Coming before a joint meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board and Finance Committee on March 10 were Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Howard Barber, ORR’s assistant superintendent of Finance and Operations, to review the FY23 school budgets.

            For the layperson, the complexities, the numerous moving parts of the process used to create a school budget, can be mind-numbing.

            In an effort to bring clarity and transparency to the process, Barber and Nelson gave an in-depth PowerPoint presentation followed by questions.

            Transparency has been a keystone of the current administration’s financial planning, including work with the Tri-Town administrators and financial teams to thoroughly vet not only the process but the bottom lines.

            That is not to say it has been easy. The amount of support the state will be providing has not yet been cemented or fully disclosed to cities and towns, leaving school administrations to make their best guess. Suffice to say, schools are funded by the taxpayers both at the local and state levels.

            From Barber’s presentation, the Select Board and Finance Committee learned that Mattapoisett’s local schools, Center and Old Hammondtown, show an increased enrollment of 28 students for a total of 424 for FY23. Local school assessment is pegged at $8,039,560 for the upcoming fiscal year. ORR’s assessment is planned at $6,353,695.

            Another moving part is a line item titled “Foundation Budget,” a calculation that includes multiplying the number of students in 14 enrollment categories by cost rates in 11 areas. From the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, we find the following regarding foundation budgets: “While allocations within the district budget are under the purview of the school committee, there is a statewide system of school funding that underlies the entire system. This is called the ‘foundation budget,’ as it establishes a foundation level of funding for each school district.”

            That figure for Mattapoisett local schools stands at $4,913,934 and Chapter 70 state aid at $980,381. ORR’s foundation budget is $12,541,084 with state aid via Chapter 70 at $3,384,440. In a follow-up, Barber explained it this way: “The Foundation Budget is the required net school spending (NSS) to be budgeted per the state for the school department.  It includes the Chapter 70 aid from the state and the minimum local aid required by the town/city.” He also pointed out, “The total Proposed Budget for ORRSD … is $20,845,272.”

            Regarding capital needs and the development of a Capital Stabilization Fund, the draft budget shows Mattapoisett’s contribution to this fund at $152,567. When questioned by the Select Board on the price tag that the Tri-Towns are expected to pay into the fund, Barber said this is just for the repairs to the high school track, not the amount that will be requested annually. In the follow-up he said, “The current capital assessment in the operating budget for track is $152,567 for Mattapoisett. There is not a specified amount determined yet for future cycles to build into the Capital Stabilization account…”

            Nelson and Barber were also asked for the current OPEB liability figure. In the follow-up, Barber stated, “As of (June 30, 2021,) the total OPEB liability is $24,802,731 with a current net liability of $24,691,449. Total assets included in the plan as of (June 30, 2021) are $111,282.”

            Later in the meeting, the Select Board carried on with working sessions with department heads for the FY23 budget, meeting with members of the Board of Health and Mattapoisett Police Chief Jason King.

            From Board of Health Chairman Carmelo Nicolosi, the board heard that the company which has purchased ABC Disposal will honor existing contracts without modifications.

            Select Board Chairman Jordon Collyer asked how the Transfer Station, an enterprise fund that has needed financial support since its inception, is doing. Nicolosi said that receipts for every transaction are now mandated and that two new recycling programs have begun, one that accepts textiles including rugs and carpets and another for mattresses. He also noted that they are working with the researchers from the Collins Institute who is studying the operation to assist the town in making it more financially viable.

            Collyer also asked about the possible creation of a “Dump Store” where people could shop for materials or swap items. Nicolosi said they were looking into that as well. BOH agent Gail Joseph said that up to a half ton of material can be removed from the waste stream this way. The FY23 budget for Transfer station expenses shows SEMASS at $212,000, rubbish collection $314,586, recycling $187,752 and landfill monitoring $11,500.

            King reported that the Police Department has 17 full-time patrol officers and 3 part-time staff. He said that seven officers are ready to make the next step in their contracts with 2-percent pay increases. King also commented that the number of ambulance calls has dramatically risen.

            In the category of what could help offset expenses, King said in the future, he hopes to have a plan to place solar arrays over the parking lot of the police station that are now in a design phase.

            Regarding capital needs, King said he is requesting $50,000 for tasers, equipment the staff currently does not have, a police cruiser for $55,000, $110,000 for parking lot repaving, $25,000 to upgrade the department’s telephone system, $50,000 for a new radio system and $25,000 for a new police motorcycle.

            This last request prompted board member Jodi Bauer to ask, “Is this a want or a need?” King pointed to the goodwill an officer on a motorcycle brings to the town including funerals. “Most towns have them and they are fully equipped to handle emergency calls.” He said the officer using the motorcycle is a highly-trained professional who teaches other police departments how to handle motorcycles, giving Mattapoisett prestige. He concluded saying a motorcycle can go places a cruiser cannot, including the bike path and that he also hopes to have a bicycle unit for warmer-weather patrolling.

            Recreation Department Director Greta Fox was asked by Collyer to help plan a working session with the Select Board that would among other topics examine fees for various programs. Another area Collyer said he wanted to explore is more adult offerings. “We need to do a gap analysis to find the blind spots in programming,” he said.

            Fox said part of the problem with expansion planning is the fact that the Recreation Department does not have a building. One thing all agreed on is giving Mattapoisett residents first shot at summer-camp enrollment before opening it up to other communities.

            As she had during other meetings, Fox explained the challenges that the department experienced due to the pandemic and the fact that programs still are full.

            The bigger concern facing Fox is the dearth of certified lifeguards for the coming season. She said all outreach pathways to encourage applicants are being used but are not very effective. She said only two lifeguards confirmed they are returning.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Finance Committee is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, at 5:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Finance Committee

By Marilou Newell

            The Old Rochester Regional School Committee applauded the work of Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber for making the FY23 school budget the most digestible one that the members had ever been asked to consume.

            In a PowerPoint presentation that lasted less than an hour, Barber went through several slides breaking down and establishing the building blocks of the budgeting process, much of which is predetermined by state law. The nuances that affect the ORR School District’s three member towns are more complicated, but Barber charted the course and took questions to clarify.

            At the conclusion of open comment, the public hearing was closed, and the FY23 school budget was then unanimously approved by the committee.

            “You did such an amazing job with slides to make them digestible for somebody who doesn’t deal with numbers all day,” said committee member Margaret McSweeny. “In general, I just wanted to compliment you Howie for your work on this … we are very lucky to have you.”

            The foundational aspects of the district’s philosophy are: a zero-based budget; cost-effective programming and staffing based on enrollment; administration and department-based goals; and a continued all-funds budget approach.

            In outlining the budget, Barber began his summary report by highlighting the building blocks that establish the total, anticipated, operations budget of $22,119,995, an increase of $945,357 over the FY22 operating budget. Barber cautioned that this figure was not the subject of the committee’s vote at the conclusion of the public hearing, only a working figure.

            The assessment-based budget figure that the committee voted to approve is $20,845,272. That number was established by applying $1,274,723 in financial offsets to the operations budget of $22,119,995 resulting in a District budget of $20,424,272, then adding $421,000 in capital stabilization for contracted repair to ORR’s outdoor track.

            Committee member Matt Monteiro noted that a 4.77 percent increase across all of the towns in current dollars essentially asks people to pay less and asked Barber for confirmation. Barber didn’t characterize the situation that way, but he clarified that this (budget) year is capital assessment, as in ORR’s outdoor track.

            “It includes the track and the new guidance counselor. The track’s going to cost more if we don’t do it now. I just want to say how much I appreciate the fact that we’re not being asked to pay more,” said Monteiro.

            District union contracts comprise 56.54 percent of the budget.

            Besides personal-service financial impacts, ORR is looking at a $119,000 increase in department and organization costs including agreements on health benefits, $20,000 in general insurance, $10,000 in Plymouth County retirement and $40,000 in obligations towards unemployment and other benefits.

            The total funding offsets come from nine sources, most prominently school choice at $580,000. The total offsets cover ORR’s 11 paraprofessionals and two-and-one-third of teaching staff.

            The assessment-based $20,845,272 budget figure represents a $949,306 increase over FY22. In addition to the $421,000 for the repair to the ORR track, alocations inside of the assessment budget figure include $703,418 in regional debt and $617,000 in regional transportation costs.

            Determining district assessments is based on three- and five-year enrollment averages. In FY22, Mattapoisett has produced 36.9 percent of ORR District students, Rochester has had 32.85 percent and Marion 29.67 percent. These figures are purely residential and do not include school-choice students.

            Enrollment in all three towns has consistently trended downward over the past five years. The 2017-18 school year began with 1,139 ORR District students, and as of the start of the current academic year was down to 988.

            Minus Chapter 70 (state aid) and additional revenue-based assessment reductions totaling $3,434,440 and the minimum local contribution of $9,156,644, ORR’s proposed FY23 budget is $6,512,770 “above minimal local contribution.”

            The state-required minimal contribution is actually down by 1.725 percent from FY22, but Marion is up by 2 percent while Mattapoisett (minus 3.294 percent) and Rochester (minus 3.782 percent) are both down as determined by the state. Adding in the agreement ($15,669,414 total,) the assessments are as follows: Marion at $5,034,815, Mattapoisett at $5,891,917 and Rochester at $4,742,682.

            After the vote, ORR School Committee Chairperson Heather Burke thanked Jim Muse, Monteiro and Jason Chisholm for their work on the budget subcommittee.

            The next meeting of the ORR School Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, at 6:30 pm, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, April 28, at 6:30 pm.

ORR School Committee

By Mick Colageo

After many months of study, interviews, research and more interviews, the Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee, an advisory board to the Select Board, voted on a list of 12 capital requests (needs of over $10,000) at its March 14 meeting.

            Prior to the vote, the committee members met once again with Old Rochester Regional School District Facilities Director Gene Jones to firm up understanding on a $96,651 request for mechanical systems (primarily ventilation) needed in Center School. Jones said that a $55,328 grant was received from CARES Act funding needed to replace obsolete controllers at Old Hammondtown School, but that the larger grant of $96,651 requested for Center School had not been awarded. Thus the late entry of the needed funds now appears on the capital list.

            Also attending was Town Administrator Mike Lorenco, who shed light on the school district’s plan to assess the Tri-Towns more than $100,000 each for repairs needed on the high school’s outdoor track with ORR’s plans to structure a capital stabilization fund. Lorenco said that issues with the school’s ability to raise the needed funds via borrowing was concerning and that in his discussion on the topic with Marion Town Administrator Jay McGrail there was consensus that it is better to fund the track than to borrow $500,000.

            Capital Planning Chairman Chuck McCullough asked each committee member to prioritize each request with a number 1 through 12, No. 1 being the highest priority item. When the tally was taken the list was: 1) $250,000 for roadway improvements; 2) $96,651 Center School mechanical systems; 3) $240,000 new hook-lift truck Highway Department; 4) $40,000 telephone systems at town hall and other locations; 5) $50,000 tasers for the Police Department; 6) $12,500 Center School master electronic clock (not to be confused with the clock tower); 7) $25,000 library exterior lighting; 8) $10,000 library security cameras; 9) $25,000 flooring Old Hammondtown School; 10) $25,000 Police Department motorcycle; 11) $55,000 police cruiser; and 12) $50,000 Fire Department inspector’s vehicle. The list totals $879,151 against an available $676,000 in free cash as noted by Lorenco.

            Before finalizing the prioritization with a vote, McCullough read from a prepared motion that clarified the capital spending vote. It read: to accept the priority ranking set by Committee members through individual ballots covering the identified Town of Mattapoisett Capital Needs for FY2023 that are to be funded through Free Cash. If the total of the FY2023 Capital Needs identified to be funded through Free Cash exceeds the available amount of Free Cash, it is understood that the Town’s Finance Committee and the Town’s Select Board will follow the Committee’s priority ranking and advance to Town Meeting only those needs that are able to be funded with no impact to operating funds or debt exclusion. Further, those FY2023 Capital Needs that are not advanced to Town Meeting for lack of available funds, will be moved on the Capital Plan to FY2024 for reconsideration during the planning for FY2024. The Capital Planning process cycle will coincide with the Town’s Annual Meeting cycle. Special Town Meeting Warrants may include out of cycle recommendations from the Capital Planning Committee for Capital Needs deemed by Town Leadership to be quantifiable emergencies where the health and safety of residents and/or Town staff is at risk.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee was not set upon adjournment.

Mattapoisett Capital Planning Committee

By Marilou Newell

            On March 15, dog owner Thomas Hibbert, 26 Joanne Drive, came before the Marion Select Board to defend his position that “Finley,” an 80-pound, 9.5-year-old Rottweiler, should not be deemed a “dangerous” dog.

            An incident between Hibbert’s dog and neighbor Debra Cohen’s 20-pound “Archie” took place on December 12, 2021. Archie was attacked by Finley, causing several bite wounds that required medical treatment.

            The incident was reported to Animal Control Officer Susan Connor and followed up with a letter from Cohen to the Select Board on January 3 expressing her concerns.

            Hibbert did not deny that the attack had taken place, instead he offered a psychological report from a veterinarian that stated Cohen’s dog was a trigger for aggressive behavior by Finley. Hibbert asserted that his dog is not violent, saying, “You can come in my house.”

            Cohen said that she had not seen Finley outside the home since the incident and was not advocating that the animal be destroyed, but she feared Finley’s hurling herself against the windows whenever she walked by with Archie might result in the animal getting loose.

            Hibbert stated, “That day was an accident, the dog is always in the house.” But on the day in question, the Hibbert family was all outside the home and Finley was able to run out an open back door and into the street where Cohen was passing. “Archie is a trigger for her,” Hibbert repeated several times. He went on to say his dog is in constant pain, receiving several different types of medication and probably is at the end of her life. He said he was willing to keep her in the house and pleaded, “The dog is not dangerous, she hasn’t bitten before, it would be wrong to put her down.”

            Hibbert said that he immediately went to the aid of Cohen and her dog, paid for emergency medical care and has apologized profusely. Cohen said she didn’t feel safe in her neighborhood.

            Town Counsel Jon Witten said the Select Board had to decide if the dog was simply a nuisance or a dangerous dog. If they found Finley fell into the latter category, there was a number of measures they could impose upon Hibbert.

            After reviewing a variety of conditions from muzzling to leashing to restraining the animal in a humane manner, the board elected to require an interior, dog-proof doorway barrier, an exterior enclosure, and monitoring by the dog officer. In legal parlance, the dog will be “confined to the keeper of the dog.” If Hibbert fails to meet the conditions set out by the board, fines of up to $300 per day may be imposed.

            In other business, Matt Zuker of Zuker Development met with the board to informally discuss a revised plan to construct 48 units consisting of 36 detached homes and 12 townhouses on property located at 78 Wareham Road.

            Zuker acknowledged that earlier attempts to get a zoning bylaw change through Town Meeting that would allow the cluster development failed and that his team could have done better. Now he said they were ready to try again. A Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 21.

            Part of Zuker’s presentation included drawings of the proposed homes’ aesthetics as coastal cottages in keeping with the town’s image, but the bigger news was an agreement crafted with the assistance of Town Administrator Jay McGrail that would benefit the community’s water and sewer systems.

            Several critical areas of proposed assistance that Zuker would lend to the town include: 1) payment of up to $1,265,630 to the town for the removal of extraneous infiltration and inflow (I/I); 2) payment of $123,000 to the town to contribute to the design and construction of a project to replace the existing Creek Road pump station; 3) payment of $37,000 to the town to perform a force main condition assessment to assess the pipeline integrity and determine the need for future actions for the Creek Road and Front Street pump station force main; 4) design and installation of a new sewer pump station and sewer mains along Wareham Road to connect to the existing 10-inch sewer on Wareham Road near Point Road consistent with the town’s plans for extending sewers to the River Road needs area (including sewer service to River Road and parts of Wareham Road,) including manholes and main stubs for intersecting streets and with service laterals for each fronted property fronted along the sewer line; 5) payment of all applicable sewer connection and permit fees as required by town policies and regulations and 6) replacement of portions of the existing water mains in the area leading to the development and increase in the size of the pipe to allow for adequate fire-flow capacity and inclusion of the proper interconnection of the new water main with the existing mains in the intersection of Point Road and Wareham Road, the transfer of service laterals for each fronted property along the new water main, and the proper abandonment of the existing 6-inch water main in the area.

            Earlier in the meeting, Gaelle Hyppolite was appointed to the Affordable Housing Trust. The board also approved the appointment of probationary police officers Randy Jacob and Stephen Dawson as full-time officers.

            The next meeting of the Marion Select Board is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, at 6:00 pm.

Marion Select Board

By Marilou Newell