The Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee convened on Zoom June 8 for a vote on the 20 warrant articles to be presented at Rochester’s June 22 Town Meeting.

            Most of the articles had been talked out in prior meetings with the Select Board, FinCom, and some with Capital Planning. Clarifications were sought and obtained, and votes were cast.

            Article 10 was of particular interest to the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee, as the Board of Assessors has proposed $15,000 to fund state Department of Mandates for revaluation costs. This is an increase over the $10,000 requested in 2019, the first year of the program.

            “They’re building up a little mini-fund so they did not use the $10,000 from last year,” explained Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar.

            Town Counsel Blair Bailey explained that Principal Assessor Charles Shea will retire (on April 1, 2021) and the Board of Assessors expects it will need to outsource much of the work he has been doing over the past decade-plus. “(Spending) might end up actually being more than ($15,000),” said Bailey.

            FinCom Chairman Kris Stoltenberg cited the potential of other departments “saying the same thing” creating an overall trend toward circumventing the budget process. “I have real hard time jumping into this with both feet,” he said.

            “I’m not a fan of building a war chest, then we feel like we have to spend it,” said FinCom member Peter Armanetti.

            Shea went to work for the town in 1988 as a contractor and at a time when revaluations were required every three years. In the computer age of annual revaluations, he has been working for the Board of Assessors in a full-time, appointed position.

            “Assessors put in countless hours,” said Assessor Jana Cavanaugh. noting that Marion and Mattapoisett put aside greater amounts to outsource such work. Cavanaugh said that five years ago all such work was done in house, but other towns now hire out to do commercial and residential inspections and building permits.

            FinCom member David Arancio said, “We have limited commercial property so it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison to other towns.”

            A year from now, Rochester’s Board of Assessors will be without Shea and, despite the forecast of a replacement, is seeking more in the way of financial backing. Cavanaugh said that to find someone with Shea’s expertise and willingness to tackle the jobs he does is not available at the salary that Rochester currently pays its principal assessor. “If the town does not want to do this, fine. But when it occurs, it could be substantial, it could be $40, $50, $60,000,” she told the meeting.

            “I think we should have a plan that designates how all of this is going to go down,” said Selectman Woody Hartley. “I will make a motion to support this (article) this year with the understanding that we have a plan next year.”

            The Board of Selectmen voted to recommend the articles, but FinCom held back its approval.

            The selectmen and FinCom voted to recommend the FY21 Annual Town Meeting operating budget (Article 4) as presented at a total of $22,522,236, representing a 1.97 percent increase over FY20. Szyndlar said that the state Department of Revenue had approved Rochester’s one-twelfth budget as a back-up plan should Town Meeting not be held for whatever reason.

            After discussion, the Board of Selectmen, FinCom, and Capital Planning Committee all approved $99,900 from free cash for a highway excavator and related costs for the Highway Department, but the article may be pulled on the floor of Town Meeting pending further discussion. Szyndlar said the funding for the excavator was originally meant to be a Capital Planning project, but there was no funding source.

            “I know we need this, but do we need it (now as opposed to in the fall)? I will support at this time,” said Board of Selectmen Vice Chairman Brad Morse.

            Stoltenberg said it would be prudent to hold until the fall town meeting unless the need is urgent this summer, and the committee also voted to recommend with the understanding that the article will be pulled from the warrant on the floor of Town Meeting should it be decided that there is no immediate need.

            Article 11, Capital Plan Funding at $97,476 for Rochester Memorial School ($26,776 for the second phase of its tech upgrade and $16,000 for an HVAC upgrade), $7,000 at town hall, $16,550 for a public message board, $14,000 for a freezer at the Council on Aging and $9,315 for a gas furnace and air conditioning upgrade at the COA) was approved by the selectmen, FinCom and Capital Planning.

            Articles pertaining to town employees include: Article 3, a personnel bylaw amendment changing the classification and compensation of van drivers up by 2 percent to minimum wage ($12.75/hour from $12/hour); Article 7, OPEB (other post-employment benefits) funds for future obligations at $15,000, the normal annual amount; Article 8, an actuary audit every two years to fund post-employment at $6,300.

            In an update to the general bylaws, Article 5 was voted for the recommendation of departmental revolving fund authorizations including an arbor fund from the fees paid by Planning Board applicants to invest in planting and other funds applicable to waste and recycling, fees for stickers for supplies, funds, and contractors. The fund would be annual with potential spending capped at $203,500.

            Article 14 is a Walnut Plain Construction Project vote for $345,769 for all non-town sources to fund a construction restriction over all portions of land associated with the WPCP. The article may be pulled at Town Meeting, but it was put in the warrant.

            Two articles were pulled from the warrant.

            One is the call firefighters’ service credit, which has been postponed to a subsequent town meeting. The other, the FEMA maps flood-plain district amendment, was pulled by the state. Szyndlar said that towns have been told to cease efforts to put that article on town meeting. FEMA, she said, will issue new effective dates, then towns will have to update their maps. Board of the Selectman Chairman Paul Ciaburri said it’s looking like that will not happen until the annual spring town meeting in 2021.

            Both the selectmen and FinCom voted against recommending Article 20, a citizens’ petition proposing the transfer of $50,000 from free cash to reduce the tax rate.

            Before FinCom adjourned, Stoltenberg said he hopes the selectmen will address Town Meeting on the matter, as will FinCom. “I do think it needs to be explained to the town… not at this time,” he said, citing the financial uncertainty that has come with the coronavirus pandemic. “Now that we’re into this situation where we don’t know what the state is going to do, it doesn’t make sense.”

            The selectmen and FinCom recommended Article 9, a proposed increase to the elderly tax exemption from $750 to $1,000, as put forth by the Board of Assessors.

            The Board of Selectmen voted to sign the warrant as presented.

            In other business, Hartley’s plan for vehicle and foot traffic in and out of Town Meeting (Monday, June 22 at Rochester Memorial School) was discussed with a walkthrough planned for June 9.

            Town Clerk Paul Dawson reported that, as of June 8, Rochester had received 432 vote-by-mail applications, which accounts for 9.7 percent of the town’s active registered voters.

            The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, June 15, at 11:00 am with a plan to vote on road-acceptance articles.

Rochester Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee

By Mick Colageo

            “We don’t know where local revenues are going to fall or what the state budget will be,” said Town Administrator Mike Lorenco during the June 8 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen. Selectman Paul Silva opened the financial discussion wondering aloud if Town Meeting should be postponed at least until August to give the town time to adjust budgets prior to holding the annual meeting. Lorenco said he agreed with waiting to see where local revenues landed and with moving forward using the one-twelfth formula allowed by the state to continue conducting business until a new FY21 budget could be approved by the voters.

            Governor Baker granted authority to cities and towns throughout the commonwealth to use one-twelfth of their FY20 town meeting-approved operating budgets to sustain business transactions the town needed, and pay salaries and other fixed costs. This fiscal process, although not new, became relevant to many communities trying to find safe ways to hold town meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

            Silva asked Selectman Jordan Collyer his thoughts on whether to try and hold a town meeting sooner rather than later. Collyer responded, “I’m not sure we know how the revenues are going. If we go with one-twelfth, we can rule Town Meeting out until we have some level of comfort (regarding local and state revenues) and then we can look at budgets again.”

            Silva agreed, saying, “I don’t want to cut things out of the budget if we don’t have to. By August or September we’ll have a better idea, let’s not come up with a date now.”

            There was some discussion about reopening the warrant, but the board determined that if allowed to do so they were in agreement that waiting was prudent. Silva, Collyer, and Lorenco also agreed that, given the economic ramifications of the pandemic on the state’s revenue sources, financial outcomes might be dire.

            Lorenco said, “We’ve already started to make a one-twelfth budget to use in place of a town meeting,” anticipating the necessity to postpone Town Meeting. He also said that he, along with town clerk Catherine Heuberger, met at Old Rochester Regional High School to talk to the facility manager Gene Jones regarding how best to prepare the auditorium for a town meeting that needed to provide distancing.

            Jones shared his concern that, if the town waited and held its town meeting in either August or September, sanitation procedures would be more difficult as students would be returning to the school by then. But Silva thought the possibility of holding Town Meeting outdoors in one of the athletic fields under a tent was feasible. Heuberger supported holding Town Meeting, while students were out of the school building, but Lorenco, while appreciative of her concerns, said, “…financially I’m in favor of postponing; losses from the state will be significant.” The selectmen moved to set no date for Town Meeting at this time.

            In other business, the selectmen discussed restaurant reopening plans but quickly heard from Lorenco that, while the town and Board of Health have been in discussions with local restaurants, none have provided a fully executed outdoor eating plan to date.

            Lorenco said that he along with consultant Mike Gagne had discussed outdoor seating with Turks, Pandolfi’s Diner, Taste Buds, Captain and Walrus, the Inn at Shipyard Park, and Rustico. He said that, while each was in the process of figuring out how to offer outdoor dining, none had provided a plot plan that could be reviewed by the Board of Health. Lorenco said that he was hopeful that by next week all plans could be finalized and ready to implement. Silva said, “We want to do everything we can to help these businesses.” He told Lorenco, “As soon as you get those (plans), schedule a meeting so this can get done.” Lorenco said the board did not need to meet to approve the plans, prompting Silva to say, “Let’s go then as soon as they come in.”

            Regarding town elections, it is all systems go for Tuesday, June 16, as Heuberger explained the plans and preparation she has been making. She said that she had participated in an election in Plymouth and was able to see “what worked and what didn’t work.” She said she would have a minimum number of poll workers, and masks would be required as well as distancing. “People can bring their own black ballpoint pen, but we’ll be cleaning pens and disinfecting throughout the day,” she stated. Absentee ballots are still available for those wishing to vote in a truly remote fashion.

            Ryan Fraine came before the selectmen with a proposal for his Eagle Scout project, construction of a volleyball court at Aucoot public beach. Silva wanted to ensure that the court would not take up any available sunbathing area and that, given that contact sports are not currently allowed due to COVID-19 restrictions, there isn’t any urgency. Fraine said he was seeking permission from the board to set-up a meeting with the Conservation Commission as the first step in what will be a months-long process. Collyer asked Fraine to provide the board with a plot plan and, after meeting with ConCom, return to the board for further discussion.

            On the theme of all things beaches, Lorenco said that public beaches were opening with lifeguards on June 29. He said that restrictions and beach-use guidelines are available on the town’s website and included such things as mandatory wearing of masks, distancing, no group over 10 people, no day passes in an effort to keep number of beachgoers down, and no one closer than 12-feet from the lifeguard stands.

            “Lifeguards will not be enforcing distancing,” Lorenco said, but they would be charged with monitoring to ensure guidelines are being followed. “The beach house and showers will be closed,” he added, but portable toilets will be made available. No beach games will be allowed such as volleyball, and he said people should plan on “carry in – carry out” policies. Lorenco stated that seasonal beach passes can be obtained at the outdoor service windows open between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm daily at town hall. Access to the interior of town hall is by appointment only at this time, he said.

            The Lions Club sought and received permission to display a banner attached to the gazebo at Shipyard Park from July 10-19 that will illustrate their service programs and membership drive.

            Earlier in the meeting, the selectmen approved the application for funding from Plymouth County CARES program to overset COVID-19 expenses.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen will be posted at mattapoisett.net when scheduled.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

Fieldstone Farm Market’s application for a license to sell beer and wine was discussed in a favorable light during Tuesday night’s public hearing, Marion’s first since the coronavirus pandemic forced public meetings out of municipal buildings and onto remote-access platforms.

            Owner Arnie Johnson, known to some in the tri-towns as chairman of Rochester’s Planning Board, did his own planning for Fieldstone with an abiding desire “to promote regional agriculture whenever possible.

            “We’ve greatly expanded our cheese department since we opened three years ago,” he told the Board of Selectmen, which hosted the hearing as a dry run of sorts while other Marion boards anticipate holding necessary public hearings in advance of the June 22 Town Meeting.

            Town Administrator Jay McGrail and Board of Selectmen Randy Parker were safely spaced apart operating on a dedicated phone line at the Police Station, while Johnson, selectmen Norm Hills and John Waterman and any other attendees participated via Zoom.

            Facing no controversy, the town did not see through the full operating function of the continued hearing, as no one accepted the invitation to the public for comment on the matter. Johnson told the board that a license to sell beer and wine would augment Fieldstone’s developing assortment of fine cheeses and meats.

            “This would be an extension to go with that,” said Johnson, who plans to major on locally produced wine. “My intention is to only have a couple of local wineries that would be in line with our (land-use) goals … and possibly some craft microbrews.”

            Johnson reported that two cheese-tasting events held last year at Fieldstone drew approximately 150 customers. “That got the thoughts brewing toward maybe expanding like this,” he said. Johnson told the selectmen he will attend the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, June 16, at 4:15 pm that will close out the hearing.

            Waterman asked the other members if anyone saw a negative side to the issuance of the license, prefacing the question by admitting he regularly does business at Fieldstone. There were no dissenting comments, and the hearing was officially continued and Johnson left the meeting.

            McGrail had one action item for the board’s consideration, seeking authorization to approve requests from Marion restaurants for outdoor seating in keeping with Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan that went into effect on June 8.

            The expedited process does not require the approval of the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) or appearance before the Board of Selectmen, but it is a temporary order (through November 1) and subject to any pending orders of the governor.

            McGrail will work with Building Commissioner/Zoning Officer Scott Shippee to “make sure we’re doing it safely,” he said. “Honestly, for me it’s a way to reach out to local businesses to get them up and running.”

            This authorization will not apply to new licenses, only to existing ones in order to take the drag out of Phase 2. The board approved.

            McGrail told the meeting that so far Marion has 60 residents signed up to attend Town Meeting.

            The Marion Board of Selectmen next meets on Tuesday, June 16, at 4:15 pm.

Marion Board of Selectmen

By Mick Colageo