she said, “When [the committee is] reviewing capital project needs, there’s actually a pool of money they know they can actually work with.” Currently, she said, the committee can only anticipate whatever amount of free cash is available each year rather than a more fixed amount.
Szyndlar told selectmen that she would have a draft budget ready for approval for the warrant by the April 1 selectmen’s meeting, but currently there are still some “unknown numbers” to plug in, such as the school budgets and anticipated Town revenue.
“Revenues look good,” Szyndlar stated, and this year the budget will only rely on $600,000 in free cash to balance the numbers.
Szyndlar said, when she first started as town administrator, the Town was still relying on $900,000 in free cash to balance the budget, a practice the Town had wanted to relinquish for some time. The reliance on free cash each year has steadily decreased by increments of roughly $100,000 each year, which, Szyndlar said, “To me, that’s quite the accomplishment.”
Instead of spending all free cash forwarded from the previous fiscal year, Szyndlar said the Town could begin to move more money towards funding stabilization accounts and capital planning reserves.
“The right direction, for sure,” said Chairman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley.
Also during the meeting, the board announced that the developer of the proposed 40R housing project has submitted its application to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
Steen Realty and Development Corporation’s proposal is for a 208-unit housing development slated for the intersection of Routes 58 and 28, known as “Rochester Crossroads.”
The development, also referred to as a “friendly 40B,” will offer affordable housing in addition to market rate units just like a 40B, but the 40R brings with it the opportunity for Rochester to enforce its zoning regulations while also receiving some financial incentives from the state to help mitigate the increased demand on municipal services and schools.
The next step in the process is Town Meeting approval of a “Smart Growth Overlay District” bylaw at the Annual May Town Meeting to provide the zoning that would accommodate such a residential development.
In other matters, the board signed a new three-year contract with Szyndlar as town administrator/town accountant/chief financial officer. Hartley said Szyndlar has done “fine work” since she began three years ago, “And that’s why she’s getting this extended contract. … This contract reflects the job she’s done handling both of those jobs.”
While signing the contract, Szyndlar joked, “Another three-year sentence,” prompting laughter.
“We gotcha,” said Hartley.
The contract is for $131,094 per year, reflecting a 5 percent increase.
“I think we’ve accomplished a lot in the last three years, and I look forward to the next three years,” said Szyndlar. “It’s been a very good experience for me.”
The board approved the job description for full-time fire chief, and the position will be posted internally for two weeks. As Hartley pointed out, this will be the first time Rochester ever employs a full-time fire chief. Fire Chief Scott Weigel is currently only a part-time employee.
The board voted to move forward with a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the developers of the Mattapoisett Road solar array field. Town Meeting last year voted to allow the selectmen to enter into such an agreement.
The board approved allowing its church neighbors to use 35 feet of Town Hall pavement, pending a nod from town counsel, to carry out work related to some forest management the church will be doing in the woods behind Town Hall. The work will begin the last week of March and take about a fortnight to complete. All the board wants is a certificate of insurance from the contractor doing the work so there would be no liability to the town.
The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for March 18 at 6:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
Rochester Board of Selectmen
By Jean Perry