With a packed training room at the Fire Station, the Mattapoisett Select Board announced the date and time of the Special Town Meeting: Saturday, October 4 at 1:00 pm, to be held in Old Rochester Regional High School’s gymnasium. They opened and closed the warrant that contains one article, an article that if passed at the Special Town Meeting would be a non-binding referendum with no impact on the Citizen Petition that passed by a majority at the fall Town Meeting.
That petition was authored by Nikki Demakis who, in advocating for an expansion of the Select Board from three members to five, cited a need to bring more qualified residents into the decision-making process and more efficiently expedite the business of the Select Board.
But others believed that the current board configuration wasn’t broke, so why fix it? The Demakis petition was moved through confirmation, becoming a ratified vote of the town. Thusly, the second Citizen Petition, which received adequate signatures to be placed before the voters in a Special Town Meeting, was an attempt to undo the Demakis petition.
Select Board Chair Tyler Macallister declared that, if the Special Town Meeting passes this single-warrant article, the only impact would be its history as a non-binding referendum.
Some members of the public were against the town being obligated to hold the Special Town Meeting, especially given the $3,500 expense to do so. Questions to the board regarding what the latest group of petitioners hope to accomplish were not addressed, as the board held that they simply were following Massachusetts General Law in this matter.
The matter of the Select Board appointing a temporary Board of Health member was tabled when that board failed to achieve a quorum necessary to hold a dual meeting on this night.
At the August 26 board meeting, the Select Board attempted to appoint Douglas Schneider for an open position, but public sentiment ran high that there were other qualified residents, possibly bringing other skill sets that might be a better fit. The board continued the matter to the September 9 meeting.
Board of Health member Michelle Bernier asked the Select Board to consider offering the short-term posting to a resident with a public-health background, identifying Kathy Eklund as a highly qualified public-health professional. There ensued debate over the Select Board’s responsibility to fill vacated elected positions until an election is held and the lack of transparency in selecting a temporary replacement.
Without a quorum, the Select Board moved to table the matter until their next meeting. In the meantime, Macallister said the public is welcome to contact the board mail or email if they wish to comment on the process or people involved in this matter.
In other matters, nearly eclipsed due to other agenda items, was the vote taken to approve the General Obligation Municipal Purpose Loan (bond) in the amount of $6,580,000 purchased by Bancroft Capital.
Macallister said that Mattapoisett continues to have a strong “Triple A” rating, which allowed the bond to be generated with a low interest rate of only 4%. The bond will be used to pay for projects previously approved by voters; those projects are Industrial Drive (a road project); engineering and design for the Main Street TIP project; Oakland Street Sewer Main Replacement; Oakland and Pearl Street Road Improvements; and Highway Department building renovations and improvements.
In the matter of a complaint filed by Donald Fleming with the state ethics board, an Open Meeting complaint, the board said it was formulating its response.
Town Administrator Mike Lorenco announced that Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School will be giving a presentation on Tuesday, September 23, to share its plan for a new school in accordance with MSBA, Massachusetts School Building Authority. The school is planning a large renovation and expansion project, the costs of which will be shared by the member towns. Mattapoisett currently has 30 students enrolled at the school. Cost burdens will be calculated based on enrollment, he said.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Marilou Newell