The Marion Select Board emerged from a 56-minute executive session on June 29 with a brief action to vote Adam Murphy as interim harbormaster.

            The opening was created by the recent departure of Isaac Perry, who after two decades left to become Mattapoisett’s harbormaster, a job that opened in the spring with Jamie McIntosh’s decision to join Wareham’s Fire Department.

            It has been an eventful 2023 for Murphy, who in May won a seat on the Rochester Select Board on his third attempt. Murphy has been working for the Town of Marion as deputy harbormaster and shellfish officer.

            Prior to his most-recent appointment, he told the Marion Marine Resources Commission that the summer schedule had been worked out so that in Perry’s absence, he, Assistant Harbormaster David Wilson and Andrew Miller would have all the shifts covered.

            Officially, the board’s executive session was pursuant to Purpose 3 of General Law Chapter 30A, Section 21(a)(2) to conduct collective bargaining or strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or litigation or if open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the board’s ability to do business.

            A substantial discussion followed on the meeting’s other agenda item: a 2% cost-of-living increase in the Plymouth County Retirement fund. The adjustment, from 3% to 5%, is retroactive to cover FY23.

            “I don’t think that’s aggressive,” said Select Board member Randy Parker before the board voted unanimously to approve the adjustment.

            Prior to Marion’s vote, the county had secured approval from 17 of its 23 municipalities. Marion’s last such increase occurred in 2020.

            So far in FY23, Marion has paid $36,263, including $4,997 for county mosquito control.

            Select Board Chairman Toby Burr asked Finance Director Judy Mooney about the logistics of payment, having read that the Town of Mattapoisett is spreading it out over three years, per a report in The Wanderer.

            The FY24 appropriation is already determined. According to Mooney, the increase sticks and becomes a permanent part of the rate going forward.

            The board was not clear on how much this will cost the town. Mooney called it “a moving target” because the number of retirees is always changing. Marion’s pension is just under $1,400,000 for 186 people including 93 active employees, 23 who are inactive, and 70 retirees. Mattapoisett has approximately the same number of retirees as Marion, while Rochester has 42.

            According to Town Administrator Geoff Gorman, $30,000 per beneficiary is the estimated cost for the anticipated life of the applicant.

            The county needed the vote ahead of the close of FY23.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18, at 6:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo

            The Marion Select Board voted 2-1 against establishing a policy for public participation in Select Board meetings during its June 21 public meeting.

            Board member Norm Hills said he has no problem with how the policy was proposed regarding time limits, while member Randy Parker said he does not think time limits are needed.

            “My take on it is that one of our prime jobs as Select Board is to listen and, according to Mr. (Geoff) Gorman, there are only two court cases over the last five years in all of Massachusetts that have gone negatively,” said Select Board Chairman Toby Burr. “I think the risk of not having it is very small, and we give up a lot by … putting limits in a whole procedure for people to speak. I’d rather not limit people.”

            Hills sought clarification as to whether Burr is opposed to the whole policy or just the time limits on public comment. Burr said he’s opposed to the “whole thing,” including registering to speak, counting up how many people are going to speak and dividing that number.

            Citing examples, Hills said such a policy is not a new concept and that he is in favor of it. Parker, who is not in favor of time limits, suggested bringing up the matter “to bring it up occasionally when we think the tool is a little biased.” He also suggested not invoking the policy for a string of meetings and then employing it could by itself cause the board liability.

            Hills argued that the policy would be used in every meeting. The school committees, for example, routinely read their public-comment policy at the start of that segment.

            “Whether somebody speaks or not, that’s not the point. It’s there if we need it,” said Hills. Parker argued that potential speakers would need a copy of the policy. “It’s a little too busy for the Town of Marion, I’m afraid,” he said.

            Noting he is not in favor of a time limit until the need is proven, Burr said it would be advantageous to agree on how to handle a meeting being hijacked. “This would do it, it would be in place,” said Hills.

            “For me, it creates another set of rules for people to follow. I’d rather have the audience be relaxed and informed,” said Burr. “I can see it in a public hearing when you might have many people who want to speak.”

            Burr noted that the board limited public input to five minutes per person in the last public hearing held by the board. “No matter what time limit we put on people, there are some people we would want to listen to a lot more than the time limit will be.” Parker nodded his agreement.

            Gorman, the town administrator, suggested producing a list of norms for the board’s consideration and that the matter be indefinitely postponed per the majority’s preference in order to remove it from ongoing agenda items.

            The board followed suit with a 2-1 approval, Hills acknowledging his position in the minority.

            In his Town Administrator’s Report, Gorman said the Select Board’s summer meeting schedule has been modified to cancel its July 5 and August 1 meetings, resulting in one meeting per month for the two months.

            The board discussed the feasibility of a swap shed at the Transfer Station. The project is in the works with the DPW. Parker said he and executive assistant Donna Hemphill will present a plan at the board’s next meeting. The plan will include Rochester.

            The board voted to approve Monday, October 16, for a Fall Special Town Meeting that will feature a vote on the remaining funding of the new Marine Center and possible other capital projects. The board also approved a special Town Election on Friday, October 20, if needed, to address an override to fund ADA sprinkler upgrades to the Town House and like projects.

            Gorman told the board that “reasonable price tags” are driving the urgency to schedule a vote for the fall and avoid further cost increases by next spring. He said that documentation is in place that once an affirming vote is secured on October 16, construction can begin on the harbormaster’s new headquarters building.

            A plan is underway to “reset” the Bylaw Codification Committee so that it can directly advise the Select Board. Gorman said the maneuver will not take away any of the Planning Board’s authority or responsibilities vis-a-vis the town’s bylaws. Hills, the recently retired Planning Board chairman, is chairman of the Codification Committee, which until now has existed as a subcommittee of the Planning Board (appointed by the Select Board.)

            The town’s fireworks will be held on Saturday night, July 1. Gorman pitched changing the Fireworks Committee from a town committee to a nonprofit organization, simplifying the fundraising aspect of the annual effort.

            An employee-appreciation lunch was planned for Wednesday, June 28, at 12:00 pm, with plans to close the Town House for the event.

            Under Action Items, the Select Board voted to have its representative to the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee extend from a one-year term to three years to coincide with the committee and MRV District Commission.

            The board voted to close the traditional roads for the July 4 Independence Day Parade. Starting and finishing at the baseball field off Main Street at Sippican School, the parade starts at 9:00 am. It will run down Main Street toward the Town House, turning left (north) onto Spring Street, all the way up to Route 6, then right along Route 6 to Front Street, then right (south) down to Main Street, then right (west) back to the field.

            Pending the addition of page numbers and a verification of a $25 maximum fee, the board voted to approve a public-records-request policy revision to include Gorman, the town clerk and executive secretary to the Police Department.

            The board voted to authorize Department of Public Works Director Becky Tilden to file a required document with the state Department of Environmental Protection and Clean Water Trust to apply for a $55,000 Asset Management Grant that will fund infrastructure inventories and a five-year, gate-valve maintenance and replacement program for the Perry Hill and Main pumping stations.

            The board approved a request for a two-week mobile-home permit at 357 Point Road to begin on July 20.

            The board approved seven, Special One Day Liquor licenses to: Marion Social Club, 44 Pumping Station Road, for a birthday party with 100 attendees on Sunday, July 23, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm; for a memorial service (100 attendees) on Saturday, August 12, from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm; for its Senior Citizen Bar-B-Que (attendees TBD) on Sunday, August 20, from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm; Marion Social Club for the Town Party (150-200 attendees) to be held on Saturday, August 26, from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Silvershell Beach (rain date August 27); Peter Krause for a wedding (80 attendees) at the Music Hall, 164 Front Street, on Saturday, July 22, from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm and two for the Marion Institute for its climate-change discussion (50-100 attendees) at the Music Hall, 164 Front Street, on Tuesday, July 18, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm and Tuesday, August 15, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

            The board approved Water/Sewer commitments for quarterly billing of $1,346.37 (June 9) and $1,277,152.06 (June 14).

            Before the meeting ended, Gorman told the board that MassDEP had that day approved the new Watershed Permit and Title 5 Nitrogen Sensitive Area regulations effective Friday, July 7. The new regulations, he said, currently address only Cape Cod, with a note that the south coast is being studied for appropriate next steps but without an established timeframe.

            Gorman publicly recognized Isaac Perry, who after 19 years as Marion’s harbormaster has taken the job as Mattapoisett’s new harbormaster.

            The Marion Select Board has called a special public meeting and executive session for Thursday, June 29, at 3:00 pm at the Police Station.

Marion Select Board

By Mick Colageo