Marion is scurrying to find a solution to its continuing saga of its main curbside trash collector truck’s persistent habit of breaking down, delaying trash collection sometimes for longer than one day, and costing the town tens of thousands of dollars in seemingly futile repairs.

            The truck was recently repaired again after its latest breakdown and, according to interim supervisor of the Department of Public Works, Jon Henry, the truck was “all put back together,” as Selectman Randy Parker put it, but it was back at the mechanic soon after.

            “It’s got the same problem it went in there with,” said Parker on February 8. He said the Town was billed “for work that got done that wasn’t needed,” apparently, so the actual problem was not repaired. The work that was done, however, caused a chain reaction, said Parker, which then blew out the truck’s radiator.

            Now the mechanic says the truck needs a new engine entirely at an estimated cost of $50,000.

            “I have no confidence in this truck, even as a backup truck,” Parker said.

            The selectmen know for certain that continuing on repairing the truck is not a long-term solution, and barely is it a short-term solution, either.

            The problem is that buying a new truck, even a used one, will require Town Meeting approval, and the Annual Town Meeting is still three months away. Meanwhile, the truck continues to breakdown. And another costly repair such as this latest one, Parker said, “It’s probably a pretty expensive temporary fix if the voters decide to go in another direction.”

            “We may have to call a Special Town Meeting; I don’t know at this point yet,” said Town Administrator Paul Dawson.

            And then there is still the matter of ordering a new truck, which, by the time the funds are made available on July 1, would likely take until November to be delivered. The selectmen may be forced to ask Town Meeting for funding to lease a trash truck in the meantime, which is currently $1,250 per day, an option the DPW has had to take sporadically over the past few months in order to keep up curbside trash collection. If there is a chance at getting a lower rate for a longer-term lease, selectmen might consider it as a viable temporary solution.

            The selectmen are seeking bids from businesses to outsource the town’s trash collection and may instead ask Town Meeting voters to approve funding for a contract with a vendor, but the discussion will continue as the options are studied.

By Jean Perry

            On February 6, members of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee began the process of crafting a fiscal year 2020 budget as they met with members of the Finance Department and the Assessors’ Office.

            Before beginning the preliminary overview of Town finances, Town Administrator Michael Gagne shared insights into how the Town is moving towards preparing employees for greater responsibility and opportunity.

            “I’ve been looking at more than just salaries and supplies,“ Gagne began. “I’ve been looking at the big picture [with] … employee training and advancement.”

            Legacy planning has been very much on Gagne’s radar these past two years as he plans his own retirement in October. But, according to Gagne, this emphasis on preparing critical town hall departments not only for the immediate future, but also for long-range planning, has been embraced by many employees.

            Gagne said some employees interested in furthering their education with an eye towards increased responsibility in the future have done “extremely” well. He pointed to employees in the Assessor’s Office who have now been certified by the state, as well as others who have expanded their education in areas of procurement or have fulfilled necessary coursework to maintain certifications. 

            “We’ve taken education to a higher level,” Gagne said, while acknowledging that he believes the finance departments in Mattapoisett are “outstanding” and that he couldn’t have asked “for a better team.”

            Finance Committee Chairman Pat Donoghue asked Gagne if he had considered reestablishing a Human Resources Department. He said he would put that on the agenda for future discussion.

            Kathy Costello, administrator of assessing, told the committee that document storage was well underway and essential in protecting legal documents in the event of a flood or other unforeseen disasters. Costello also discussed a possible opportunity for garnering some relief for taxpayers through a process currently under advisement at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR).

            Costello said that utilities such as gas and electric are allowed to depreciate or decrease the value of assets running throughout cities and down, all the way down to zero in a very short period of time, which leaves municipalities with no way to capture tax revenue. She explained that Eversource, for instance, is allowed to self-report its value on the estimated $14.5 million infrastructure of gas and electric service in Mattapoisett.

            Costello said that the DOR is reviewing this regulatory practice with the Town of Hopkinton leading the way. She cautioned that while her office would be taking on this project, timing was unclear and that cellphone services were not included.

            Donoghue then asked about rental properties in Mattapoisett and if Costello was pursuing a way to tax the income earned on rentals.

            “There’s going to be an excise tax,” Costello said, adding that legislation is pending.

Currently, the Town does not have a mechanism to tax return income.

            Gagne also told the committee that he anticipates a large increase in group health insurance costs, and that all unions would be negotiating new contractors for FY20.

            The departments’ operational budgets discussed on this evening while purporting to be level-funded were not complete due to union negotiations that are pending.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee for February 12 at 6:00 pm was cancelled due to snow.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell